Mangaluru: Cost of site at ‘Plastic Park’ not affordable, say manufacturers; 39 entrepreneurs ready to set up units, claims Kateel

Mangaluru, July 18: Dozens of passengers had a narrow escape after a fire erupted in the engine of a KSRTC Airavat bus traveling from Bengaluru to Mangaluru at Uppinangady on National Highway 75 on Thursday morning.

The fire was quickly extinguished by the driver and conductor of the bus with the help of local residents.

At around 6:30 am on Thursday, as the bus reached Subrahmanya Curve in Uppinangady, smoke began to fill the interior. Upon stopping the bus, the fire in the engine intensified.

Panchayat staff Isaac and Iqbaal, along with local residents Snake Zakariya, Siddik Koppal, and Joy, rushed to the scene and helped extinguish the fire using water and sand from the riverbank. They had been observing the flood situation in the river from the roadside when they noticed the smoke.

The bus had departed from Bengaluru on Wednesday night at 10:30 pm. Due to traffic congestion in the Shiradi Ghat section, there was a three-hour delay. The fire erupted when the bus finally reached Uppinangady.

The passengers were transferred to another bus, according to Airavat bus conductor Ashok Jadhav.

Traffic movement was affected as the bus was parked on the road after the fire was spotted, causing a one-kilometer-long line of vehicles on both sides of the highway.

Mangaluru, July 19: In what is being termed as a result of negligence on the part of Mangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (Mescom), a teenage college girl was electrocuted to death in Muluru, under the limits of Gurupura gram panchayat, in the coastal district of Dakshina Kannada.

The victim has been identified as Ashwini Shetty, a student at a private college in Mangaluru who aspired to become a Chartered Accountant. She is survived by her mother, father, and elder brother.

The tragedy occurred when Ashwini accompanied her father to a paddy field. It is learned that their pet dog, which had followed them, came into contact with a live wire and started struggling. Ashwini, while attempting to rescue the dog, reportedly stepped on the live wire and was electrocuted.

A neighbor of the deceased, speaking about the incident, said, "There were sparks emitting from the wires, and we immediately informed the authorities concerned, but they did not respond to our calls."

"Around 7 pm, we heard someone screaming. Everyone gathered, and we tried to take her to the hospital, but we were unsuccessful in saving her life. This whole incident could have been prevented if the Mescom officials had responded on time and cut the power supply," he added.

Bareilly: The programme proposed by the local political group Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC) to conduct mass marriage of men and women of other religions who have converted to Islam has been postponed after the district administration denied permission for the event.

IMC chief Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan, who had announced to organise the event, said, "We work within the ambit of the law. The mass marriage program will be held only after the permission of the administration. We sought permission from the administration, which was not given. The program will not be held without the permission of the administration."

IMC state in-charge Nadeem Qureshi said the city magistrate did not give permission to convert and perform the marriage of couples. The program has been postponed for now, he added.

"The marriage of men and women who have converted from Hinduism to Islam will be conducted and in the first phase, five couples will get married, in which the men and women will complete the process of conversion and embrace each other," the IMC chief had earlier said.

The IMC had sought permission from the district administration for the event but their request was denied on Tuesday evening.

District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar said late on Tuesday night that the IMC had sought permission from the city magistrate to organise an event for religious conversion and marriage.

"The permission for the same has not been given and the religious conversion and marriage program has been postponed by IMC. The administration has received the letter from IMC informing about the postponement of the program," the officer said.

"The mass marriage ceremony will be held on July 21 at 11 am in Khalil Higher Secondary School. Permission has also been sought from the administration for this," he added.

The IMC chief's proposed 'mass marriage programme after conversion' resulted in a controversy with Hindu organisations staging a protest and seeking action against Khan here on Tuesday.

The protestors also submitted memorandums to the district magistrate with their demands.