Kochi: The contracting company has requested an extension for completing biomining of waste piled up in Brahmapuram. Bhumi Green Energy Corporation approached Kochi corporation, stating that financial difficulties due to delayed bill payments and impact of heavy rains prevented completion of biomining within the scheduled time.

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The contract for biomining in Brahmapuram was signed between corporation and Pune-based Bhumi Green Energy on Nov 4, 2023, with a duration of 16 months, which ended in March 2025. Although the company continues biomining, corporation has not extended the contract duration. In this context, the company submitted a letter to corporation requesting an extension. The council meeting to be held on Wednesday will decide on the matter.

Initially, cost for processing and removing 7,00,000 tonnes of waste was estimated at Rs 118 crore. However, with the increased waste volume in NIT Calicut (NITC) survey, the cost rose to Rs 142 crore. Mayor M Anilkumar said around 90% of biomining was completed.

Corporation states that the 16-month duration was determined based on a survey report estimating 7,00,000 tonnes of legacy waste in Brahmapuram. However, NITC survey found 10.54 cubic metres (8,44,000 tonnes) of waste. Biomining contract was awarded at a rate of Rs 1,690 per tonne.

Surat: In a gold-for-gold offer gone wrong, three customers in Surat were allegedly cheated out of Rs 40 lakh by two jewellers who promised generous returns and zero making charges.

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The victims handed over gold and cash expecting new ornaments and bonus gold, but were left empty-handed when the shop abruptly shut.

The accused, Amit Soni and Tushar Raninga, partners in Shakti Jewellers at Singanpor Crossroads in Katargam, have fled the city. A complaint has been lodged and police have started an investigation.

According to details, complainant Ranjit Solanki works as a diamond broker in Surat.

As Solanki’s son was getting married, he wanted to get new ornaments in exchange for old ornaments. He went to the shop on Dec 17, 2023, and gave 400g of old gold and ordered new ornaments. Soni told him that he would deliver the ornaments in 45 days.

When the wedding was postponed, he asked for the gold back. Instead, the shop owners gave Solanki an offer: deposited the gold with the shop and get 10g of free gold per 100g every year.

The wedding was rescheduled in Feb 2025. Solanki went to the shop and demanded the ornaments. However, both jewellers kept on giving various excuses to not hand it over. After a while, Solanki got to know that the jewellers had shut the shop and disappeared.

After losing 400g of gold worth Rs 28 lakh, Solanki found out that another victim, Ramesh Moradiya, lost 150g of gold worth Rs 10.50 lakh after being offered the same gold-for-gold scheme by the duo. Apart from Moradiya. Also, the shop owners had allegedly duped Praful Gohil of Rs 1.36 lakh that he had given them to buy gold.

The diamond broker filed a joint complaint with the other two, citing losses of Rs 40 lakh.

Family members of the Pahalgam terror attack victims welcomed the retaliatory strikes by the Indian armed forces on Wednesday. Many expressed gratitude to the forces for the “swift and fitting response”.

Rajesh Narwal, the father of Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, who was among the 26 people killed by terrorists in Pahalgam on April 22, said India’s response will force Pakistan-based terrorists to think “100 times” before killing Indian citizens.

“When the Pahalgam incident happened, you [media] came to my home and asked what I expected from the government. My answer was that I had faith in our government. Today, the government has justified that trust,” Mr. Narwal told reporters at his residence in Haryana’s Karnal.

The body of the Navy Lieutenant beside his wife, Himanshi, whom he had married three weeks before the

A photo of the Navy Lieutenant’s wife, Himanshi, grieving beside her husband’s body, had become the defining image of the April 22 killings.

As soon as the news about ‘Operation Sindoor’ reached the bereaved families in West Bengal, many said it would help them cope with their grief.

Sohini Adhikari, who lost her husband in the terror incident, said, “I hope the terrorists get the most severe punishment so that no other wife and children have to see such days.”

Sarbari Guha, the widow of 52-year-old Sameer Guha, said, “I don’t know if they were able to get to those who carried out the terror attack. Those like me who suffered will never be able to come to terms with what happened in our lifetime.”

Meanwhile, Rajni Sahu, the wife of Border Security Force jawan Purnam Kumar Sahu, whom the Pakistan Rangers apprehended after he strayed across the border on April 23, said the retaliatory strikes had left her less hopeful about her husband’s return.

‘An apt name’

Priyadarshini Satpathy of Balasore, Odisha, whose husband was gunned down by the terrorists, said, “The swift and precise military action is a fitting response. The name ‘Operation Sindoor’ symbolises the grief of our sacred vermilion being wiped away.”

From Maharashtra, Harshal Lele, who witnessed the murder of his father and two uncles, expressed a sense of closure. “I am satisfied, my father will now be at peace,” he said.

The Kanpur-based family of Shubham Dwivedi also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the armed forces.

“All of us had faith in the Prime Minister and our armed forces. And the way the strikes were carried out at the terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir repaid our trust,” said Ashanya Dwivedi, the deceased’s wife.

‘Annihilate Pakistan’

A woman from Bhavnagar in Gujarat, who lost her husband and a son to the terrorists’ bullets, hailed the armed forces and urged the government to continue taking action against Pakistan.

“My son was in Class 12. He wanted to join the Army. But the terrorists killed him and my husband. I want to see Pakistan being annihilated,” said Kajalben Parmar.

(with inputs from PTI)

The launch of “Operation Sindoor” by the Indian Army has brought a sense of “justice” for the families of the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians. Asvari Jagdale, daughter of Pahalgam victim Santosh Jagdale, couldn’t hold back her tears when she learned about the strikes.

Speaking to ANI, Ms Jagdale said, “We were crying with happiness. (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi has taken revenge, and the way the operation was named, our tears wouldn’t stop. Those sisters whose sindoor (symbol of marital status) was erased by these terrorists — India has struck them at nine locations. It feels truly different, and our tears of joy just won’t stop.”

Sanjay Dwivedi, father of Shubham Dwivedi, exuded confidence in the BJP-led dispensation. “I am continuously watching the news. I salute the Indian Army and thank PM Modi for listening to the pain of the country’s people. I thank the military for destroying terrorism flourishing in Pakistan. My entire family has been feeling light since we heard this news,” the father said.

Uncle of Madhusdhan Rao, a software engineer expressed mixed emotions of grief and relief: “My nephew Somishetti Madhusudhan Rao, who died in the Pahalgam terror attacks, will find peace today. His death has deeply disturbed us over the past two weeks. The latest lightning strikes by India on terrorist camps in Pakistan have brought us some solace.”

The widow of Kaustubh Ganbote hailed the name of Operation Sindoor and asserted that by taking the military action, they have “respected the women.”

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“The action taken by the military is good, and by naming it as Operation Sindoor, they have respected the women. I still cry some days. We were waiting for PM Modi to take such action, and he has given them a befitting reply. Terrorists should be eliminated,” Ganbote said.

Read | Operation Sindoor: India targets headquarters of terror outfits JeM, LeT, Hizbul after Pahalgam terror attack

Meanwhile, locals in Jammu raised slogans of ‘Indian Army Zindabad’ and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’, applauding the Indian Army.

“It was very important for the government to give a response to the attack made by Pakistan. We are really thankful to the government and the Indian Army,” a local told ANI.

Reactions have been pouring in from across the parties on the midnight launch of the Operation Sindoor on the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK on Wednesday (May 7, 2025).

Operation Sindoor: India briefs 5 countries after strikes on Pakistan; says no civilian, economic or military targets chosen

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the ‘Operation Sindoor’ is Bharat’s response to the brutal killings of innocent people in Pahalgam.

Pakistan military spokesperson DG Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that India has struck three locations from air in Bahawalpur, Kotli and Muzaffarabad. These steps come in the wake of the barbaric Pahalgam terrorist attack on April 22 in which 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen were killed. “We are living up to the commitment that those responsible for this attack will be held accountable,” the statement said adding that there will be a detailed briefing on ‘Operation Sindoor’, later on Wednesday.