Author: Indmedia

CHANDIGARH: In a major international operation, two notorious gangsters have been arrested in the African nation of Angola following a coordinated effort by the Punjab and Haryana Police along with central intelligence agencies.The successful crackdown on foreign soil was initiated based on crucial intelligence provided by the intelligence agencies, Haryana Special Task Force (STF) and the CBI.The arrested fugitives have been identified as Varinder, alias Joban Saidoke, and Manjot. Varinder was a highly sought-after criminal in Punjab, wanted in connection with four sensational murder cases.Recognizing the severity of his crimes, the Punjab government had previously announced a reward of Rs…

Lucknow: Senior divisional security commissioner (RPF), Agra division, P Rajmohan, was on Thursday transferred to the Northeast Frontier Railway, a day after his press-conference on the Agra Cantt railway station controversy.The transfer comes amid an ongoing inquiry into the Jul 12 incident in which four RPF personnel were suspended and later booked by the GRP for allegedly assaulting deputy station superintendent operating (dy SSO) Narendra Singh Chahar. The confrontation erupted after the unscheduled halt of Hirakud Express (20808) shortly after its scheduled departure from Agra Cantt station.Sources said Rajmohan was not authorised to address the media.The RPF personnel include assistant…

Patna: Chief minister Samrat Choudhary on Friday flagged off 48 buses, 30 four-wheelers and six ambulances for the use of Bihar Police and said the new vehicles would further strengthen crime control, quick action in emergency situations and public safety.Accompanied by deputy chief minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav, Choudhary flagged off the new vehicles from a specially-built podium in front of ‘Samvad’ Hall, located at the chief minister’s secretariat here.In a statement, the chief minister said the availability of these police vehicles would further enhance the operational capacity and efficiency of policing in the state. It would also provide greater convenience…

Jaipur: Jaipur Development Authority’s (JDA) decision to make rectification of setback violations mandatory before approving residential-to-commercial conversions has led to a sharp fall in approvals.Officials said more than 80% of conversion applications remained pending over the past six to seven months because the properties had setback violations requiring regularisation. More than 90% of these applications were eventually rejected after applicants showed no interest in rectifying the violations.“At present, around 15 applications are on hold because of setback violations. Under the new rule, applicants will not get approval unless they regularise these violations,” a JDA official said.Earlier, the authority granted conditional…

Nagpur: The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has informed the Nagpur bench of the Bombay high court that it has approached IIT Bombay to conduct an independent technical audit of the quality of the city’s cement concrete roads. It contended that there is no need to appoint a separate private expert committee as sought in a PIL.The submission was made on Thursday before the bench hearing a PIL filed by Rajiv Jagtap, president of Janmanch, seeking an independent assessment of the quality of cement roads constructed across the city.Chief engineer Leena Upadhye filed an affidavit that stated that a govt resolution…

Ranchi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated redeveloped Piska and Muri railway stations under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS) on Friday. The two stations under the Ranchi division of the South Eastern Railway were among the 75 redeveloped Amrit Bharat stations that were virtually inaugurated by PM Modi.Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar, land and revenue minister Deepak Birua, Hatia MLA Naveen Jaiswal attended the inauguration function at Piska railway station.While attending the function, the governor said that ABSS is not merely a plan for the redevelopment of railway stations but a significant initiative towards building a modern, safe, eco-friendly and…

Rs 211-crore water project approval has ignited a public dispute between local political leaders. ULHASNAGAR: The Centre’s approval of a Rs 211-crore water supply project under the AMRUT 2.0 scheme has sparked a public war of words between BJP MLA Kumar Ailani and Shiv Sena Mayor Ashwini Kamlesh Nikam, exposing fault lines within the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Ulhasnagar.The controversy began after Ailani taking press conference claimed that the project was sanctioned following his sustained correspondence and repeated follow-up with the state and central governments to secure an independent water source for the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC).Accusing the mayor of…

Kolkata: The New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) has decided to reconstitute its town vending committee, including representatives from registered associations of street vendors in New Town in the committee for better management. Officials said the process was underway to identify registered hawkers and street vendors who will be eligible for rehabilitation. According to latest figures, there are around 1,500 hawkers and street vendors who are conducting business, encroaching on pavements in New Town.“Earlier, the authorities had rehabilitated about 65% of hawkers to the stalls set up in different parts of the township. A section could not be relocated and…

“Schools are basically acting as hubs of social support as well as learning,” he tells me. According to Elliot Major, the reason UK state schools have a long summer holiday stems from the habit of private schools giving their pupils long breaks to allow for seasonal travel. Today, wealthier families can also more easily afford to enrol their kids in sports camps, artistic activities and trips to cultural places during the summer break – all things that can make for a better education, says Elliot Major.Local authorities often organise activities through their schools and libraries but many still require parents…

In the week after the sex-criminal financier Jeffrey Epstein died, Anya (not her real name) opened the door of her New York apartment. Outside was Epstein’s brother, Mark, telling her she had to leave, she says.Anya had lived for years in one of several flats on East 66th Street in Manhattan used by Jeffrey Epstein to house women he abused. In one moment, she lost her home but escaped a nightmare. (Mark Epstein denies he was aware of his brother’s wrongdoing.)”I’m still struggling to reconcile with the fact that I was abused for years,” Anya says. “You were not chained…