New Delhi, Nov 26: In a major boost for the public transport network in Pune, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved Line 4 (Kharadi–Hadapsar–Swargate–Khadakwasla) and Line 4A (Nal Stop–Warje–Manik Baug) with Rs 9,857.85 crore outlay under Phase 2 of the Pune Metro Rail Project.

According to the Cabinet, this is the second major project approved under Phase-2, following the sanction of Line 2A (Vanaz–Chandani Chowk) and Line 2B (Ramwadi–Wagholi/Vitthalwadi). With this latest approval, Pune Metro’s network will expand beyond the 100-km milestone, a significant step in the city’s journey towards a modern, integrated, and sustainable urban transit system.

Spanning 31.636 km with 28 elevated stations, Line 4 and 4A will connect IT hubs, commercial zones, educational institutions, and residential clusters across East, South, and West Pune.

The project will be completed within five years at an estimated cost of Rs 9,857.85 crore, to be jointly funded by the Centre, the Maharashtra government, and external bilateral/multilateral funding agencies.

These lines are a vital part of Pune’s Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) and will seamlessly integrate with operational and sanctioned corridors at Kharadi Bypass and Nal Stop (Line 2), and Swargate (Line 1).

“They will also provide an interchange at Hadapsar Railway Station and connect with future corridors towards Loni Kalbhor and Saswad Road, ensuring smooth multimodal connectivity across metro, rail, and bus networks,” a Cabinet communique said.

The project will be implemented by the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha-Metro), which will carry out all civil, electrical, mechanical, and systems works.

Pre-construction activities such as topographical surveys and detailed design consultancy are already underway, according to the Cabinet.

According to projections, the daily ridership on Line 4 and 4A combined is expected to be 4.09 lakh in 2028, rising to nearly 7 lakh in 2038, 9.63 lakh in 2048, and over 11.7 lakh in 2058.

Of this, the Kharadi–Khadakwasla corridor will account for 3.23 lakh passengers in 2028, growing to 9.33 lakh by 2058, while the Nal Stop–Warje–Manik Baug spur line will rise from 85,555 to 2.41 lakh passengers over the same period.

These projections highlight the significant growth in ridership expected on Line 4 and 4A over the coming decades.

With Line 4 and 4A, Pune will not just get more metro tracks but will also gain a faster, greener, and more connected future. These corridors are designed to give back hours of commuting time, reduce traffic chaos, and provide citizens with a safe, reliable, and affordable alternative.

New Delhi, Nov 26: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) was granted a 10-day custody of Soyab, the accused in the Delhi terror blast case, who was arrested in Faridabad earlier on Wednesday.

Soyab was presented before the Patiala House Court, which approved his transfer to NIA custody for 10 days.

Additionally, another key accused, Aamir Rashid Ali, had his NIA custody expiring on the same day. He was also presented before the court, which extended his custody by an additional seven days.

The NIA, earlier in the day, arrested Soyab, a resident of Faridabad’s Dhoj, for harbouring terrorist Dr Umar Muhammad, also known as Umar Un Nabi, immediately before the Delhi terror bomb blast.

Soyab is the seventh person to be arrested in connection with the case.

According to the NIA, he not only harboured Umar before the attack but also provided logistical support crucial to the execution of the November 10 car bombing near the Red Fort that killed several people and left many others injured.

Before this arrest, the NIA had taken six of Umar’s close aides into custody as part of ongoing investigations under case number RC-21/2025/NIA/DLI.

The NIA stated that it is actively pursuing multiple leads related to the suicide bombing and has been conducting coordinated searches across several states with the assistance of local police forces. The agency said its objective is to identify and apprehend all members linked to the larger terror network responsible for the attack.

Meanwhile, ongoing investigations have revealed chilling details about terrorist Umar’s methods and preparations.

According to interrogation inputs from arrested members of the terror module, Umar maintained what investigators describe as a “mobile workstation” — a large suitcase containing bomb-making tools, chemical compounds and containers. He carried it with him wherever he went.

Umar, a medical professional associated with Al-Falah University in Faridabad, reportedly conducted chemical tests in his room on campus before creating the final Improvised Explosive Device (IED).

One of the arrested suspects, Dr Muzamil Shakeel, also affiliated with the same university, confirmed to interrogators that Umar experimented with substances that were later used in the blast.

Guwahati, Nov 26: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday underscored a “major turnaround” in the state’s battle against child marriage, saying a combination of stringent enforcement and systemic reforms has led to significant declines in the underage marriages and boosted legal accountability.

CM Sarma claimed that according to NFHS‑4 (2015-16) data, 31.8 per cent of women in Assam aged 20–24 were married before turning 18 – a rate that exceeded the national average.

Moreover, district-level fact sheets had recorded alarming prevalence in districts such as Dhubri, South Salmara, Barpeta and Nagaon, as high as 40–55 per cent.

However, the state now claims a decisive shift. Between 2023 and 2024 alone, more than 8,600 arrests were made in coordinated crackdowns under both the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA).

According to the Chief Minister, in 2022 the number of cases registered stood at 224, sharply up from just 149 in 2021, indicating a steep rise in enforcement.

CM Sarma said, “Beyond arrests, Assam has formed district-level task forces, headed by superintendents of police, to track and intercept impending child marriages. Community-level workers – including ASHAs, Anganwadi staff and schoolteachers – are now required to report suspected cases in real time.”

“Several districts have also reportedly established digital databases and child-protection tracking mechanisms,” he added.

The CM claimed that these measures have borne fruit: In hotspot districts, the incidence of child marriage fell by 8–17 per cent within a year, and more than 3,000 planned child marriages were prevented in 2023–24 alone.

Notably, the Assam government’s recent actions – from sustained crackdowns to setting up institutional safeguards – reflect a far more aggressive stance on child marriage than seen in earlier years, when the practice was largely treated as a social issue rather than a crime.