Latest news with #Wazir
Time of India
12-07-2025
- Time of India
'Shouted for people to disperse, shot woman in back': Retired soldier kills woman at Rohtak railway station; accused arrested
JIND: A woman, who was waiting with her son at Rohtak railway station, was shot dead at point-blank range by a former soldier in front of scores of horrified passengers on Friday evening. The suspect jumped into a train to escape but was yanked off it by police. A video shows the woman lying on the platform, bleeding profusely. Bystanders, perhaps shocked by what they saw, hesitate for a couple of minutes before moving to help her. The victim has been identified as 35-year-old Pinky, a native of Julana town in Jind district. The suspect, Wazir Singh, is from Lazwana Khurd village of Jind and is a retired soldier. Rohtak GRP SHO Joginder Singh the two knew each other and worked in separate factories in Rohtak. You Can Also Check: Gurgaon AQI | Weather in Gurgaon | Bank Holidays in Gurgaon | Public Holidays in Gurgaon Woman shot in back: SHO Pinky and her 21-year-old son Lakshay were standing on platform 2 on Friday evening when Wazir turned up with a gun, say police. 'Wazir shouted for people to disperse and shot the woman in the back. While she collapsed on the ground, he entered the train. People raised the alarm and we arrested him from inside the train,' said the SHO. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Đây có thể là thời điểm tốt nhất để giao dịch vàng trong 5 năm qua IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo The shooting struck panic among passengers. Pinky was rushed to the Post-Graduate Institute of medical sciences (PGIMS) here but couldn't be saved. Wazir is being interrogated by GRP. Lakshay told TOI over phone that his mother had given Wazir around Rs 10 lakh. 'She was repeatedly asking him for the money, but he wouldn't repay. He carried out the murder because of this,' he said.
Mada
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Mada
‘I'm not quitting, I'll stay until I die': Transport minister defends road quality amid uproar after 19 women killed in Monufiya collision
Kamel al-Wazir, the deputy prime minister and transport, trade and industry minister, pushed back on Sunday against public outcry over the standard of road maintenance and development works after 19 were killed in a collision on the Regional Ring Road in Monufiya. The microbus transporting them to their work on a nearby farm collided with a trailer truck on the regional road on Friday, killing 19 women and girls, aged 14 to 22, and injuring three others. The victims were buried in a group funeral the same day in their home village of Kafr al-Sanabsah. 'Your wish is for me to leave the ministry,' Wazir said, as he fielded widespread criticism of the conditions on the road amid development works he has overseen, 'but I swear I'm staying here until I die.' The crash was the latest in a series of similar incidents in which workers have been killed on their way to jobs where they have limited state protection or support. As a result, a wave of anger has sprung up over recent days in the media, civil society and Parliament, directed at the government's half-hearted initial response, the danger of absent or haphazard road maintenance and the absence of labor regulations to protect workers, especially minors. Wazir, the main target of criticism and calls for resignation, lashed out at his critics on Sunday in a visit to the road with TEN News anchor Nashaat al-Deehy, rejecting comments against himself, the performance of his ministry or the quality of the roads established during his tenure. 'Ask my classmates and my university professors about me. Some people are saying I'm an unqualified minister. On what basis do they say that? The Military Technical College taught me to be a fighter. I get upset and absorb any criticism with the spirit of a fighter. This is Kamel al-Wazir, the simple Egyptian peasant, and I work anywhere, whether inside or outside the ministry,' he added. Yet other ministers, including Prime Minister Mostafa Madbuly, have displayed rare acknowledgment of responsibility. Madbuly stated on Sunday that he and the whole Cabinet 'are sorry for the incident which has caused pain to all Egyptians, as the blow is a blow to us all,' and that words of condolence and sympathy 'do not adequately express this great loss.' He also noted that, as per the president's orders, families of the victims would be exempted from school fees, receive an exceptional pension and have government buildings and streets in the village named after them. Madbuly's condolences coincided with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mahmoud Fawzy's, with the minister going so far as to state that the government is 'not saying we are exempt from responsibility.' But in the same breath, Fawzy, who was speaking at Sunday's general session in the House of Representatives, defended the government's road development efforts, saying they had contributed to a reduction in deaths and injuries by 18 percent and incidents by 30 percent, arguing that road traffic is a 'collective' responsibility while accusing drivers of not maintaining awareness and upholding traffic regulations. The ministers' Sunday responses followed weak initial engagement with the news of the crash and the victims' families. Wazir was reportedly travelling at the time of the collision and did not attend the scene on Friday, speaking only the following day and relaying his comments through his favored news anchor, Ahmed Moussa. Madbuly, meanwhile, attended the opening of a private sector factory on Saturday without making any statement on the incident. 'The government did not stand with the Egyptians during this tragedy or utter a word of consolation. Not a single government official attended the funeral,' said MP Adel Moneim Imam during Sunday's House session. Calling the Regional Ring Road in Monufiya 'a route to the afterlife' that has cost the state around LE20.5 billion, Imam added that the highway has been 'in the worst condition, with mountains of speed bumps in most areas and tariff points generating thousands, if not millions [in profit], per day.' MP Hany Khadr echoed the concerns, noting that maintenance works on the road —which were personally supervised by Wazir — began without any precautionary measures to ensure the safety of citizens, resulting in dozens of deaths and injuries. Both MPs added their voices to demands for a fact-finding committee to be formed to investigate the collapse of roads and review new road projects in general, especially the regional road. As criticism escalated in the wake of the Friday crash, the government significantly increased the compensation offered to the families of the victims. Adding to an initial set of grants to be paid out to the families of each of those injured or killed by the Social Solidarity Ministry, the Financial Regulatory Authority and the Labor Ministry, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered on Saturday that an additional grant be paid out, worth an extra LE100,000 for the family of each deceased person and LE25,000 for each of the injured. For its part, the recently-established National Front Party announced the disbursement of LE100,000 to each family of the deceased and LE50,000 to each of the injured. The total value of compensation from state and political bodies could reach LE500,000. Al-Azhar and the Religious Endowments Ministry also mourned the victims and offered condolences to their families in public statements. The presidential spokesperson's Saturday statement also noted Sisi's orders to closely monitor road maintenance and repairs and ensure their swift completion, especially on the Regional Ring Road in Monufiya. A technical committee formed by the Cabinet, including a representative from the National Company for Roads and Bridges and the Engineering Authority, has confirmed, however, that there was no technical problem with the road, classifying the crash as an 'isolated mistake' resulting from a failure to adhere to speed limits, Monufiya Governorate spokesperson Moataz Hegazy said on Saturday. Beyond that, Wazir is set to hold a press conference in the coming week to highlight road hazards and incidents, with stricter enforcement of traffic rules promised over the coming period. He challenged any media figures criticizing him or pushing to bring in a consultant to review the cost of road construction and maintenance. No broader investigation into the incident is planned beyond the trial of the truck driver. The driver was arrested and detained on Friday, with the Public Prosecution saying he had crossed the barrier separating two roads to cause the crash and that a blood test confirmed that he was under the influence of drugs at the time. Wazir doubled down on the driver's role as the sole cause of the collision. 'He was driving without a license and under the influence of drugs, and in the end, we're the ones responsible? We have a responsibility and we don't shirk it, but where is the crime we committed?' The minister said on Sunday while on a visit to the road in which he offered his first condolences to the victims. He stressed that his ministry, as well as the Armed Forces Engineering Authority, which he headed during its implementation of the road development works, followed all the necessary regulations. But workers, including minors, dying in terrible collisions while crammed inside unsuitable transportation, traveling on unmaintained roads to low-paying farming or factory work, is a relatively common occurrence in Egypt. Last year witnessed several major incidents, including 10 who were killed in a ferry accident in Giza in May and 10 factory workers killed on a Daqahlia-Port Said road in November. Critics outside the media sphere have pointed to major gaps in labor protections as a factor compounding the vulnerability of victims to incidents like Friday's microbus crash. The National Council for Human Rights issued a statement on Saturday describing the cause of the crash as negligence in providing safe transportation for female workers and an absence of policies guaranteeing the rights to decent work in a safe environment — especially for girls and women in marginalized areas. 'The incident should not be reduced to a traffic accident,' said the New Woman Foundation, a non governmental organization working on public policy, echoing the rights council's line. The foundation's statement on Saturday placed responsibility for the incident both on the state and private sector companies benefitting from the labor of female workers. The crash is a clear manifestation of 'recurring structural violence' that sees girls forced by poverty and limited state investment in education to enter the labor market early, the foundation said. This labor market, in turn, exploits the erosion of social support for poor families and the absence of effective child protection policies, the statement said, pointing to weak state oversight and the Labor Ministry 's 'inaction' in enforcing laws prohibiting child labor. It also accused private sector companies of exploiting this situation to profit from the labor of girls, without providing social security or safe transportation, let alone decent working conditions. Labor Minister Mohamed Gebran has said that ministry representatives are currently collecting data at the farm and that 'necessary action' will be taken if errors are found at its facilities. For his part, the farm owner told the media it was closed on the day of the incident and that the girls do not work for him, placing full responsibility on the personnel contractor that hired them.
Egypt Independent
30-06-2025
- Automotive
- Egypt Independent
Transport Minister responds to criticism over Menoufia accident
The Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Transport and Industry, Kamel al-Wazir, responded to criticisms from the media following the Menoufia accident that killed 19 people and injured three others. In an interview with TeN TV on Sunday, he said, 'Whoever attacks, attack. I am happy with their attacks. There is no problem at all. It gives us a chance to respond and explain to our people.' Wazir indicated that he coordinated with the Interior Minister to assign committees to take random samples from all road users at all checkpoints to ensure they are not using drugs. He noted that the tests will initially apply to microbus and truck drivers. He explained that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has ordered the development of a clear timeline for the full development of the Regional Ring Road, adding, 'People say you are spending a billion pounds on the road. No, the road will cost no less than LE50 billion to improve its efficiency and development.' 'The president directed that we develop a very tight timeline. As for those who say, 'You don't have money?' No, we do. The money comes from the toll collected on the road and will be spent on it,' he explained. The minister affirmed his full commitment to his duties towards serving the nation, emphasizing that his ministry does not waste public funds and operates with complete transparency on road development projects. The minister said, 'We, as the Ministry of Transport or the Roads Authority, do not spend money on nothing.' 'The Regional Ring Road was nonexistent eight years ago and cost more than LE 20 billion to build. Developing the road will cost LE50 billion at today's prices,' he explained. Regarding the budget, the minister explained that 'The allocation for Transport Ministry from the general budget is between LE 20 and LE 40 billion, even though we need more than LE 60 billion.' Wazir added 'Anyone who doubts the transparency of operations should bring in the largest international consultant to review our work, and I will pay his salary.' He also called for a cost comparison, saying, 'Go and see how much a road costs in Saudi Arabia and how much it costs us.' Wazir urged media professionals to study topics before presenting them, or to consult specialists for discussion. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
Hindustan Times
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
SUF condoles demise of senior SAD leader Dhindsa
Sikh United Front and various Sikh organisations on Thursday condoled the demise of senior SAD leader Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa. The condolence meeting was held under the chairmanship of Sudershan Singh Wazir, chairman of Sikh United Front of J&K. He expressed his grief over the demise of senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Dhindsa. Dhindsa was a Rajya Sabha MP from 1998 to 2004 and from 2010 to 2022. He was also Shiromani Akali Dal Lok Sabha MP from Sangrur in 2004. He was the Union minister of sports, chemicals and fertilisers during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and also a four-time MLA. He also served as a cabinet minister of Punjab. Wazir said that Dhindsa was a visionary leader, an experienced parliamentarian and a person who lived a life dedicated to public service. He always had a grassroots level connect with Punjab, its people and culture. He served Sikh Panth and Punjab for many years and was a dignified leader who served Punjab with integrity and dedication, added Wazir. Various leaders of the Sikh community paid their heartfelt tribute and respect to the late leader and also prayed to the almighty to grant eternal peace to the departed soul and give strength to the family.
Business Recorder
26-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Egypt working to integrate railways into Asia-Europe trade
CAIRO: Egypt is working to integrate the country into a railway network connecting Asia and Europe, but a long-planned bridge that would link Saudi Arabia to Egypt's Sinai Peninsula has yet to be finalised, transport minister Kamel al-Wazir said on Sunday. Egypt has been expanding its railways along seven separate axes, he said. These include three high-speed lines that would connect Sokhna Port on the Red Sea with the Mediterranean and Alexandria in the north and with Aswan in the far south. Israel and Iraq have likewise been spending billions of dollars on rail lines with an eye towards tapping the east-west trade. All the plans involve loading cargo onto ships for part of the journey. 'We have now completed the planning for the bridge between Egypt and Saudi Arabia and are ready to implement it at any time - whether a bridge or a tunnel,' Wazir told Reuters on the sideline of an economic conference organised by the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt. 'But the (current) solution for connecting Egypt with Saudi Arabia and Jordan is through the Arab Bridge Maritime Co. which currently has 13 vessels that can take cargo between Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt.' Saudi Arabia's King Salman announced during a visit to Egypt in 2016 the idea for a bridge, which would complement a mega-city and business zone called NEOM the Saudis were building across the Straits of Tiran.
