Month: March 2024

Mamata Banerjee

Mamata Calls For Massive Rally At Kolkata On March 10

By LokMarg

On Wednesday, the same day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a public rally at Barasat in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called for a huge rally at Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata on March 10.

In a social media post, Banerjee said that the “Bohiragoto Jomidars” (foreign landlords), implying the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), should not take Bengal’s patience and courtesy for its weakness.

“Bengal’s patience & courtesy should NOT be mistaken for its weakness. The Bohiragoto Jomidars must be reminded of this on March 10. The #JonogorjonSabha at Brigade Ground this Sunday will be a historic event on the land that has always fought for its rights. Join us as we lead the people’s movement for Bengal’s secure future. Bengal will show the way,” the Chief Minister said in a post on ‘X’.

Banerjee also shared a video message along with his post in which she is heard appealing to people of the state to gather at the Brigade Parade Ground in large numbers.

Banerjee said, “We will be protesting against the way Bengal and its people are being deprived by stopping funds for road construction, construction of houses, 100-day work, health programs and several other schemes. They are trying to create a disturbed environment in Bengal which is opposed to the Bengali ethos.”

The chief minister pointed out that people in Bengal do not discriminate on the basis of religion and accept people from multiple cultures.

“Bengal is the cultural capital of India and it shows respect to all cultures. We say that though people may have individual faiths, the festivities surrounding them are for everyone to share. We do not discriminate among ourselves. We cannot accept how they are conspiring to divide Bengal and finish off Bengali culture,” the Chief Minister said.

“I love all cultures, whether Hindu, Budhhism, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Muslims and Chirstians. We love everyone. We treat everyone as one amongst us. But if you are humiliating Bengal, it means you are humiliating those who are staying here,” she added.

Banerjee said that just like Bengal has shown India the way forward during the freedom struggle it will also do the same.

“Bengal has shown the way to freedom struggle, to India’s renaissance. Bengal has contributed in taking the country forward. There is a conspiracy to shred up this Bengali consciousness to pieces. Let us unite against this conspiracy for one day,” the Chief Minister said. (ANI)

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Dilip Ghosh on RG Kar Case

TMC Will Try To Save Shahjahan At Any Cost: BJP Ghosh

By LokMarg

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Dilip Ghosh on Wednesday slammed the West Bengal government after state police refused to hand over custody of Sheikh Shahjahan – the former Trinamool strongman accused of extortion, land grab, and sexual assault in Sandeshkhali – to the CBI, saying that the ruling party will try to save Sheikh at any cost.

Ghosh, while coming down heavily on the ruling party further, said that the state government was ‘compelled’ to arrest Sheikh due to the pressure of media and protests.

“TMC tried two months to protect him but due to the pressure from media and protests, they had to arrest him…They (TMC) will try to protect him at any cost. His property worth crores is being seized but TMC is trying to save him from ED…” he said.

Meanwhile, the West Bengal government on Wednesday sought an urgent hearing of its plea in the Supreme Court challenging a Calcutta High Court order that directed a CBI probe into the Sandeshkhali matter pertaining to an attack on Enforcement Directorate officials in Sandeshkhali on January 5 this year.

Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, “Urgency is that they wanted overnight compliance in an interim order.”

Earlier on Tuesday, the West Bengal government moved the Supreme Court against the Calcutta High Court order directing a CBI probe into the Sandeshkhali matter, which pertains to the attack on ED officials.

Earlier this year, in January, ED officials came under attack in the North 24 Parganas district while they were on their way to raid the homes of former Bongaon Municipality chairman Shankar Adhya and Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan in connection with the ration ‘scam’ case.

After weeks of no action, on February 29 Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sheikh Shahjahan was arrested by West Bengal police after which West Bengal’s Basirhat Court remanded him to 10-day police custody.

Following Shahjahan’s arrest, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed that he had been “put under the hospitality” of the state police in a bid to avoid arrest by the ED and the CBI.

Tension rose in Sandeshkhali after hundreds of women on the island came out on the streets against Shahjahan Sheikh, accusing him of perpetrating sexual abuse and other excesses on them along with his henchmen. (ANI)

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Yogi Adityanath Agra Metro

Yogi Takes Maiden Ride After Modi’s Virtual Launch Of Agra Metro’s Priority Corridor

By LokMarg

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday took the priority corridor of the Agra Metro, for an inaugural ride after Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually flagged off the project earlier in the day.

UP CM Yogi flagged off the Agra Metro from the Taj Mahal Metro Station.

The 6 km long priority corridor connects the iconic Taj Mahal’s eastern gate to the Mankameshwar Temple station, providing a vital transportation link for tourists and commuters alike. Notably, the corridor was completed well ahead of its initial September 2024 deadline, a feat that drew praise from the Chief Minister.

Agra Metro service will start operating for the general public on March 7.

The operational timing for the Agra Metro will be from 6 am till 10 pm.

The names of the metro stations in the priority corridor are Taj Mahal East, Captain Shubham Gupta, Fatehabad Road, Taj Mahal and Mankameshwar Temple.

During the inauguration ceremony, Adityanath commended the Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) for their commendable work in completing the Agra Metro project expeditiously.

“…Uttar Pradesh Metro Corporation has been praised for the commendable work done by them in Kanpur Metro and now in Agra metro. Keeping public safety in mind, several parameters have been covered which serve the primary purpose and that is public safety…” the CM said.

CM Yogi further said that the newly inaugurated metro service in Agra city is a result of the BJP government’s commitment towards building Uttar Pradesh a developed state.

“A long-awaited aspiration of Agra was fulfilled. Respected Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji today inaugurated the passenger service on the primary corridor of the ‘Agra Metro Rail Project’ in Agra district through video conferencing. This metro service is a result of our commitment towards building a ‘Developed Uttar Pradesh’ and our resolve to provide the best transport facilities to the people of Agra,” the CM wrote in a post on X.

Earlier, PM Modi inaugurated the 17-kilometer additional section of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS) corridor on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Modi remotely inaugurated the RRTS corridor via video conference from Kolkata.

With this, an additional 17 km stretch from Duhai to Modi Nagar North on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor, beyond the operational priority section, will be ready for operations.

The extension encompasses three stations – Murad Nagar, Modi Nagar South and Modi Nagar North. (ANI)

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Critics' Choice Awards Vikrant and Shahid

Critics’ Choice Awards: Vikrant Secures Top Nomination For 12th Fail, Farzi Gets Nominated

By LokMarg

Critics’ Choice Awards is returning with its sixth edition. On Wednesday, the nominees were announced.

Vikrant Massey has been nominated for Best Actor for his performance in ’12th Fail’. He will compete for the coveted award with stars like Manoj Bajpayee and Mammootty under the category of “feature film nominations”.

Actor Shahid Kapoor’s debut web series ‘Farzi’ found a spot in the Best Web Series category.

Here’s the complete list of nominations:

Feature Film Nominations

Best Film

12th Fail

Dhuin

Fire in the Mountains

Joram

Kaathal – The Core

Koozhangal (Pebbles)

Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam

Shesh Pata

Three of Us

Tora’s Husband

Best Actor

Vikrant Massey for ’12th Fail’

Abhinav Jha for ‘Dhuin’

Manoj Bajpayee for ‘Joram’

Mammootty for ‘Kaathal – The Core’

Prosenjit Chatterjee for ‘Shesh Pata’

Best Actress

Vinamrata Rai for ‘Fire in the Mountains’

Kalki Koechlin for ‘Goldfish’

Jyothika for ‘Kaathal – The Core’

Shefali Shah for ‘Three of Us’

Shahana Goswami for ‘Zwigato’

Best Supporting Actor

Ambarish Bhattacharya for ‘Ardhangini’

Pankaj Kapur for ‘Bheed’

Aditya Rawal for ‘Faraaz’

Jaideep Ahlawat for ‘Jaane Jaan’

Sudhi Kozhikode for ‘Kaathal – The Core’

Best Supporting Actress

Jaya Ahsan for ‘Ardhangini’

Deepti Naval for ‘Goldfish’

Smita Tambe for ‘Joram’

Gunjalamma for ‘Pinki Elli? (Where Is Pinki?)’

Gargee Roy Chowdhury for ‘Shesh Pata’

Best Writing

Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Jaskunwar Kohli, Anurag Pathak, Aayush Saxena and Vikas Divyakirti for ’12th Fail’

Prashant Rana, Achal Mishra, Anubhav Priya and Abhinav Jha for ‘Dhuin’

Devashish Makhija for ‘Joram’

P. S. Vinothraj for ‘Koozhangal (Pebbles)\’

Rima Das for ‘Tora’s Husband’

Best Director

Vidhu Vinod Chopra for ’12th Fail’

Devashish Makhija for ‘Joram’

P. S. Vinothraj for ‘Koozhangal (Pebbles)’

Avinash Arun Dhaware for ‘Three of Us’

Rima Das for ‘Tora’s Husband’

Best Editing

Achal Mishra for “Dhuin”

Abhro Banerjee for “Joram”

Ganesh Siva for “Koozhangal (Pebbles)”

Sanyukta Kaza for “Three of Us”

Rima Das for “Tora’s Husband”

Best Cinematography

Anand Bansal for “Dhuin”

Piyush Puty for “Joram”

Vignesh Kumulai and Che Parthi for “Koozhangal (Pebbles)”

Theni Eswar for “Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam”

Avinash Arun Dhaware for “Three of Us”

Web Series Nominations

Best Web Series

Dahaad

Farzi

Jubilee

Kohrra

Trial by Fire

Best Director

Reema Kagti and Ruchika Oberoi for “Dahaad”

Vikramaditya Motwane for “Jubilee”

Randeep Jha for “Kohrra”

Konkona Sen Sharma for “Lust Stories S2: The Mirror”

Prashant Nair, Randeep Jha, Avani Deshpande for “Trial by Fire”

Best Writing

Reema Kagti, Ritesh Shah, Mansi Jain, Sunayana Kumari, Karan Shah, Chaitanya Chopra, Zoya Akhtar and Sumit Arora for “Dahaad”

Atul Sabharwal for “Jubilee”

Gunjit Chopra, Diggi Sisodia and Sudip Sharma for “Kohrra”

Konkona Sen Sharma and Pooja Tolani for “Lust Stories S2: The Mirror”

Prashant Nair and Kevin Luperchio for “Trial by Fire”

Best Actor

Vijay Varma for “Dahaad”

Shahid Kapoor for “Farzi”

Suvinder Vicky for “Kohrra”

Gagan Dev Riar for “Scam 2003 – The Telgi Story: Volume 2”

Kay Kay Menon for “The Railway Men”

Best Actress

Sonakshi Sinha for “Dahaad”

Wamiqa Gabbi for “Jubilee”

Tillotama Shome for “Lust Stories S2: The Mirror”

Karishma Tanna for “Scoop”

Rajshri Deshpande for “Trial by Fire”

Best Supporting Actor

Gulshan Devaiah for “Dahaad”

Vijay Sethupathi for “Farzi”

Sidhant Gupta for “Jubilee”

Barun Sobti for “Kohrra”

Abhay Deol for “Trial by Fire”

Best Supporting Actress

Zoa Morani for “Dahaad”

Aditi Rao Hydari for “Jubilee”

Mona Singh for “Kaala Paani”

Amruta Subhash for “Lust Stories S2: The Mirror”

Nimrat Kaur for “School of Lies”

Short Film Nominations

Best Short Film

Cabbage

Giddh (The Scavenger)

Next, Please

Nocturnal Burger

Scenes from a Pandemic

Best Director

Disha Bhardwaj for “Chupi Roh (Stay Quiet)”

Manish Saini for “Giddh (The Scavenger)”

Rishav Kapoor for “Next, Please”

Reema Maya for “Nocturnal Burger”

Tanmaya Shekhar for “Scenes from a Pandemic”

Best Actor

Sabyasachi Chakraborty for “Cabbage”

Sanjay Mishra for “Giddh” (The Scavenger)

Dibyendu Bhattacharya for “Ghuspaith Between Borders” (Infiltration Between Borders)

Deepak Rai Panaje for “Sura” (Deity)

Denzil Smith for “White Ant”

Best Actress

Moon Moon Sen for “Cabbage”

Shreya Dhanwanthary for “Next, Please”

Millo Sunka for “Nocturnal Burger”

Molshri for “Scenes From a Pandemic”

Anita Date for “Shurpankha”

Best Writing

Ashok Sankhla and Manish Saini for “Giddh” (The Scavenger)

Chaitanya Tamhane for “Next, Please”

Reema Maya for “Nocturnal Burger”

Tanmaya Shekhar for “Scenes From a Pandemic”

Shalini Adnani for “White Ant”

Best Cinematography

Swathy Deepak for “Giddh” (The Scavenger)

Jigmet Wangchuk for “Last Days of Summer”

Harshvir Oberai for “Nocturnal Burger”

Abhay Balkawade for “Praanpratishtha” (Consecration)

Adric Watson for “White Ant”

Critics’ Choice Awards will take place on March 12. (ANI)

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protesting farmers

Farmers’ Protest: Delhi March To Restart Amid Tight Security At Borders

By LokMarg

As protesting farmers are set to resume their march once again to the capital city Delhi, to press for their demands including minimum price guarantees for their crops, the police has increased security at the Punjab and Haryana borders.

The Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political), the two umbrella bodies that are leading the farmers’ protests, on March 3 gave a call to farmers from across the country to reach the national capital today.

While the farmers from Punjab and Haryana will continue the agitation at Shambhu and Khanauri border points, the farmers and farm labourers from other states have been asked to reach Delhi today.

Their various demands to the central government include a legal guarantee on MSP for crops, pension for farmers and farm labourers, farm debt waiver, and no hike in electricity tariffs.

Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher alleged that the central government was not taking the demand of farmers on Minimum support price seriously.

“They (the centre) should make it clear what they have a stand on MSP. Did they discuss this issue in their last meeting of the ministers’ council? If not, it means that the Centre does not intend to give us the guarantee of MSP,” he said.

Coming down heavily at the Centre, Pandher claimed it was responsible for the ‘economic loss’ in Punjab due to the closure of its border with Haryana in view of the protest.

“Government is responsible for economic loss in Punjab due to closures of its border with Haryana. We have to sell our vegetables and other things outside the state, but due to the closure of the borders, we are not able to do so. Will the Centre take responsibility? The Centre has deployed 70,000 Paramilitary forces in Haryana, I just want to ask, what the Centre fears about. What type of danger the Centre is feared with the people of Haryana?” he said.

Asserting that the protests launched by cultivators are growing day by day, the farmer leader said, “Today is the 23rd day of the protest launched by KMM and SKM (non-political). An announcement was made earlier that farmers from other states will start marching towards Delhi from today but farmers coming from far-off places will not be able to reach Delhi today. Farmers coming by road or train from Madhya Pradesh, Bihar or Southern India will not reach today, they will take a minimum of 2-3 days. Therefore, the situation would be clear by March 10. Farmers from nearby states have already decided not to move forward.”

He also accused the government of not paying attention to the demands of the farmers.

“The central government is busy with its elections preparations and not giving the attention towards the welfare of the farmers,” he said.

Notably, the farmers have also called for a four-hour countrywide “rail roko” next week in support of their various demands.

The protesting farmers have been staying put at the Shambhu and the Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana after their “Delhi Chalo” march was stopped by security personnel on February 13.

During the last round of talks, which ended past midnight on February 18, the panel of three Union ministers made an offer to buy five crops — moong dal, urad dal, tur dal, maize, and cotton — from farmers at MSP for five years through central agencies. However, the protesting farmers turned down the demand and returned to their protest sites. (ANI)

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Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS) corridor

Modi Virtually Inaugurates New Section Of Delhi-Meerut RRTS Corridor

By LokMarg

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 17-kilometer additional section of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS) corridor on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Modi remotely inaugurated the RRTS corridor via video conference from Kolkata.

PM Modi also flagged off the Namo Bharat train on this section from the Muradnagar RRTS station.

With this, an additional 17 km stretch from Duhai to Modi Nagar North on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor, beyond the operational priority section, will be ready for operations.

The extension encompasses three stations – Murad Nagar, Modi Nagar South and Modi Nagar North.

The foundation stone for India’s first RRTS corridor, connecting Delhi to Meerut, was laid by Prime Minister Modi in March 2019. Since its inception, the project has seen significant progress and was opened for passenger operations in October 2023.

The Make in India, Meerut Metro trainsets, with their modern design, are energy efficient, lightweight, and equipped with a regenerative braking system compatible with Automatic Train Protection (ATP), Automatic Train Control (ATC), and Automatic Train Operations (ATO).

The Metro train has a maximum operational speed of 120 kmph and aims to provide a safe, fast, and modern transportation solution for the residents of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh.

This is the first time in the country that both Namo Bharat trains and the Meerut metro will run on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS infrastructure. To enable this operation, NCRTC has implemented European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2 signalling with Hybrid Level 3 over Long Term Evolution (LTE), marking a pioneering endeavour in global rail transportation.

The Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor, stretching over 82 km, is expected to shrink travel time between Delhi and Meerut to less than an hour.

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, who was present at the event in Ghaziabad’s Muradnagar, said, “… The RRTS work you have started and the quality of its product is world-class… Today we have an operational metro network of about 906 km. Around 940 km of lines are under implementation. You will feel proud to know that when the work of the remaining 940 km of lines is completed, we will be the second-largest metro system in the world.” (ANI)

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Donald Trump and Joe Biden

Trump, Biden Hope For Decisive Victories As Americans Vote

By LokMarg

After millions of Americans voted on Super Tuesday, one of the most significant days in the US presidential primaries, the results are expected to solidify both Donald Trump and Joe Biden as their respective party’s nominees for the general election in November.

Super Tuesday, is notably when the largest number of states hold presidential primaries or caucuses. Registered voters in the states holding presidential nominating contests go to the polls and vote.

According to CBS, fifteen states are holding GOP contests on Super Tuesday. Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Virginia are holding primaries. Two states, Alaska and Utah, are holding caucuses.

Eleven of the 15 states are holding GOP primaries that are open to more than just registered Republicans. Moreover, Super Tuesday gets its name from the fact that there are more delegates up for grabs than on any other day in the primary campaign.

In 2016, Trump won eight of the states that held nominating contests on Super Tuesday 2024, according to Al Jazeera.

On the Republican front, former US President Donald Trump is set to triumph over his final opponent seeking the party’s presidential nomination–former UN envoy Nikki Haley.

Whereas, despite protest votes for his support of Israel during its military incursion in Gaza, President Joe Biden is also predicted to easily win among Democrats.

Meanwhile, even after her projected loss in the GOP primary in her home state, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said she will continue running for Republican presidential nominee, CNN reported.

Speaking in South Carolina’s Charleston, Haley said, “I’m a woman of my word,” referring to her earlier remarks about staying in the presidential race until Super Tuesday.

She said, “I’m not giving up this fight when a majority of Americans disapprove of both Donald Trump and Joe Biden.” (ANI)

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Tesla Arson Attack

Tesla Halts Production At German Factory After Suspected Arson Attack

By LokMarg

Tesla has halted production at its German factory after electrical cables powering the plant were set on fire in an alleged act of “sabotage” by a far-left group, according to Al Jazeera.

Reports of a burning electricity pylon near the Tesla plant, southeast of Berlin, prompted the early summoning of emergency personnel on Tuesday.

Although the fire was put out, the electric car factory in the state of Brandenburg and the nearby communities lost electricity due to damage to the power cables.

According to police, they have launched an investigation into suspected arson.

The Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group), a group of far-left activists, claimed responsibility for the act, reported Al Jazeera.

“With our sabotage, we have set ourselves the goal of achieving the biggest possible blackout of the Gigafactory,” the group said in a statement.

The group expressed worries over the plant’s effects on the local water supply and the environment, and said “We feel connected to all the people who won’t let Tesla turn the tap off.”

Referring to the possible attackers, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, wrote on X, “These are either the dumbest eco-terrorists on Earth or they’re puppets of those who don’t have good environmental goals.”

“Stopping production of electric vehicles, rather than fossil fuel vehicles, ist extrem dumm,” he added, using German to say “is extremely stupid”, according to Al Jazeera.

Meanwhile, the interior minister for Brandenburg, Michael Stuebgen, stated that arson would be “a perfidious attack on our electricity infrastructure” if it is proven, according to Al Jazeera.

“Thousands of people have been cut off from their basic supply and put in danger. The rule of law will react to such an act of sabotage with the utmost severity,” the minister said.

In the surrounding towns and villages, electricity was restored after a few hours, but Tesla was left without power, and officials predicted that it would take many days to restore it at the facility.

With the factory’s opening in March 2022, Tesla faced up against the domestic German automakers.

The power interruption coincided with anti-Tesla expansion demonstrations being held in a nearby woodland by environmental groups. Numerous activists have constructed treehouses and erected tents. (ANI)

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NCP Vs NCP

Sandeshkhali Case: WB Seeks Urgent Listing Of Plea In SC Against Transfer Of Probe To CBI

By LokMarg

The West Bengal government on Wednesday sought an urgent hearing of its plea in Supreme Court challenging a Calcutta High Court order that directed a CBI probe into the Sandeshkhali matter pertaining to an attack on Enforcement Directorate officials in Sandeshkhali on January 5 this year.

Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, “Urgency is that they wanted overnight compliance in an interim order.”

The Bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna asked the advocate to move before the Chief Justice of India as he will order the listing of the plea.

Earlier on Tuesday, the West Bengal government moved the Supreme Court against the Calcutta High Court order directing a CBI probe into the Sandeshkhali matter, which pertains to the attack on ED officials.

Earlier this year, in January, ED officials came under attack in the North 24 Parganas district while they were on their way to raid the homes of former Bongaon Municipality chairman Shankar Adhya and Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan in connection with the ration ‘scam’ case.

Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi mentioned the plea before the Supreme Court bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna.

Earlier, the Calcutta High Court transferred to the CBI the Sandehskhali case, which pertains to the attack on ED officials.

After weeks of no action, on February 29 Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sheikh Shahjahan was arrested by West Bengal police after which West Bengal’s Basirhat Court remanded him to 10-day police custody.

Following Shahjahan’s arrest, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed that he had been “put under the hospitality” of the state police in a bid to avoid arrest by the ED and the CBI.

Tension rose in Sandeshkhali after hundreds of women on the island came out on the streets against Shahjahan Sheikh, accusing him of perpetrating sexual abuse and other excesses on them along with his henchmen. (ANI)

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India's first under-river metro tunnel built in Kolkata

Modi To Inaugurate India’s First Underwater Metro Service In Kolkata Today

By LokMarg

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate India’s first under-river metro tunnel built in Kolkata on Wednesday.

In a monumental development set to transform urban transportation, PM Modi is slated to inaugurate several key metro and rapid transit projects across countries, marking a significant stride towards enhancing urban mobility and connectivity.

The Kolkata Metro extension, featuring the Howrah Maidan-Esplanade Metro section, includes the first transportation tunnel in India to pass under a major river, representing a critical milestone in the country’s infrastructure development.

This section not only showcases the technological prowess involved in its construction but also highlights the strategic importance of connecting two bustling areas of Kolkata, enhancing the city’s public transportation network’s efficiency and reach.

In addition to the underwater metro, the Prime Minister will also inaugurate the Kavi Subhash – Hemanta Mukhopadhyay Metro section and the Taratala – Majerhat Metro section, which is part of the Joka-Esplanade line.

The latter features the Majerhat Metro Station, an architectural marvel being an elevated station spanning railway lines, platforms, and a canal, further showcasing the innovative approach towards improving urban mobility.

The inauguration event will not be limited to Kolkata. PM Modi is set to flag off several other important projects across the country.

These include the Pune Metro’s stretch from Ruby Hall Clinic to Ramwadi, the Kochi Metro Rail Phase I Extension from SN Junction Metro station to Tripunithura Metro station, the Agra Metro’s stretch from Taj East Gate to Mankameshwar and the Duhai-Modinagar (North) section of the Delhi-Meerut RRTS Corridor.

Each of these projects is designed to significantly ease road traffic congestion and provide seamless, efficient, and comfortable connectivity for the public. For instance, the newly inaugurated section of the Agra Metro is poised to enhance access to the city’s historical and tourist sites, while the RRTS corridor aims to stimulate economic activity within the National Capital Region (NCR).

Furthermore, the Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone for the extension of the Pune Metro Rail project phase 1 between Pimpri Chinchwad Metro-Nigdi, promising continued expansion and enhancement of urban transit infrastructure.

This comprehensive initiative underscores the government’s dedication to developing sustainable and efficient transportation networks across India, aiming to revolutionize the way people commute, reduce environmental impact, and bolster economic growth through improved connectivity.

Later in the day, PM Modi will lay the foundation stone, dedicate and inaugurate various infrastructure-related projects related to rail, road and petroleum and natural gas worth around Rs. 12,800 crore at Bettiah, West Champaran district in Bihar.

PM Modi is on three visits to Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, West Bengal and Bihar from March 4 to 6. (ANI)

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