NEWS TODAY 31.12.2025

Telangana man ‘digs’ his own grave

Telangana man ‘digs’ his own grave 

Sushil.Rao@timesofindia.com  31.12.2025

Hyderabad : An 80-year-old man from Telangana’s Jagtial district has dug his own grave — well, literally. Not willing to leave the task to his four children, or anybody else for that matter, Nakka Indrayya picked a piece of land and dug up one for himself — to be sure of where he would be laid to rest once he dies. It is close to where his wife is buried. Not just that, he visits a grave every day to waters the plants, cleans the place, and spend some time by himself. “It is my home which I have dug for myself,” Indrayya told TOI from his house in Laxmipur in Jagtial, after returning from his daily visit. That others around him find this strange, doesn’t perturb him. “It is where I will be laid after my death, so I made it as per the design that I wanted,” a rather nonchalant Indrayya said, even going on to share how the entire grave is built only with granite — since it doesn’t get damaged. 

The total cost: About ₹12 lakh. Further elaborating on just why he decided to do this, the senior citizen said that he didn’t want to be a burden on anybody. And this, he added, stems from the fact that he lost his father at an extremely young age of 10. Soon afterwards, Indrayya started working — first as a local labourer and then in Dubai’s construction sector for 45 years. He lost his wife a few years ago. “There is no need to fear death. Everyone will die. I know I will die too. I also know where I will be buried,” he said going on to give more details about the grave that’s 5ft in depth and more than 6ft in length and built with the help of a mason from Tamil Nadu. 

“All that one has to do is take a crowbar and move the granite on the top of the grave, for which too I have made a provision,” he said.

Govt app tells commuters to wait 19,280 minutes for MTC bus

Govt app tells commuters to wait 19,280 minutes for MTC bus

31.12.2025

 Omjasvin.MD@timesofindia.com 

Chennai : Booking an MTC bus ticket on the govt’s Chennai One App may put you in for a long wait — sometimes as long as 19,000 minutes, which translates to 13 days. Hyped as a platform on the lines of top cab aggregators to book tickets and track buses, the App was designed to enable passengers to book tickets on the go and view bus movement in real time. 

However, tech glitches and poor GPS integration have rendered the feature largely unusable. In the app, a bus on route 101 from Nerkundram to MGR Central was shown to arrive in 19,280 minutes. Another user booking from Rohini Theatre to Panagal Park (route 72) saw a wait time of 16,455 minutes, which is 10 days. While these buses came in less than 30 minutes of booking, commuters were left clueless while planning their trips. 

The problem was worse for the old whiteboard buses, where no live trackers appeared at all, leaving commuters in the dark about whether a bus was five minutes away or already gone. At MGR Central, commuters who booked ordinary fare services such as 28 from Egmore to Thiruvottiyur, said the bus movement was not visible at all in the App, and there was no information on when the next bus would come. K Sathish Kumar, who was waiting at the Old Central Bus Stand, said he waited for 30 minutes and then left by metro. 

The issue is that not all MTC buses are equipped with GPS trackers. Furthermore, some buses are not integrated with the App. While the new Ashok Leyland low-floor, ultra-low-floor, and EV buses are integrated with better GPS right from the start, the older rickety ordinary fare buses are yet to receive the upgrade. “There are 3,500 buses, and even a small wire cut in the GPS tracker may lead to wrong information showing in the app. These are glitches that will be addressed,” said Cumta (Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority) member-secretary I Jeyakumar. MTC joint managing director R Sundarapandian, who is the official spokesperson for the corporation, was not available for comment

NEWS TODAY 30.12.2025

Now you cannot book rail tickets without Aadhaar; Check new rules here

Now you cannot book rail tickets without Aadhaar; Check new rules here

Previously, you could book tickets 120 days in advance, but from November 1, 2024, the railways reduced this to 60 days.

Updated: December 30, 2025 12:26 AM IST

By Tahir Qureshi| Edited by Tahir Qureshi

New Delhi: From today, December 29, IRCTC users without Aadhaar linking will not be able to book tickets between 8 AM and 12 PM. This rule will only apply on the first day of reserved rail ticket booking. Reserved ticket booking opens 60 days before the train’s departure date. The Railways is implementing this rule in three phases. The first phase has been implemented from today. The second phase will be implemented from January 5, and the third phase from January 12.

From December 29, tickets cannot be booked without Aadhaar from 8 AM to 12 PM. From January 5, ticket booking will be restricted from 8 AM to 4 PM, and from January 12, such users will not be able to book tickets from 8 AM to 12 AM (midnight).

Prevent Bookings Via Fake Accounts

The objective is to give as many passengers as possible the opportunity to book tickets online on the opening day and to prevent bookings through fake accounts.

These Are The New Rules For General Reservation Ticket Booking

This rule is introduced to curb ticket touts and fraudulent software. This will make it easier for ordinary passengers to get confirmed tickets on the opening day. Agents will not be able to book tickets during the first 4 hours. Ordinary users will have a full opportunity to book.

The IRCTC account will have to be linked with Aadhaar. An OTP will be sent to your registered mobile number at the time of booking, and the ticket will be confirmed only after entering it. Users without Aadhaar linking will not be able to book tickets during the first 4 hours (window opening). They will get a chance only after that. Currently, no other option has been provided.

Changes For Buying Tickets From The Station Counter

OTP is also required at the counter. Your mobile number must be linked to your Aadhaar. If you are booking tickets for someone else, their Aadhaar and OTP will also be required. To link Aadhaar on IRCTC, log in to the IRCTC app or website. Go to the ‘My Profile’ section, select the ‘Aadhaar KYC’ option, and update your details.

Where To Get Help From?

For booking or OTP-related issues, call the IRCTC helpline (139). For Aadhaar-related problems, contact UIDAI at 1947. You can also seek help at the counter of your nearest railway station.

This rule is applicable across all railway zones in India. Aadhaar authentication is now mandatory for online and counter bookings on every route.

What Is The Railway’s 60-day Rule?

Previously, you could book tickets 120 days (4 months) in advance, but from November 1, 2024, the railways reduced this to 60 days (2 months). This means reservations can be made a maximum of 60 days before the date of travel. This does not include the day of travel. Booking opens every day at 8:00 AM for the 60th day from the current date.

'Jana Nayagan' audio launch enters the Malaysia Book of Records; Vijay's mother, Shobha's, surprise performance turned fans emotional

'Jana Nayagan' audio launch enters the Malaysia Book of Records; Vijay's mother, Shobha's, surprise performance turned fans emotional

etimes.in | Dec 28, 2025, 12.51 PM IST

As actor Vijay steps up his political engagement and gets ready to say goodbye to movies, 'Jana Nayagan' has come together as his swan song. The film has been helmed by H. Vinoth and is produced by Venkat Narayanan, with the cast comprising an array of artists, including Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol, Prakash Raj, Narain, Gautham Menon, Priyamani, and Mamitha Baiju. The movie has a musical score from Anirudh Ravichander and is set to hit cinema screens around the world on January 9, 2026, during the Pongal holiday. Being Vijay’s swan song, the film has been highly awaited by the fans since its inception.

A festival-like audio launch

The audio launch of 'Jana Nayagan' was a grand affair in Malaysia. Being the audio launch of Vijay’s last movie, fans of the actor flew in from various countries to witness the never-seen-before event. Although security measures and crowd-handling practices were in place, the venue was abuzz like a carnival, drowned in the spirit of frenzied celebration.

A record event in Malaysia

As per News 18, the magnitude of the event reached unprecedented heights as the election-wide audio-launched 'Jana Nayagan' was inscribed in the records of the Malaysia Book. The audio launch of ‘Jana Nayagan’ was held at the historic National Stadium Bukit Jalil in Kuala Lumpur, which has a capacity of 80,000 seats, and it is said that a whopping 75,000 fans were present. This marks the first occasion where the audio launch of a Tamil film outside of India has drawn such a large audience. In honor of this feat, the Malaysia Book of Records' official document was awarded to Vijay on stage. Even before its release, 'Jana Nayagan' is already making history, with the significant cast and its global buzz.

‘Thalapathy Thiruvizha’ turns emotional.

Ahead of the grand event, a special musical performance titled ‘Thalapathy Thiruvizha’ was held with several of Vijay’s hit numbers being sung live. In a dramatic twist that drew a loud cheer from the crowd, Vijay’s mother, Shobha, came on stage and sang the chartbuster ‘Kodambakkam Area’ from the movie ‘Sivakasi.’ Now, fans only chanted ‘TVK… TVK…’ Vijay was seen requesting them to stop from the stage, and this got a lot of attention.