Pulwama attack: Protesters block rail tracks at Nalasopara
Mumbai : A group of protesters Saturday blocked the railway tracks at Nalasopara station in Palghar district of Maharashtra to protest against the terror attack in Pulwama that killed 40 CRPF personnel, officials said.
The protesters got onto the tracks around 8.20 am and started raising slogans against Pakistan, the officials said, adding that train services on the route were affected due to the protest.
In a tweet, the Western Railway (WR) said, "Several protesters have blocked the tracks at Nallasopara due to which train movement has been affected at Nallasopara & beyond. GRP, RPF are making efforts to convince the people & evacuate the tracks & normalize the train movement."
Chief spokesperson of the WR, Ravinder Bhakar, said the protest started at 8.20 am when people came on the railway tracks and stopped the movement of trains.
"Trains are not operating between Nalasopara and Virar stations, while services between Vasai to Churchgate are normal. Forces have been called in to disperse the agitating crowd," he said.
The protesters shouted slogans of 'Bharat mata ki jai'. They also raised slogans against Pakistan for the Pulwama terror attack and demanded action against the neighbouring country for sponsoring and sheltering terrorists and terror groups, another official said.
"The agitation is likely to affect the the schedule of the long-distance trains as well," he added.
Forty CRPF personnel were killed and five injured in one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, when a Jaish-e-Mohammed suicide bomber rammed a vehicle carrying over 100 kg of explosives into their bus in Pulwama district.
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Anbumani asks PM Modi to ban sale of cigarettes for those born after 2009
Chennai (PTI): PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take legislative measures to prohibit smoking and the sale of cigarettes to individuals born on or after January 1, 2009, thereby creating a smoke-free generation.
Anbumani, former Union minister for health and family welfare, said, "Once implemented, it (ban on cigarettes) will ensure that future generations are legally prevented from ever accessing tobacco products", he said in a letter to Modi.
"I write to you with a deep sense of urgency and responsibility, drawing your kind attention to a critical public health issue that continues to endanger the lives of millions of Indians, particularly among the younger generation who are affected by cigarette smoking", he claimed.
Stating that India unfortunately bears a disproportionately high burden of tobacco-related morbidity and mortality, he said, adding that, according to global health estimates, nearly 267 million Indians, approximately one in five citizens, use tobacco.
"Each year, tobacco consumption directly accounts for over 1.35 million deaths, while exposure to second-hand smoke contributes to a total of approximately 2.3 million deaths annually", he said, adding, "these figures are alarming and reflect a public health crisis of immense magnitude".
He pointed out that Scientific evidence unequivocally establishes tobacco use as a leading cause of cancer and numerous non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular ailments, chronic respiratory diseases such as COPD, and multiple forms of malignancies. "In India alone, tobacco is responsible for nearly 40–50 per cent of all cancer cases, with over 4.7 lakh deaths annually attributed to tobacco-induced cancers", he added.
"In this context, I strongly urge the Union government to consider enacting a transformative law similar to that of the United Kingdom, that permanently prohibits the sale and consumption of tobacco products for individuals born on or after a specified year (such as 2009). Such a generational ban would mark a decisive step towards eliminating tobacco use in India over time", he said.
