LIVE: Mamata unlikely to attend Ram Mandir inauguration, says TMC

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Mamata Banerjee (Photo: PTI)

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is unlikely to attend the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya in January, a senior TMC leader told PTI on Wednesday. According to TMC sources, neither Banerjee nor any representative of the West Bengal government or the party will be present at the programme scheduled on January 22.

The hospitalisation due to gas leak at Chennai plant has increased to 44. An ammonia leak happened from a pipeline belonging to Coromandel International near its Ennore plant in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu has on Wednesday. The incident comes weeks after an oil spill in the same area from a refinery belonging to Indian Oil-owned Chennai Petroleum Corp during Cyclone Michaung.

India on Wednesday recorded 529 fresh Covid-19 cases, while the country's active infection count stood at 4,093. According to the ministry's data updated at 8 am, three new fatalities, two from Karnataka and one from Gujarat, were reported in the last 24 hours. Till December 5, the number of daily cases dropped to double-digits, but infections have again gone up after the emergence of a new variant and cold weather conditions. As the ministry data, 220.67 crore doses of Covid vaccines have so far been administered in the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today interacted with beneficiaries of Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra on 27th December 2023 at 12:30 PM via video conferencing. Since its launch on 15th November 2023, the prime minister has regularly interacted with the beneficiaries of the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra all across the country. Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra is being undertaken across the country to attain saturation of flagship schemes of the government by ensuring that the benefits of these schemes reach all targeted beneficiaries in a time-bound manner.

Several commuters were injured in a pile-up on the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida this morning amidst dense fog across the national capital and NCR. As per officials, the incident happened around 8 am on the Agra to Noida lane of the expressway in Dayanatpur area under the Jewar police station limits. "No person suffered fatal injury in the incident while the number of those injured was yet to be ascertained," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Greater Noida) Ashok Kumar told media. In a separate incident, many were injured on the Agra-Lucknow expressway when at least seven to eight vehicles collided due to a dense layer of fog. The low visibility led to a massive collision of vehicles near the Jharna Nala flyover. "The vehicle ahead of me suddenly applied the brake, due to which I hit the brake and then some three to four vehicles behind me also collided with each other," Ravi Kumar, an eyewitness to the incident told media.

Delhi Airport is grappling with delays that are impacting around 110 flights on Wednesday morning due to dense fog. The delays are affecting both domestic and international arrivals and departures. Some trains have also been delayed due to fog and low visibility in the national capital with temperature dropping to almost seven degrees today. The Indian meteorological department has issued a warning of 'dense to very dense' fog in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh during 27th-29th December and over isolated pockets of North Rajasthan and north Madhya Pradesh on 27th December.

9:22 PM

Fire broke out in a shopping centre in the Malad area of Mumbai

Fire broke out in a shopping centre in the Malad area of Mumbai. 11 people were safely evacuated from the shopping centre. No injuries reported. Fire tenders at the spot and douse to control the fire is underway: Mumbai Fire Brigade

5:53 PM

West Bengal CM Mamata unlikely to attend Ram Mandir inauguration, says TMC

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is unlikely to attend the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya in January, a senior TMC leader said on Wednesday. According to TMC sources, neither Banerjee nor any representative of the West Bengal government or the party will be present at the programme scheduled on January 22. "There is no question of Mamata Banerjee or any other representative of the TMC attending the Ram Mandir inauguration at Ayodhya next month. We don't believe in mixing politics with religion," a senior party leader privy to the development told PTI. The Ram temple will be inaugurated on January 22, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and more than 6,000 people expected to attend the grand "Pran Pratistha" ceremony.

5:45 PM

No substantial evidence of 'extortion' in Tihar prison: CBI

There is no substantial evidence of any major extortion racket in Tihar prison, the CBI has said while filing a closure report in a Delhi High Court-ordered probe arising out of allegations levelled by the family of Ankit Gujjar, an inmate who was beaten to death in the prison, news agency PTI reported.

Officials said Gujjar's family had alleged that he was killed as he failed to meet the extortion demands from the prison officials. The Delhi High Court had directed the CBI to probe the allegations of extortion in the jail as well as Gujjar's death. The agency had initiated two separate investigations - one related to the death of Gujjar and the other a general investigation into the alleged extortion activities in Tihar jail--on the orders of the high court, they said.

5:35 PM

Fire in building's parking lot in northeast Delhi, no one injured

More than 30 people were rescued after a fire broke out on Wednesday in a residential building's parking area in Kardampuri area of northeast Delhi, officials said.

A scooter was gutted and a car parked outside the building was partially damaged due to the flames. No one was injured in the incident, they said, adding three fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the blaze.

"We got a call at around 11.14 am that a scooter caught fire due to a short circuit in the cables of an electricity meter. Soon after the call, three fire engines were rushed to the site," a DFS official said.

5:24 PM

Jal Jeevan Mission achieves 72% rural tap water coverage, eyes 100% in 2024

Making substantial progress towards the government's ambitious Jal Jeevan Mission, approximately 72 per cent of rural households now have access to tap water connections, according to official data.

In 2024, the Jal Shakti ministry faces the crucial target of achieving the 100 per cent coverage of tap water connection to every rural household -- a commitment made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019.

A senior official expressed confidence that the government will reach the 100 per cent coverage goal by the end of the coming year.

5:16 PM

Amid high drama, ex-Pak foreign minister Qureshi arrested after being released from jail

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party's vice chairman and a close aide of former prime minister Imran Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi was on Wednesday manhandled by police as they re-arrested him outside a jail in Rawalpindi, a step termed “illegal” by him and his party, news agency PTI reported. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) released a video on X where Qureshi, who was granted bail in the cipher case by the Supreme Court last week, is seen being pushed and shoved by policemen after he was picked up right at the gate of the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi and packed off into an armoured police vehicle.

5:00 PM

Govt bans Masarat Alam faction of Muslim League Jammu Kashmir

A faction of Muslim League Jammu Kashmir, led by separatist leader Masarat Alam Bhat, was on Wednesday declared a banned organisation by the government under the stringent anti-terror law. The ban comes as a response to the outfit's involvement in anti-national and secessionist activities in Jammu and Kashmir, with the intent to create a reign of terror in the country, the Union Home Ministry said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while announcing the ban under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, emphasised that the Modi government's message is clear that those who act against the unity, sovereignty, and integrity of the nation will face the full wrath of the law and will not be spared.

4:42 PM

DU's Ramanujan College teachers' body demands withdrawal of mandatory clause in 'course' on Gita

Teachers' outfit Democratic Teachers' Front has demanded the withdrawal of the mandatory registration and attendance for a certificate-cum-refresher course on Srimad Bhagavad Gita being offered by Delhi University's Ramanujan college. In a statement on Wednesday, the Left-leaning body said that teaching and non-teaching staff of the college are being coerced into registering for the certificate course on Bhagavad Gita and called the move an "autocratic trait" on the college administration's part. It alleged that the college is forcing the teaching and non-teaching staff to attend the course beyond their office hours.

4:31 PM

At least 44 hospitalised after gas leak at Chennai fertiliser unit

At least 44 people were hospitalised after an ammonia leak from a pipeline belonging to Coromandel International near its Ennore plant in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, hospital sources said on Wednesday. "We noticed abnormality on Dec. 26 at 11:30 p.m. local time (1800 GMT) in the ammonia unloading subsea pipeline near shoreside, outside the plant premises," Coromandel said in an exchange filing earlier in the day. Forty-four people were rushed to Akash Hospital in Chennai, two hospital officials told Reuters, on condition of anonymity, as they were not authorised to talk to the media.

3:56 PM

At least 10 cylinders stored illegally explode in Pune after fire

At least 10-12 LPG cylinders exploded near Symbiosis College in the Viman Nagar area of Pune city, news agency ANI reported. Around 100 LPG gas cylinders were stored illegally in an under-instruction site. Out of 100 LPG cylinders, 10 cylinders exploded after a fire. 3 fire tenders are present at the spot... Fire is under control. No damage or casualties reported as of now. More details awaited, said the Pune Fire Department.

3:43 PM

Will check end-to-end encrypted calls of phones near Israel embassy: Delhi Police

The Delhi Police will look into "end-to-end encrypted calls" of active mobile numbers near the Israel Embassy as part of its probe into a low-intensity blast that occurred there on Tuesday night, sources in the police said.

Police have intensified its probe after the blast and have identified two suspects who were caught on camera walking on the road close to the spot shortly before the explosion.

2:57 PM