Author: Indmedia

Bhubaneswar: Water levels in several rivers across north Odisha, including Brahmani, Baitarani, Budhabalanga and Subarnarekha, continued to rise on Monday following two days of intense rainfall under influence of a low-pressure system, prompting authorities to watch the situation closely.Despite the rising trend, officials said there was no immediate threat of flooding as all major rivers were flowing below warning levels. Baitarani at Akhuapada was flowing about half-a-metre below the danger mark, though some low-lying catchment areas experienced inundation.Water resources department engineer-in-chief Dilip Kumar Rout said the river levels were expected to remain below danger or warning marks. “The rising trend…

During the recent spell of heavy rain, Sheetla Mata Mandir Road had remained the most vulnerable spot for waterlogging Gurgaon: The proposed facelift of Sheetla Mata Mandir Road may be put on hold. GMDA is exploring augmenting the capacity of Leg-2 master stormwater drain passing along the stretch.Leg-2 — a key component of the city’s drainage network — originates in Sector 27 and drains into Najafgarh drain, passing through sectors 29 and 41, NH8, Atul Kataria Chowk, Sheetla Mata Road, Ashok Vihar, railway culvert No 50, Dharampur village and Sector 107.The authority had planned to spend around Rs 20 crore…

Shillong: The Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival will be held on Nov 20 and 21, with American artistes Khalid, Swae Lee and Boys Like Girls among the announced performers. Two more headliners are expected to be announced.The festival will be held at the New Shillong Highland Grounds, a new venue designated by the Meghalaya govt for large-scale festivals, concerts and other events.Single-day tickets, priced at Rs 2,500, inclusive of taxes, will go on sale from Sept 4 at 6pm on RockskiTickets.com.The venue, located around 30 minutes from Shillong, is expected to provide easier access to audiences from Meghalaya, Assam and neighbouring…

Kanpur: With a five-wicket haul by left-arm spinner Shiva Singh, including a hat-trick, the Noida Super Kings stunned unbeaten Meerut Mavericks by five wickets in a rain-hit, five-over-a-side thriller at Green Park Stadium on Sunday night. The victory not only ended Meerut’s winning run but also sealed Noida’s place in the playoffs.Noida finished the league stage with 10 points from 10 matches, with five wins and five defeats, and became the third team after Meerut Mavericks and Lucknow Falcons to qualify for the playoffs. They will now feature in the Eliminator.Rain played a major role in the second match of…

A visual representation of the proposed flyover Noida: Noida Authority will develop a 500m-long flyover on the Noida Expressway to improve connectivity across the expressway between sectors 148, 149, 150, 151, 152 and 153. The project, estimated to cost Rs 85 crore, is aimed at improving direct cross-expressway connectivity and easing traffic movement in the area.Commuters use an existing underpass in the area beneath the expressway to cross from one side to the other. The underpass is relatively narrow, making it difficult for vehicles to pass smoothly, particularly during rush-hour traffic. The problem is compounded during the monsoon, when the…

Pune: The city is gearing up for Big Butterfly Month this Sept, with nature groups, citizen scientists, photographers and butterfly enthusiasts preparing to document its rich winged diversity.The month-long initiative will feature guided butterfly walks, species surveys, photography sessions and awareness activities across the city’s hills, gardens, campuses and surrounding habitats, turning everyday green spaces into hotspots for observation and recording.“Butterfly numbers might increase if we have longer spells of sunlight in Sept. In 2024, there were 4,200 butterfly observations and 140 species reported during Sept. In 2025, there was a slight dip, with 3,500 observations and 137 species recorded…

Porvorim: Chief minister Pramod Sawant on Monday informed legislators that the state cabinet has decided to regularise the employment of all contractual employees in the education sector who have completed 10 years of service, including Samagra Shiksha teachers.Sawant told the legislative assembly that even those teachers working under centrally sponsored schemes will be considered for regularisation, with offer letters expected to be issued by Oct.“We will give them offer letters in Oct and make them permanent. In the same way, the school counsellors will also be regularised for those who have completed 10 years. Those who have worked for five…

Bathinda: Punjab assembly speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan has conceded that while the Aam Aadmi Party govt fulfilled all the guarantees extended to the people, it could not deliver on its promise of eliminating the drug menace.“Saaria guarantteea pooria ho geiya pat main matava, bhaina vich khade ho ke kahna hai ke chitte wali guarantee sadde to poori ni hoyi. Nahi hoya khatam, ik gal jaroor hai ke hun na koi saada mc, mla, mantri, speaker ya mukh mantri chitte wale di madad ni karda (All the guarantees have been fulfilled, but standing in front of mothers and sisters, I wish…

Lucknow: Issuing a stern warning to criminals operating from outside Uttar Pradesh or from abroad, DGP Rajeev Krishna on Monday said such offenders should not assume they can evade the law by masterminding crimes from beyond the state’s borders.“Criminals cannot think that they will commit a crime and then hide. Those involved in planning or facilitating crimes from outside the state would also face action,” he said.DGP said the police were working on information about people who had taken control of Gogi gang’s operations. He also referred to Shahpuria, whose name had emerged in the investigation and who was believed…

Former BJP MLC Devesh Kumar Patna: The state govt on Monday appointed former BJP MLC Devesh Kumar as vice chairman of the Bihar State Planning Board.A notification to this effect was issued on Monday. Devesh recently resigned as an MLC to accommodate Deepak Prakash, son of Rashtriya Lok Morcha president Upendra Kushwaha. Deepak had remained a minister for more than six months without being a member of either House of the legislature.The Supreme Court has issued notices to the state govt following a PIL challenging Deepak’s continuation as a minister. He was later nominated to the legislative council from the…