Twin school van mishaps leave 23 kids hurt, one serious

Two early morning mishaps - in Kanpur and Basti - involving school vans carrying children, marked the start of the week. The mishaps left 23 students injured, one of them seriously, who had to be referred to the medical college in Ayodhya.

- HT Correspondent

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Vidyut Karmachari Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti has accused the UP Power Corporation management of violating key provisions of the Electricity Act 2003 in its alleged haste to hand over assets worth billions across 42 districts to private players.

Union representatives highlighted that Section 131 of the Electricity Act 2003 mandated the proper valuation of assets based on their revenue potential before their transfer to private entities. It further stipulated that any entity not wholly owned by the state must pay fair value for such assets. "The revenue target for Purvanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam and Dakshinanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam for the financial year 2024-25 has been set at Rs 15,596 crore and Rs 13,938 crore, respectively, totaling Rs 29,534 crore," Samiti convenor Shailendra Dubey said. "These targets reflect the significant revenue potential of the corporations, far exceeding their estimated asset value," he said. The union alleged that despite assets worth billions, a reserve price of merely Rs 1,500 crore has been set for privatisation.