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

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  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,...
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Road Safety Success in Nagpur: Operation U-Turn prevents 90 road accident deaths

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By Dheeraj Fartode

DCP Lohit Matani
The Operation U-Turn campaign launched by the Nagpur City Police to reduce road accidents and fatalities has shown encouraging results. The city has recorded a 26 percent reduction in road accident deaths in 2025 so far, helping save 90 lives, said Commissioner of Police (CP) Dr Ravinder Kumar Singal on Monday.In 2024, Nagpur city reported 340 deaths due to road accidents. This figure has come down to 252 deaths in 2025 till December 21. Due to this improvement, Nagpur has secured the first position in the state in reducing road accident fatalities.Comparatively, Palghar district recorded a 20 percent reduction in accident deaths, while Amravati city achieved a 17 percent reduction. In Pune, the police managed to save 55 lives, and in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, accident deaths were reduced by 18. Nagpur stood out by saving the highest number of lives through focused enforcement and preventive measures.Operation U-Turn was implemented in Nagpur from July 10 with the objective of curbing rash driving, drunk driving, and other traffic violations. As part of the drive, 90 traffic checkpoints were set up at various locations across the city. Over the year, action was taken against 5,366 traffic violators, while more than 3,000 vehicles were checked every day.

Black-spots identified 

The police also identified accident-prone locations, known as black spots, and took steps to reduce risks at these points. Safety measures such as barricades, rumble strips, blinkers, and clear warning signboards were installed to alert motorists and slow down traffic. Strict action was also taken against illegally parked private buses, unauthorized food trucks, and heavy vehicles that often create traffic congestion and increase the chances of accidents.Special emphasis was placed on monitoring two-wheeler riders and young drivers. The police conducted regular night checks to prevent overspeeding and drunk driving, which are major causes of fatal accidents in the city.

60 parents booked for underage riding

During the campaign, several cases of minor drivers were detected at checkpoints. The traffic police took strict action and booked the parents for allowing underage children to drive vehicles. So far, 60 parents have been penalised.As part of the action, fines were imposed and the driving licences of these minors have been cancelled until they attain the age of 25, as per legal provisions. The police stated that such strict measures are necessary to ensure road safety and prevent tragic accidents involving minors.Joint CP Navinchandra Reddy and DCP Traffic Lohit Matani appealed to citizens to follow traffic rules, avoid drunk driving and cooperate with the police to further reduce road accidents and save more lives in the future.


Location: Nagpur, Maharashtra, India

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