Train carrying water to reach parched Chennai in afternoon: Railways
New Delhi: Water for parched Chennai will reach the city at around 2 pm on Friday, the railways has said, adding that a train with 50 tank wagons (BTPN), with 50,000 litres of water in each, left Jolarpettai at 7.20 am.
The train is expected to reach Villivakkam around 2.00 pm where it will inaugurated by Tamil Nadu ministers, officials said. Jolarpettai is 217 km away from Chennai in Tamil Nadu's Vellore district.
The train was supposed to reach on Thursday, but leakages in the valves led to the delay.
Chennai has been grappling with an acute water crisis over the past four months. The southern metropolis is facing a daily water deficit of at least 200 million litres, and the four reservoirs supplying to the city have run dry. The rich haven't been spared either, but their suffering is nothing compared to the working class.
Rampant unplanned development, deficient monsoon last year coupled with inadequate urban planning has brought Chennai to its knees. The Tamil Nadu government had earlier requested the railways to help them ferry the water to the city.
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234 held in anti-drug operation in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 15 (PTI): The Kerala police on Saturday said as part of its special drive to crack down on individuals suspected of drug trafficking, 234 people were arrested, and varying quantities of several deadly narcotics, including MDMA, were seized.
The State Police Media Centre (SPMC) stated that on March 14, as part of the drive, D-Hunt, authorities inspected 2,362 individuals suspected of drug trafficking and arrested 234 of them.
The operation was carried out across the state to identify and take strict legal action against those involved in the storage and distribution of banned drugs.
Police registered 222 cases related to the possession of various prohibited substances, according to a statement issued by the SPMC.
Additionally, authorities seized 0.0119 kg of MDMA, 6.171 kg of cannabis, and 167 cannabis 'beedis' from those arrested.
Operation D-Hunt is being jointly implemented by the Range-based NDPS Coordination Cell and District Police Chiefs under the leadership of State Anti-Narcotics Task Force Head and ADGP (Law and Order) Manoj Abraham, following the instructions of State Police Chief Dr Sheikh Darvesh Sahib, the statement said.
The SPMC also announced that a 24-hour Anti-Narcotics Control Room (9497927797) has been set up to receive information from the public regarding drug-related activities.
The details of individuals who contact this number will be kept confidential, it added.
Furthermore, the operation will continue in the coming days through sustained surveillance and the creation of a database of individuals regularly involved in drug-related activities and transactions.
