Rajasthan CM announces housing discounts for journalists amid deadly bus crash, borewell tragedy

The announcement came as Rajasthan dealt with a grim 48 hours marked by two separate tragedies: a fatal bus crash on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Kota district and the death of a nine-year-old boy after a prolonged borewell rescue in Phalodi.

Crash on expressway kills eight

The vehicle, carrying devotees travelling from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh to the Khatu Shyam Ji temple in Rajasthan, met with the crash around 6 am near pole number 384 in the Simaliya police station area. Reports said the bus hit the roadside railing and fell into a ditch; another account described it plunging into a 15-foot-deep canal.

District Collector Peeyush Samariya confirmed eight deaths and said the injured were being treated in hospital. Reports said those hurt were taken to MBS Hospital and the New Medical College. Senior police officials, including IG Harendra Mahawar, also reached the hospital.

The cause of the accident had not been formally established, though preliminary accounts suggested the driver may have lost control, with one report attributing it to the driver dozing off. A probe is underway to determine what led to the bus veering off the expressway.

In another incident, a nine-year-old boy who fell into a borewell in Phalodi district was pulled out after nearly 39 hours but was declared dead after being rushed to hospital, officials said.

The child fell into a 1,050-foot-deep borewell at a farm during repair work on Thursday, after workers opened the borewell while removing pipes. He was believed to be trapped at around 640 feet.

Officials said the incident occurred around 1.30 pm as the borewell was being fixed at a farm owned by the boy’s father, Pancharam Bhil. The father, who was removing the borewell motor at the time, told officials he witnessed the fall and initially saw the child’s head and hands at the opening before the boy slipped further down.

Rescue teams worked through the following hours to reach the child, but the effort ended in tragedy.

Outreach to Non-Resident Rajasthanis

Between the two incidents, the state government also pushed a development outreach to Non-Resident Rajasthanis (NRRs). On October 16, Sharma met NRRs at the Rajasthan International Centre in Jaipur, praising their contributions to the state and the country.

At the interaction, he urged members of the diaspora to return and take part in Rajasthan’s development, invoking a call to carry forward “Padharo Thare Desh” alongside the state’s well-known tourism pitch, “Padharo Mhare Desh”.

The chief minister announced the launch of 11 new chapters of the Rajasthan Foundation as part of an expansion plan, and spoke about steps aimed at easing doing business, among other issues raised at the meeting.

A state of contrasts

Rajasthan, India’s largest state by area, sits in the north-west of the country with Jaipur as its capital and largest city, widely known as the Pink City. The state spans 342,239 square kilometres, around 10.4% of India’s geographic area, and is shaped by the Thar Desert in the west and the Aravalli range that cuts across the landscape.

Its identity is closely tied to its royal heritage, hill forts and palaces, and it remains one of India’s best-known travel destinations, including wildlife reserves such as Ranthambore National Park. The state is also associated with local dishes such as dal baati churma, along with folk music and textile traditions.

For the government, the past few days have put very different demands on the administration at once: announcing welfare-linked programmes such as housing for journalists, courting the diaspora for investment and engagement, and responding to emergencies that have left families grieving.