Thousands of devotees throng Kurukshetra on 350th martyrdom day of Guru Tegh Bahadur
Kurukshetra (PTI): Thousands of devotees thronged the sacred town of Kurukshetra on Tuesday to commemorate the 350th martyrdom day of Guru Tegh Bahadur, revered as 'Hind di Chadar' for his sacrifice to uphold religious freedom.
The Haryana government, led by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, organised the event at Jyotisar village, drawing pilgrims from across the state and neighbouring regions.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the ceremony and paid homage to the ninth Sikh Guru.
In a notable display of interfaith unity, 350 students from Patiala's Play-Way Senior Secondary School, belonging to Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Christian communities, presented soulful Shabad Kirtan for over 30 minutes, reflecting Guru Tegh Bahadur's message of universal brotherhood.
According to an official statement, nearly 4,000 buses were deployed to transport devotees to the venue.
Several gurdwaras and saints arranged 'langar' for lakhs of people, with thousands of 'sewadars' serving meals throughout the day.
Two large 'joda ghars' (footwear centres) with around 70 barricaded lanes were managed by sewadars from Gurudwara Mandi Sahib, sixth Patshahi Gurudwara, and nearby villages.
Security arrangements were supervised by DIG Virendra Vij, with over 5,000 police personnel deployed and traffic diversions enforced.
District Commissioner Vishram Kumar Meena said all arrangements were made under the chief minister's guidance and were appreciated by the devotees.
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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.
