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Time of India
34 minutes ago
- Time of India
Demand to extend Kundannoor-Angamaly bypass to Kodungallur
Kochi: Aiming to decongest the key road stretch connecting Kodungallur and Angamaly, a fresh demand is being raised to extend the ongoing Kundannoor-Angamaly Bypass Road project on national highway (NH) 544 up to Kodungallur. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Benny Behanan, MP, has approached Union minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari with the demand to construct a six-lane highway connecting Kodungallur and Angamaly. The MP said that the minister promised a proper step on the demand. NHAI has begun land acquisition procedures for the bypass road of NH 544, from Kundannoor to Angamaly, and the processes are in the final stage. "Linking the proposed Kundannoor-Angamaly highway with Angamaly-Kodungallur Road by constructing a six-lane highway towards Kodungallur from Angamaly town will help reduce traffic congestion in Kochi city and its surrounding areas. If the six-lane highway is constructed, it will enable travellers from northern part of Kerala to reach Kochi airport and cargo vehicles to reach Vallarpadam container terminal without any hindrance and in a timely manner. Additionally, the project will contribute to commercial progress of these regions," said Behanan. The MP has demanded the Union minister to include the project, which costs around Rs 2,500 crore, in the Bharatmala project or the national highways development project. During his meeting with Gadkari, Behanan pointed out that NHAI authorities are turning a blind eye to the public demand for construction of flyovers or underpasses at Perambra, Muringoor, Chirangara and Koratti areas on NH 544 stretching from Angamaly to Thrissur. "As national highway authorities are not ready to consider the proposal yet, the stretch of highway is experiencing severe traffic congestion. The minister assured that a permanent solution will be provided for this issue," said the MP.
The Print
34 minutes ago
- The Print
4 more held in Rs 50 crore govt fund embezzlement case in Haryana's Palwal: State vigilance bureau
During the probe, investigators found that Rs 10,000 had been paid to a fake firm named Deepak Manpower linked to one of the accused, Rakesh Clerk. Further, Rs 33.19 lakh was transferred to the bank account of Sunil, Rs 10.42 crore to Chatar Singh, Rs 48.06 lakh to Shyam Singh, and Rs 15 lakh to Goldy, the bureau said. The accused were identified as Sunil , a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr district, Chatar Singh and Goldy from Palwal and Shyam Singh of Mahauli village, it said. Gurugram, Jul 26 (PTI) Four people were arrested in connection with the alleged embezzlement of more than Rs 50 crore from the office of the block development and panchayat officer (BDPO) in Haryana's Palwal district, the state vigilance and anti-corruption bureau said on Saturday. The accused allegedly withdrew the money in cash from their bank accounts, it added. 'The suspects are being interrogated on the basis of banking records related to the embezzled funds. Nine people were previously arrested in this case and are currently lodged in jail,' a senior official said. A chargesheet has already been filed against them in a Palwal court, and proceedings are underway to attach their properties, the official added. PTI COR OZ OZ This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
The Print
34 minutes ago
- The Print
Maharashtra's cattle trade comes to near standstill as traders allege ‘free rein' to gau rakshaks
But it has been getting worse with each passing year, especially during Bakra-Eid, they say. Shaikh comes from the Qureshi community. An estimated 2 lakh members of the community, who are part of the cattle trade in Maharashtra, have been on a strike since the start of July to protest harassment by cow vigilantes. The harassment, which can easily spiral into physical assault, has become a part and parcel of their profession over the past decade, since the passage of Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act, 2015. Mumbai: Hamid Shaikh is a licensed cattle trader and was on his way to sell a buffalo and three bulls. It would fetch him Rs 1.5 lakh, he hoped. But the 55-year-old returned home with bruises all over his body, no livestock and no money. 'Cow vigilantes stopped our truck and said we were taking these animals for slaughter which was not the case,' Shaikh told ThePrint about the incident from about three weeks ago. For instance, in Hamid Shaikh's case, he said he 'bought them (livestock) from Pachod (near Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) market a few days ago and was taking them to Ch. Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) market for selling them'. 'I have all proper documentation for animals. Despite that, they took away my animals. They slapped me twice. I told them to not hit me since I had a bypass (surgery), but they still hit me. I was scared,' he added. Imran Babu Qureshi, national vice-president of All India Jamaitul Qureshi, told ThePrint that members of the community decided to go on strike 'because there is no response' from either the state government or police. 'There is an increase in incidents of cow vigilantes hitting our drivers, traders. That is the reason we have called this bandh.' In March 2015, the BJP-Shiv Sena government led by Devendra Fadnavis banned sale, possession and consumption of beef by amending the Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act, 1976, which allowed slaughter of old bulls and bullocks with permission from civic authorities. The amendment brought about a complete ban on slaughter of cows and their progeny, bulls and bullocks. It allowed slaughter of buffaloes subject to certain conditions. On 15 July this year, the All India Jamiatul Quresh (AIJQ), a union of cattle traders, met Maharashtra Minister of State (MoS) for Home Yogesh Kadam as well as Director-General of Police (DGP) Rashmi Shukla with a letter, seeking protection from gau rakshaks. They sent another letter on 24 July, demanding the police issue directions/orders as assured to them to make sure cattle traders are not harassed by cow vigilantes. 'We would also like to state that due to pressure of such unauthorized persons/vigilantes, the concerned police officers in various villages, tehsils and districts in the state are pressured to proceed to seize such transport vehicles and animals which otherwise are permitted to be transported. This creates further harassment and troubles on the transporter and the trader,' the Maharashtra AIJQ president wrote in this letter. Members of the Qureshi community are now planning to meet again next week to decide on a plan of action. When contacted, Yogesh Kadam confirmed to ThePrint that he met AIJQ representatives and told ThePrint that there are always two sides to a story. The minister said he had already assured action against those harassing cattle traders. 'During our meeting, I told them to follow all the rules required to conduct their business as many times the transporters do not have requisite documents. At the same time, I have assured action against those who were harassing them and also asked to share their details. I have not received any information from them yet,' Kadam told ThePrint. On 14 July, MoS Home (Rural) Prakash Bhoyar told the Legislative Council that the state government was thinking of bringing in a new law against beef smuggling and also planning to withdraw cases against gau rakshaks by way of a new law to protect cow progeny. Also Read: Fodder for thought: Modi govt's cow welfare agency has been headless for 4 yrs, Rs 500 cr lying idle 'Will die of hunger' In Maharashtra, the slaughter of bovine is prohibited, and a certificate from a veterinary is required to slaughter buffaloes. This certificate needs to specifically mention that the buffalo is 'unfit' for milking and is not pregnant. Most of the 292 livestock markets in Maharashtra are now closed, barring some in Pune and Mumbai. These attract those who want to sell or buy animals for slaughter, and also farmers and traders who want to buy or sell animals either for farming or dairy businesses. The state government last year gave 'Rajyamata' status to cows and also approved the animal husbandry department's proposal to provide Rs 50 daily subsidy per animal to cow shelter operators. Members of the Qureshi community ThePrint spoke to say approximately 300-500 animals are traded at every market, each costing anywhere between Rs 10,000 to over a lakh, depending on the size, age and the fitness of the animal. They add that harassment of cattle traders at the hands of cow vigilantes has been steadily rising since the passage of the 2015 legislation. 'There is a lot of hooliganism in the name of gau raksha in the state. The police are not cooperating with us. We are all very scared. Markets used to be full of animals but everything is closed now. We are suffering huge economic losses as well,' said Aziz Qureshi, Nanded district coordinator, AIJQ. 'About 50,000 people from our community are in this trade in the entire district. They are saying we will die of hunger but think twice before going back into the trade,' he added. Community members said the bandh started about a month ago with the Nagpur market and slowly spread across the state. They also alleged that while police do not register their complaints, FIRs are filed against members of the Qureshi community instead. Asked to comment on these allegations, minister Kadam said, 'I told them to tell me which particular area they are facing issues with. Won't be happening all over Maharashtra. So they need to give me a particular area or organisation troubling them. I will make sure that I tell the police to act accordingly. But except for the letter, I haven't received any official complaint. If need be, we will talk to them again.' The Qureshi community is demanding strict action against vigilantes/extortionists and proper implementation of the provisions of sections 6 and 8 of the Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act, 1976, and the Transport of Animal Rules, 1978. Another allegation is that the animals gau rakshaks confiscate are taken to 'gaushalas' (cow shelters) operated by the government. Cattle trader Moinuddin Qureshi alleged his truck containing seven buffaloes was taken away by gau rakshaks on 6 June and an FIR was registered against him and the truck driver. ThePrint has seen a copy of the FIR. The animals were later sent to a gaushala while the police investigated the matter and found nothing suspicious, he said. According to Moinuddin, the police then wrote to the gaushala saying that 'during the investigation, we found that Qureshi has all the documentation including fitness certificate for the buffaloes' and that the complaint was made out of a 'misunderstanding'. ThePrint has seen a copy of the letter. However, Moinuddin is yet to get his livestock back. 'In fact, now the gaushala has gone to local court against us and refusing to give us our animals … Everything is legal, we have the documents but only because of our religion, we are being harassed.' Other cattle traders too said once the animals are sent to the local gaushala, it is very difficult to recover them. 'Behind every animal, the government gives a certain amount for nourishment of these animals at the gaushalas. But when our farmers and traders are trying to get back the animals from gaushalas, they are not there. So where did our animals go? Where are they taking them?' asked AIJQ acting president Javed Qureshi. Shaikh agreed. He was told his animals were taken to Badnapur gaushala. 'But even two days back when I went there, I did not see my animals there. Don't know where they are. I might never get them back now.' (Edited by Ajeet Tiwari) Also Read: BJP's 'cow protection brigade' gets official stamp in new animal husbandry ministry
