Protesters vandalise toll plaza in Kerala over ''rule violations''
Kasaragod (Kerala) (PTI) Tension prevailed at a village on National Highway 66 as a large crowd vandalised a newly established toll plaza late Wednesday night.
The incident occurred amid ongoing protests against the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for allegedly violating distance norms, police said here.
The toll gate, located on the Kasaragod–Talapadi stretch, began operations last Monday under heavy police protection.
However, locals and an Action Committee, led by AKM Ashraf MLA, have been staging an indefinite protest at the site since Tuesday.
They argue that the toll plaza is located only 22 km away from the Talapadi plaza, allegedly contradicting Union Minister Nitin Gadkari’s reported assurance that toll booths would maintain a minimum distance of 60 km.
The situation turned volatile around 8.30 pm, when a section of the crowd gathered at the protest site attacked the booths.
Protesters allegedly smashed glass panels and damaged CCTV cameras.
Although a large police contingent was present, the sudden unrest led to a brief traffic snarl on the highway.
The violence followed a failed mediation talk convened by the District Collector, which included NHAI officials and local MLAs.
Kumbla Police said they are investigating the case.
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PM Modi, Serbian prez discuss ways to deepen cooperation across multiple sectors
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday met President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić and discussed ways to deepen cooperation in areas such as defence, manufacturing, fertilisers and infrastructure.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit being held here from February 16-20.
"Met President Aleksandar Vučić on the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit. We discussed ways to deepen cooperation in areas such as defence, manufacturing, DPI, fertilisers and infrastructure. For many years, India and Serbia have worked closely and I am confident our ties will gain even more momentum in the times to come," Modi wrote on X.
Vučić said the two leaders were proud of the friendship between Serbia and India, and the people of the two nations.
"India is a reliable and important partner for us, and we want to deepen economic exchange and encourage new investment projects. I am especially happy because India wants significant participation in the Serbian #Expo," he said in a post on X in Serbian.
The India AI Impact Expo features more than 600 high-potential startups and 13 country pavilions showcasing international collaboration in the artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem. Over 20 heads of state, 60 ministers and 500 global AI leaders are attending the summit.
