General
Pune trio goes on a ‘long drive’ – a record 21,000 km through borders of India
Creating a new record, a Pune couple and their friend – all software engineers-cum-adventure lovers – went on a ‘long drive’ in an SUV, covering a whopping 21,000 km in 70 days across the entire boundary of India, from east to west, north to south.
They are — Jaykumar Anadkat, his wife Pooja Padiya-Anadkat, both from Gujarat, and their friend Sonesh Mehra from Rajasthan, who are the co-founders of the adventure club, ‘PlacesAroundPune’.
“We have done many activities like hiking, trekking, cycling, mountaineering, scuba-diving etc., but this time we wanted to do something unique and fulfilling. So we charted out this trip — “#MapMyCountry” — in our Tata Safari SUV, and we hope to make it to the record books,” said Jaykumar, after the trio returned home late on Monday.
The trio, all aged 35, embarked on their journey on February 27 from Magarpatta and returned to the same location on May 8, zooming through 26 states, several Union Territories, 52 major cities and over 250 important travel destinations along the boundary and borders of India.
“We went around the country’s periphery, all the border states and drew the India map through the car route, starting in a clockwise direction from Maharashtra,” said Mehra.
From Maharashtra, they went to Gujarat (Dwarka and Koteshwar temples in the extreme western parts of India), Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, the Northeastern states like Kaho in Arunachal Pradesh, the first village of India in the east, and Danushkodi Rameshwar and Kanyakumari as the southernmost tip.
“We touched six international borders — Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar. We learnt a lot about the different people of India, their cultures and lifestyles, the weather systems, the abundant beauty of different parts of the country. It was a very enriching drive indeed,” said Pooja.
The ultra-long drive took them from 45-degree Celsius in Rajasthan deserts to the -5-degree Celsius in snowy Kashmir, braving hailstorms in Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland, torrential rains in Assam, and the humid weather in the southern states. Though they carried suitable clothes, many a times they had to hunt for more locally in order to survive.
The trio recalls speeding through some of the wildest and densest forests akin to a jungle safari, off-roading, dusty dry desert sands, boat-rides in mangrove forests, traversing snowy mountains roads, or gingerly driving through bamboo bridges, over deep valleys and turbulent rivers in different parts of India, soaking in the first sunrise in the east and the colourful sunsets in the west and southern beaches.
They also joined some tribal and traditional cultural festivals, wearing local costumes, singing, dancing or prancing to their tunes, and gulping cuisines ranging from the weirdest to delicacies, cooking for themselves on roadside fires, or just gobbling some fruits when nothing was available or dhabas were shut.
There are literally miles of many memories, including some a bit spooky, that the trio returned with — like one excited gentleman from Punjab, Ripu Daman, who contacted them through Facebook and happily hosted them with his family for a night.
In Nagaland, they met a 95-year-old member of a tribe of erstwhile ‘headhunters’, who still proudly wears a garland with a few heads on it that he claimed to have acquired many decades ago!
Today, Jaykumar, Pooja and Sonesh are extremely thrilled on completing their ‘long drive’ without any untoward incident, something they will cherish for long.
Maharashtra
Digital payment facilities will be made available at Lokmanya Tilak General Hospital, Additional Municipal Commissioner directs

Mumbai: Lokmanya Tilak General Hospital, run by the Mumbai Municipal Corporation, is witnessing a large influx of patients seeking various medical treatments. Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Prajakta Verma Longare has directed that both cash and digital payment options be made available for various healthcare services. He also directed that the Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) be implemented effectively within the hospital.
The Lokmanya Tilak General Hospital in Mumbai is currently undergoing a capacity expansion project. Prajakta Verma Longare visited the hospital today (August 8, 2026) to personally inspect the progress of the expansion work. He visited the Emergency Department, various wards, MICU, and CCTV control room, among other areas.
Patients and their families currently have to pay cash for various medical services, such as X-rays, MRI scans, Outpatient Department (OPD) case papers, and medical service fees. Point of Sale (POS) machines should be provided at these locations to facilitate digital payments. Additionally, a dedicated counter for digital payments should be set up inside the hospital to help reduce queues. Ms. Verma-Laungaree noted that digital payment options will provide greater convenience to citizens, patients and their relatives.
Officers and staff including Deputy Commissioner (Public Health) Sharad Oghade, Deputy Commissioner (Zone-2) Prashant Sapkale, Director (Medical Education and Major Hospitals) Dr. Shailesh Mohte and Assistant Commissioner (F-North) Mr. Arun Kasher Sagar were present.
Mrs. Verma-Laungaree inspected the ongoing works in the main building (Phase 2A), Oncology building and other areas of the hospital, while also reviewing the status of the project. He directed that recreational areas be created for the citizens as well as the resident doctors and staff within the newly developed hospital. He directed the hospital administration to ensure the availability of barrier-free walkways for the citizens at the entrance of the hospital and within the premises. He also directed that staff should be regularly deployed in the control room. The staff working in the hospital should be monitored through the CCTV control room so that the employees leave the premises before their scheduled time. Notably, the human resources department at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters is already monitoring the attendance of the staff using artificial intelligence. He further directed that steps be taken to implement a public address system operated from the control room.
Giving priority to cleanliness in the hospital, he directed that specific uniforms be provided to the staff. Steps should also be taken to keep the hospital free from the nuisance of rats and stray dogs. Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Prajakta Verma-Laungare directed that the Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) be implemented in the hospital.
Maharashtra
Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra (Arshad Madani) appeals for assistance to Assam flood victims, asking well-wishers and helpers to cooperate as much as possible

Mumbai: An important consultative meeting of the executive members of Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra, special invitees and dignitaries of the city was held at the State Office, Imambara Compound, Mumbai under the chairmanship of President Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra Hazrat Maulana Haleemullah Qasmi, in which the executive members, special invitees and eminent personalities of the city participated. It may be noted that the executive members of Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra and special invitees were invited to attend the meeting of the Emirate of Sharia at Sabo Siddique Guest House in Mumbai, taking advantage of this opportunity, this meeting was held at the state office of Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra.
The meeting reviewed the flood disasters in Assam and the serious situation arising as a result of it. The participants were also informed about the ongoing relief and relief activities for the flood victims by Jamiat Ulema Assam on the instructions of the President of Jamiat Ulema Hind, Honorable Maulana Syed Arshad Madani.
On this occasion, stressing the need for immediate and effective assistance to the victims of Assam, Mufti Muhammad Yousuf Qasmi, General Secretary of Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra, appealed to the executive members, special invitees, district presidents and nazmas and philanthropists to actively participate in relief activities in the spirit of humanitarian sympathy and offer cooperation according to their capacity. He said that receipts have been set aside in the office for the relief of the flood victims, you should also take the receipt book with you. The imams of the mosques are also requested to announce this in their mosques and attract the donors towards it. It was also explained in the meeting that a large number of brothers of the country are in the flood-affected areas, however, in times of trouble and disaster, it is the moral and human responsibility of all of us to help the victims on the basis of humanity, transcending religion and nationality. In this regard, instead of Zakat, seeking support from donations, Allah and interest, while observing the principles of Sharia, so that timely assistance can be provided to the needy and affected families.
The participants of the meeting expressed their full solidarity with the flood victims of Assam and reiterated their resolve that Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra will continue to provide all possible support in relief activities to the best of its ability.
The State Executive Council, special invitees and dignitaries of the city attended the meeting in large numbers.
Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Juhu: Conspiracy to kill businessman’s family and loot exposed after security guard’s murder, entire plan of accused foiled, accused arrested

Mumbai: Police have claimed to have unearthed a robbery conspiracy while solving the mystery of the murder of a security guard in Mumbai. An incident took place between 4 am on August 2, 2026 (Juhu Police Station CR No. 1236/2026; Sections 103(1), 310(3) of BNS 238), where the accused reached a residential building with the intention of robbing a businessman. The robbers attacked the building’s security guard Manoj Kumar Ayodhya Yadav (38), strangled him to death with a cloth rope, and threw his body into the building’s water tank. Soon after the crime, various police teams were formed under the supervision of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Zone-2) and started the investigation. During the investigation, information came to light about the involvement of the domestic helper (cook) through the businessman’s family and his friend. On the arrest of the cook, Jogeshwar Udhan Malik (alias Kishan) and his accomplice Vijay Gonzari, it was revealed that Malik, along with the businessman’s wife and daughter, had hatched a conspiracy to kill the businessman’s relative and loot cash and jewellery from the house. It was learnt that the conspiracy had been in the planning stages for the past two years. As the mastermind behind the conspiracy, Jogeshwar Udhan Malik (alias Kishan) took the help of Vijay Gonzari and appointed three additional accomplices Sharad Yarodkar (41), his brother Mahadev Yarodkar (35) and Aniket Bornak (30) to execute the plan. During the investigation, the main accused Jogeshwar Malik introduced his accomplices to the deceased security guard Manoj Kumar Yadav. On the night of August 2, the accused gathered near the building and sat down to drink alcohol with the security guard. They strangled the guard, tied his hands and threw his body into a water tank. Thereafter, at around 4:00 AM, the accused went to the 6th floor and tried to enter the flat of a businessman using a duplicate key. However, after failing to open the door, they gave up the attempt and fled the spot. After being arrested, the accused confessed to the crime. The investigation was conducted under the guidance of Additional Commissioner of Police (West Region) Abhinav Deshmukh and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 2, West) Mr. Mohit Kumar Garg.
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