Panaji, July 11 (IANS) Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said that in future there will be ‘Parivartan’ in the transport sector across the country.

“This year America has decided to give licenses to drone taxis, where four to six people can sit and fly like a helicopter. In future there will be more ‘Parivartan’ in the transport sector,” Gadkari said while speaking after dedicating to the nation the 6-lane access-controlled 7 km road project costing Rs 1183 crore from Manohar International Airport-Mopa to Dhargal on NH-166S in Goa.

“If public transport in Goa is improved then it will be cheaper for people. In the future Goa should prepare a master plan and make Goa pollution-free,” he said.

He said that after improving the road connectivity, tourist footfall has increased in Uttarakhand three times more while the traffic congestion in Dehradun, Rishikesh and Haridwar has also reduced significantly.

“Goa has two airports and road connectivity has improved. Hence, Goa needs a ‘master Plan of development’ or it will also face a similar situation of traffic congestion like Dehradun, Rishikesh and Haridwar,” the minister said.

He said that Goa attracts tourists from across the world and hence there is a need to provide good facilities. “We have built good roads. Now even middle-class people are using roadways to travel and explore places with electrical vehicles, which are cheaper than fuel,” he said.

He said that Goa should give the highest priority to make state water, air and sound pollution-free. “Technology transformation is taking place in a big way. We need to make use of technology in the transport sector and give better facilities to the public,” the minister said.

He said that around 22 thousand crore rupees have been spent on road connectivity, bridges and other projects in Goa. “I assure you to sanction more 25 to 30 thousand crores rupees for works to be done for the next five years,” Gadkari said.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Union MoS Shripad Naik, Rajya Sabha MP Sadanand Tanavade and MLAs were also present on the occasion.

–IANS

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Visakhapatnam, July 11 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh’s Minister for Human Resources Development Nara Lokesh said on Thursday that Union Minister of Steel and Heavy Industries H. D. Kumaraswamy’s categorical statement ruling out privatisation of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) has brought immense joy to people of the state.

Lokesh thanked the union minister for ‘upholding the sentiments of Andhra Pradesh and safeguarding the VSP’.

“The statement by the Hon’ble Minister, categorically stating that privatisation is not on the table, has brought immense joy to our people. Surely, it has also frustrated the dishonest blue media and foiled their attempts to create unrest in the state with their fake, anti-AP narratives. It’s as if YS Jagan and the blue media are trying to outdo the other in a race of “who’s more fake & deceitful,” Lokesh posted on ‘X’.

Lokesh, son of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, was reacting to the statement made by Kumaraswamy after visiting the public sector undertaking.

“The Telugu Desam Party and the NDA govt are devoted to the people of Andhra Pradesh. Ours is a government for the people, and we prioritize meeting their expectations above all else,” said Lokesh, who is also General Secretary of TDP.

Earlier, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu stated that was seriously thinking as to how to safeguard the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.

Addressing a meeting after visiting the left bank canal of the Polavaram project at Darlapudi in Anakapalle district on Thursday, he said that one particular party which has no other work than spreading rumours, is cooking stories that he has agreed to sell the plant.

He claimed that he firmly resisted when there were proposals at a time to privatise the steel plant.

“Visakha Vukku is Andhrula Hakku (Visakha steel is the right of Andhras),” he said.

He stated if the North Andhra Sujala Sravanthi is complete every acre in the region will get water for irrigation.

He announced that the tenders will soon be called for to begin the left bank canal works. “Initially irrigation water will be supplied to 2.2 lakh acres by completing the works in the first phase with Rs 800 crore. If the Krishna, the Godavari, the Pennar and the Vamsadhara rivers are interlinked the State will never face any kind of drought situation,” the Chief Minister said.

The Chief Minister regretted that the previous government had totally made the State go bankrupt in all ways. With the inefficiency of the previous government three sugar mills were closed, he said and promised to do justice to the sugarcane farmers.

The Chief Minister assured the people that the super-six promises too will soon be implemented and said that the state government will stand by every family. “We have not completed even 30 days by coming to power but already the revised pension from Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 has already been distributed to the beneficiaries, along with the arrears,” he said.

–IANS

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Gurugram, July 11 (IANS) A 15-year-old boy was arrested on Thursday in connection with the murder of his 16-year-old Instagram friend over talking to his female friend on Instagram, police said.

The minor teenager was arrested from Rewari by a crime branch team of the Gurugram Police.

Police said that they received information on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday that a boy was lying in a pool of blood in Sector-40 area, following which they reached the spot and rushed the victim to a hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.

During the investigation, police nabbed the accused minor. The accused disclosed before the police that he and the victim live in village Jharsa and are friends on Instagram.

The victim had befriended a girl for around a year and a half ago on Instagram. For the last few days that girl had also started talking to the accused. The accused later came to know that the girl with whom he talked was also a friend of the victim.

The accused developed a grudge against the victim and he planned to kill his Instagram friend. To execute the murder plan, the accused allegedly bought a knife for Rs 150 on Tuesday and intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday and as per the plan, he called the victim on the pretext of drinking beer and stabbed the him with a knife before fleeing the spot.

“The knife used by the accused minor to commit the crime has also been recovered and the police team is taking further action in the case as per rules,” a Spokesperson of the Gurugram Police said.

–IANS

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Patna, July 11 (IANS) Five people lost their lives due to lightning strikes in Bihar’s Madhubani district on Thursday while 18 students were injured in the Bhojpur district.

The first incident occurred at Bathnaha village under the Phulparas block, where more than half a dozen people were working in agricultural fields when lightning struck.

Two individuals, Makun Sufi and Ashina Khatoon, died instantly, while another victim, Khutauna, succumbed to injuries at the Primary Health Center in Phulparas.

In another incident, Sangeeta Devi and Manju Devi of Dumaria village under the Babubarhi block also died due to lightning strikes.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has expressed condolences over the deaths and announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh for the family members of each victim.

Meanwhile, eighteen students were injured by lightning strikes in Bihar’s Bhojpur district on Thursday.

The incident occurred at a Government Higher Secondary School in Barka Gaon village under the Tarari block.

The students were initially taken to the Common Health Center (CHC) in Tarari and then referred to Sadar Hospital Arrah for better treatment.

Dr Pawan Kumar of Sadar Hospital Arrah said that the students were admitted to the Sadar Hospital. “We have given the treatment and are closely monitoring their health status. They are out of danger,” he said.

The injured students have been identifed as Nisha Kumari, Priya Kumari, Sagufta, Priyanshu Kumari, Sangeeta Kumari, Rita Kumari, Muskan Kumari, Madhu Kumari, Neha Kumari, Rukhsana Khatoon, Anju Kumari, Kisne Kumari, Anisha Kumari, Muskan Kumari, Amrita Kumari, Shanti Kumari, and two others.

–IANS

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Bhubaneswar, July 11 (IANS) Odisha Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Naveen Patnaik on Thursday wrote a letter to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi over the unfortunate mishap in which Lord Balabhadra slipped on the ‘Charamala’ (makeshift ramp) while being taken in ‘Pahandi’ from his chariot to Gundicha Temple, (Adap Mandap or Yajna Vedi).

The LoP expressed dismay and stated the incident has deeply hurt the millions of devotees across the globe. He said the holy triad is the supreme deity of Odia people and the symbol of Odia Asmita or Odia self-identity.

“The incident that happened during His Pahandi this year is unheard of and unparalleled. The sight of Bada Thakura falling face down during Charamala Pahandi was heart-wrenching. Such an unfortunate incident was unheard of during thousands of years of history of the chariot festival. It was impossible for the Jagannatha devotees to believe what they were witnessing live on that day,” wrote Patnaik.

He also took a dig at the statements of the Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan and Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida describing the mishap as a minor incident.

“The way some members of the Odisha Cabinet made callus comments about such a sensitive subject has doubled the grief of Jagannatha lovers. The incident has deeply hurt the feelings of all the devotees of the Lord. Such an insensitive approach of the government could not assuage the wounded feelings of Jagannatha Devotees,” added LoP Patnaik.

He also urged the Chief Minister to take personal responsibility himself and ensure that such an incident does not recur.

“I believe your exemplary steps in this direction will help in reassuring crores of devotees of Lord Jagannath,” said Naveen Patnaik.

–IANS

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