Hyderabad police, peace committee review festival preparedness
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Anand said the 1,500-member committee plays a crucial role in maintaining harmony in Hyderabad, which is known for its Ganga-Jamuna tehzeeb. He urged the members to extend full cooperation to the police in their respective areas during the upcoming festivals and to continue working towards strengthening communal amity. He also called for greater participation of youth in the committee to build stronger police-community relations.
The Commissioner acknowledged the committee's past efforts in easing tensions and preventing conflicts, stressing that effective policing is only possible with community support. 'Your services are vital to safeguarding Hyderabad's reputation for peace and mutual respect,' he said.
Committee representatives, in turn, pledged their support to the police and assured that they would assist in curbing anti-social activities while helping create an atmosphere of unity. They also emphasised the importance of improving police-public relations and resolving issues at the community level.
The meeting was attended by senior police officials, including Additional CP (Law and Order) Vikram Singh Mann, DCP (Special Branch) Apoorva Rao, and DCP (South Zone) Sneha Mehra, along with committee office-bearers Kishan Sharma, Hafiz Muzaffar Hussain, Shashikanth Agarwal, Mohammad Mozam Ali and Tejo Vijaya Kumari. Around 350 committee members took part in the discussions.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
24 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Raj Thackeray meets Fadnavis, says talk focused on civic issues
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Thursday (August 21, 2025) met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at his official residence 'Varsha' in south Mumbai, sparking political chatter in the State. The meeting came a day after a joint panel of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena-UBT and the MNS suffered a major setback, failing to secure a single seat in the BEST Employees' Co-operative Credit Society election. Mr. Raj Thackeray, however, clarified at a press conference that the meeting revolved around civic concerns, particularly rising traffic congestion and parking woes due to rapid slum redevelopment. He said that he had presented a proposal in the presence of senior Mumbai Police officials, suggesting underground parking facilities beneath playgrounds to accommodate 500 to 1,000 vehicles without affecting open spaces. He expressed concern over Mumbai's worsening civic and traffic conditions, and blamed poor planning and lack of discipline for the chaos. 'The day before yesterday, we witnessed 400 mm of rain, which led to massive traffic jams. Roads are narrowing, vehicles are parked everywhere, and there's no traffic discipline. No concrete work has been done to address these issues. Instead, we keep focusing on irrelevant matters — we are stuck discussing pigeons and elephants while basic problems are ignored,' Mr. Raj Thackeray said. He also said that he had met the CM once or twice over the past few months to discuss crucial urban issues and planning strategies. He recalled making a 16-minute documentary in 2014 on city aesthetics, and said he was now working on versions in other languages as well, emphasising his deep interest in town planning and redevelopment. Quoting a Scottish writer, Mr. Raj Thackeray said, ''Tell me what songs your children sing, and I will tell you the future of your country'. For Mumbai, I paraphrase it and say, 'Show me the traffic situation in your country, and I will tell you its future'.' Highlighting the rapid pace of redevelopment in Mumbai, Thane, and several other parts of Maharashtra, he said population density had exploded. 'Where 50 people once lived, now 500 people occupy the same space. Cars have multiplied, traffic has worsened, and now even garbage is piling up on the roads. The entire city is sliding into a complete mess,' the MNS leader said. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar downplayed political interpretations, saying leaders often meet regardless of party affiliations. Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut also dismissed the rumours, suggesting Mr. Raj Thackeray may have invited Mr. Fadnavis for Ganesh Chaturthi festivities.
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Energy cooperation, balanced trade on agenda at Jaishankar-Lavrov meet
New Delhi: India and Russia on Thursday explored ways to expand trade in a balanced manner, ensure long-term supplies of key commodities such as fertilisers, and sustain energy cooperation, with external affairs minister S. Jaishankar saying bilateral ties were among the steadiest of the world's major relationships due to geopolitical convergence. External affairs minister S. Jaishankar with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow (AP) Jaishankar, who held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow a day after co-chairing a meeting of a bilateral trade and economic body, also raised New Delhi's concerns, including a massive trade deficit, non-tariff barriers, regulatory impediments, and the issue of Indians serving in the Russian Army. He also met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is expected to visit India later this year for a summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Jaishankar travelled to Russia after meeting Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi in New Delhi to take forward the normalisation of India-China relations, against the backdrop of growing estrangement between New Delhi and Washington over trade-related matters and the US administration's punitive tariffs on Indian goods. Also Read: From Moscow, Jaishankar delivers a blunt rebuttal to barbs from US officials 'The global context for our meeting today is provided by the evolving geopolitical situation, the shifting economic and trade landscape, and our shared goal is to maximise our complementarity,' Jaishankar said at the start of his meeting with Lavrov, which focused on bilateral ties and cooperation in trade, investment, defence, technology, and people-to-people exchanges. Lavrov added, 'We see a special importance in our relations as we see the emergence of a new architecture of international relations.' Jaishankar said at a subsequent joint news conference with Lavrov that India-Russia ties are among the steadiest of the world's major relationships, with geopolitical convergence and popular sentiment as key drivers. As the two sides work to grow bilateral trade, it must be done in a 'balanced and sustainable manner' by increasing India's exports and addressing non-tariff barriers and regulatory impediments, he said. Enhancing Indian exports in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and textiles will help correct the imbalance. Two-way trade touched a record $68.7 billion in 2024–25, though India's exports were worth only $4.88 billion. The imbalance has risen nine-fold, from $6.6 billion to $58.9 billion, in the past four years. Also Read: Terms of Trade: From strategic ally to voodoo doll The two sides discussed steps to ensure long-term supply of fertilisers and sustain energy cooperation through trade and investments. Russia currently provides almost 40% of India's energy needs, and India's imports of petroleum and crude in 2024 were worth $53 billion, according to data aggregated by the UN. Jaishankar raised the issue of mobility for Indian skilled workers to address labour needs in Russia—especially in IT, construction, and engineering—and called for fast-tracking the opening of two Indian consulates in Kazan and Yekaterinburg. The two ministers also discussed connectivity initiatives such as the International North‑South Transport Corridor, the Chennai–Vladivostok maritime corridor, and the Northern Sea Route to deepen economic linkages and reduce transit times. He described defence and military cooperation as robust and said Russia supports India's 'Make in India' goals through joint production and technology transfer. Jaishankar brought up the issue of Indians serving in the Russian Army and said: 'While many have been released, there are still some pending cases and some missing persons. We hope that the Russian side would expeditiously resolve these matters.' According to the external affairs ministry, 126 Indians were recruited by the Russian military, and 12 were killed while fighting on the frontlines of the conflict in Ukraine. Ninety-six of them were discharged by Russian authorities, while another 16 were listed as missing. Regional issues such as developments in Ukraine, West Asia, and Afghanistan, and India's fight against cross-border terrorism also figured in the discussions. Jaishankar reiterated India's approach of emphasising dialogue and diplomacy to resolve differences, and said India and Russia will jointly fight all forms of terror. 'I conveyed India's strong resolve to adopt a zero‑tolerance policy against terrorism and our sovereign right to defend our citizens against cross-border terrorism,' he said. 'We are lining up outcomes for the [Modi-Putin] summit. We are taking practical steps so that the substance of our relationship grows,' he added.
Indian Express
3 hours ago
- Indian Express
Israel pushes into Gaza City as Palestinians flee amid fears of ground offensive
Palestinians are fleeing parts of Gaza City after Israeli troops began the first stage of a planned ground assault, establishing footholds on the city's outskirts following days of heavy bombardment. Hundreds of families from the Zeitoun and Sabra neighbourhoods have already fled, with residents describing 'relentless explosions' shaking homes through the night. The UN and Red Cross warned that further displacement and intensifying strikes could trigger an irreversible humanitarian catastrophe. UN Secretary-General António Guterres renewed his call for an immediate ceasefire, warning that a military assault on Gaza City and other densely populated areas would unleash catastrophic human costs. 'It is vital to reach a ceasefire immediately and the unconditional release of all hostages to avoid the massive death and destruction that a military operation against Gaza City would inevitably cause,' Guterres said in Tokyo. French President Emmanuel Macron warned the campaign risks 'a permanent cycle of war' across the region. Israel says the offensive, approved by Defence Minister Israel Katz, aims to dismantle Hamas's last 'strongholds' in Gaza City. Two brigades are operating in Zeitoun, with another in Jabalia, where tunnels and weapons caches have been uncovered. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to 'shorten the timelines' for seizing Gaza City, rejecting partial ceasefire proposals that Hamas claims to have accepted. Israel is demanding the release of all hostages before any truce. Anger spills into the streets In a rare show of dissent in Gaza City, hundreds of Palestinians gathered on Thursday amid the rubble of destroyed buildings, waving flags and placards reading 'Save Gaza' and 'Stop the war.' Women and children joined the demonstrations, demanding an end to both the bombardment and the forced displacements. 'We want the war on Gaza to stop. We don't want to migrate. Twenty-two months … it's enough. Enough death. Enough destruction,' said Bisan Ghazal, a displaced resident. Amjad Al-Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGO Network, warned that Gaza was on the brink of erasure. 'We have lost more than 10% of our residents, 85% of our buildings and infrastructure, and much of our cultural and historic heritage. All of Gaza is threatened with destruction.' In Israel, relatives of the remaining hostages still held in Gaza marched in Tel Aviv, warning that a fresh offensive would doom any chance of bringing them home alive. 'Enough to sacrifice the hostages. Enough to sacrifice the soldiers,' said Bar Goddard, whose father's body is still being held by Hamas. The civil defence agency said at least 25 people were killed Wednesday in strikes across the territory, including three children and their parents in Gaza's Shati refugee camp. With Israel set to call up 60,000 reservists, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are expected to be ordered south, even as food, water and medicine remain critically scarce. Since October 2023, at least 62,122 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the enclave's health ministry.
