1. Gujarat’s Revenue from Narmada Waters Doubles in 5 Years
As the Gujarat government fills up the Sardar Sarovar Dam to record levels during a bountiful year, the state’s revenues from distributing Narmada waters among farmers, residents and industries more than doubled to Rs 445 crore in the last five years.
The residential sector witnessed the biggest jump and so, the government now plans to install water metres.
For every 1,000 litres of Narmada water supplied, the state government charged Rs 3.14 from each residential consumer and Rs 25.95 from industries, states data tabled in the legislative assembly in response to an unstarred question asked by Niranjan Patel, Congress MLA from Petlad, earlier this year, shows.
In comparison, the government charges Rs 328 from farmers for every hectare of land irrigated by Narmada water. This charge is imposed once every irrigation cycle.
(Source: Indian Express)
2. Three Fake Sub-Inspectors Arrested by Ramol Police
The Ramol police on Wednesday arrested three men from the CTM area on the charge of posing as police sub-inspectors and extorting money from vehicle owners on pretext of checking the vehicle.
The accused were identified as Ajgarali Shaiyad (40), Ahmedmiya Pathan (48) and Firoz Shaikh (34). All three were nabbed by people and later handed over to the Ramol police station.
As per police officials, on Wednesday afternoon at around 4.30 pm, the victim identified as Rakesh Patel (39) of Nava Vadaj area was stopped by the three accused near CTM Expressway on the pretext of checking his vehicle.
(Source: DNA)
3. Transport Dept, Police Gear up for 16 Sept Rollout of Amended MV Act
The Transport Department and Traffic Police are gearing up for 16 September when the new amendments to the Motor Vehicle Act will be put into effect in Gujarat, even as residents in cities such as Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Surat queued up outside RTO offices and petrol pumps on Wednesday for essential documentation of their vehicles.
On Tuesday, the Gujarat government presented 18 different categories of violations which were recently amended by the union government. However, ambiguity remains about the two Union Territories adjoining Gujarat, namely Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. As Union Territories are directly governed by the Union government, the laws of Gujarat are not likely to apply to them.
(Source: Indian Express)
4. 2015 Patidar Agitation: Panel Probing Police Atrocities Summons Hardik, Three Others
The Justice KA Puj commission, which has been set up to probe allegations of police atrocities during the 2015 Patidar agitation, has summoned Congress leader Hardik Patel and three other prominent Patidar leaders to submit their affidavits in the coming days.
According to former chief justice of Gujarat High Court Justice KA Puj, who heads the two-member Puj commission, four persons — Hardik Patel, Ketan Patel, Chirag Patel and Amrish Patel — have been sent notice for inquiry into police atrocities during the 2015 Patidar agitation.
“We have sent them summons three-four days ago in which Hardik and Amrish have been asked to be present on September 16 and Ketan and Chirag have been called on 21 September,” said Justice Puj.
Violence had erupted on 25 August, 2015 in Ahmedabad when Hardik Patel led a ‘Kranti’ rally which was attended by over 5 lakh people from all over Gujarat. Patel and other Patidar leaders had complained that that police had used batons on women supporters of agitation.
(Source: Indian Express)
5. Police Suspect More Children Kidnapped
Putting an end to child trafficking menace, Mahila crime branch officials on Sunday arrested the main accused Betab aka Shivam Salat, a resident of Lonavala in Maharastra, for kidnapping four minor girls from Surat and forcing them to beg, steal in Ahmedabad.
While investigating this case, officials suspect that the gang was running the racket from the past seven years and there is a possibility that the gang has kidnapped more children in the past.
During interrogation, it was also revealed that the accused was living in Lonavala and a small-time drug dealer. He used to get the stuff from Pune and sell them in Lonavala.
Mini Joseph, ACP of Mahila Crime branch said, “During the interrogation, the accused confessed that he had kidnapped one of the girls from Surat, but denied about rest.”
(Source DNA)
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