11 pilgrims killed as truck overturns near Sabarimala, Kerala
Mangalore Today
Erumely (Kerala), Jan 12 Eleven pilgrims headed to Kerala’s famed Sabarimala temple from Andhra Pradesh were killed when the truck they were travelling in fell into a gorge in Pathanamthitta district late Tuesday, officials said.
According to witnesses, the accident occurred around 7 p.m. when the truck overturned and hurtled down a 30-feet deep gorge en-route to the temple at Sabarimala, which is dedicated to Lord Ayyappa.
The injured have been administered first aid at Kanjirapally hospital and are being transported to the Kottayam Medical College.
K. Sivadasan Nair, the local legislator, told IANS there were more than 40 people onboard the truck and that many plastic bags filled with sand had been placed in the vehicle to make the journey more comfortable.
’This is really sad...how can people and that too so many of them travel on a lorry? How can this happen? There should be a clear guideline on transportation. And authorities have to take care of the movement of pilgrims,’ said Nair.
’Local people engaged in the rescue operations said all those involved in the accident have been rescued. The locals rose to the occasion. I am told that the sand bags fell on the people and around 10 people are serious,’ he added.
State Devasom Minister Kadanapally Ramachandran said he was on his way to the accident site.
’I have spoken to the district administration and have been told that the toll is high and there are several people who have been injured also,’ Ramachandran told reporters.
Deve Gowda demands ’white paper’ on Bangalore-Mysore Highway project
s BJP sought to turn the tables on him over the Bangalore-Mysore Express Highway project, former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, in the eye of a storm for using abusive language against Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, today demanded a ’white paper’ on the project.
The ’white paper’ was necessary as it had been accused that the Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise-promoted project was a "child" gifted to the state during his chief ministership in 1995 when the MoU was inked, he told reporters.
Gowda, up in arms against the project, said "Let people know what all deviations occurred since 1995 when I signed the MoU to attract FDI into the state till date."
His comments come in the wake of BJP’s charge that land acquisition for the project was done by earlier JD-S and Congress regimes and Yeddyurappa government had no role in it.
Gowda, who has been accusing the BJP government of granting more land than required for the project, vowed to fight for the farmers cause in the "entire state".
"The MoU signed by me envisages allotment of 5,118 acres of land for the road project on lease, but the government has granted absolute sale deed for 1,077 acres violating the agreement provisions and ignoring the objections by PWD," he charged.
Launching a counter-attack against the BJP which had charged that the highway project was his baby, Gowda demanded a white paper on it to "Let people know what all deviations occurred since 1995 when I signed the MoU..."
Gowda, who has been accusing the BJP government of granting more land than required for the project, also vowed to fight for the farmers cause in the "entire state".
The JD-S chief declared he could not remain a mute spectator watching the plight of farmers "facing torture". Even police refuse to register complaints lodged by farmers against NICE company, he alleged and presented some of the victims reporters.
He claimed while the MoU signed by him envisaged allotment of 5,118 acres of land on lease, the BJP government had granted absolute sale deed for 1,077 acres "violating the agreement provisions."
The JD-S chief said he would decide the future course of agitation after the Supreme Court delivered its verdict on the project. Gowda appealed his partymen not to resort to counter agitations and maintain restraint.