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A Village Burnt Overnight: Tears, Loss and Survival in Dhamangaon Blaze

  Sitting amid the blackened remains of his home, 32-year-old Nikesh Gawali carefully broke open a half-melted plastic box with a screwdriver. His hands shook slightly, not out of fear, but out of hope. “I’m trying to find my daughter Aarti’s gold earrings,” he said quietly, still focused on the box. “She’s just five. I got them made recently after months of labour work.” The plastic box, warped and blackened by heat, was one of the few things left from his two-room house on the outskirts of Dhamangaon village . All around him lay ash, broken tin sheets and charred wooden beams. The walls had cracked under the heat and the front room’s tin roof had caved in completely. What remained was a blackened debris all around - almost nothing to suggest a home once stood there. Nikesh earns his living as an agricultural labourer, like many in the village. Work is uncertain and depends on the season. Those earrings weren’t just jewellery - they were a small dream, a reward for his hard work,...

Traffic police serves massive 51,475 e-challans to motorists

Traffic Control Branch has recorded violations of traffic norms by 51,475 citizens in a period of three and half months. And among the eight traffic zones, highest violations of 9433 that is almost 18.33 per cent were reported from Sitabuldi Zone that comprises of middle portion of city.
With 3,300 installed cameras, City Operation Centre (CoC) is helping police in preparing the e-challans. A team of traffic police constables deployed at the CoC for monitoring footages of major junctions zoom into pictures and zero on the violators.
According to statistics of Traffic Control Branch, a total of 38,950 bikers (75.66 per cent) were served e-challans for not wearing helmet while riding the bike, 1,998 persons for crossing the stop line, 956 for triple seat riding, 4,493 four-wheeler drivers for not wearing seat belts, 157 for fancy number plates, 51 for using mobile phone while driving, 59 for wrong side driving, 283 for no parking, 736 for single jumping, 3,511 for over seat driving and 19 served e-challans for underage riding. 
Out of total 51,475 e-challans, maximum 9,433 motorists (18.32 per cent) were fined in Sitabuldi area, followed by 8,410 (16.33 per cent) in Ajni area, 6,575 (12.75 per cent) in Sadar area, 6,320 (12.27 per cent) in Indora area, 5,979 (11.61 per cent) in Sonegaon area, 4,825 (9.32 per cent) Cotton Market area and 4,042 (7.85 per cent) in MIDC area. 
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Gajanan Rajmane informed The Hitavada that instilling sense of responsibility among the citizens is sole reason for issuing the e-challans on such a large number. “We have focused on accident-prone spots while issuing the e-challans,” he further informed. The e-challans are being generated automatically after putting vehicle number in server and it is sent to the violator’s address along with the CCTV grab.
The rising number of two wheeler is putting pressure on city roads and given the way ward riding by riders who seems perennially in hurry, traffic police attempt to make use of technology to hilt. Apart from conventional policing, DCP Rajmane said the system of e-challans attempts to rein in rash drivers and attempt to discipline citizens.


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