Rajasthan: Railway engineers die in Kota mudslide during underpass work

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Jaipur, May 28 (IANS) A few days after a retired principal died after falling into an open drain, a tragic accident occurred on Thursday night, claiming the lives of two railway engineers after a sudden mudslide buried them under debris in Kota district.

The accident was reported during the construction of a railway underpass in the Dara Valley area on the Kota–Jhalawar Highway. The incident took place around 8 p.m. during block-pushing work on the down line of the Delhi–Mumbai railway route.

According to railway officials, soil beneath the track suddenly collapsed, trapping Section Engineer (CWI) Sanjay Kumar Jha and Junior Engineer Prabhat Singh under mud and triggering panic at the site.

Workers and rescue personnel immediately began efforts to pull the engineers from the debris and rushed them to a private hospital in Kota.

Doctors declared Sanjay Kumar Jha dead on arrival, while Junior Engineer Prabhat Singh, who was administered CPR, succumbed to his injuries during treatment.

The bodies were later shifted to the MBS Hospital mortuary for post-mortem examination.

The accident occurred during excavation work for the installation of large cement box structures beneath the railway track as part of the underpass construction project in Dara Valley.

Following the incident, construction work was temporarily suspended.

Senior railway, police, and administrative officials rushed to the site after receiving information about the mishap.

Rural SP Sujit Shankar, Rural ASP Ram Kalyan Meena, DSP Ghanshyam Meena, along with local administrative officers and police personnel, inspected the area and reviewed relief and security arrangements.

Officials remained at the site till late at night.

As a precautionary measure, the underpass has been closed from both sides while authorities investigate the cause of the accident.

Railway traffic on both the up and down lines of the Delhi–Mumbai route was operated at restricted speeds below 30 km per hour following the incident.

A few days back, a school principal who retired just two months ago died after falling into an open drain, raising serious questions about safety measures in ongoing civic projects.

–IANS

arc/dan

Related Posts

Nitish cabinet approves 41 proposals aimed at job generation, infrastructure development

Patna, Jan 13 (IANS) A cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar held on Tuesday approved 41 proposals aimed at job generation and infrastructure development.

This was the first cabinet meeting of the new year and was attended by all ministers, including Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha.

The meeting was considered significant as several key decisions were taken to fulfil the promises made by Nitish Kumar and the NDA to the people of Bihar during the 2025 Assembly elections.

Following the formation of the new government, the Nitish Kumar-led administration is preparing a special action plan for jobs and employment.

The cabinet emphasised the filling of vacancies across various departments and attracting private sector investment to generate large-scale employment in the state.

Several decisions related to development schemes and employment generation were approved.

The state cabinet has approved a scheme worth Rs 33.29 crore for the construction of a 220 KV DC transmission line to ensure uninterrupted and quality power supply to the Integrated Manufacturing Cluster (IMC), Gaya, under the Bihar State Power Transmission Company Limited.

It has also been approved for the reorganisation and creation of 694 posts under the Agriculture Department.

This includes 534 posts of Plant Protection Supervisor and 160 posts of Plant Protection Inspector, achieved by surrendering/repatriating 293 sanctioned posts under various designations and creating 293 additional posts under the Bihar Agriculture Subordinate Service (Category-05 – Plant Protection) cadre.

The cabinet has approved the temporary creation of one ex-cadre post of Forest and Environment Advisor for a period of three years.

The post will be filled on a contractual basis by a retired Indian Forest Service or Bihar Forest Service officer to facilitate the speedy resolution of forest and environment-related issues and ensure the timely implementation of departmental projects.

Approval for the identification and reorganisation of 200 sanctioned posts in the office attendant cadre under the Directorate of Fisheries, functioning under the Dairy, Fisheries and Animal Resources Department, in accordance with the Bihar Office Attendant/Attendant (Special) Recruitment and Service Conditions Rules, 2023.

In another major step, the cabinet has approved the “Bihar Anand Karaj Marriage Registration Rules, 2025”, enabling the registration of marriages solemnised in the Anand Karaj tradition under the Anand Marriage Act, 1909.

In the transport department, the cabinet has approved an amendment to Rule 30 (1)(iv) of the Bihar Motor Vehicle Rules, 1992, reducing the minimum educational qualification for issuing a Conductor License from Class 10 pass to Class 8 pass.

Under the Building Construction department, the cabinet has approved Rs 314.20 crore for the construction of Bihar Bhawan in Mumbai.

The cabinet’s decisions reflect the state government’s focus on employment generation, infrastructure development, administrative reform, and inclusive governance in the initial phase of the new year.

–IANS

ajk/dpb

I-T dept raids more than 30 locations in Karnataka

Bengaluru, Feb 5 (IANS) Income Tax Department officials raided the residences and offices of businessmen and contractors at more than 30 locations across Bengaluru, Mysuru, and other cities in Karnataka on Wednesday.

According to sources, a team of 10 I-T officers raided the house and properties of a contractor based in Mysuru.

The officers arrived in three cars and conducted the searches. The officials were carrying out search and seizure operations for documents and property records.

The IT officials are conducting raids at the contractor’s residence in Ramakrishnanagar, as well as at ‘M Pro Palace’ Hotel and a choultry located at Deve Gowda Circle in Mysuru. The raids have been ongoing for three hours. Officers have also seized documents from vehicles and are currently verifying them.

The contractor has won multiple bids for government projects and owns a brick factory and other businesses.

Details of the raids in Bengaluru and other parts of the state are yet to be disclosed, and an official statement from the department is awaited.

Earlier, on October 12, 2024, the Income Tax Department conducted simultaneous raids at 50 locations across Bengaluru. The raids targeted the offices and residences of jewellers.

The searches were conducted in upscale localities such as Malleshwaram, Sadashivanagar, Dollars Colony, Mattikere, Sarjapur Road, RMV Extension, and others in Bengaluru. The raids on jewellers were carried out in connection with alleged tax evasion in the city.

On September 27, 2024, IT officials raided more than 10 corporate companies in Bengaluru.

According to sources, these raids were conducted over allegations of tax evasion and the submission of false information to the Income Tax Department. The simultaneous operations were carried out in C.V. Raman Nagar, Bagmane Tech Park, Hulimavu, and other locations.

Additionally, sources revealed that officials also raided an apartment based on intelligence about fraudulent tax evasion methods.

Officials reportedly gathered evidence of businesses maintaining two financial records to evade taxes.

–IANS

mka/svn

Twisha death case: CBI takes husband Samarth to family home, summons his cousin also for questioning

Bhopal, May 27 (IANS) Soon after taking accused Samarth Singh into custody on Wednesday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took him to his family residence in Bhopal as part of its ongoing probe into the alleged dowry death of actress Twisha Sharma.

During the course of the investigation, the CBI also summoned Samarth Singh’s cousin brother, Swaraj Singh, for questioning.

Investigators are examining his role because he was allegedly among the three persons who helped bring Twisha Sharma’s body downstairs after the actress allegedly died by suicide.

The agency is trying to reconstruct the exact sequence of events inside the house and verify the statements of all individuals who were present at the time of the incident.

Sources said Swaraj Singh’s questioning is considered important to establish the timeline and circumstances surrounding Twisha Sharma’s death.

A CBI team, accompanied by local police officials and a heavy police deployment, reached the residence of Twisha Sharma’s mother-in-law, retired judge Giribala Singh, where investigators carried out an extensive search and questioning exercise for several hours.

The presence of police personnel outside the house drew attention from local residents and media persons as the agency intensified its investigation after formally taking over the case.

Samarth Singh, who had earlier been on police remand under the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Madhya Pradesh Police, was brought from the police station to the residence for questioning and reconstruction of events linked to Twisha Sharma’s death.

Sources said the CBI team examined various aspects of the sequence of events that took place on the day of the incident.

Meanwhile, the security outside the residence was tightened amid the legal proceedings and heightened public attention surrounding the case.

Before this, Samarth who was under Bhopal Police’s (SIT) custody since May 23, was produced before the district court (Magistrate court) on Wednesday.

“The magistrate court proceedings were merely a formality, as the custody is no longer required by the SIT because the investigation has been transferred to the CBI. From this point onward, any further legal proceedings will take place in the concerned CBI court, and the CBI will continue the investigation,” Ankur Pandey, counsel for Twisha Sharma’s family told IANS.

Before this, Samarth Singh was taken to his residence which is the crime scene, by Bhopal police on Monday night.

Samarth’s wife Twisha Sharma, a Noida based woman allegedly died by suicide at her matrimonial home on May 12.

However, Twisha Sharma’s family has made accusations of harassment, violence and dowry demands against her in-laws and husband and suggested foul play in the young woman’s death.

–IANS

pd/rad