Curfew at village in Maharashtra's Jalgaon after clashes break out over road incident
Mumbai (PTI): Curfew has been imposed at a village in north Maharashtra's Jalgaon district following clashes over a trivial dispute involving the driver of a minister's car and a group of locals, officials said on Wednesday morning.
Seven persons have been arrested so far as several shops were set on fire and public property was damaged during the violence at Palthi village, a senior police official said. There was a heated exchange between a group of locals and the driver of state minister Gulabrao Patil's car in Kasaiwada area of the village late Tuesday night when the driver honked and asked them to give way, he said.
Patil, a Shiv Sena leader and the minister for water supply and sanitation, was not present, but a member of his family was riding in the car. While the altercation ended at the spot, some persons from the locality later went to a village square and protested, the official said. Another group then arrived there, leading to clashes till early in the morning. Several shops in the village were burnt, the official said.
Additional police personnel, State Reserve Police Force and Riot Control Police teams alongside fire brigade vehicles were deployed in the village, he said, adding that the situation was now under control.
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Natural water purification method ensures river cleanliness, saves crores: Yogi Adityanath
Gorakhpur (UP) (PTI): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Friday that purifying water using natural methods will not only ensure river cleanliness but also result in savings of crores of rupees.
According to an official statement, the chief minister inaugurated a municipal corporation project worth Rs 2.70 crore to purify wastewater entering the Rapti River using the natural method of phytoremediation.
Addressing the gathering at the event, Adityanath said, "Water purification through natural methods will clean the rivers and also save crores of rupees. There will be no electricity costs or maintenance expenses involved in this method."
During the ceremony held at Takia Ghat, the chief minister praised the initiative, saying, "The efforts made by the municipal corporation to keep the Rapti River in Gorakhpur clean, continuous, and beautiful are commendable. This is a significant step taken to preserve fertility and life."
He emphasised the importance of clean water, stating, "Great people have always considered water as life. From 1977 to 2017, around 50,000 innocent children in Gorakhpur and Eastern Uttar Pradesh lost their lives to encephalitis and vector-borne diseases caused by contaminated water."
Adityanath said contaminated water and filth were the primary causes of deaths due to viral diseases. He highlighted that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guidance, the Swachh Bharat Mission was implemented nationwide.
Urban areas witnessed the implementation of the Amrit Mission for clean drinking water, while rural areas benefitted from the Jal Jeevan Mission, he said.
Through the 'Har Ghar Nal' scheme, clean drinking water is now being supplied to every household, he said.
"Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, efforts to preserve the river culture began with the Namami Gange project. Today, as a result, the world's largest religious and spiritual gathering, the Maha Kumbh, will be held on Uttar Pradesh's soil, at the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati in Prayagraj, from January 13 to February 26," the chief minister said.
"Gorakhpur is situated along the banks of the Rapti and Rohini rivers. Efforts are being made to purify these rivers, which are the origin of our civilization and culture," he said.
He noted that earlier, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had been imposing penalties on the municipal corporation due to the discharge of polluted water into the Rapti River.
"The municipal corporation had proposed constructing an STP (Sewage Treatment Plant) at a cost of Rs 110 crore. We suggested adopting a natural method of water purification instead. Today, the positive results are for everyone to see," he said.
The chief minister said that following natural water purification, the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) has reached a pure state, with the BOD level at the discharge point recorded at 22.
"If all drains and sewers connected to drainage systems are managed similarly, we can use this natural model to achieve better outcomes at lower costs and ensure the purity of water, which is essential for life," he added.
