Connecting Trust backs Pune Pride Walk in city
The march began at 4.30pm from Abhinav Kala Mahavidyalay Chowk. TNN
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The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
Dawoodi Bohra community's congregation efforts to remain inclusive to all
Relief is what Tasnim Lodghar describes when she didn't have to worry about the well being or the mental load of her 17-year-old child with cerebral palsy during the Ashara Mubaraka congregation, which was held in Chennai this year. 'It would require a lot of planning for the 10 days from co-ordinating the auto and looking after my son throughout the sermon. The first thought I had when I wanted to attend was how I would manage. The stress from planning alone was huge. But this time it had been organised with the specially-abled children in mind which helped me a lot. It helped me be present at the congregation,' said Tasnim Lodghar. Held at the start of the Islamic month of Muharram, Ashara Mubaraka is an occasion marked by sermons and prayers in remembrance of Prophet Muhammed, his grandson Imam Husain, and his companions. This year, the congregation — led by Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, the leader of the global Dawoodi Bohra community — returned to Chennai after 50 years, drawing tens of thousands of attendees from around the world to mark the occasion. This year, the congregation saw 43,000 people, with over 120 children with disabilities participating. The brain child of the health wing of the Dawoodi Bohra community, the organisers paid extra focus to integrate the persons with disabilities - from providing a calming room to employing special educators and training volunteers. 'This time was different as we focused on specially-abled children and adults. We have created separate zones for them to enhance their experience,' said Hasan Kapi, member of the Dawoodi Bohra community. In the congregation hall, three zones were marked for persons with disability. One zone was for hearing impaired people, where a sign language interpreter translated the entire sermon to them. The other two zones accommodate people with multi disorders such as autism, down syndrome, cerebral palsy, polio-affected child, visually-impaired and people with muscular dystrophies. There were seven special educators and 11 volunteers present to help them out. Explaining the process of preparation Nafisa Manaf, a Chennai-based special educator who is part of the team said, 'The preparation for the event began 15 days before it began on July 27. When the parents registered we looked into the severity of the disability in children. We communicated about the kind of food the child eats, their independence in using a toilet, crowd management. We worked with parents to know more about their needs.' When the child affected with autism spectrum disorder gets agitated or overstimulated the special educators take note and remove them from the area to calm them down. 'We take care of them and engage them to listen to the sermon. When they have periods of hyperactivity, we remove them from the zone and calm them in a separate calming room. There the children are engaged with sensory toys or some might want to run around to expend the energy. Once done, we bring them back to the hall,' she added. The children have to sit through a sermon of four hours. As many as 120 children were identified as disabled but only 70 children were in the zones as they required more assistance. The efforts paid off as Nafisa points out that the children adapted quickly and understood the routine. 'The children were able to sit throughout the sermon. Many children with disabilities are sensitive to the food but by day three they were able to eat from the tal (community plate) with their families and others around them with no hassle,' she added.
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
Thane soc revokes 14L fine on member for walking his dogs
Navi Mumbai: A Thane-based housing society at Ghodbunder Road has revoked a steep penalty of over Rs 14 lakh imposed on a resident for "walking dogs in common areas" and for other dog-related issues. This decision has come as a relief for the animal activist, Subhajit Bhattacharya, who runs an NGO 'Shades Of Kindness' and takes care of 20 rescued dogs. TOI had reported about this issue as Bhattacharya was regularly fined a specific amount by Hawaiian Village CHS every time he took his rescued dogs out for a walk. He termed these fines as unfair and unjustified. Animal rights group Pure Animal Lovers (PAL) Foundation also supported Bhattacharya by sending a legal notice to the society over this issue. "It is a good development that Hawaiian Village housing society, which comprises around 100 independent houses or bungalows, has formally decided to cancel the heavy fines of nearly Rs 14 lakh slapped on its member, Bhattacharya. I also contacted the society office-bearers and explained to them that it is illegal to charge any fine on a resident if they are simply walking their dogs. A legal notice was also sent," said Roshan Pathak of PAL. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai Pathak added, "This cancellation of unfair fines has raised hopes among other feeders facing similar harassment from their societies..."
Scroll.in
8 hours ago
- Scroll.in
Assam oil rig: ONGC caps leak but residents fear inhaling toxic fumes, fire risk
On June 27, the gas leak in a rig in Rudrasagar was finally capped in a joint operation carried out by the Crisis Management Team of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation of India and Texas-based Crudd Pressure Control where they removed the damaged blowout preventer from the oil wellhead. Gushes of gas were first observed on June 12, around 11.45 am, during servicing operations at well no RDS-147 A, an oil well in the Rudrasagar oil field, in Sivasagar district in Assam, one of the oldest oil fields of ONGC, the largest state-owned oil and natural gas company of India. Upon detection, ONGC activated standard safety protocol, and the site was promptly secured. A fortnight later, gas continued to leak at the Rudrasagar oil field. However, following the arrival of a three-member team of oil well control experts from Crudd Pressure Control on the evening of June 20, there was progress in controlling the blowout with flow rate of gas reducing substantially. The team finally brought the gas flow under control on June 27. 'After removing the BOP [blowout preventer], the pre-positioned capping start, prepared at the staging area, was carefully and accurately placed onto the wellhead. This redirected the gas flow securely to the top of the capping stack, ensuring containment and control. The capping stack was firmly installed and secured, following which the BOP was successfully closed, effectively bringing an end to the gas discharge,' the ONGC statement said. Meanwhile, the Pollution Control Board of Assam issued a show-cause notice to ONGC for operating oil well no. 147A without obtaining mandatory environmental clearance. ONGC has been granted 15 days to respond to the notice and failing to do so could invite punitive action, including financial penalties and legal proceedings. The incident has affected at least 1,500 people from 350 families in the vicinity who were relocated to relief camps, reviving the painful memories of the 2020 oil and gas leak at Baghjan oil field in Tinsukia district of Assam, operated by Oil India Ltd. The leak at Baghjan later escalated into a blowout with a massive fire which raged for more than five months, displacing more than 15,000 residents from 3,500 families. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, after visiting the affected people on June 16, wrote to Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri that, unlike previous incidents handled expeditiously, the current approach appears procedural and lacking in visibility. 'I am constrained to convey that the local perception is one of inadequate urgency and seriousness in ONGC's response,' wrote Sarma. Sarma also announced a compensation of Rs 25,000 from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund for every affected family. Meanwhile, local people have claimed that SK Petro Services, a private firm deployed by ONGC to supervise the operations at the rig and provide the workforce, was responsible for the accident and demanded the arrest of its owner. Living near a leaking rig ONGC discovered oil in Rudrasagar in 1960, making it one of the company's oldest oil fields in India and production began here in 1964. The place is, however, densely populated with several villages in the vicinity like Bhatiapara, Rupohimukh, Bhati Bon Gaon, Radhika Nagar, Boliaghat, Rupohibil Gaon, Dhuliapar etc. Brojen Das, headmaster of Radhikanagar LP School lives at Rupohimukh village, which is within 500 m of the site of the leak, informed Mongabay India that most people here are from either Matak or Koibarta communities. Das said that 90% of the people here are farmers and fishers who catch fish at the nearby Dikhow river, a tributary of the Brahmaputra while others are daily wagers, service people and small business owners. 'There are around a hundred families within a 200 m radius of the leaking rig. They couldn't stay at home and went to the relief camps. The schools in the 3 km radius, including my own, have been turned into relief camps and medical camps,' he said. A statement released by ONGC on June 18 stated that a thorough analysis of the released gas has been carried out through sample collection, confirming that the gas is non-toxic in nature and that the noise levels are also within acceptable limits beyond 500 m. However, if the gases are non-toxic, why are people and domestic animals getting ill, questioned Das. He said, 'There are mobile medical camps set up by both district administration and ONGC. Not just the gas, but even the loud sound is causing a lot of discomfort. Now serious patients are being taken to Sui-Ka-Pha Municipality Hospital in Demow.' A doctor currently serving on a mobile medical camp in Rudrasagar on the condition of anonymity as he is not allowed to speak in an official capacity, told Mongabay India that the patients he has treated have mainly complained of irritation in eyes and skin. 'Their vision has become foggy. This irritation in the eyes could be the allergic manifestation of the gas. We have also got patients with diabetes and hypertension though it is not possible to say without investigation if those conditions have spiked because of the gas. Some patients have also complained of palpitation though that can also happen because of the mental stress these people are going through,' he said. Local social worker Saroj Baruah told Mongabay India that there was a blowout in Rudrasagar in the past as well. 'In 1969, there was a blowout which continued for ten days. Later, a team from Russia was brought in to put out the fire,' said Baruah, who was five-six years old then. Baruah, who lives in Bhatiapara village, which is 700 m from the rig, said that ONGC took the land from the villagers here on lease after oil was discovered here, and the lease is extended after every 30 years. Operation to cap the leak According to the ONGC's media statement, the first step in plugging the leak was to connect the well to a nearby production facility, thereby diverting a portion of the gas in a controlled manner. As an additional safety measure, the team is using the technique of water blanketing. Speaking to Mongabay India about the challenges in this operation, Subrata Borgohain Gogoi, Professor at the Department of Petroleum Technology and Dean of the Faculty of Earth Sciences and Energy at Dibrugarh University said, 'Now even a little carelessness can lead to a fire. As the gas is in the air, any spark, such as even static electricity from friction between two pieces of cloth can lead to a fire. The presence of Dikhow river nearby was beneficial as its water was used for water blanketing. Now to kill the well, they are pouring junk. The gas is so mobile that it will emerge through the slightest gap.' 'Nobody can predict at what velocity the gas will come out. These kinds of rig accidents occur in the USA, the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico but they are mainly onshore rigs with almost no population nearby. On the other hand, here the incident has taken place in an offshore rig surrounded by densely populated villages and so many people have been affected,' Gogoi said, adding that there might be negligence on the part of SK Petro. 'They got the bid of operating the rig as the lowest bidder. However, what exactly happened can be said only after investigation,' she said. Regarding the composition of the gas leaking from the rig no 147A, she said, 'According to the information I received from ONGC, the gas comprises of methane (85-92%), ethane (3.6%), propane (0.5-2%), butane (0.1-1%), carbon dioxide (1-3%), nitrogen (0.5-2%), hydrogen sulphide (less than 0.1%).' According to reports, ONGC on June 21 asked residents living beyond 500 m from the site of the incident to return home and resume activities like cooking and use of electricity. Das, meanwhile, said that even if normal activities resume for the local residents, this incident might have a long-term impact on the health of people and environment. 'We don't know how this incident will affect people in the long run, especially children and aged people. Also, it might contaminate the Dikhow river which is a source of livelihood for local fishermen,' he said.
