House owner, relative sleeping in newly built house dies mysteriously, one critical
Leakage of poisonous gas from generator suspected
Chikmagaluru, February 11: Two persons including the house owner who were sleeping in the newly constructed house, died while another is reported to be serious, due to suspected gas leakage in the house at Hariharadalli village near the city on Monday morning.
The police suspected that they might be suffocated to death as all windows and doors were closed or died due to electric short circuit. The victims have been identified as Shivakumar (35) and Bharath (20) of Hariharadahalli. The condition of another person Sachin is said to be critical and he was rushed to Bengaluru for more treatment.
Shivakumar had constructed a house at Hariharadahalli recently. Its house warming program was supposed to be held on February 15. After completing remaining works, Shivakumar, along with his nephew Bharath and relative Sachin slept in their new house on February 10. As there was power interruption, they switched on the generator and slept after closing all windows and doors, it is said.
On Monday morning, Shivakumar’s wife went to the house, upon receiving no response after knocking the door, she called Shivakumar’s brother and broke open the door to find her husband and Bharat dead, while Sahin was rolling on the floor. All the three were rushed to the hospital where the doctors declared Shivkumar and Bharat dead. After providing first aid, Sachin was rushed to Bengaluru.
The reason for the death however was not yet ascertained, Chikmagaluru rural police who registered a case suspected that they might have died either due to short circuit or poisonous smoke from the generator. Postmortem was conducted on both the bodies and the police are waiting for the report to ascertain the reason for the death.
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Metro ridership in Haryana sees over 13 pc rise in 2025-26
Chandigarh (PTI): Haryana's urban transit system witnessed a strong growth in 2025-26, with metro ridership registering a robust 13.55 per cent increase, the state government said in a statement on Thursday.
The progress was reviewed in the 64th board meeting of Haryana Mass Rapid Transport Corporation (HMRTC) chaired by Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi.
Between April 2025 and February 2026, the metro network recorded over 1.74 crore passengers, compared to 1.53 crore in the corresponding period the previous year.
July recorded the highest monthly growth at 22.93 per cent, while all months showed consistent positive trends.
Financial performance has also remained strong, with fare revenue rising 12.64 per cent till January 2026, the statement said.
Non-fare revenue surged by 108 per cent, driven by effective monetisation of station spaces, advertisements and commercial activities, resulting in an operating surplus for Rapid Metro.
Further initiatives, including the auction of station naming rights and additional advertisement sites, are expected to strengthen HMRTC's financial position, the statement said.
Appreciating the performance, Rastogi stated that the consistent rise in ridership and revenue reflects the success of Haryana's integrated transport strategy, rising commuter confidence and a clear shift towards public transport.
HMRTC Managing Director Chander Shekhar Khare said that, alongside operational gains, the state is making steady progress on an ambitious pipeline of metro and regional transit projects.
Metro connectivity from Gurugram Sector 56 to Panchgaon is under active consideration, with Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited studying the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and layout plan, and finalising a depot location in Sector 36A near Sihi village, he said.
The Gurugram-Faridabad Namo Bharat corridor has achieved a key milestone, with alignment and station locations finalised and approved by the Haryana government. The National Capital Region Transport Corporation is preparing the DPR, he added.
Similarly, the Delhi-Kundli metro extension is proposed to be placed before the Haryana Cabinet for approval.
The 136.3-kilometre Delhi-Panipat-Karnal RRTS Corridor has also progressed, with the revised DPR submitted for financial concurrence ahead of Haryana Cabinet consideration.
Within Gurugram, DPR preparation has been approved for key intra-city corridors, including the 17.09-kilometre Bhondsi-Subhash Chowk-Rajeev Chowk-Sohna Chowk Railway Station corridor, enhancing connectivity along Sohna Road, Khare said.
