VARANASI ‘TOP-PRIORITY’ FLYOVER CRASHES, 18 DIE

An under-construction flyover collapsed in Varanasi on Tuesday, killing 18 people while over 50 persons are feared trapped under the debris. Many cars are also buried under the heap of rubble, district officials said, adding that the death toll could go up.

Rescue operation has been initiated to clear the debris of the flyover, which was being constructed by the Uttar Pradesh State Bridge Corporation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condoled the loss of lives in the incident, which has taken place in his constituency.

The Uttar Pradesh Bridge Construction Corporation was constructing the 2261metre-long bridge at a cost of Rs 129 crore, officials said. The span which crashed was laid barely three months ago.

The opposition lost no time in targeting the state government. Samajwadi Party boss Akhilesh Yadav said: "This is the reality of development in the top-priority constituency of the country. The ministers of the state used to visit this district for regular inspections. Is this incident an accident or result of corruption? The state government must answer this question.’’

“Extremely saddened by the loss of lives due to the collapse of an under-construction flyover in Varanasi. I pray that the injured recover soon. Spoke to officials and asked them to ensure all possible support to those affected," Modi tweeted.

In another tweet, the prime minister said he had spoken to Adityanath. “The UP Government is monitoring the situation very closely and is working on the ground to assist the affected,” he said.

NEW DELHI: Cricket all-rounder turned Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu (54), who is popular on television for his antics, on Tuesday escaped jail and consequent disqualification. The Supreme Court let him off with a paltry fine of Rs 1,000 in a 30-year old road rage case for “voluntarily hurting” a 65-year old man in a case of road rage resulting in his death.