Vijay seeks future CBI inquiry on Karur stampede in TN
Chennai (PTI): TVK chief Vijay has appealed to the CBI to hold its future inquiry into the Karur stampede case in Chennai or elsewhere in Tamil Nadu, citing his Assembly election-related engagements.
Prior to appearing for the CBI's questioning on March 15, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam founder wrote to the investigating agency stating that he had already appeared for questioning in New Delhi on January 12 and 19 in compliance with the notices for his appearance before the CBI office in the national capital.
The letter dated March 14 was also marked to Justice Ajay Rastogi who has been appointed by the Supreme Court to oversee the investigation into the tragic Karur stampede that claimed 41 lives and left many injured.
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In the letter, Vijay pointed out that he had sought a minimum of 10-15 days' time for his appearance for the inquiry and also requested permission to appear either in Chennai or any other place in Tamil Nadu due to his "personal inconvenience and commitments and preoccupation with respect to the ensuring Assembly election work."
Inspite of the request, the investigating officer asked him to appear in New Delhi on March 15, he said.
On Sunday, the actor-politician was questioned for more than seven hours and left the CBI office at around 6.30 pm. During the third round of questioning, he was accompanied by his party leaders Aadhav Arjuna and C T R Nirmal Kumar.
According to TVK sources on Tuesday, Vijay was said to have stated in the letter that he appeared for inquiry as a "law abiding citizen." He and his party cadres were victims of the Karur tragedy and were in "unexplainable mental agony due to the loss of lives and injuries during the stampede (on September 27, 2025) despite genuine precautions."
The Tamil Nadu Assembly elections are scheduled on April 23.
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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.
