NEWS

Strengthening road infrastructure in the state further, the Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday gave green signal to the construction of the massive Rs 36,230 crore ambitious project of Ganga Expressway. The approval came from the state cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in state capital Lucknow.

The cabinet gave nod to the Request for Proposal and Request for Quotation of four packages of the project, which will pave the way for the construction of the Expressway.

The UP CM also directed all the departments concerned, including UP Expressway Industrial Development Authority, to work in mission mode to execute this six-lane 594-km Expressway project between Meerut and Prayagraj. It will cover the districts of Meerut, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, Badaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh and Prayagraj along the river Ganga.

In the past 24 hours 45,364 fresh cases and 492 covid related deaths have been reported across the country. Except for Monday when case count is typically the week’s lowest, seven of the past eight days have seen fresh cases breach past the 40,000 mark. India’s case count had dropped below 40,000 on August 13 and had remained at that level till August 24. These numbers do not include cases from Bihar, Jharkhand and Assam which were still awaited at the time of filing of the story.

Overall the situation has remained largely at the level of the previous week. The case count has remained persistent in states that are reporting over 500 daily cases.

The Delhi high court on Thursday observed that the nature of injuries on Ankit Gujjar’s body, who was found dead inside his cell at Tihar jail on August 4, clearly pointed that it was case of “custodial violence and torture”.

Justice Mukta Gupta, while hearing a plea by Gujjar’s mother who demanded a CBI probe into the alleged murder of her son, said the statements by the eye witnesses given to the police indicated that he was not only beaten but the CCTV was also shut down by the errant jail officials during the incident.

“Nature of injuries clearly show that it’s a case of custodial violence/torture. It’s a very serious matter, how did the CCTV get closed…You see the manner in which the incident has taken place. He (deputy superintendent) not only beats but also gets the CCTV shut down...It’s not simply the case of a departmental enquiry. A life has been lost,” the judge said.

The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday (September 1, 2021) said cow should be declared a national animal and those who harm it must be punished. The bench observed that cow is an important part of the Indian culture, and said that a fundamental right is not only the prerogative of beef eaters but also of those who worship cows and are financially dependent on it.

The government should bring a Bill in Parliament and declare cow as the national animal and make strict laws against those who talk about harming the animal, the bench of Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav said. "The right to life is above the right to kill and the right to eat beef can never be considered a fundamental right," the court said.