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Modi flags off Uttarakhand’s first Vande Bharat Express train

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 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday flagged off the inaugural run of Uttarakhand’s first Vande Bharat Express from Dehradun to Delhi and slammed the previous governments for not working on the connectivity in the hill state.

The Prime Minister said that the Vande Bharat Express will attract more tourists to �the state.

Prime Minister Modi also dedicated the newly electrified rail line sections as a part of his vision to provide cleaner means of public transport and electrifying rail routes in the country. With this, the state will have its entire rail route 100 per cent electrified.

Speaking on the occasion, Modi underlined that now Dev bhoomi will be connected to the national capital through Vande Bhart Express which will make the journey more pleasant.

Modi said that the manner in which India has strengthened its economy has earned the trust of the world. Even during the Covid pandemic, the country gave a tough fight and supplied vaccines to other countries.

“Today, people want to come to India and in such a scenario, it is a big opportunity for Uttarakhand and this Vande Bharat train will help the hill state,” Modi said.

“After offering prayers at Baba Kedarnath, I had murmured that this decade will be of Uttarakhand’s and today the way the state is striding ahead in development is commendable. It is good for preserving the identity of Devbhoomi. This devbhoomi will be the centre of attraction of spirituality,” he said.

On tourists visiting Uttarakhand, the PM said, “We have seen how people visit the state for char dham yatra and also to participate in the Kumbh here. There are only a few states in the country where people come in such large numbers.”

Catering to so many people is not an easy task but the double engine government is working at full pace. BJP has focused on Kedarnath and Badrinath projects worth Rs 1,300 crore, Rs 2,500 crore for Gaurikund-Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib ropeway work, promotion of home stay, 16 eco tourism development, spread of health services, among others.

In Udhamsingh Nagar AIIMS satellite centre is being built, Tihri lake development project work Rs 2000 crore is underway, Rishikesh and Hardiwar are emerging as adventure tourism destinations and yoga capital. Work on the Tanakpur-Bageshwar rail line will also start soon, he said.

Under Pushkar Singh Dhami government, all the projects have been paced up on Chardham project with Rs 12,000 crore, between Dehradun and Delhi expressway is also on fast track, which will ease the travel.

Besides roadways, works are also going on ropeway connectivity. With the Parvat Mala project, it will change the face of the state as people have waited for long for proper connectivity. Riskiest and Karnprayag projects will be completed in the next two to three years and over Rs 16,000 crore is being spent on that,” Modi said.

“This project will help in creating employment opportunities and industrial development and Vande Bharat Express will also act as a big gift for the people,” Modi said.

Uttarakhand is now emerging as a film shooting destination, wedding destination, tourism Hub, adventure tourism hub with the efforts of the state government and is attracting the foreign tourists as well, he said.

Now, many parts of the country are having Vande Bharat Express. Train is the first choice of families for long travels.

Taking a pot shot at the previous governments, Modi said, “For��long, the ruling parties did not understand the people’s requirements. Those were focused more on scams, corruption, they were involved in families. In India for high speed trains, previous governments made hig promises. And even after many years they couldn’t do so.

“Similar was the condition of electrification of the Railway network as only one third of the rail network was electrified. So it was impossible to think of running high speed trains. So after 2014, we started bringing the high speed train projects and on other hand we also started preparing trains for semi high speed trains. And also sped up the process of electrification of the rail network. Today, more than 90 per cent of electrification of the entire network has been done and in Uttarakhand we have achieved 100 per cent electrification of the rail network,” he said.

During previous governments, Uttarakhand used to get Rs 200 crore, but this time the state has been granted Rs 5,000 crore projects and this is the reason why the rail network is expanding in the state which is needed for a hill state,” he charged.

“How many villages went vacant due to connectivity issues, we want to save the generations from the issue and thus we are focusing on connectivity. Even for providing proper connectivity to defence forces these projects would help,” he said.

The semi-high speed train will be India’s 17th and Uttarakhand’s first-ever Vande Bharat train which commenced its inaugural run from Dehradun to Delhi’s Anand Vihar terminal.

According to Northern Railway, the regular operations for the Delhi-Dehradun Vande Bharat Express will commence on May 29. The train will cover a distance of 302 km in four hours and forty-five minutes. It will operate six days a week, except Wednesday.

The Vande Bharat is scheduled to depart from Dehradun at 7 a.m. and will reach Delhi’s Anand Vihar terminal at 11.45 a.m., while it would depart from Anand Vihar at 05.50 p.m., and arrive at Dehradun by 10.35 p.m.

During the journey, the train will stop at Meerut City, Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur, Roorkee, and Haridwar.

The fare for an AC chair seat from Delhi to Dehradun will be Rs 1,065, while an executive chair car ticket will cost Rs 1,890.

According to the Prime Minister Office’s (PMO) official release, the train is equipped with advanced safety features including the Kavach technology.

Mumbai Press Exclusive News

On the 33rd anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition, Mumbai’s streets reverberated with chants of “Allahu Akbar.”Peaceful protests and prayers for recovery were offered, with police on alert.

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On the 33rd anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition in Mumbai, mosques, streets, and intersections in the city and suburbs echoed with the call to prayer of Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, when the miscreants had demolished the Babri Masjid at 3:45 pm. Muslims believe that the Babri Masjid is a mosque from the throne to the floor and will remain a mosque until the Day of Judgment. Therefore, Muslims observed a black day of protest on December 6. Prayers were also offered for the recovery of the Babri Masjid on this occasion. Raza Academy had announced to observe a black day on the martyrdom of the Babri Masjid and to give collective azans in mosques. On this occasion, Raza Academy organized azan at the intersections of Muslim-majority areas, especially Minaret Masjid and other mosques. On this occasion, the police had made strict security arrangements. Muslim organizations also observed a black day by giving azan and protesting on the martyrdom of the Babri Masjid. Muslims also remembered the grief of the martyrdom of the Babri Masjid by posting statuses related to the Babri Masjid on social media and every Muslim looked sad.

33rd anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition; Azans were given in the city on the appeal of Raza Academy. On the occasion of the 33rd anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition, Raza Academy gave azan in different areas of the city at 3:45 pm. The aim of this initiative is to keep the memory of this historical event fresh and pay tribute to the martyrs of Babri Masjid. Raza Academy gave azan in particular at Khatri Masjid, Bunyan Road, Minare Masjid, Muhammad Ali Road Corner, Bhandi Bazaar, Neer Mandvi Post Office. On this occasion, scholars prayed for the recovery of Babri Masjid and made it clear that Babri Masjid was taken by fraud. Babri Masjid will remain a mosque until the Day of Judgment. The miscreants have tarnished the constitution of the country by demolishing this mosque, which will always remain a fresh wound like injustice. Raza Academy head Saeed Noori said that Black Day is observed on the martyrdom of Babri Masjid. On this day, Raza Academy organizes Azan and peaceful protests are held against this injustice. He said that miscreants targeted the mosque and martyred it while it was protected, but even today its perpetrators are free. The Supreme Court has also accepted that Babri Masjid was not built by demolishing a temple, while miscreants have put a stigma of oppression and injustice on the chest of the country. Every year on the anniversary of Babri Masjid, Raza Academy refreshes its memory by giving Azan. There is a sorrow that will always remain. Mumbai Police had made strict security arrangements on the anniversary of Babri Masjid and an alert was issued in the city.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai Additional Municipal Commissioner Amit Saini has been transferred and replaced by IAS officer Avinash Dhakne following allegations of a “cash-for-transfer” scam.

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The transfer comes after an exposé revealed alleged corruption involving the reshuffling of over 160 engineers in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which was subsequently stayed by the government.

A complaint was filed by activist Sanjay Satam to Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, alleging that Saini was charging between ₹5 lakh and ₹40 lakh to transfer engineers.

Saini, a 2007-batch IAS officer, had been posted in the BMC since March 2024.
Avinash Dhakne, a 2017-batch IAS officer, previously served as the member secretary of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and has taken charge.

The transfers followed demands from activists for action, with Galgali thanking Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for the decision.

Activist Satam stated that the transfer is insufficient and called for a departmental and Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) investigation into the matter.

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Maharashtra

Maharashtra Waqf Board approached the Tribunal regarding extension of date, don’t worry, 100% registration is assured: Chairman Sameer Qazi

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Aurangabad: (F.A.) The last date for registration on the UMID portal for all registered waqf organisations in Maharashtra, including mosques, dargahs and graveyards, was today, December 5, 2025, which has now expired. Although most of the waqf organisations in Maharashtra have been registered on the portal, some organisations are still missing out due to unavailability of records or other paper errors. In view of this situation, Maharashtra State Waqf Board President Sameer Qazi has appealed to the concerned trustees, trustees and the Muslim community not to panic or believe in any rumours. He has confidently said that: The Waqf Board will complete the registration of every institution. Although the Supreme Court has refused to extend the date, it has allowed the Waqf Tribunal (Waqf Court). The State Waqf Board has approached the tribunal and we are confident that justice will be done there and the deadline for registration on the UMID portal will definitely be extended. Chairman Qazi expressed his firm resolve and further said that the board will not sit in a hurry without the registration of every Waqf institution in the state being completed.

Maharashtra ranks second in the country: 80 percent registration completed.

The registration of all organizations related to the Waqf Board has been completed at a fast pace on the UMID portal. The state of Maharashtra ranks second in the country in terms of registration of Waqf institutions. There are a total of 36 thousand registered Waqf properties in Maharashtra, out of which about 30 thousand (80 percent) properties of organizations have been successfully registered on the UMID portal. All the officers and staff of the Waqf Board have made additional arrangements and completed the registration process. Not only this, but 300 young technicians were hired at the Hajj House in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar to expedite registration on the Omid portal, which is a commendable effort by the board.

Waqf Tribunal issues urgent notice to the central government, seeks response by December 10
Immediately after the Supreme Court’s direction, the Maharashtra Waqf Board approached the Waqf Tribunal. The tribunal has issued a notice to the central government while hearing the matter urgently. The notice asks the centre: “Why should the deadline not be extended?” and has directed it to file its reply by December 10. Due to this urgent action and notice by the tribunal, there is a strong possibility of an extension in the deadline, which has brought a big relief to the waqf institutions.

Don’t pay attention to rumors, time has not been extended.

A statement by Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju was circulating on TV and social media throughout the day today, in which he said that although the trustees have not received any relief, there is hope of getting an extension in time from the tribunal. He also said that no penalty will be imposed on the institutions that approach the tribunal. President Sameer Qazi, while explaining this statement, said: The Minister has not extended the time for uploading on the portal, but has only set a time of three months for checker and approval for those institutions that have already been registered. He explained that false news about the extension in time is being spread on social media, so do not be fooled by any kind of hesitation and until the official extension is done, the institutions must complete the uploading process.

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