New Delhi, November 18: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Tuesday that the inauguration of India's first bullet train will take place in August 2027, with the service initially operating on a 100-kilometer stretch between Surat and Vapi in Gujarat. This marks a revision from the earlier plan, where the initial phase was scheduled to cover a 50-kilometer distance between Surat and Bilimora within the same timeline.

The country's first 508-kilometer high-speed rail corridor is being constructed between Sabarmati in Ahmedabad and Mumbai, designed to accommodate bullet trains running at a speed of 320 kilometers per hour. The minister detailed the travel efficiency of the new system, stating that the train will cover the distance between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in one hour and 58 minutes if it stops at four stations. However, if the service halts at all 12 stations, the complete journey will take two hours and 17 minutes.

Regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to the Surat station, Vaishnaw noted that the Prime Minister was satisfied with the speed of construction. As per agency report, the Prime Minister remarked that the learnings derived from this project should be utilized not only in railways and other high-speed projects but also in various other sectors, highlighting that the initiative has seen consecutive innovations.

Describing the initiative as a complex project where the design remains the biggest challenge, the minister emphasized that the entire project is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2029. While the Railway Ministry has awarded a contract to a joint venture led by Siemens to install the signaling system on the corridor, industry experts have indicated that this system might not be suitable for the Japanese Shinkansen bullet train. Furthermore, the ministry has asked Bharat Earth Movers Limited to indigenously develop a high-speed train capable of running at a speed of 250 kilometers per hour.

Valsad, February 19 – A tragic incident unfolded in Gujarat’s Valsad district when four college students drowned in a river while on a picnic. The incident occurred on Tuesday evening at the Pandav Kund, the source of the Koli River, police officials confirmed on Wednesday.

According to Superintendent of Police (SP) Karanraj Vaghela, a group of eight students from KBS College in Vapi had gone to the Pandav Kund for a picnic. While enjoying the outing, one student jumped into the river for a swim but began to struggle. In an attempt to rescue him, four other students also jumped in, but they too started drowning.

Hearing their cries for help, locals from Rohia Talat village rushed to the scene and managed to pull them out of the water. However, by the time they were taken to Kaprada Community Health Center, four students were declared dead, while one was successfully rescued.

The deceased students, aged between 19 and 22 years, were residents of Dabhel in the Union Territory of Daman. Authorities have registered a case of accidental death at the Kaprada Police Station, and further investigation is underway.

Vapi : The body of a 6-year-old Muslim girl was found under mysterious circumstances on the banks of Damanganga river in Dungri Faliya of Dungri village of Vapi on Wednesday. The girl, Shabana (name changed), had disappeared after leaving home to go to her father's warehouse.

CCTV footage from the area shows a man holding Shabana's hand and taking her away from the road. The police are trying to identify the man and track him down.

Shabana's father informed the police about her disappearance after she failed to return home after a long time. The police launched a search operation and found Shabana's body on the banks of Damanganga river.

The body has been sent to Surat FSL for postmortem. The police are waiting for the postmortem report to confirm whether Shabana was raped before being murdered.

The incident has sent shockwaves through the local community. The police have assured the family that they will do everything possible to bring the perpetrators to justice.

A sudden fire engulfed a scrap warehouse in the Damanganga Industrial Park, located in Karwad village, Vapi, on Wednesday afternoon, creating widespread panic. However, firefighters arrived swiftly at the scene, successfully dousing the blaze within a few hours.

Despite the quick response to this incident, there is growing concern over the noticeable increase in fire incidents at scrap godowns in Vapi and nearby areas. Alarmingly, this trend has been observed for several years, posing a serious threat to public safety.

While the police have consistently filed cases against the owners of these scrap godowns, critics argue that the silence from other relevant administrative bodies has allowed scrap traders to operate without adequate scrutiny and regulatory oversight. This lack of administrative action is under increasing scrutiny, with calls for the District Collector to take more stringent measures against these frequent fire incidents.

It's clear that more proactive safety measures and stricter enforcement of regulations are urgently needed to prevent further such incidents and to protect the lives and property of the people in and around Vapi.

Gujarat - The Selvas District and Sessions Court has sentenced a young man to 12 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 for raping a woman and circulating private videos of their encounter without her consent. The incident occurred in 2021 when the accused lured the victim to a hotel in Selvas.

The case details reveal that Kalpesh Chhotubhai Chimda, a resident of Rudana in Selvas, befriended Sunita (name changed) from the Kaprada area via mobile phone. On December 13, 2021, Sunita visited her sister who lived in Selvas. During her visit, Kalpesh took Sunita to a hotel where they engaged in sexual intercourse. Unbeknownst to Sunita, Kalpesh recorded their encounter and later shared the private videos and explicit images in various WhatsApp groups, leaving Sunita and her family devastated.

Kalpesh was arrested following a complaint filed by the victim, and the police charged him under various sections, including rape. The prosecutor presented testimonies and evidence from multiple sources, including a doctor, during the trial in the Selvas District and Sessions Court. The prosecution argued for the maximum punishment due to the severity of the crime. Judge SS Adkar delivered the verdict, sentencing Kalpesh Chimda to 12 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposing a fine of Rs 15,000.

Vapi, Gujarat - Two bike-borne thieves made off with a bag containing Rs 8.70 lakh in broad daylight in the Gunjan area of Vapi. The contractor and his employee were traveling by bike to another bank after withdrawing the money when the thieves struck. The robbers surrounded the employee, knocked him to the ground, grabbed the bag of cash, and fled the scene.

Following the incident, police arrived at the location and initiated a search operation by setting up blockades. Labor contractor Hemant Prajapati and his employee had withdrawn the money from an ICICI Bank in the Gunjan area to pay laborers before the theft occurred. The robbers targeted the pair near Upasana School, knocking the employee off his bike and seizing the cash-filled bag.

Despite Prajapati shouting and attempting to chase the thieves, he was unsuccessful in apprehending them. The robbery caused panic among local residents, including traders. Police are now attempting to identify the culprits by scanning footage from nearby CCTV cameras.

Cow vigilantes in Gujarat intercepted and chased a truck carrying 11 cattle for 1 km on the Vapi highway before catching it. One calf was found dead among the cattle that were being brutally stuffed in the truck. The driver and another individual were arrested by the police. The cattle were being transported from Palanpur to a slaughterhouse in Maharashtra.

The vigilantes managed to stop the truck near Rambo Hospital on the Vapi highway after the driver ignored their signals to halt and sped away. The police were informed and arrived at the scene promptly.

Upon inspection of the truck, police discovered that nine cows and two calves had been cruelly crammed inside. Further interrogation of the driver revealed that the transportation of cattle was being carried out without a permit. The police arrested Imtiyaz Mohammad Mir (37, Vadgam Banaskantha) and Ishwarji Keshaji Thakor (35, Siddhpur) and seized the truck.

During questioning, the two accused implicated a man named Raju Desai, who was reportedly transporting the cattle from Palanpur to Maharashtra. Police have declared Raju Desai wanted in connection with the case. The rescued cattle were handed over to Vapi-Rata Panjrapole for care.

Despite strict laws in place against cattle smuggling, the illegal trade continues on a large scale, with slaughterhouses receiving cattle through various vehicles. The state government is urged to take serious steps to address the issue.