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Time of India
3 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
UT water crises precipitated by inter-state dispute: MC
Chandigarh: With several areas of the city experiencing a severe water crises, MC engineering department officials revealed that Chandigarh received less water due to the tussle between governments of Punjab and Haryana over release of water. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Replying to questions of councillors during MC house meeting, engineering department officials said that since the issue had been resolved, Chandigarh had started receiving water at full capacity. However, it would take time for things to go back to normal. "During the tussle between Punjab and Haryana governments over release of water, pumping remained slow in Kajauli canal, from where Chandigarh gets water. Due to this, water level in Kajauli went down 2 feet, causing water scarcity. Now, proper water supply has been restored but stabilisation is taking time. Engineering officers of Punjab did not tell us about this at the time," an executive engineer of the MC said while replying to questions of councillors. As per records, currently, the MC gets 87 MGD water supply on a daily basis, of which around 62 MGD comes through the Kajauli water canal, while the remaining 25 MGD is taken from tubewells located across the city. Raising the issue of the water crises in their respective wards, they said that this was the first time the city had experienced such a severe situation. When most councillors raised the issue of water crises in their respective municipal wards. They said that this was the first time such an extreme water crisis-like situation had occurred. Deputy mayor Tarun Mehta said, "Though there are problems with water supply in the summer, such an extreme water supply crisis has occurred for the first time." Tired of too many ads? go ad free now BJP's Jasmanpreet Singh said, "I have been constantly telling officers concerned about the persisting water crises in my municipal ward, but the problem remains." AAP's Jaswinder Kaur said that a number of councillors were getting water supply through MC tankers but questioned how long it could serve the purpose. Box: Complaint of muddy water AAP councillor Suman Devi, who represents Indra Colony, brought a bottle of muddy water from her area to show the extent of the water supply problem. Raising questions on water supply, she said that area residents had been receiving muddy water for many days, but the problem had not been resolved. According to her, the officer concerned told them that the problem was caused by soil in the water supply pipleline and had been resolved. Box: 24X7 water supply project questioned Raising questions on the 24X7 water supply project, Congress councillor Gurpreet Singh Gabi demanded that it be cancelled immediately and a Vigilance probe be conducted. He also demanded closure of the 24X7 water supply project in Manimajra. Gabi pointed out that the consultancy fee of Rs 29 crore, which had been paid, was nearly 8% of the total project cost and unheard of anywhere in the world. He also criticised the MC for removing tubewell operators, saying that it takes 20 to 25 minutes to start a single tubewell. He questioned how one operator could manage three tubewells at once. MSID:: 121602488 413 |
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
In Kovai, tattoos are trending, and studios are growing, yet no rules are in sight.
With tattooing booming among youngsters in Coimbatore, health authorities have been asked to inspect studios, even though there are still no clear rules in place to regulate them. In Coimbatore, the number of tattoo studios more than doubled in the past three years, from 40 in 2021 to more than 100 today. "A decade ago, there were barely ten tattoo studios in the city. Now, they're as common as beauty parlours, with at least one on every commercial street," says Vaishnavi, founder of Yara Tattoos in Coimbatore. She adds that most clients are working professionals between the ages of 22 and 30. "Many get names of their partners, spouses, or parents inked. Women usually prefer butterflies, flowers, and birds, while men often go for tribal designs. Portrait tattoos, especially of deceased loved ones, are also popular. Among religious motifs, Lord Shiva and Murugan's Vel are the most popular, followed by crosses among Christians," she says. "A 500ml bottle of ink costs anywhere between ₹2,000 and ₹3,000, depending on the quality," says tattoo artist A Gunasekar. "Smaller studios charge ₹200 to ₹300 per square inch, but to cut costs, some may reuse needles and ink, which is risky. Professional studios charge at least ₹500 per square inch to ensure quality and hygiene." Dr V Arul Selvan, Associate Professor of Medical Gastroenterology at Coimbatore Medical College Hospital, warns that unsafe practices, especially reusing needles, can spread serious infections such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV. "Symptoms of hepatitis often appear only after significant liver damage occurs. Patients may experience fatigue, jaundice, abdominal swelling, and in advanced cases, even liver cancer," he says. "Many people, when asked about risk factors, recall getting tattoos with reused needles. If you're planning to get a tattoo, make sure the studio uses sterile, single-use needles. And if you're prone to skin allergies, always do a patch test first." N Logu, Secretary of Coimbatore Consumer Voice, has called for stricter regulations. "Tattoo artists and studios must be licensed. Health department officials should regularly inspect studios for cleanliness and proper sterilisation practices," he says. District health officer Dr P Balusamy adds that the directorate of public health recently directed them to begin inspections. "We don't have official data on how many studios are operating. Only after inspections will we know the actual numbers," he says. While block medical officers have been assigned to inspect studios in rural areas, those within city limits will be covered by the city health officer. Email your feedback with your name and address to
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
Missing man's body found in canal, ASI arrested for murder
Ludhiana: A 42-year-old man who went missing on April 16 was allegedly killed by a gunshot fired by assistant sub inspector (ASI) Bua Singh. Moti Nagar police arrested the ASI, posted in Kailash Nagar police post, and lodged an FIR against him and his aides on charges of murder. It is alleged that after killing the man, the accused dumped his body inside a canal in Ropar. The body of the deceased, Gurjinder Singh alias Gora, 43, a resident of MIG Colony, Jamalpur Awana, was found by Morinda police. However, they could not identify the deceased and cremated the body. Initially, Moti Nagar police lodged an FIR under sections 127 (6) (wrongful confinement) of BNS against unidentified accused on the complaint of Gurjinder's mother, Ranjeet Kaur. Now, police have added sections of murder, criminal conspiracy, and Arms Act in the FIR and booked ASI Bua Singh, Bunty, and Gagan. Jeevan Kumar, a friend of the deceased, said, "Gurjinder would often consume alcohol with his friend Bunty, who lives in the same locality. At times, he was seen consuming alcohol with the ASI also. On April 16, Bunty took him from his house, after which Gurjinder never returned. A missing complaint was filed with the police." He added, "For the past one and a half months, neither the family nor police could track Gurjinder. Meanwhile, we came to know through some common friends of Bunty and Gurjinder that Gurjinder was shot dead at Bunty's house on April 16, and the ASI's weapon was used in the crime. We alerted the police." Jeevan said that they suspected ASI Bua Singh of shooting Gurjinder dead after an altercation while drinking with him, Bunty, and Gagan at Bunty's house. Inspector Amritpal Singh, SHO, Moti Nagar police station, said that police had added murder section in the FIR on the basis of the statements of the mother of the deceased. Police are verifying if it was accidental or an intentional fire. The ASI has been arrested and the other accused are being tracked. The arrested accused was produced in court and remanded in three-day police custody. Forensic examination of the ASI's car was also done. MSID:: 121494045 413 |
News18
25-05-2025
- Sport
- News18
'Must Be Crying...': BCCI Blasted For Treating Karun Nair Like 'Tissue Paper'
Last Updated: Karun Nair is back in India's Test squad eight years after having last played international cricket. When Karun Nair peeled off a Test triple-century in 2016, a feat only one Indian before him had managed, it was an announcement of his prodigious talent. That he managed to do it in just the third Test of his fledgling international career, was a grand achievement in itself. However, as luck would have it, Nair managed to make only three more Test appearances before falling off the selectors' radar. On Saturday, as Ajit Agarkar, chairman of BCCI's men's selection committee, announced Nair's name as one of the members of the 18-man India squad for the England Test tour, it was the culmination of an eight-year-long wait for the talented batter. During this time, Nair scored a truckload of runs at the domestic level, switched from Karnataka to Vidarbha and helped his new side to title triumph in the Ranji Trophy – the country's top-flight domestic competition. In less than a month, he might again don the Test whites, a sweet fruit of his hard labour. advetisement Nair's childhood coach B Shivanand cannot fathom why Nair was punished despite hitting a historic triple ton just three Tests into his India career. 'I don't know what the thinking was behind his ouster," Shivanand told 'I believe it was the triple ton. Success often comes at a cost. After (Virender) Sehwag, Nair was the one who scored a triple century in Tests, and instead of giving a talent like him a long rope, they snubbed him." Shivanand slammed the Indian team management for treating Nair like 'tissue paper' and praised the cricketer's resilience. 'That's not fair. That's not fair to any cricketer who is talented and performing. Talented players shouldn't be treated like tissue paper. Any other cricketer might have given up or even retired, but this guy was truly hungry for a comeback," he said. While he saw the next generation of batters make their India debuts, Nair never lost hope and kept grinding it out in domestic cricket with dreams of making an international return. Nair has scored 8,211 runs in 114 first-class matches while averaging 49. He has 23 hundreds and 36 fifties to his name. 'He (Nair) always said, 'I have to score runs in domestic cricket and the IPL,' and he was confident he would be rewarded for his hard work. The wait was too long, and I'm sure, somewhere deep inside, Karun must be crying silently. But this time, you'll see a different Karun," Shivanand said. 'He's not outwardly aggressive, but if you really want to see his aggression, just watch him now – with the bat. I want him to answer all the questions with a century this time, and he will. Watch out for him. That's all I want to say. He is hungry – very hungry," he added. Watch CNN-News18 here. Stay updated with all the latest news on IPL 2025, including the schedule, Points Table, IPL Orange Cap, and IPL Purple Cap. Get latest Cricket news, live score and match results on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! First Published: May 25, 2025, 10:30 IST
Time of India
19-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Pune-based Agarwal can save Rs 10.5 lakh tax in new tax regime via corporate NPS, debt funds
Pune-based Piyush Agarwal works at a senior position in a software company. He is paying a high tax even though his salary structure is fairly taxfriendly. Nearly 35% of his income goes in tax because of the 25% surcharge on incomes above Rs.2 crore. If he invests in tax-efficient instruments and claims all the deductions available to him, he can significantly reduce his tax outgo. Agarwal has opted for the new tax regime because he finds it less complicated and it allows him to invest as per his convenience and preference. Though there are no deductions under Section 80C in the new tax regime, there is an opportunity to save tax through NPS . If he reduces his special allowance by Rs.10,51,226 (14% of basic salary) and opts for the corporate NPS benefit from his company under Section 80CCD(2), his tax can reduce by Rs.8,75,919. The NPS benefit does not add to wage cost or paperwork for the company, but it lowers the tax outgo for employees. The tax savings are high because the deduction reduces the surcharge payable on the tax. Agarwal has invested Rs.65 lakh in fixed deposits and earns an interest of Rs.4.5 lakh on this. If he switches to debt funds or arbitrage schemes, he can save Rs.1.75 lakh in tax. Arbitrage funds are treated as equity schemes for tax purposes and long-term capital gains of Rs.1.25 lakh are tax-free in a year. To avoid tax on fixed deposits, Agarwal should also open a PPF account and start putting Rs.1.5 lakh a year in it to build a tax-free corpus. Live Events Agarwal and his family are covered by a group health plan from his employer. Under the new tax regime, there is no deduction for health insurance premiums, but he should still buy an independent health plan for himself and his family. WRITE TO US FOR HELP Paying too much tax? Write to us at etwealth@ with 'Optimise my tax' as the subject. Our experts will tell you how to reduce your tax by rejigging your pay and investments.
