The Governor of Punjab and Administrator, UT, Chandigarh, Shri V.P. Singh Badnore addressing at the “National Workshop on Developed Villages-Developed Nation:Role of Technical Institutions in Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana” at NITTTR, Sector-26, Chandigarh on Tuesday, June 26, 2018
गुजरात कांग्रेस के पूर्व विधायक और मुख्यमंत्री विजय रुपाणी के खिलाफ चुनाव लड़ने वाले इंद्रनील राजगुरु ने पार्टी के प्रदेश नेतृत्व से नाखुशी जाहिर करते हुए सोमवार को राजकोट कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष पद से इस्तीफा दे दिया है.
राजगुरु ने संवाददाताओं से कहा, ‘मैंने अपना इस्तीफा पार्टी के प्रदेश इकाई के अध्यक्ष अमित चावड़ा को भेज दिया है.’
उन्होंने कहा कि पार्टी की प्रदेश इकाई जिस तरह से काम कर रही है उससे वह नाखुश हैं और इसी वजह से इस्तीफा दे रहे हैं.
गुजारत विधानसभा चुनाव में कांग्रेस ने इंद्रनील राजगुरु को सीएम विजय रुपाणी के सामने उतारा था. राजगुरु ने राजकोट सीट से चुनाव लड़ा था. इंद्रनील राजगुरु गुजरात में कांग्रेस के सबसे अमीर उम्मीदवारों में से एक रहे हैं जिन्होंने नामांकन के दौरान 141 करोड़ रुपए की आय का खुलासा लिया था.
मामला बिलकुल साफ है, शक की कोई गुंजाइश नहीं है. जब से तेलंगाना के मुख्यमंत्री केसीआर, प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी से 15 जून को मिल कर दिल्ली से लौटे हैं, बीजेपी के खिलाफ गठबंधन की कोशिशें ठंडे बस्ते में चली गई जान पड़ती हैं. हालांकि केसीआर पिछले दिनों दिल्ली में थे, फिर भी वे केजरीवाल के घर मिलने गए चार मुख्यमंत्रियों की जमात में शामिल नहीं हुए. दिल्ली से आने के बाद रविवार को जब केसीआर का बयान आया कि वे तेलंगाना में वक्त से पहले चुनाव कराए जाने के समर्थन में हैं, तो पक्का हो गया कि दिल्ली और हैदराबाद के बीच सचमुच कुछ पक रहा है.
नतीजतन हैदराबाद में सत्ता के गलियारों में चर्चा चल पड़ी है कि शायद 2018 के जाड़ों में आम चुनाव कराने को लेकर प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी ने केसीआर को भरोसे में ले लिया है. गौर करने वाली बात ये है कि 1999 से ही आंध्र प्रदेश में विधानसभा चुनाव हमेशा आम चुनाव के साथ ही हुए. अगर नवंबर-दिसंबर में आम चुनाव होते हैं, तो इसका मतलब ये कि राजस्थान, मध्य प्रदेश और छत्तीसगढ़ के चुनाव भी उसी समय हो जाएंगे.
दरअसल इसका आभास तब हुआ, जब कांग्रेस नेता और पूर्व मंत्री दनम नागेंद्र ने केसीआर की पार्टी तेलंगाना राष्ट्र समिति का दामन थाम लिया. नागेंद्र एक वक्त कांग्रेस के बड़े दमदार नेता थे, लेकिन पिछले चार साल से पार्टी आलाकमान से नाराज चल रहे थे. सूबे में पार्टी के अध्यक्ष बनना चाहते थे, लेकिन जब ये होता नहीं दिखा, तो उन्होंने केसीआर का हाथ थाम लिया. उनका केसीआर के साथ जाना तय तो था, लेकिन केसीआर चाहते थे कि चुनाव के करीब आ जाए, तो उन्हें अपनी पार्टी मे शामिल कराएं. यानी नागेंद्र के पार्टी में शामिल होने और जल्दी चुनाव पर केसीआर के बयान से साफ हो गया है कि आम चुनावों के साथ ही तेलंगाना में भी चुनाव हो जाएंगे.
जल्दी चुनाव हुए, तो केसीआर के पक्ष में होंगे नतीजे
जल्दी चुनाव हुए तो केसीआर को फायदा ही फायदा है, खोना कुछ नहीं है. कांग्रेस पहले से ही सूबे में मुश्किल में है, क्योंकि तेलंगाना प्रदेश कांग्रेस कमिटी के अध्यक्ष उत्तम कुमार रेड्डी के खिलाफ विद्रोह के सुर उभरने लगे हैं. टीडीपी और बीजेपी के कुछ नेताओं जैसे रेवंथ रेड्डी और नगम जनार्दन रेड्डी के कांग्रेस में शामिल होने को लेकर प्रदेश कांग्रेस के कुछ नेता बहुत नाराज हैं.
नतीजतन, ज़िला स्तर पर बहुत से कांग्रेस नेता टीआरएस में शामिल हो रहे हैं. दूसरी विपक्षी पार्टी टीडीपी तो किसी लावारिस मकान की तरह खंडहर में तब्दील हो रही है. 15 में से 13 विधायकों ने टीडीपी छोड़ दी है और न तो चंद्रबाबू नायडू और न ही उनके बेटे नारा लोकेश की ओर से पार्टी को फिर से खड़ा करने की कोई कोशिश हो रही है.
विडंबना ये है कि नायडू टीडीपी की सबसे बड़ी ताकत भी हैं और कमजोरी भी. पार्टी की सभाओं के लिए भीड़ फिलहाल सिर्फ उन्हीं के नाम पर जुटती है. सूबे के बंटने के पहले 1995 से 2004 के बीच बतौर मुख्यमंत्री नायडू ने हैदराबाद के लिए काफी काम किया था. लिहाजा यहां लोगों से उनका जमीनी संपर्क बहुत अच्छा है. हालांकि उनके उन संपर्कों का नुकसान उन्हें ये हो सकता है कि तब तेलंगाना राष्ट्र समिति इस बात का प्रचार करेगी कि नायडू तेलंगाना के हितों का नुकसान करने के लिए ऐसे लोगों से मिले हुए हैं, जिनके हित तेलंगाना के नहीं हैं.
केसीआर के खिलाफ बीजेपी रखेगी नरम रुख?
तेलंगाना के मैदान में तीसरे खिलाड़ी के तौर पर बीजेपी है, जो लोगों को समझाने की कोशिश कर रही है कि कांग्रेस और टीआरएस आपस में मिले हुए हैं. हालांकि इस कहानी पर भरोसा करना लोगों के लिए बड़ा मुश्किल है. खासकर मोदी-केसीआर की मुलाकात के बाद.
सूत्र बताते हैं कि बीजेपी के एक बड़े पदाधिकारी ने तेलंगाना बीजेपी के नेताओं को निर्देश दिए हैं कि वे मुख्यमंत्री केसीआर के खिलाफ भ्रष्टाचार का कोई आरोप न लगाएं. बीजेपी को दरअसल पता है कि लोकसभा चुनावों में अगर उनके पास अपने दम पर बहुमत नहीं हुआ, तो वो उन्हें केसीआर, नवीन पटनायक और जगनमोहन रेड्डी से समर्थन लेकर इकट्ठा करना पड़ेगा. इसलिए तेलंगाना बाजेपी नेताओं से कहा गया है कि वे नीतिगत मामलों तक ही अपनी आलोचना सीमित रखें.
कांग्रेस और टीआरएस में तुलना करें तो टीआरएस का पलड़ा भारी लग रहा है. केसीआर को अंदाजा लग गया था कि किसानों के वोट उनकी पार्टी की नैया डुबा सकते हैं. इसीलिए उन्होंने किसानों के लिए ‘रिथु-बंधु’ योजना भी चलाई, जिसके तहत खेत पर कर्ज लिए हुए किसान को साल में आठ हजार रुपए देने का प्रावधान रखा गया. हालांकि उनकी महत्वाकांक्षी सिंचाई योजना पर कांग्रेस ने कई सवाल खड़े किए हैं, लेकिन फिर भी खेतिहर जनता को उससे देर-सबेर लाभ जरूर मिलेंगे.
कांग्रेस के लिए लड़ाई जीतने का बस एक ही रास्ता बचता है और वह ये कि विपक्ष को मिलने वाले वोट न बंटे. और यह तभी हो पाएगा, जब वामपंथी पार्टियों, बीएसपी, कोदांदरम की तेलंगाना जनसमिति और टीडीपी को साथ लेकर गठबंधन बनाया जाए. टीडीपी के खम्मम जिले के संगठन ने पहले ही, ये कह कर कांग्रेस के साथ जाने की बात कही है कि अकेले चुनाव लड़ने से टीआरएस को ही मजबूती मिलेगी. सूबे में केसरिया रंग की ताकत कमजोर करने के लिए कांग्रेस को ये भी प्रचार करना होगा कि बीजेपी को वोट देने का मतलब टीआरएस को वोट देना.
राज्यसभा उपसभापति के चुनाव से साफ होगा मामला
लोकसभा और विधानसभा चुनावों से पहले, इसी साल जुलाई में तेलंगाना में पंचायत चुनाव होने हैं. हालांकि इन चुनावों में राजनीतिक दल नहीं लड़ते , लेकिन ये भी सच है कि राजनीतिक दल अपने अपने उम्मीदवारों को पीछे से इसके लिए धन-बल मुहैया कराते हैं.
लेकिन असल चुनावों से पहले एक जुलाई को राज्यसभा के डिप्टी चेयरमैन के पद का चुनाव होना है. और इसी चुनाव में पता चल जाएगा कि टीआरएस और बीजेपी साथ-साथ चलने के लिए राजी हैं भी या नहीं. सत्ता और विपक्ष दोनों के लिए राज्यसभा में 122 का आंकड़ा पाना मुश्किल है. ऐसे में टीआरएस, वाईएसआर कांग्रेस और बीजू जनता दल के वोट ही तय करेंगे कि किसकी जीत होगी. हो सकता है कि टीआरएस इस पद के लिए अपने सांसद केशव राव का नाम आगे करे. अगर केशव राव को जिताने के लिए बीजेपी ने टीआरएस का साथ दिया तो तय हो जाएगा कि ये दोस्ती आगे बीजेपी को फायदा पहुंचाएगी. हालांकि अभी ये तय नहीं हुआ है कि नायडू समेत बाकी विपक्ष भी टीआरएस के उम्मीदवार का समर्थन करेंगे या नहीं.
हालांकि अगर ऐसा हुआ, तो सवाल उठेगा कि राज्यसभा में सभापति और उपसभापति दोनों पदों पर तेलुगू नेता क्यों बैठाए गए हैं. एक और बात देखनी होगी कि केसीआर के करीबी, असदुद्दीन ओवैसी, टीआरएस-बीजेपी की दोस्ती पर क्या रुख रखते हैं.
People born on the 1st, 10th, 19th and 28th in any month are termed as Number 1 people, ruled by the planet Sun. Leo’s are also ruled by the Sun, though indirectly.
The Sun is the creative force, which is so powerful that it gives us Light and Life to the universe, so radiant that we can hardly see any other planet or star, when the Sun is in its element.
Number 1 people {SUN}:
Like the Sun, Number 1 persons usually like to lead from the front, and do better in positions of authority over others. They would usually prefer to be their own masters, or at least would feel more comfortable when in commanding positions, where they do not have to be answerable to many.
That is why they should avoid partnerships.
The Number 1 represents the Sun. The persons represented in this category are people born on the 1st, 10th, 19th and 28th of any month. Such persons are creative, strongly individual, inventive and positive.
And because of this, they are stubborn and determined with their approach toward others. It comes naturally to them to dominate those around them, and therefore their best sphere in life is in positions of authority, responsibility and trust over others.
Their problem being that they can never play ‘second fiddle’ to anyone, and so is best working without partners. Examples of some famous Number 1 person:
The richest Indian Mukesh Ambani is a no 1 {19/04} while the richest in the World, Carlos Slim Helu {28/1}, is also a no 1 who overtook another no 1, Bill Gates {28/10}, Dhirubhai Ambani, Ratan Tata {both 28/12} Indira Gandhi, Miss Universe, Sushmita Sen, No 1 Sex Icon of her time, Zeenat Aman, No 1 wrestler, Dara Singh, {all four, 19/11} Rekha, {10/10} Lata Mangeshkar, {28/09} Aishwarya Rai, {01/11} Sunil Gavaskar, {10/07} Hrithik Roshan, {10/01}, No 1 Dance Guru, Shiamak Davar {19/10}, Number 1 Chef, Sanjeev Kapoor {10/04}, most successful maverick Lawyer, Ram Jethmalani {10/09} are amongst some Number 1 people who shine in their fields. In fact, Osama Bin Laden is born on 10/03 too!
The most powerful brand in the world, Google in Numerology adds to Number 1 too.
# Number 1 people cannot play second fiddle to others.
Number 1 person is decidedly ambitious and hates any form of restraint. They always rise in whatever profession or occupation and become heads of their department.
And it comes natural for them to dominate, {Nana Patekar, Jan 1} and not dictated {Aishwarya Rai, {01/11}, {Rekha, 10/01}.
Numerology Number 1 LINE OF WORK:
Number 1 person can do well as a successful company promoter, preacher, orator, organizer, or in any career that gives a position of authority.
They may also do well in advanced inventions, researches, medicine, occultism, astrology, telepathy, photography, interior or dress designing, music, art or any concentrated study or line of work, where the ‘mental’ aspect comes into play, and provided they are in a position of authority over others.
They are so versatile that they can fit in almost any line they set their eyes on. This is their biggest strength, but ironically their major weakness to, as over-versatility can confuse them as to what they should actually follow.
If there’s one thing nearly every Indian girl loves and uses,it’s Kajal . Ask anyone what they consider an essential makeup product, it will be kajal. But the thing we don’t do is use the humble kajal to its fullest potential. There are several other uses for kajal besides lining the bottom of our eyes with it. You will be surprised how many makeup products you can replace by using just one stick of kajal.
If you’re using a thin kajal stick, don’t stop at using it to just line your eyes. The hypersharp liners are very easy to apply, and are great for those who find liquid eyeliner brushes difficult to use.
To get a thick and dark line, like a gel liner, hold the kajal stick over a flame to heat it for a couple of seconds. Let it cool down a little, and swipe it on your lids. The colour will be super dark and pigmented, and you will have wings that everyone will be jealous of.
Draw a slanted hashtag at the outer corner of each eye with your kajal pencil. Smudge the lines gently with your finger, blending it well. Line the lower lid with your kajal, and apply a thick coat of mascara. Voila, a quick smokey eye, and barely any work!
If you believe in the less-is-more philosophy, kajal is your best friend. Make a thin line along your upper lashline using your kajal, and just a touch of transparent mascara, and you’re sorted.
Apply one single layer of a peach eyeshadow on your eyelids, and use a thin-tipped kajal to draw a straight line, that starts from the inner corner of your eyes, and extends a little past the outer corner. Keep the pressure on the kajal steady till you reach the outer corner, and apply lesser and lesser then, so that the line fades out as you reach the end of your wing. Apply mascara liberally, and you’re all set!
To make your eyes look really dramatic, extend the line. Go over it a couple of times to make sure it’s really defined, and get your Aishwarya on!
Tightlining is the go-to look for those who want to put in as little effort into looking made up. Just use your kajal to line the inner lashline, which will make your lashes appear thicker and fuller. Tightlining is used extensively by celebrities and proponents of the ‘no-makeup’ look, because it defines your eyes without making them look made up.
R Madhavan is one actor who has carved a niche for himself in Bollywood as well as regional cinema. The actor also enjoys a huge fan following.
He recently went on an injured his shoulder recently backed out of a historical drama alongside Saif Ali Khan which marked the reunion between Madhavan and Saif Ali Khan after 17 years and Ranveer Singh’s ‘Simmba’. He sents his fans into a frenzy with his fit and muscled avatar. And this time around his fans have every reason to rejoice. It seems that the actor is back with a bang. He is all set to star in Tamil movie titled ‘Maara’.
If his recent Instagram post is anything to go by, the actor aces his salt and pepper look with great aplomb. The actor who indulged in look test for his upcoming Tamil film ‘Maara’ immediately took it to Instagram and captioned it,”Look test #Maara.. a transformation in 2 hrs ??Thanksss so much @samanthajagan @jammyfernando”.Needless to say, the actor looks every bit of charming in the picture.
Principal Sr Jeswina in a statement said the rules were in place to maintain discipline.
MANGALURU: Several Muslim students of St Agnes College which is a Catholic institution which provides higher education for women in South India.in the city boycotted classes and went on an indefinite protest on Monday after a faculty member allegedly objected to three students wearing headscarf inside the classroom. The agitation was staged under the banner Campus Front of India (CFI), a students wing of Popular Front of India (PFI) demanding their right to wear hijab. Fathima, a student of the college, told media persons that they were earlier allowed to wear the scarf and the issue was not as big as it is made out to be now.
St Agnes
“CFI tried to get in touch with the college authorities two days ago to talk to them about the rule, very politely. They (college authorities) did not listen to them. When we asked them about our rights, they did not listen to us too,” she said. She said all the Muslim girls of St Agnes institution will boycott all the classes to their right to wear the hijab is restored. A faculty of the college on condition of anonymity said though there has always been a rule in the institute prohibiting hijab, some girls had continued to wear them.
“Earlier, students would comply to teachers’ instructions about the dress code. This protest was provoked by someone from outside the college. There is a group formed with 200 members which include outsiders who work at polarising the college students on religious lines.”State CFI member Riyaz said: “College students wear Hijab over their prescribed uniforms. However, this year, students were asked to remove scarves,” He pointed out to the hypocrisy of those running the institution wearing their religious clothing.
Principal Sr Jeswina in a statement said the rules were in place to maintain discipline. “Accordingly the college rule states that the students are not permitted to wear headscarves inside the classroom only. However, we have no objection if they wear it outside the classrooms. The students and their parents are aware of this rule while seeking admission in our college. Yet a few students have gone on a protest without even submitting a memorandum. If there is an issue with any student, the management will settle the matter with the students and their parents,” she said.
Ayodhya: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath lights the lamp during a function to celebrate the 80th birthday of Ram Janam Bhoomi Trust President Nritya Gopal Das, in Ayodhya on Monday, June 25, 2018.
Raising the heat on the Ayodhya issue ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said Monday that “there should be no doubt” that a temple will be built at the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site.
Addressing a “Sant Sammelan” in Ayodhya, Adityanath said: “Maryada Purushotam Ram iss brahmand ke swami hain. Swabhavik roop se Ayodhya mein jab prabhu Ram ki kripa hogi toh Ayodhya mein bhagwan Ram ka bhavya mandir banke hi rahega… ismein koi sandeh hona hi nahin chahiye (Lord Ram is the master of this universe. It is obvious that when Ayodhya has his blessings, the Ram temple would be built in Ayodhya… there should be no doubt about this).”
This is the first time in the recent past that Adityanath has spoken so strongly in favour of the temple’s construction.
His remarks came after Ram Vilas Vedanti, one of the participants and a member of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas, declared on the dais that they would start construction of the temple without waiting for a court order. Assuring the gathering that he was one of them, Adityanath said: “You have shown so much patience so far, you should show patience for some more time.”
Warning of a conspiracy to create hurdles in the way of building the temple, Adityanath said: “On one hand, they file an application in court to ensure that the hearing does not take place before 2019. On the other hand, they talk of BJP not doing anything in the direction. Ultimately, whether it’s the BJP or any government, efforts will be made to find a solution in a Constitutional way.”
In December 2017, senior Congress leader and lawyer Kapil Sibal had argued in the Supreme Court that the hearing on the disputed site be deferred till the 2019 elections due to the political atmosphere. The apex court, however, rejected his plea. While the BJP criticised Sibal and his party for the statement, the Congress said it was not a party to the case.
Speaking during the event, Vedanti referred to the Babri demolition and said that “just like everything happened then without court orders… before the 2019 elections, the construction of the temple would start in Ayodhya, I assure you”.
Earlier, talking to reporters before the event, Vedanti said: “Hum court ke adesh ka samman karte hain, lekin bina court ke adesh ke bhi hum mandir ka nirman prarambh karenge (We respect the court’s order but we will also start construction of the temple without it).”
Another participant, Suresh Das of Digambar Akhara, said before the event that the dispute was an “issue of faith and not of the court”.
In Delhi, meanwhile, the VHP’s governing council expressed hope that the Supreme Court would pronounce its judgment very soon in Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit and that the construction of the temple would start before the end of this year. Speaking at the end of a two-day meet, VHP working president Alok Kumar said: “Our lawyers are of the opinion that we have a good case and we hope to win. If it happens, we feel that the path will be created for the construction of a grand temple by the end of this year.”
Kumar, however, sought to play down the remarks of Ram Vilas Vedanti in Ayodhya, describing them as “a personal view”. “The VHP will wait for the completion of the ongoing judicial process. Whether the temple is built by a court order or an Act enacted by Parliament, we believe in building it lawfully… But the VHP will not accept any mosque within the cultural territory of Ayodhya,” he said.
While the Interpol is yet to issue a Red Corner Notice (RCN) against absconding jeweller Nirav Modi, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) moved a Mumbai special court on Monday, seeking his extradition from the UK and Hong Kong.
Modi is currently reported to be in Belgium, where he is said to have fled from the UK on June 12. Confirming that an application was filed before the special court designated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Monday afternoon, Special Public Prosecutor Hiten Venegaonkar, who represented the ED, said: “We have sought permission from the court to seek extradition of Nirav Modi, who is an absconding accused in the case. The application seeks for him to be extradited from the UK.”
A senior ED official, however, said the application also mentions Hong Kong. “Also, we have kept our application open-ended. On Tuesday, when it is heard in the court, we may add names of more countries,” he said.
The ED has filed a prosecution complaint against Modi and a non-bailable warrant has also been issued against him. The agency had sent a request for an RCN against Modi, but the Interpol is yet to issue this.
Earlier, the CBI, ED, and Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had discussed that extradition requests should be sent only after an RCN is issued against Modi, as he is constantly on the move. If an RCN is issued, it would restrict him to the country where the extradition request is sent.
However, ED sources said, in the face of delay by the Interpol to issue an RCN against Modi, the agency has been considering sending extradition requests to multiple countries where Modi could go.
The issue, sources said, was discussed with the authorities in the UK, who said London would entertain the request if it came through a court, even without an RCN. It was, however, underscored that Modi was not present in the country.
Notably, the extradition request against liquor baron Vijay Mallya was sent to the UK without an RCN being issued. The extradition case against Mallya is currently in the final stages at the Westminster Court in London. Modi and his uncle, Mehul Choksi, are key accused in the Rs 13,000 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam.
When Pooja Singhdev was told her car was destroyed early Monday morning, she thought a tree branch brought down by the torrential rain in Mumbai had caused some dents. She rushed down her apartment complex to see the damage, only to find that her car and the driveway it was on, were in a 60-foot pit.
“The boundary wall had caved in, my car had been washed down, and was now stuck in a muck-filled pit at an adjoining under-construction building,” she said.
And Pooja was not the only resident at the Lloyd’s Estate residential tower in Mumbai to bear the brunt of Mumbai’s unplanned and poorly regulated real estate growth Monday morning. As the city recorded the season’s highest rainfall, 14 cars slid and crashed into a 60-foot pit at 4 am after a portion of this plush Central Mumbai apartment’s compound wall collapsed into an adjoining plot of land being developed by Dosti Realty.
Residents say they have taken Dosti Realty to court over the construction pit, alleging that the pit had weakened the foundation of Lloyd’s Estate. Even as a structural audit of the building is underway, residents also said that their concerns were relayed to the Antop Hill Police the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Dosti Realty said the heavy rains had caused the landslip.
The torrential rains since Sunday night claimed three lives in Mumbai and its adjoining areas. Water-logging across the city disrupted both road and rail traffic as the city recorded the season’s highest rainfall. On Monday morning, the Santacruz observatory recorded 231.4 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours. This is the first time that it has crossed 200 mm this year.
The highest rainfall – 317.6 mm – was recorded at the automatic weather station at Malad and India Meteorological Department (IMD) data shows that this is the second highest rainfall recorded in June in the last decade, after 283.4 mm on June 19, 2015.
Ajay Singh Rathod, whose Toyota Innova is still stuck in the pit, was among the first to rush to the parking lot. “Around 4.15 am, I woke up to a loud thud. I initially thought it was a thunderstorm but a few minutes later, the guard came rushing and told me my car had caved in. I rushed downstairs, only to see my car get buried deeper and deeper in the muck,” he Said.
It was only at daybreak that flat-owners and tenants could make out exactly how many and whose cars had slipped into the pit. By evening, seven mangled cars were pulled out by cranes but 120 families living in one wing at Lloyd’s Estate have now been asked to vacate their homes as a precautionary measure. Officials say their building is located precariously close to the landslip.
The cave-in has Singhdev and other residents thinking of moving out. Harsh Badheka, whose family of three have lived here since 2005, said, “Once there is some decision by the society on whether the building is fit to live in, we plan to take a call on selling this property.”
Residents also said that their society, Wadala Heights Co-operative Housing Society Limited, has been stuck in litigation regarding the construction pit next-door. “In 2016 we moved the Bombay High Court against the builder, Dosti Realty Ltd, for digging too deep. They had permission for a 40-foot pit but they have dug up to 60 feet. This has shaken the foundation of our building,” said Sanjay Sharma, a resident of Lloyd’s Estate who works with the Central Board of Excise and Customs.
Residents also said that a cement mixing plant at the Dosti site was also choking a drain nearby, which caused flooding in the society.
Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta said that the matter was sub judice. “This was a very unfortunate incident. The matter is being heard by the Bombay High Court and we cannot comment on the matter. The court has appointed a structural consultant to inspect the site. We will be able to take a stand in this matter only after the court-appointed structural consultant completes his report,” Mehta said.
Police sources said they will summon those named in the FIR after receiving a report from the BMC. “The BMC report will ascertain if there was any negligence on the part of the builder or the corporation officials that caused the wall collapse,” said a senior police official from the Antop Hill police station. The sections imposed are bailable.
Meanwhile Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam who visited the site alleged that the BMC was responsible for the collapse. He said, “The residents have been writing to the BMC. However, not even once did the civic body act against Dosti builders or even inspect the site.”