Nashik, Maharashtra:

Dada Bhuse, Nashik’s Guardian Minister in Maharashtra cabinet on Sunday said that whoever will be found guilty in connection with the Samruddhi expressway accident which has claimed at least 12 lives will be punished once the investigation is completed.

Dada Bhuse who met the injured of a road accident on Sunday also said that the order for an investigation into the matter has been given.

“…This is a very unfortunate incident…Those who are injured are being treated at the government’s expense… Orders have been given for investigation of this incident and those found accused will be punished…” Dada Bhuse told ANI.

Twelve people, including a five-year-old girl, died after the driver of a minibus allegedly lost control and rammed a container truck on Samruddhi Mahamarg near Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district in Maharashtra early Sunday.

According to police, the accident took place on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday when 35 members of a family from Nashik were returning home after paying a visit to the Sailani Baba Dargah in Buldhana.

The Samruddhi Mahamarg, named Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg, is a 701-km-long expressway connecting Mumbai and Nagpur.

It traverses 10 districts including Nagpur, Washim, Wardha, Ahmednagar, Buldhana, Aurangabad, Amravati, Jalna, Nashik and Thane.

President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident.

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in a post on X said a compensation of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) would be given to the families of those who died and the injured persons would be given Rs 50,000.

The PMO in a post on X said, “Pained by the loss of lives due to an accident in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones.I wish the injured a speedy recovery. An ex-gratia of Rs.2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs.50,000.”

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

Maharashtra Minister Dada Bhuse. File
| Photo Credit: Vivek Bendre

Amid protests by farmers and traders against the Centre’s decision to impose 40% export duty on onions, Maharashtra Minister Dada Bhuse has claimed it would make no difference if people did not consume the staple vegetable for two to four months.

The State PWD minister, however, also said on Monday that the decision to impose export duty should have been taken with proper coordination.

The Union government on August 19 imposed 40% duty on the export of onions to check price rise and improve supplies in the domestic market.

The Finance Ministry through a notification imposed the 40% export duty on onions till December 31, 2023.

“When you use a vehicle worth ₹10 lakh, you can buy produce at a higher rate by ₹10 or ₹20 than the retail rate. Those who cannot afford to buy onion, it would make no difference if they do not eat it for two-four months,” Mr. Bhuse said.

He also said the decision to impose export duty should have been taken with proper coordination.

“Sometimes onion fetches rates of ₹200 per quintal while sometimes it attracts ₹2,000 per quintal. A discussion can be held and an amicable solution can be found,” Bhuse said.

Earlier on Monday, traders decided to close onion auctions indefinitely in all the Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMCs) in Nashik, including at Lasalgaon, which is the largest wholesale onion market in India.

The Nashik District Onion Traders Association had given the call to not take part in onion auctions indefinitely till the Centre rolls back its decision, sources said.

Several farmers and traders held protests across the district seeking a rollback of the export duty.