Three youngsters drown in river during picnic in Pune district
Pune (PTI): A weekend picnic at Pavana river in Pune district of Maharashtra turned tragic for a group of youngsters on Sunday, with three of them drowning in the water body, police said.
A group of seven men had gone to the river near Thugaon in Maval tehsil in the afternoon.
"Three of the seven youths could not gauge the depth of the river and slipped into a whirlpool. Their friends raised an alarm; however, by then, all three had drowned," said Dinesh Tayde, senior police inspector, Lonavala (Rural).
He said the bodies were retrieved with the help of local rescuers.
The deceased have been identified as Ashwin Bhalerao (18), Ayan Shaikh, and Prathamesh Shinde (21), who were residents of Yerwada, Hadapsar, and Sayyadwadi in Pune, respectively.
In a similar incident, three men drowned in the Jadhavwadi dam in Maval tehsil while attempting to click a selfie two days back.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Centre must roll back LPG price hike, says Kerala CM
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday demanded that the Centre immediately roll back the recent steep hike in LPG prices, alleging that it has severely impacted common people and small businesses.
In a statement, Vijayan described the increase as "one of the most cruel" in the history of cooking gas price revisions, saying it has pushed ordinary households and entrepreneurs into distress.
He said the price of commercial LPG cylinders had been raised by Rs 993 in one go, crossing Rs 3,000, which would adversely affect the hotel and restaurant sector.
The hike in the price of 5-kg LPG cylinders by Rs 251.50 would hit migrant workers and small families who depend on them, he added.
The chief minister alleged that the hike came immediately after the conclusion of Assembly elections in states, placing an additional burden on common people, small-scale entrepreneurs and migrant labourers.
Pointing to the ongoing crisis in West Asia, Vijayan said the hospitality sector has already been facing a shortage of cooking gas for months and the latest price increase would be difficult to absorb.
The burden would ultimately be passed on to consumers, he said, warning that several small establishments, including those in Kerala, could be forced to shut down.
Accusing oil companies of prioritising profits over public welfare, he said such a trend of imposing additional financial burden on people cannot be accepted.
Vijayan also alleged that the Centre's policies favour corporate interests and called for a correction in approach.
He urged the Union government to withdraw the excessive hike without delay.
The price of commercial LPG was hiked by the steepest ever Rs 993 per 19-kg cylinder on May 1, marking the third straight monthly increase due to rising global energy prices linked to the West Asia conflict.
