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Friday,28-March-2025
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Pongal 2024: Mumbai Celebrates Harvest Festival Reflecting Rich Tamil Culture

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Nearly 2000 people participated in Pongal festivities in and around Antop Hill on Monday. Mass Pongal celebration was carried out across various locations of the Sion Koliwada constituency and was facilitated by MLA Captain R Tamil Selvan who continues to organise these events embracing the harvest season and Tamil culture for more than a decade now.

In a beautiful display of cultural richness, locals dressed in traditional attires prepared Pongal reciting folk songs, raising the festival mood. The event saw them setting up their Pongal pots in the midst of sugarcane, flowers, and rangolis. The celebration was notably marked at the Antop Hill Cement Ground with about a thousand people lifting the festival spirit on the auspicious day. Other areas that observed Pongal on a grand scale included New 90 Feet Road, Kamaraj Nagar, Vijay Nagar, and the Malai Mariamman temple in Naik Nagar among a few others.

Captain Selvan was seen visiting the spots and joining the public in the celebration. “Pongal is associated with agriculture. Tamilians of various religious beliefs celebrate this festival together without any discrimination. This is the significance of Pongal,” he said while extending Pongal greetings.

The event was not confined to only the Tamil-speaking people celebrating the occasion as it saw women from diverse cultural backgrounds mark the festival. While Tamilians gathered there to celebrate Pongal, others enjoyed the Makar Sankranti festivities in the region with similar rituals involving boiling water and preparing food in their pots.

Pongalo Pongal” chants were heard during the celebration as women prayed to seek prosperity for their families while boiling and expecting their pots to overflow with the Pongal preparation.

Throwing more light on the harvest festival, the MLA acknowledged that the first dam built in the world was built by Karikala, a Tamilian. “Tamilians introduced the concept of building dams to stop running (river) water and distribute it for agricultural usage. Karikala from the Chola Dynasty constructed the Kallanai Dam over the Kaveri River running in Trichy.”

Several people admire the Tamil language and its treasurable culture, including PM Narendra Modi who recently inaugurated the Kashi Tamil Sangamam at Namo Ghat in Varanasi and mentioned about Pongal and remembered prominent Tamil personalities like Subramania Bharathiyar, Bharathidasan, and Thiruvalluvar.

Crime

Allegations of tampering with postmortem report, allegations of gang rape and murder, investigation should be done by re-recording the scene of the incident: Lawyer Nilesh Jha

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Mumbai: In the case of the mysterious death of Mumbai’s Sushant Singh Rajput’s manager Disha Salian, his lawyer Nilesh Jha has made a serious allegation of tampering with the postmortem report.

He has said that if someone falls from the 14th floor, what will happen to his body, while there were injury marks on the body and Disha Salian was murdered after gang rape. In this case, the lawyer has made serious allegations against Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray’s son and MLA Aditya Thackeray and has demanded a narco test of Aditya Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray in this case.

Today Nilesh Jha met Mumbai Crime Branch Joint Police Commissioner Lakshmi Gautam here and demanded to register a case in this matter as soon as possible and said that Disha Salian’s postmortem was delayed while Sushant Singh Rajput’s postmortem was done immediately and Disha Salian’s postmortem was done after 60 hours. Therefore, investigation of this case is necessary.

He said that this incident should be repeated in front of the media to know from how far someone falls from the 14th floor and what marks are found on the body.

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Crime

NCB action: MD worth Rs 50 crore seized, factory exposed

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Mumbai: The Central Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has claimed to have seized mephedrone MD drugs worth Rs 50 crore by busting a factory and lab supplying mephedrone MD. The NCP had conducted an operation in Mumbai’s Bhandup area, during which two drug peddlers were arrested, out of which drugs were hidden in plastic containers at the house of one of the accused.

Interrogation of the arrested accused revealed that he had set up a drug manufacturing lab in Mahad Industrial Area of ​​​​Raigad district and a case is already registered against the supplier of the suspected chemical factory under the NDPS Act and it is being investigated by the DRI and he is on bail in this case.

The NCB has continuously launched a campaign against drugs and drug smugglers. The NCB has appealed to the citizens to cooperate in the campaign against narcotics. Citizens should actively participate in this campaign being run to eliminate drug addiction and citizens can directly contact the helpline toll-free number 1933.

In line with the campaign of the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan, on the instructions of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the NCB has intensified its action against drugs. During the action, the NCB has also recovered 46.8 kg of mephedrone, which has an estimated market price of Rs 50 crore. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has also praised the action of NCB in this matter.

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General

Follow Rules, Win Big! Central Railway To Introduce ‘Lucky Yatra’ Scheme To Encourage Valid Ticket Purchase

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Mumbai: In a bid to tackle the issue of ticketless travel and encourage commuters to buy valid tickets, Central Railway has decided to introduce an exciting new initiative called “The Lucky Yatra” scheme. Under this program, one lucky commuter will win Rs 10,000 daily, while a bumper prize of Rs 50,000 will be awarded once a week.

According to CR, the scheme started on March 20th and will run for eight weeks, aiming to promote lawful travel among Mumbai’s suburban railway passengers. The initiative is sponsored by FCB Interface Communication Pvt. Ltd., ensuring that passengers do not have to pay any extra fees to participate, said an official of CR. “Currently, the scheme is running as a pilot project only for passengers traveling from CSMT to Karjat/Kasara stations, i.e., only on the main line,” said an official.

How does It Work?

Division selects a UTS number and coveys to Advertising agency daily. They put it on website and passenger has to claim it by registering on website and collect it by coming to CSMT and showing their ticket. If found valid, prize will be given on the spot.

“The scheme is not just about encouraging ticket purchases but also about appreciating honest commuters,” said a railway official. “We want to reward those who follow the rules and ensure a disciplined travel culture in Mumbai’s local trains.”

Who Can Participate?

The scheme is open to all passengers traveling on central railways main line between CSMT- Kasara/ Karjat, including those using single journey tickets, daily tickets, and monthly, quarterly, half-yearly, and annual passes.

With Mumbai’s local trains carrying over 7.5 million passengers daily—nearly 4 million of whom use the suburban train services operated by CR across all four routes, including the Main Line, Harbour Line, Trans-Harbour Line, and the Fourth Corridor (Uran Line)—ticketless travel remains a significant issue. Central Railway officials estimate that around 20% of passengers travel without a valid ticket.

Encouraging Valid Travel

To make ticket purchasing easier, passengers have multiple options, including ticket counters, ATVM machines, mobile tickets, online tickets, and smart cards. The railway authorities urge commuters to buy tickets and participate for a chance to win cash rewards while traveling in dignity on a valid ticket.

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