No better place to make my India debut than New Zealand, says Gill after India call-up

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January 13, 2019

Considered the ‘next big thing’ in Indian cricket, Shubman Gill has broken into the national team sooner than he expected and says there can’t be a better place to start his international career than New Zealand, where he was named player of U-19 World Cup, 12 months ago.

The last one year has seen the 19-year-old opener take giant strides.

The Mohali-based cricketer has followed his U-19 captain Prithvi Shaw to make the Indian team, albeit in the shorter formats, after a ‘dream’ 2018 when he bagged a lucrative IPL contract following a stellar World Cup and made 790 runs in 10 innings at 98.75 in Punjab’s latest Ranji Trophy campaign.

He was also part of the Rahul Dravid India A side that toured New Zealand last month.

“It is a big advantage (to be picked for the New Zealand tour). I played well there in the U-19 World Cup and now again I have got the opportunity,” Gill told agencies on Sunday after getting the news of his life, late last night.

” As I have done well there, I can say that there isn’t much adjustment needed in the technique. If I get an opportunity, I will have just need to handle the pressure that comes with playing for India. Mentally, it will be different for sure but I am ready.”

He is a supremely gifted and confident cricketer but the occasion got the better of him when he was informed about his selection.

“It was late in the night. My heart started beating faster. The messages started pouring in and I rushed to tell my father. It was a special moment,” said Gill.

Even senior Punjab teammate Yuvraj Singh and his IPL captain Dinesh Karthik, who was amongst the first few to congratulate Gill, knew it was only a matter of time before he reaches the biggest stage and that would probably happen after the World Cup in May-July.

“The call was unexpected but I understand the circumstances in which I have been picked. I have a pretty set target in mind. I have done well at all the levels I have played in so far and that has given me the belief that I can also excel in international cricket,” said Gill, who is known to pace his innings brilliantly.

“Definitely, I have gained maximum exposure from IPL and Ranji Trophy experience has also helped immensely. Though, it all started with the win in the U-19 World Cup where we experienced the media pressure for the first time. The atmosphere that is created during the U-19 World Cup does help you at higher levels,” added Gill.

1956 Olympian footballer Zulfiqar passes away

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January 13, 2019

Former Indian footballer Mohammed Zulfiqaruddin, who was part of the fourth place finishing team in the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, passed away here Sunday.

He was 83 and survived by three sons and two daughters.

India lost to Bulgaria 0-3 in the bronze-medal match in Melbourne to finish fourth, a result considered one of the finest moments in the country’s football history.

Zulfiqaruddin also represented India in the 1958 Tokyo Asian Games and the Merdeka Cup in Malaysia, a release from Telangana Football Association said.

He was the captain of Andhra Pradesh in the Santosh Trophy from 1955 to 1967. He also captained AP Police team from 1954 to 1967 and won IFA Shield, Durand Cup and Rovers Cup tournaments.

A condolence meeting was held on Sunday at the Telangana Football Association office and it was attended by the office bearers.

10-year-old Shaw becomes youngest Khelo champ

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January 13, 2019

Abhinav Shaw became the youngest gold medallist at the Khelo India Youth Games when he teamed up with Mehuli Ghosh to help West Bengal win the 10m air-rifle mixed team event on Sunday.

The 10-year-old from Asansol raised his game enough in the final to ensure Mehuli Ghosh classy display would not result in any medal other than her second gold, a media release issued here said.

The sixth-standard student had to bide his time to get on the range and display his talent, not being among the 16 shooters chosen to compete in the individual events in either Junior (under-21) and Youth (under-17) categories.

He was not about to let it go.He dealt with the qualification and the final with a calm that would be the hallmark of any marksman.

The pint-sized but hugely talented young star made his team-mate, state and parents proud.

A shy lad, embracing quiet, he has taken rapid strides in the direction his father Rupesh and coach Joydeep Karmakar, who missed Olympic bronze in 2012, have chosen for him.

It was clear that the Karmakar-trainees complemented one another well.

In the final, where each series has a time limit, Mehuli decided to let her young teammate take the first crack.

“I take a little longer than him to line up my shot. He shoots pretty quickly and when we have a minute to complete our series, it helps to have him go first since he shoots quickly,” said Mehuli.

Mumbai bus strike enters 6th day, staff attendance negligible

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January 13, 2019

The BEST bus strike in Mumbai entered its sixth day on Sunday with no agreement in sight between agitating workers and the management of the civic-run transport undertaking.

Over 32,000 employees of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) are on strike since Tuesday and 3200-odd buses in its fleet are off the roads.

Only four drivers out of the 2,610 on the rolls, and none of the 2,764 conductors, were present on Sunday which meant that not a single bus plied, an official said.

A meeting between a state government committee, comprising the chief secretary, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation commissioner, BEST general manager and transport and urban development secretaries, and union functionaries Saturday had failed to break the impasse.

The meeting was held on the directions of the Bombay High Court.

Striking workers have been demanding the merger of the BMC and BEST budgets as well as higher salaries among other issues.

Meanwhile, Vidyadhar Date, convener of Amchi Mumbai Amchi BEST, a citizens’ forum for public transport, blamed the BMC and the undertaking for the stir.

He alleged that BMC and BEST had failed to invest in the city’s public transport mechanism and had been encouraging an energy-guzzling car-centric system for the metropolis.

He said these moves had led to debilitating traffic congestion, worsening air pollution and life-risking overcrowding on the suburban rail network.

The BMC has been focused on the coastal road instead of bus priority lanes, private contractors instead of commuters, BESTs so-called “inefficiencies” instead of the citys worsening pollution and congestion, and convenience of private motorists instead of safe, affordable and sustainable public transport, he claimed.

He alleged the BEST management looked at its bus service as an essential one under the Essential Services Maintenance Act only when it came to strikes, but on other occasions, like when it wanted to reduce fleet size, manpower, routes and increase privatisation, it saw the system as a “non essential” one.

Thane police commissionerate logs 63% crime detection rate

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January 13, 2019

Thane Police have recorded a crime detection rate at 63 per cent for the year 2018 in the police commissionarate limits, an uptick of five per cent from 2017, as per a report.

Out of the total 12,439 crimes registered under various heads in 2018, a total of 7,833 cases were successfully solved by the police, Thane police commissionarte stated in its annual report.

In 2017, the crime detection percentage for the Thane commissionarate region stood at 58 per cent, it stated.

There are total 35 police stations that fall under five zones in the Thane police commissionarate limits.

Thane Police Commissionerate comprises four Municipal Corporations (Thane, Bhiwandi, Ulhasnagar, and Kalyan-Dombivali) and two Muncipal Councils (Ambarnath and Badlapur) besides a number of small villages.

Out of 108 murder cases, 102 cases have been cracked by the police. Similarly, out of 307 cases of rape registered during the given period (2018), 288 cases have been solved, it stated. The number of successful investigations into the attempt to murder cases stood at 136 out of total 141 cases.

Other crimes included molestation, dacoity, burglary, kidnapping, assault on public servants, abetment to suicide, death due to negligent and rash driving.

However, a close scrutiny of the report reveals that the police have faltered in cracking burglary cases during the period.

The detection percentage recorded for burglaries stood at poor 41 per cent. Out of the total 1,222 such cases, only 497 cases have been detected, as per the report.

Thane, a city with population of over 18 lakh, is part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).

Mumbai, the financial capital of India, and Navi Mumbai, another most developed city, lie on the border of Thane.

The Central and Western Railway tracks go through Thane.

Kejriwal not to contest Lok Sabha election from Varanasi

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January 13, 2019

The Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday said that its convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will not be contesting from Varanasi in the coming Lok Sabha elections hence the party will field a strong candidate for the seat.

Kejriwal will not contest the Lok Sabha polls, as he wants to give special focus to his state. The AAP will contest on all the Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Goa. The party will contest on some seats in UP, and final modalities will be worked out by February. Apart from Varanasi, the party will contest from seats in eastern and western UP, where the organisation is strong, AAP spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said.

He further added that, in Delhi his party is working on education, health, farmers, power and providing drinking water. If we foray into national politics then our issues will be education for all and free education to all economically weaker sections of the society, ending unemployment and implementing the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission.

Asking on a recent statement made by Kejriwal which says not vote for the Congress in the coming Lok Sabha elections, Singh said that, Kejriwal was quoted out of context, what he had said that in a meeting in the national capital was that if you want to defeat the BJP, then do not waste your vote by casting it in favour of the Congress. His statement was in the context of Delhi, from where the AAP is contesting on all the seats.

Farmers attack sugar factories in Maha over payment delay

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January 13, 2019

Angry over delay in payments, farmers attacked offices of sugar factories in Satara, Sangli and Kolhapur districts of Maharashtra and set some of them ablaze, police said on Sunday.

A group of protesters torched the office of Krishna Sugar Factory at Karad in Satara on Friday, a police official said.

Some important documents, computers and furniture were destroyed in the blaze, he said, adding that offences were registered against unidentified persons by the Karad rural police.

Besides, another office of the sugar factory in neighbouring Sangli was set on fire on Saturday morning, an official at Islampur police station said.

Some workers informed police about the incident at the sugar factory’s office, where computers and several documents were kept, he said.

Protesters also vandalised and tried to torch the office of Kranti Sugar Factory at Walwa in Sangli on Saturday and later fled, the officials said.

Offences were registered against unidentified persons under Indian Penal Code sections for mischief and house-trespass, he said, adding that no arrest was made so far.

In another incident, farmers gathered near the Gurudatt Sugar Factory’s office at Shirol in Kolhapur on Saturday afternoon, seeking fair and remunerative price for their produce, another police official said.

The protesters, belonging to a local farmers’ organisation, then broke the factory office’s lock and vandalised furniture, computers, stationary and other material kept there, he said.

The Shirol police registered offences against nearly 65 people, out of whom 15 were identified. They were under IPC sections for rioting, unlawful assembly, house-trespass and mischief, the official said.

No arrest was made so far, he said, adding that a probe was underway.

Congress’ Street Play on Rafale Scam to soon hit Mumbai streets

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January 13, 2019

Mumbai Congress, under the leadership of Sanjay Nirupam, has tied up with a professional theater group to launch a street play based on the Rafale Scam under the same title. Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam states that this play will bring out the truth of the biggest scam of the Narendra Modi-led central government.

Sanjay Nirupam said, “We have roped in a professional theater group to inform the masses about the Rafale scam in an interesting manner. The script of the play is almost ready. The play will hit the streets of Mumbai soon”.

“As the Mumbai Congress President, I’m executing this street play in the city. We have shared the template of the street play with All India Congress Committee (AICC). Apart from Mumbai, if other States want to execute the idea, they can do it. Congress President Rahul Gandhi has already created awareness in the country about the Rafale scam”, added Nirupam.

Nirupam further added that the play will be performed all over the city and will feature theater actors who will portray roles of PM Narendra Modi, Anil Ambani, former President François Hollande, French President Emmanuel Macron, and others who have been involved in the scam.

Balasaheb Thakre Trauma Care Centre launched ‘Audiometry and Speech therapy service’

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January 13, 2019

Because of consistent demand for Audiometry services, Bala Saheb Thakare Trauma Care Centre Jogeshwari has launched ‘Speech therapy ‘and ‘audiometric services’ recently. Minister of state higher education and technical education and MLA Jogeshwari east, Ravindra Waikar has initiated to make it happen.

Many accident victims had lost their lives due to the non-availability of emergency centre in between Boriwali and Bandra on western express highway . So in the year 2013, with the initiative of Ravindra Waikar this trauma care centre was built to cater accident victims. More than 1000 patients are being treated here every day. Many accident victims face audio related problems after accidental injuries. Audio related problems can also be seen in new-borns and in old age persons as well. So it was a prolonged demand by people to start an audiometric centre at the trauma centre. Ravindra Waikar along with Trauma centre Superintendent Ganesh Shinde and hospital management materialised the proposal and launched these services from January 9, 2019.

The services will be available three days a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10 am to 2 pm. An expert committee of doctors headed by Dr. Ajay Doifode will treat the patients of speech therapy. Audiometry patients will be handled under the expertise of Dr. Mayashankar Vishvakarma and Dr. Anupama Shetty will head the department.

RSS-BJP’s main agenda is to remove quota for SC/ ST: Mewani

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January 13, 2019

Gujarat independent MLA and Dalit leader Jignesh Mewani on Sunday said that the Centre’s move to provide 10 per cent quota to upper caste poor is a step towards realizing the RSS-BJP’s agenda to remove caste-based reservations from the system.

President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday gave his assent to the constitutional provision to provide 10-per cent reservation in government jobs and education to economically backward section in the general category. The bill was passed by the Parliament on January 9.

“I am apprehensive and so are the members of the Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Class that this is the first step towards putting an end to the reservation on the ground of socio-educational deprivation.

“It has been a long-pending agenda of the RSS-BJP to discard the Constitution and end reservation based on caste system,” Mewani said on the sidelines of a programme in Kolkata.

The Independent MLA also said that the quota system was introduced in the country to give representation to socially and educationally backward people, it wasn’t meant to end poverty.

“We have absolutely no issues with the poor people from the other communities getting any benefit. But reservation is not meant to remove poverty.

“It is meant to give representation to SC/ST/OBC people, who on account of the society’s caste structure, have remained socially and educationally backward,” he said.

Congratulating BSP supremo Mayawati and SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav for stitching an alliance in Uttar Pradesh against the BJP, Mewani said the other opposition parties should also take cue from the coalition and make efforts for maximum polarisation of anti-BJP votes.