Latest news with #Balram
Hans India
11-07-2025
- Business
- Hans India
Delay in solar plant construction will lead to contract cancellation
Kothagudem: Singareni CMD N Balram has warned that solar plant constructions taken up by Singareni under the directions of the government must be completed within the contractually stipulated timelines, failing which the contracts of agencies will be cancelled, and they will be blacklisted. On Thursday, at Singareni Bhavan, Hyderabad, he held a review with officials and concerned contractors on the delays in solar plant construction. The construction of the 54.5 MW solar plants pending under Phase 1 and the construction process of the 67.5 MW capacity solar plants pending under Phase 2 were reviewed on the day. Balram expressed dissatisfaction with the construction agencies causing delays without completing the works within the specified timeframe. He remarked that it is unfortunate that despite Singareni ensuring timely bill payments, the construction agencies are failing to complete their works on time. He instructed them to complete the assigned works quickly by October, making it clear that no further extensions would be given. He also ordered that the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) being set up alongside the 28 MW solar plant at Mandamarri must be completed by August. Under the Central Government's Surya Ghar Yojana scheme, he specified that all works related to the construction of 32.75 MW rooftop plants on various Singareni buildings must be completed by the end of December.
The Citizen
08-07-2025
- The Citizen
KZN teen (13) stalked and blackmailed by alleged Instagram predator
KZN police have launched an investigation into possible contraventions of the Sexual Offences Act 23 of 1957 and charges of intimidation after a 13-year-old girl from Phoenix, KZN, was allegedly threatened by a stalker who had been following her on Instagram. The Witness reports that the incident unfolded last week, when private security company Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) responded to an emergency call at a residence in Phoenix, Durban. Rusa spokesperson Prem Balram says an 18-year-old teenager, who was reported to have been threatening the girl online, was found outside her home at about 15:00. He says the suspect fled the area in a white Toyota Corolla. 'The family, who had locked themselves indoors, told our officers that the 13-year-old Grade Eight girl had been chatting to the man, who befriended her on Instagram in April 2024. 'The man repeatedly sent nude pictures and homemade pornographic videos to the girl via WhatsApp and had requested nudes of [her]. The girl became concerned for her safety when the suspect stalked her at school excursions and knew her whereabouts. 'He then threatened her with exposing her nudes and started demanding money from her. This eventually escalated to threats of kidnapping and murder. The girl had shared personal details with the perpetrator, who then used the information to track down her residential address and work locations of her parents,' says Balram. Balram says Rusa is in possession of several pornographic videos and images made by the suspect in his bedroom and sent to the girl. The suspect has been identified as a resident of Kenville, KZN, and is an employee of a catering company. The girl's father declined to comment. Provincial police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo says Phoenix police have registered a case of contravention of the Sexual Offences Act and intimidation. Mountain Rise SAPS Community Policing Forum chairperson Sham Govender says cyberbullying remains a major concern. Referring to a recent case involving a social media platform, he called for more proactive measures. 'It has come to the attention of the Mountain Rise CPF that an inappropriate Instagram platform, involving pupils from three high schools in the northern areas, has reappeared. This serves as a warning to all parents to monitor their children's social media usage. 'As parents, we must be proactive in addressing this cyber issue, as children who are afraid to inform their parents could face devastating consequences,' says Govender. Clinical psychologist Navin Nursoo says social media is highly unregulated and easily accessible. 'It is scary; there is little control across the board regarding social media use. Parents have little to no access to what their children are engaging with online across all social media platforms. 'Children who are in primary school are now on social media; they are not mature enough to engage with older people, as this often leads to a distorted idea of relationships and dysfunctional social behaviour in the future.' He adds that while it may not be possible to monitor everything children encounter online, parents should instil strong values to help safeguard them. 'Parents need to educate their children about the dangers of social media and teach them values about its moral use, which will assist parents in monitoring what their children engage with,' Nursoo says. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Hindu
06-07-2025
- General
- The Hindu
SCCL CMD gives fillip to green drive, plants 500 saplings in Ramagundam-1 Area
Aimed at further increasing green cover in the coal belt, the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) embarked on a mega sapling plantation drive as part of the State government's 'Van Mahotsav' programme. Giving a fillip to the green drive, SCCL Chairman and Managing Director N Balram set an inspiring example by personally planted 500 saplings in Ramagundam-1 Area of Peddapalli district on Sunday, SCCL sources said. Mr. Balram planted around 19,570 saplings individually across 52 locations in and around the SCCL coalfields spanning the State's vast coal belt since 2019. His greening efforts helped develop mini-forests in the coal belt spread across six districts and earned him 'Tree Man of Telangana' award by the Green Maple Foundation last year. The SCCL has already planted over 70 million saplings across 14,000 hectares.
United News of India
06-07-2025
- Business
- United News of India
Telangana: Singareni achieves 100 pc Coal Dispatch in First Quarter
Hyderabad, July 5 (UNI) State-owned Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) on Saturday announced it has achieved 100 percent of its coal dispatch target and 99 percent of its coal production target in the first quarter of this financial year. Expressing happiness over the achievement, the Mining Company Chairman and Managing Director N. Balram on Saturday said from April to June, against the coal dispatch target of 16 million tonnes, the company achieved 16.6 million tonnes, registering a 103 per cent achievement. Similarly, against the coal production target of 16 million tonnes, the company achieved 15.99 million tonnes, marking 99 per cent fulfillment. Balram, who reviewed the quarterly progress with the company's directors and General Managers of all areas from Singareni Bhavan here, directed that appropriate measures should be taken to ensure uninterrupted coal production from opencast mines even during the monsoon season. To achieve the targets set for July, he instructed that the company must dispatch 2.15 lakh tonnes of coal per day and produce 1.8 lakh tonnes per day. He also reviewed the progress of each area with the respective General Managers and issued immediate instructions to address any obstacles affecting production. He stated that the ground-breaking ceremony for the VK Opencast mine in Kothagudem, for which all permissions have been obtained, should be conducted by the end of this month, and necessary arrangements should be made accordingly. He directed that efforts to obtain environmental and forest clearances for Illandu JK Coal Mine and Goleti Coal Mine should be intensified. The CMD , who also held a detailed discussion on measures being taken to improve coal quality standards, instructed that every area should make special arrangements at CHPs to ensure the grade of coal promised to consumers is delivered without deviation. Regarding safety, he directed the safety department to conduct safety audits in every mine and rectify any deficiencies to maintain a zero-defect safety environment. He also reviewed the coal production that has commenced at the Naini Coal Block in Odisha and instructed that appropriate arrangements should be made to transport the produced coal to the nearby Chandipada railway siding. The meeting was attended by Directors D. Satyanarayana Rao (E&M), L.V. Suryanarayana (Operations), K. Venkateswarlu (Projects & Planning), Goutham Potru (PA&W), Executive Director (Coal Movement) S.D.M. Subhani, Advisor (Forestry) Mohan Parigen, GM (CPP) A. Manohar, Corporate GMs, and all Area General Managers. UNI KNR GNK
IOL News
05-07-2025
- IOL News
Verulam police investigate murder of 51-year-old man in suspected hit
A blue Hyundai i10 with multiple bullet holes, the scene of a tragic shooting incident in Verulam, where a 51-year-old man was murdered while travelling with two passengers. Image: Supplied Verulam police are investigating the murder of a 51-year-old man who was gunned down in his vehicle while travelling to his home in the Mhlasini area in a suspected hit on Thursday. Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) spokesperson Prem Balram said the man was travelling to his residence with two passengers. Balram said that at approximately 6.51pm, the Rusa operations centre received multiple calls for assistance after gunmen opened fire on a blue Hyundai i10 at the corner of Hazelmere Drive and Quarry Road in Redcliffe. When reaction officers and Rusa paramedics arrived at the scene, they discovered the driver of the vehicle slumped in his seat. 'He was shot multiple times and died before first responders arrived,' he said. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ According to Balram, the deceased's 32-year-old girlfriend and his work colleague were in the vehicle at the time of the incident. 'The female sustained a gunshot wound to her buttocks, and the male was grazed by a bullet on his back.' He said it was established that three men who were standing on the side of the road suddenly opened fire on the vehicle. 'Both passengers disembarked and fled. The gunmen continued shooting at the driver as they walked towards the car. They thereafter fled on foot in an unknown direction,' said Balram. Balram added that 13 spent 9mm cartridges were recovered at the scene. Provincial police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo said the motive for the killing is unknown. 'Verulam police have opened a case of murder and two of attempted murder following an incident in which three people were allegedly attacked while in the vehicle on 3 July 2025,' she said. Ngcobo said it was reported that the victims were ambushed by unknown people while driving. 'The suspects opened fire, fatally wounding a 51-year-old man and injuring two victims, who were taken to hospital for medical attention,' she confirmed. According to Balram, the deceased man is believed to be an employee of eThekwini Municipality. When approached for confirmation, municipal spokesperson Gugu Sisilana referred queries related to criminal matters to the SAPS. 'The municipality does not have the authority to investigate murder incidents because this is the mandate of the South African Police Services, and we will therefore not be able to comment or confirm any information,' she said. The 51-year-old victim was travelling with two passengers. Image: Supplied A 51-year-old man was murdered while travelling with two passengers. Image: Supplied A blue Hyundai i10 with multiple bullet holes. Image: Supplied
