Bhatkal: In an accident that occurred on the National Highway 66 stretch near Noor Masjid here on Saturday morning, a 61-year-old rider was killed on the spot and his wife was grievously injured as a speeding tanker hit their bike from behind and ran over the biker who had fallen on the road.
The deceased rider is identified as Eshwara Naik (61), a resident of Murdeshwara. His wife, Bharathi Naik (47), is under treatment at the Bhatkal Government Hospital.
The couple was reportedly traveling to Bhatkal to attend a program, when the tanker, which came down the NH at high speed, hit their bike. As Naik was thrown off the bike due to the intensity of the collision, a tyre of the tanker reportedly ran over his head, resulting in Naik sustaining serious injuries and dying on the spot.
The local residents have been complaining about intense rise in traffic on the stretches between Kwality Hotel and Noor Masjid and between Shamsuddin Circle and Nawayat Colony in Bhatkal since the work to widen the National Highway 66 passing through the city remains incomplete. There is a hike in the number of accidents involving the heavy vehicles that are driven at high speed. Pedestrians and two-wheeler riders find it extremely difficult to use the stretch. The citizens have also pointed out that the authorities concerned have not provided a service road along the stretch to alleviate their problems.
The locals urged the officers to complete the work to widen the highway as soon as possible to prevent more cases of loss of life.
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New Delhi (PTI): Amid the ongoing West Asia conflict, India has supplied 22,000 metric tonnes of high-speed diesel to Bangladesh in March and has received a request from Seychelles and the Maldives to meet their energy requirements, the MEA said on Friday.
At his weekly briefing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in his response to a query related to requests received from India's neighbouring countries for fuel amid the West Asia situation, also said that India is "finalising a government-to-government agreement" for the supply of oil and gas, which will play an important role in reinforcing energy security of Mauritius.
The conflict in West Asia has now stretched to nearly 50 days, with global ramifications.
"So, we have received requests from our neighbouring countries for supply of fuel, and these are being looked into, keeping in mind our own requirements, availability and refining capacity," Jaiswal told reporters.
He further said India has "supplied 22,000 metric tonnes of high-speed diesel to Bangladesh in March 2026, and further supplies have continued this month as well".
"You would recall that last month we had supplied 38 metric tonnes of petroleum products to Sri Lanka as well," he added.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Mauritius last week, the MEA spokesperson said, adding, "We are finalising a government-to-government agreement for supply of oil and gas, which will play an important role in reinforcing the energy security of Mauritius".
As far as Nepal is concerned, there is an existing arrangement between Indian Oil Corporation and Nepal Oil Corporation to supply petroleum products to Nepal as per its requirements. The supplies are continuing without any interruption, he said.
Energy supplies to Bhutan also continue according to the existing arrangement.
"As I had mentioned earlier, we have received a request from Seychelles and the Maldives to meet their energy requirements. We continue to be in touch with them in this regard, and are considering the request keeping in mind our own domestic requirements and availability of fuel.
"I would also like to add that our neighbouring country governments have expressed appreciation for the uninterrupted supply, fuel supply to them during the West Asian conflict," Jaiswal said.
Global oil and gas prices surged after Iran restricted the transit of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow lane between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that handles roughly 20 per cent of global oil and LNG trade.
