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Time of India
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Capital city soaks in community spirit
1 2 3 Bhubaneswar: The capital city turned into a canvas of colour and devotion on Friday as thousands of devotees thronged the streets to witness Rath Yatra celebrations. Over 50 large and small chariots carrying the idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra were pulled through different parts of the city, accompanied by chants of 'Jai Jagannath'. The air reverberated with sounds of devotional music as people from all walks of life joined hands to pull the intricately decorated wooden chariots. Dressed in traditional attire, devotees danced to the rhythms of Odisha's folk instruments, while cultural troupes performed 'gotipua', 'ghoda nacha' and tribal dances along the city roads. "Rath Yatra is an expression of Odisha's religious belief and heritage. Everyone soaks in the love for the deities. Seeing the gods coming out of the temple and journeying among the people is an emotional moment for all of us," said Raghunath Nanda, secretary of Baramunda temple managing committee. With weather staying pleasant despite an overcast sky, hundreds of devotees took part in the festival. In localities like Nayapalli, Sailashree Vihar, Patia, VSS Nagar, Rental Colony, Jagamara, Kolathia, Delta Square, Old Town, Rasulgarh, and GGP Colony, community-led Rath Yatras showcased the rich cultural tapestry of Odisha, each adding its unique flavour to the celebrations. Saraswati Pradhan, a schoolteacher from Pathargadia, brought her two children along to witness the yatra at the Jagannath Temple in KISS campus. "This is the best way to ensure the younger generation connects with our traditions. Children are very excited to be a part of the divine moment and feel its pulse. Women pulled the chariot of Devi Subhadra here, and we feel so blessed," Pradhan said. Children at Bada Danda Sahi in Badhei Banka pulled the tiny idols on their beautifully decorated chariot following the rituals of Jagannath Temple in Puri. Security was tight across the city, with traffic diversions in place and emergency services deployed to ensure the smooth conduct of Rath Yatra. "We made elaborate arrangements in coordination with local organisers to ensure devotees could participate safely. Traffic movement was arranged accordingly for the smooth passage of chariots and vehicles in various localities," said a senior police officer. BMC made elaborate arrangements for cleanliness and sanitation and also conducted raids at food stalls to ensure adulterated food is not being sold.
Time of India
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
SC asks BMC engr facing contempt over toilet construction to explain delay to HC
New Delhi: The importance of toilets can be best assessed by the fact that a few months delay in construction of a toilet block led to Bombay High Court initiating contempt proceedings against a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation engineer and in turn the matter ended up with the Supreme Court on Friday. The Bombay HC on Oct 4 had directed the BMC to construct within three months toilets at a slum cluster in Kalina, Santacruz E, invoking right to life guaranteed under Article 21 which included dignified living and the provisions under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Four months later, on Feb 2, the HC found that the toilet blocks remained incomplete and had slammed the BMC threatening to take contempt action. BMC executive engineer Maheshkumar Sampat Jare, who had been bearing the brunt of the HC's displeasure, attempted to explain that the survey took some time and since it is a toilet block having 32 units - 15 for women, 16 for men and one for handicapped persons, it would require nine months for completion, as was estimated by his superiors in the corporation. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai The HC on May 6 again found that despite its Feb 2 order, the toilet blocks had not been completed and initiated contempt proceedings against Jare. A week later, the toilet complex was inaugurated. With the contempt sword hanging, Jare rushed to the SC. Senior advocate Gaurav Agrawal told a bench of Justices K V Viswanathan and N Kotiswar Singh that Jare had an unblemished service record of 35 years, that he would retire 18 months later and that it would be unfortunate to undergo the rigours of contempt of court proceedings when he had done everything possible under his control to finish the project as expeditiously as possible. The bench said, "When the High Courts issue contempt notices, as a matter of principle, the Supreme Court should not interfere with it except in exceptional circumstances." However, it noted that the toilet block has since been inaugurated and told Jare to appear before HC and explain the circumstances which led to the delay. Agrawal said that strong remarks have been made by the HC in its order and that the alleged contemnor is apprehensive about his fate. The bench requested HC to decide the issue involved in the contempt proceedings without being influenced by its observations in the earlier orders. "HC is seeking an explanation only. So go before the HC and explain everything," the bench told Jare.
Time of India
14 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
New business district to be developed along northern arm of coastal road in Mumbai
Mumbai: A business district similar to the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) will be developed along the northern arm — Versova-Dahisar-Bhayandar-Virar — of the coastal road, said chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday. At a review meeting of the progress made on the project, Fadnavis directed govt lands adjoining the coastal road to be used to develop new economic hubs similar to BKC, creating fresh growth centres for Mumbai. He also directed the installation of hoardings and flex to use the revenue to fund the maintenance of the road. He instructed the appointment of a consultant so that the hoardings are aesthetically designed. Work on the northern arm of the coastal road from Versova to Dahisar up to Bhayandar is being executed by the BMC at an estimated cost of Rs 22,000 crore. BMC's Abhijit Bangar, additional municipal commissioner in charge of projects, said work orders have already been issued and the process of obtaining various environmental clearances is underway. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai "The project has been divided into seven packages and work will start after Aug 15 when the intensity of rain reduces. The Dahisar-Bhayandar section will be commissioned in Aug 2028, while the Versova-Dahisar stretch will be commissioned in Dec 2028," said Bangar, adding good connectivity would help the growth of the economic centre. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Onko sinulla usein vaikeuksia muistaa nimiä, tehtäviä ja kellonaikoja? Apu voi löytyä täältä. Lectinect Aivot Saa tarjous Undo In all, 165 hectares would be required for the coastal road from Versova to Dahisar, and 71% of this land is govt-owned. Fadnavis directed that the depts concerned complete the land transfer process within 15 days. "In case the fisheries dept building at Versova is affected, follow-up action must be taken to acquire the necessary land. The Madh-Versova connecting road should also be developed in close coordination with MMRDA," he said, while cautioning that the project be executed protecting mangrove cover and increasing plantation beyond the impacted area. Advocate Y P Singh said construction of the coastal road from Versova to Marine Drive was accorded CRZ clearance under the CRZ Notification 2011, in which road construction was permitted. This notification has been replaced by CRZ Notification 2019, which permits roads to be constructed in highly restrictive CRZ-I areas only in exceptional cases for defence, strategic purposes, and public utilities, subject to a detailed marine or terrestrial or both environment impact assessment. "It is much more stringent. Further, environment clearance would be required under the Environment Impact Assessment of 2006, as also forest clearance. The project would be critically examined, including removal of mangroves as an exceptional case. It does not seem it will be an easy ride," he said, adding the 2019 notification does not allow permission to be granted for building construction on the landward side of any new roads which are constructed on the seaward side of an existing road. "It is highly doubtful commercial business districts can be made in such areas," he said.
Time of India
15 hours ago
- Climate
- Time of India
Water pumped out to resurrect city roads as drainage system drowns in its failures
Bhopal: The first bout of heavy rains this monsoon season on Thursday night in Bhopal was enough to expose the 'preparedness' of the BMC and the MPEB to deal with the problems that the season may throw up. Waterlogging on roads, traffic halts at several places due to waterlogging up to knee height, and power supply going off when people needed light the most, both in households and on roads and streets, created a typical scene of mayhem during the rainy season. Residents of the state capital are used to this despite the topography of the city helping in the drainage of stormwater naturally. Areas near the railway station, particularly the stretch from Alpana Talkies Square to Bharat Talkies, both sides of the newly constructed GG flyover, the proposed metro depot near Subhash Nagar, places where metro work is being carried out, and the six no. stop market in Shivaji Nagar were the areas worst affected by the waterlogging. At a few places, the BMC rescue teams pumped out the water to make the roads motorable or even walkable by the morning. Shopkeepers, owners, and workers at other establishments in the patch from Alpana Talkies tri-section to Bharat Talkies, which is part of Hamidia Road, the business hub in old Bhopal, had to pump out the water from their shops, hotel lobbies, and restaurants on their own. They complained that it was an 'annual ritual' for them. As and when there is heavy rain, water starts rising on the road and ultimately gushes into their establishments. Many of the shops, offices, hotels, and restaurants were closed on Friday due to stormwater running into them. "Every time it rains heavily, we fear this kind of chaos. Water enters our shops, hotels, restaurants, and offices, but nothing changes. It happened over the years, but nothing changes," said Jitendra Sahu and Mukesh Sahu, who own Balaji Bhojnalaya. The situation in Sharma Bhojnalaya in the vicinity was also similar, with supplies stocked in the hotel getting spoiled in rainwater. It was necessary for workers at the hotels and restaurants in the area to pump out the water. Rahul Madhvani, a worker at Jai Ma Bhavani Tours and Travels, said there was a loss of around Rs 1 lakh due to the water that entered the office on Thursday night. "Our computer and printer got conked off. The water in the shop rose to knee level, and we had to remove it ourselves. It's been the same story for 10 years," he added. Passengers going to the railway station, which is also in the vicinity, faced hardships in reaching there as the rains suddenly picked up at around 9.00 pm on Thursday, and there was a heavy downpour for an hour. Personnel at the BMC flood control room, however, said that there was no major incident of waterlogging except for the patch from Alpana Talkies tri-section to Bharat Talkies. They got an alert around 10.40 pm, and by the time they reached the site, there was 4 feet of water on the roads. The water was pumped out, and efforts to locate a person who was swept away in stormwater into a nearby nullah were made, but it later turned out that he was saved by passersby. There were also complaints of waterlogging at the 6 no. stop market, but the situation there was not so grim. "By the time we closed the shop, there was no waterlogging, though it had started raining, and when we opened the shop in the morning, the roads were wet, but there was no waterlogging as such," said a shopkeeper at 6 no. stop. Referring to waterlogging on both sides of the recently inaugurated GG flyover, Rahul Vishwakarma, a commuter who passed through the flyover in the morning, said, "It's strange that there is no system for drainage of stormwater on either side of the flyover. Till the morning, there appeared to be an 'artificial lake' created on both sides of the flyover due to stormwater storage," he said. The weatherman said there was 26.6 mm of rain in city in the 24 hours (from 8.00 am on Thursday to 8.00 am on Friday).
Time of India
16 hours ago
- Health
- Time of India
BMC uses Rath Yatra to spread dengue awareness
1 2 Bhubaneswar: With dengue spreading in the capital, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Friday used Rath Yatra to spread awareness among people about it. An awareness vehicle with an LED screen to play videos moved across selected places, which recorded impressive footfall. The vehicles had posters with important messages to help people understand the disease well and take preventive steps. This year, the civic body has asked residents to wear clothes that can cover the body fully, avoiding half pants or half-sleeve shirts, shorts, etc. The Aedes mosquito bites during the day. The vehicles covered at least eight places like like Iskcon, Jagamara, Patia, Sailashree Vihar, Maitri Vihar, and the video and audio played amid people watching the festival rituals. "The messages written on the posters are simple to understand. We have designed the vehicle in such a way that people can read the messages from any location," said a BMC officer. BMC has been engaging 100 volunteers since May 15 for dengue surveillance. They will work for three months. These volunteers focus on generating awareness and carrying out mosquito breeding source reduction exercises as part of a plan to tackle the dengue menace ahead of the monsoon. Some of these volunteers were also seen at the Rath Yatra festival to remove puja waste that can accumulate stagnant water. The Urban Malaria Surveillance Unit (UMSU) now oversees this initiative and compiles regular reports, according to a BMC officer. The BMC has also launched a comprehensive media campaign utilising various platforms, including radio jingles, FM talks, and social media outreach. Also, waste collection vehicles will be used to spread awareness messages throughout the city, officials said.
