No action after four years of Kerala boat tragedy
Thiruvananthapuram: Four years after an ill-fated boat sank in the Thekkady wild life reserve in Kerala, killing 45 tourists, the crime branch of Kerala Police is yet to submit the final charge sheet to the court. The judicial commission under Justice (retd.) E. Moideen Kunju, appointed to investigate the tragedy, has submitted the report to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, indicting the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) for the accident, no action has been taken so far. The probe report concluded that the boat which had a capacity to carry 76 passengers was overloaded and hence the accident took place. The commission also blamed those responsible for buying this boat as it did not meet the safety requirements, and found the boat driver was not a professional but amateur. The crime branch then arrested surveyor K.K. Sanjeev, N.A. Giri, official of the firm based in Chennai that manufactured the boat, Victor Samuel (the driver of the boat), his assistant, a forest guard and M. Mathews, the chief boat inspector. All of them are currently on bail. (IANS)
Govt keen on full implementation of MGNREGA: Minister
Puducherry: Puducherry government is keen on ensuring full and absolute implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, welfare minister P Rajavelu said here on Monday. Stating this while kickstarting MGNREGA in Pillayarkuppam village in Embalam reserved constituency, he said government had earmarked Rs 3.5 lakh for implementation of the scheme to desilt and deepen the water body in the village. Rural workers would be benefitted as per the provisions of the scheme. Rajavelu claimed the scheme was a boon for workers who would get a proper source of livelihood. A hallmark of the programme was guarantee of 100 days of work, he said. The Minister said rural poverty would be eradicated through strenuous initiatives of the government. (PTI)
Minor girl attempts suicide after rape attempt on her
Guntur: In a shocking incident, a minor girl attempted suicide by setting herself ablaze at Vallurivari Thota in Arandalpet area here, unable to digest an alleged rape attempt on her on Sunday. Police, here on Monday, said the victim was studying in intermediate. When she was alone at a homeon Sundayy, two youths, Sai and Mastan Vali barged into her house and allegedly tried to rape her. However, she escaped the rape bid and informed the matter to her parents, who went to the house of one of the accused Sai to question him. The accused and his parents thrashed the victim’s father. Felt humiliation and afraid, the victim poured kerosene oil and set herself afire. She sustained 60 per cent burns and battling for life in the Government General hospital here. The police registered a cased under the Nirbaya Act. The police arrested the two accused but did not confirm the arrest. Some women, belonged to various women organizations reached the GGH and demanded a stern action against the culprits. (UNI)
Illicit minigun factory busted, four held
Munger: An illicit minigun factory was busted on Monday in a locality under Mufassil police station area and four persons were held with a haul of weapons, police said. Acting on a tip-off, police raided a house in Tikarampur Diara and busted the illicit minigun factory and arrested four persons, identified as Md. Zaheer, Md. Naushad, Md. Parvez and Md. Mangli with ten fully processed pistols, 10 semi-processed pistols, 50 magazines, the sources said. Seven other persons working at the minigun factory escaped ahead of the police raid, they said. In a related incident, police seized two pistols and six ammunitions from a bus stand under Kotwali police station area even as an arms supplier, identified as Md. Afroz alias Doman, carrying the weapons escaped, the sources said, adding six more pistols and as many magazines were seized from carrier of a motorcycle from Jubilee well area under Jamalpur police station. The arms supplier escaped by abandoning the two-wheeler, the Superintendent of Police (SP) Naveen Chandra Jha said. (PTI)