“Delimitation, demarcation of wards was done to benefit Shiv Sena” alleges Congress’ Deora in his letter to CM

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July 13, 2022

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Congress leader Milind Deora on Wednesday urged Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to scrap the delimitation and demarcation of ward boundaries in Mumbai, alleging that it was done to benefit only the Shiv Sena.

The former Mumbai Congress chief and MP wrote to the chief minister seeking urgent intervention on behalf of Congress councillors ”whose wards have been manipulated to benefit one party”.

As a part of the state government’s delimitation and demarcation exercise to redraw and reserve wards based on gender and caste in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, suggestions and objections were sought in February 2022. Nearly 800 objections were received by the civic body and the State Election Commission, but none of them were considered, Deora said in the letter. ”As a result, the delimitation and demarcation of the ward boundaries were carried out to benefit one party only,” he alleged.

He further stated that the civic body had maliciously redrawn boundaries of 20 out of 30 wards won by Congress councillors in 2017, to severely disadvantage the party. One of these wards includes that of Leader of Opposition Ravi Raja.

Moreover, in May 2022, the gender reservation was carried out in a similarly arbitrary way to ensure that 21 out of 30 sitting Congress councillor wards got reserved for women, he said. Several Congress councillors are appealing these decisions in court, and many believe that the process followed was opaque and against the spirit of democratic principles and free and fair elections, Deora wrote.

”In order to increase the number of wards from 227 to 236, a fresh population census must be carried out first. However, the delimitation and demarcation exercise was carried out ignoring even the 2011 census, which I am sure you will agree is unwarranted and unjustified,” the Congress leader said.

He urged Shinde to scrap the BMC’s current delimitation, demarcation and reservation and re-initiate the process in a transparent manner. In the interest of fairness, it should be carried out by an independent committee and not by the civic body’s administrator, he said.

The Congress leader said he was making the demand on behalf of all political parties and they must be taken into confidence while this process is being undertaken.

”I seek your urgent intervention on behalf of all Congress Municipal Councillors whose wards have been manipulated to benefit one party,” Deora said.

Man, daughter killed in Palghar landslide; two kin injured

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PTI

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July 13, 2022

A man and his teenage daughter died while two other family members were injured on Wednesday when a boulder loosened by a landslide fell on their house in Vasai city in Maharashtra’s Palghar district amid rains, officials said.

Local firemen and a team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation.

“Following the landslide, a boulder from a hillock landed on the house of Anil Singh (45) at Waghralpada in Rajavali area of Vasai around 6.30 am,” said District Disaster Management Cell chief Vivekanand Kadam.

The man and his daughter Roshni Singh (16) died, he said.

Anil Singh’s wife Vandana Singh (40) and son Om Singh (12) got trapped under the debris. Some locals and firemen later pulled them out and they were admitted to a hospital, he said.

Anil Singh’s body was retrieved from the debris around 10.30 am and that of his daughter at about 1 pm, the official said.

The search operation was later suspended and work was on to clear debris, Palghar Collector Dr Manik Gursal said.

The district, located about 100 km from the state capital Mumbai, has been witnessing very heavy rains since Tuesday night which caused water logging in many low-lying areas.

Following the landslide, at least 40 families in the neighbourhood of Waghralpada have been shifted to safer places amid the possibility of a similar tragedy, with the help of personnel of the Vasai Virar civic body, NDRF, and local volunteers. The police have appealed to people to remain alert.

Earlier in the day, the NDRF team had to walk the distance of about a kilometre in heavy rains from the main road to reach the spot of the landslide, as there is no motorable road to reach the crash site.

A jawan of the 20-member NRDF team said they located a body buried in debris with the help of a dog squad and retrieved it after the debris were removed by a JCB machine.

Palghar district Resident Collector Kiran Mahajan, who is also CEO of the Palghar district Disaster Management Authority, has submitted a report on the landslide to the state government and said provisions are made for paying compensation to the deceased and injured as per the state policy.

Some trees collapsed on Wednesday on a section of the busy Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway in Palghar where a pipeline laying work was underway, an official had said.

At a temple Idols have been desecrated in J&K’s Kathua

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ANI

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July 13, 2022

jand k 1 — Image: Representative/ Agencies

Several FIRs have been registered against unidentified people for allegedly desecrating idols at a temple in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua, a police official said.”The incident is said to have taken place on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday, which triggered protests by the local people demanding action against the perpetrators”.

However, according to the police, the situation is under control now. “The SIT has been formed and FIRs have been registered. ASP, SHO and SDPO have reached the site. No arrests have been done so far, and the situation is under control now,” said RC Kotwal, SSP Kathua on Tuesday. Further investigation into the matter is underway.

Militancy won’t end till govt wins the hearts of the Kashmiri people, says Farooq Abdullah

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PTI

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July 13, 2022

farooq abdullah, farooq, jammu and kashmir, kashmir, kashmir valley, j&k — Militancy won’t end till govt wins the hearts of the Kashmiri people, says Farooq Abdullah 5

Militancy in Kashmir will not end until the government wins the hearts of the people in the Valley and seeks a solution by talking to Pakistan, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said on Wednesday.

Condemning the killing of a police officer by militants in the city on Tuesday, he said people will keep on dying till a solution to the Kashmir issue is found.

“The caravan of militancy will not end. Their (BJP) ministers and other leaders issue statements that it has ended, but I want to tell them that this will not end till you do not try to win the hearts of the people of Kashmir and seek its solution after talking to our neighbouring country,” Abdullah told reporters at party headquarters ‘Nawa-i-Subah’ here.

Abdullah, who is the Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar, condemned the killing of assistant sub-inspector of police Mushtaq Ahmad in the Lal Bazar area of the city.

“His son was killed in 2020 by the military (in an encounter). It is unfortunate that he (Ahmad) was killed by militants. We do not know who the killer is and who the saviour of the people here is. This is strange. We all condemn it and pray for him. We also pray for the family to bear this loss,” he said.

The NC president sought “handsome compensation” from the administration for the slain policeman’s family so that they live with dignity.

Asked about the situation in Sri Lanka and whether something like that can happen in India, Abdullah said “anything can happen”.

“God save us. We pray that we do not have to face such a situation. We also pray for the people of Sri Lanka that God takes them out of these difficult times they are in. Also, may God let this government understand the situation so that they take steps to avoid it here,” he said.

In response to a question on family planning, Abdullah said whether the government targets a particular community or anyone else, it should understand that India is a country with diversity.

“This is a diverse country. Nothing is similar between Tamil Nadu and Kashmir — not food, not culture, not language, not even weather — but what keeps us together is that we have to progress together, and remove poverty, diseases and adversity.

“The biggest aim was the unity of India. We have to make diversity stronger, and then only will there be unity. If we try to break this diversity, then this country will fall into misery and it will be very difficult to take it out from there,” he added.

Abdullah took a dig at the administration for not allowing political parties to pay homage to July 13, 1931 martyrs.

“It is unfortunate that they not only cancelled its holiday but also stopped people from paying their tributes. This is a huge mistake,” he said.

Asked about the controversy over the national emblem, the NC president said “all this will happen in slavery”.

“They can even run a road roller tomorrow. Pharaoh (an ancient ruler of Egypt) also did this. What had Pharaoh done? He persecuted people. But what happened then? So, let them do it, how much they want to. God is there and He will remain. He belongs to everyone and He is watching all this. A time will come and He will act,” Abdullah said.

Due to heavy rains schools in Pune city will be closed

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PTI

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July 13, 2022

heavy rains — Image: Representative/ Agencies

All the schools in Pune city as well as in the neighbouring Pimpri Chinchwad area will remain closed on Thursday due to a heavy rain forecast, officials said.

Pune city and the district have been witnessing heavy downpours for the last few days and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy rainfall on Thursday too.

“As heavy rainfall is predicted by the weather department, a holiday has been declared on Thursday (July 14) for all civic-run, private, aided, and non-aided primary, secondary, and higher secondary schools in Pune municipal limits,” said a release from the municipal corporation’s education department.

The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) also announced a holiday on Thursday. A similar announcement will be made in the rest of the district too, said an official.

Water inflow increases in Jayakwadi dam as rains hit neighbouring districts

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PTI

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July 13, 2022

The water inflow in the Jayakwadi dam in Maharashtra’s Aurangabad has gone up due to incessant rainfall in neighbouring districts of Ahmednagar and Nashik in the last 24 hours, an official said on Wednesday.

The water storage in the dam located on the Godavari River reached 43.25 per cent this morning, the official said.

The inflow recorded on Tuesday morning was 17,150 cusecs, but it rose to 54,757 cusecs in 24 hours due to rains in the upper area of the dam that fall in Ahmednagar and Nashik districts, he said.

Water storage in Nathsagar reservoir of Jayakwadi was 37.11 per cent, which has gone up to 43.25 per cent in 24 hours, he said, adding that so far, there is no discharge of water in the lower areas from the dam.

Nearly 1 lakh cusecs of water have been discharged from nine projects located in the upper area of Jayakwadi dam till this morning, the official said.

On the same day last year, the water storage was 34.07 per cent in the dam, it was stated.

According to authorities, so far this monsoon, the catchment area of Jayakwadi has received 164 mm of rainfall till 8 am on Wednesday.

National Emblem is not replaced; opposition making unnecessary controversy: BJP

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Afternoon Voice

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July 13, 2022

National Emblem, BJP, Bharatiya Janata Party, Narendra Modi, Modi, Prime Minister, PM — National Emblem is not replaced; opposition making unnecessary controversy: BJP 9

Since the photos and videos of the sculpture of the National Emblem over the new Parliament were unveiled, the Opposition has been flaying Prime Minister Narendra Modi for replacing the majestic and graceful lions of the Ashoka pillar with grumbling and frightening ones. The national emblem is of a bronze structure, weighing around 9,500 kg and standing about 6.5 metres high. A supporting steel structure weighing 6,500 kg has been constructed to support the emblem.

The new national emblem has undergone eight different stages of trials, from computer graphic/ clay modelling to bronze polishing and casting. Further, over 100 artisans from all over the country worked on the design, and on crafting and casting the emblem for over six months.

According to the government, the difference in size and perspective between the original and the new was the reason behind the alleged differences in expression. Barring the size, the government has said, the new structure is a replica of the original emblem. Artists Sunil Deore and Romiel Moses, who designed the emblem cast, have also claimed that there has been no deviation from the original design.

The installation of the 9.5-tonne national emblem is a part of the government’s Central Vista Project, which aims to “strengthen governance infrastructure by building new facilities for India’s Parliament, an efficient and sustainable Central Secretariat to house all the ministries of the Government of India.”

Aurangabad-based sculptor Sunil Deore, who created the national emblem, has said that the sculpture is a replica of the Sarnath sculpture. He said that they took the viral photo of the national emblem from a wide-angle because of which the lion’s face looks aggressive. “We’ve not changed anything,” he said.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal’s official handle tweeted in Hindi, saying the lions in the new sculpture had a “man-eater tendency” while the originals had a mild expression. Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jawhar Sircar said the new lions were “snarling, unnecessarily aggressive and disproportionate”.

The national emblem, adopted by the Republic of India on 26 January 1950, is an adaptation of the Lion Capital that stood atop the Ashoka Pillar in Uttar Pradesh’s Sarnath. The pillar, built by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka, stands at the site of Buddha’s First Sermon where he is believed to have shared the Four Noble Truths (the dharma or the law), and represents India’s sovereignty and its birth as a republic.

Four lions are sitting back to back facing the four directions. The lion references the Buddha, who was known as the ‘Lion of the Shakyas’ (Shakyasimha) in reference to the clan of his birth, the Shakyas. The lions are seated atop a circular abacus with a frieze of sculptures of a bull, a horse, a lion and an elephant facing the four directions. The sculptures are in high relief, and a dharma chakra can be seen between the bull and the horse.

Some Buddhist interpretations say the sculptures represent different stages of Buddha’s life, while some contend, they represent the reign of Emperor Ashoka (himself a Buddhist), while the wheels are interpreted to represent his enlightened rule. Below the abacus is a base shaped like a lotus, an important symbol of Buddhism. The Lion Capital was chosen by India in 1950 as a reaffirmation of independent and contemporary India’s “ancient commitment to world peace and goodwill”, values espoused by the Buddha and Emperor Ashoka through the Lion Capital.

Actor Anupam Kher said this is the lion of independent India which will also bite if need be. “If the lion has got teeth, it will, of course, show them,” the actor tweeted amid the row over the National Emblem atop the new Parliament building.

Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri said the difference is because of the difference in the height and the scale of the two structures. “If an exact replica of the original were to be placed on the new building, it would barely be visible beyond the peripheral rail. The ‘experts’ should also know that the original place in Sarnath is at ground level while the new emblem is at a height of 33 mtrs from the ground,” the minister tweeted.

The Aam Aadmi Party has also disapproved of the “aggressive” portrayal of the lions and said nobody has permission to tamper with any constitutional heritage in any manner.

Maharashtra CM directs officials to keep emergency services on alert amid heavy rains

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ANI

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July 13, 2022

eknath, eknath shinde, chief minister, maharashtra, maharashtra cm — Maharashtra CM directs officials to keep emergency services on alert amid heavy rains 11

As heavy rainfall pounded Mumbai and the city continued to reel under severe water-logging, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday took note of the situation and said that he had directed the officials to keep emergency services on alert. “I have directed the district officials to keep emergency services on alert, to ensure that no untoward incident occurs and assistance reaches the affected people in time,” said Shinde.

The Regional Meteorological Center of Mumbai on Wednesday predicted that moderate to heavy rain is likely to occur in the city and suburbs for the next 24 hours. “Moderate to heavy rain in city and suburbs. Possibility of very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places. Occasional gusty winds reaching 45-55 kmph very likely,” the Regional Meteorological Center of Mumbai said.

It further predicted the possibility of very heavy rainfall is likely to occur in isolated places for the next 48 hours. “Moderate to heavy rain in city and suburbs. Possibility of very heavy rainfall at isolated places. Occasional gusty winds reaching 45-55 kmph very likely,” the department said.

On Tuesday, heavy rains lashed Mumbai and its suburbs amid an ‘orange’ alert issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Several parts of Mumbai have been affected by waterlogging, including the Andheri subway and Bhoiwada, leading to traffic snarls in the city. Hindamata junction in the city’s Southbound has reported 0.5 feet of water being logged.

The administration has, however, requested the commuters to plan their travel accordingly, as the traffic from Milan Subway and Andheri Subway has been diverted to S.V. Road and D.N Nagar Chowki after the former experienced the logging of water to heights up to 2 feet. The heavy rainfall in the Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra, during the past few days, has resulted in waterlogging and incessant downpours that have created a flood-like situation.

According to the Maharashtra SDMD report on Sunday, a total of 76 people have died (till July 10) since June 1 and as many as 838 houses were damaged due to the rain-related incidents in the state. “At least 4,916 people have been shifted to safer locations, and 35 relief camps were set up by the disaster management department and rehabilitation department,” it said.

The SDMD said 125 animals have also lost their lives in rain/flood-related incidents in Maharashtra since June 1.

Mumbai: An argument took 47-year-old woman’s life at hotel

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ANI

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July 13, 2022

dead body 1 1 — Image: Representative / Agencies

A 47-year-old woman was found dead in a hotel room in Mumbai on Tuesday, the police said. Soon after the information was received in the matter, the police reached the spot and found a woman in an unconscious state.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Vishal Thakur said, “A call was received at Malwani PS yesterday (Tuesday) that a 47-year-old woman who was staying in a hotel with a man was found in an unconscious state.” “She was immediately shifted to a hospital where the doctors declared her brought dead,” Thakur said.

During the investigation, it was found that both of them had an argument after which the man killed the woman, the police said.

The duo were friends and had checked into the hotel room on Monday night and began fighting. Later, the police arrested the man who confessed his crime and said he strangled the woman to death. Further investigation is underway, the DCP said.

China’s trade with Russia, US grows by double digits

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ANI

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July 13, 2022

China’s trade with Russia went up by 27.2 per cent, while trade with the United States went up by 12.7 per cent year-on-year in the first half of 2022, the Chinese General Administration of Customs said on Wednesday.

Russia-China trade in the first six months of 2022 amounted to USD 80.675 billion. China’s export to Russia increased by 2.1 per cent when compared to the first half of 2021 and amounted to USD 29.55 billion, while Russia’s export to China went up 48.2 per cent and amounted to USD 51.125 billion.

Last year, trade between Russia and China increased by 35.8 per cent, standing at a record $146.887 billion. Trade between the United States and China in January-June 2022 amounted to USD 383.9 billion.

China’s export to the US went up 15.8 per cent and amounted to USD 292.65 billion, while the US export to China went up 3.6 per cent and amounted to USD 91.28 billion, as compared to the same period in 2021. In 2021, US-China trade went up 28.7 per cent, standing at USD 755.645 billion