Author: Indmedia

Gandhinagar: To address growing traffic-related challenges in Ahmedabad and Surat cities, the Gujarat govt has approved a proposal to set up an urban transport fund (UTF) under the Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA).According to top sources, the decision was taken at the first meeting of UMTA chaired by the chief secretary. The principal secretary (urban development) and senior officials from Ahmedabad and Surat also attended the meeting in which traffic and public transport challenges were discussed.Sources close to the development said that in line with the National Urban Transport Policy, 2006, and the Metro Rail Policy, 2017, the state govt…

Prayagraj: The Allahabad High Court has granted bail to one Nazim Raja Khan, an accused in the Sept 2025 Bareilly violence case wherein a mob attacked a police team with bricks, stones and acid bottles.The order was passed by Justice Vivek Verma on Feb 2. During the court proceedings, the counsel for the applicant submited that the applicant was not named in the FIR and was falsely implicated in the present case. “As per the FIR, 28 named and 200-250 unknown people are mentioned in the report. The name of the applicant surfaced during the course of investigation. A vague…

Bhubaneswar: Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday wrote to external affairs minister S Jaishankar, seeking urgent intervention to trace and rescue Sarthak Mohapatra, a marine engineer from Odisha who went missing while onboard a container vessel near Mauritius.In his letter, Pradhan said Mohapatra was reported missing under unexplained circumstances from the vessel EA Jersey on the morning of Feb 3, while the ship was transiting about 135 nautical miles east of Mauritius.Bhubaneswar: Constable’s Suicide After ₹9L Transfer, 24 Places To Be Renamed, India-US Trade Boost And MoreDescribing the disappearance as “sudden and mysterious”, Pradhan urged Jaishankar to personally look…

Gurgaon: The city’s clean-air action plan will now be monitored through mandatory monthly reporting by all implementing agencies, with MCG commissioner Pradeep Dahiya on Friday directing departments to submit progress updates by the fifth of every month for onward reporting to Central Air Quality Management Commission (CAQM).The direction was issued at a coordination meeting of agencies involved in air-pollution control, including the traffic police, GMDA and Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), where officials reviewed implementation of measures aimed at cutting particulate pollution (PM10 and PM2.5 levels) by 10% by 2026. Officials from GMCBL, HSVP, PWD and NHAI were also…

Aizawl: Mizoram legislative assembly’s business advisory committee (BAC) may defer the presentation of the state’s annual budget for 2026-2027, originally scheduled for Feb19. CM Lalduhoma, who also holds the finance portfolio, has indicated that he may not be ready to present the budget on the allotted date, assembly speaker Lalbiakzama said.“The house leader has conveyed that preparations are still underway. The BAC may meet again to revise the calendar of the upcoming budget session as desired by the CM,” Lalbiakzama told TOI.Islamabad Suicide Blast, Bangladesh Crisis, RBI’s Fraud Compensation And MoreAssembly secretariat officials confirmed that the BAC will reconvene on…

Belagavi: Women and child welfare minister Laxmi Hebbalkar said the work on solar power project was stopped in Badal Ankalagi village following the illegal cutting of trees. Meanwhile, BJP workers and various farmer organisations staged a protest on the premises of DCF office, seeking action against the culprits involved in tree felling.The minister, on Friday said the cutting of trees for solar power generation under the PM KUSUM scheme was stopped for the time being. A case was registered against a person for burning the trees. The govt land was used for a govt project in coordination with the revenue…

Mangaluru: Parishioners of Immaculate Conception Church, Kinnigoli, have handwritten the New Testament of the Holy Bible. Thirteen parishioners completed the New Testament, and two children wrote the four Gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The parish is about 27km from Mangaluru.The effort began after parish priest Fr Joachim Fernandes urged parishioners during the Gospel Week. “It was last Jan, during Gospel Week, I gave a call to parishioners to handwrite the Holy Bible. It was a voluntary effort. Similar initiatives are quite familiar in Kerala, and I first tried it when I was the parish priest of Kelarai near…

Mysuru: To commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya and Mahashivaratri, the Brahma Kumaris will host Shivaratri Mahotsav and a large-scale spiritual exhibition—Jnana Vijnana Divya Darshana Mela, from Feb 8 in front of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan on Hunsur Road.Speaking to reporters, Brahma Kumari Lakshmi said the main attraction of the exhibition will be a grand replica of Gujarat’s iconic Sri Somnath Temple. The exhibition will feature a wide range of spiritually enriching and socially relevant segments. These include awareness initiatives against drug abuse, a 5-minute computer-based Mind Spa, and a pictorial gallery promoting harmony in…

Pune: Traffic slowed to a crawl during peak hours on the Pune-Mumbai expressway on Friday, with congestion affecting Pune-bound traffic. Officials attributed the snarls to weekend rush, as well as people travelling to vote in Saturday’s zilla parishad and panchayat samiti elections.According to commuters affected, vehicular movement had ground to a halt for a while in the ghat section near Lonavla in the evening. One commuter said, “I was returning from Mumbai in the evening, around 7 pm, and was stuck in a long traffic jam near Amrutanjan bridge.”The commuter said such congestion was becoming a regular feature on the…

Panaji: Two mega events — India Energy Week and World Legends Pro T20 League — held in Goa last month, pushed the fortunes of the tourism industry, said the Trade and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), a body of tourism stakeholders.“Certain segments have done exceptionally well, registering strong growth. Small hotels have had a much better month with a decent rebound,” said TTAG president Jack Sukhija in a statement.Applauding govt for its efforts to bring mega events to the state, Sukhija said, “The major flip to the tourism industry comes from meeting incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE), mega events, and…