Palghar: Frustrated by relentless traffic jams on the Mumbai–Ahmedabad National Highway, residents living along the stretch in Vasai have announced an unusual protest — sending a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking “permission for suicide” to highlight their daily suffering.

Locals claim that the highway, which passes through areas such as Sasunavghar, Maljipada, Sasupada, Bobat Pada, and Patharpada, has become nearly impassable. Potholes, haphazard traffic management, and a growing number of vehicles have turned even short commutes into hours-long ordeals.

“Sometimes we can’t even step out of our homes because vehicles are backed up for kilometers,” said one resident. “Children are missing school, and parents are scared to send them out.”

Despite repeated complaints to authorities, no lasting solution has been found. As a result, members of the Bhumiputra Foundation have decided to send a collective memorandum by post to the Prime Minister on Thursday, October 16, from the Sasunavghar Post Office.

The protest call, announced by Foundation president Sushant Patil, has already gone viral on social media, sparking intense discussion and public outrage.

Action against the negligence of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which they say has disrupted daily life.

Disciplinary measures against responsible officials.

Immediate road repairs, improved traffic management, and the creation of alternative routes.

Locals say this is not just a protest, but a desperate cry for help after years of official indifference to one of the region’s worst traffic crises.

Mumbai: Maharashtra State Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik on October 13 said that taxi and rickshaw drivers have been given a deadline until November 15 to begin operating meter-based services for commuters.

The decision was taken during a meeting at Mantralaya along with MLA Sneha Dubey, MSRTC Managing Director Dr. Madhav Kusekar, Vasai–Virar Municipal Commissioner Manoj Suryavanshi, Additional Transport Commissioner Bharat Kalaskar, and other officials.

The aim of the meeting was to address the issue of traffic congestion in the Vasai–Virar Municipal Corporation area. According to the transport minister, taxi and rickshaw drivers must charge passengers as per the fares set by the state government.

Additionally, Sarnaik directed the State Transport Corporation to start long-distance bus services from the Vasai–Virar Municipal Corporation area to Thane and Kalyan. This announcement also comes ahead of the upcoming local body polls.

Moreover, instructions were issued to activate the Virar, Vasai, and Nalasopara bus depots within the Vasai–Virar Municipal limits.

Earlier in May 2024, thousands of auto rickshaw drivers across Maharashtra took to the streets to protest the state government’s decision to approve e-bike taxi and bike pooling services.

The demonstrations, spearheaded by the Joint Action Committee of Auto Rickshaw Driver-Owner Associations, Maharashtra, were held outside Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) in multiple regions, including Mumbai, Konkan, Western Maharashtra, Vidarbha, Marathwada, Khandesh, and rural districts.

The protestors argued that the introduction of e-bike taxis and bike pooling services would disrupt the existing public transport ecosystem, slash their earnings, and reduce the demand for auto rickshaws.

Kolkata, Oct 14: Two parallel petitions have been filed at Calcutta High Court on Tuesday in the gang-rape case of a tribal medical student in Durgapur of West Bengal’s West Burdwan district.

On one hand, the West Bengal unit of the BJP has filed a petition to carry out its protest demonstration near the private medical college till October 19. On the other hand, the authorities of the said private medical college have approached the Calcutta High Court seeking the removal of gatherings of people in front of the college premises, considering that the examinations are being conducted there.

Both the petitions have been filed at the single-judge bench of Justice Shampa Dutt (Paul). The matter is likely to come up for hearing in the second half in the later part of the day.

Altogether five people have been arrested in connection with the gang-rape of the Dalit medical student. The confidential statement of the victim is scheduled to be recorded in front of a judicial magistrate later in the day.

The victim’s parents have already claimed they will take their daughter back to Odisha soon after her confidential statements are recorded.

On Monday, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi spoke to the victim girl, who is still admitted at the hospital. Even the victim expressed a desire to go back to her native state and continue with her medical studies there.

The Odisha Chief Minister had already claimed that his government will take all the steps to ensure the culprits in the case are given due punishment.

Recently, the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee attracted criticisms after she advised women not to go outside at night amid the Durgapur incident. The Chief Minister also created controversy, claiming that the woman stepped out of the college premises at 12.30 a.m.

Her statement was contradicted by the college authorities claiming that they left the premises at around 8 p.m. on October 10 after signing the register and taking permission.