Browsing: India

Thousands of property owners in Delhi’s Lal Dora and Abadi villages are set to receive digitally verified smart property cards under the Centre’s Svamitva scheme, with the government preparing to begin distribution after completing surveys across several villages.The move is aimed at addressing the long-standing absence of authenticated ownership records in these settlements by issuing property cards backed by digital records. The government expects the initiative to help reduce disputes and strengthen land record management.Chief minister Rekha Gupta said that surveys have been completed in 48 villages, while the final property cards have been prepared for 30 villages. According to…

Traffic snarl on Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway Palghar: Thousands of motorists and passengers remained stranded for several hours on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad National Highway on Friday after heavy rainfall in Palghar district and neighbouring Gujarat triggered severe traffic congestion.Floodwaters from the swollen Daman Ganga River inundated parts of the highway, bringing traffic to a complete halt and leaving vehicles stranded on both sides of the Maharashtra-Gujarat border.After rainfall subsided past midnight, a large number of vehicles that had been parked along the highway resumed their journey simultaneously, worsening the traffic situation. Traffic on the Gujarat-bound carriageway came to a standstill from around 5.30…

Maulana Ahmad Bukhari had been facing bailable warrants for repeatedly failing to appear before the court in the case. (File Photo) NEW DELHI: Shahi Imam of Delhi’s Jama Masjid, Maulana Ahmad Bukhari, surrendered before a court in Delhi on Friday in connection with a 19-year-old case of alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct during an election campaign, news agency PTI reported.Chief judicial magistrate Kavita Aggarwal granted him bail after he furnished two sureties of Rs 20,000 each.As per the PTI report, Bukhari had been facing bailable warrants for repeatedly failing to appear before the court in the case.Prosecution…

Karnataka mines and geology department secretary Rohini Sindhuri, IAS, chairs a review meeting with senior officials in Bengaluru to assess the department’s performance and outline revenue, enforcement and mine safety targets for the current financial year. Bengaluru: Days after a fatal quarry accident in Bengaluru Rural raised questions over mine safety, Karnataka govt announced a twin-pronged strategy — tightening safety oversight while driving up revenue collection. Every district geologist will now be assigned performance targets as the mines and geology department aims to mobilise a record Rs 11,000-crore revenue this year.The move comes shortly after govt initiated a major restructuring…

Hyderabad: Expressing concern over several provisions in the draft CURE Bill 2026, Malkajgiri MLA Marri Rajasekhar Reddy on Friday said clauses such as periodic revision of water supply and sewerage user charges could lead to automatic annual hikes, placing an additional financial burden on urban households. He also objected to the proposal for a capital value-based property tax, stating that levying property tax based on capital value of properties could substantially increase the tax burden on homeowners, especially middle-class families, senior citizens and fixed-income households.The MLA submitted representation to special chief secretary, municipal administration, Jayesh Ranjan, raising objections to several…

Chennai: A 97-year-old man regained the use of his left shoulder after doctors at a city hospital performed a minimally invasive surgery to treat a massive rotator cuff tear. Doctors used a biodegradable balloon implant under a regional nerve block instead of general anaesthesia due to his age and heart condition.The elderly man had suffered a fall at home that left him with a severe tear in the rotator cuff of his left shoulder — a group of muscles and tendons that stabilise the shoulder joint and help in lifting and rotating the arm. Despite nearly a month of rest…

Bhubaneswar: While thousands flocked to Puri to witness not just Bahuda Yatra — the return journey of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra — on Friday but also the spectacular Suna Besha on Saturday, thanks to a long weekend, the streets of Bhubaneswar too were lined up with a similar crowd as the city celebrated the festival amid chants of ‘Jai Jagannath’ and beating of cymbals.Puri travel and tour operators said the footfall this time is around 30 to 40% more than previous years.While many devotees who arrived earlier for Rath Yatra have extended their stay, a fresh stream…

COIMBATORE: Southern Railway has floated a new tender as part of work on converting Podanur Junction into Coimbatore’s second terminal. The scope of the tender covers the design, supply, erection, testing, and commissioning of 25 kV, 50 Hz, single-phase AC traction overhead equipment (OHE) for Podanur yard.The estimated value of the project is approximately ₹9.65 crore. The bidding began on July 22, and the last date for participating in the bidding is Aug 5.According to the tender document, the duration for the completion of the project once implemented is 15 months.T N Lakshmi Narayanan, a member of the Coimbatore South…

Guwahati: Japanese encephalitis (JE) remains Assam’s deadliest vector-borne disease, with fatalities rising in 2024 and 2025.In the last 10 years, a total of 860 deaths were reported due to three major vector-borne diseases — Japanese encephalitis, dengue and malaria — of which 822 deaths (95.6%) were due to JE.Health minister Ashok Singhal, replying to Congress MLA Rekibuddin Ahmed, said JE deaths peaked at 161 in 2019. Fatalities declined to 34 in 2023 but rose to 53 in 2024 and 79 in 2025. Nineteen deaths have been reported in 2026 so far.Dengue and malaria deaths remained comparatively low. Dengue fatalities peaked…

Mangaluru: The failure of the central govt to prevent the NEET question paper leak has forced students across the country to take to the streets, said KPCC former general secretary Padmaraj R Poojary.Speaking at a press conference at the Dakshina Kannada District Congress office on Friday, he said that the manner in which Leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi was treated while protesting against the atrocities on students reflects a dictatorial mindset and raises doubts about whether democracy is still alive. He demanded the central government to provide answers, and asserted that if the govt has any sense of shame…