Polavaram irrigation project receives huge inflow of flood water in West Godavari district
| Photo Credit: BY ARRANGEMENT

At least six people died, two were injured, and several remain missing after a vehicle carrying 14 people plunged into a canal in Haryana’s Fatehabad late on Friday night, officials said.

According to Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Jagdish Chandra, “The 14 people were returning after attending a wedding ceremony in Punjab’s Fazilka when the vehicle they were travelling in plunged into a canal in Fatehabad.”

He said that out of the 14 people, 6 bodies were recovered, 2 were alive and the rest 6 were missing.

“We rescued 3 people at night, one of them succumbed at night itself and the rest of the two are alive. We have recovered 5 more bodies. The bodies have been identified. NDRF and SDRF teams are carrying out the search and rescue operations. Six bodies have been recovered and six people are still missing,” SDM Chandra told reporters.

“The victims have been identified by their families. Among the victims include a 1.5-month-old infant and a 10-year-old girl, a man and a woman,” he added.

He further said, “The water level was decreased in the canal after communication with the irrigation department. We are working towards providing a permanent barricading around the canal. For now, we will set up a temporary safety barricade.”

The search operation for the missing people was ongoing.

Further details are awaited.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, bearing the brunt of criticism over his pre-poll allegation that Haryana is poisoning waters of the Yamuna, today responded to the Election Commission with data about pollution of the river that flows through the heart of Delhi.

In his reply, Mr Kejriwal cited a letter from the Delhi Jal Board that maintains that ammonia levels in the river has reached such levels that the water purification plants cannot perform at full capacity.

“The verifiable fact remains that Delhi, as a lower riparian state, depends on raw water supply from Haryana, an upper riparian state, for potable water,” the letter read.

Days ahead of the assembly election in Delhi, Mr Kejriwal had claimed that the BJP was “mixing poison” in the city’s water supply in an attempt to “create chaos… hoping the blame will fall” on his party’s administration.

“The people of Delhi get drinking water from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh… but the Haryana government has mixed poison in the water coming to Delhi from the Yamuna and sent it here… it is only due to the vigilance of our Delhi Jal Board engineers that this water was stopped,” he had said. 

Mr Kejriwal’s claim had drawn fire from the BJP as well as the Election Commission, which demanded that he back up his claim with evidence and warned that such comments that can cause rifts between the people and a breach of peace, are a punishable offence.

But Mr Kejriwal said in his letter that “Facts prove no violation of any law or any code has been committed”.

“I beseech and most humbly request Election Commission to intervene on the major issue of availability of safe water and pass appropriate directions to the State of Haryana so that safe quantity of water is made available to the citizens of Delhi,” he added.

The BJP and the Congress have challenged Mr Kejriwal over his poisoning of Yamuna claims. While the BJP accused him of lying, today Congress’s Rahul Gandhi said, “Five years ago, Arvind Kejriwal said that he would take a bath in the Yamuna River and drink the water of the Yamuna River. It has been five years, and to date, Kejriwal ji has not drunk the water of Yamuna”.

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, meanwhile, shared a 57-second video, where he is seen at the bank of Yamuna, splashing water and taking a sip. 

“I drank the water of the holy Yamuna on the Haryana border. (Delhi Chief Minister) Atishiji did not come. She must be making up a new lie (but) lies have no legs. That is why the lies of AAP-da (the BJP’s new pejorative for the AAP) are not working,” he said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Seeking a break in IPL after going unsold in mega auction, Karnataka skipper Mayank Agarwal will look to extend his incredible run of form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy when he leads his team out in their semi-final against defending champions Haryana in Vadodara on Wednesday. If four-time winners Karnataka have the likes of Agarwal, Shreyas Gopal and Vijaykumar Vyshak in their ranks, Haryana will be banking on in-form players such as Nishant Sindhu, Anshul Kamboj and Ankit Kumar to get the job done for their side.

While a return to the national fold may not seem realistic at this stage of his career, the 33-year-old Agarwal would want to impress the IPL franchises with a strong finish to the tournament in which he has already amassed four hundreds against Punjab, Arunachal Pradesh, Hyderabad and Nagaland.

Apart from the sensational Karun Nair, Agarwal is the only other batter to have aggregated over 600 runs in the season so far.

The veteran opener has so far scored 619 runs at an excellent average of 123.80, while striking the ball at a rate of 109.75 to show his aggressive intent throughout the season.

Karnataka can also afford to lean on the shoulders of KV Aneesh, who has totalled 342 runs from eight matches going into the first semifinal. Also, Devdutt Padikkal had smashed a century in their win over Baroda in the quarterfinals.

When it comes to bowling, Agarwal’s top performers so far have been his experienced deputy Shreyas Gopal (16 wickets in 8 matches) and seamer Vasuki Koushik (17 wickets in 10 matches).

Karnataka topped Group C before defeating Baroda by five runs in a close quarter-final match but in Haryana, they could probably face their most difficult test of the premier tournament.

There is no dearth of match-winners in the Haryana line-up.

Amit Kumar has scored 507 runs from 10 matches at a fine average of 56.33, while the 20-year-old Nishant Sindhu has been brilliant with both bat and ball.

Sindhu has scored 313 runs with the willow and has picked 12 wickets with his left-arm spin at an excellent economy rate of 4.98.

Kamboj has been very impressive with the ball, having claimed 18 wickets in 10 games while playing a vital role in Haryana’s run to the semifinals.

A handy batter lower down the order besides being a very promising seamer, Kamboj has the ability to move the ball both ways and could prove to be a difficult customer for the Karnataka batsmen.

Haryana entered the semi-finals by finishing second in Group A and defeating Bengal and Gujarat in the preliminary quarter-final and quarter-final, respectively.

Union minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday said Jawaharlal Nehru became the country’s first prime minister by accident, prompting a sharp rebuke from Congress leader and former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Hooda.

“In his (Mr Nehru) place, those who deserved the post were Sardar Vallabhai Patel and Dr BR Ambedkar,” MR Khattar said at a gathering in Haryana’s Rohtak.

Responding to the remark, Mr Hooda said the one who himself became an accidental prime minister should not be passing such comments.

VIDEO | “I want to say that Pandit JL Nehru became a prime minister by accident. In his place, someone who deserved it (to become India’s first PM) was Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Dr BR Ambedkar,” says Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar (@mlkhattar), while addressing a gathering… pic.twitter.com/vJwwlEyGhr

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 12, 2025

Speaking at the event, Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar also spoke of the BJP’s role in honouring Dr Ambedkar’s legacy. He said, “The Constitution is our sacred text, and we must always remember the contribution of Dr Ambedkar in shaping it. We must reflect upon it over time. Dr Ambedkar also faced difficulties, for example, after his death, he was not given a place for cremation in Delhi. After the government came into power, the creation of the five holy places associated with Ambedkar’s name was established. There was a great show of respect for Dr Ambedkar during this tenure, which had never happened before.”

The statement came weeks after former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh died at the age of 92. Following his death, a row ensued over creating a memorial at the cremation site, as has been the practice for all former prime ministers.

VIDEO | “He himself became an accidental chief minister and that’s why he is talking like this,” says Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda (@BhupinderShooda) on Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s ‘JL Nehru became PM by accident’ remark.

(Full video available on PTI Videos -… pic.twitter.com/MrAZ9PBs7V

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 12, 2025

With the Assembly polls in Delhi set to be held on February 5, Mr Khattar expressed confidence in the BJP securing a victory. “This time, (Arvind) Kejriwal and his party will not be able to form the government in Delhi. BJP is gaining momentum and will perform well,” he had said on Friday.

The BJP in October last year registered a thumping victory in Haryana Assembly polls, as Nayab Singh Saini assumed the chief ministerial post. 

A car coming from behind crashed into the vehicle at the Surewala Chowk in Uklana.

Chandigarh:

Haryana Women Commission vice chairperson Sonia Aggarwal and her driver Kulbir were arrested on Saturday by the state’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) over bribe charges, an official statement said here.

The ACB team caught Kulbir red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 1 lakh.

Giving details, the statement quoted a spokesperson of the Bureau and said the ACB team had received a complaint, in which the complainant stated that he is a teacher and was married to a resident of a village in district Jhajjar.

The complainant stated that his wife was working as a sub-inspector in Haryana Police. “After marriage, there was a family dispute between the couple”, the complainant who approached the ACB stated.

After this, the complainant’s wife filed an application against him before the Haryana Women’s Commission on November 25.

“After giving the application, he was called to meet on different dates by Sonia Aggarwal. During this, Sonia Agarwal’s driver Kulbir asked the complainant to give a bribe to settle the matter.

“On December 12, Sonia Aggarwal asked the complainant to give a bribe of one lakh rupees to her driver Kulbir to settle the matter. On December 14, Aggarwal’s driver Kulbir asked the complainant to hand over Rs 1 lakh as bribe at Hisar,” said the spokesperson, according to the statement.

Laying a trap, the ACB team formed two separate teams to catch the accused.

“One team was sent to Kharkhoda (Sonipat) while the other team was sent to Hisar. The ACB team succeeded in arresting driver Kulbir red-handed with a bribe of Rs 1 lakh near Jindal Park in Hisar. Sonia Aggarwal was arrested from Kharkhoda in this case,” he said.

The ACB team is conducting further investigations into the case.

A case has been registered in the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Rohtak police station, under relevant provisions of the law.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Gurugram:

A physically challenged woman was burnt to death during a violent clash between two groups in Laharwadi village of Haryana’s Nuh district over the arrest of the accused in an eight-month-old murder case, police said on Saturday.

The family of the woman, identified as Shehnaz, alleged that she was set afire by the rival group. The 24-year-old woman suffered from a walking disability and died on the spot.

“The death of the woman in clash between two groups is a matter of investigation. We are investigating to find out the truth in the matter,” said Pradeep Kumar, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Punhana.

Tension prevailed in the village after the incident on Friday and a large contingent of police personnel have been deployed to maintain peace, the police said.

According to the police, a youth named Rizwan was murdered in Laharwadi village eight months ago over a dispute over dumping soil in a field.

The clash on Friday occurred between groups supporting the victim and accused, and the woman Shehnaz belonged to the family of the accused.

Punhana police had registered a case against 24 accused in the Rizwan murder case and three of those named — Salim, Muttal and Mojuda — were arrested while the rest fled the village.

“On Thursday, both parties were called to the Punhana police station for investigation, where DSP Pradeep Kumar was also present… There were many other villagers… some people of the village wanted that the accused should come back to the village,” said a senior police officer.

On Friday afternoon, as soon as the accused in the murder case reached the village, Rizwan’s family protested and the two groups pelted stones at each other.

Nisar, who is the brother of Shehnaz, alleged that she was burnt alive by Rizwan’s family by sprinkling petrol on her and she died on the spot. However, the other side claimed that the woman had committed self-immolation.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

A 19-year-old man was arrested for allegedly being involved in killing a seven-month pregnant woman and burying her body in a pit in Haryana, police said on Saturday.

Two people were arrested earlier in the matter, including the woman’s boyfriend, they said. The accused has been identified as Sohit alias Ritik, a resident of Sonipat district in Haryana, the police said.

According to the police, on October 21, the 19-year-old woman, who was seven months pregnant, was reported missing from her residence in the Nangloi area.

Preliminary investigation revealed that her partner, Saleem alias Sanju, along with his associates Sohit and Pankaj, conspired to kidnap her under the pretext of eloping, a police officer said.

They choked the woman and took her body to Madina Village in Rohtak, Haryana where they buried the body, Deputy Commissioner of Police (crime) Satish Kumar said.

On October 24, a case was registered and two of the accused — Saleem and Pankaj — were arrested, but Sohit remained at large, the DCP said.

Based on a tip-off, a police team laid a trap near Singhasan Banquet, Rohtak on Friday and arrested Sohit, Kumar said.

Sohit admitted his involvement in the planned murder and as per his confession, on the day of the incident, Saleem approached him with a plan to kill his pregnant partner, police said.

The three kidnapped the woman, choked her, and buried her body, they added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The World Bank will provide the same amount of financial assistance to Haryana in the next five years as it did in the past 50, a senior official of the global institution said on Friday.

During a meeting with the World Bank’s Country Director Auguste Tano Kouame here, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and government representatives’ discussions figured on various areas, including education, air quality management, and transport.

The World Bank team, which held a separate meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, included Nataliya Kulichenko, Programme leader, Sustainable Development India, and Anne Jeannette Glauber, Practice Manager, Environment.

Speaking to PTI on the sidelines of the meetings, Kouame, while referring to the meeting with Saini and other state government representatives, said, “In Haryana, we have a long history of engagement. We have been providing financing to Haryana since 1971. We have supported sectors such as electricity, energy, water…

“So far, we have provided one billion (dollar) financing to Haryana in the past 50 years.” Sharing details about scaling up the financing, Kouame said, “In the next five years, we will provide as much financing as we have provided in the past 50 years… I am very encouraged and quite bullish about what we can do in Haryana and help Haryana play a big role in India becoming ‘Viksit’ (developed) by 2047.” “In addition to the one billion financing we have provided directly in the form of loans to Haryana, the state has also benefited from pan-India projects that the World Bank has financed,” he said.

“The state will soon be home to a Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) Centre with the assistance of the World Bank,” the Haryana government said in a statement.

“This initiative of Global AI Center is set to position Haryana as a hub for artificial intelligence research and innovation. This collaboration is expected to boost the state’s technological capabilities and contribute to the growth of the digital economy in the region,” Saini said, as quoted in the statement.

“Other area where they expressed interest is Artificial Intelligence. They are also looking Haryana to become hub for cloud computing, AI and other related aspects. They are not asking for financing at the moment, but knowledge input,” Kouame told PTI.

In agriculture, Haryana aims to achieve zero stubble burning by 2030.

As per the government statement, the Haryana Clean Air Project was also discussed.

This initiative is aimed at enhancing sustainable development in the state and improving air quality.

With a total project investment of Rs 3,647 crore, the World Bank has committed to providing a loan of Rs 2,498 crore to support the implementation of the project, the statement said.

The Haryana state government will contribute Rs 1,066 crore, and an additional Rs 83 crore has been allocated as a grant. This funding will be directed towards initiatives such as air pollution control measures, sustainable urban development, and the promotion of cleaner technologies, it said.

Kouame said, “We are also preparing a new country partnership framework for next five years which will be framed in partnership with the Ministry of Finance… it will frame how we will engage with India in the next five years, what would be the priority topics which we will support and how we will work with the Centre as well as the states.

“In that context, I was here to learn more about Haryana and Punjab’s priorities and to hear from the chief ministers. Especially as we look at 2047 when India aims to become a developed nation, how it is playing out at the state level and what are their own (state’s) ambitions,” he said.

The development of key Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) projects in Haryana, including the crucial Delhi-Gurugram corridor, were also discussed in the meeting.

“The other areas of interest which they (Haryana govt) mentioned include transport, in particular Delhi-Gurugram project that has been posed to the World Bank and to the European Investment Bank. So, it will be a jointly financed project,” Kouame said.

The state government also sought financing for a water-specific project. It could focus on irrigation or look at underground water and help build water table up. It can help improve supply of water for other uses, not just irrigation. Once the proposal is received, it will be considered in due course, he said.

Meanwhile, according to the government statement, Chief Minister Saini also expressed keen interest for collaboration with the World Bank on the ambitious interlinking of rivers project.

“The interlinking of rivers is expected to significantly improve irrigation facilities across the state and help implement the Amrit Sarovar Scheme, which aims to rejuvenate water bodies and enhance water storage capacity particularly in rural areas.

“This collaboration will ensure better water management, improve agricultural productivity, and contribute to the long-term sustainability of Haryana’s water resources,” the statement said.

Saini said “a team from Haryana will soon visit Gujarat to study the interlinking of rivers in Gujarat”.

Chief Principal Secretary to Haryana Chief Minister, Rajesh Khullar, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Arun Kumar Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary, Finance Department Anurag Rastogi, were among those present during the meeting.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)