ED team assaulted on offshore casino vessel in Goa; staffers booked
Panaji (PTI): A team of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was allegedly assaulted by the staff of an offshore casino vessel in Goa, police said on Saturday.
Police on Friday registered a case against the director, two senior staffers of Cruise Casino Pride, and a few others for the incident that occurred on December 12, an official said.
According to the complaint lodged at Panaji police station, the staff of the offshore casino vessel allegedly assaulted Poluri Chenna Kesava Rao, an assistant director of ED, and his team and confined them in a room while they were searching the premises on Thursday afternoon, the official said.
He said casino director Ashok Wadia, senior staffers Gopal Ramnath Naik, Arati Raja and a few others were involved in the assault.
The accused threatened to cause injury to the complainant and his team and wrongfully confined them in a room while they were discharging their lawful duty in an official capacity, a spokesperson from the Goa police said.
He said the ED has also accused the casino director and staff of destroying the evidence they had collected during their search at the casino in connection with a money laundering case.
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Steel mirrors deployed in Mysuru to discourage public urination
Mysuru (PTI): Fed up with people relieving themselves along roadsides, the Mysuru City Corporation has adopted a unique strategy to curb the practice and promote civic sense by installing reflective steel mirrors along pavements, officials said on Friday.
In what officials described as a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Corporation installed stainless steel sheets with a mirror finish along an 80-metre stretch opposite the Mysuru Suburban Bus Stand.
Officials said the reflective sheets are intended to confront anyone attempting to urinate in public with their own reflection, thereby discouraging the act psychologically.
“The idea is to maintain cleanliness and hygiene, prevent public nuisance, and promote civic sense. It is a simple yet psychological approach that encourages self-awareness through reflection,” officials added.
Soon after the mirrors were installed, videos of the initiative went viral on social media, with many people appreciating the administration’s innovative attempt to address public urination. At the same time, some users pointed out the lack of basic civic sense among people.
Several social media users also suggested that more public toilets, maintained in a hygienic condition, were needed to further discourage open urination.
Explaining how the idea originated, Nitesh Patil, Administrator and Regional Commissioner of the Mysuru City Corporation, told PTI that despite a public toilet being located next to the bus stand, many people continued to urinate in the open.
Even fines and warnings failed to deter them from relieving themselves against vacant compound walls, leaving behind a foul smell.
“One of our engineers came up with this idea, and we decided to implement it. The initiative has received a very positive response from the public, social media, and the press. We are now planning to identify more such locations in the city and install similar reflectors,” he said.
According to him, to ensure that the installation is both effective and visually appealing, LED lighting that switches on along with the streetlights has also been added, causing the stretch to glow at night and enhancing the city’s appearance.
Patil said the initiative had helped create civic awareness while also beautifying the city.
“We want our city to be clean and hygienic. We aspire to become the cleanest city in the country,” he added, recalling that Mysuru secured third place nationally in the Swachh Survekshan Awards 2024–25 last year.
