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Indian Express
2 minutes ago
- Indian Express
North-eastern Railway projects faced losses of over Rs 200 crore from natural disasters in 5 years: Railway Minister Vaishnaw
The Indian Railways has incurred losses worth over Rs 200 crore in the last five years due to the relentless impact of natural disasters such as floods and landslides on the projects in the Northeast. In a written response in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the geological weakness of the Northeast is always accounted for at the stage of design and implementation of Railway projects. These projects are being carried out by the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) zone of the Indian Railways. 'Due to floods, landslides etc. in the last five years, some damage to railway tracks and structures took place in Northeast Frontier Railway which was assessed to be over Rs 200 crore. Geology of the North Eastern Region is such that it is prone to landslides,' said Vaishnaw. He added that for all major Railway projects in the hilly terrain (those in Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland), detailed geo-technical investigations and environmental impact assessments are carried out before going ahead with construction. 'These studies specifically assess slope stability, rock and soil characteristics, vegetation cover and hydrological patterns. Findings of these studies are used to anticipate the risk of landslides that can result from construction activities,' said the minister. According to Railway Ministry data, as of April 1, 2025, 12 railway projects (eight new lines and four doubling), totaling 777 km in length and costing Rs 69,342 crore, have been sanctioned for the region. Out of this, 278 km of length has already been commissioned at an expenditure of Rs 41,676 crore incurred up to March 2025. While the Bairabi-Sairang line, which connects Mizoram's capital Aizawl for the first time, is set to be operational, some of the key ongoing projects in the Northeast are the Dimapur-Kohima New Line (Dhansiri-Zubza) to connect Nagaland's capital Kohima, the Murkongselek-Pasighat new line, the Sivok-Rangpo new line to connect Sikkim to the national network for the first time and the Jiribam-Imphal new line. Dheeraj Mishra is a Principal correspondent with The Indian Express, Business Bureau. He covers India's two key ministries- Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. He frequently uses the Right to Information (RTI) Act for his stories, which have resulted in many impactful reports. ... Read More
Indian Express
2 minutes ago
- Indian Express
3 sentenced to 7 years in jail by NIA court in 2020 Bengaluru riots case
A National Investigation Agency (NIA) special court Wednesday sentenced three men to seven years rigorous imprisonment after they pleaded guilty during charge-framing proceedings in connection with the 2020 Bengaluru riots case. The convicts are Syed Ikramuddin alias Syed Naveed, 44; Syed Asif, 46; and Mohammed Atif, 26, who faced charges under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Karnataka Prevention of Destruction and Loss of Property Act (KPDLP), and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The case dates back to the mob violence that erupted on August 11, 2020, targeting Pulakeshinagar MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy's residence and police stations in the K G Halli and D J Halli areas. The unrest was triggered by an allegedly provocative social media post attributed to the MLA's nephew. It resulted in three deaths during police firing and widespread property destruction throughout the locality. The NIA subsequently took over the probe from the local police. As many as 199 were named accused in the case, of whom 187 were arrested, four surrendered, and one died. The prosecution filed a chargesheet against 138 accused. NIA investigations revealed critical links between the accused and the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI) along with its political wing, Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI). The agency claimed that PFI members allegedly orchestrated the violence strategically to inflame communal tensions and destabilise state institutions. Special Public Prosecutor P Prasanna Kumar, representing the NIA, said, 'Police are custodians of law and public order. Attacks against them erode public confidence in their peacekeeping abilities.' Kumar said the judgment 'restores public confidence in police forces while validating the Centre's decision to designate the PFI as unlawful'. In 2022, the Centre declared PFI unlawful due to its alleged involvement in serious offences, including terrorism and its financing, targeted killings, and activities deemed prejudicial to the integrity, security, and sovereignty of the country. The ban followed a multi-agency crackdown on the PFI, arrests of several of its leaders, seizure of its accounts, and investigations into alleged terror links and activities.
Time of India
25 minutes ago
- Time of India
'Bihar does not take him seriously': BJP mocks Tejashwi's 'poll boycott' threat; calls it to 'nervousness'
NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party ( ) on Thursday slammed RJD leader 's call for a possible "poll boycott", interpreting it as a sign of the Mahagathbandhan's nervousness about potential defeat in the upcoming . Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In a post on X, the BJP said Tejashwi is desperately looking for a way to avoid facing the electorate. "Facing the prospect of defeat, Tejashwi Yadav is desperately searching for a way to boycott the elections. There are serious reasons behind Tejashwi's despair," the party said. The BJP claimed that Tejashwi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had expected widespread public support in their opposition to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, but were left isolated. "In Bihar, Tejashwi and Rahul expected massive public support in their opposition to the voter revision process. However, not a single voter in Bihar stood with them. Voters enthusiastically participated in the SIR process," the party said. "It is clear, therefore, that Bihar's voters have outright rejected Tejashwi's opposition to SIR. Over 98% of voter data has been included in the process. After being rejected by Bihar's voters, Tejashwi has privately realised that Bihar does not take him seriously at all. Hence, out of nervousness about an impending defeat in the elections, he has now started talking about boycotting the elections." it added. Calling Tejashwi's stance 'dangerous,' the BJP also alleged that his words were a direct attack on public opinion. "Tejashwi's intention is even more dangerous — this is a direct attack on public opinion. No party in a democracy talks about boycotting elections. In the past, slogans of boycott were raised by Naxalites and Maoists. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now But now, Tejashwi has openly expressed his intent to follow that path. This is extremely dangerous. In the despair of defeat, venting frustration against the public and attacking public opinion — Bihar will not tolerate this," the BJP said. Tejashwi had earlier suggested that the Mahagathbandhan might consider boycotting the upcoming assembly elections, citing alleged irregularities in the Election Commission's special revision of electoral rolls. 'That too can be discussed. We will see what the people want and what everyone's opinion is,' Yadav told IANS, when asked if a poll boycott was on the table. According to the Election Commission, 98.01% of voters in Bihar have been covered under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) as of July 23. Officials said the process has so far identified nearly 20 lakh deceased voters, 28 lakh individuals who have permanently migrated, 7 lakh voters enrolled in multiple locations, 1 lakh untraceable voters, and around 15 lakh unreturned voter forms. The EC also noted that 7.17 crore voter forms — roughly 90.89% of the total — have been received and digitised. This is the first such revision in Bihar in 22 years. According to EC, the aim of the SIR is to clean up the electoral rolls by removing ineligible, duplicate, or non-existent entries, while ensuring all eligible citizens are included.
