Drone-like object spotted over CRPF camp in Chhattisgarh
Raipur: A drone-like object was spotted flying over a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp in Chhattisgarh's naxal-affected Sukma district, an official said on Saturday. Similar light-emitting objects had been spotted flying near camps of CRPF in the district thrice in October last year.
A drone-like object was sighted for about 15 minutes in the sky over the Puswada camp of the CRPF on the highly-sensitive Dornapal-Jagargunda axis on Friday night, Sukma Superintendent of Police Shalabh Sinha told PTI.
"We launched our UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle or drone) to track its movement. However, the light of the suspected drone went off and it disappeared," he added.
The object was similar to those seen flying over security forces' camps in Kistaram and Pallodi area of the district in October, the SP said. It was yet to be ascertained if Maoists were operating these drones, he added.
Sukma, around 400 km away from state capitalRaipur, is one of the worst naxal-hit districtsin the country and shares borders with Odisha, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. A senior police official posted in Bastar said there were reports that naxals were trying show their lower-rung cadres that they had access to hi-tech equipment in order to motivate them.
"Naxals need not use drones to find the layout of security forces' camps in their core areas," he said. It was also unlikely that Naxals were using drones to keep a watch on the movement of security forces as drones can be shot down easily," the official said.
"But recently we have got inputs that naxals were showing video clips of police camps, which might have been recorded through drones, to their lower-rung cadres in some interior villages," he said.
The objective was to show their strength to the cadres and motivate them, the official added. Flying drones over camps could also be intended to create a "psychological pressure" on the security forces, he said.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
