Latest news with #IA
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Time of India
Police install 125 Internet Protocol speakers in Pune city to make announcements, regulate traffic
1 2 3 Pune: The city police have installed 125 Internet Protocol (IP) speakers on roads and at junctions to make announcements related to regulating vehicular movement and emergencies. A central control room would monitor this system through CCTV cameras. The system will help police alert citizens about traffic situations on roads and inform them about inundated roads or any other emergencies, such as accidents, tree-falling incidents, or issues like processions or festivals. The police can also use the speakers to divert traffic in case of these emergencies. "The plan is to gradually increase the number of IP speakers to 500 in the next few years," said assistant commissioner of police Vivek Pawar. "This is a handy system. So far, we have covered all major roads and junctions in the city. Gradually, we will introduce these speakers in other parts of the city," he said. All the speakers are designed to address police personnel on the roads as well as the public. "We can monitor the actions of the police personnel on the ground and issue them orders. It will help handle the law and order situation," Pawar said. The IP speaker system will prove useful during festivals such as Ashadhi wari, Ganeshotsav, and New Year celebrations, among others. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like CFD: Invertir $100 con IA podría devolverte un segundo salario Digital Group Prueba ahora Undo It will also help police personnel facilitate the movement of emergency as well as VIP vehicles. "The system will be incorporated with the traffic control room to aid them in averting traffic congestion," the officer said. Pune: The city police have installed 125 Internet Protocol (IP) speakers on roads and at junctions to make announcements related to regulating vehicular movement and emergencies. A central control room would monitor this system through CCTV cameras. The system will help police alert citizens about traffic situations on roads and inform them about inundated roads or any other emergencies, such as accidents, tree-falling incidents, or issues like processions or festivals. The police can also use the speakers to divert traffic in case of these emergencies. "The plan is to gradually increase the number of IP speakers to 500 in the next few years," said assistant commissioner of police Vivek Pawar. "This is a handy system. So far, we have covered all major roads and junctions in the city. Gradually, we will introduce these speakers in other parts of the city," he said. All the speakers are designed to address police personnel on the roads as well as the public. "We can monitor the actions of the police personnel on the ground and issue them orders. It will help handle the law and order situation," Pawar said. The IP speaker system will prove useful during festivals such as Ashadhi wari, Ganeshotsav, and New Year celebrations, among others. It will also help police personnel facilitate the movement of emergency as well as VIP vehicles. "The system will be incorporated with the traffic control room to aid them in averting traffic congestion," the officer said.
Time of India
14 hours ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
High road tax, off-track fuel policies hitting revenue & vehicle sales in MP
Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh's high vehicle road tax is causing substantial revenue losses. The Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (FADA) has highlighted that customers in MP are purchasing vehicles from adjacent states with lower taxation rates. Ironically, despite repeated appeals to the state govt for tax reduction, no action was taken. MP is losing money on different types of vehicle sales. People who want fancy cars (costing over Rs. 20 Lakhs) are buying them in Chhattisgarh or Arunachal Pradesh. Why? Because the road tax is lower there. MP charges 16% road tax. FADA claimed that Chhattisgarh only charges 10%. Arunachal Pradesh has a fixed rate of Rs. 35,000. This difference is a big deal for expensive cars. Electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid vehicles also have tax issues. The road tax on two-wheeler EVs in MP went up from 1% to 4%. People want the govt to bring it back down. Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh have zero road tax on EVs. Chhattisgarh even gives subsidies of up to Rs. 15 Lakh on EVs and hybrid vehicles. This makes buying these vehicles much cheaper in Chhattisgarh, added FADA officials. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like ¿Cómo obtener un segundo ingreso invirtiendo $100 con IA? [CFD] Digital Group Prueba ahora Undo Ambulance registrations are another problem. People prefer to register ambulances in Chhattisgarh. This is because MP charges 10% road tax on ambulances. Chhattisgarh has no road tax on them. This makes ambulances cheaper to register in Chhattisgarh. The way MP calculates road tax is also being questioned. Right now, road tax includes the GST (Goods and Services Tax). A suggestion was made to calculate the tax before GST is added. This would lower the amount of tax people pay. MP has a great location in the middle of India. This could make it a big logistics hub. The govt could offer incentives to car companies. This could help them deliver cars faster. It could also create more jobs in MP, said FADA officials. Fuel taxes are also a problem. MP has some of the highest VAT (Value Added Tax) rates on fuel in India. Because of this, truck drivers and others often fill up their tanks in other states. This means MP loses out on tax money. It also makes fuel more expensive for people who live in MP. The govt needs to take these issues seriously to "prevent tax revenue losses." It will help to "reduce the financial burden on MP's population." By fixing these tax problems, MP can keep more money in the state. FADA MP raised four crucial concerns. "These include advocating for lower road tax rates in MP, seeking a reduction in fuel VAT, highlighting MP's potential as a logistics hub due to its central location, and addressing the incorrect practice of road tax calculation on GST," said Chairperson FADA Madhya Pradesh, Ashish Pande. He added, "It's worth noting that MP's sales performance was significantly lower than the national average over the past 4 months, resulting in reduced revenue collection for the state, both in terms of GST and road tax. This needs immediate attention from the state govt." Transport department officials did not respond to the calls made to them.
Time of India
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Sean 'Diddy' Combs, Harvey Weinstein allegedly sexual assaulted same woman: Report
Sean 'Diddy' Combs and Harvey Weinstein have been accused of sexual assault by the same woman. Crystal McKinney , who filed a lawsuit against Combs in May 2024 alleging he drugged and sexually assaulted her, has now been named in an amended complaint filed on May 30, 2025, against disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein, 73. The original complaint was first filed in February 2025. The complaint, which is unrelated to Diddy's lawsuit, alleged that Weinstein raped McKinney and a friend in a Manhattan hotel room in 2003, reported People. What is said in the complaint? According to the complaint, Crystal McKinney says she received a call from an unnamed modeling agency executive who told her he had arranged a business meeting with Harvey Weinstein at a popular lounge in New York's West Village that evening. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Descubre cómo la IA puede ayudarte a invertir como un pro en CFD COinv Más información Undo McKinney brought along her friend and roommate, also a model, hoping Weinstein might consider her for an acting role as well, People reported. The complaint states that once they arrived at the lounge, they waited before being escorted to Weinstein's table. Live Events McKinney then claimed that Weinstein "repeatedly told them that he wanted to get to know both of them better, so he could see their 'real selves' " and suggested that they move the meeting to "discuss potential acting roles" to his place since the lounge was "too loud and crowded," as per the outlet. However, once they got back to the hotel room, McKinney alleges in the complaint that the film producer "plied" them with alcohol, ordering several bottles of "Boulevardier and Dom Perignon" and" vodka cocktails," reported People. McKinney claimed that she was "disgusted but too frightened to voice her opposition" and had been heavily "intoxicated" at the time. In the filing, she claimed that Weinstein's assistant then called the hotel room, and McKinney informed her of what took place. However, instead of "addressing" her complaints, the assistant allegedly told her to "leave the hotel room immediately," reported People. McKinney said she experienced "depression, anxiety, anger, self-blame, suicidal ideation, body image issues and demoralisation." Weinstein was convicted in New York State for rape and sexual assault in 2020 and subsequently sentenced to 23 years in prison. However, his convictions were overturned in April 2024 after the New York Court of Appeals ruled he didn't receive a fair trial because women uninvolved in the charges were allowed to testify, as per the outlet. In January, Weinstein begged a New York judge to move up his retrial date, claiming that he was in poor health and didn't know "how much longer" he could "hold on." He is serving jail time on Rikers Island due to his 2022 convictions for sex crimes charges in California. As for Combs, he is on trial for sex trafficking and racketeering charges, for which he has pleaded not guilty, reported People. (with agency inputs)
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Karnataka government seeks action against two serving IFS officers for allowing Bengaluru land worth Rs 14,000 crore to be declared ‘not a forest'
The Karnataka forest ministry has sought legal and disciplinary action against two serving Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers for allegedly facilitating the handover of forest land worth approximately Rs 14,000 crore – held by the public sector company Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) in Bengaluru – to third parties, including private entities. Forest and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre announced this week that the government had recommended action against two serving IFS officers, one retired IFS officer, and one retired IAS official for facilitating the filing of an application in the Supreme Court 'seeking permission for denotification of HMT forest land worth over Rs 14,000 crore.' The controversy pertains to 599 acres of land in a plantation in the Peenya Jalahalli region, which was declared a forest in 1896 and was later transferred to the public sector HMT in the 1960s to create industrial infrastructure through a donation deed by the Bengaluru district collector. In recent years, large portions of the land given to HMT by the forest department for industrial purposes have allegedly been used to facilitate major real estate projects through the connivance of state and central government officials. Over the last year, a dispute has arisen over the land between the Union heavy industries ministry headed by former Karnataka CM and Janata Dal (Secular) leader H D Kumaraswamy – who is looking at monetising the land to resuscitate the fortunes of HMT – and the state forest department which is trying to recover the HMT land by arguing that it remains a forest land. 'This plantation is owned by HMT. It is illegal for the organisation to sell to government departments/organisations and private individuals. However, the fact that forest officials did not make any attempt to recover the land and, without even drawing the attention of the Cabinet, submitted an Interim Application (IA) to the Supreme Court seeking denotification in 2020 is a cause for doubt,' the Karnataka forest minister had stated earlier this year. Last year, in November, the state government had issued notices to the forest officials concerned over the filing of the IA in the SC on the HMT forest land. In January this year, the state government had ordered that since 281 acres of the 599 acres of land donated to HMT is vacant land 'without any building', the forest department must take possession of the vacant forest land. Among the forest officers against whom action has been sought by the state government is IFS officer R Gokul, who was whistle blower in the illegal mining scam in Karnataka in 2009-11 – when as deputy conservator of forests he reported the large scale exports through the Belekeri port of iron ore illegally excavated from the forests of Bellary by a mining mafia. The other officers are former forest secretary Sandeep Dave, a retired IAS officer, retired IFS officer Vijay Kumar Gogo, and serving senior IFS officer Smita Bijoor. The state government has also taken umbrage over the fact that IFS officer Gokul – who is a chief conservator – has written to the CBI saying he is being targeted by the Congress government for bringing evidence in the illegal mining cases being prosecuted by the CBI against some political leaders in Karnataka. The land granted to HMT 'is alienated, real estate companies have built hundreds of flats. Shooting of serials and films is going on. The land is being used for commercial purposes. How this was allowed is the question,' Forest Minister Khandre said this week. 'The forest land in the possession of HMT is the property of seven crore Kannadigas, and a few officials have applied for denotification without even bringing this to the attention of the then forest minister and without seeking prior approval of the Cabinet,' Khandre added. 'Notices have been issued to four officials, including two retired and two serving officials, and a recommendation for action has been sent to the chief minister,' he further said. The forest minister said that the IA submitted by the state in 2020 (during the tenure of the BJP government in Karnataka) contained false information since it said that the land given to HMT had lost its forest nature. The information on the filing of the IA in the SC was not brought to the notice of even a high-level committee headed by the chief secretary, which was created in 2015 to resolve the issue of forest land held by institutions in Bengaluru, the forest minister claimed. He said that just 25 days after the filing of the IA in the SC, on July 15, 2020, it was decided that the denotification of forest areas can be recommended to the state cabinet by the additional chief secretary of the forest, environment, and biology department. The forest minister said that a file had been submitted to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to suspend IFS officer Gokul and to conduct a departmental inquiry against the other serving officer. While the Karnataka forest department has withdrawn the June 2020 affidavit filed in the Supreme Court on the nature of the HMT land and has initiated measures to recover the land, Union Heavy Industries Minister H D Kumaraswamy has indicated that there is no question of returning the land under the control of the HMT factory. Kumaraswamy has in the past questioned the state government's intentions in taking back the land granted to HMT. 'What do they plan to do with the land if they take it back from the factory, and which builder do they intend to give it to? 'Who gave permission to sell 200 acres of land formerly belonging to HMT? Who was in power in the state from 1999 to 2004 (Congress tenure)? In 2006, when I became chief minister, I ordered that even an inch of HMT land cannot be sold,' Kumaraswamy earlier stated.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Rajeev Krishna replacesPrashant as new UP DGP
Lucknow: Rajeev Krishna, who recently supervised the hiring of over 60,000 cops in UP Police as the chief of police recruitment board, was appointed as the new director general of police on Saturday. The appointment of the 1991 batch IPS officer Krishna to head India's largest police force was announced after a day-long suspense amid talks of the possible extension of the outgoing DGP Prashant Kumar . At present, Krishna was also the DG, vigilance, apart from heading the police recruitment board. He will continue to hold these posts. His retirement is due in June 2029. After instances of paper leak and subsequent cancellation of one of the largest recruitment drives ever last year, Krishna was given the charge of the board and he oversaw the smooth completion of the drive -- a process hailed for its transparency and efficiency amid mounting public scrutiny following exam leak last year. His appointment is being seen as a reward for this feat as he has superseded 11 other senior officers to get the coveted post. Prashant Kumar, when he was given the charge of the acting DGP in Feb 2024, was 18th on the seniority list of IPS officers. Like his predecessor, Krishna is the fifth officer to hold the position of acting DGP since 2022. The last permanent DGP in the state was Mukul Goel, who was removed three years ago. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like CFD: Invertir $100 con IA podría devolverte un segundo salario Digital Group Prueba ahora Undo Since then, DS Chauhan, RK Vishwakarma, Vijaya Kumar, and Prashant Kumar have served as acting chiefs. Earlier, Krishna has served as the DG of the Uttar Pradesh Police Academy, where he was responsible for training and mentoring new generations of police officers. Krishna has held several challenging field assignments, including postings as SP/SSP in Mathura, Etawah, Agra, Noida, and Lucknow. He was also the founding chief of the UP Anti-Terror Squad (ATS), where he laid the groundwork for counter-terror operations in the state. At the national level, Krishna served as inspector general of operations in the Border Security Force (BSF), where he oversaw operations along both the Indo-Pakistan and Indo-Bangladesh borders for four years. During this tenure, he implemented a sensor-based Comprehensive and Integrated Border Management System, enhancing surveillance and operational effectiveness along sensitive frontiers. In 2018–19, he served as the ADG of Lucknow Zone, managing critical law and order situations across central Uttar Pradesh. Prior to that, he was SSP Lucknow. Regarded as a forward-thinking officer with a strong focus on technology-driven policing, Krishna introduced several notable innovations. While serving as ADG of Agra Zone, he launched Operation Pehchaan, a mobile-based platform to identify and track repeat offenders. He also integrated online monitoring for women's beat policing and Anti-Romeo squads and introduced e-Malkhana, a system for digitising police case property records. Krishna also led the charge against cybercrime, initiating both awareness campaigns and advanced training programs for police personnel and the public. Born in Lucknow on June 20, 1969, Krishna holds a Bachelor's degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering. After clearing the UPSC Civil Services Examination in 1991, he was inducted into the Indian Police Service. One of the most impactful chapters of his career was his tenure as SSP Agra in 2004, when he led decisive crackdowns against notorious kidnapping gangs operating in the ravines. Known for his strategic acumen and clean image, Krishna's appointment is seen as a move toward reinforcing both the credibility and modernisation of Uttar Pradesh's policing system.
