NMC Digging Ban Junked, Roads Battered All Around
Nagpur: The Nagpur Municipal Corporation's (NMC) ban on road digging after May 31 has turned into a farce as unauthorised excavation continues across the city. NMC's water works department reported digging at at least 18 locations in city, openly defying municipal commissioner Abhijeet Chaudhari's directive.
Despite clear instructions to all departments and contractors not to undertake any trenching during the monsoon, civic officials failed to enforce the order, leaving citizens to suffer through crumbling roads, traffic snarls, and unsafe commuting conditions.
Chaudhari not only barred digging after May 31 but also ordered restoration of previously excavated roads before the onset of rains. He warned of criminal action and penalties against violators.
However, multiple agencies — ranging from utility firms to private contractors — carried on excavation work, particularly for cable laying and infrastructure upgrades, many without permission from the NMC's public works department.
Nowhere is this failure more evident than in areas under Mangalwari zone. Near Old Katol Naka Square, for instance, the road remains half-cut and dangerously uneven. Despite being aware of at least two such violations, the zone officials have not acted.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Perdagangkan CFD Emas dengan Broker Tepercaya
IC Markets
Mendaftar
Undo
Across the city, the situation is no better. Deep trenches at many locations are left unbarricaded, and patchwork left unfinished has turned the stretch into a hazard for two-wheeler riders and pedestrians.
Residents report frequent near-miss accidents and daily inconveniences, especially during peak traffic hours.
Many key stretches have been dug up and abandoned, with debris dumped by the roadside. In several locations, construction mud and loose gravel lie scattered, adding to the danger with the monsoon approaching.
Though some pipeline and power supply damage occurred due to this careless work, the civic body's bigger failure is in not restoring roads and ensuring accountability.
Even large projects like AMRUT 2.0 and private cable laying are being carried out without adhering to post-digging restoration norms. Mounds of debris are left unattended for days, further clogging the already narrow roads. OCW, the city's water operator, reported 17 incidents in June where their pipelines were damaged due to such illegal roadwork and has sought action against contractors.
While the NMC claims to have lodged FIRs against at least three contractors in connection with damages, there's no visible deterrence on the ground. The commissioner's own order to hold errant officials accountable for failing to stop illegal digging remains largely unimplemented.
Even Chaudhari, during his visit to the Hanuman Nagar zone office, was appraised by the ex-corporators that despite levying a Rs1 crore fine on contractors entrusted to carry out sewerage network works under the Amrut 2.0 project, the dug-up roads were still not restored. This shows the casual approach of the NMC's PWD engineers to implement the civic chief's diktat.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
16 minutes ago
- Time of India
Bidhannagar cops make body cams, CCTV must for passport verification
Kolkata: Aimed at enhancing transparency and security in the passport verification process, Bidhannagar City Police has made it mandatory for all passport verifications to be conducted under camera surveillance — either through body cams during home visits or CCTV systems in police stations — from this month. The move comes at a time when Kolkata Police is investigating a fake passport racket and have arrested a retired sub-inspector for allegedly clearing applications without proper enquiry and adequate verification. Officers said the move will also help them reduce complaints from residents about officers, civic volunteers and middlemen demanding money or harassing applicants in the name of additional documentation. "Now, all passport verifications are being conducted under body camera surveillance. In the case of home verification, only representatives from the Special Branch are visiting the houses of applicants, and the entire process is being recorded. The footage is being stored until the passport is issued. At police stations, the passport verification process is being conducted strictly under CCTV monitoring with audio recording," said Tauseef Ali Azhar, ADCP SB of Bidhannagar City Police. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy Brass Idols - Handmade Brass Statues for Home & Gifting Luxeartisanship Buy Now Undo "Whenever we receive specific complaints, we take strict action with zero tolerance. In several instances, we initiated departmental enquiries and took disciplinary action against the officers concerned." The officer added that since May, during passport verification at home, police station, or office, an OTP-based Aadhaar verification system has been introduced through an internal app. "This has made the process more accurate and transparent. The passport verification now undergoes four-five layers of scrutiny — from the verifying officer to the local IC to the police commissioner — ensuring greater accountability," he said. The initiative gains significance in light of a racket that allegedly used forged identity documents to secure genuine Indian passports. The case came to light last Sept when the Kolkata Regional Passport Office flagged nearly 240 suspicious passports issued on the basis of faulty documents. A special probe team of Kolkata Police was formed to investigate the scam, and a charge sheet was submitted in March. Investigators found that police allegedly failed to detect forged documents during verification. On Tuesday, ED carried out raids at multiple locations across Kolkata and its surrounding districts as part of the wider investigation.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Serial extortionist faking accidents in Bengaluru strikes again
Bengaluru: A serial extortionist known for faking road accidents and targeting lone vehicle users — particularly senior citizens — has struck again in the heart of Bengaluru, weeks after skipping court hearings and going underground. The suspect, Jameel Khan alias Saleem, 29, from Rajendra Nagar in Mysuru, had been arrested in Jan this year by Banashankari police for duping two motorists of more than Rs 1.5 lakh using the same modus operandi. He was remanded in judicial custody and released on bail after 40 days. Since then, police said, he has failed to appear in court, prompting them to initiate proceedings to cancel his bail. On June 2, Khan resurfaced, this time targeting a 78-year-old businessman, M Chandrashekhar, on MG Road, while he was heading towards Anil Kumble Circle. Near Trinity Circle, Khan's two-wheeler grazed the elderly man's car. Caught in heavy traffic, the latter chose not to stop, assuming it was a minor scratch. But Khan later overtook him, blocked his car near Mayo Hall, and climbed into the vehicle, claiming that his brother had been seriously injured and needed hospitalisation. "He entered my car suddenly and accused me of injuring his brother's leg in an accident. He demanded Rs 1 lakh as compensation," Chandrashekhar told TOI. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Perdagangkan CFD Emas dengan Broker Tepercaya IC Markets Mendaftar Undo The incident occurred between 11.15am and 11.30am. "He kept talking on the phone, instructing someone to call an ambulance, which added to the pressure. He was very convincing and aggressive," Chandrashekhar recalled. Khan first snatched Rs 2,500 from Chandrashekhar's dashboard and then forced him to withdraw another Rs 3,000 from an ATM kiosk near Mayo Hall. The accused fled with the money soon after. Distressed and fearful, Chandrashekhar sought help from the staff at an MNC bank branch nearby, but no one came to his aid. The victim later filed a complaint with Ashok Nagar police, who launched a search but couldn't apprehend the culprit. How TOI report helped It was an old TOI article that helped Chandrashekhar identify the crook. "When I shared the experience with a friend, he sent me a link to an earlier news report detailing his (Khan's) methods and had his photo. It was clearly the same man," he said. Police records reveal a troubling history. In Jan, Khan was booked after a 68-year-old resident of Jayanagar IV Block reported being extorted of Rs 1.1 lakh in a similar fashion. On the same day, police found that another person was cheated out of Rs 60,000, also by Khan. Both cases involved the same method: A fabricated accident and an urgent demand for compensation. "Khan has been involved in at least 15 such cases across Mysuru, Maddur, Srirangapatna, Ramanagara, and Bengaluru since 2018. He typically targets lone car occupants, especially senior citizens," said an investigating officer. The incident has prompted police to issue a public advisory. "In such situations, don't panic. Call 112 immediately. A Hoysala patrol vehicle will respond within 10 minutes. Alternatively, drive to the nearest police station or flag down a patrolling officer for assistance," a senior officer said. GFX (with P2-Khan mug shot) A HABITUAL OFFENDER * Jameel Khan alias Saleem, a 29-year-old from Mysuru, is a known extortionist who fakes road accidents to target lone motorists, especially senior citizens, in Bengaluru and nearby cities * On June 2, he allegedly targeted a 78-year-old businessman on MG Road by staging a minor accident, forcefully entering the victim's car and demanding Rs 1 lakh as compensation * Khan snatched Rs 2,500 from the car's dashboard and coerced the victim to withdraw an additional Rs 3,000 from an ATM before fleeing * He had been arrested in Jan 2025 for similar crimes. He was released on bail after 40 days, and has since skipped court appearances, prompting efforts to revoke his bail * Police link Khan to at least 15 similar extortion cases since 2018 across Mysuru, Maddur, Srirangapatna, Ramanagara, and Bengaluru
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Uncles came home to meet 9-year-old's father and drank. Then they raped her
Noida: "I just sit in one place all day." Whether it's about herself, her family, her school, or how she spends her days, nine-year-old Manju (name changed) says little. When we met her on Friday morning, she was running a temperature and had to leave soon to record her statement before the Child Welfare Commission (CWC). If it was a rare morning when she had both her parents by her side, her vacant expression betrayed nothing, her hands firmly clasped. Do you have friends, we ask her. "No," comes the reply. Do you like chocolates? "No." How about ice cream? "No." Her manner began to change soon after school closed for summer vacations on May 15. Both parents were at hand but neither noticed the girl withdrawing into a shell. Every other afternoon, the house – a small servant's quarter of a bungalow of a township in central Noida – had guests. Three of them, her father's friends. They would sit with him and drink. Her father would drink the most, till he passed out. But the friends wouldn't leave when he did. They would, instead, walk up to her next. One day, a packet of chips, another day, chocolates. When they called her "Gudiya", it would make her freeze. The touch would make her recoil. For a month, the three men sexually assaulted her. She could not confide in her alcoholic, ill-tempered father. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy Brass Laxmi Ji Idol For Wealth, Peace & Happiness Luxeartisanship Shop Now Undo Her mother was not available – busy with her other family, after she divorced and married again, though a court had ordered she would stay with her. The horrifying sexual exploitation the girl she went through would reveal itself when a doctor examined her on June 17 and asked some questions. She had fallen ill and had high fever. Her father had taken her to the district hospital in Sector 30. "When the doctor asked her if she was feeling any pain during the examination, she pointed to her chest and groin. When the doctor prodded a little further, the child revealed what happened. She said 'three uncles' had stripped and assaulted her repeatedly for nearly a month," a medical staffer at the hospital told TOI. During an examination that followed, no external injuries were found, sources said. "We informed her father and asked him to report the matter to the police," a hospital employee said. "But he began arguing with us. So, we called the police." Police took a statement from her father, and an FIR was filed on June 18. The three men identified by the girl, a security guard, a driver and a man who irons clothes, were arrested. On Friday, as Manju was produced before CWC, she was unable to give a statement. Dr KC Virmani, chairperson of CWC, told TOI, "The child was silent and is displaying signs of trauma. She has been sent to a childcare institute for the time being. She will stay there till it can be assessed that her family environment is safe for her. We have also ordered that her statement should be recorded at the magisterial court on Monday. We will be holding multiple sessions of counselling with the child to speak to her till she feels comfortable to share what happened to her. She will also be sent to a govt hospital for psycho-analysis in line with procedures for safety of children." One of police investigators in the case told TOI the girl's sudden illness was a blessing in disguise. "This case might not have come to light had she not fallen ill and the accused would have continued to exploit her," the officer said. Based on the father's complaint, a case under sections 137(2) (kidnapping) and 75 (sexual harassment) of BNS, along with relevant sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act was registered at Sector 20 police station. After the medical exam, rape charges were added to the FIR. "Over the last month, the three accused took turns on different occasions and raped her," a police officer said.
