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Bengaluru, Nov 13: Karnataka Minister M B Patil has recommended renaming Vijayapura, Belagavi, Bidar and Shivamogga Railway stations after prominent saints.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Patil said that the renaming is in accordance with local cultural significance.

The recommendation has been sent to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, he said.

In his letter, Patil has proposed that Vijayapura Railway Station be renamed Jnana Yogi Sri Siddeshwara Swamiji Railway Station, Belagavi Station be named Sri Basava Mahaswamiji Railway Station, Bidar Station as Channabasava Pattadevaru Railway Station, and Sooragondanakoppa Station as Bhayagada Railway Station.

He explained that the state government has recommended naming these four stations after revered saints and that approval from the Union Home Ministry is required for this.

Accordingly, the Infrastructure Department has sent the official communication, the minister said.

All four railway stations fall under the jurisdiction of the Hubballi Division of South Western Railway.

The minister noted that the saints proposed have made significant contributions to these regions of Karnataka, and urged the Centre to approve the renaming and notify it in the official gazette at the earliest.

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Department is set to take complete control of the 108 ambulance services by February 2026. The move aims to enhance efficiency and ensure uninterrupted emergency medical support across the state.

As part of the transition, the department plans to conduct recruitment tests for Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) who provide first aid and medical assistance during patient transit.

The government will also procure 175 new ambulances from the Road Safety Authority to replace older vehicles that have frequent breakdowns. The new fleet will be equipped with Mobile Data Terminals—tablet devices designed to help technicians and drivers locate patients and nearby hospitals more effectively.

These devices will also integrate ambulance operations with e-Sanjeevini, the national telemedicine platform, allowing hospital doctors to guide EMTs in real time and prepare facilities before a patient’s arrival.

A new command control centre, staffed with over 250 personnel, will operate using 112 NGERSS software developed by C-DAC. This system enables call dispatchers to track ambulances, patients, and hospitals, ensuring that the nearest available vehicle is promptly assigned. All government hospitals have already been geo-tagged, and private hospital data is being added for full integration.

A pilot project in Chamarajanagar district has already demonstrated successful, delay-free ambulance dispatch using the new system.

To streamline fleet management, the department also plans to engage district-level agencies to manage ambulance drivers, ensuring transparency and accountability in service operations.

Srinagar: In one of the most alarming recoveries in recent years, Jammu and Kashmir Police unearthed a massive cache of explosives — 360 kilograms of explosives (possibly ammonium nitrate), an assault rifle, one pistol and ammunition — from Faridabad in Haryana, on the outskirts of the national capital.

It was initially reported that the explosives recovered were RDX. However, Faridabad Police later clarified that it was not RDX, but 360 kg of inflammable material which is possibly ammonium nitrate.

The recovery, officials said, followed disclosures made by an arrested Kashmiri doctor, identified as Dr. Adeel Ahmad Rather, during interrogation. Acting on his information, J&K police conducted a raid at Al Falah Hospital in Faridabad, leading to the unprecedented haul of explosives.

Earlier, security agencies had seized an AK-47 rifle and ammunition from a locker belonging to Dr. Rather in a Kashmir hospital, where he was working till last year before shifting to Faridabad, indicating a wider operational footprint. Another doctor, Dr. Muzamil Shakeel, a resident of Koil in Pulwama district, has also been detained for allegedly helping stock and conceal the explosives in Faridabad.

Both suspects are currently under custody of Jammu and Kashmir police as investigators try to piece together what officials describe as a potential trans-regional terror conspiracy with grave implications for national security.

A group of doctors from Jammu and Kashmir has also come under the scanner, as security agencies suspect their links to terror outfits Jaish-e-Mohammed and so called Ghazwat-ul-Hind.

Senior security officials said the recovery points to the possibility of a major terror plot being foiled, one that could have targeted the National Capital Region (NCR) or other strategic sites in North India.

“This is not a routine recovery — it suggests deep infiltration of terror logistics networks extending beyond J&K. The use of medical professionals as facilitators adds an alarming dimension,” a senior police officer said.

Sources said security agencies are now tracing the origin of the explosives and the financial and logistical chain that enabled its movement from Kashmir to Haryana. Investigators suspect cross-border terror handlers may have coordinated the operation through encrypted communication channels, exploiting professional networks for cover.

As the investigation widens, more arrests are likely, and agencies are treating the case as a national security priority — a reminder that despite years of counter-terror successes in Kashmir, the battle has far from ended.