Author: Indmedia

Pune: Cabs and autorickshaws under various aggregator platforms in Pune and the rest of Maharashtra are likely to participate in a day-long strike on Feb 7.President of Baghtoy Rickshawaala autorickshaw union and the president of Indian Gig Workers Front Keshav Kshirsagar said several unions had together called the nationwide strike. It would inconvenience daily commuters in different parts of the city.”The demands vary over regions. In Maharashtra, there is displeasure over ban on operation of bike taxis and non-implementation of the state aggregator policy. Hence, cabbies and autorickshaws under Ola, Uber and Rapido in Pune, Mumbai and all parts of…

Panaji: Defending the state’s smart meter project, chief electrical engineer Stephen Fernandes on Thursday said that the installation of the meters will be completed by Aug 2027.The department aims to reduce power losses through smart metering and the project is being opposed for political mileage, Fernandes said during a Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) public hearing for North Goa.Goa: Tourism Crackdown, Education Changes, Farm Distress, Payment Glitches and Academic Expansion“Smart metering is the need of the hour, as it helps consumers track their daily power consumption,” he said and added that the technology will improve power consumption monitoring and transparency.Fernandes…

Chandigarh: Members of the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) are undoubtedly part of the armed forces and not regular “workmen” of any ordinary employer or construction agency carrying out normal activities of laying roads and bridges, said thePunjab and Haryana high court, upholding the entitlement of a widow of a Shaurya Chakra recipient to an extraordinary family pension. The court was of the view that the death of the GREF officer on active duty in a high-risk border area could not be treated as a routine accident. A division bench comprising Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor dismissed…

Lucknow: The 88th birth anniversary of the Kathak doyen, ‘Birju Maharaj Jayanti Samaroh’, was celebrated with dance performances and a film documenting his life and times, on Thursday. Pandit Birju Maharaj was a dancer, composer, singer and exponent of the ‘Kalka Bindadin’ gharana of Kathak. Organised by Birju Maharaj Kathak Sansthan at Kala Mandapam, the event comprised performances by troupes of dancers from Assam and Ahmedabad. Mother and son duo Marmi Meghi and Meghranjani from Assam presented ‘Ganesh Vandana’ in the Lucknow gharana style to the tune of ‘Tejore kamla pothi’ andconcluded the performance with ‘Mayur chaal’ (peacock walk) and…

Patna: Three bike-borne miscreants broke into a jewellery store in Jathkauli market under the town police station area in Vaishali and decamped with gold and silver ornaments and cash worth Rs11 lakh on Thursday evening. Store owner Sanjay Kumar said the robbery took place around 4.15pm. “They held us hostage at gunpoint and looted the store, taking valuable jewellery and Rs22,000 in cash,” he said. Police responded promptly, with SDPO Gopal Mandal visiting the spot and initiating an investigation. “We are reviewing CCTV footage from nearby cameras to identify the culprits and trace their escape route,” Mandal said. He assured…

Jaipur: Optiemus Achievers, V Polo and Team Jaipur Leela secured wins in the Leela Maharaja Sawai Man Singh Polo Cup (8-goal) here on Thursday.Team V Polo edged past Team Trojans 8-7 at the PPC Ground. Angad Kalaan (3), Santiago Marambio and Salim Azmi (2) and Vivaan Mehta (1) were the goal scorers for V Polo.For Team Trojans, Alejo Aramburu (4 goals), RK Dhananjay Singh (2 goals) and Naveen Singh (1 goal) fought hard. Rohan Sundesha also played for the team.Optiemus Achievers thumped Team Suhana All Stars Polo 8-5.5 at the same venue. Shamsheer Ali did the bulk of the job…

Nagpur: Neeta Thakre, all set to become Nagpur’s 55th mayor at the age of 55, comes from a background rooted in education and grassroots politics, even as her own political journey unfolded within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). A 4-term corporator, Thakre’s rise reflects sustained ward-level engagement and organisational work rather than political inheritance.Thakre holds an MA and BEd, and an early association with the teaching field before entering active politics. Education remained a strong influence in her life, reinforced by her family environment. She lives in a joint family of around 20 members, a support system she credits for…

Rajkot: A private insurance company has lodged a police complaint with Junagadh police, alleging that a forged insurance policy was used in a motor accident case to wrongly claim compensation.According to the complaint lodged by the company’s senior exeuctive, the matter dates back to Feb 2023, when a woman, identified as Hiri Vaghra, was seriously injured after being hit by a harvester near Choki village on the Junagadh–Jetpur Highway while she was standing by the roadside. The next day, Junagadh Taluka police registered an FIR against the harvester driver for rash and negligent driving.During the investigation, the harvester owner, Virendrasinh…

Hazaribag: Five smugglers were arrested and illegal Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) worth Rs 20.7 lakh confiscated in the past 72 hours, Hazaribag SP Anjani Anjan said on Thursday.“A car was intercepted under the Chouparan police station limits and two smugglers were arrested on charges of transporting 192 bottles of foreign liquor on Tuesday morning. The market value of the consignment has been estimated to be around Rs 7 lakh,” said police in a statement.In another operation, two smugglers were arrested with 210 bottles of liquor from a car under the Katkamsandi police station limits on Thursday. The seized liquor…

Surat: The Surat consumer disputes redressal commission (CDRC) has questioned a surveyor’s method of fixing the value of a car after a crash and ordered the insurer to pay the full IDV (Insured Declared Value) of Rs 20.3 lakh to the owner.The surveyor estimated the value of the Volvo car at only Rs 8 lakh after the crash. The court said the customer had paid a premium of Rs 60,021 for an IDV of Rs 20.3 lakh and was bound to get that sum in case of total loss. The court also took a harsh view of the insurer and…