India's political landscape is ablaze with activity! From the ongoing debates surrounding the new farm bills and their impact on rural India, to the upcoming state elections shaping the national narrative, the stakes couldn't be higher. Key political figures are maneuvering strategically, with alliances shifting and power dynamics constantly in flux. The opposition's challenge to the ruling party is intensifying, sparking vigorous debates on crucial policy matters including economic reforms and social justice initiatives. Parliamentary proceedings are filled with heated exchanges, reflecting the deep divisions within the nation. This evolving political climate directly impacts the lives of every Indian citizen, influencing everything from economic opportunities to social welfare programs. Stay informed about the latest developments in Indian politics, from crucial legislative decisions to grassroots movements, by exploring Abtak.com for in-depth analysis and breaking news updates. Understanding the intricacies of our political system is crucial; stay engaged, stay informed, and stay ahead.
Surat: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has begun repairs on highways in South Gujarat as pressure mounted and people protested. In Valsad district, repairs are being conducted at several points on National Highway 48. The Valsad district collector recently issued a notification ordering the registration of a criminal case against the agency hired to repair NH48 in case of injuries or deaths due to the poor condition of the road. The agency was given 10 days to finish repairs. "We have begun repair work at various locations on national highways in South Gujarat, including NH48. The most damaged sections are being repaired on priority. Multiple teams are at work," an NHAI official said. Damaged highways in the region have become a major concern. Users frequently demand toll waivers when highways are badly damaged. "Due to the damaged highway, trucks get damaged and need frequent repairs. In case of a breakdown on the highway, we must spend money to move the vehicle. In some cases, we also face police cases. This is in addition to the expenditure on tolls and diesel," said Bharat Thakkar, president, Vapi Transport Association. With the intervention of politicians after the Gambhira bridge collapse, the decision to repair the damaged Tapi river bridge on NH-48 at Kamrej was made, with traffic to be diverted to the expressway. Repairs on the bridge have begun but the diversion has led to traffic jams. "There are issues related to traffic jams due to the diversion. While NH-48 is badly damaged up to Mumbai, the agencies responsible should have carried out preventive repairs," said Yuvraj Desle, president, Surat Textile Goods Transport Association. As information of the diversion reached most transporters using NH48, the traffic jam problem gradually eased. Police have formed teams to divert traffic. Due to the large number of vehicles using the highway, it has become a major challenge.
Chennai: Hours before Union home minister Amit Shah was to arrive in Madurai, Thuglak editor and an associate of Shah, S Gurumurthy on Saturday met PMK founder S Ramadoss. The PMK leader, however, ruled out the possibility of meeting Amit Shah during his two-day visit to Tamil Nadu.Gurumurthy met Ramadoss for the second time amid reported tension within PMK regarding alliance strategies and insistence by Anbumani Ramadoss to remain party president. The hour-long meeting took place at the T Nagar residence of A K Vijay Mahesh, son of former Union minister and PMK leader A K Moorthy, sources sai ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Nine construction workers went missing after a midnight cloudburst triggered a massive landslide on Saturday (June 28) in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district on Yamunotri National Highway. A joint search and rescue operation has been launched by multiple agencies, and the Chardham pilgrimage on the Yamunotri track has been suspended for the next 24 hours. Police and rescue team members informed that around 19 workers were trapped under a thick mass of sludge that slid down due to a cloudburst at midnight. The deluge of sludge and debris completely devastated the labour camp where w ...Read More >
Ranchi: City is gearing up for the inauguration of the 4.18 km, four-lane Ratu Road flyover on Thursday by Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari. The minister will also address a gathering at the OTC ground in Piska More on the same day.Earlier, the flyover was scheduled for inauguration on June 19.As a final touch-up to the construction continued on Tuesday, city residents expressed satisfaction over the timely completion of the project. Once it is opened to the public, the flyover will ensure hassle-free movement along the Kutchery-Ratu Road stretch, providing respite to t ...Read More >
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], July 5 (ANI): Telangana BJP president N Ramchander Rao on Saturday accused the Congress of misleading the country with its claim that the BJP-led government at the Centre wants to change the Constitution. He added that AICC has now become the 'All India Cheating Congress'. "The words 'secular' and 'socialist' were not there in the Constitution. It was added after the 42nd Amendment. The Amendment was brought during the Emergency. Emergency was a black day in the democratic history of our country. So, the original Constitution did not have the words 'secular' and ...Read More >
New Delhi: State-owned NHAI on Friday said it has strengthened the process for reporting 'loose FASTag' for blacklisting users to ensure smooth tolling operations. In view of upcoming initiatives like the annual pass system and multi-lane free flow (MLFF) tolling, it is critical to address this issue to ensure FASTag authenticity and system reliability, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said in a statement. "To ensure smooth tolling operations and strengthen reporting of 'loose FASTags', NHAI has further streamlined its policy for the Toll Collecting Agencies and Concessionaires ...Read More >
New Delhi: Vehicle owners may soon get a new and easier way to pay tolls in India. The government is planning to introduce a FASTag Annual Pass that will allow unlimited travel on national highways and expressways. This was reported by the Times of India on May 24. The new system is being considered by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). If introduced, the FASTag Annual Pass will cost Rs 3,000 per year. With this one-time payment, users can travel freely across highways without paying toll charges each time. This move is expected to make road travel smoother and more afforda ...Read More >
The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway's Wayside Amenity Stations, initiated by NHAI, are revolutionizing the travel experience for long-distance truck drivers. These driver-centric stations offer essential facilities such as rest areas, dining, and refueling, significantly enhancing comfort, safety, and convenience for India's highway heroes. The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, is setting new standards in eco-sensit ...Read More >
CPI(M) leader Tikender Singh Panwar has urged police action against NHAI officials over recurring landslides and traffic disruptions on the Shimla-Chandigarh road. Panwar highlights criminal neglect in highway construction, impacting local farmers and commuters, with no proper response to his previous complaint in July 2023. Shooting stones and debris continue to plague the Shimla-Chandigarh road in Himachal Pradesh, leading to massive traffic jams and public distress. CPI(M) leader Tikender Sin ...Read More >
Jaipur: Police in Didwana have stepped up their probe into a cross-border smuggling case in which they arrested two arms and drug smugglers on June 27 for supplying Austrian Glock and Chinese Norinco pistols. It has emerged that the case has links to a massive Rs 300-crore heroin consignment seized by Punjab's Amritsar police near the India-Pakistan border in Barmer on June 30. Canada-based Joben Kaler was identified as the main overseas handler of the heroin consignment. Didwana-Kuchaman police had arrested Mohammad Ilyas from Khunkhuna and Amarjeet Singh Takhar, alias Prince, from Jalandhar ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], May 2 : The daily toll collection through FASTag system achieved a historic milestone on April ... New Delhi [India], May 2 : The daily toll collection through FASTag system achieved a historic milestone on April 29, reaching an all-time high collection of Rs 193.15 crore, with 1.16 crore transactions recorded in a single day, said the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on Tuesday. Since FASTag was mandated by the government in February 2021, the number of toll plazas under the FASTag programme has increased from 770 to 1,228, including 339 state toll plazas. With a p ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 11 (ANI): The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh for the family of a man who died after a building collapsed near Pul Mithai in North Delhi's Lohia Chowk area around the early hours of Friday. The deceased has been identified as Manoj Sharma, also known as Pappu, aged 45. He was an employee at shop number 7A, owned by Gulshan Mahajan, and had been working there for the past 30 years. Also Read | Tapi River Bridge in Gujarat's Kamrej Closed for Month As NHAI Begins Repairs After Gambhira Bridge Collapse Kills 18. The collapsed ...Read More >
Vadodara: About seven people died in four separate incidents of road mishap in Gujarat on Wednesday. Three people died and two others-all from Surat-sustained serious injuries after the tyre of a car going full speed bursted on the Ahmedabad-Vadodara Express Highway near Nadiad and it collided with a truck. While two people have been injured. The accident caused a traffic jam of approximately 15 kilometers on the NH-48. About The Nadiad Accident A horrific accident took place on the Ahmedabad-Vadodara Express Highway near Nadiad in the wee hours of Wednesday morning near Bilodara Bridge. A c ...Read More >
Bagdogra (West Bengal) [India], May 29 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said improving connectivity remains one of the main achievements of his government, which has, over the past decade, ushered in a slew of rail and road projects, including in the Northeastern state of Sikkim. In his address delivered via videoconferencing at the Sikkim@50 event held at Gangtok's Palzor Stadium, the Prime Minister recalled a time when travel for education, healthcare, and employment was a major challenge for the region. However, he noted that the situation has changed significantly over the ...Read More >
Srinagar: Before towering cranes and cutting-edge engineering transformed the Himalayan landscape, the monumental dream of connecting "Kashmir to Kanyakumari" by rail began with the plodding footsteps of humble mules. This extraordinary backstory underpins the official realization of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 6, 2025, a project crowned by the awe-inspiring Chenab Bridge. According to Afcons Infrastructure Limited, the company behind the Chenab Bridge, the earliest and most formidable hurdle wasn't just the design of ...Read More >
Shimla: The Shimla Meteorological Centre on Sunday issued a "red alert" for downpour in 10 districts of Himachal Pradesh while services on the Shimla-Kalka rail line were suspended after boulders and trees fell on the tracks following overnight rains. A landslide near Koti on the Shimla-Kalka National Highway (NH-5), connecting Shimla and Chandigarh, damaged some stretches of the road, resulting in a two to three-km-long traffic jam for hours. Solan Superintendent of Police (SP) Gaurav Singh on Sunday said two-way traffic has been restored near Chakki mod on NH 5 which was damaged due to lan ...Read More >
Jammu, Jun 29 (PTI) Police set up a number of checkpoints on Sunday to bolster security arrangements in Jammu district and carry out daily anti-sabotage checks ahead of the Amarnath Yatra, which is scheduled to start from July 3. The 38-day annual pilgrimage is scheduled to start on July 3 from the twin routes -- the traditional 48-kilometre Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the shorter but steeper 14-kilometre Baltal route in Ganderbal district -- leading to the 3,880-metre-high Amarnath cave shrine. The first batch of pilgrims will leave for Kashmir from the Jammu-based Bhagwati Nagar ...Read More >
Srinagar- Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said foreign countries were told clearly during the post-Operation Sindoor diplomatic outreach that in case of a fresh provocation, India would repeat its action. Speaking at a discussion at the Ahmedabad Management Association, Tharoor said Indian delegations which visited foreign countries in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor managed to convey that India acted with restraint and responsibility. "In other places, we actually were able to get some very high-placed people to say not only that they respected and supported India's right of self- ...Read More >
Bilaspur (Himachal Pradesh) [India], July 5 (ANI): The BJP national president and Union Minister JP Nadda on Saturday came down heavily on the Himachal Pradesh government, calling the current state of administration 'an all-time low,' while terming the recent incident involving Shimla (Rural) MLA Anirudh Singh and NHAI officials as 'unfortunate'. 'When the protector himself becomes the predator, how will the administration function. I am worried and hurt the way things are happening in Himachal Pradesh,' said the BJP national chief while addressing the Media in Bilaspur on Saturday. Addressi ...Read More >
Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], July 7 (ANI): Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has directed that all damage to highways, as well as rural and urban roads, caused by heavy monsoon rains, be repaired on a priority basis and restored to their original condition without delay, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said in a press release. In a high-level meeting, the Chief Minister emphasised that road networks--crucial for development and daily public transportation--must not remain damaged due to heavy rainfall, and that immediate repairs should be undertaken to ensure their continued operatio ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) plans to bid out 124 highways and expressway projects worth Rs 3.4 lakh crore in current financial year (2025-26). NHAI has put the entire list of projects in public domain, amid a sense of uncertainty among the highway developers.In last two years, there has been a slowdown in award (bidding out) of projects by NHAI, after the halt of govt's flagship Bharatmala programme for highway development. While NHAI bid out projects of 6,003 km in 2022-23, this has slowed down to 3,339 km in 2023-24 and increased marginally to 4,008 km in 2024-25. ...Read More >
Bihar's infrastructure has seen a 15-fold increase in data consumption over the past five years. Road density is now the third highest in India, electricity generation has increased tenfold, and IT parks and data centers are being developed. Numerous bridges and expanded rail lines are improving connectivity and boosting trade.Bihar has seen a 15-fold jump in data consumption in the last five years as the state goes big on developing infrastructure, investing in connectivity and building rail and ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: The government has approved shifting of Gurgaon's Kherki Daula toll plaza on the Delhi-Jaipur National Highway (NH-48) to Pachgaon, a place beyond Manesar, paving the way for easy commute for lakhs of office goers.When the plaza is moved to Pachgaon, over 15 kilometres from Gurgaon, commuters travelling between Delhi and Manesar also won't have to pay toll. Locals have been demanding its removal since 2014.TOI has learnt that Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari has approved the plan, and to ensure the new spot doesn't see any congestion, the National Highways Au ...Read More >
DEHRADUN: A 62-year-old man from Delhi's Chandni Chowk recently died in Mussoorie after suffering a suspected heart attack, with his family unable to access timely medical help due to the unavailability of an ambulance and severe traffic congestion, officials said on Saturday. Despite police escorting the car, Kamal Kishore Tandon's family took over an hour to cover less than 4km on Thursday, they added. Tandon was visiting his family's home near Library Chowk. His nephew Arjun Kapoor said Tandon began experiencing chest pain and uneasiness around 7pm. "We immediately called the ambulance help ...Read More >
The tunnel will connect Shiv Murti-Mahipalpur near Dwarka Expressway to Nelson Mandela Road in Vasant Kunj. A new 5-km-long tunnel aimed at easing traffic congestion across South Delhi and major routes into the NCR was announced by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday. The tunnel will connect Shiv Murti-Mahipalpur near Dwarka Expressway to Nelson Mandela Road in Vasant Kunj. The Rs 3,500-crore project will be executed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and is part of six major ...Read More >
NEW DELHI/SHIMLA: Shimla police registered an FIR against rural development and Himachal Pradesh minister Anirudh Singh Rana late Monday night for allegedly assaulting two NHAI engineers officials who were visiting the site of a collapsed five-storey building.The FIR was registered on the basis of NHAI manager Achal Jindal's complaint at Dhali police station under five sections of BNS dealing with assaulting a public servant, voluntarily causing hurt, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace, wrongful restraint and common intention. Jindal in his complaint, which TOI reported ...Read More >
New Delhi: In a joint operation, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israel Security Agency (ISA) have eliminated As'ad Abu Sharaiya, a senior leader of the Mujahideen terrorist organization in Gaza, and another terrorist, Mahmoud Muhammad Hamid Kuhail. According to the IDF, Abu Sharaiya was directly involved in the October 7, 2023, massacre, infiltrating Kibbutz Nir Oz, and was responsible for the abduction and murder of several Israeli citizens, including Shiri, Ariel, Kfir Bibas, and Nattapong Pinta. He also played a role in recruiting operatives for terror attacks against Israel and I ...Read More >
Shimla, July 2 (PTI) A day after he was booked for allegedly assaulting two NHAI officials, Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh on Wednesday denied the allegations and said that "the FIR does not mean that I am guilty." Singh also claimed widespread irregularities in road construction works by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and called its officials the "most corrupt in the country". The alleged incident occurred on Monday when the minister was inspecting a building collapse site in Shimla and called NHAI officers there. The owner of the building had claimed negligence by NHA ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 2 (ANI): Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday announced the completion of the four-lane Greenfield Bandikui Spur and said that it is expected to reduce travel time between Delhi and Jaipur to three hours. The 66.916-kilometre-long spur has been constructed at the cost of Rs 2,016 crore. Gadkari stated that the four-lane Greenfield Bandikui Spur resolves the issue of a 'lack of direct route' between the Delhi-Vadodara Expressway and Jaipur, which previously forced commuters to undertake longer journeys. 'We have successfully completed t ...Read More >
12 Jaipur: Around 3,800 vehicles travelled through the Jaipur-Bandikui linkway in the first 12 hours of the inaugural day of the trial run Wednesday, reducing the travel time between Jaipur and Delhi by at least 30 to 45 minutes. Officials of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said the number of vehicles would increase in the coming days.Confirming the figures of vehicle movements on the first day, Bharat Singh Joiya, project director of NHAI (Dausa PIU), said now that the trial run had started, NHAI won't close this linkway unless they find any major safety concerns. "We cannot comme ...Read More >
New Delhi: Was it the pitch? Was it the conditions? Was it the bowling? The questions doing the rounds after yet another strange show in good batting conditions by India were many. But with the exception of Shubman Gill, who became just the second Indian captain, after Mohammad Azharuddin, to score hundreds in consecutive matches in England, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, few India batters managed to answer them in a satisfactory manner. After being put into bat by England, India looked like they were in control at various points during the day but then somehow contrived to gift away wickets and end t ...Read More >