In over-speeding car, Cyrus Mistry and co-passenger weren't wearing seat belt

Agencies

September 5, 2022

Mumbai, Sept 5: Former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry and a co-passenger killed in the car crash on Sunday were not wearing seat belts as per the preliminary probe, a police officer said, adding over-speeding and the "error of judgement" by the driver caused the accident.

Prima facie, the luxury car was speeding. It covered 20 km of distance in just 9 minutes after crossing the Charoti check post in the Palghar district, 120 km away from Mumbai.

The car hit a road divider on the bridge on the Surya river, killing Mistry (54) and Jahangir Pandole on the spot. Mistry was returning to Mumbai from Ahmedabad when the tragedy struck at 2:30 PM. The car was driven by Mumbai-based gynaecologist Anahita Pandole (55). She and her husband were seriously injured in the accident.

This shows the Mercedes car covered 20 km of distance (from the cheek post) in just 9 minutes, the officer said, adding that the accident occurred at 2.30 pm on the bridge on the Surya river.

Mistry and Jahangir Pandole were in the back seats. Darius was in the front seat with Anahita, who was at the wheel, police had said. An eye-witness had said that a woman was driving the car and tried to overtake another vehicle from the left side, but lost control and crashed into the road divider.

The bodies of Mistry and Jahangir Pandole have been sent to state-run J J Hospital in Mumbai for postmortem, the officer said.

Anahita Pandole and her husband Darius Pandole (60) were seriously injured in the accident. They are being shifted to a Mumbai hospital by road from Vapi in Gujarat on Sunday late night, the officer added.

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RuTAGe smart village centres in DK, Udupi to being technology closer to rural communities

News Network

January 20,2026

Mangaluru: In a major step towards strengthening rural innovation, the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India is supporting the establishment of RuTAGe Smart Village Centres (RSVCs) across the country through collaborations with academic institutions, civil society organisations and philanthropic partners.

As part of this national initiative, Nitte (Deemed to be University) will set up the first RSVCs in the region at Nitte GP in Udupi district and at the Nitte Health Centre, Sevanjali Trust, Farangipete, in Dakshina Kannada district. The centres will be inaugurated on January 21. In South India, the programme is being implemented by the Section Infin-8 Foundation (SI-8).

Speaking to reporters on Monday, SI-8 founder-director Vishwas US said experts from Nitte University and SI-8 would work closely with farmers, students, youth and local entrepreneurs to adapt and deploy technologies tailored to local needs.

Project head Prof Iddya Karunasagar, representing Nitte DU, said the RSVCs at Nitte and Farangipete would serve as demonstration hubs for a wide range of agriculture, energy, skill-development and assistive technologies. These include solar dryers for fruits, vegetables and crops; soil-testing solutions; power weeders and women-friendly farm tools; wind-powered devices for rural artisans; grain storage systems; grass-cutting and tree-climbing equipment; and liquid fertiliser production using cowshed waste.

SI-8 CEO Aravind C Kumar said the centres would also provide access to digital and knowledge-based platforms such as ISRO applications, government scheme portals, market linkage tools and gamified learning resources, along with assistive technologies for persons with visual impairments.

Highlighting the broader impact of the initiative, Principal Scientific Adviser Prof Ajay Kumar Sood said it demonstrated how applied research could bridge the rural–urban divide and help create self-reliant, technology-enabled villages.

The initiative has been made possible through philanthropic support from Dr NC Murthy of ACM Business Solutions, LLC, USA. Dr Sapna Poti, Director (Strategic Alliances) at the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, said the long-term objective is to build self-sufficient, technology-driven communities capable of generating sustainable livelihoods on their own.

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