Kashmir and Jammu Experience Persistent Cold Spell

Posted on by Vividh Bharthi

Srinagar: The grip of intense cold tightened its hold on Kashmir on Friday, with the region experiencing subnormal temperatures, while the Jammu division also saw mercury levels dip below the seasonal average.

According to a statement from the Meteorological Department (MeT), Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of minus 4.8 degrees Celsius, while Gulmarg and Pahalgam registered even lower temperatures at minus 9 and minus 10.3 degrees Celsius, respectively.

In the Ladakh region, Leh witnessed bone-chilling temperatures at minus 16.1 degrees Celsius, while Kargil recorded a frigid minus 19.8 degrees Celsius as the minimum temperature.

Meanwhile, in Jammu city, the mercury dropped to 5.3 degrees Celsius, with Katra not far behind at 5.8 degrees Celsius. Other areas in the division, such as Batote and Banihal, experienced even colder nights, with temperatures dipping to 3.3 degrees Celsius and 2 degrees Celsius, respectively. Bhaderwah saw the lowest temperature at minus 1.6 degrees Celsius.

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Maha: Shelar demands SIT probe into BMC’s shoddy concrete road works

Mumbai, Dec 13 (IANS) Amid reports of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) shoddy concrete road works, the Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar on Friday urged the Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani to set up a Special investigation team (SIT) to enquire into the quality aspects of work done, carry out detailed audit including experts from IIT Bombay, VJTI of 40 per cent of concretised road patches on randomised basis and investigate lapses if any in quality control, vigilance process and the contractor’s working.

He has also demanded that strict action be taken against the errant road contractors including levying of penalties, blacklisting and action be taken against negligent agencies, and officials for their lapses, if any.

Shelar’s demand during his meeting with Gagrani comes in the wake of media reports of cracks in the newly concretised roads in various parts of Mumbai. The BMC is currently spending Rs 6000 crore on road concretisation across the city which was recently inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Shekar in his letter to Gagrani said he has received several complaints from citizens regarding the poor quality of road concreting work done.

“During my inspection of Badhwar Road in Santacruz west area of my assembly constituency, I noted the recently completed concretised road has developed cracks, layers of concrete are peeling off and even curing for latest road works done is not correct. In view of many such issues of poor quality work with road concreting works done coming to notice and highlighted in media reports,” he added.

Shelar’s letter and his visit to inspect the quality of concretisation comes after several residents from Powai, Bandra West and Andheri’s Lokhandwala raised concerns about the newly concretised road conditions.

They claimed that it was due to the negligence of contractors and civic officials. They accused them of their failure to conduct regular monitoring resulting in bad quality of work.

Taking serious note of the complaints by citizens, a BMC officer said it would fix the responsibility on contractors and quality management agencies for shoddy work.

–IANS

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AAP making women fill illegal forms for monthly payment scheme: Delhi BJP

New Delhi, Dec 23 (IANS) Delhi unit BJP President Virendra Sachdeva on Monday hit out at the AAP government’s scheme for financial assistance to women, saying Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister Atishi were using unofficial forms for enrollment and spreading lies over the scheme without making any budget provision for it.

“The way Kejriwal and Chief Minister Atishi have gone forward with the registration of women for Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana without notification or budget provision has proven that Kejriwal is a master of politics based on lies and confusion,” said Sachdeva.

The Delhi BJP chief said that Kejriwal is not in any constitutional position but Atishi is in the constitutional position of Chief Minister.

“The Cabinet note written by Atishi contains a provision to give a monthly honorarium of Rs 1,000, but sadly, she is making women fill a non-governmental form for a Rs 2,100 honorarium, deceiving them,” he said.

Sachdeva said that the people of Delhi want Kejriwal and Atishi’s government to stop spreading confusion and clarify how their party’s government will provide a Rs 2,100 monthly honorarium when their own Punjab government has not provided it since 2022, and there is no budget provision for it in Delhi, with the cabinet note stating only Rs 1,000 monthly.

The Delhi BJP President said that the forms for the honorarium being filled by “AAP” leaders are not official forms, and he challenged CM Atishi to issue a statement from the Delhi Chief Minister’s office and clarify whether the forms filled on Monday in Kidwai Nagar are official forms or not.

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said that by initiating the “Sanjeevani Yojana” health scheme form-filling process on Monday, Kejriwal started betraying elderly people.

He alleged Kejriwal was spreading lies about the so-called health insurance scheme for age 60-plus people, but the senior citizens of Delhi are asking whether Sanjeevani is a government-registered health scheme.

Kejriwal, who presents himself as the son of all elderly people, should explain whether any son would deceive his parents with false promises, the BJP leader said, adding that the senior citizens of Delhi want to ask Kejriwal why his Punjab government has implemented the Central-government funded Ayushman scheme, but he has not done the same for Delhi.

–IANS

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Two Mumbai-based fraudsters posing as Delhi cops arrested in Kolkata

Kolkata, Dec 11 (IANS) Two notorious Mumbai-based fraudsters engaged in extorting money from people posing as cops of the cybercrime division of Delhi Police were arrested from a hotel at Sealdah in central Kolkata on Wednesday.

The two accused have been identified as Vinode Kovinda Pawar and Dhanji Jagannath Shinde and are residents of Mumbai.

The arrests were made following a recent complaint by a city-based woman to the Charu Market Police Station in South Kolkata.

As per the complaint, the two approached her posing as cops of the cybercrime division of Delhi. They informed her of several serious cases registered against her with Delhi Police and threatened to arrest her.

The woman panicked and thereafter the two fraudsters gave an offer to her to settle the matter against a hefty amount. The woman in panic started transferring the money demanded by the two accused to their bank accounts.

After having paid a hefty sum of Rs 66 lakh with the demands for more money from the two accused persons continuing, she contacted the Charu Market police station.

The cops of the city police immediately contacted their counterparts in Delhi Police and came to know that no such case had been registered there against the women concerned.

Thereafter, the cops started tracking the SIM numbers of the mobile phones from where calls were made to the woman. Finally, the two were arrested from a hotel at Sealdah.

The police have also been able to track the money that the women paid into an account with a private bank registered in the name of the Shinde. The police have also seized mobile phones, SIM cards and bank documents from the possession of the two arrested.

Kolkata Police have again alerted the citizens of this new trend of crime where innocent people are being tapped by fraudsters posing as cops or CBI or NCB officials. The advice of the city police for the citizens is not to panic about such calls and immediately contact the local police station.

–IANS

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