Bengal’s political situation perfect for breeding illegal immigration, terror activities: Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

Jaipur, Dec 21 (IANS) The toll in the horrific accident and fire in Jaipur rose to 14 by Saturday as more people succumbed to their burn injuries.

The tragic accident on Friday morning at the Ajmer Highway in Jaipur claimed the lives of eight people immediately and left over 35 injured, when an LPG gas tanker collided with a truck. The death toll continued to rise through the day after that.

The collision triggered a massive explosion and fire, engulfing the area in flames, leaving over 35 people injured.

The toll is expected to go up further due to the horrific nature of the burns.

The accident took place when the LPG tanker, traveling from Ajmer toward Jaipur, was making a U-turn back toward Ajmer and collided with a truck coming from Jaipur.

The impact caused the gas to leak, spreading over a 200-metre radius before igniting into a massive fireball.

The explosion led to catastrophic destruction, with more than 40 vehicles catching fire after that.

Many victims were unable to escape, including the workers at a pipe factory nearby.

A sleeper bus carrying 34 passengers also caught fire and out of the 34 passengers, 20 suffered severe burns, while 14 others, including the driver and conductor, remain missing.

The fire caused by the explosion produced towering flames that burned numerous birds in the vicinity.

Several vehicles on the highway, including the bus and a truck, were engulfed in the blaze. The intense heat caused a bike rider’s helmet to melt and stick to his face, severely burning his eyes.

Eight people were burned alive, and 35 others sustained burns.

Even hours after the incident, people in the area reported experiencing suffocation and irritation in their eyes due to the lingering effects of the fire.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the loss of lives in the horrific accident and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund and Rs 50,000 each to the injured.

–IANS

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Agartala, Dec 21 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday urged the Chief Ministers of eight northeastern states to give more impetus to curbing the smuggling and other menaces of drugs in the region.

Addressing the 72nd plenary session of the North Eastern Council (NEC) here, the Home Minister said that the accusations against the northeastern states about drugs-related activities should be removed.

“Much endeavours were made to curb the drug menaces, but much more efforts must be undertaken by the Chief Ministers and all people concerned,” he said.

He said that the Centre has undertaken nationwide all-out efforts to achieve a “Nasha Mukt Bharat” (drugs-free India) and the northeastern states must be a part of the mission by making the region drug-free.

The Home Minister also urged the Chief Ministers to give priority to the effective implementation of the three new criminal laws — the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA).

He said in February next year, he would hold a meeting with the Chief Ministers to discuss the progress and implementation of the three new laws.

Amit Shah said that after the Narendra Modi government came to power at the Centre, 20 accords were signed for the peace and harmony of the northeastern states and 10,574 cadres of various militant outfits were surrendered in different states of the region.

“A multi-dimensional approach involving the state polices, Army, Assam Rifles and other Central Armed Police Forces has been undertaken to maintain peace and to curb all unlawful activities in the northeastern region,” the Home Minister said.

The long pending inter-state border disputes in the northeastern states are being resolved amicably, he said.

DoNER (Development of North Eastern Region) Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and his deputy Sukanta Majumdar also addressed the plenary session.

Chief Ministers of northeastern states Himanta Biswa Sarma (Assam), Pema Khandu (Arunachal Pradesh), N. Biren Singh (Manipur), Lalduhoma (Mizoram), Neiphiu Rio (Nagaland), Prem Singh Tamang (Sikkim), and Manik Saha (Tripura) and Governors of these states were present in the NEC meeting.

–IANS

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Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 19 (IANS) First-time Congress legislator Mathew Kuzhalnadan on Thursday said Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his daughter Veena Vijayan would have gone to jail in her IT firm case long before former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, as the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) informed the Delhi High Court that their probe has been completed in the business dealings and they are awaiting orders from authorities to go forward.

It was Kuzhalnadan who first raised the issue of the Kochi-based mining company Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) having paid Rs 1.72 crore to Exalogic Solutions, the IT firm owned by Vijayan’s daughter, in the name of software services without any service being rendered by it.

His revelation came after a media report, attributing the findings to an Income Tax Department statement, first surfaced and after this, he has been pursuing the case.

The Serious Fraud Investigation Office and the Enforcement Directorate also took up this case.

The SFIO on Wednesday informed the Delhi High Court that their probe has been completed in the business dealings between CMRL and Exalogic and is waiting for orders from authorities to go forward. It said that Exalogic has received huge sums of money and it was to influence a top politician.

“There is no doubt and no one has any doubts also this top politician is none other than Vijayan. I raised this when the case surfaced and Vijayan said his hands are clean. I challenged him to prove it was not him and if he does it, I would end my public life and quit as a legislator. Till date, he has not accepted my challenge. It’s most unfortunate that a party like CPI-M is defending Vijayan and his daughter,” Kuzhalnadan alleged.

He also claimed that there was a nexus between the BJP and Vijayan, comparing it to the Tom and Jerry cartoons.

“Today what’s happening here is the Tom and Jerry show… Just as in the cartoon series, one gets a feel that anytime Tom will pounce on Jerry, but it doesn’t happen and in real, the same is happening. This game is going on and the benefits like the BJP winning the Thrissur Lok Sabha and such things have also taken place,” he alleged.

The Congress legislator also pointed out that two High Courts – Kerala and Karnataka – had dismissed petitions filed by the state-owned KSIDC and Veena Vijayan and now, the same issue has come up in the Delhi High Court.

For pursuing the case, Kuzhalnadan was accused of usurping government land, and a case was registered against him. On Thursday, he asserted that he would continue to pursue this case to its logical conclusion.

–IANS

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