Bengaluru, Oct 30: Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) inducted 20 luxury buses -- Airavat Club Class 2.0 model -- each worth Rs 1.78 crore, to its fleet on Wednesday, officials said.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah flagged off the new buses along with Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy. He also took a ride with the Minister in one of those buses.

According to KSRTC, Siddaramaiah presented 'Sarige Suraksha' accident relief compensation cheque of Rs one crore each to two deceased employee’s (Nagaraju M N, Conductor, Ramanagara Division and Shivanna, Driver-cum-Conductor, Mysuru City Division) dependents.

So far, dependents of 22 deceased employees have been paid with accident compensation of Rs 22 crore. Dependents of five employees, who died due to ailments other than accidents, were also paid family welfare compensation of Rs 10 Lakh each on the occasion.

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said KSRTC is the first corporation in the country to introduce these types of innovative schemes and, under the guidance of the Transport Minister, it is bringing laurels to the Government and all its employees are appreciative of this effort.

The new buses have a 3.5 per cent increase in overall bus length, providing more space between passenger seats, officials said.

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Nalbari: Tension prevailed in the Panigaon area of Nalbari district on December 24 after members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal allegedly entered the premises of St Mary’s School and vandalised materials prepared for Christmas celebrations.

According to local sources, activists of the VHP and Bajrang Dal entered the school campus ahead of Christmas and raised slogans inside the premises. It is alleged that Christmas-related decorations and materials kept within the school compound were damaged and set on fire.

Eyewitnesses said that members of the Bajrang Dal were the first to enter the campus, during which they allegedly raised slogans such as “Jai Shri Ram,” “Jai Hindu Rashtra,” and “Bharat Mata Ki Jai,” and burnt items prepared for Christmas celebrations. The incident created panic among local residents and led to concerns over law and order in the area. No injuries have been reported so far.

The incident comes amid reports of similar acts in Nalbari town in recent days, where Christmas decorations displayed at several commercial establishments were allegedly set on fire.

Reacting to the incident, fact-checker Mohammed Zubair said on social media that VHP and Bajrang Dal activists entered St Mary’s School on Christmas Eve, raised slogans and destroyed Christmas decorations. His post drew attention to the incident and sparked wider discussion online.

Police have not yet issued an official statement on the incident. Further details are awaited.