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Ayodhya to set world record with longest solar light line installation ahead of Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha ceremony

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Ayodhya to set world record with longest solar light line installation ahead of Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha ceremony

In a pioneering initiative, the Ayodhya administration is working on installing the world’s longest solar light line ahead of the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony.

After completing the stretch from Guptar Ghat to Jhunki Ghat, the administration is now extending the installation further to Nayaghat.

The project involves connecting several ghats that were previously segmented, with the administration seamlessly linking them together from Guptar Ghat to Jhunki Ghat.

In line with preparations for the Lord Ram Pran Pratishtha ceremony to be held in Ayodhya, the Uttar Pradesh government under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will launch a mega cleanliness campaign from Makar Sankranti in Ayodhya.

“Following this, an extensive cleanliness campaign will be carried out in every village, city, and locality of the state. The responsibility for this has been entrusted to the Urban Development and Panchayati Raj Departments,” said an official release from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will preside over the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony at the Ram Temple on January 22.

The event has garnered significant global attention, with several VVIP guests from India and abroad receiving invitations to attend the ceremony.

However, Congress bigwigs–national president Mallikarjun Kharge, former president Sonia Gandhi and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury–turned down the invitation to the Ram Temple opening earlier, labelling it as an event of the BJP and the RSS.

Vedic rituals for the ‘Pran-Pratishtha’ ceremony of Ram Lalla (infant Lord Ram) in Ayodhya will begin on January 16, a week before the main ceremony.

A priest from Varanasi, Lakshmi Kant Dixit, will perform the main rituals of the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony of Ram Lalla on January 22. From January 14 to January 22, Ayodhya will mark the Amrit Mahotsav.

A 1008 Hundi Mahayagya will also be organised, in which thousands of devotees will be fed. Several tent cities are being erected in Ayodhya to accommodate thousands of devotees, who are expected to arrive in the temple town of Uttar Pradesh for the grand ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony.

According to the Sri Ram Janambhoomi Trust, arrangements will be made for 10,000-15,000 people. Local authorities are also gearing up for the anticipated surge in visitors around the grand ceremony and are in the process of implementing enhanced security measures and making logistical arrangements to ensure a smooth and spiritually enriching experience for all attendees.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Consumer forum directs the Indian subsidiary of Chinese e-scooter company Benling to pay Rs 10 lakh compensation after its e-scooter explodes

OpIndia Staff
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Consumer forum directs the Indian subsidiary of Chinese e-scooter company Benling to pay Rs 10 lakh compensation after its e-scooter explodes

Recently, an electric scooter manufacturer named Benling India was ordered by the Telangana Consumer Commission to compensate a consumer whose vehicle’s battery exploded by paying Rs 10 lakhs, reports Bar and Bench. Benling India is a subsidiary company of its counterpart in China.

It is the manufacturer’s responsibility to determine the causes of the explosion, according to a coram comprising District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission member Makyam Vijay Kumar and President Gajjala Venkateswarlu at Medak. But the Commission concluded that the manufacturer in this instance displayed a lack of concern.

“It is the duty of the manufacturer to understand the reasons for the explosion and assist the complainants to get recourse for the damages they suffered; however, in the instant case it appears that the manufacturers are least bothered to enquire into the incident and support the complainants despite several communications from the complainants. This prompts us to think over the safety of other similar consumers using the product of the OP NO.1 (Benling),” the Commission said.

A complaint filed under Section 35 (1) of the Consumer Protection Act, which was being heard by the Commission, stated that an electric scooter that was purchased from Benling in April 2021 abruptly burst in February 2023.

In addition to Rs 13.5 lakh in damages and Rs 40,000 in legal fees, the complainants demanded a replacement for the scooter. If a replacement scooter was not possible, they asked for a payment equal to the cost of the original scooter plus 18% annual interest.

The complainants notified the Commission that they had sent a legal notice since, however, despite their complaints, neither the car dealer nor the manufacturer had come to their home or responded.

The Commission also sent notices to the dealer and the manufacturer, but they did not show up. Consequently, the Commission passed its order ex-parte.

The Commission underlined that a car battery explosion can occur for a variety of causes, thus it is appropriate for the manufacturer to identify and address those reasons.

“If it is persisting in all other vehicles sold by them, they may recall the products and rectify them to avoid potential loss of property and life,” it explained.

However, the Commission pointed out that Benling handled the situation carelessly and neglected to even respond to the notice or show up for it. Further, the Commission highlighted the statutory liability of product manufacturers under the Consumer Protection Act for selling defective products and directed the company to pay Rs 10 lakh in compensation to the complainant.

In 2022, the Central Government ordered a probe into the case of 40 electric scooters from Jitendra Electric Vehicles catching fire in Nashik. The Centre had roped in experts from various institutions in the country as part of the investigation. Investigative activities started after similar incidents broke out in Pune, Vellore and Trichy.

Experts have counted the rise in temperatures during summer as one of the main reasons behind the EV batteries catching fire. Besides this, poor battery designs have also been blamed.

Russia requests the UN Security Council to convene an urgent meeting over US and UK airstrikes in Yemen

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Russia requests the UN Security Council to convene an urgent meeting over US and UK airstrikes in Yemen

Russia has requested the United Nations Security Council to convene on January 12 in connection with strikes carried out by the United States and the United Kingdom in Yemen, the Russian Permanent Mission to the UN said on its Telegram channel, Russia-based agency TASS reported.

In a statement, Russia’s Permanent Mission to the UN said, “Russia has requested an urgent UN Security Council meeting on January 12 in connection with US and UK strikes on Yemen.” In a statement to TASS, the mission said the meeting was scheduled for 10 am (local time) (3 pm GMT)

Russia’s decision comes after US military forces, along with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands, carried out strikes against a number of targets used by Houthi rebels in Yemen in the early hours of January 12.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said that the Royal Air Force has conducted targeted strikes against military facilities used by Houthi rebels in Yemen, calling it “limited, necessary and proportionate action in self-defence.”

Rishi Sunak said the UK will always stand up for “freedom of navigation and the free flow of trade.” He stated that the Houthis, despite the repeated warnings from the international community, continue to conduct attacks in the Red Sea, including against UK and US warships just this week.

In a statement, Rishi Sunak said, “Despite the repeated warnings from the international community, the Houthis have continued to carry out attacks in the Red Sea, including against UK and US warships just this week.”

“This cannot stand. The United Kingdom will always stand up for freedom of navigation and the free flow of trade. We have therefore taken limited, necessary and proportionate action in self-defence, alongside the United States with non-operational support from the Netherlands, Canada and Bahrain against targets tied to these attacks, to degrade Houthi military capabilities and protect global shipping,” he added.

Rishi Sunak stated that the Royal Navy continues to patrol the Red Sea as part of the multinational Operation Prosperity Guardian to deter further Houthi aggression. He urges the Houthis to cease their attacks and take steps to de-escalate.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden said that the targeted strikes were a clear message that the escalation of attacks by the Houthi rebels against commercial vessels would not be tolerated.

“Today, at my direction, US military forces–together with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands–successfully conducted strikes against a number of targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways,” the US President said in a statement.

In his statement, Biden said these strikes were in direct response to “Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea, including the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history.”

He noted that these attacks have endangered US personnel, civilian mariners, and our partners, jeopardised trade, and threatened freedom of navigation.

Biden said, “Today’s defensive action follows this extensive diplomatic campaign and Houthi rebels’ escalating attacks against commercial vessels.”

“These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most critical commercial routes. I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary,” he added.

On Wednesday, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution calling for an immediate end to attacks on ships in the Red Sea. As many as 11 UNSC members voted for the document. Meanwhile, four nations – Russia, China, Algeria and Mozambique abstained from voting.

Before this, the UNSC rejected three Russian proposals to modify the text of the draft resolution, including the one that mentioned the conflict between Palestine and Israel as the reason behind the recent escalation in the Red Sea, according to TASS report.

The Houthi rebels started the strikes in retaliation for Israel’s conflict with Gaza. After the war between Israel and Hamas started, the Houthis claimed that they would launch strikes on Israeli territory and would not allow ships associated with it to pass through the waters of the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait until the operation in the Palestinian enclave stopped, TASS reported.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said more than 20 commercial carriers and ships have been attacked in these waters since mid-November, TASS reported. In response, the US government announced it was launching Operation Prosperity Guardian to ensure the safety of navigation and protect ships in the Red Sea. 

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Bombay HC grants bail to man accused of raping minor on grounds that “sexual relationship between the two was out of a love affair and not lust”

OpIndia Staff
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Bombay HC grants bail to man accused of raping minor on grounds that “sexual relationship between the two was out of a love affair and not lust”

In a shocking ruling, the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court granted bail to a man accused of raping a minor girl. The court observed that the alleged sexual relationship between the accused and the minor girl was out of a love affair and not lust.

The ruling was given by a single-judge bench of Justice Urmila Joshi-Phalke who noted that the minor girl had left her parents’ house on her own. As per reports, the minor in her statement to the police admitted her “love relationship” with the accused.

The court took into account the fact that the minor girl stayed with the accused at various places and did not raise any grievance that she was forcefully taken away.

Justice Joshi-Phalke stated that it was apparent that the minor accompanied the accused out of a love affair. Moreover, the accused is also of a tender age of 26-years-old. And that it is out of a love affair that the two came together.

The court said, “The applicant is also of a tender age of 26 years, and they come together out of a love affair. It seems that the alleged incident of sexual relationship is out of the attraction between the two young persons and it is not the case that the applicant has subjected the victim to a sexual assault out of lust.”

As per the case details, the accused lived in the same neighbourhood as the minor girl, who was 13 years old at the time of the incident.

On 23rd August 2020, the girl left her house on the pretext of bringing a book from her classmate. When she did not return, her family filed an FIR with the Anjangaon Surji Police Station in the Amravati disrict.

The girl had left her house and had joined the accused. The duo was raced in Bangalore and when they returned, the accused was arrested on 30th August 2020. The accused has been in custody ever since.

He was booked for offences of rape under sections of IPC and offences under the POCSO Act, 2012. The accused argued that the girl had left her house out of her own accord and there was no forceful sexual act.

The State countered by calling the case a heinous one and that the girl’s age invalidated her consent to the sexual relationship. The State contended that no leniency should be shown to the accused.

The court noted that there was no progress in the trial even when the chargesheet was filed in 2020. “The trial will take its own time for the final disposal. In view of the same, further incarceration the applicant is not required and no purpose will be served by keeping him behind bars,” the court ruled.

CPM leader PK Biju asks people to turn off TVs on Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha day, says teachers should show children pictures of Babri structure instead

OpIndia Staff
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CPM leader PK Biju asks people to turn off TVs on Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha day, says teachers should show children pictures of Babri structure instead

Ahead of the inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya scheduled on 22nd January, CPM leader PK Biju in Kerala has asked the state citizens not to attend the Ram Lalla Pran Pratishtha ceremony even on television. He asked the citizens to turn off the TVs that day and bar children from watching the live telecast of the widely anticipated event.

According to a report by Janmabhoomi Online, the CPM leader has further asked the school teachers and local citizens to show children the picture of the disputed Babri Masjid instead. PK Biju was speaking at the inauguration of the Kerala School Teachers Association District Conference.

The leader meanwhile also criticized the National Education Policy (NEP) and said that the policy has been introduced by the Central government to ‘saffronize’ the education system and that the Governor of Kerala Arif Mohammed Khan was conniving against the state.

Earlier, the CPM in Kerala had stated that they wouldn’t be attending the Pran Pratishtha event in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. “Our party will not attend the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. We respect religious beliefs but they are connecting a religious programme with politics. This is the politicization of a religious program. This is not right,” party leader Brinda Karat was quoted as saying.

The ceremony scheduled for 22 January will witness the installation of the idol of Ram Lalla at the grand temple. It is expected to be attended by hundreds of officials including the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The trust has also invited 4,000 saints of all sects for the ceremony.

On January 22, one of the three idols being made from two stones brought from Karnataka and Rajasthan will be placed inside the sanctorum of the grand temple. The best idol from three stones will be selected in the first week of January for the consecration ceremony.

The trust has decided to enthrone the idol of Lord Ram at the sanctum sanctorum between noon and 12.45 pm on January 22. Lakshmi Kant Dixit, a Vedic priest, is scheduled to perform the main rituals of the consecration ceremony on the day.

Howrah, Kolkata among the dirtiest cities in India: Top 10 dirtiest cities with a population over 1 lakh all from West Bengal, finds survey

OpIndia Staff
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Howrah, Kolkata among the dirtiest cities in India: Top 10 dirtiest cities with a population over 1 lakh all from West Bengal, finds survey

The West Bengal city of Howrah has been declared the dirtiest city in India, the recently released annual cleanliness survey, ‘Swachh Survekshan’, said. Significantly, the 10 dirtiest cities in India with a population of over 1 lakh are all from West Bengal.

Howrah is followed by Kalyani, Madhyagram, Krishnanagar, Asansol, Rishra, Bidhannagar, Kanchrapara, Kolkata and Bhatpara in the list of cities that have the worst cleanliness. Barring Kolkata and Bhatpara, the rest of the eight cities from West Bengal have a cleanliness score of below 1,000.

Besides, Meghalaya’s capital Shillong and Sitamarhi in Bihar were also among the bottom spots in the rankings. The evaluation entailed a city’s cleanliness and sanitation practices.

Notably, Madhya Pradesh’s Indore won the title of the cleanest city in India for the seventh time in a row. Indore was followed by Surat 9Gujarat), Navi Mumbai (Maharashtra), Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), and Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh).

In India, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh have been identified as the states with the highest sanitation standards, making them the cleanest. Conversely, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, and Nagaland were rated as the least clean states.

Among the cantonment boards, the Mhow Cantonment Board in Madhya Pradesh claimed the top spot for cleanliness, while Nainital Cantonment landed at the bottom of the rankings.

The Swachh Survekshan Awards for 2023 were announced during a ceremony led by President Droupadi Murmu, with the presence of numerous dignitaries. This extensive cleanliness survey involved the participation of 4,447 urban local bodies and garnered over 12 crore citizen responses, establishing it as the largest cleanliness survey globally.

A week after being assaulted by mob led by TMC’s Shahjahan Sheikh, ED raids premises of party leaders in connection with civic recruitment scam

OpIndia Staff
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A week after being assaulted by mob led by TMC’s Shahjahan Sheikh, ED raids premises of party leaders in connection with civic recruitment scam

On Friday, 12th January, the Enforcement Directorate is conducting raids on the premises of West Bengal Fire Services Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Sujit Bose in Kolkata in connection with the Municipal recruitment scam or the Civic recruitment scam.

A team of the federal probe agency is also raiding the Ganguly Street residence of TMC leader and Minister for Planning and Statistics in West Bengal, Tapas Roy. Reports say that former North Dum Dum Municipality chairman Subodh Chakraborty’s residence is also being searched.

Enforcement Directorate officers, accompanied by central forces, raided Bose’s two residences in the Lake Town area of the North 24 Parganas district today.

“We are conducting search operations at the residences of three TMC leaders in connection with the recruitments in civic bodies. We are also engaging in discussions with the leaders regarding the ongoing investigation,” an Enforcement Directorate spokesperson said.

How was the civic recruitment scam unearthed?

The arrest of builder Ayan Sheel, who is based in Kolkata, by the ED on March 19 concerning the SSC recruitment scam exposed the purported anomalies in municipality recruitments in West Bengal. The ED claimed that during a search at Ayan’s Salt Lake office, OMR answer sheets of candidates for various posts in many municipalities were found.

Sujit Bose was called by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in August of last year to be questioned as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged irregularities in municipal appointments from 2014 to 2016.

Sujit Bose, who served as the vice-chairman of South Dum Dum Municipality from 2010 to 2021, during which nearly 250 people were recruited, is the first cabinet minister to be summoned in this case. 

The request from the Mamata Government to halt the CBI’s investigation into the purported municipal recruitment scam was turned down by the Calcutta High Court after both the CBI and ED informed the court of links between the civic body recruitment scam and the bribe-for-job or the SSC recruitment scam in the West Bengal school education department, resulting in the arrest of former education minister and Mamata Banerjee’s close confidante Partha Chatterjee and his close aide Arpita Mukherjee.

Meanwhile, Bhartiya Janata Party leader Suvendu Adhikari took a dig at TMC leaders and called them “thieves”.

“There will be ED raids in a thief’s home. Sujit Bose is involved in the South Dumdum Municipality recruitment scam… Tapas Roy is also involved in the Baranagar Municipality recruitment scam. The youth and the people of Bengal want them to go behind the bars,” Adhikari told ANI.

Mob of 800-1000 attacked with intention to kill, said ED

Only last week, a mob of 800-1000 TMC supporters led by TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh assaulted a team of ED officials who went to raid his premises in North 24 Parganas in connection with a ration distribution scam.

In a statement, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said that its team, along with CRPF, and journalists was attacked and their vehicles were targeted in Sandeshkhali of North 24 Parganas district in West Bengal. In its statement, the probe agency said that a violent mob comprising 800-1000 people attacked the ED team with CRPF, to cause death. It added that the attackers were carrying sticks and stones. The probe agency added that the mob is suspected to be instigated by TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh and his associates. It further informed that three of its officials had been injured in the mob attack and admitted to hospital for treatment. In addition to injuring the on-duty ED officials, the violent mob also stole their laptops, mobile phones, wallets, cash and other belongings.

Public Distribution System Scam

Scams, arrests and protests have dominated the politics of West Bengal. On 26th October, ED raided the residence of West Bengal Minister Jyoti Priya Mallick in Kolkata in connection to a corruption case related to ration distribution. Mallick is a senior TMC leader serving as the forest minister of Bengal. Previously, he held the food minister portfolio. In response to the raid, CM Mamata Banerjee strongly criticised the central agency and accused the BJP-led government at the centre of using such actions as part of a “broader strategy” ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

UP: Afifullah had sex with a girl promising marriage and then forced her to convert to Islam, he and his sisters beat the victim for refusing to leave Hinduism

OpIndia Staff
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UP: Afifullah had sex with a girl promising marriage and then forced her to convert to Islam, he and his sisters beat the victim for refusing to leave Hinduism

A shocking case of rape under the fake pretence of marriage and forced conversion of a 27-year-old Hindu woman to Islam has come to light in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow. The accused Muslim man has been identified as Afifullah, a resident of Rampur who according to the victim prevented her from doing pooja (Hindu form of worship). He also took her to a cleric and assaulted her when she refused to convert to Islam.

The woman lodged a complaint in relation to the matter in Lucknow on 9th January 2024. However, the case is connected to Noida and hence will be transferred to the authorities there. The young woman is from Lucknow and was employed by a private company in Noida. Meanwhile, she met the accused who befriended her and promised her marriage.

She charged that he took her to a hotel after gaining her confidence and sexually violated her there. He brought up marriage when she protested to silence her. Afterwards, he took her to multiple hotels and established physical relationships with her. Later, when the girl asked him to wed her, he refused it.

She revealed that the culprit also introduced her to his sisters Ursa and Hamna. He had made a vow to tie the knot with her before them but then he started to pressurise her to become a Muslim for marriage. He led her to a cleric with the same objective who also asked her to embrace Islam. The victim revealed that the offender also used to take her to Islamic events and bring her books about his religion.

He told her that it was against his religion to marry a non-Muslim girl and therefore she had to accept Islam, per the victim. He also opposed when she prayed to Hindu Gods. He and his sisters reportedly thrashed her when she objected to converting to Islam.

Inspector Akhilesh Kumar of the Lucknow police station stated that a case had been filed against the perpetrator in response to the girl’s allegations. Noida police will look into it because the incident transpired there. This case will soon be moved to Noida.

Jain passenger served chicken in vegetarian meal onboard Air India flight, airline tells her to delete post raising the complaint

OpIndia Staff
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Jain passenger served chicken in vegetarian meal onboard Air India flight, airline tells her to delete post raising the complaint

A vegetarian passenger was served chicken pieces in her veg meal on an Air India flight. Enraged, she complained about the same to the cabin crew but no action was taken on the matter. Finally the passenger shared the incident on social media.

Veera Jain shared a photo on X, formerly Twitter, of Air India’s vegetarian biryani which allegedly had chicken pieces. She wrote, “On my @airindia flight AI582, I was served a veg meal with chicken pieces in it! I boarded the flight from Calicut airport. This was a flight that was supposed to take off at 18:40PM but left the airport at 19:40PM.”

Veera also submitted her PNR number – 6NZK9R and seat number 10E, 10F. She tagged the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Union Civil Aviation and Steel Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Press Information Bureau (PIB).

She further wrote, “First delay, then non-vegetarian in my vegetarian food. This is extremely disappointing and has hurt my sentiments. I demand Air India to take strict action regarding its catering services and delay.”

She also advised other passengers to double-check what they are eating. “I would suggest everyone to please double-check what you are eating on the flight,” she said. After two very delayed flights (Mumbai-Kozhikode on 4th January and return on January 8) and being served non-veg, I have now lost faith in all airline food.”

Veera wrote that when she told the cabin supervisor about the chicken pieces found in her food, they apologised. The cabin crew told her that apart from her, other passengers had also received similar complaints. She said that even when complaints were received, such vegetarian food was still served by the crew member. No information about this was given to other passengers.

Air India responded to Veera Jain’s X post, and requested her to delete the tweet. Air India wrote, “Dear Ms. Jain, we request you to remove the information given in the open tweet, so that no one can misuse it and direct message your complaint with PNR.”

However, Veera later wrote, “They (AI) have apologized to me only through message. “I don’t understand how they don’t realise that this is an issue of hurting sentiments.”

Let us tell you that earlier in the year 2022 also, the case of feeding fish to a Jain couple in an Air India flight by labeling the food as vegetarian had come to light.

The couple had alleged that two Muslim Air India staff told them that what they were given was veg food and they should enjoy it without any worries.

However, later confirmation from another staff member revealed that they were served fish. The Jain person had posted the video of this incident on many social media platforms including YouTube, Facebook, Twitter. A huge uproar followed on the same.

PM Modi to inaugurate Atal Setu, India’s longest sea bridge: Here’s all you need to know about Mumbai Trans Harbour Link

Siddhi Somani
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PM Modi to inaugurate Atal Setu, India’s longest sea bridge: Here’s all you need to know about Mumbai Trans Harbour Link

The Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) or Atal Setu, India’s longest sea crossing, will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (12th January), marking a significant milestone in India’s infrastructure development. The bridge, which ranks 12th longest globally has been named after former prime minister and BJP veteran Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The roadway bridge, measuring 21.8 km in length and with six lanes, has been constructed at the cost of Rs 18000 crore. 

The bridge connects Sewri in Mumbai to Nhava Sheva in Uran taluka, Raigad district. It is projected to enhance economic development in Navi Mumbai and the surrounding areas. It has reduced the travel time between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai to 20 minutes, down from 2 hours. Authorities claim it will also help reduce traffic congestion in the region.

Image source- X@Dev_Fadnavis

The Mumbai Police have set a maximum speed limit of 100 kmph for four-wheelers crossing the bridge. However, motorcycles, autorickshaws, and tractors will not be permitted to use the said roadway sea bridge.

Notably, on 11th January, the Maharashtra government approved a proposal to levy a one-way toll of Rs 250 for cars using the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL). Only half the amount, as per existing toll collecting laws, has been levied, an official stated on the decision made by the Maharashtra CM’s cabinet during the day. 

PM Modi expressed his happiness over the project which is a significant milestone in India’s infrastructure development. “I look forward to being among the people of Maharashtra tomorrow, 12th January, which is also the Jayanti of Jija Mata and Swami Vivekananda. In Nashik, I will pray at the Shree Kalaram Mandir and attend the National Youth Festival,” he said.

“Thereafter, I will go to Mumbai from where I will travel to Navi Mumbai on the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri – Nhava Sheva Atal Setu, a major infrastructure project for people in Mumbai and surrounding areas. Various other development works will also be inaugurated at a public meeting in Navi Mumbai,” he added.

According to the reports, a remarkable work of engineering, the bridge was built using steel equivalent to the weight of 500 Boeing airplanes and 17 times the weight of the Eiffel Tower. The massive structure was built with 177,903 metric tonnes of steel and 504,253 metric tonnes of cement. The bridge also shortens the trip between Mumbai and Pune Expressway.

Image source- X@Dev_Fadnavis

It would also connect locations such as the Navi Mumbai International Airport, which is now under construction. The Atal Setu project had been in the works since the 1990s, and multiple attempts had been made to develop it. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the project’s foundation stone in December 2016, then construction began in April 2018 on three civil packages.

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