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11 die in BMC-owned building collapse
SP flays Mayawati’s demand for imposing President’s rule in UP
Moily hints at petrol price cut by Sept-end
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Jammu attack: Lt Col Bikramjeet cremated with full military honours
No evidence of terrorists crossing border, says BSF
Mumbai feels sting of dengue cases
Jagan steps up campaign against AP’s bifurcation
SC upholds quashing of top JAG promotions
Railgate: HC grants bail to Singla, 3 others
Fake encounter: CBI questions BJP leaders
Molestation bid: Odisha headmaster held
Ex-CJ’s son wanted to grab whole of property, says HC
PM should resign: BJP
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11 die in BMC-owned building collapse
Mumbai, September 27 The building owned by the BMC served as residential quarters to several civic employees. The 30-year-old structure was declared unsafe several years ago but the BMC continued to house its employees in the building for want of alternative accommodation, civic officials said. “The building collapsed at 5.45 am when most of its residents were fast asleep,” mayor Suresh Prabhu who was supervising rescue operations, told reporters. After questioning survivors, the police said there were 22 families living in the building which had 28 rooms on four floors. The ground floor housed a godown where some labourers are believed to have been sleeping, police and fire officials said. Suresh Jadhav, a former municipal councillor who represented the area, told reporters that civic officials disregarded advise by structural engineers to move residents out to transit camps and pull down the building. “People’s lives would have been saved if the building had been demolished earlier,” Jadhav said. Apart from police and fire officials, the disaster and rescue team of the state government was deployed to carry out relief and rescue work. Late in the afternoon, loud cheers went out among rescuers as they pulled out a 11-month-old baby alive from the debris. The infant has been rushed to hospital. Despite the building being owned by the civic body, officials were at a loss to explain when the structure was last repaired. Municipal Commissioner Sitaram Kunte said he did not have information on the structure and sought time from reporters. Survivors told reporters that the civic administration had left after issuing warnings to residents. Even Kunte admitted that the civic body was powerless if people refused to move. “It is not in our hands if people do not vacate dangerous structures,” Kunte said. Officials say this is the third building collapse in the city during the last six months.
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SP flays Mayawati’s demand for imposing President’s rule in UP
Lucknow, September 27 “Ever since the people of the state have shown her the door, she recurrently parrots the demand for the imposition of president’s rule as she has no respect for peoples’ verdict”, alleged Chadhury. Former CM and BSP national president today met President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashpati Bhawan where she demanded president’s rule in Uttar Pradesh due to a breakdown of rule of law in the state. According to Chadhury, during the BSP rule mafia were encouraged and on several occasions the then CM Mayawati had acknowledged that she had more than 500 people with criminal background in her party. “Even today so many of her former ministers are facing CBI inquiries and vigilance probes and some are in jail for rape. Senior officers died mysteriously under her regime. Still she is accusing the SP rule of mis-governance”, Chadhury observed. The SP spokesperson also charged the Maywati government of always being hand in glove with the BJP with whom she had ‘brother-sister relations” and together ruled over the state thrice. It is the same BJP which has an agenda of vitiating peace and harmony in the state. “Who will forget that she had campaigned for Modi in Gujarat just after the 2002 riots? She is waiting to form a government with the help of the BJP”, Chadhury said.
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Moily hints at petrol price cut by Sept-end
"This is all dynamic pricing system and not static pricing... any advantage of price (reduction in international rates) and rupee (appreciation against US dollar) will be passed on to consumers... consumer will get full advantage," he said. Asked if a cut in petrol price was possible on September 30, he said, “hope so”. “Petrol price is a deregulated commodity, price of which is decided by our oil marketing companies based on input cost and other parameters," he said. If state-owned oil firms cut rates at the month-end, it will be the first reduction in prices since May. Petrol price was last cut on May 1 by Rs 3 per litre. Since then, petrol prices have been raised or gone up by seven times, totalling Rs 10.80 per litre, excluding VAT, as the rupee depreciated sharply against the dollar.
— PTI
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Jammu attack: Lt Col Bikramjeet cremated with full military honours
Chandigarh, September 27 The body of Lt Col Singh, second-in-command, 16 Cavalry, was brought back to Chandimandir last evening. He was the only son of his parents Maj Paramjeet Singh (retd) and Luvpreet Kaur. Besides his aged parents, he leaves behind his wife, Navneet Kaur, who is a teacher, and eight-year old daughter Ramneet. Wreaths were laid on the Tricolour-draped body on behalf of Punjab Governor Shivraj Patil, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Chief of Army Staff Gen Bikram Singh, General Officer Commanding 2 Corps Lt Gen RP Shahi, Commander, Punjab Haryana and Himachal (I) Sub Area, Station Commander, Chandimandir, and other civilian dignitaries. A ceremonial guard from a locally-based battalion of the Sikh Regiment reversed arms while buglers sounded the Last Post. A three-volley shot was also fired as a mark of respect. A large number of relatives, friends and senior service officers, police officers from Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana, functionaries of the local administration and political leaders attended the funeral. Among those present were General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, Lt Gen Philip Campose, Chief of Staff Western Command Lt Gen TS Gill, MP Pawan Kumar Bansal and former MP Satpal
Jain.
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No evidence of terrorists crossing border, says BSF
New Delhi, September 27 The Hiranagar police station was the first target of the militants, who later attacked an Army camp in Samba yesterday. The police station is 5 km from the border. The BSF has launched a survey of the IB in Hiranagar. The survey will look for any tell-tale signs left by the terrorists. "We are trying to search for their footprints," said sources. "We have examined the border fencing and there is no damage to it. The fencing is lighted and the intruder alarm systems are working perfectly," an officer said. BSF officers, however, admitted there was no fencing on the Chhap Nullah and other such streams in the area.
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Mumbai feels sting of dengue cases
Mumbai, September 27 After officials of the BMC raided several residential and commercial premises in the city, some housing societies have voluntarily decided to remove flower pots kept by residents. At a number of housing societies, office-bearers have been conducting door-to-door inspection to ensure that residents do not keep flower pots in which water is allowed to accumulate. "We have asked our members not to keep indoor plants as a precautionary measure," says Abhijeet Saha, secretary of a housing society at Dahisar in suburban Mumbai after several residents in the area tested positive for dengue. Earlier this week, civic officials said every residential complex would be fumigated but they were powerless to carry out clean up operations indoors. In an advisory, the health department of the BMC said flower pots, decorative items like feng shui plants, vases with fresh flowers and ornamental greens apart from buckets and containers left on window sills allow dengue-causing mosquitoes to breed. "Residents, especially those living in affluent areas do not allow our workers to carry out fumigation measures," says Executive Health Officer Arun Bamne. According to information available from health officials, 524 cases of dengue have been reported in Mumbai in 2013. September alone saw 80 cases being reported in Mumbai. Six people have died so far in the city. A number of high profile people have fallen prey to dengue. Last year noted filmmaker Yash Chopra died of dengue. Today, actor Ranveer Singh was admitted to a Mumbai suburban hospital in a critical condition after contracting dengue. Reports say he may have contracted the disease sometime ago but chose to continue working despite being ill.
Desperate measures
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Jagan steps up campaign against AP’s bifurcation
Hyderabad, September 27 A delegation of the party legislators met Speaker Nadendla Manohar and requested him to convene the special session for the purpose. “We have urged the Speaker to convene the Assembly immediately so that a resolution can be passed before the Union Cabinet note for bifurcation is cleared by the Centre,” YSRCP Deputy Floor leader B Sobha Nagi Reddy told reporters here. The move is part of a strategy to corner the ruling Congress and the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on the contentious issue of the division of the state.
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SC upholds quashing of top JAG promotions
Chandigarh, September 27 The AFT’s bench comprising Justice VK Ahuja and Lt Gen HS Panag had, on August 30, set aside the promotion of Brig T. Prashad to the rank of Major General, which is the highest rank in the JAG department. Alleging manipulation in the selection board proceedings, Brig Dinkar Adeeb and Brig PK Sharma, Deputy JAG of Eastern and Northern Commands, respectively, had alleged glaring irregularities in the board proceedings. They had averred that their junior, Brig Parshad, was granted out-of-turn relief by expunging some of his ACRs hastily on the eve of the selection board. His name was then considered with a changed improved profile resulting in his empanelment and supersession of seniors. During the hearing today, the apex court today took strong exception to the contents of the Central government’s order granting relief to Brigadier Prashad, wherein it was stated that the officer had to defend the cases pertaining to the Army in as many as seven states and the AFT, which he did “very actively by personally interacting with the Chief Justices of High Courts and AFT members, which helped in furthering the organisational interests.” Interestingly, this order had not formed part of the court record during the proceedings at the AFT here, but was appended with the SLP filed by the Central government challenging the AFT’s order in the Supreme Court. While the Army policy mandates that all inputs and career profiles of officers are frozen five days prior to the selection board’s meeting, Brig Prashad’s profile was changed a day before the meeting. The Army policy also stipulates that out-of-turn relief cannot be granted and all complaints have to be redressed on a first come first served basis. The Army had claimed that it was not practically possible to follow the five-day freeze policy, an argument that was junked by the AFT.
AFT decision The AFT's bench comprising Justice VK Ahuja and Lt Gen HS Panag had, on August 30, set aside the promotion of Brig T. Prashad to the rank of Major General, which is the highest rank in the JAG department
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Railgate: HC grants bail to Singla, 3 others
New Delhi, September 27 Besides Singla, Justice Hima Kohli allowed bail pleas of now suspended railway board member Mahesh Kumar, businessman Narayan Rao Manjunath and alleged middleman Sandeep Goyal and asked each of them to furnish a personal bond of Rs 5 lakh and two sureties of like amount. "The applicants are enlarged on bail," Justice Kohli said directing them to furnish the personal bond and sureties to the satisfaction of the special judge hearing the case. After the court pronounced the order, the counsel for accused persons told the court that the presiding judge is not holding the court for today and next two days and high court should direct any other judge to accept the personal bonds and the sureties to be furnished by them. Justice Kohli allowed their submissions saying, "The district Judge or concerned additional sessions judge can accept the personal bond and the sureties of the accused persons."
The CBI had opposed their bail pleas and that of Singla, saying he is the "main person" whose influence was to be used for the appointment of Kumar and can influence the witness while the trial court is yet to frame charges. The probe agency had said Singla was caught along with other accused who were the 'main conspirators' and the offence committed by them was of a "grave nature".
All the four accused persons have been charge sheeted by CBI for the offence of criminal conspiracy under the IPC and relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. — PTI
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Fake encounter: CBI questions BJP leaders
New Delhi, September 27 CBI sources said both the leaders were called at different times. Bhupendra Yadav was questioned in the morning while Javadekar arrived at 1.45 pm for questioning and left at 3.55 pm in connection with alleged fake encounter case of Tulsiram Prajapati who allegedly a witness in Sohrabuddin Sheikh murder case.
Prajapati was killed in an alleged encounter on December 2006, a year after Sheikh was shot dead in an alleged fake encounter in Gujarat.
— TNS
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Molestation bid: Odisha headmaster held
Berhampur, September 27 "We have arrested the headmaster and booked him under section 354 of the IPC. At least 12 villagers have lodged FIR against him," sub-divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Aska Sarah Sharma said. The headmaster was put under suspension after a number of parents complained against him, district education officer (DEO) Santosh Kumar Patra
said. A number of villagers yesterday staged a demonstration demanding action against the headmaster.
— PTI
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Ex-CJ’s son wanted to grab whole of property, says HC
Chandigarh, September 27 Coming to the “traumatised” elderly couple’s rescue, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court yesterday literary threw their son Suvir Dewan out of their Sector 11 house; and minced no words to say that his intention was to grab whole of the property for himself. Suvir has also been asked to vacate the house and pay within 15 days costs of Rs 50,000 in favour of the elderly couple. “Other than the oblique motive to grab the property at Chandigarh and keep possession of the same against the wishes of the owner, there can be no other reason,” the Bench asserted. “In fact, it was quite clear during the course of arguments that not only the respondent (Suvir Dewan) wants to deprive the appellant (Justice Dewan) to deal with his property as per his wishes, but wanted to grab the whole property for himself denying the share of his sisters”. The Bench added: “What can be a greater travesty of justice in this situation where Suvir insists that he will not stay in his own house built by him lying vacant, but insists on staying with his parents who do not want him or his family to live with them”. The Dispute Aged about 85, former Chief Justice Dewan and his 74-year-old wife had moved the High Court about four months back asserting that “they deserve to live a life of dignity and honour”. Their counsel Puneet Bali had claimed the cause of dispute was one-kanal house in Sector 11-B. Justice Dewan had purchased the house in his own name 1962. Just about two decades later, he withdrew Rs 20,000 from his general provident fund to make additions and alterations in the house. The Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Augustine George Masih observed: “In true Indian tradition where the worry of the parents often is to ensure financial stability for their progenies, Justice Dewan bought a plot in Panchkula Sector 6 for the benefit of his son”. Suvir sold the plot and from the proceeds purchased another plot in Panchkula Sector 2, utilising the balance amount for construction on the plot. However, he continued to live with the parents in their Sector 11 house. As of now, Justice Dewan and his wife are staying in a part of the ground floor, while the first floor has been occupied by Suvir and his family. A part of the ground floor is used by advocate Suvir to run his office. The Grievance Asking the High Court to give them back what was theirs, Justice Dewan and Romilla made it clear that they wanted to reside in their own house and would like Suvir to stay in his own house at Panchkula. Alleging humiliation and use of unparliamentary language, the elderly couple told the High Court that their younger daughter’s visit aggravated matters so much that Justice Dewan suffered a mild stroke in December 2011. During the course of hearing, the Bench requested Supreme Court’s former Judge Justice Kuldip Singh, senior advocate ML Sarin and advocate Ravinder Krishan to find a solution. The crux of the dispute was found to be the house in Chandigarh. Former Chief Justice Dewan claimed it was self acquired property. He also told Justice Kuldip Singh that he had been so upset that he executed a Will disinheriting Suvir from all his moveable or immovable assets. Suvir, on the other hand, argued that it was Hindu Undivided Family property as shown in the income tax returns. As such, he argued his sisters had no right in the property. The Ruling The Bench held: “Merely stating that it is a joint Hindu family property would not suffice. In order to establish that the property belongs to joint family, it must be established that a joint family had a sufficient nucleus at the time of its acquisition…. “Leave aside the corpus, it is not even alleged that the funds other than the individual funds of Chief Justice Dewan were utilised to purchase the plot at Chandigarh”.
the dispute
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PM should resign: BJP New Delhi, September 27 “This is an insult of the Prime Minister’s position. If the Prime Minister has any self respect left he would call it a day because the super cop who can correct the system has arrived,” BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi asserted, giving her party credit for pursuing against the Ordinance and cornering the Congress into the “face-saving” situation. Her senior colleague Arun Jaitley demanded that those responsible in the government (meaning not just Law Minister Kapil Sibal but the entire Cabinet) for the Ordinance should resign. “All I can say, this is highly belated realisation of what constitutes nonsense and if the Congress party genuinely believes that this is nonsense, then the heads which have produced this nonsense twice in a month before this country... this is the question of governance... then will those heads remain or will those heads roll,” he was quoted as saying. Taking a dig at the “dynastic rule”, Jaitley also maintained that if heads do not roll now then this was just a “charade intended to only establish that the government makes mistakes, the rest of the world makes mistakes, but the first family of the Congress doesn’t make mistakes”. Causing a major embarrassment to the UPA government, Rahul today denounced the Ordinance as “complete nonsense”. “It is complete nonsense it should be torn up and thrown away. It is my personal opinion,” he said. BJP leaders also sensed a larger political design behind the “drama” at the Press Club of India. Meenakshi said the “grand standing” was done to save the Congress party a certain embarrassment as the President had refused to sign the controversial measure. Some BJP leaders claimed that the President made his position on the Ordinance clear when senior ministers Kapil Sibal and Sushilkumar Shinde called on him last night and also to Rahul this morning. Taking credit for the turn of events, BJP leaders said after the visit by its leaders and furore in the country, the President had made it clear to the government that he would not give his assent to the controversial Ordinance. “The BJP’s intervention brought some sanity to the political discourse,” said Meenakshi, stressing that the party was not just against the methodology but also the content of the Ordinance. All set to take political mileage out of the government’s discomfort, the BJP is selling its opposition to the Ordinance a proof of its crusade against corruption. Sources say the exercise by the Congress scion was also intended to blunt the spin that BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi might have given to the issue when he addressed a rally in the Capital on Sunday.
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lost their lives while around 26 others have been trapped in debris after a five-storeyed Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) residential building collapsed at Dockyard Road near the Mumbai Harbour early this morning, the police said.
New Delhi, September 27
The Mumbai civic body removing flower pots and other receptacles which allow water to accumulate