Agra

Five killed, two injured as speeding car runs over pedestrians in Agra

A speeding car ran over pedestrians, killing five people and leaving two injured, police here said on Saturday. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Shesh Mani Upadhyay said five critically injured persons were rushed to Sarojini Naidu Medical College on Friday night, where doctors declared all five brought dead. The deceased have been identified as Babli (33), Bhanu Pratap (25), Kamal (23), Krishna (20), and Bantesh (21). Police said Bhanu Pratap worked as a parcel delivery agent for a private company. The accident occurred in the New Agra police station area, near Nagla Budhi, ahead of the Central Hindi Institute. As per eyewitness, the car was speeding and hit the road divider before veering off and crushing people standing by the roadside. Seven people were hit in the accident, five succumbed to their injuries while Rahul and Golu are undergoing treatment, police said. The car driver has been arrested, and the vehicle seized. Police are investigating whether the driver was

Agra idol immersion: Bodies of all 12 who drowned in river recovered

Bodies of all 12 people who drowned during idol immersion in the Utangan river here on October 2 were recovered on Tuesday, bringing to a close a days-long rescue operation, according to officials. In the incident that occurred on the occasion of Dussehra in the Khairagarh area, 13 people were swept away in the river during the idol immersion. One youth, identified as Vishnu, was rescued immediately, while the remaining 12 were missing. Agra Police Commissioner Deepak Kumar confirmed the completion of the operation. "All 12 bodies have been recovered from the Utangan river. The operation went on for nearly 124 hours, with teams from National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, Army, Provincial Armed Constabulary flood company, local divers and police working round the clock." The officials said the operation was particularly challenging as the bodies were trapped in deep pits in the middle of the river. The water flow was temporarily diverted to aid the divers a

Pachchikari artisans of Agra struggle to keep Taj Mahal's legacy alive

Once a thriving craft adorning the Taj Mahal, Pachchikari now battles low demand, poor earnings and fading interest among artisans, who seek government aid to revive the dying art

Chaitanyananda Saraswati accused of molesting 17 women held in Agra

Self-styled godman Chaitanyananda Saraswati, who allegedly sexually harassed 17 women students at a private institute here, was apprehended from Agra early Sunday, Delhi Police said. A Delhi Police team traced Saraswati (62) to Agra based on a tip-off, officials said. Earlier, police froze Rs 8 crore linked to Saraswati and parked in multiple bank accounts and fixed deposits. According to the FIR, Saraswati, a former chairman of the management institute in southwest Delhi, allegedly forced female students to visit his quarters late at night and sent them inappropriate text messages at odd hours. He allegedly kept track of the students' movements through his phone.

At least 2 killed, 50 injured as bus overturns on Lucknow-Agra Expressway

Two passengers were killed and about 50 were injured when a double-decker bus travelling from Bihar to Delhi overturned and plunged into a ditch on the Lucknow-Agra Expressway in the Saifai area early Thursday, police said. The accident occurred near the Mandi village when the speeding bus lost control while attempting to overtake a truck. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Brijesh Kumar Srivastava said that the accident caused panic among the passengers. Passersby in other vehicles informed the police and highway security, added. "A joint rescue operation was launched to rescue the trapped passengers from the bus. The injured were transported by ambulance to the nearby Saifai Medical College Hospital for treatment, while the bodies of the deceased were moved to the mortuary," said the SSP. The two deceased have been identified as Shaida (22), a resident of Bardah in Nepal, and Manoj Kumar (52) from Rampur Deeha in Bihar's Darbhanga. The bus was carrying around 80 passengers.

EMS Ltd wins Rs 203 cr water and sewerage projects in Uttar Pradesh

Water and sewerage infra player EMS on Monday said it has emerged as the lowest bidder (L1) in two projects worth Rs 202.85 crore floated by the UP Jal Nigam (Urban). As of March 31, 2025, the Ghaziabad-based multi-disciplinary EPC company's total order book was at Rs 2,236.43 crore. In a release, EMS said it has emerged as L1 for a Rs 104.05 crore project under the Agra Water Supply Reorganisation Scheme (Trans Yamuna Zone I&II). As part of the project, the company will undertake surveying, soil investigation, engineering, design and supply of all materials, labour, T&P required for construction, completion, testing and commissioning of an intake well-cum-pump house and approach bridge and a water treatment plant in Agra. The estimated time of completion of this project is around 24 months. It has also received the L1 status for a Rs 98.8-crore project under the Nagar Nigam Ayodhya Sewerage Scheme on a turnkey basis. Under this project, the company will undertake surveying, ..

UP govt to invest Rs 8,000 crore in Agra, Kanpur leather footwear parks

The parks, covering a combined 300 acres, will be developed with support from the central government. According to senior officials, land has already been identified for the projects

Agra family murder: Neighbours highlight reclusive behaviour of family

Following the shocking incident of a man killing his mother and four sisters in a Lucknow hotel room and then shooting a chilling video on Wednesday, his neighbours in Agra claimed the family was living in the locality for 10-15 years but was reclusive. The incident has sent shockwaves through the Islam Nagar neighbourhood in Tehri Baghia area of Kuberapur in Agra. The 24-year-old Mohammad Arshad from Agra took his mother and four sisters to the hotel room in Lucknow and allegedly killed them by slitting their throats and wrists, after which he recorded the video to say he did it because of "helplessness and despair" following "unimaginable atrocities" by people of his locality. Alim Khan, a neighbour, claimed Mohammad Badr and his son Arshad lived here for 10-15 years. Khan further claimed that he loaned the family some money earlier to construct a part of their house, and that's when they moved in. "But after that, they kept to themselves." Fatima Begum, another neighbour, said

Bomb threat to Taj Mahal triggers search operation, security heightened

In response to an email threat, Bomb Disposal Squads (BDS) and local police swiftly arrived at the Mughal-era monument, conducting a thorough search operation to ensure the safety of the premises

Agra faces poor air quality crisis as AQI hits 176, residents struggle

Some areas, such as Shahjahan Garden, recorded an AQI of 127, classified as 'Unhealthy'. Sanjay Place recorded an AQI of 179, and Manoharpura recorded 151, both in the 'Unhealthy' category

Mathura derailment: 500 workers clear track, panel to probe cause

An inquiry committee will be formed to probe the derailment of 25 wagons of a freight train near Vrindavan in Mathura district, a senior official said here Thursday. The derailment around 8 pm on Wednesday impacted services of around 30 trains on the route, with officials saying work is underway to clear the tracks so that normal operations could be resumed. Nearly 500 workers have been deployed for the job of clearing the tracks since last night. Divisional Railway Manager, Agra Division, Tej Prakash Agarwal on Wednesday told reporters that traffic on three railway lines was interrupted due to the derailment. "Twenty-five wagons of the train taking coal to Suratgarh power plant (in Rajasthan) derailed after Vrindavan yard," Agarwal said, adding that no one was injured in the incident. On Thursday morning, General Manager of North Central Railway, Upendra Chandra Joshi said, "Our priority is to clear the track first, and then we will focus on other aspects." Joshi said the ...

Water leakage in main dome of Taj Mahal due to rain, ASI claims no damage

The main dome of the Taj Mahal here witnessed water leakage due to incessant rain for the past three days which inundated a garden on the premises. The purported video of the submerged garden on the Taj Mahal premises went viral on Thursday and caught the tourists' attention. However, a senior official of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Agra circle, said there is leakage in the main dome due to seepage and there is no damage to it. Talking about the leakage in the main dome of the Taj Mahal, Rajkumar Patel, Superintending Chief of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Agra circle, told PTI, "Yes, we have witnessed the leakage in the main dome of the Taj Mahal. After that when we checked it was due to seepage and there was no damage to the main dome. We have checked the main dome through a drone camera." On Thursday evening, a purported video of 20 seconds went viral on the internet in which one of the gardens of the monument submerged with rain water. It caught the ..

SC dismisses plea to declare Agra 'heritage city', citing no benefits

The Supreme Court dismissed on Friday a plea seeking to declare Agra as a "heritage city" and said there is nothing to show that such a declaration would give the city any special advantage. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan dismissed the application filed in a 1984 PIL on the protection and preservation of the iconic Taj Mahal and its adjoining areas. "Nothing has been placed on record to show that there will be any special advantage to the city. Moreover, this court cannot grant any such declaration. Interlocutory application is dismissed," the bench ordered. During the hearing, the bench asked the counsel what advantage the city would get if it was declared a heritage city and what were the provisions under law to give such a declaration. The counsel said that Agra needed to be declared a heritage city as it has a history of over 1,000 years and several historic monuments which need to be preserved. "Declaring Agra as a heritage city would give a boost to tourism

Surat takes top spot in air quality rankings followed by Jabalpur, Agra

Surat has been ranked as the top major city in India for air quality improvements followed by Jabalpur and Agra. The Union Environment Ministry presented the National Clean Air City Awards during the Swachh Vayu Survekshan 2024 held at a national workshop celebrating the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies in Jaipur on Saturday. While Surat, Jabalpur and Agra secured the top three positions among cities with population of over 10 lakh, Firozabad (UP), Amravati (Maharashtra) and Jhansi (UP) were recognized as the best among cities with population between three lakh and 10 lakh. Raebareli (UP), Nalgonda (Telangana) and Nalagarh (Himachal Pradesh) topped the list among the cities with populations under three lakh. Swachh Vayu Survekshan is an initiative by the ministry to rank cities based on the implementation of activities approved under the city action plan and air quality in cities covered under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). These cities were awarded for ...

UP govt sets aside 1,000 acres in Agra for green manufacturing units

Launches integrated manufacturing cluster with focus on promoting non-polluting industries

Qutub Minar dethrones Agra Fort as tourist magnet in historic shift

Draws 220,017 foreign visitors to become second most visited monument

18 die, over 30 injured in tragic bus accident on Lucknow-Agra Expressway

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased

Vande Bharat average speed down from 84 to 76 kmph in 3 years: RTI response

The average speed of Vande Bharat trains has decreased from 84.48 kmph in 2020-21 to 76.25 kmph in 2023-24, the railway ministry said in a response to an RTI query. Railway officials said not only Vande Bharats but many other trains are also maintaining cautionary speed at places were "huge infrastructural work" is underway. "Besides this, some Vande Bharat trains have been launched in difficult terrain areas where there are speed restrictions due to geographical reasons or extreme weather conditions," a railway official said. Citing the example of the Vande Bharat train between Mumbai CSMT and Madgaon, an official of the Central Railway Zone said, "Most of the Konkan railway area is 'ghat' section where trains pass through low height mountain ranges. It is a difficult terrain area where increasing speed could compromise safety." "Things become very challenging during the monsoon season when we have to keep the maximum speed for all trains at 75 kmph," he added. The RTI applicant

Most cities on path to achieve national clean air target; Varanasi leads

The government allocated Rs 9,631 crore to reduce the levels of particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or smaller by 40 per cent in 131 cities by 2026 from the 2017 levels

Heliport services in Agra, Mathura to take off soon for tourism boost

UP Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh said the introduction of this epoch-making heliport service would open new vistas of tourism growth and development opportunities