New Delhi: The earnings of Indian Railways from passenger movement rose 6% to around Rs 80,000 crore in 2025-26, while freight revenue lagged, clocking a 1.4% rise to Rs 17.8 lakh crore.Data showed that the national transporter carried a record 741 crore passengers during the last financial year and freight loading was at an all-time high of 1,670 million tonnes, although it was lower than the target of 1,700 MT.Separate data also showed that railways and road transport ministries utilised their entire capex for FY26 of around Rs 5.5 lakh crore.Road transport ministry officials said highway construction touched 9,100 km and the award of new works stood at 6,500 km. NHAI, which is responsible for construction and maintenance of wider highways, said it constructed 5,313 km of NHs, about 15% higher than the target of 4,640 km for the year.“The capital expenditure by NHAI in 2025-26 was at Rs 2.4 lakh crore. This is about 2.5% higher than the budgetary support. The differential amount has been met through NHAI’s own resources,” it said.On Wednesday, railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed Rajya Sabha that the national transporter operated 76,352 special trains in the last financial year and cargo loading also increased. In a statement, railways said freight growth was driven by a 13% increase in fertiliser, pig iron and finished steel transport. Iron ore loading increased 6.7%, while cement volume went up 3.4%, reflecting steady activity in the infrastructure and construction sectors.

Mumbai: A unified River Rejuvenation Authority on the lines of National River Conservation Authority will be set up in the state to clean up the four major river basins—Narmada, Tapi, Krishna and Godavari. The state cabinet on Wednesday approved the proposal for its establishment to carry out both regulatory and developmental work to reduce pollution of rivers as well as to conserve and revitalise them.The CM will be the chairman of the authority, while the ministers for finance, urban development, water resources, industry, rural development and panchayati raj will be members. Two panels—an executive committee headed by the environment minister and a secretary-headed committee headed by MPCB’s member- secretary—will oversee implementation. There are 296 polluted river belts across the country, of which 54 are in Maharashtra. The authority will oversee the rejuvenation of rivers from source to sea of all rivers across the state. The cabinet approved raising Rs 2,000 crore through MPCB, which has a corpus of Rs 4,000 crore. The state govt will contribute Rs 100 crore. The cabinet also approved providing 10% of the amount received from minor mineral extraction to the authority every year. Money will also be raised through social responsibility funds received from various companies and mixed financing from various financial institutions. TNN

Thane: A 30-year-old man suffered serious injuries to his limbs after falling into the gap between the platform and train at Thane station late Tuesday, officials informed Wednesday.The incident, according to the Thane railway police, was reported around 10 pm when the passenger, identified as Purushottam Paswan, a resident of Jharkhand, along with his friend, was attempting to deboard the Indrayani Express that was leaving Platform 6 for Mumbai. Paswan slipped off and fell in the gap and was rescued by fellow passengers, railway and police staff who rushed to the spot.“The victim was initially taken to the Thane Civil Hospital, but considering the severity of his injuries, he was later referred to the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital (Sion Hospital) in Mumbai for advanced treatment Wednesday morning. We will record the statement of the victim once his condition is stable. We are appealing to commuters to avoid boarding or alighting from moving trains,” said a Thane railway police official.It may be recalled this is the third incident at Thane station alone reported this year. A woman suffered serious injuries after falling in the gap on Feb 23 while she was attempting to board one of the sleeper coaches of Mahanagari Express at Thane. In another instance, a 55-year-old man was killed after slipping between two coaches of a suburban train after a passenger fell in between them apparently while alighting from the train Jan 13.

Eight women workers were killed on the Nagpur-Mumbai Expressway in Jalna district, Maharashtra, after a truck collided with a tempo in which they were standing. The accident occurred on Jalna’s Samruddhi Highway when the workers, waiting in a side lane to leave after work, were struck from behind by a truck that had changed lanes, police said.“This tragic incident resulted in the deaths of seven people. Six or seven others sustained serious injuries… The police have taken the truck driver responsible for the accident into custody. The police have registered a case of culpable homicide against him and are proceeding with further legal action, including his arrest…,” said Ajay Kumar Bansal, superintendent of police, Jalna. Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis described the accident as “extremely tragic” and extended his condolences to the victims and their families. “The accident on Jalna’s Samruddhi Highway resulting in 8 deaths is extremely tragic. I pay my condolences to the victims. Our thoughts are with the families. Injured are being treated, and local administration is coordinating. District Collector and Police Superintendent are on-site. Praying for the injured’s swift recovery. Rs 5 lakh aid will be given to the deceased’s families,” Fadnavis said through a post on X.

BENGALURU: A tragic chain of events unfolded in Bengaluru’s Kothanur area, where a techie couple from Telangana died within minutes of each other at their apartment complex, leaving residents and police stunned.Bhanu Chander Reddy Kunta (32), a software engineer from Siddipet, was found hanging inside a locked room at his flat on Monday. According to police, his wife, Shaziya (31), an IBM employee, grew suspicious after he failed to respond despite repeated knocks on the door.Alarmed, she alerted apartment security and neighbours. When the door was eventually forced open, Bhanu was found dead inside the room.Minutes later, Shaziya ran out and jumped from the 17th floor of the same residential building, dying on the spot before anyone could intervene.Police have registered two separate cases of unnatural death based on complaints filed by their families in Telangana.Officials said multiple angles are being examined, including possible health concerns, relationship issues and emotional distress. The exact cause and sequence of events will be clearer after post-mortem reports and further investigation.