Archives for July 2023

BENGALURU: With rains pounding most parts of Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the state government has reviewed the risk-prone areas and is well-prepared to tackle the situation.

He appealed to people to follow the instructions of the local administration.

The Government has reviewed the risk-prone areas and is well prepared to tackle the issues on ground,” the Chief Minister tweeted.

To ensure safety, District Commissioners have declared holidays for schools and colleges in the vulnerable regions and it is advised for all citizens to adhere to the instructions of local administration, he further said.

Meanwhile, all the reservoirs are completely filled up with a heavy inflow of water. Most of the rivers in the state are in spate.

The India Meteorological Department has sounded an orange alert for the coastal and Malnad region in the state with a forecast that moderate to heavy spells of rain accompanied by gusty winds was likely in these places.

The wall of a house at a village in Bantwal in Dakshina Kannada district collapsed and the inmates moved to the house of their relatives. Three houses in Pudu village were damaged in rain-related incidents.

The temporary service road at Kalladka which was a make-shift arrangement during the ongoing construction of the National Highway was completely washed away following heavy downpours.

A warning has been issued to the residents, and tourists against visiting beaches, rivers and waterfalls and attempting to take photos and videos in these areas.

Fishermen are advised not to venture into the sea. District and taluk level officials are asked to be in their central office and follow disaster management mandatorily, sources said.

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday performed “pooja” at the redeveloped India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO) complex at the Pragati Maidan here ahead of its official inauguration.

He also interacted with the workers who were involved in the construction of the complex and felicitated them.

The revamped International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) complex will be officially inaugurated in the evening by the prime minister, who will also address the gathering.Advertisementhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2023/jul/26/pm-modi-performs-pooja-at-redeveloped-itpo-complex-at-pragati-maidan-2598741.html

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Monday had said the facility, built following an overhaul of the old and outdated structures at Pragati Maidan, was developed as a national project at a cost of about Rs 2,700 crore and has a campus area of approximately 123 acres.

The IECC complex has been developed as India’s largest MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) destination.

In terms of the covered space available for events, the complex finds its place among the top exhibition and convention complexes in the world, it said.

It comprises multiple state-of-the-art facilities including the convention centre, exhibition halls and amphitheatres among others, the PMO said, adding the new facility is in line with Modi’s vision of having a world-class infrastructure for hosting meetings.

NEW DELHI: The Congress submitted a no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi-led central government on the Manipur issue in the Lok Sabha, sources said on Wednesday.

Congress deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi moved the motion, the party’s whip in Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore told PTI.

“The INDIA alliance is together and this is the idea of the INDIA alliance. Congress party’s leader will be moving the motion. We feel that it is our duty to use this last weapon to break the arrogance of the government and make them speak on Manipur,” Tagore asserted.

Sources also said that a notice has been given to the Speaker’s office in this regard.

Tagore said the opposition had decided to move the no-confidence motion to break the arrogance of the prime minister, who is not speaking in Parliament.

The alliance of 26 opposition parties, INDIA, had decided to move the motion in order to make Prime Minister Narendra Modi speak in Parliament on the Manipur violence, senior leaders of the front said.

The Congress has also issued a whip in the Lower House of Parliament for its members to be present in its parliamentary office by 10.30 am on Wednesday to “discuss some important issues”.

Although the no-confidence motion by opposition parties is bound to fail the numbers test, opposition parties argue that they will win the battle of perception by cornering the government on the Manipur issue during the debate.

They contend that it is also a strategy to make the prime minister speak in Parliament on the crucial matter even as the government has been insisting that Union Home Minister Amit Shah will reply to the debate on the Manipur situation.

BENGALURU:  Following the recent alleged sexual harassment incident with a woman commuter, bike taxi aggregator Rapido has asked its customers not to share their mobile numbers with the riders. Extending apologies to the victim, Athira Purushothaman, company representatives said the accused rider, who was allegedly involved in the sexual harassment incident on Friday, has been suspended from the platform.

Advising customers not to take the ride if the booked vehicle and the rider do not match with the details in the app, the representatives said, “This essential step ensures that customers can match the captain and vehicle details accurately, before beginning their rides. By doing so, we believe that such precautions can help prevent any unfortunate incidents and create a safer environment for all.”

“As part of our industry-leading practices, we conduct stringent background verification checks for all riders who join our platform. These checks are designed to identify any red flags and ensure that only trustworthy individuals become Rapido captains (riders),” the representative said.

Meanwhile, Athira thanked the Electronics City police for their swift action, by arresting the accused, Kuruvettappa, and said that as a woman, it gives hope knowing that such incidents are treated with utmost priority.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday directed that the Varanasi district court order on conducting a scientific survey of Gyanvapi mosque shall not be enforced until 5 pm on July 26.

On Monday morning, a 30-member team of the ASI had entered the mosque complex to carry out the scientific survey in accordance with court orders to determine if the mosque located next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple was built upon a temple.

Meanwhile, a plea was moved by the mosque committee today.

A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud took note of submissions made by senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, who appeared in the court on behalf of the mosque committee. Urging the court to stay the Varanasi district court’s July 21 order, Ahmadi said that the trial court did not even give them “breathing time” to file an appeal against the Varanasi court’s order. 

Expressing an apprehension regarding ‘a possible excavation’ being carried out, Ahmadi also said that the district court’s order, according to them, was in the teeth of the top court’s May ruling of directing to defer the scientific survey of “shivling” in the complex.

Questioning the haste for carrying out the survey, he asked, “What is the hot haste? This property is being used as a mosque since 1500. What is the tearing hurry?”

Opining that “breathing time should be granted to the Muslim side”, the bench asked the mosque committee to approach the Allahabad High Court and directed the Registrar General of the HC to ensure the listing of the plea.

“We permit the petitioners to move the HC to challenge the order of District Judge Varanasi. Having regards to the fact that the order was pronounced at 4:30 pm on Friday (July 21) and the survey is in the process of being carried out today, we are of the view that some breathing time should be granted. Order of the district court should not be imposed until 5 PM till July 26, 2023,” the bench said in its order.

The top court also ordered that no invasive work would be undertaken by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to determine if the Gyanvapi mosque located next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi was built upon a temple.

The Supreme Court asked Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta, who was representing the Uttar Pradesh government, to inform the ASI team that there should not be any “invasive work” or excavation at the site.

Initially, when the matter was taken up around 10:45 am, the bench on being informed about the possible excavation of the premise had asked the SG to take instructions from the ASI till 11:15 am.

When the matter was again taken up by the bench, the SG informed the bench that the ASI was not contemplating any excavation but was only carrying out measurements, photography & radar imaging.

Although the court initially turned down the Muslim side’s request to stay the district court’s order, it on constant persuasion stayed the same. 

The mosque’s “wazookhana” (a small reservoir for Muslim devotees to perform ritual ablutions), where a structure claimed by the Hindu litigants to be a “Shivling” exists, will not be part of the survey, following an earlier Supreme Court order protecting that spot in the complex.

District Judge A K Vishvesh has directed the ASI to submit a report to the court by August 4, along with video clips and photographs of the survey proceedings.

JAIPUR: The Rajasthan assembly was adjourned after sacked minister Rajendra Gudha, aided by BJP MLAs, created unruly scenes in the House during Zero Hour on Monday.

Gudha, who was sacked as minister of state on Friday after he cornered his own Congress government in the assembly, reached near Speaker C P Joshi’s chair with a “red diary” and had an argument with him.

After some time, Gudha reached near Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Dhariwal and confronted him while he stood to speak.

Ugly scenes were witnessed at this time and BJP MLAs too created an uproar and stormed the well of the House over the issue of the “red diary”.

The speaker then adjourned the House.

Before the House began in the morning, Gudha told reporters that he would “disclose” details about the “red diary” in the assembly.

He said the diary contained some “secrets”.

Gudha, who held charge as minister of state for Sainik Kalyan (Independent Charge), Home Guard and Civil Defence, Panchayati Raj and Rural Development, was sacked on Friday evening, hours after he cornered the state government over the law and order situation and women safety in the assembly.

NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Saturday said the only way forward in Manipur is to sack Chief Minister N Biren Singh and impose President’s rule in the state.

More than 160 people have lost their lives, and several have been injured since ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3 when a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

According to Article 356, President’s rule can be imposed in a state if a situation has arisen in which the government of the state cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley, while tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mostly in the hill districts.

Sibal, who was a Union minister during the UPA-1 and UPA-2 governments, quit the Congress in May last year and was elected to the Rajya Sabha as an Independent member with the Samajwadi Party’s support.

He recently floated the non-electoral platform ‘Insaaf’, aimed at fighting injustice.