"Harassed As I Didn't Bow Before BJP": Bengal Minister On CBI Raid

Senior West Bengal minister Firhad Hakim, who was questioned by the CBI after his residence was raided on Sunday, lambasted the BJP for "employing government agencies to harass him as he didn't bow before the saffron party".

The CBI carried out searches at 12 locations, including the homes of Hakim and TMC MLA Madan Mitra, in various parts of the state as part of its investigation into alleged irregularities in recruitment processes within civic bodies.

The raid and questioning at Hakim's Chetla residence in south Kolkata began at 9 am and continued for nearly nine hours.

Mr Hakim, who serves as the minister for urban development and municipal affairs and also holds the position of mayor of Kolkata, is a prominent figure in the TMC with significant influence within the party's structure.

A visibly frustrated Mr Hakim, while addressing a press conference outside his residence, said, "What have I done to warrant such treatment? Am I a criminal? Can they provide any concrete evidence of wrongdoing on my part? According to the municipal act, does the municipal affairs minister have any role in appointments? The BJP has no justification for subjecting me to this unwarranted scrutiny." 

Mr Hakim accused the BJP of resorting to the "use of central agencies to target him and other TMC leaders because they have not succumbed under the BJP's pressure".

He argued, "The BJP cannot compete with us on a political level; therefore, they are resorting to the use of central agencies to intimidate me. They are doing this simply because I have refused to bow down to their demands." 

Meanwhile, Kamarhati's TMC legislator Madan Mitra, addressing a protest organised outside the Raj Bhavan, alleged that the BJP, unable to secure electoral victories, is now relying on the coercive tactics of central agencies to intimidate the ruling party in the state.

"They cannot win elections, and are now attempting to bully us using central agencies. However, this will not yield any result, and the BJP will once again face defeat in the Lok Sabha polls," he added.

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Abandoned Rail Coaches To Be Turned Into Restaurants At Jammu, Katra Stations

The Indian Railways is converting two abandoned railway coaches into theme-based restaurants at Katra and Jammu railway stations here.

The initiative has been named "Beautiful Restaurants on Wheels" under which old train coaches are being refurbished and transformed into rail coach restaurants.

"Two rail-coach restaurants are under work in Jammu and Katra. This is a scheme of Indian Railways under which old coaches are converted into rail-coach restaurants. Tenders have been granted to two different parties," Divisional Transportation Manager, Jammu, Prateek Srivastava told PTI.

He said the two AC restaurants combined will bring in an annual revenue of Rs 50 lakh.

"Under this plan, we are offering these coaches to private parties to create state-of-the-art restaurants according to their own designs," he said.

The first coach restaurant is expected to open its doors by December, with the coaches already in place. The two restaurants will have been named 'Annapurna' and 'Maa Durga'.

"It will take 90 days to convert a coach into a fully functional restaurant. It will be equipped with all the necessary facilities," Pradeep Gupta, the owner of Annapurna Restaurant, told PTI.

Restaurants on a similar line have already been successfully launched at nine to 10 major railway stations across India.

"The initiative is being experimented nationwide. To my knowledge, it is already operational at several railway stations like Jabalpur, Bhopal, Lucknow, and Varanasi," the DTM said.

The two restaurants at Jammu and Katra railway stations will also serve non-vegetarian food and will be fully air-conditioned, he said.

Surjeet Singh, a passenger from Delhi, said tourists are excited about the rail-coach restaurants in Jammu.

"It will be a great addition to the beauty of the place. It's the first restaurant of its kind here, offering a different and unique dining experience at the railway station," he said.

Rajiv Dwivedi, who was visiting Mata Vaishnodevi cave shrine, said, "It is a commendable step. Thanks to the government for taking this initiative. I believe the food will be excellent." The Railways' Food-on-Wheels restaurants will feature stylish interiors and exteriors, along with display panels offering virtual tours of various destinations in Jammu and Kashmir, with photos showcasing the cultural essence of Dograland, officials said. 

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Cop Found Dead With Injury Marks On Body In Rajasthan, Murder Case Filed

A 45-year-old Rajasthan Armed Constabulary (RAC) constable was found dead here on Sunday morning, police said. Police suspect constable Amar Singh, posted in the RAC fourth battalion, was apparently attacked with a sharp-edged weapon, which led to his death.

"Multiple injury marks caused by a sharp-edged weapon were found on the victim's body, raising suspicion that he was attacked by someone when he went out of his home in the evening," ACP (Amer) Aditya Poonia said.

He said the family members and locals will be questioned after the postmortem, which will be conducted at Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital.

A Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team was called to examine the spot and the CCTV footage of the area is being examined, police said.

A case of murder has been registered under section 302 of the Indian penal code, police added.

The BJP has targeted the state government over alleged poor law and order situation.

"The incident of murder of an RAC constable in the capital Jaipur is a proof that not only the common people, but even the khakis are not safe in the state. Under the anarchy of the Congress government, murder has become a daily affair. Those responsible for law and order are silent and the security of the state was left at the mercy of God," Leader of the Opposition Rajendra Rathore said on X.

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Major Airlines Cancel Dozens Of Flights To Tel Aviv After Hamas Attack

Major airlines have cancelled dozens of flights to Tel Aviv this weekend after the Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise large-scale attack against Israel.

American Airlines, Air France, Lufthansa, Emirates and Ryanair are among those pulling flights to Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport.

However, airport authorities did not stop commercial air links with Israel's second international airport at Eilat, a tourist destination on the Red Sea.

And Israeli flag carrier El Al said Sunday that it was maintaining its Tel Aviv flights for now, though some flights operated by foreign partners had been cancelled.

"We might cancel flights to places where we don't have a lot of Israelis to help other Israelis in other places," a spokeswoman told AFP.

In a statement, El Al added that it was operating "in accordance with the instructions of the Israeli security forces", with all flights now departing only from Terminal 3 at Ben Gurion airport.

Like most other airlines, it said clients could change their tickets without charge.

A Lufthansa spokesman on Saturday cited "the current security situation" to say it was cancelling all flights to and from Tel Aviv "up until and including Monday", adding that it was monitoring the security situation in Israel.

Brussels Airlines, part of the Lufthansa group, also cancelled its Tel Aviv flights.

Air France said it had halted Tel Aviv flights "until further notice", and the Air France-KLM group's low-cost carrier Transavia said it was cancelling all flights from Paris and Lyon to Tel Aviv up to and including Monday.

Spanish airline Iberia announced that its budget subsidiary Iberia Express was cancelling its Tel Aviv flights.

Italy's flag carrier ITA airways cancelled its flight until Sunday morning at the earliest "to protect the safety of passengers and crew", while Polish carrier LOT also cancelled its flights from the Polish capital on Saturday.

Other airlines suspending flights included Aegean, Swiss, Austian Airlines, Wizz Air and Air Canada.

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Key Maroge Tunnel On Jammu-Srinagar National Highway Thrown Open

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said the construction of a 250-meter viaduct has been completed in Jammu and Kashmir, which will shorten the travel distance on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.

Nitin Gadkari in a post said in Jammu & Kashmir the construction of a 250-meter viaduct (2-lane) in conjunction with a 395-meter (2-lane) Maroge Tunnel, at an estimated cost of Rs 82 crores has been successfully completed.

? In Jammu & Kashmir, we have successfully ????????? ??? ???????????? ?? ? ???-????? ??????? (?-????) ?? ??????????? ???? ? ???-????? (?-????) ?????? ??????, at an estimated cost of ₹82… pic.twitter.com/zoWJ9lCtSa

— Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) October 7, 2023

Sharing Mr Gadkari's statement, the Ministry said this infrastructure is situated along the Ramban to Banihal section of NH-44.

"This 645-meter segment, as part of the larger project, will not only shorten the travel distance by 200 meters, reducing steep gradients but also provide an alternative route bypassing the well-known Sita Ram Passi slide area," the release added.

"It facilitates the smooth flow of vehicles, bypassing the challenging Margo Area gradients," he added.

The Minister said under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi we steadfastly uphold our commitment to delivering exceptional highway infrastructure to Jammu & Kashmir.

"He said this transformative development not only contributes to the region's economic growth but also enhances its appeal as a premier tourist destination," the release added.

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Video: विराट कोहली के 1 शॉट पर थम गई सांसे, पूरे भारत में कुछ देर छाया सन्नाटा

भारत के खिलाफ वर्ल्ड कप के पहले मुकाबले में टॉस जीतकर ऑस्ट्रेलिया के कप्तान पैट कमिंस ने बल्लेबाजी करने का फैसला लिया. टीम इंडिया के गेंदबाजों ने ऐसा कहर ढाया जिसके आगे कंगारू टीम रन बनाने को लाचार हो गई. रवींद्र जडेजा के तीन, कुलदीप यादव के 2 और बाकी गेंदबाजों के 1-1 विकेट की बदौलत ऑस्ट्रेलिया की पूरी टीम को भारत ने 199 रन पर ऑलआउट कर दिया.

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