Author: Indmedia

Thane: The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) collected Rs 556.2 crore in property tax for 2025–26 by Jan end, falling more than Rs 200 crore short of its annual target of Rs 841 crore, a major revenue setback for the cash-strapped civic body.Property tax is one of TMC’s largest sources of income, funding key civic services and infrastructure projects. The shortfall intensified pressure on the corporation to manage its finances effectively, especially as only two months are available to recover the shortfall.According to an official release detailing the collections administrative ward-wise, the Majiwada–Manpada ward recorded the highest collection at Rs 175…

NEW DELHI: The killer pit – 20 feet long, 14 feet deep and 13 feet wide – in which Kamal Dhyani’s body was found is bang on Joginder Singh Marg in Janakpuri, a stretch dotted with at least four other pits, just as gaping. Like this one – large enough to swallow a four-wheeler – they have been dug by Delhi Jal Board (DJB) for underground sewer work. A spot inspection of the stretch by TOI revealed multiple safety lapses.Before Friday morning, just two brown barricades had been placed near the traffic light at the start of this stretch, leaving…

Bengaluru: Nearly three years after its launch by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mysuru, the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) is set to hold its first key meeting in Bengaluru this Sunday. The inaugural session comes ahead of the international summit scheduled to be held in New Delhi later this year, as announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Union Budget. Forest department sources told TOI although IBCA was launched in April 2023, it was formally constituted only in Jan 2025. “As a prelude to the forthcoming global summit in Delhi, the Centre chose Bengaluru to host the inaugural…

Hyderabad: Expressing concern over history been sidelined for decades, heritage experts on Friday stressed the urgent need to bring it back into the mainstream. At the History Literary Fest held at the Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet, historians, conservationists and educators came together to highlight India’s forgotten past and its relevance to the present.The travelling festival, now in its fourth edition, aims to build awareness of India’s cultural legacy and the many historic structures that exist across the country.Tejaswini Yerlagadda of the Pleach India Foundation said a large section of the population remains unaware of its own heritage. “Almost 80% of…

Chennai: Chief minister M K Stalin on Friday laid the foundation stone for a sea turtle conservation centre at Children’s Park in Guindy. The centre will provide specialised infrastructure for scientific research, telemetry, monitoring and centralised data management, function as a training and capacity-building hub, serve as a public education and outreach platform, and act as a nodal institution for inter-departmental coordination and technical expertise, said a release. The centre will strengthen institutional capacity and address the growing scientific and operational complexity of marine turtle conservation, it said. The centre is being established under the Tamil Nadu Sustainably Harnessing Ocean…

Ahmedabad: Gujarat forest officials are investigating the possibility of a second tiger in the Ratanmahal area after discovering fresh pugmarks and a blurred camera-trap photograph. A comprehensive analysis is underway to determine whether the lone confirmed tiger in the sanctuary area has found company. Officials reported finding a new set of pugmarks that appeared noticeably smaller than those belonging to the known big cat. The size discrepancy has led field teams to investigate whether another tiger may be traversing the same Ratanmahal landscape.Senior forest officials in Gandhinagar acknowledged that a camera trap captured an image, but it lacks sufficient clarity…

Bhubaneswar: Kendrapada BJP MP Baijayant Panda’s fresh attempt to introduce a private member’s Bill aimed at regulating children’s access to social media fell through on Friday after Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day following continued disruptions by the opposition.Panda’s proposed legislation — Safeguarding Healthy Environments for Little Digital Natives (SHIELD) Bill, 2025 — was listed for introduction in the House for nearly three months and was scheduled to be taken up on Friday.Bhubaneswar: Constable’s Suicide After ₹9L Transfer, 24 Places To Be Renamed, India-US Trade Boost And MoreThe motion assumes significance in the aftermath of the alleged suicide by…

Erode: K A Sengottaiyan’s name written using TVK flag colours with the prefix MLA on the newly-constructed bus shelter in Kosanam panchayat in Gobichettipalayam assembly constituency has courted a controversy, with both DMK and AIADMK warning of a protest.The bus shelter was constructed at a cost of Rs8.5 lakh using the assembly constituency development fund, which was allocated by Sengottaiyan, who was the MLA at the time. While the construction work was completed four months ago, painting work was carried out recently as per the orders of Nambiyur block officials. “Sengottaiyan’s name with the prefix MLA is written on the…

Dhubri: Shola or ‘kuhila’ (pith) craft artisans of Dhubri district are finding it difficult to preserve the traditional art form, saying they do not earn enough to support their families.Primarily practised by the Malakar community of Dhubri and in some parts of western and central Assam, the art form holds cultural signicance as well. In Dhubri alone, there are about 1,500 Malakar families who know the craft.Islamabad Suicide Blast, Bangladesh Crisis, RBI’s Fraud Compensation And MoreArtisans from Debottar Hasda said the community has earned name and fame, and that Dulal Malakar of Debottar Hasda village in Dhubri district was even…

Hubballi: Due to a line block and power block for the insertion and removal of a temporary girder at level crossing No. 196 between Tholahunse and Davangere section, the following train services will be impacted.The following trains will cancelled fully on Feb 17: train No. 17391 KSR Bengaluru–Sindhanur Express, train No. 56928 Sindhanur–SSS Hubballi Passenger, train No. 07396 Davangere–Ballari Junction DEMU, and train No. 07395 Ballari Junction–Davangere DEMU.Islamabad Suicide Blast, Bangladesh Crisis, RBI’s Fraud Compensation And MoreTrain No. 12726 Dharwad–KSR Bengaluru Express, will commence its journey from Chikjajur instead of Dharwad at its scheduled departure time from Chikjajur, on Feb…