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Maharashtra

Roll back Agnipath scheme, Punjab assembly adopts resolution

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Led by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Thursday passed a resolution urging the Union government to roll back the Agnipath scheme in the larger interest of the country.

Moving a resolution in the House, amidst protest by two BJP members, the Chief Minister read that the unilateral announcement of the government of India to introduce the Agnipath scheme in the armed forces has witnessed widespread reactions across the country, including Punjab.

“The Punjab Vidhan Sabha strongly feels that the scheme where youth will be employed in armed forces only for a period of four years and out of which only 25 per cent will be retained is neither in the interest of national security nor of the youth of this country,” he said.

Mann further said, “this policy is likely to create dissatisfaction among the youth who wish to serve the armed forces of the nation throughout their life”.

The Chief Minister reminded the House that more than one lakh soldiers from Punjab serve the armed forces and a large number of them sacrifice their lives at the altar of their motherland while safeguarding the borders of the country every year.

He apprised the House that the youth of Punjab, known across the globe for their traits of valour and courage, consider it a matter of pride and privilege for them to serve their motherland by joining the armed forces.

However, Mann bemoaned that this scheme has crushed the ambitions of several youths of Punjab who have been aspiring to join the armed forces as regular soldiers.

The Chief Minister envisioned that the scheme also has the propensity to weaken the long standing espirit de corps of the armed forces. “The Vidhan Sabha urges the Union government to roll back the Agnipath Scheme immediately,” read the resolution moved by the Chief Minister.

Meanwhile, training his guns at the BJP-led NDA government for this whimsical move, the Chief Minister, while participating in the debate, dared the BJP leaders to enroll their own sons as Agniveers before supporting this anti-youth move.

He said that those who are advocating this move should set an example by sending their sons first in the Army under the scheme.

Mann said in this way they will get a fresh young lot of Agniveers who will be saluting their leaders in their office, after a service of four years.

The Chief Minister asked the BJP leaders to explain how will the country combat its infiltrators and enemies with an ‘army on rent’.

He cautioned them that this move will prove fatal for the unity, integrity and sovereignty of the country in the coming times.

Opposing the resolution, BJP member Ashwani Sharma said it is nothing but doing politics on the security of the country. The scheme was wrongly interpreted. “It is rather aimed at instilling discipline, skilling and patriotism in the youth,” he said.

Congress Legislature Party leader Partap Singh Bajwa, while supporting the resolution, said the Agnipath scheme is fraught with danger. He said a majority of the retired army officers were opposing the scheme.

Maharashtra

Mumbai Accident: Elderly Woman Hit By Garbage Truck Near Shitladevi Metro Station In Mahim; Suffers Heavy Blood Loss

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Mumbai: An elderly woman was seriously injured after being hit by a garbage dumper truck in Mahim on a busy stretch. Disturbing visuals showed the woman in glaring pain. The incident took place near the Mumbai Metro 3’s Shitladevi Mandir Metro Station in Mahim.

The victim was attempting to cross the road when the garbage dumper truck hit her. The dumper, reportedly moving at speed, struck her, leaving her with severe injuries and heavy blood loss. Visuals also showed locals rushing to help and taking her to the nearest hospital.

Currently, there is no update on her condition. Though visuals showed police and traffic police on the scene, it is yeh not known if any case was registered against the garbage dumper truck.

Meanwhile, in another recent accident case, three students of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay were killed after their car met with an accident on the Mumbai–Pune Expressway near Lonavala on Thursday morning while returning from Khandala, where they had gone to watch the sunrise.

The deceased, identified as Omkumar Borse (23), a resident of Nashik; Lay (20), from Nagpur; and Shreyansh Sharma (22), from Jaipur, were travelling in a Volkswagen Polo when the accident occurred. Police officials said that the exact cause of the accident is yet to be determined, as there were no eyewitnesses at the scene.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai Local: 395 Without Tickets Fined At Ghatkopar During Evening Peak Hours, Central Railways Collects Over ₹1 Lakh Fine

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Mumbai: A special ‘fortress’ ticket-checking drive by Central Railway at Ghatkopar station during peak evening hours caught hundreds of ticketless passengers, with authorities collecting a whopping fine of over Rs 1 lakh in a day.

According to the update shared by DRM Central Railway, the drive was held on Tuesday, March 18, during the evening peak hours. During the intensive checking operation, “395 ticketless passengers were caught, and a Rs 1,02,260/- penalty was imposed.”

Notably, Ghatkopar railway station sees heavy passenger footfall as commuters from both Central and Western lines connect here due to its direct Metro Line 1 link between Ghatkopar and Andheri, making it a major boarding hub.

Meanwhile, on the same day, a special drive was also held at Mulund station, where the authorities caught 315 ticketless passengers, and a fine of Rs 74,860 was collected in a day.

There has been a rise in ticketless travel cases across Mumbai, with special checking drives being conducted at multiple railway stations. Hundreds of passengers are being caught every day during these operations.

On March 16 and 17, special ticket-checking drives were carried out at Asangaon, Titvala, Ambernath and Badlapur stations. At Asangaon, 312 ticketless passengers were caught and fined, and Rs 78,290 was collected, while 305 passengers at Titvala were penalised, collecting Rs 75,345 in fine.

On March 16, a separate drive at Ambernath and Badlapur during evening peak hours caught 763 ticketless travellers, with a total fine of Rs 1,88,620 collected. Last week, a similar drive was held at Vashi railway station, resulting in action against 393 passengers, with authorities collecting Rs 1,02,260 in fines in a single day.

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Maharashtra

Bomb threat to blow up Mumbai Bandra BKC Passport Office; no suspicious objects or explosives found during search; alert issued in area

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Mumbai: Bandra BKC has been rocked by a bomb threat. A panic has erupted in the area after an email was received stating that 19 cyanide bombs have been planted in the passport office in Mumbai’s BKC. The police immediately received the information about this email and the bomb disposal and bomb disposal teams reached the spot. A panic has erupted after a bomb threat was received at the passport office in Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC). The threat was given through an email. A threat was made to plant 19 bombs filled with cyanide in the passport office and toilets. There was panic after the email was received. The threatening email said that the bombs would explode at 1.30 pm today. As soon as the information about this threatening email was received, the police and the bomb disposal squad reached the spot. The entire area has been evacuated and the bomb squad searched but nothing was found. Therefore, the police are taking details of the email through which the threat was sent. Mumbai Police is investigating the entire matter in depth.

Threatening mails on three email IDs
On Wednesday, the passport office in BKC received three threatening emails. In which 19 cyanide bombs kept in the passport office and toilets were threatened to explode at 1.30 pm. The threatening mails were received on the email addresses Sourav_biswas21@hotmail.com, rpo.mumbai@mea.gov.in and rpo.mumbai@cpo.gov.in. After this, the security agencies and the Mumbai Police were immediately informed. On receiving the information, the security agencies started immediate action. Senior officers of the BKC police station, an ATS team and officers of Unit 8 immediately reached the spot. They took control of the entire area and started investigation.

Citizens urged to be vigilant
The bomb disposal and bomb disposal team conducted a thorough inspection of the lobby of the passport office, the main entrance, the entrance and exit routes, the trees and bushes in the area and all the surrounding areas as a precautionary measure. Fortunately, they did not find anything suspicious or objectionable in this inspection. Still, the police, taking the matter seriously, have appealed to the citizens to be vigilant. They have also been asked to immediately inform the police if they see anything suspicious anywhere.

Fake threatening emails are also often sent. Such fake emails create an atmosphere of fear. To prevent this, the cyber police have started collecting more information about email IDs. The security personnel of the passport office have also been instructed to be vigilant and follow security standards.

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