Letters to the Editor: 07 June, 2019

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June 7, 2019

Poll gimmick from Kejriwal have no takers

Free bus and metro rides for women in Delhi being promised by the Delhi state government led by their Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is nothing but a poll gimmick before elections. The CM is worried about women’s safety but not sure how the safety of the women is guaranteed with these free rides. Arvind Kejriwal who started as a promising politician but sadly has lost his path over the years. Today, he seems more confused than the citizens of Delhi and the rest of the country. People have lost faith in his capabilities and the promises he makes.

The Delhi State government will definitely lose the upcoming assembly election and freebies don’t really interest voters these days. People are ready to pay a price but expect quality services in the bargain. Nothing on this planet is free except the promises made by politicians as it costs nothing to fool people in the name of votes.

-S.N. Kabra

Trump shuts special trade door on India

India is one of the largest market. If US wants to shun away, let it be. It’s only a pressure game. You keep goods in your own go down for long. It will increase inventories. But it is very clear. Nothing is free in this world. In any relationship, particularly in the area of economic ties, there are ongoing issues which get resolved mutually from time to time. Trump shuts special trade door on India and US will be the loser as they do not have a bigger market than India to sell their products.

-Nickil Mani

Discontinue rubber-stamped post-cards

Post-card politics has begun between BJP and TMC where the saffron party has sent 10 lakh post-cards to West Bengal Chief Minister with message Jai Shri Ram because of Mamata Banerjee unnecessarily provoked on greeting her with Jai Shri Ram by BJP workers. Now TMC has decided to counter the move by sending 20 lakh post-cards to Prime Minister Narendra Modi with slogans of Jai Hind- Jai Bangla.

But post-card politics will cost heavily to postal-department because heavily subsidised post-card with postal-tariff of just 50 paise has multiple times the actual operating-cost. It is noteworthy that neither the users of post-card nor even postal-department are aware of the fact that rubber-stamped or printed post-cards have a much higher postal-tariff of rupees six.

There is a flood of rubber-stamped ordinary post-cards of 50 paise tariff delivered at All India Radio against postal-rules where listeners often send rubber-stamp message to listen any song as their choice just to listen their names on radio-programme for listener-choice of film-songs. Postal-department must not deliver such rubber-stamped post-cards without complete postal-tariff of rupees six for printed and rubber-stamped post-cards.

Since heavily subsidised post-cards and Inland-Letter-Cards are not being used by common people, these should be discontinued because of being heavily misused firstly for commercial purposes like by chit-fund companies to send reminders and now for political purposes by BJP and TMC.

-Subhash Chandra Agrawal

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

Age is no restriction for setting examples for others

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Web Team

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June 7, 2019

The famous poet Dushyant Kumar had once said, “We can make a hole in the sky, we only need to throw a stone with full confidence”. AK Singh, whose full name is Awadhesh Kumar Singh, has made this statement true. The Regional Commissioner-I Singh is presently posted in the Employees Provident Fund Organisation, Chandigarh, Punjab. Singh is the emerging star of the country in the marathon in the age group of 50 years and above, whereas he has no sporting background. The native place of Singh is Nalanda, Bihar.

Singh has an excellent academic background. He was an intelligent student since his childhood. Even in competitive exams, he did well. After passing graduation, Singh gave his services to Railway, Income Tax Department, Corporation Bank, State Bank of India, etc. He topped in the Income Tax Inspector exams in Maharashtra Region. He also topped in Assistant Grade Competitive Examinations which was conducted by SSC. In 1994, he topped in probationary officer examination of State Bank of India. In 1998, Singh got 22^nd rank in an examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission and contributed to the Guntur office of Andhra Pradesh as Assistant Commissioner in the Employees Provident Fund Organization. Later on, Singh’s worked in Hyderabad, Goa, Kolkata, etc.

In order to keep himself fit during the posting in Kolkata, Singh used to do morning walk in 2015. He continued to do this until six months continuously. Meanwhile, he read an article on Marathon. Thereafter, he thought that he had also the ability to run a marathon. Though Singh was habituated to take liquor and cigarettes on a daily basis, he left liquor and cigarettes in one stroke.

Singh started to gather information related to the marathon. Meanwhile, he got information regarding registration of the Baroda Ultra Half Marathon which was going to be held on November 1, 2015. He gets registered himself without delay. He participated in the Baroda Ultra Half Marathon in the age group of 45 years and above and secured 23rd position. Having secured a respectable position in the first attempt, his confidence increased a lot. Thereafter, Singh participated in Delhi and Kolkata Half Marathon in 2015. In the Kolkata Half Marathon, Singh got 19th place, while in Delhi Half Marathon, he secured 153rd position. Singh achieved these achievements without any coaching, which gave him a lot of confidence. Singh felt that if he takes coaching in a professional manner, he can easily win gold medals in his age group.

In November 2015, Singh was transferred to Ludhiana, Punjab. He met Gurmeet SinghGurmeet Singh there, who was a coach of well-known athlete OP Jaisha. In the first meeting, Gurmeet Singh refused to train Singh, but after two or three meetings, Gurmeet Singh got ready to take a test of Singh. Singh passed the test easily. Thus, since January 20, 2016, Singh started his professional training of marathon.

After just six months of professional training, Singh participated in “Run the Light Marathon” in Chandigarh in July 2016 and won a gold medal in his age group. In this marathon, Singh secured 12^th rank in all age groups. Singh bagged the sixth position in the IDBI Half Marathon held in Mumbai in August 2016. He secured the fourth position in the Baroda Ultra Half Marathon held in October 2016. In December 2016, Singh finished third in the Kolkata Half Marathon, which was organized by Tata Steel.

In the Airtel Delhi Half marathon, which was held in Delhi on November 20, 2016, Singh secured 19th position. Singh completed the 21.1 km Half Marathon in 1 hour 38 minutes, while in 2015, he took 1 hour and 55 minutes to cover this distance and he secured 153rd rank. It was a long leap from the point of view of achievement. Singh had secured the sixth position in the IDBI Mumbai Half Marathon held in 2016, then in the year 2017, he took the fourth position in the Standard Chartered Half Marathon held in Mumbai. In December 2017, Mr. Singh secured the second position in the Half Marathon held in Patna.

A few Senior Marathon runners advised him to run in the Boston Marathon, because it is very prestigious in the world. In the year 2017, in Longford, Ireland, the first time he runs Full Marathon and got third place, but could not get eligibility for the Boston Marathon. In 2017, IDBI Delhi Full Marathon, he got 13th rank, but he again missed the eligibility criteria for Boston Marathon. In the IDBI Delhi Full Marathon which was held in 2018, Singh secured 9th position and also qualified for the Boston Marathon. Singh competed for this distance in 3 hours and 24 minutes and thereafter participated in Boston Marathon in April 2019.

Before this, Singh secured the 1^st position in Daily World full marathon which was held in Chandigarh in April 2018. He is also Brand Ambassador of Daily World Marathon. Singh has also won a gold medal in 800 meters in the Punjab Master Athletics in 2018. In the National Game, which was held in Guntur in 2019, he got a bronze medal in 800-meter event and also qualified for the Asian game. He will now represent India in the Asian Game in his age group of 50 years and above. He wants to win a gold medal for the country in international events also. Singh’s coach Gurmeet Singh also believes that he has still potency to win a gold medal for the country.

-Satish Singh

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of AFTERNOON VOICE and AFTERNOON VOICE does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.

Security forces score a big success in Kashmir; four terrorists killed

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Web Team

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June 7, 2019

Security forces on Friday morning gunned down four terrorists in an encounter in Pulwama of Jammu and Kashmir. This is a big success for the security forces.

According to police, the security forces received information about the presence of terrorists in Pulwama. After that, they launched a joint operation in the area. The terrorists opened fire at security personnel. Thus, they were forced to retaliate and 4 terrorists of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) were killed in the gunfight, including a former Special Police Officer (SPO) who turned towards terrorism. Jammu-Kashmir Police tweeted, “Four terrorists have been eliminated.They reportedly belong to JeM. Operation is over.”

It is remarkable that the security forces have scaled up anti-terror operation in the Kashmir Valley. Over 100 terrorists, including 23 foreign nationals, have been killed in Kashmir in the first five months of 2019. According to news agency PTI, among the terrorists killed, Shopian accounted for a maximum of 25. Pulwama was second with the killings of 15 terrorists, followed by Awantipora with 14 and Kulgam with 12.

Mumbai in Mess: Govt’s promise of pothole-free road flunked

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Afternoon Voice

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June 6, 2019

The ruling Maharashtra BJP had promised pothole-free Mumbai. The tenure of the Fadnavis government is going to expire soon but the city is yet to be free from potholes and Mumbai is still in mess. The Maharashtra Assembly elections are scheduled to happen in October this year.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) started repair work in October 2018 on 1,378 roads of the city. But by May 31, BMC could repair only 880 roads. Repair work on remaining 500 roads is pending, and it will be carried out only after monsoon. Till then Mumbai residents will have to suffer from problems like traffic jam, road accidents and waterlogging. On the other hand, the official gave reason for the delay and said that repair work was delayed as some staff was on the election duty in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls.

BMC has claimed that it has completed more than 90 per cent desilting of the city’s nullahs and almost entirely trimmed trees. At the same time, the desilting and cleaning work of nullahs is still going on at many places in the city. However, officials claim that the ongoing repair works has come to a safe stage. Mumbaikars are worried as BMC again missed deadline for the completion of pre-monsoon repair works. Monsoon will reach Kerala in next 48 hours. It is expected to hit Mumbai within 10 days.

It is remarkable that for monsoon preparedness, the work of desilting of nullahs starts on April 1 of every year. The deadline for completion of the work is May 15. However, the deadline was extended to May 31 this year. In a meeting with police department, railways, BMC, Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport undertaking (BEST), Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), Indian Navy, Public Works Department (PWD) meteorological department and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) officials, it was decided to fill potholes in the city by May 31, 2019.

An official from Road and Traffic Department said that some repair works are not finished. The department has ensured the security of the common man in these areas. He said that they take up repair of remaining works after monsoon in October. But it will be further delayed by one or two months due to the Model Code of Conduct of upcoming assembly elections.

Storm Water Drain (SWD) department’s official said, “We have removed silt from nullahs. After the silt dries, it will be moved to some dumping sites over the next few days.”

As per the data available with the SWD department, the city has over 2900-km drain network comprising minor and major nullahs, arch drains, roadside open drains and closed pipe drains. The island city has 530-km of drain network, the western suburbs over 1600-km network, and eastern suburbs a total of 857-km network.

In spite of tall claims about the preparedness for the monsoon, Mumbaikars witness heavy waterlogging due to choked nullahs. They have to face inconvenience because of potholed roads. The delays come despite a 25 per cent increase in the BMC’s 2019-20 budget for road work. The BMC has made a provision of Rs1,520 crore for more work on more than 300 km of roads this year, compared to last year’s provision of Rs 1,202 crore.

While the common man suffers a lot in any monsoon-related incident, leaders of the political parties seem less careful about their plights. When this incident becomes serious or fatal, political parties and their leaders start baking their bread. Last year, some people lost their lives due to potholes and open manhole in rainwater flooded areas in Mumbai. When these accidents hit headlines, political leadership came into action. This year, though the administration is working at snail’s pace, no political leader questioned them.

On being asked about pre-monsoon repair work, the BJP spokesperson Avdhut Wagh declined to comment at all saying he has no data of work done. On the other hand, former MP of Mumbai North Central and the Congress leader Priya Dutt, who lost the Lok Sabha election to Poonam Mahajan, asked to raise this issue with the Congress corporator and leader of opposition in BMC Ravi Raja and he did not respond.

BMC officials too could not give data about work done. They passed on their responsibility by giving the phone number of other departments. The Drainage Department gave the number of Disaster Control Department. When contacted, Disaster Control Department gave the number of Solid Waste Management Department. There was no competent authority in the Solid Waste Management Department and the official receiving the phone call disconnected it.

By Rajesh Kumar Choudhary & Moumita Mukherjee

It’s a never-ending rollercoaster for Kashmiri Pandits: Part I

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Vaidehi Taman

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June 6, 2019

During the LS election campaigns, while hitting out at Rahul Gandhi, then BJP President and now Home Minister Amit Shah emphasised that no one can make India part with J&K as long as the BJP exists. Well! We all know BJP for its jumlas and tall claims. So far, they haven’t done much to rehabilitate the Kashmiri Pandits. They used Pandits for votes; the irony is that the so-called Kashmiri Pandits, those who are in the film industry, became slaves to BJP and its propaganda because they wanted some perks and also the political seats and stakes. If you look at Kashmir, BJP really cannot do much as the oldest generation, who had spent 70 per cent of their lifetime in Kashmir and are still connected to their roots, are either no more or ailing. They miss their motherland every day, cry almost every day, recall all their memories, and talk about them — but it seems impossible that Kashmir will return to normalcy during their lifetime. The second generation too suffered the most, they had spent almost 50 per cent of their lifetime in Kashmir; they still have those scars but they have moved on, created a new nest, new life, and new identity and are happy in the current conditions. They don’t have the courage to give it all for that uncertainty, not worth it.

The present generation born in (‘75 to ’20s), spent a major chunk of their life away from the valley. They may have some faint memory but not much of the belonging. They are equally anonymous to the situations as any other normal citizen. For them, Kashmir is some horror story about which their grandparents tell them once in a while very passionately and emotionally; their grandparents sometimes even tell them about some good stories about Kashmir (likes how prosperous we were back then, how big our houses were, how many acres of apple gardens we had) — these are just stories for this generation and they don’t even speak Kashmiri properly. Why would these kids like to go to some alien land? They might enjoy it as an experience of their family but will never feel any bond. They do not wish to return because they don’t trust the people and the governments. This future generation of Kashmiri Pandits can’t even speak their native language or can relate to this culture — do you really think they will look to settle in Kashmir?

Kashmir is boiling since the time of the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits (1990). Radicalism is increasing in the state day by day due to the brainwashing of some people by the extremists. So, it is not safe for the Kashmiri Pandits to return home. They have lost their homes and other properties — what will they do after returning to Kashmir? They don’t have any trust in the government whether they will be able to protect them or not after returning to Kashmir Valley. Once they have lost their families, they don’t want to lose the remaining family members again. Kashmiri Pandits know that the situation will go worse in Kashmir if they return to the valley. Hence, they will never try to return until the situation becomes normal. Everyone knows, nothing can change the fate of the valley but everyone wants to bake their bread there.

RSS-BJP combo always wanted to rule J&K to enforce its kind of majoritarian policy in the state. Tragically, the 2014 BJP-PDP agenda for alliance never took off and the alliance itself turned out to be a disaster. It widened the gulf between the three regions of the state and contributed to the rise, once again, of home-grown militants, especially young men inspired by extremism. Apart from increasing alienation among a new generation of Kashmiris, the turmoil since 2016 has claimed more lives. Present ruling party and its origin of inspiration, the RSS, are all shouting from rooftops that they act strong when it comes to national security. This is their way to inform their core constituency across the country in the election season that it is capable of acting tough with anti-nationals. However, those matters in Delhi are playing with fire. To make Kashmir an issue in the national poll campaign by punishing the ordinary Kashmiris is to play fast and loose with the unity of the country and its integrity. And for What? Only to grab a few extra votes! It is quite unbelievable.

This is what the Bharatiya Janata Party wrote in its 2014 Lok Sabha election manifesto. This was what the estimated 1.5 lakh Kashmiri Pandits, who were forced to flee from the Valley, and their growing families were looking for. They overwhelmingly supported it. However, five years down the line, the community feels they have been forgotten. They say that they have been failed. Now, when the BJP government at the Centre completed its term and entered into the second term, it forgot the fact that they have actually not done anything for them.

Kashmiri Pandits filed two RTI applications with the Department of Jammu and Kashmir Affairs, which works under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. In the first RTI, they asked about the progress in cases related to the killing of Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir and the number of FIRs lodged in those cases and the total number of Kashmiri Pandits killed in the valley. In response, it was told, “The information is not available with the undersigned CPIO and might be available with the State Government of J&K.” The second RTI was about the exact number of Kashmiri Pandits who are left in the Valley and the exact number of those who had then subsequently been rehabilitated. Again, they were told that the government does not have any information about the number of Kashmiri Pandits who are left in the Valley or even about the migrants who might have been rehabilitated in the past 10 years. This time too we were asked to approach the state government. They had also asked about the steps taken by the Central government to rehabilitate Kashmiri Pandits in the past 10 years. The government of India has identified three major schemes taken up by it for the rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits. They are monthly cash relief/dry ration, Prime Minister’s Relief Package 2008 and Prime Minister’s Development Package 2015. Out of the three, two dates back to times before Narendra Modi came to power. When it was asked about the money spent by the government of India on the transit accommodation of the Kashmiri Pandits in the past 10 years, the reply stated, “The Government of India has issued sanction to the Govt of J&K for construction of 6,000 transit accommodations in the Kashmir Valley under the PMDP, 2015. The advance amount of Rs 115 crore was released to the government of J&K in September 2016.” Displaced Kashmiri Pandits who soon after the outbreak of militancy in the state were forced to flee Kashmir Valley in the early 1990s observe January 19 as their Holocaust Day.

Responding to the RTI, Congress J&K chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said, “This exposes the BJP government. They don’t even maintain the data. They have no information about killings of Kashmiri Pandits and the cases registered against the terrorists.” He very conveniently ignored the fact that UPA too didn’t register cases or maintained records when it was in power. J&K BJP chief Ravinder Raina tried to defend the Modi government and passed on the buck to the Home Ministry. He said, “It shows non-seriousness of some officers at MHA. Hundreds of Pandits were killed. An inquiry commission should be set up so that cases of killings of Pandits can be probed. Congress has no right to speak on Pandits. Congress was a mute spectator when Pandits were driven out.” When some news channel went to Kashmiri refugee camps in Jammu, people living there too expressed their anguish with the present Modi government. One of the residents of this camp said, “We were very happy when Modi became the PM. We had high hopes. Now, we only see him on TV saying ‘Bhayion Aur Beheno’. He has failed. We lost everything in the valley. We had to run away to save our lives. We are facing a lot of difficulties in these camps.” He finished one term and retained power again but we see no hope form this government too as our own people and the so-called custodians have mortgaged their loyalties to BJP and Modi for their personal gains.

(The latter part will continue tomorrow.)

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)

World class zoo coming up in Aarey Colony, govt signs MoU with BMC

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Web Team

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June 6, 2019

Zoo — Image Courtesy: Representational Photo

The state government on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to set up an international-standard zoo at Aarey Milk Colony in Goregaon.

The government handed 120 acres of land in the area — the city’s green lungs — for the project, which has been in the pipeline since 2009. The project’s total cost is an estimated `500 crore and it will come up in four to five years, an official said.

It will have a host of unseen wild animals, trails and jungle safaris, a nature education centre, a separate breeding centre for endangered species like the Great Indian Bustard, and other facilities as per guidelines of Central Zoo Authority (CZA).

Authorities are also mulling over starting a night safari, similar to many foreign countries, where people can view animal enclosures at night.

The proposed site in Aarey Milk Colony was inspected by a Central Zoo Authority (CZA) team in 2014, which recently gave its clearance. The new zoo will be virtually adjacent to tourism centres like Film City and Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP).

On Wednesday, a memorandum of understanding was signed between Maharashtra Forest Department and BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) whereby 100 acres of the 190-acre government land will be given for setting up the zoo.

The BMC will soon appoint a project management consultant and prepare a comprehensive master plan for the zoo. The civic body will execute and maintain the facility with its own resources and share the net revenue with the forest department.

The ownership of the land, meanwhile, will continue to remain with the government.

The MoU documents were signed and exchanged in the presence of Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray and Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar.

“In a city like Mumbai, where people are stuck in an ‘office-to-home and home-to-office’ routine, the international zoo will give citizens a world-class experience, like the Singapore zoo… It will set as an example for other “ities,” Thackeray said.

As per the MoU, the forest department will provide technical expertise in procuring various animals for the zoo and other facilities which would showcase the rich biodiversity of the state and the country.

Due to a shortage of space in central Mumbai, an alternative site inside the Aarey Milk Colony was explored for the new facility. The new zoo will act as an extension of the 50-acre Byculla zoo.

Mumbai among the ‘most traffic congested’ cities in the world, Delhi ranks fourth

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Web Team

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June 6, 2019

Mumbai Traffic — Image Courtesy: PTI Photo / Santosh Hirlekar

Mumbai is the most traffic congested city in the world, while Delhi is close behind at fourth position, an analysis of traffic congestion in 403 cities across six continents has revealed.

‘Traffic Index-2018’, compiled by leading independent location technology specialist TomTom, said that Mumbai takes the top spot for the second consecutive year with commuters spending an average of 65 per cent extra travel time stuck in traffic.

According to the report, after Mumbai, next in the global rankings were Colombian capital, Bogota (63 per cent), Lima in Peru (58 per cent), New Delhi (58 per cent) and Russian capital, Moscow (56 per cent), making up the top five most congested cities in the world.

With Moscow taking the lead in Europe, Istanbul (53 per cent) came a close second with Bucharest (48 per cent) Saint Petersburg (47 per cent) and Kiev (46 per cent) making up the top five.

Brussels (37 per cent), London (37 per cent) and Paris (36 per cent) ranked in at 11th, 12th and 13th respectively.

Among North American cities, top five most congested are Mexico City (52 per cent), Los Angeles (41 per cent), Vancouver (38 per cent), New York (36 per cent) and San Francisco (34 per cent).

The report said that traffic congestion has increased globally during the last decade and nearly 75 per cent of the cities Tom Tom includes in the new Traffic Index report had increased or stable congestion levels between 2017 and 2018, with only 90 cities showing measurable decreases.

Decreases were measured in Asia with a large decrease in congestion (-8 per cent) in Jakarta while nearly every city in South America posted increases, the largest (8 per cent) taking place in Lima, Peru.

“Globally, traffic congestion is rising. And that’s both good and bad news. It’s good because it indicates a strong global economy, but the flip side is drivers wasting time sitting in traffic, not to mention the huge environmental impact,” Ralf-Peter Schaefer, TomTom’s Vice President of Traffic information said.

He said TomTom has been collecting traffic information and providing traffic services for nearly a decade, allowing drivers to make smarter choices in route planning and avoiding congestion.

Navi Mumbai on high-alert after graffiti messages praising ISIS and Hafiz Saeed found on bridge

By

Web Team

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June 6, 2019

Navi Mumbai police are extra vigilant after a message praising terror outfit ISIS, its head Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi, and 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed appeared on a pillar of a bridge in Uran near Mumbai, an official said.

Locals from nearby Khopta village spotted the message, written with a black marker pen, and alerted police, he said. The message praised Baghdadi as the “most dreaded terrorist of the world”.

On another pillar, a diagram of sorts was found, featuring words such as “port”, “airport'”, “pipeline'”, “train” and crude drawings representing these objects.

Local police as well as officials of Navi Mumbai crime branch and Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) visited the spot after learning about the message and drawings, the police official said.

As some important installations are situated in and around Uran, including a naval base, JNPT container port and a power station, the police have increased the security in the area, he said.

According to reports, the suspect is mentally unstable and undergoing psychiatric treatment at DY Patil Hospital. He has already confessed to writing the messages and will be placed under arrest shortly.

“A person was detained and questioned after which he confessed to have scribbled the message on the bridge pillar. He will be placed under arrest shortly,” Navi Mumbai police commissioner Sanjay Kumar told the reporters.

Some liquor bottles were also found near the bridge, and the possibility of some drunk person having written the message for the sake of mischief cannot be ruled out, the police officer added.

Australia Open 2019: PV Sindhu knocked out, losses to Thailand’s Nitchaon Jindapol

By

Web Team

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June 6, 2019

Olympic and world championship silver medallist P V Sindhu made a second round exit from the Australian Open, suffering a straight-game loss in what turned out to be a dismal day for Indian shuttlers on Thursday.

Sindhu was the last to fall, following the ouster of sixth seeded compatriots Sameer Verma, B Sai Praneeth and the men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.

Later in the day, former Commonwealth Games champion Parupalli Kashyap’s gallant fight against Chinese legend Lin Dan also ended in a heartbreak to draw curtains on India’s campaign here.

The world number five Sindhu, who is still looking for the first title of the season, could not get across Nitchaon Jindapol, ranked 29th, and lost 19-21 18-21 in a 49-minute match. This was her second loss to the Thailand player in seven meetings.

Earlier, world number 12 Sameer went down 16-21 21-7 13-21 to former top 10 player Wang Tzu Wei of Chinese Taipei, while Praneeth put up a brave fought in the opening game before surrendering 23-25 9-21 to second seed Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in a 42-minute clash.

Satwiksairaj and Chirag tried hard against second seeds Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen, before losing 19-21 18-21 in a close contest.

Kashyap also found the going tough against two-time former Olympic champion Lin Dan, losing 17-21 22-20 14-21 in a hard-fought contest.

Sindhu was pegged back 1-5 in the first game but she recovered to grab a slender 11-9 advantage at the break. Jindapol, however, came back to erase the deficit and move to a 16-12 lead.

Sindhu battled hard till 19-19 before Jindapol closed the opening game in her favour.

The Indian revived hopes of a reversal when she led 14-11 at one stage, but Jindapol again came back strongly, ekeing out an 18-14 advantage.

Sindhu narrowed the lead to 18-19 but Jindapol soon shut the door on her rival.

The Hyderabadi shuttler’s best performance this season has been a semifinal place at the India Open Super 500 tournament.

Sanjay Mishra and Istiyak Khan film ‘Shadow of Othello’ wraps up

By

Web Team

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June 6, 2019

Producer Vikas Vashistha, who is all set to come up with his film, Shadow of Othello, under the banner of Vsquare films took to his social media handle to announce the wrap up of the last schedule of the movie. Shadow of Othello is a comic take on Shakespeare’s popular play Othello and has been directed by Istiyak Khan, who has also acted in the film.

Another visual experiment has been performed on Shakespeare’s popular play Othello, as producer Vikas Vashistha is bringing a different version of it to the audience. His film Shadow of Othello has a comic take to the story, which has been tried for the first time.

Producer Vikas said, “When the script of the film was brought to me, it was so terrific that I felt a film has to be made on it. What happens usually with small budget films is that they lack speed. But this film’s script was so nice, that it brought a sense of speed in the film. The last schedule of the movie Shadow of Othello is shot. I’m going to miss everyone. We have just one aim, to give you the best film of 2019. The film is under Post Production and tentatively hits the screens at the end of this year. First thing now, we are planning for hitting the film festivals. Very soon we are planning to release the first look of the movie and I am sure that it will be appreciated internationally.”

While the film has a star cast which includes names like Sanjay Mishra, Ipsita Chakraborty, Vikram Kochar, Tina Bhatia, and Ashish Shukla, there was one known name who could have been a part of the film. When asked if this film carried any message for the audience, he said, “As a filmmaker, I believe that every film should have a social message. This film tells us that our society has different shades and one of them is that people get jealous or get affected by negative vibes very easily. So this film teaches us how we can judge our own flaws and can fight against them to become a better person.”