Browsing: India

Thiruvananthapuram: State human rights commission (SHRC) chairperson, Justice Alexander Thomas, instructed the municipal secretary and district medical officer to complete the renovation of the wards at Valiyathura coastal specialty hospital within two months to ensure inpatient care. This hospital is relied upon by the local coastal community.The order was issued following a complaint regarding the discontinuation of inpatient services, a press release said. The order noted that the hospital provided 24-hour inpatient care before the COVID-19 pandemic. Inpatient services have been discontinued over the past five years. It is understood that ward renovations are currently under way. Justice Alexander Thomas…

Darjeeling: Tourists can soon get a glimpse of British-era engineering and craftsmanship with Darjeeling Himalayan Railway planning to restore 14 British-style coaches.The railway will repair 14 Gorakhpur-manufactured coaches that were originally designed in the British style. Among them, three non-heritage coaches will be specially converted into replicas of 1920s British-era coaches, which the DHR currently does not possess. “At present, we do not have a single coach from the 1920s. By reviving this design, we want to attract more tourists even as we carry on DHR’s legacy,” said DHR director Rishab Choudhary.Explaining what sets these coaches apart, Choudhary said unlike…

Jammu, Feb 07: The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Saturday began a discussion on the Budget 2026–27, presented by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.Initiating the debate, legislator Javid Hassan Baig described the budget as a pro-people document that addresses and fulfils the aspirations and needs of the citizens of Jammu and Kashmir. He said that despite challenges, consistent efforts are being made to ensure better governance and public welfare.Legislator Devyani Rana, in her maiden speech, said local feedback must be welcomed with the intent of institutionalisation, not treated as a mere formality. “Legislators have a collective responsibility to do better,…

Mumbai: Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel registered a first information report (FIR) after a male commuter dressed in a burqa was spotted travelling in the ladies’ compartment of a Central Railway local train on Friday. A video of the incident went viral on social media. The accused is on the run.On Friday afternoon, female commuters travelling in the second-class ladies’ coach of a CSMT-bound fast local sensed something amiss about a co-traveller in a burqa. When confronted, the co-traveller turned out to be a man. The women enquired why he boarded the ladies’ compartment and why he was in a…

Bengaluru: Wildlife rescue — particularly snake rescue — in the city increasingly slipped into an unregulated, profit-driven activity, triggering growing demands to recognise snake rescue as a free public service. Several self-proclaimed rescuers allegedly charge panic-stricken families between Rs 1,000 and Rs 5,000 per call.With no official registry of rescuers, no verified data on snake rescue or relocation, and the absence of a transparent, govt-run mechanism, conservationists warn both human safety and wildlife are being put at risk. In response, a group of conservationists and citizens launched a campaign urging GBA or the forest department to formally declare snake rescue…

Hyderabad: Chief minister A Revanth Reddy’s announcement at a public meeting in Nizamabad on Friday that Mohd Azharuddin will be made an MLC has triggered discussion over the available possibilities to send the minority welfare minister to the Upper House in the state.Azharuddin was sworn in as a minister on Oct 31, 2025 and has to become either an MLC or an MLA before April 30. Supreme Court has posted the hearing to March 19 on whether the nomination of Azharuddin and Prof M Kodandaram as MLCs under the governor’s quota was valid.Sources in Congress said the chief minister and…

Chennai: The state govt will organise a four-day international epigraphy conference in the city from Feb 11 to 14.More than 50 epigraphists from across the country and abroad, including Switzerland, France, and Sri Lanka, will take part in the conference. They will present papers on the latest findings on various themes, including inscriptions on hero stones, trade guilds, oil presses, and sluices. “Tamil Nadu has the highest number of inscriptions so far documented in the entire country. These inscriptions reflect the social, cultural, political, economic, and technological aspects of the people from the early historic to the medieval period,” said…

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) has ordered the closure of 16 industrial units in Ahmedabad and Surat over the past four months to combat deteriorating winter air quality. With Ahmedabad set to host the Commonwealth Games in 2030, authorities have issued closure notices as part of a rigorous push to bring the air quality index (AQI) under control.GPCB is taking a zero-tolerance approach to emissions under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, to meet National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) standards.According to senior GPCB officials, nine closure notices were issued in Ahmedabad and seven in Surat…

Berhampur: Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BeMC) on Saturday introduced a QR code to collect monthly rents from each stall and vending unit, aimed at hassle-free rent collection.Mayor Sanghamitra Dalei launched the distribution of the QR code to stall owners at a function here. “We hope this online payment mode proves beneficial to both the civic body and vendors,” she said. The vendors will pay rent online by using the unique QR code generated in his/ her name.On launch day, BeMC handed over QR codes at least 10 vendors. “We will provide individual QR code to each vendor and stall owner rented…

Gurgaon: Four NCR cities dominated India’s pollution rankings through Jan, as fine particulate matter (PM2.5) hovered in the ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ range on most days, leaving residents breathing air close to 10 times dirtier than the World Health Organisation’s safer limit.A monthly analysis report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) found Ghaziabad, Delhi, Noida and Gurgaon among the country’s most polluted cities for the month, underlining how winter smog remained stubborn across the NCR region.Gurgaon: Club Remains Shut, FIRs Planned For Waste Dumping, HC Orders Illegal Mining ProbeGurgaon ranked fourth nationally. Here, PM2.5 stayed…