Sudden sluice gate opening at Markonahalli dam claims six lives
Tumakuru (PTI): At least six people drowned after the sluice gate of the Markonahalli dam suddenly opened, sweeping them away on Tuesday afternoon, police said.
The victims, residents of BG Palya in Tumakuru town, were part of a group that had gone to the dam for a picnic when the incident occurred.
According to Tumakuru Superintendent of Police Ashok K V, 15 people had travelled from BG Palya to Madipalya and decided to visit the dam, as Tuesday was a public holiday.
“Seven people had entered the downstream of the dam as the water level was low. Suddenly, the water flow increased, and they were swept away,” Ashok told reporters.
Two bodies have been recovered so far, while four others remain missing, police said, adding that search operations are ongoing.
A man identified as Nawaz was rescued alive but sustained serious injuries and has been admitted to a hospital.
Police, fire, and emergency personnel rushed to the spot upon learning of the incident.
“Because it’s dark now and the water flow is high, we have halted the search. I have already deployed teams to specific points. Except for Nawaz, all others are feared dead. Two young girls are still missing,” Ashok said.
The officer explained that the dam has a natural gravity sluice gate, which opens automatically as the water level rises.
“We will get to know about the sequence of events after the investigation. We have to get details from the engineer on whether someone opened the sluice gate. Since it’s an auto-sluice, it opens when the water level increases,” he said.
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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.
