Centre steps in after Saudi bus inferno; Kishan Reddy tracks relief efforts

Hyderabad: Union Minister Kishan Reddy expressed deep shock over the tragic bus accident in Saudi Arabia in which 45 pilgrims from Hyderabad and one from Karnataka were burnt alive after their bus collided with an oil tanker while travelling from Mecca to Medina.

Addressing the media in the national capital on Monday, Reddy said most of the victims belonged to the Secunderabad parliamentary constituency and described the incident as heartbreaking. He confirmed that he had spoken to Indian diplomat Suhail Ajaz Khan in Saudi Arabia and that the Centre had instructed embassy officials in Riyadh and consulate officials in Jeddah to monitor the situation closely.

Reddy added that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is on a foreign tour, is overseeing relief measures and has ordered a high-level team to Saudi Arabia on the Prime Minister’s instructions. Post-mortem procedures are underway, and death certificates are expected to be issued by tonight. The Saudi government has also initiated a high-level investigation. Reddy noted that families of the deceased have expressed a preference for last rites to be performed in Saudi Arabia, and the Centre will extend all necessary assistance. Turning to domestic issues, Reddy addressed the ongoing strike by ginning mills in Telangana, which has disrupted cotton procurement. He said the Centre is committed to ensuring farmers face no difficulties and confirmed that over 200 procurement centres are functioning across the state. He assured that cotton purchases will continue until March next year and urged farmers not to sell to middlemen. The Cotton Corporation of India Chairman and senior officials are scheduled to visit Telangana tomorrow to resolve the matter.

On political developments, Reddy reacted to the Supreme Court’s comments on party defections in Telangana. He criticised BRS and Congress for violating defection laws and urged the Speaker to act according to the law without political pressure.

He emphasised that defections undermine public trust and moral values, citing past examples of MLAs switching parties without resigning.

The Union Minister demanded that the state government conduct timely elections for local bodies, noting that the tenure of Sarpanch, MPTC and ZPTC members has expired. He said village development has stalled under Special Officers, with Sarpanches facing severe financial difficulties, and stressed that elections are essential to restore grassroots governance.