Jammu, July 29 (IANS) Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Jammu Zone Anand Jain said that there is a need for offensive operations and to reinforce the border deployment in the wake of the recent terror attacks in the Jammu division.

“We should reinforce the border deployment grid and secure the police and army establishments. There is also a need for offensive operations alongside the preventive measures in other districts,” said ADGP Jammu while chairing a high-level meeting ahead of Independence Day.

The security force officials provided an extensive overview of the current security assessment and potential threats during the meeting while a thorough discussion was also held on the inputs shared by intelligence agencies including the Army, CRPF, BSF, and CID.

The ADGP instructed the intelligence agencies to ensure a coordinated approach to address the security concerns.

“To address the latest trends in terror activities inter-agency cooperation is a must to mitigate these threats,” the ADGP said.

He instructed the officials to establish joint checkpoints at vulnerable locations while the security of inter-district boundaries must be also taken up.

“Prepare for the 15th of August function and maintain a high level of alertness. Also, ensure that the ongoing Amarnath Yatra is conducted peacefully,” the ADGP said.

He also directed officers to remain vigilant in border areas and the hinterland to prevent any infiltration attempts.

“Special attention must be given to countering the increasing use of drones by terror outfits for illicit activities,” the ADGP told the officials.

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 29 (IANS) The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday formed a committee to inquire about the Rajinder Nagar coaching centre incident in Delhi wherein three UPSC aspirants died in a basement following heavy rain in the national capital on Saturday.

“We have constituted a committee to inquire about the unfortunate incident at a coaching centre in Old Rajinder Nagar in New Delhi. The committee will inquire into the reasons, fix responsibility, suggest measures, and recommend policy changes,” the MHA said in a post on X.

According to the MHA, the committee will include the Additional Secretary (Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs), Principal Secretary (Home) Delhi, Special Commissioner of Delhi Police, Fire Advisor, and the Joint Secretary (MHA) as the convener.

“The committee will submit its report within 30 days,” the MHA added.

On Saturday evening, three UPSC aspirants lost their lives after heavy rainfall led to waterlogging in the basement of a coaching institute in Delhi’s Rajinder Nagar area, which was being used illegally as a library.

The incident trapped 17 other students for several hours, highlighting the dire safety issues in these establishments.

The basement of the coaching centre was used as a library in violation of the rules since the space was allowed to be used only for parking and storage purposes.

–IANS

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Dindori (Maharashtra), July 29 (IANS) Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Deputy Speaker and NCP leader Narhari Zirwal on Monday put at rest speculation about switching sides to the Sharad Pawar-led faction ahead of the Assembly polls.

Zirwal on Monday attended the party meeting held in the presence of state unit chief Sunil Tatkare, and said: “There is no doubt in my mind that I was with Ajit Pawar yesterday, I am with him today and will also remain with him in the future, till the end.”

He further said he would contest the upcoming Assembly election on the Ajit Pawar-led NCP ticket if the party considers his nomination.

Zirwal was interacting with the reporters in the wake of his son Gokul Zirwal’s recent statement that his wish is that his father should return to the Sharad Pawar faction.

Gokul, who had attended the meeting held by the NCP-SP, had said that he is in the Sharad Pawar faction, adding that if he is considered for the party nomination he would contest against his father from the Dindori Assembly constituency.

Meanwhile, Zirwal, speaking about his son’s move to attend the Sharad Pawar faction meeting and his recent statements, said: “Gokul is my son. I am his father. He will not go beyond my words. I have asked him to express his views and I will understand his feelings.”

Zirwal clarified that he worked hard for the victory of MahaYuti nominee Dr Bharati Pawar from the Dindori Lok Sabha constituency, saying that he gave his best.

–IANS

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Guwahati, July 29 (IANS) The Railway Protection Force (RPF) of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has intensified its drive to detain illegal foreign nationals, mostly Bangladeshis, who, after entering India, unlawfully travel on the trains to go to different parts of the country, an official said on Monday.

NFR Chief Public Relations Officer Sabyasachi De said that the RPF personnel in the months of June and July apprehended 88 illegal migrants while they were travelling illegally on the train in the jurisdiction of the NFR.

He said that in June, 47 illegal migrants and five Indian agents were arrested during checking across various stations in NFR zone while 41 illegal migrants were arrested till July 23.

Sabyasachi De said that many other illegal migrants were detained from Badarpur and New Jalpaiguri stations during checkings conducted by the RPF.

RPF personnel deployed at stations and trains are very vigilant and keep a close eye on illegal migrants, Rohingyas and suspicious-looking persons, De said.

Meanwhile, Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel also separately arrested around 110 Bangladeshi nationals from the Agartala and Guwahati railway stations in the last two months.

Officials said that all the Bangladeshis and Rohingyas illegally entered northeastern states to board trains or buses to go to other states in India “in search of jobs”.

Tripura and Assam share an 856 km and 263 km border with Bangladesh, respectively.

–IANS

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Hyderabad, July 29 (IANS) Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Monday said that his government is committed to bringing out the “irregularities” in the power sector during BRS rule.

He told the Assembly that the judicial probe already ordered into the irregularities in power purchase agreements with Chhattisgarh and the construction of Bhadradri and Yadadri thermal power plants would bring out the facts including the quantum of public money allegedly swindled during the 10-year rule of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).

The Assembly witnessed a heated debate over the alleged irregularities after BRS member and former Energy Minister G. Jagadishwar Reddy alleged that the Chief Minister tried to mislead the house on smart meters for farm connections. He claimed that the BRS government had refused to fix meters to agriculture connections.

The Chief Minister slammed BRS leaders for approaching the courts to scrap the Judicial Commission and reminded them that the Commission was set up after they challenged the government to order the probe.

He told the house that the Supreme Court has not scrapped the Commission but only asked the government to appoint a new Chairman in place of Justice L. Narasimha Reddy (retd) and the state government has given its consent for the same.

Alleging that the BRS is distorting even the orders of the Supreme Court, he announced that the new Chairman would be appointed soon.

He claimed that BRS President and former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) approached the court to scrap the Judicial Commission while citing the approach of the Chairman. Revanth Reddy said the Supreme Court rejected the arguments of KCR saying it is not possible to scrap the Commission. The court stated that if there are objections, the Chairman may be replaced.

The Chief Minister said the Bhadradri thermal power project was started at an estimated cost of Rs 7,290 crore in 2015 with the target of completing it in 2017 but it was completed in 2022 with an inflated cost of Rs 10,515 crore. It would cost Rs 9.73 crore to generate one MW of power in the Bhadradri plant, he said.

The Yadadri project was launched with an estimated cost of Rs 25,000 crore with the target of completing it by 2020 but the project has not yet been completed. The cost of the project has gone up to Rs 34,548 crore and in the future, it may jump to Rs 40,000 crore.

“The cost was escalated by Rs 10,000 crore and in whose pockets has this money gone,” he asked. He said while the generation of a MWt of power by NTPC costs Rs.7.38 crore, the same will cost Rs 8.64 crore at the Yadadri project. He claimed that civil work contracts in bulk were given to BHEL and from BHEL, the works were awarded to their benamis, relatives and those close to BRS leaders.

There was fraud of thousands of crores, the CM said, adding that due to irregularities by the BRS government, 16 officials had to face the probe.

The works which should have been completed in two years were continuing for eight years, he added.

“They (the BRS) demanded a probe into power purchase agreements with Chhattisgarh and Yadadri and Bhadradri thermal power projects. We constituted the Commission on their demand but when the Commission asked them to appear and give details, they made allegations against the Commission,” he said. Instead of appearing before the Commission to submit their arguments, they approached the court to scrap the Commission, he said.

He pointed out that at the time of the bifurcation of united Andhra Pradesh, then Union Minister S. Jaipal Reddy convinced the Centre to divide energy assets on the basis of requirements and not on the basis of the location of power plants. Telangana got 53.46 per cent of the energy while Andhra Pradesh was given the remaining 46.54 per cent. Thus it was ensured that Telangana does not plunge into darkness, he added.

–IANS

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