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Manipur will be gateway of East Asian counties: Prime Minister Modi

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 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that Manipur would be the gateway of the East Asian countries for which the railway connectivity is being extended in the northeastern state.

The Prime Minister said that Manipur would be linked with Myanmar and Thailand through the easy connectivity between India and the East Asian countries boosting trade and tourism.

“The days are not far away when Manipur capital would be linked by the broad gauge railway network. Currently, 40 National Highway projects are also being implemented in Manipur,” Modi said while addressing an election rally in Imphal.

Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) General Manager Anshul Gupta earlier said that a final location survey of the 111 km Imphal-Moreh section was started for construction of a new broad gauge railway line aiming to link India with neighbouring Myanmar.

Referring to the Olympians — Indian boxing legend M.C. Mary Kom and weightlifter Mirabai Chanu — the Prime Minister said that the central government had already initiated the process to set up India’s first Sports University in Manipur. “The BJP government has already created a unique sports culture in the state and Manipur would be one of the country’s sports hubs,” he said, adding that bandh (shut down) and violence culture have been eliminated in Manipur by the BJP government in five years.

To protect the demography, culture and tradition of the people of Manipur, the Central government has promulgated the Inner Line Permit fulfilling the long pending demand of the state, Modi said.

Announcing that the Centre and the state government have been vigorously supporting the MSME sectors, the Prime Minister said that the central government had also launched the National Palm oil cultivation mission and it would help the farmers of Manipur to a large extent.

Stating that the BJP government has undertaken a series of schemes and projects to empower the women in Manipur, Modi said that ‘Ima Keithal’ are being set up in seven more districts in the state. The century-old and world’s largest all-women run market ‘Ima Keithal’ or the ‘Mother’s Market’, located in Manipur capital Imphal and other smaller all-women markets functioning in different parts of the northeastern state boost the Manipur economy to a large extent and a great source of livelihood of thousands of women.

The all women market, which has a history of over 500 years, has around 3,615 licensed female vendors registered with the Imphal Municipal Corporation.

Highlighting the promises mentioned in the BJP’s election manifesto, the Prime Minister told the people that to fulfil the hopes and aspirations of the people of the state, installation of the BJP government with absolute majority is very urgent.

Elaborating on the BJP government’s success in Manipur, Modi said that piped water connections were increased from 25,000 households to three lakh households in five years and thousands of misguided youths came to the mainstream of life giving up violent activities.

“BJP govt in Manipur has turned the impossible into possibility. There was time that common people would not be able to reach government offices, but Biren Singh (Chief Minister) has turned his government as the people’s government and taken the government services to the doorsteps of the People. Over 1.75 lakhs people have been linked with electricity lines and the BJP government has given 1.5 lakh free gas connections under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana,” the Prime Minister said.

National News

Aurangabad railway station renamed to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar station

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Mumbai, Oct 18: The Maharashtra government has issued a gazette notification to rename the Aurangabad railway station to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar station.

The government’s move comes two years after the name of Aurangabad city was renamed to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The government’s move coincided with the ongoing preparations by ruling MahaYuti and opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi for the local and divic body elections.

The BJP-led MahaYuti government issued a gazette notification on October 15 to rename the Aurangabad railway station to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar station. The renaming process, though, was originally initiated by the Shiv Sena-led Mh Vikas Aghadi government.

Aurangabad was originally named after Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, and the renaming was done to honour Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s son Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj.

Aurangabad railway station was opened in 1900. It was made by the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan. The railway station is located on the Kacheguda–Manmad section. This section mainly serves Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city (formerly Aurangabad). The station falls under the Nanded division of the South Central Railway zone. It has rail connectivity with major cities in the country.

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city is a tourist hub, surrounded by many historical monuments, including the Ajanta Caves and Ellora Caves, which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is also known as the City of Gates, each of which has a local history, built during the Mughal Era, and 2 ASI-protected monuments (Bibi ka Maqbara and Aurangabad caves), as well as many more within city limits.

The demand for the renaming of Aurangabad sprang up in the late 1980s. Over 25 people were killed in a communal riot in 1988, and in the subsequent elections, the Shiv Sena won the Aurangabad municipal corporation elections.

On May 8, 1988, Bal Thackeray announced the renaming of the city to ‘Sambhaji Nagar’ and a resolution was passed by the municipal corporation in 1995. Following this, the then Shiv-Sena-led government issued a notification seeking objections and suggestions from the people.

However, on September 16, 2023, the Eknath Shinde-led government issued a government notification to rename the Aurangabad district to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, following approval from the special state cabinet meeting.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis last month announced that Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar will become the country’s Electric Vehicle (EV) capital, as it is a favoured investment destination.

He further stated that Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar can be called a favourite investment destination. The investment by Hyundai shows that companies are preferring cities like Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.

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National News

Mumbai Railway Update: Central Railway To Operate Mega Block Between Vidyavihar And Thane On Oct 19 For Maintenance Work

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The Central Railway, Mumbai Division, will operate a Mega Block on its Main Line suburban sections specifically on the 5th and 6th lines between Vidyavihar and Thane stations to carry out various engineering and maintenance works on Sunday.

A block will be in force on the 5th and 6th lines between Vidyavihar and Thane stations from 8:00 am to 1:30 pm.

The following UP Mail/Express trains will be diverted on the UP Fast Line at Thane and re-diverted at Vidyavihar station. These trains are expected to arrive at their destinations 10 to 15 minutes late.

11010 Pune–CSMT Sinhagad Express

12124 Pune–CSMT Deccan Queen

13201 Patna–LTT Express

17221 Kakinada–LTT Express

12126 Pune–CSMT Pragati Express

12140 Nagpur–CSMT Sevagram Express

22226 Solapur–CSMT Vande Bharat Express

12168 Banaras–LTT Express

12321 Howrah–CSMT Express

12812 Hatia–LTT Express

11012 Dhule–CSMT Express

The following Down Mail/Express trains will be diverted on the UP Fast Line at Vidyavihar and re-diverted at Thane station. These trains will also arrive 10 to 15 minutes late.

11055 LTT–Gorakhpur Godan Express

11061 LTT–Jaynagar Express

16345 LTT–Thiruvananthapuram Netravati Express

17222 LTT–Kakinada Port Express

There will also be a block on the CSMT–Chunabhatti/Bandra Down Harbour Line from 11:40 am to 4:40 pm and on the Chunabhatti/Bandra–CSMT Up Harbour Line from 11:10 am to 4:10 pm.

Down Harbour Line services to Vashi/Belapur/Panvel, leaving CSMT from 11:16 am to 4:47 pm, and services to Bandra/Goregaon, leaving CSMT from 10:48 am to 4:43 pm, will remain suspended.

Up Harbour Line services for CSMT, leaving Panvel/Belapur/Vashi from 9:53 am to 3:20 pm, and from Goregaon/Bandra from 10:45 am to 5:13 pm, will also remain suspended.

Special services will operate between Panvel and Kurla (Platform No. 8) at a 20-minute frequency during the block period.

Additionally, Harbour Line passengers are permitted to travel via the Main Line and Western Railway between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm during the block.

These maintenance Mega Blocks are crucial for the upkeep and safety of railway infrastructure. The Railway Administration has requested passengers to bear with the inconvenience caused and to plan their journeys accordingly.

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Crime

Tripura Police intensify anti-drug operations, seizes narcotics

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Agartala, Oct 18: The Tripura Police, in coordination with intelligence agencies, have intensified their anti-narcotics operations over the past 10 days, leading to significant seizures of contraband substances across the state, Chief Minister Manik Saha said on Saturday.

Taking to various social media platforms, the Chief Minister Saha informed that during the past 10 days, the police recovered 896 kg of ganja (cannabis), 90,617 bottles of cough syrup, 180 highly addictive methamphetamine tablets, and 27.78 grams of heroin from different locations.

A total of 15 cases under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act 1985 have been registered, and 16 accused persons have been arrested in connection with the seizures of various drugs.

Saha, who also holds the home portfolio, said that the Tripura Police reaffirmed their commitment to make the state free from the menace of drugs and to bring all key players involved in the illicit trade under the purview of law.

The state government, following a policy of ‘zero tolerance’ towards drugs, has been working resolutely to secure a drug-free future for the youth of Tripura, he stated.

Meanwhile, various security forces, including Assam Rifles, have confiscated drugs worth over Rs 134.50 crore in Tripura in less than three weeks. On Friday (October 17), in a joint operation, security forces recovered drugs worth Rs 4.5 crore from a goods train stationed at the Jirania railway station in West Tripura district, arriving from Delhi.

A senior official said that the Tripura Police, Assam Rifles, Government Railway Police (GRP), Special Task Force (STF) and the Customs jointly conducted a thorough search of the goods train and recovered 90,000 bottles of banned Eskuf Cough Syrup, which contains Codeine Phosphate and Triprolidine Hydrochloride, substances commonly misused as narcotics in India and neighbouring Bangladesh.

Police have continued their search operations to trace the main accused responsible for transporting the banned Eskuf cough syrup by train from Delhi.

On October 6, in one of the major drug hauls, the Assam Rifles, in close coordination with Customs officials, seized contraband valued at Rs 70 crore in Tripura’s bordering Khowai district and arrested four drug peddlers.

Acting on secret inputs, the joint team of Assam Rifles and Customs officials intercepted two trucks carrying cement as cover cargo for narcotics trafficking and recovered 69.61 kg of highly addictive methamphetamine tablets valued at around Rs 70 crore.

A Defence spokesperson had said that the October 6 operation was a follow-up to a successful operation conducted on September 29 in the bordering Mohanpur area of West Tripura district. The September 29 operation led to the recovery of 60.77 kg of banned methamphetamine tablets worth Rs 60 crore.

A senior police official said that the drugs seized on September 29 and October 6 might have been smuggled from Myanmar and transported through Mizoram and southern Assam to Tripura, from where they were intended to be smuggled into neighbouring Bangladesh.

Tripura, which shares an 856-km border with Bangladesh, is surrounded on three sides by the neighbouring country, making the northeastern state vulnerable to cross-border migration, crimes, illegal trade and smuggling. Except for some patches, most parts of the frontier have been fenced to prevent smuggling, trans-border crimes and illegal infiltration.

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