Author: Indmedia

A Ukrainian drone attack on a fertilizer plant in the western Smolensk region killed at least four people and injured 10 others on Wednesday morning, local authorities said. Smolensk region Governor Vasily Anokhin, describing the strike as “barbaric,” said drones targeted the Dorogobuzh nitrogen fertilizer plant around 140 kilometers (87 miles) east of the border with Belarus. Firefighters partially contained a blaze that broke out at the facility, he added. Anokhin said in a video statement that authorities might order an evacuation of nearby towns as environmental and industrial safety experts were dispatched to assess whether a potential chemical leak…

New Delhi: Delhi forest department has granted permission for the transplantation of 32 trees for the expansion of the apron facilities at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport, while prohibiting any tree-felling, according to an official order.The permission was granted on Jan 22 under the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994, for expansion of the airport’s apron Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) area. Though the applicant initially sought permission to cut or transplant 34 trees, the forest department allowed the transplantation of 32 trees, prohibiting any tree-felling in the area. It also directed compensatory plantation of 320 saplings. “The compensatory…

Hyderabad: Congress MP Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy on Tuesday said Union minister Bandi Sanjay should stop playing Hindutva politics to incite religious hatred and instead inform the people of Telangana about how much Central funds he will bring for the development of the state.”Despite inciting religious hatred, Bandi Sanjay and the BJP failed to get a majority in the Karimnagar municipal corporation. Of the seven corporations and 116 municipalities that went to the polls, the BJP won only one municipality and a single corporation. People understood that Bandi Sanjay and BJP were playing Hindutva politics merely for their political survival,”…

Chennai: Union commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal has outlined a four-pronged strategy to accelerate India’s export growth, calling for deeper FTA awareness, an uncompromising focus on quality, higher value addition, and stronger local export ecosystems.Addressing a Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) conference on export competitiveness virtually, Goyal said India must take its free trade agreements (FTAs) “to the grassroots”, ensuring that their benefits are understood not just at the policy level but on the factory floor.Awareness of tariff reductions and market access opportunities must reach clusters, districts and MSMEs across the country, he said. “We need training of trainers…

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat high court quashed a deputy collector’s order rejecting permission to sell property in the Jamalpur area in the Walled City of Ahmedabad under the Disturbed Areas Act. The govt official had denied sale on the ground that if the Hindu owners were allowed to sell the house to Muslims, it might jeopardise communal harmony in the area.After quashing the order, the HC directed the officer to take a fresh decision on the application for sale permission by considering only two aspects: ‘free consent’ of the sellers that they were not selling the property under coercion, and ‘fair…

Gurgaon: In a sharp rebuke to the engineering wing of the MCG, commissioner Pradeep Dahiya on Tuesday ordered engineers to stop waiting for citizens to raise complaints before fixing basic civic problems. He warned them of strict action if there was any negligence in essential services. The warning came during a meeting at the MCG office attended by executive engineers, assistant engineers and junior engineers. Dahiya told the engineers they are directly responsible for maintaining roads, sewer lines, managing drinking water supply and street lights across the city. Lately, the engineers had become more reactive than proactive, he added.He instructed…

Noida: What was meant to be a celebration of the colours of spring and craft ended in controversy on the final evening of the 38th Noida Flower Show, or Vasant Utsav, after visitors allegedly plucked flowers from elaborate floral murals and carried away potted plants from Shivalik Park. A few visitors were seen pushing through the crowds and grabbing calendulas and orchids in bulk, bundling them into bouquets to take home.A video of the incident, recorded Sunday night, has since circulated widely on social media, drawing sharp criticism. A man filming the scene, and likely to have shared it online…

Pune: A police constable from the Pimpri Chinchwad traffic branch was alarmed on Monday when she discovered that the driver of a school van carrying her two daughters and other students was intoxicated.With the help of her husband and a neighbour, she apprehended the driver and his assistant and took them to the Kalewadi police station. “After a medical examination, it was confirmed that both the driver and the person accompanying him had consumed alcohol,” said assistant inspector Vaibhav Gurav of the Kalewadi police.The police registered a case against the two under section 185 (drunk driving) of the Motor Vehicles…

Chandigarh: The Haryana govt on Tuesday decided to identify 100 major ongoing projects across departments for close monitoring at the highest level to ensure their completion within the stipulated time frame. The move aims to accelerate execution and ensure that the intended benefits of these projects reach citizens without delay.Chairing a meeting of administrative secretaries and heads of departments, chief secretary Anurag Rastogi said that timely completion of key development projects is essential for improving governance outcomes and strengthening public trust. Chandigarh: Fund Recovery, Political Protests, Farmers’ Stir And MoreHe informed the officers that chief minister Nayab Singh Saini would…

Lucknow: Tension continued at Lucknow University for the third day on Tuesday when students owing allegiance to Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) groups tried to recite Hanuman Chalisa outside the historic Lal Baradari on the campus, sprinkled Gangajal to purify the place, and raised religious slogans.The action of ABVP members was in retaliation to the namaz offered by some Muslim students outside the Baradari on Sunday when they found that the entrance to the mosque inside the 200-year-old Nawabi era monument had been sealed by the LU on grounds that the building poses risk because of its dilapidated condition.Lucknow: Patricide…