Two school students killed, three critically injured in Raichur road accident
Raichur (Karnataka), Sep 5: Two school students were killed and three critically injured when the school bus they were travelling in collided head-on with a government bus at Kapagal in Raichur district on Thursday, police said.
The bus with 42 students was heading for a private school when the accident occurred.
"Two have died, three have sustained critical injuries, (some) other children have sustained serious injuries. The injured are being treated in a nearby hospital," a police officer told PTI.
Police sources said some children lost their limbs in the accident.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah condoled the death of two school children.
ALSO READ: Does your father pay for the gas? B’luru auto driver abuses woman passenger over ride cancellation
“Free treatment will be arranged for the children injured in the incident, the family of the deceased children will be compensated by the state government. I share the grief of parents who have lost their children,” he added.
Union Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries, H D Kumaraswamy too expressed his shock over the incident.
"It is very sad that more children are seriously injured in the tragedy and some lost their limbs," the former Chief Minister said.
Kumaraswamy requested the State government to provide all treatment free of cost to the injured children and announce immediate relief.
"Negligence in following road safety rules and carelessness of drivers are leading to such tragedies...everyone should follow the traffic rules compulsorily," he said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
11k litres of milk poured into Narmada river after religious event; environmentalists see red
Sehore (PTI): Around 11,000 litres of milk were poured into Narmada river, often called the lifeline of Madhya Pradesh, in Sehore district on the culmination of a 21-day religious event as part of a sanctification ritual, prompting environmentalists to flag its negative impact on the ecosystem.
The event concluded at Satdev village in Bherunda area, located about 90 km from the district headquarters, with a 'mahayagna' on Wednesday.
The milk was offered to the river as part of rituals and prayers for the purity of the waters, the well-being of pilgrims and prosperity, organisers said.
The milk was brought in tankers to the riverbank and later poured into the flowing water amid chanting of mantras in the presence of a crowd of devotees.
However, environmentalists raised concerns over the practice, warning of its potential ecological impact.
"Such large quantities of organic matter can deplete dissolved oxygen in water, adversely affecting the river ecosystem. These impact local communities dependent on the river for drinking water and threaten aquatic life as well as domestic animals," noted environmentalist and wildlife activist Ajay Dube said.
Religious offerings should be symbolic and mindful, he asserted.
Renowned environmentalist Subhash Pandey said 11,000 litres of milk acts as a significant organic pollutant.
"It is highly oxygen-demanding and can lead to oxygen depletion, aquatic mortality, eutrophication (process of plants growing on river surface) and loss of potability. These effects are predictable from dairy-effluent chemistry and have been documented in similar incidents worldwide," Pandey pointed out.
Narmada originates at Amarkantak in the state and traverses 1,312 km westward to Maharashtra and Gujarat, emptying into the Arabian Sea via the Gulf of Cambay.
It is the largest west-flowing river in the peninsula, passing through a rift valley, and acts as a crucial water source for irrigation in MP, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
