A voter turnout of 53.51 per cent was recorded till 5 pm in eight constituencies of Maharashtra in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections on Friday, officials said.Voting was held between 7 am and 6 pm in Akola, Amravati, Buldhana, Wardha and Yavatmal-Washim seats in Vidarbha (eastern Maharashtra) and Hingoli, Nanded and Parbhani constituencies in the central Marathwada region. Till 5 pm, Wardha recorded 56.66 per cent turnout, Amravati 54.50, Yavatmal-Washim 54.04, Parbhani 53.79, Akola 52.49, Nanded 52.47, Buldhana 52.24 and Hingoli 52.03, election officials said. No untoward incident was reported during polling in these constituencies and the process went off largely in a peaceful manner, they said. At Rampuri in Nanded Lok Sabha constituency, a 26-year-old man allegedly damaged an electronic voting machine (EVM) by hitting it with an iron object when he came to cast his vote around 4 pm, a police officer said. The man has been identified as Bhayasaheb Yedke. Yedke was detained and during his questioning, he told the police that he wanted a pro-farmer and pro-labourer government in power, he said. According to officials, there were a total of 204 candidates in the fray—21 in Buldhana, 15 in Akola, 37 in Amravati, 24 in Wardha, 17 in Yavatmal-Washim, 33 in Hingoli, 23 in Nanded and 34 in Parbhani. As many as 1.49 crore voters (77,21,374 men, 72,04,106 women and 432 persons from third gender category) were eligible to cast ballots across 16,589 polling centres. Maharashtra, which has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second highest after Uttar Pradesh, will vote in three more phases between May 7 and May 20. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
27 April,2024 07:28 AM IST | Mumbai | AgenciesThere is dismay and anger among BJP workers in Mumbai North about fake news circulating in certain sections of the media that Piyush Goyal, the party's candidate for the constituency, visited a fish market with a cloth on his nose. They are angry at what they say are attempts by the Opposition to spread a malicious defamatory campaign against Goyal about an incident, which, ironically, never even happened. The party believes that this concocted piece has been planted and is being spread with a vicious agenda of maligning the motives and intent of Goyal. Incidentally, the news report neither mentions the date of his alleged visit nor its time. Insiders say that Goyal’s campaign agenda is marked on a minute-to-minute basis and every movement is mapped according to a plan, photographed and recorded. They are 100 per cent sure that the report is fake and planted by vested interestsWhile the issue of deepfakes of actors Aamir Khan and Ranveer Singh has barely died down, this malicious fake news, they say, is clearly intended to sow seeds of ill feeling in the minds of sections of voters against the BJP candidate. Those in the know of local politics think that at a time when the party and the candidate have been making rounds of fishing villages and interacting with the local community to share information about scores of schemes being launched for the benefit of fishing communities and the fisheries sector, this kind of fake news is an attempt to create some kind of misunderstanding among the local population. They say the ‘news’ is concocted, fictitious and blatantly insulting to the being of Goyal.
27 April,2024 07:25 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentMaharashtra Congress working president Arif Naseem Khan has resigned as the party’s star campaigner because neither his party nor MVA have fielded representatives from the Muslim community in the Lok Sabha polls. Khan is also upset because the Congress ignored him for the Mumbai North Central constituency. The Congress had one or two Muslim candidates in the fray till 2019, but this year there are none. The Congress has one constituency—Mumbai North—still without a candidate, but a Muslim is unlikely to put up a good fight there, whereas North Central is said to be favourable ground because of a large Muslim presence of 6.50 lakh. Khan’s office said his candidature was decided two months ago but changed on Thursday. Khan said in a letter to the party high command, “Canvassing as a star campaigner, I have no explanation to offer to Muslims about the community not getting representation at any of 48 seats the Congress and MVA are contesting in Maharashtra. I don’t want to campaign because I can’t answer their questions.” On Thursday, the Congress had declared the city party chief, and four-time MLA, Varsha Gaikwad as its official candidate from North Central. Other than Arif Naseem Khan, Bhai Jagtap was also an aspirant. Muslims, who have a larger presence here, expected a ticket for Khan, a former MLA from Chandivli, which falls under the North Central constituency. In a letter to AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Khan said he will not campaign for party candidates for remaining phases of the Lok Sabha polls and is also resigning from the state Congress campaign committee. The former state minister said the MVA, of which the Congress is a key constituent, has not nominated a single Muslim candidate in Maharashtra, which has 48 Lok Sabha seats. “I have no answers to Muslims and their organisations in Maharashtra raising such issues [not fielding candidate from the community]. Therefore, I have decided not to campaign for the party during the Lok Sabha elections 2024,” he said.
27 April,2024 07:23 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentThe imposition of the goods and service tax (GST) on agricultural products, unpredictable selling prices and work done by his party during the pandemic are key issues that Sena (UBT) candidate Omprakash Rajenimbalkar is raising to take on his Mahayuti counterpart in this constituency. Rajenimbalkar, one of the five Maharashtra Lok Sabha MPs who are with Uddhav Thackeray, is contesting his second general election from Osmanabad. He has been visiting villages in the Osmanabad constituency to inform farmers about how the GST is causing them to suffer financial losses. “When the price of agricultural produce increases, the government starts importing to keep the price under control. This is your [farmers’] loss. The price of soya beans had reached Rs 11,000 per quintal. Then the government started importing soya cakes and the price crashed from Rs 4,200 to Rs 4,500. In this, you [farmers] lost one to one and a half lakh rupees behind five acres,” he said. On Friday, Rajenimbalkar visited Hingangaon village in Paranda tehsil. “During the pandemic, I was available over the phone. Was any leader of the Opposition available this way? The work done by the state government at the time [Maha Vikas Aghadi] was remarkable. It benefited one and all,” he said. Carrying the torch Candidates of the Sena (UBT) who are contesting elections with the flaming torch or mashaal symbol, have been facing challenges. “We are promoting the new symbol so that there is no confusion among voters,” Rajenimbalkar told mid-day. He was travelling in a car decorated with flaming torches. While the MP was addressing villagers, at least one party worker held up the symbol to give it visibility. Party workers have also been going door-to-door to spread awareness about it. “Our candidate’s election ticket was fixed, so we started working from the moment we got the new symbol,” said a party functionary. Sunita Kore, who runs a tea shop on the outskirts of Osmanabad, said, “We are impressed with the work done by Thackeray done during the pandemic. We are impressed with the work Rajenimbalkar has done in the past five years. We are aware of the new symbol of the party.” Villagers of Hingangaon said farmers had been suffering due to the low price of agricultural products and the high cost of farming. “I don’t disclose for whom I will vote, but the problems we face definitely factor in our decision,” a villager said. Number crunching There are 20.04 lakh voters in the Osmanabad constituency of which 10.58 lakh are male and 9.46 lakh are women. Marathas account for 35 to 37 per cent of the electorate while 22 per cent are Muslims, 27 to 28 per cent are OBCs and 12 to 15 per cent are Dalits. 20,04,000No. of voters in Osmanabad constituency
27 April,2024 07:18 AM IST | Osmanabad | Sameer SurveIn yet another setback to Ranjeetsinh Naik Nimbalkar, sitting BJP MP and Mahayuti candidate from Madha Lok Sabha constituency, a former Shiv Sena MLA from Karmala Assembly constituency, Narayan Aba Patil, joined NCP (SP) in the presence of Sharad Pawar on Friday. Nimbalkar is contesting against NCP’s Dhairyasheel Mohite Patil. Mohite Patil who had joined BJP just before the 2019 general elections switched from BJP to NCP (SP) before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to contest from Madha constituency. His family holds significant power in Solapur, with his uncle, Vijaysinh Mohite Patil, being a former deputy chief minister of Maharashtra. Vijaysinh also rejoined Sharad Pawar’s faction. Meanwhile, Ramraje Nimbalkar, a relative of Ranjeetsinh Naik Nimbalkar, holds influence in the NCP (Ajit Pawar) faction but has refused to campaign for Ranjeetsinh. Supporters hydrating themselves. Pic/Anurag Ahire Reports suggest pressure from Ramraje Nimbalkar’s supporters for him to return to the NCP (SP) and secure a Lok Sabha ticket for his brother Sanjeevraje Nimbalkar. On Friday, a public rally supporting Dhairyasheel Mohite Patil took place in Karmala Assembly constituency. NCP (SP) leaders, including Sharad Pawar, Vijaysinh Mohite Patil, Rohit Pawar, and local MVA leaders, attended the event. Bhushansiha Raje Holkar, a descendant of Ahilyabai Holkar, queen from the Holkar dynasty of Indore, criticised the BJP during his speech, alleging they did nothing for the common people. “We support the candidature of Dhairyasheel Mohite Patil, and we are confident that all our people will vote for him. If you want to save democracy, then we should all stand behind Sharad Pawar saheb,” Holkar said. Despite the scorching summer, many people attended the rally to hear Sharad Pawar. NCP (SP) faction MLA and his grandson Rohit Pawar also criticised the government. He expressed confidence that the people will vote in favour of MVA candidates across the state. Sandip Pawar, a villager who attended the rally, said, “The issue of water is a very serious one in Madha Lok Sabha constituency and there needs to be a solution to this as the livelihood of farmers is dependent on it.” The members associated with Sambhaji Brigade and Raju Shetty’s supporters from Karmala support Madha candidate Dhairyasheel Mohite Patil. Speaking on the occasion, Sharad Pawar, NCP (SP) chief, said, “Modi saheb is ruling like a dictator. Whoever speaks against the government has to go behind bars. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind is put behind bars just because he criticised the government. The need of the hour is to act or else a time will come where you won’t be able to say anything.”
27 April,2024 07:15 AM IST | Mumbai | Ranjeet JadhavMuslims had hoped that the Congress would field a representative from their community, at least in the Mumbai North Central Lok Sabha constituency, where they have a number that can impact the election result. The party hadn’t named candidates for the two remaining segments in the state, Mumbai North Central and Mumbai North, till Thursday evening. But as it turned out, it chose Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad for the former seat, ignoring Muslim aspirant and the party’s state working president, Arif Naseem Khan. The development has caused a big uproar and led to Khan resigning as the Congress star campaigner, who was expected to woo Muslims into voting for the party. It is learnt that the Congress chose Gaikwad, an Ambedkarite Marathi Dalit, over a Muslim leader, fearing Hindu-Muslim polarisation not just here, but in other segments of Mumbai and the MMR. However, community leaders refused to buy the logic. Insiders said restive Muslims from across the state had been calling Khan since Thursday evening, demanding to know the reasons for the ‘injustice’. Left with no option, Khan sent his resignation as the star campaigner to the party’s high command on Friday evening. In Maharashtra, the Congress is contesting 17 seats, far less than the previous elections, and without a Muslim candidate. Mumbai North’s nomination is still pending, but Muslims don’t have much of an impact there except for the Malwani pocket where the party has its MLA. Considered Congress’s traditional supporters, Muslim voters matter in 22 Maharashtra Lok Sabha constituencies where they are in the range of 15 to 30 per cent of the entire electorate. Mumbai’s North Central, South and South Central have a sizeable Muslim population. Every fifth individual is from the minority community in Mumbai. Muslims have a significant presence in MMR’s Bhiwandi constituency. The no-Muslim policy of the Congress will certainly negatively impact the MVA’s electoral outcome in the remaining phases of voting. The second phase of voting took place on Friday in eight places, including Muslim-sensitive segments Akola, Amravati, Nanded, Yavatmal-Washim and Parbhani. The first three had Congress candidates. Akola’s minority missed a Muslim Congress candidate this election. Muslim sentiment has been serious ever since the beginning of the ticketing procedure. It created pressure, its leaders lobbied hard but not a single representative was fielded. Nominations for the fifth phase started on Friday. There had been elections in which the Congress’s traditional vote bank was dented, giving rise to some other parties. In Aurangabad, the community had chosen AIMIM over the Congress in 2009 by electing a Muslim as their MP. But it was the Muslim community that had saved the Congress’s face in Mumbai by electing three of them as MLAs. Gaikwad, the fourth one, had received good support from Muslims in Dharavi. Unfortunately, Khan had lost by only 409 votes from Chandivli, which falls under Mumbai North Central. SP and undivided NCP had won one Assembly seat each. Maharashtra Congress general secretary Zakir Ahmed, who was all for Khan’s candidature, shared his sentiment with us. “To mete out such an injustice [to Muslims] is very painful in the state where a Muslim Congress leader had become the CM [Barrister A R Antulay]. The minorities that support the Congress have never ever dreamt that there would be no Muslim candidate in the fray. In North Central, Naseem Khan was the minority’s choice,” said Ahmed. Khan’s office said his candidature was decided two months ago but changed on Thursday. Khan said in a letter to the party high command, “Canvassing as a star campaigner, I have no explanation to offer to Muslims about the community not getting representation at any of 48 seats the Congress and MVA are contesting in Maharashtra. I don’t want to campaign because I can’t answer their questions.” Dharmendra Jore is political editor, mid-day. He tweets @dharmendrajore Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com
27 April,2024 07:13 AM IST | Mumbai | Dharmendra JoreAt a special lecture arranged by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Padma Shri award winner Dr Abhay Bang highlighted the ill effects of alcohol, stating that it has the capacity to distort elections. In this election, he collaborated with the people of Gadchiroli and took a pledge from all the Lok Sabha candidates to refrain from distributing alcohol for votes. “Alcohol distorts elections. At the grassroots level, they are often driven by alcohol and money. On the eve of polling, men are given huge amounts of drinks so they act against their better judgment,” said Dr Bang, whose work focuses on healthcare in Gadchiroli, a tribal area. A baseline survey in the area in 2015-16 showed 1,58,000 men to be alcohol consumers with a total out-of-pocket expenditure of Rs 80 crore. Dr Bang has been conducting de-addiction camps in Gadchiroli for the last couple of years in collaboration with the state government, treating 11,707 addicts at 891 such camps. “There has been community involvement at large. It started when women in Gadchiroli forced us to focus our efforts on alcoholism because of the ill effects they were witnessing,” he said. According to Dr Bang, voters asked all candidates contesting for the Lok Sabha seat to provide written and video pledges that they would not distribute alcohol on the day of voting and that they would support prohibition, regardless of whether they get elected. “A total of 85,000 voters signed each pledge and did not vote for candidates who refused this,” he said. He cited various reports published in Lancet as well as WHO studies on alcohol consumption and stated that at least 7 per cent of Indian men and 4 per cent of Indian women are dependent on alcohol, emphasising the urgent need for policy intervention. “Increasing prices and taxes reduces alcohol consumption temporarily, but the problem with that is governments become addicted to tax revenue,” he said. Citing RBI data, he mentioned that various state governments in India collected a total of R1,75,000 crore as tax from alcohol, with Uttar Pradesh being the top collector, followed by Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Haryana. “State governments are slaves to alcohol tax because they do not have any other major revenue sources,” he added. Dr Bang stressed that the solution to the alcohol issue in India needs to move beyond taxation. “Scientific opinion on alcohol has changed, and few are aware of it. Doctors agree that only zero consumption is safe consumption. A Lancet editorial has noted this, stating that no level of alcohol consumption improves health,” he said. “So, restrictions on alcohol access by governments can reduce consumption in the population by 40 per cent and drastically reduce violence against women,” he concluded. 11,707No. of people treated for alcoholism in Gadchiroli
27 April,2024 07:10 AM IST | Mumbai | Eshan KalyanikarThe Thane police crime branch with the help of Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) busted an interstate mephedrone racket resulting in the arrest of six persons and seizure of raw material with a market value of Rs 20.18 crore. The racket was busted following the investigation by Thane police crime branch which started with the arrest of a drug peddler for possession of 15 grams of mephedrone. Thane crime branch deputy commissioner of police Shivraj Patil confirmed the arrests. With the recent action the total number of persons arrested in this case has gone to 13. The police said the accused persons were arrested from Varanasi and Azamgarh and also two cars were seized. The police during investigation found that this accused had brought the raw material or chemical for the making of the mephedrone from Vapi in Gujarat. “The six arrested were produced in local UP court for a transit remand and will be brought to Thane. Three of the accused are said to be from Varanasi, one from Jaunpur and one each from Maharashtra and Gujarat,” said a police officer from Thane crime branch. The police said the seizure includes around 20 kg of chemicals, 11 mobiles and one Hyundai Creta car and one Mahindra Thar car. The team comprising police inspector Dilip Patil, along with assistant police inspector Rupali Pol and other team members had started the investigation in February. The crime branch had arrested a person with 15 grams of mephedrone and the investigation further led to a factory in Varanasi. “The drug was manufactured in a factory located in a farm in Varanasi and was being supplied by the accused persons to Mumbai and other parts of the state. The factory was located in Varanasi as it was considered risky to locate the factory in Mumbai and its suburbs owing to police vigilance. In the operation we had initially arrested seven people leading to the information about the manufacturers and suppliers. Now we have arrested six more persons taking the number of persons arrested to 13,” said the police officer. After receiving information about the suspects hiding in Varanasi and Azamgarh, the Thane crime branch took help of STF inspector Amit Srivastava and his team. Search operation was carried out at different hideouts and six people were arrested to seize the raw material and mobile phones. “Sandeep Tiwari was arrested from Ausanganj near Varanasi, while Lalit Pathak from Holapur in Varanasi. Nilesh Pandey, Vijay Pal, Bindu Patel and Anil Jaiswal have been arrested for manufacturing the drugs. The police during investigation found that accused Tiwari taught Pal and Patel to manufacture the drugs. While Om Gupta, who is wanted by the police in the initial case registered in Thane, used to bring raw material chemicals from Gujarat to prepare synthetic drugs and give them to Jaiswal, Pandey, Pal and Patel in Azamgarh. The main buyer is said to be Savita Jaiswal from Central Mumbai, who arrived in Uttar Pradesh by flight four days ago and bought two and a half kg of drugs at the rate of rupees eight lakh per kg. The payment of R20 lakh was taken in cash by Jaiswal’s brother Dilip Jaiswal in Mumbai. Savita had paid R40 lakh in advance for five kilograms of the drugs,” said the official. The police are continuing their investigation and hope to unravel the entire racket with the arrest of Savita and Dilip Jaiswal. Rs 20.18CRMarket value of the raw material seized Rs 20LAKHAmount taken by Jaiswal’s brother Dilip Jaiswal in Mumbai Rs 40LAKHAmount taken in advance for 5 kg of the drugs
27 April,2024 07:08 AM IST | Mumbai | Faisal TandelAn unknown individual defrauded a Vile Parle-based food stall owner by placing another sticker over his UPI PhonePe QR code, thus earning money throughout the entire day. The fraud came to light when the UPI QR code machine stopped responding. Suspecting an issue with the machine, the seller investigated and checked his bank details, only to discover that not a single rupee had been deposited into his account. Upon inspecting the stall, he found that another QR code had been placed over the original one, resulting in his entire day's income, approximately Rs 4,000, being duped. According to police sources, “49-year-old Shravan Nadar has been running the Idli Dosa stall named Babu Idli, Dosa Centre near Tilak School in Vile Parle East for years. He had placed a UPI PhonePe sticker QR code over the stall and used it to receive payments from customers who paid online.” “As usual, he set up his stall on April 24, and some customers opted for online payments. However, the receiving machine appeared to be offline, preventing him from confirming whether payments were received. Customers would show their payment confirmation on their mobile phones before leaving,” said the officer. “This pattern continued throughout the day, but when he returned home in the evening and checked, he was astonished to find no payment messages on his phone. The following day, he visited the bank to verify, only to discover no record of payments there either,” said the officer. Upon returning to the stall and inspecting the UPI PhonePe QR code scanner, he was shocked to find another QR code placed over his scan code. In his statement to the police, he stated that he was cheated out of approximately R4,000 by an unknown individual, said an officer. Rs 4,000Amount the shopkeeper was duped of
27 April,2024 07:05 AM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanFollowing the death of two siblings who got trapped in an abandoned car in the Antop Hill area, the BMC has decided to conduct a survey and remove such vehicles from the area. Civic officials said they would make a list of these abandoned vehicles which would be scrapped if no one comes forward with a claim. There are several abandoned vehicles in CGS Colony and other parts of Antop Hill. On April 24, the bodies of Muskan Begum Shaikh, 5, and Sajid Shaikh, 7 were found in an abandoned car near their home in CGS Colony. The Antop Hill police said they got trapped in the vehicle and suffocated to death. “We are in talks with the police and the traffic department to remove abandoned cars from the area. After conducting the survey we will trace the vehicle owners and if they don't claim the cars, we will eventually scrap them,” a BMC official said, adding that it's premature to say how long it would take to complete the procedure, but all abandoned cars will be removed. According to local residents, the cars have been there for over a decade. “The cars have been here for quite a long time… over a decade perhaps. People come here, park and forget about their vehicles,” said a local. In the meantime, the BMC plans to remove the cars abandoned near the home of the deceased children. “Our children suffocated to death after going into the car. The door got locked and they couldn't come out. The police had to break open the door. We don't want the car here… the sight of it will haunt us forever. We don’t want to live in this area. The BMC told us they would remove the cars. I hope this is done soon,” said Mohammad Shaikh, the siblings' father. Samadhan Pawar, DCP, central zone (traffic), told mid-day, “We have started the identification process of the junked vehicles in the locality. The vehicles will be removed once the process is complete. Depending on the vehicle's condition, we will decide whether to auction it or scrap it.” The Antop Hill police are currently awaiting the post-mortem report to ascertain the cause of death of the siblings. “We are awaiting the post-mortem report as Sion hospital has reserved the cause of death. We have identified the vehicle owner and further investigations are underway,” said Prashant Kadam, DCP (Zone 4).The Antop Hill police initially registered a kidnapping case which was later changed to an accidental death report. April 24Day of the incident
27 April,2024 07:03 AM IST | Mumbai | Apoorva AgasheThe recent tragic death of Avadhesh Dubey in a train accident between Mumbra and Diva stations has ignited public outrage, with local passengers expressing discomfort about the commute conditions in Mumbai locals. Some passengers have also taken to X to condemn the Railways. The incident occurred on the morning of April 23 when Dubey fell off a running train in the swamps between Mumbra and Diva Station, resulting in the loss of his life. Passengers speak Atul Gokhle, a regular local train commuter for years, said, "We need to reconsider how we carry our backpacks. Holding them in our hands is safer and leaves space for others on crowded trains. Let's prioritise human lives over convenience. Ten years ago, everyone held their bags while traveling. We can make this change. I suggest everyone try holding their bag in their hands and you will get blessings from a person who otherwise would have to sacrifice his life travelling in a heavy rush.” The incident occurred when Avadhesh Dubey fell off a running train in the swamps between Mumbra and Diva Station Praveen Dhole, another commuter, said, “Railways should look into the matter promptly and should take major steps to make sure that such train accidents do not happen again. Instead of AC locals, the Railways should make it a priority to make all the non-AC trains 15 coaches. The platforms have been extended long back.” Passengers on X Rahul Pandey posted, “A friend Avadhesh Dubey, a student of IIT Patna, fell from a train the previous day and was found dead in Mumbra Bay. The government should stop overcrowding trains and there is a need for more vigilance in passenger safety so that such incidents do not happen. #JusticeForAvadhesh (SIC)” “An innocent life lost due to poor infrastructure facilities of Mumbai Local. #JusticeForAvadhesh # StopRailAccidents (SIC).” posted Suraj Gupta. Passenger associations speak Rail passenger associations have demanded safer commuting conditions for Mumbai locals, highlighting the overcrowding issue as a significant concern. Nandkumar Deshmukh, President of the Federation of Suburban Passengers Association while speaking to mid-day said, “I have been requesting a meeting with the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) and the General Manager of Central Railways for almost eight days now to discuss the overcrowding issue. But they did not agree. The railways do not seem to be concerned about the lives of passengers. I have been asking the railways for many years now to improve the existing infrastructure by adding more rakes and tracks on the existing routes to alleviate the overcrowding but not a single person has paid heed to these requests.” RPF and Railways speak Dr Swapnil Nila, Chief Public Relations Officer, Central Railway said "We advise passengers to arrive 10 minutes early to catch the next train in case they miss one. By arriving early, they can also avoid crowded trains following the AC locals. The railways have encouraged private companies to stagger their office hours to ease train congestion. While some have done so, it's not enough. At least 10 per cent of companies need to adjust their schedules to make a meaningful impact on overcrowding and reduce accidents."
27 April,2024 07:00 AM IST | Mumbai | Prasun ChoudhariADVERTISEMENT
