Regional

Altaf Hussain Janjua
Srinagar, Sep 15 (IANS) In order to beautify the city of Jammu, the winter capital of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir, many important works are being done under the 'Jammu Smart City' project.


On the roadside walls, buildings, intersections and streets where the banners and posters of various political parties, commercial organisations were put up, you will now see beautiful paintings.

From Jewel to Bikram Chowk, flyover from Bikram Chowk to Gandhinagar. The beautiful painting on the pillars below includes highlights of the culture and heritage of Jammu.

In the paintings done on the walls, a unique message has been given on topics like staying healthy, harmful effects of drug abuse, women education etc.

There is also a wall painting of soldiers guarding the country on the borders. From Amhapala Chowk to Shakuntala, if you travel over the flyover and go to Satwari Chowk, you will find rare pieces of artistry everywhere.

The walls are being strictly monitored and warnings of strict action against anyone who tries to deface or destroy the art work have been issued. There is also a hanging garden and a fountain under the flyover from Jammu bus station to Dogra Chowk, where the night view is spectacular.

--IANS
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Bhopal, Sep 14 (IANS) While the BJP has decided to build a new party headquarters in Madhya Pradesh by demolishing the existing party office in Bhopal, voices opposing the plan are now emerging from within the saffron camp in the state.

Sources in the BJP said the party has decided to construct a high-tech multi-storey party office ahead of the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh scheduled in end-2023.

The process has already begun with an idol of Lord Ganesha being placed at the site last week in the presence of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and MP BJP President V.D. Sharma, among others.

However, a group of veteran BJP leaders in the state have now opposed the decision to demolish the existing party headquarters.

Though there were concerns over the decision to demolish the existing structure located near the Rani Kamalapati railway station in Bhopal, now former Rajya Sabha member Raghunandan Sharma has written to the party's national President J.P. Nadda on the issue, which has gone viral on social media.

In the three-page letter to Nadda, Sharma detailed the memories associated with the building and how BJP leaders and workers worked hard for building the party headquarters for a few decades.

Sharma compared the decision to demolish the present party office to "a mad elephant crushing its own soldiers" and appealed to the top party leadership to reconsider the move.

He also alleged that the decision was taken without taking into consideration the opinion of the veteran party leaders in the state.

The existing BJP headquarters -- Deen Dayal Parishar -- was established in 1991 during the rule of then Chief Minister Sunderlal Patwa.

In his latter, Sharma mentioned that the party headquarters carry the memories of several leaders and workers, many of who are no more.

"I will urge that let the building remain at its place, and construct a new building elsewhere with a new dream for the new generations. Let the memories of Kushabhau Thakre and thousands of BJP workers remain there in the old building," Sharma wrote.

--IANS
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Ranchi, Sep 14 (IANS) A monkey has been spotted attending classes with students for the past one week at a government school in Danua village in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh district. The movements of the monkey have become a matter of curiosity.

Videos and pictures of the monkey's presence from the classes to the school office have gone viral.

The school's headmaster Ratan Verma told IANS that the monkey reaches the school premises as soon as the school opens at 9 in the morning and usually leaves in the evening only after the classes end. A week ago, when he suddenly entered Class 9 of the school, the students were terrified. He did not harm anyone and sat on a bench in the class. Since then, reaching any class and sitting in the front row with the students has become a regular routine.

On Wednesday, it reached the headmaster's room and sat on the table. When the classes started, he again went to the class. The principal attempted to drive the monkey away, but he remained in the classroom.

School Management Committee chairman Sakaldev Yadav said that the forest department was informed about it. A team reached the school, but it could not catch the monkey.

--IANS
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Mumbai, Sep 14 (IANS) The Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) is planning to go alone in the upcoming civic elections in Mumbai and other major cities or towns in the state, a party official said on Wednesday.

MNS spokesperson Sandeep Deshpande told media persons that his party would put up candidates in the 227 wards for the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

He said the party chief has also directed that the MNS should prepare to contest all other civic bodies independently, the schedules of which are likely to be announced soon.

Though he did not cite any reasons for the proposed move, the decision could prove to be a huge dampener for Chief Minister Eknath Shinde group and Bharatiya Janata Party's Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis.

The two parties have been separately and jointly wooing Raj Thackeray hoping for a civic polls tie-up to beat the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) but with the MNS's suo moto announcement, the possibility appears remote for the present.

Late August and early September, Shinde and several BJP state and central leaders had called on Raj Thackeray amid speculation that he would meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his Ganeshotsav trip to Mumbai.

Though the meeting with Shah did not materialise, Raj Thackeray received Shinde and many BJP leaders during Ganeshotsav festival at his home and later reciprocated their gesture.

In June, the MNS - which has a solitary MLA supporting the Shinde-Fadnavis regime - had announced that it will contest Nashik Municipal Corporation polls solo, with the city considered its stronghold.

The party is expected to announce its tentative list of candidates for various civic bodies including BMC, NMC and others shortly, Deshpande indicated without giving details.

With this, the civic elections may witness multi-party contests in various cities with the Shinde group-BJP competing against Shiv Sena, Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, now the MNS, besides other smaller and local parties crowding the scene.

--IANS
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Guwahati, Sep 14 (IANS) The Assam government plans to convert all its secondary schools to higher secondary level, the Assembly was told on Wednesday.

Replying to a question, Education Minister Ranoj Pegu said that as per the New Education Policy, the state government has already upgraded 215 high schools to the higher secondary level.

The preparation to convert another 785 high schools to the higher secondary level is underway, he added.

The initial upgradation list was prepared by the Education Department, based on the availability of logistics, manpower, etc. and gradually, the other schools will also be upgraded, Pegu said.

The minister also said that operationalisation of classes in the newly-upgraded schools will be looked into at the district level. The required administrative machinery will be provided by the state government.

Earlier, a majority of the state government schools in Assam had classes up to 10 only while a few could take students at 10+2 level also.

The state government colleges in the state have the facility to teach higher secondary standard students.

--IANS
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Bengaluru, Sep 14 (IANS) Amid the controversy over Hindi Day celebrations in Karnataka, chief minister Basavaraj Bommai has said that a law to increase Kannada language usage is being introduced soon. Speaking in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, Bommai said that his government is committed to the protection and promotion of the Kannada language.

Noting that India is a union of several states with different languages and cultures, Bommai said that it is not possible to foist any language on other states. "In order to increase Kannada language usage, we are introducing a law in this very session of the House. For the first time, a law is being introduced in the Assembly that will give legal strength to the use of Kannada language."

The Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Bill is expected to give a huge boost to Kannada usage in the state.

Bommai's statement assumes significance in the backdrop of the Janata Dal (S) opposition to the alleged attempts of the BJP-led central government to impose Hindi in non-Hindi speaking states.

Ahead of the National Hindi Day celebrations on September 14, former chief minister and Janata Dal (S) leader HD Kumaraswamy had written to Bommai opposing Hindi Day celebrations in Karnataka. The party had also organised an anti-Hindi Day protest on Wednesday.

--IANS
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Bengaluru, Sep 14 (IANS) IT major Wipro stated on Wednesday that its campus in Doddakannelli locality of the city has been constructed as per the sanctioned plan.

The response comes after its name figured in the list of alleged encroachers, prepared by the city civic authority, the BBMP.

Several high profile developers, IT majors, and hospitals, are named as encroachers allegedly responsible for choking almost 700 storm water drains (SWD), as per an internal note of the BBMP tasked with clearing up the mess.

Dated August 17, the city civic authorities' note names 15 encroachments by various developers and firms like IT firms, hospitals, and educational institutions.

The BBMP list includes entities like Prestige, Bagmane Tech Park, Columbia Asia Hospital, Eco Space, Gopalan, Salarpuria, Wipro and Congress leader Haris Nalapad.

However, Wipro has set the record straight with its statement on Wednesday. The company indicated that its campus mentioned in the BBMP list is as per sanctioned plans.

"Wipro abides by the laws of every jurisdiction where it does business and adheres to the highest standards of integrity. The Wipro campus in Doddakannelli is as per sanctioned plan. We have not received any notice from BBMP."

Over the past two days, civic authorities have embarked on a demolition drive of the alleged encroachments which are said to have led to blocking of storm water drains which ultimately resulted in massive flooding and water logging of several localities in the Magadevapura zone of the city. The area is hub of tech companies.

--IANS
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Lucknow, Sep 14 (IANS) King George's Medical University (KGMU) in Lucknow has finalised a proposal to set up a 500-bed emergency facility under Trauma Centre Phase II project.

The new facility is expected to ease the burden on the existing 150-bed Trauma Centre that treats 450-500 emergency patients daily.

According to an official spokesman, the proposed centre will be an expansion of the existing facilities with more diagnostic labs and OTs. It will be able to provide better and timely treatment to emergency patients coming from all over the state.

The proposal, approved by the executive council, will now be sent to the government for further action.

According to the draft of the new facility, it will be established after demolishing the old nursing hostel.

It will have seven storeys apart from two-storey basement for parking and diagnostic labs and other amenities.

In the front portion of the ground floor, there will be 80-bed facilities along with a radio diagnostic centre. The first floor will have a 60-bed ward with at least 12 OTs. The third floor will have 80 beds for trauma surgery patients followed by the fourth floor with 60 beds for orthopaedic patients.

The fifth floor will have 40-bed ICU and 20 HDU beds, while the sixth floor will have super speciality facilities such as plastic surgery, vascular surgery, ophthalmology, destitute ward and ENT among others.

Office lounge, seminar centre and house stores will be established on the seventh floor.

KGMU vice chancellor Lt Gen (retd) Prof Bipin Puri said, "The proposed Phase II will have complete pathological and radiological facilities under one roof while emergency services to seriously ill old patients will continue in the old building of Trauma Centre Phase-I."

The work will start soon after the government's nod, he added.

--IANS
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Chennai, Sep 14 (IANS) Tamil Nadu police have courted controversy over providing protection to history-sheeter Naresh Babu during his marriage.

Police were present in every nook and corner of the wedding hall when Naresh Babu walked up the dias for the rituals.

As per police, he was given protection as a rival gang had plans to eliminate him during his wedding. Apparently, Naresh Babu (35) of Nadvarupettu has several criminal cases pending against him at Somangalam police station and on his wedding day, a rival gang was planning to kill him.

A large number of police from Kancheepuram station were seen frisking the guests who were arriving at the high-profile wedding.

Naresh Babu was allegedly involved in the recent beheading in the Somangalam police station limits a month ago and there was a death threat to him from the rival gang. He married a woman from Kodambakkam.

All the vehicles that arrived at the wedding hall were checked to prevent any goon entering the hall in plain clothes and attacking the groom.

Sources in police told IANS that Naresh Babu was asked to wind up the celebrations before 10 p.m. and that bloodshed be avoided.

However, police said that no unwanted element was present in the wedding hall as maximum precautions were taken to prevent any untoward incident.

--IANS
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Panaji, Sep 14 (IANS) Reacting sharply to the political development in Goa, wherein eight Congress MLAs joined BJP, Goa Forward Party President and MLA Vijai Sardesai said that BJP has purchased them like sacks of rice and MLAs have allowed them to be purchased like cattle.

"This act of betrayal has taken place on the Hindu auspicious period of Pitru Paksa, even God will not bless them. The MLAs are purchased like sacks of rice and these MLAs have allowed them to purchase, how one purchase cattle," Sardesai said.

"These MLAs have destroyed democracy and sentiments of the public. They had pledged before all religious places (that they will not leave Congress party) and now this betrayal of people is witnessed by all. These MLAs have no future. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has failed in all aspects and he wants to run government by purchasing MLAs," Sardesai said.

"There will be no opposition leader as they (Congress) don't have number. This was part of killing democracy, process of which Sawant has completed. Now BJP has to check who original BJP leaders are," Sardesai said.

"We often see political defections as betrayal of the people's mandate, but it's much more than that. It's a betrayal of the people, subversion of the political and democratic process, the repudiation of their own parentage, and the denigration and mockery of God," Sardesai said.

"The people will not forget that the chief minister who would consider himself to be victorious in this dirty bargain has miserably failed in every constitutional and administrative duty he's been assigned including the proper governance of the state, protection of life and property of its citizens," He said.

"We will, as a party, fight this political plague that has destroyed Goa, and appeal to true Goemkars to reject these traitors with the contempt they deserve from our civilised and discerning society, and brand them as enemies of the people and God," Sardesai said.

--IANS
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