Three killed as speeding car crashes into Metro station pillar in Pune
Pune (PTI): Three persons were killed after the car they were travelling in rammed into a Metro station pillar in Pune early on Sunday, with police examining whether drunk driving caused the crash, officials said.
The incident took place in the Bund Garden area, an official from Koregaon Park police station said.
The victims have been identified as cousins Hritik Bhandari and Yash Bhandari, both working professionals, and Kushwant Tekwani, a student at a private college in Pune.
“The car carrying the trio hit a pillar of the Bund Garden Metro station,” senior police inspector Sangita Jadhav said. Locals rushed them to a hospital, where Hritik and Yash were declared dead. Later, Kushwant succumbed to his injuries during treatment, the official said.
“The accident took place at 4.49 am. The CCTV footage of the area shows the car moving at a very high speed and hitting the pillar of the Metro station,” another official said.
Prima facie, it seems the driver lost control of the vehicle, the official said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Milind Mohite later told the media that Hritik and Yash were residents of the Pimpri area near Pune, while Kushwant hailed from Beed district.
“We are also examining whether they had consumed alcohol. Blood samples have been sent for chemical analysis. One of the victims had apparently told his mother that they were going to a party,” the official said.
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No unannounced load shedding in Kerala, outages due to overload, says Minister
Palakkad (PTI): Kerala Electricity Minister K Krishnankutty on Saturday said there was no unannounced load shedding in the state, attributing recent power interruptions to temporary overload caused by high consumption.
Clarifying concerns raised from various parts of the state, the minister said the disruptions are not deliberate but occur when demand peaks, particularly between 10 pm and 11 pm.
"It is not being done intentionally. Power consumption has risen sharply, and when there is excessive and indiscriminate usage, the system experiences overload, leading to natural supply interruptions," he told reporters here.
His remarks come amid complaints that several areas have been witnessing frequent power cuts, often lasting around 15 minutes and occurring multiple times during the night.
Krishnankutty said the state's power demand has crossed 6,195 MW, putting pressure on the supply system. He added that around 70 per cent of Kerala's electricity is procured from outside, and existing power banking arrangements have been exhausted.
"We have approached the Regulatory Commission seeking permission to purchase more power. However, this will come at a higher cost," he said.
The minister said the government is trying to avoid increasing electricity tariffs and urged consumers to exercise restraint in usage to help manage the situation.
Responding to opposition criticism over the ruling LDF's earlier claims of a decade without power cuts, he said the current situation is not unique to Kerala.
A power crisis is emerging across the country, he said, and sarcastically asked the Opposition to take note of the role of natural factors in this.
Krishnankutty expressed confidence that the situation would improve within two days, while cautioning that long-term energy security would depend on enhancing in-state power generation.
He also warned that future generations could face serious challenges if adequate electricity production capacity is not developed within Kerala.
