Ahmedabad, Aug 3 (IANS) In a tragic incident, five children, including four girls, drowned to death in a pond near Methan village in Gujarat's Surendranagar district on Wednesday. The deceased have been identified as Priyanka Parsingbhai (5), Dinki Parsingbhai (7), Alkesh Parsingbhai (10), Lakshmi Pratapbhai (9) and Sanjala Pratapbhai (7).
It has been learnt that deceased Parsingbhais were residents of Bod village in Chhota Udepur district, while Pratapbhais were residents of Gamta village in Harirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh.
According to the police, the children had gone to take bath in the pond located between Methan and Sarawan villages.
The deceased, all aged between five and 10 years, were the children of farm labourers working in the area. After the local people informed the police about the incident, the latter fished out the bodies with the help of firemen and divers. The pond was reportedly overflowing due to the heavy rains that lashed the region recently.
In his previous marriage to Inderpreet Kaur, which ended in a divorce in 2016, Mann has two children -- son Dilshan and daughter Seerat -- who are currently staying in the US with their mother. Both children had attended Mann's swearing-in ceremony at Khatkar Kalan on March 16.
A spokesman for the Chief Minister's office said all domestic consumers in the state would be eligible to get zero bills if their consumption is up to 600 units in every billing cycle. This will give a big reprieve to the domestic consumers who have to hitherto shell out huge money every month in the form of power tariff.
On receiving information about the incident, SP City Dinesh Kumar Singh, along with police force, reached the spot. The injured youths were sent to the hospital for treatment and the matter is being investigated.
The Chief Minister said the government is fully sensitive towards checking cross-border infiltration in Punjab. He said Punjab Police is constantly in touch with the Border Security Force (BSF) and other agencies for this purpose.
While briefing the officers, the DGP said the topmost priority of the government, as directed by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, is to further strengthen the fight against drugs to make Punjab a drug-free state, besides eliminating the gangster culture, maintaining law and order, and detection of crime.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur announced Rs 5 lakh to the next of the kin of the deceased, whereas Rs 15,000 as immediate relief for the injured. He said free treatment would be provided to the injured.
