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100 new power sub-stations proposed in State: George

100 new power sub-stations proposed in State: George

The Hindu3 days ago

In a move to improve the efficiency of the State's power distribution network, Karnataka is set to establish 100 new sub-stations. The ambitious project is expected to be completed within the designated timeline, according to Energy Minister K.J. George.
After a progress review meeting with the district's public representatives here on Wednesday, the Minster told reporters that the project had been conceptualised to develop essential infrastructure aimed at delivering reliable and high-quality power supply.
In Mysuru district alone, 44 power transmission substations were expected to be commissioned within two years, ensuring quality power supply to farmers and the public. Although there was currently no power shortage, lack of basic infrastructure was causing supply issues. To resolve this, the number of power transmission substations was being increased, Mr. George said.
All steps were being taken to provide reliable electricity supply to farmers' pumpsets. Of the 4 lakh illegal pumpsets in the State, 2.5 lakh had been regularised. For pumpsets located within 500 metres of feeders, the department would provide transformers. For pumpsets located beyond 500 metres, solar pump sets would be provided under the Kusum-B scheme, the Minister said.
Solar power
Mr. George said the government had set a target of generating 2,400 megawatts of solar power through feeder solarisation of agricultural pumpsets under the Kusum-C scheme. On June 11, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah would inaugurate the solar power plant established under the Kusum scheme at Thondebhavi in Gauribidanur.
The Energy Minister said that linking Aadhaar with the RR numbers of agricultural pumpsets had sparked rumours about discontinuing free electricity, and clarified that the process aimed at verifying the amount of electricity supplied to farmers and the number of existing connections.
He assured that free electricity would continue for agricultural pumpsets up to 10 HP and that farmers would receive a proper seven-hour electricity supply.
The Minister said after the Chief Minister recently visited the haadis (tribal hamlets), steps had been taken to supply electricity to them, and required infrastructure was being developed. Steps had been made to supply electricity to more than 600 haadi households, he said.
During the meeting, MLA Tanveer Sait said Mysuru was a rapidly growing city, and CESC should prioritise resource mobilisation. Under the Ganga Kalyana scheme, electricity connection should be provided immediately after borewells were drilled. In drinking water supply schemes, due to overload in pump houses, frequent power trips was occurring, he said.
MLA Srivatsa sought greater attention to the electricity supply problems affecting drinking water distribution. In response, Mr. George said steps will be taken to ensure proper electricity supply not just in Mysuru city, but across the district.
Additional Chief Secretary of the Energy Department Gaurav Gupta said steps had been taken to provide electricity during the daytime in forest fringe areas. Measures had been taken to ensure that there were no issues in regions where there was human-wildlife conflict.
MLAs G.T. Devegowda, K. Harish Gowda, D. Ravishankar, MLCs K. Vivekananda, Dr. D. Thimmaiah, KPCL Managing Director Pankaj Kumar Pandey, Deputy Commissioner Lakshmikant Reddy, Zilla Panchayat CEO Yukesh Kumar, CESC Managing Director K.M. Munigopal Raju, Guarantee Implementation Committee Vice President Dr. Pushpa Amarnath, and others were present.

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Curious case of Zubair Bhat: Kashmiri youth's mysterious death in Delhi, flashpoint in Srinagar
Curious case of Zubair Bhat: Kashmiri youth's mysterious death in Delhi, flashpoint in Srinagar

The Print

time2 hours ago

  • The Print

Curious case of Zubair Bhat: Kashmiri youth's mysterious death in Delhi, flashpoint in Srinagar

Flanked by Bhat's sister and brother at their residence in Aali Kadal of Srinagar, Iltija Mufti, the daughter of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, said Bhat had informed his sister about the police taking his Aadhaar card and assaulting him with sticks. Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party leader Iltija Mufti Thursday alleged that Bhat was killed after torture and discrimination by the Delhi Police and a hospital in the national capital. New Delhi: A day after allegations of torture, the Delhi Police has denied arresting 30-year-old Srinagar resident Zubair Ahmed Bhat. In fact, they say they got a call from the Safdarjung Hospital only after his admission to the hospital by the personnel attached to the police control room. The police control room, officers claim, had received a call that Zubair was showing symptoms of seizures in front of the residence of a doctor in Lajpat Nagar. 'There is proper proof. He was a 30-year-old man who was the sole breadwinner for the family. He was in the handicrafts business. The family is saying that after he reached Delhi, police personnel at Lajpat Nagar caught and beat him up and repeatedly assaulted him the next day when he went back to take back his Aadhaar card,' Mufti told the press Thursday. 'He was also asked if he was a Kashmiri. Being Kashmiri is enough for people to hang us. What was his fault that he was Kashmiri?' Mufti also alleged that doctors at a Delhi hospital denied him treatment. Chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also paid a visit to Bhat's family residence in Srinagar. 'Mirwaiz assured the family that he stands with them and the people in their pursuit of justice for Zubair. He reaffirmed his commitment to continue raising his voice against injustice and to seek accountability, so that such tragic incidents are not repeated,' his office said in a statement Friday. Ms. @IltijaMufti_ speaks to media on Zubair Ahmad Bhat sb's tragic demise in Delhi. — J&K PDP (@jkpdp) June 5, 2025 However, the Delhi Police have refuted the allegations citing no relation and engagement with him in respect to any case or proceedings. South East Delhi Deputy Commissioner of Police Hemant Tiwari said there was no case or any proceedings ongoing with regards to Bhat and that the police did not question him or arrest him even for a brief period of time. 'The police had no role and link to Bhat. He was neither a suspect nor a stakeholder in any case. He was not at all arrested or even questioned by the police,' DCP Tiwari told ThePrint. PCR call by doctor & suspicion of prolonged drug abuse Explaining the sequence of events leading up to Bhat's death around 11.30 pm on 29 May, Delhi Police officers said Bhat was first noticed the same evening by a doctor in front of her residence in Lajpat Nagar area of the national capital. 'A call was made to the Delhi Police control room at 6.07 pm on 29 May when an eye specialist employed at Safdarjung Hospital spotted him with symptoms of seizures. She made a call saying that an unknown man was in front of her house and also raised suspicion about being a drug addict in the PCR call,' a Delhi Police officer told ThePrint. The PCR team picked him up from the Lajpat Nagar area and admitted him to the Safdarjung Hospital emergency department which recorded 'multiple injection marks on the left cubital fossa (front of elbow joint)' on his body, the Delhi Police officer further said. In the investigation for the treatment, doctors sought urine samples for detection of drug remains in his body, the officer further said. Another police officer said that a preliminary probe conducted so far suggests that Bhat used to be in Delhi for six months a year and was employed by a Lajpat Nagar-based businessman who used to sell Kashmiri shawls at Dilli Haat. 'He used to stay in the ground floor of the accommodation of his employer.' On the morning of 27 May, Bhat had allegedly called his employer seeking Rs 50,000 for shopping for his sister's wedding. After agreeing, the employer asked him to return to his accommodation. However, he did not go there and instead went to a hotel in the national capital but not before buying four strips of Tapentadol for Rs 2,000 from a chemist that he used to visit regularly, the police officer has said. 'Between December last year to May, he has bought Tapentadol, a well-known opioid worth Rs 29,000 from the same shop. He did not stay at his usual accommodation but instead proceeded to stay at a hotel after acquiring the drug,' said another police officer. Police officers said that Bhat's sister called him on the afternoon of 28 May, but he did not take the call. But he messaged her on Whatsapp to tell her that the police had beaten him up 'because he was Kashmiri' and taken his Aadhaar card. 'Shortly after, he said that he was in a hotel,' the officer said, adding there was CCTV footage from the hotel confirming his presence at the time he claimed he was with the Dehi Police. 'Later that night he also had to break open his room door as he had lost his key. Even that incident has been captured in the CCTV footage,' he added. The cause of death has been suspected to be encephalopathy due to drug abuse and 'altered sensorium due to drug intoxication', the police officer further said. Sources said that around 25 people who had gathered around him in Lajpat Nagar area before he was taken to hospital by Delhi Police PCR van have confirmed his status at the time the police arrived. (Edited by Viny Mishra) Also Read: What is the 2017 Kotkhai custodial death case that led to life term for Himachal IGP, 7 other cops

Kashmiri man's death in Delhi: Parties seek probe
Kashmiri man's death in Delhi: Parties seek probe

Hindustan Times

time3 hours ago

  • Hindustan Times

Kashmiri man's death in Delhi: Parties seek probe

Amid allegations of foul play, the mysterious death of a Kashmir youth in Delhi earlier this week has triggered anger in the Valley with increasing demands from political parties for an impartial probe. Zubair Ahmad Bhat, 30, a resident of Ali Kadal in Srinagar, died in New Delhi under mysterious circumstances on Tuesday. His family has alleged that he had gone to Delhi for work and was assaulted in Delhi. People's Democratic Party leader Iltija Mufti alleged that Bhat was subjected to custodial torture by Delhi Police. 'Zubair Ahmed Bhat didn't die under mysterious circumstances. Let me bite the bullet & state the unpleasant truth. His family claims he was picked up by Delhi Police, questioned & thrashed with rods. This 30 year old man was the sole breadwinner for his mother & siblings. When will this pattern of snuffing out the lives of innocent Kashmiris purely on suspicion end? We demand answers & accountability. @DelhiPolice @JmuKmrPolice,' Mufti wrote on X. She also met the family and said that his family members showed her the texts he had sent before death. She said: 'They showed me his last message, which said the police caught him and took his Aadhaar card. He messaged his sister and wrote, 'The police caught me because I am Kashmiri. They took my Aadhaar card, and then they beat me with sticks. I am in a hotel. May God have mercy. His family says he left Jammu for Delhi. After reaching Delhi, the police at one of the stations, I think it was Lajpat Nagar, caught Zubair, took his Aadhaar card, and beat him. The next day, when he went back to collect his Aadhaar card, they beat him again. And when he returned home, he died' is what happened to Zubair.' Congress leader and AICC chairman of media and publicity, Pawan Khera sought response of Delhi Police regarding Bhat's death. 'In the capital city, a young Kashmiri dies under mysterious circumstances and not a word of it gets discussed in mainstream media? If you don't question the authorities, obviously the authorities won't give you answers. @DelhiPolice needs to respond to questions surrounding the death of Zubair Ahmad Bhat,' he said on X. National Conference spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar sought an impartial probe. 'In this age of technology & smart policing, I fail to understand how a death could be termed mysterious. Clear the air around the death of Zubair Ahmad in Delhi @DelhiPolice. We demand an impartial, time bound probe into the incident,' Dar said. Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari said that the J&K administration should take up the matter with Delhi authorities. 'It is now the responsibility of the J&K administration to take up this matter with the authorities in Delhi to ensure that the truth behind his tragic death is fully uncovered,' Bukhari said.

Video proof, priest affidavit now must for marriage certs in UP
Video proof, priest affidavit now must for marriage certs in UP

Time of India

time5 hours ago

  • Time of India

Video proof, priest affidavit now must for marriage certs in UP

Ghaziabad: UP govt has announced significant reforms in its marriage registration policy, mandating video evidence of ceremonies and physical verification of priests. The new directives, issued on Friday following an Allahabad High Court order, said priests must submit notarised affidavits, appear as witnesses on behalf of couples at registration offices and possess a pen drive containing videos of the wedding. Marriage registrars would now accept applications from couples only if one of them is a permanent resident of that particular district. The govt move follows an HC order from May 12, seeking to address a rise in forged certificates and false documents linked to bogus marriages. The court was hearing a writ petition filed by a Greater Noida couple who claimed to have got married in Arya Samaj Mandir in June last year and secured a registration certificate in Ghaziabad. During the hearing, the court found that the certificate lacked the priest's name, the registered address of the Arya Samaj Mandir, and details of witnesses. The couple also did not appear before the local police, but sent a request seeking protection from their families from the post-office located on the HC premises. The HC ordered a probe into widespread irregularities in the state's marriage registration system, particularly in districts like Ghaziabad, Noida and Prayagraj. The scale of the problem became evident when the probe revealed that Ghaziabad alone recorded 29,022 marriages between Aug 2023 and Aug 2024 – nearly 10 times more than other key districts like Prayagraj (2,019), Gorakhpur (2,284), and Varanasi (2,711). More startlingly, smaller districts like Shrawasti and Chitrakoot registered only 51 and 112 marriages, respectively, during the same period. The investigations also revealed that couples from places like Ahmedabad claimed to have solemnised their marriages in Maharashtra, yet obtained registrations in Ghaziabad to secure court protection orders. In these cases, supporting documents such as Aadhaar and PAN cards often turned out to be forged or altered. Other fraudulent practices included certificates issued by non-existent societies, fictitious witnesses, and cases where minors were presented as adult brides. The HC also observed that the Uttar Pradesh Marriage Registration Rules, 2017, offered limited safeguards. For instance, these rules did not require applicants to declare specific customs observed during the wedding, while the digital registration portal provided no means for marriage officers to reject suspicious requests or track those denied. Concerned about widespread exploitation of these gaps, the HC recommended amendments to the 2017 rules. Until then, the measures announced by the govt will stay. "Under the new directives, marriage registration applications will only be accepted from couples if any one present with them is a permanent resident of the district where they are applying. This applies to either the bride, groom, or their parents. Temporary accommodation documents, such as unregistered rent agreements, will no longer be considered valid proof of residence," said Pushpendra Kumar, assistant inspector-general (AIG, stamps), Ghaziabad. In cases where a couple register their marriage without parental consent, the priest who performs the ceremony must be physically present at the time of registration. "They need to submit affidavits with complete details and video evidence," Kumar said. The notification, signed by inspector-genera (stamps) Sameer Verma, allows marriage officials some flexibility if parents or adult family members from both sides are present. "If parents or adult family members of both parties are present and vouch for the marriage, the marriage registration officer may waive the video and priest affidavit requirements, provided they're satisfied with the marriage's authenticity," the notification read. Each registration performed under the new rules would have a special stamp, while the priest's affidavit and related documents would be subject to thorough verification. District offices would have to maintain a separate register containing credentials of the priest, such as their Aadhaar details, phone numbers, and photographs. "We applied the residency rule locally in Ghaziabad back in April in keeping with the high court's interim directions. The other rules will also be implemented with immediate effect," AIG Kumar said. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !

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