Navi Mumbai: Chunks of cement-concrete fell off Adoshi tunnel’s roof and sides on buses and cars on the Mumbai-bound carriageway of Mumbai-Pune expressway on Tuesday. No one was injured but a few vehicles were damaged. Traffic on the carriage was disrupted for over an hour and the congestion stretched for a few kilometres.Workers of the contractual firm, besides a team from highway safety patrol’s Borghat unit, were pressed into service to fix the issue. Traffic resumed after the debris was cleared and the lanes were opened in a phased manner. The incident raised safety concerns among motorists. Many demanded an inspection of tunnel works to assess its structural stability. —Umesh K Parida

CEC Gyanesh Kumar has sent out a clear message to the election machinery in poll-going states – particularly officers brought in to replace the administrative and police brass seen as “pliable” or “partisan” towards the party in office – that they must maintain 100% neutrality while imposing strict checks on poll violence and voter intimidation. “EC has zero tolerance towards any kind of violence, intimidation or inducement towards any elector,” the CEC is said to have told officials involved in poll conduct in the four states and one UT. An EC official said the slew of transfers in WB, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Assam is aimed at cleaning up administration and police of elements that have become pliable. “In states like WB, violence and intimidation have been features of polls. This cycle has to stop,” the official said, adding that the deployment of 1,111 observers are steps in that direction.

HD Deve Gowda in Rajya Sabha

NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha on Wednesday witnessed some lighter moments when Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said former PM H D Deve Gowda was “in love” with Congress but “got married” to BJP. Deve Gowda, however, hit back, saying he was in a “forced marriage” with the Congress party and had to “divorce” as it was an “abusive relationship”.Speaking during farewell to retiring members, leader of opposition Kharge said he has known Deve Gowda for 54 years. “He shared his love and affection with us but tied the knot with Mr Modi (BJP). This happened recently, so I do not know how you interpret it,” he said, when Deve Gowda was not in the House but PM Modi was present. Both Kharge and Deve Gowda are retiring and may return to Rajya Sabha.Deve Gowda responded in a statement on X. “Here’s my response, both light-hearted and factual, on why I was forced to ‘divorce’ Congress,” he said, tagging PMO.“My dear and long-time friend Mallikarjun Kharge made a light-hearted comment… If I respond in the same language, I was in a ‘forced marriage’ with Congress but had to ‘divorce’ them as it was an abusive relationship,” he said, referring to 2019 developments in Karnataka.

NEW DELHI: As the Rajya Sabha bid farewell to 59 MPs, PM Narendra Modi told retiring members there is no full stop in politics, while praising the service of senior MPs like H D Deve Gowda, Sharad Pawar and LoP Mallikarjun Kharge.Addressing the House, Modi said that on such occasions, “we rise above partisan differences, and a shared sentiment emerges”. “In politics, there is no full stop. The future awaits you, and your experience will remain part of our national life,” Modi said.In a lighter vein, Kharge said Deve Gowda once “loved” Congress but had “married” Modi, drawing laughter.Modi lauded the contribution of retiring MPs, calling Parliament an open university, and urged them to remain active. He made special mention of Deve Gowda, Pawar and Kharge, calling them stalwarts who have spent more than half their lives in Parliament.He also praised outgoing deputy chairman Harivansh and highlighted the bicameral system as strengthening decision-making. Kharge called for a review of rules and more sittings, stressing debate is vital. Chairman C P Radhakrishnan said retirement marks the beginning of new roles. TNN

GURGAON: A 29-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly raping a 19-year-old college student during a birthday party at a flat in Gurgaon. The accused, identified as Divyam, a resident of Delhi, was produced in a city court and sent to judicial custody on Monday. According to police, the woman, a student of Delhi University originally from West Bengal, had gone to a friend’s flat in Sector 33 on Saturday to attend a birthday party where alcohol was being consumed. Officers said the accused had joined the gathering through one of the victim’s friends. It is alleged that late at night, the accused, under the influence of alcohol, began molesting the woman. Police said he then allegedly took her to a secluded area inside the apartment and sexually assaulted her, taking advantage of her intoxicated state. The woman resisted the assault and raised an alarm, alerting her friend. The accused fled the scene, police said. The survivor approached police the next day, following which a case was registered at Sadar Police Station under Section 64(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). A medical examination was conducted and her statement was recorded before a judicial magistrate. “The accused who lives in Rohini has been arrested. He had come to the party at the invitation of a friend. Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused committed the crime under the influence of alcohol. He was sent into judicial custody and further probe is underway”, said a senior police officer.

Mumbai: After four heatwave days in less than a fortnight this month, Mumbai, Thane and Palghar will likely see light rain/thundershowers on Thursday. IMD had forecast similar conditions on Wednesday too, but no rain was recorded.Some experts said while Mumbai is unlikely to see significant thunderstorms, MMR has the best chance of scattered light showers between late Wednesday night and Friday morning. Daytime temperatures, which had peaked at 40°C last week, saw a dip on Wednesday, with the weather bureau’s Colaba and Santacruz observatories recording maximum temperatures of 32.4°C and 31.3°C, respectively, which were 1.3°C and 2.3°C below normal. Minimum temperatures logged readings around 1° below normal—with 22.6°C at the Colaba station and 21.3°C at Santacruz observatory. The city had recorded heatwaves on March 5, 9, 10 and 13. A heatwave is declared when temperatures touch 37°C or more two days in a row. On March 10, the mercury hit 40°C, making it the hottest day in five years. TNN

NEW DELHI: The Cabinet on Wednesday approved amendments to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, proposing to bring clarity in respect of prior permissions by enabling the govt to prescribe the validity period within which foreign contributions may be received and also the timelines for their utilisation.The bill is likely to be introduced in the current session of Parliament. People aware of the development said the bill proposes to introduce comprehensive and time-bound statutory mechanism for the management, utilisation and disposal of foreign contributions and assets of associations or NGOs whose registration has been suspended, cancelled, surrendered, or has ceased. “In the current act, there is no provision for managing such assets. This will bring a lot of clarity. The bill intends to streamline the reporting process and ensure that all organisations adhere to the regulatory framework,” an official said.The bill also proposes to introduce a safeguard to ensure criminal probes under the act are initiated only with the prior approval of the Union govt.Officials said the bill further proposes to rationalise penalties, including reduction in maximum jail term for different offences, which includes unauthorised receipt of foreign contribution. It also mandates approval of central govt before any criminal investigation is initiated under the act.There are 16,000 FCRA-registered associations and NGOs which receive contributions of over Rs 20,000 crore annually. The act aims to ensure such inflows do not affect national security or public interest