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New Zealand: Riots break out as police clamps down on demonstrators protesting against Covid restrictions

Jinit Jain
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New Zealand: Riots break out as police clamps down on demonstrators protesting against Covid restrictions

Chaos and violence swept Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, after police clashed with anti-vaccine mandate protesters outside the country’s parliament on Wednesday, using pepper spray and making several arrests as they moved to end the long-running protests against the coronavirus-induced restrictions.

Drawing inspiration from farmers’ protests in India, a large number of anti-restrictions protesters in New Zealand had camped outside the parliament building in Wellington, in opposition to what they called crippling coronavirus curbs enforced by the NZ government. However, unlike the Indian government that humoured the demands of the farmers and rescinded the three farm laws, the New Zealand government reportedly did not engage in discussions with the protesters and ordered police action against them, much in line with what the Trudeau government did against Truckers’ protests in Toronto, where emergency powers have been invoked to subdue demonstrations against compulsory vaccine mandates.

The New Zealand police on March 2 launched their biggest ever effort to drive out protesters, who have been camping close to the country’s parliament against the crippling coronavirus restrictions and anti-vaccine mandates imposed by the Jacinda Ardern government. The police, equipped with riot gear, moved in to flush out the protesters that have been peacefully protesting for over three weeks outside the New Zealand parliament, in a bid to convey their concerns to the legislators.

However, on Wednesday, the Jacinda Ardern government decided to quell the protests through heavy-handed means, ordering riot police to evict the protesters who have been staging demonstrations on the major thoroughfares of capital Wellington against what they argued as infringement of their individual rights. As police proceeded to clear the protest sites, clashes erupted between the demonstrators and the law enforcement officials.

The videos and images of the violent clashes between police and anti-vaccine mandate protesters soon made their way on social media websites as locals captured the brutality meted out on demonstrators by the riot police. Several tents erected just metres away from the parliament building, caught fire in the melee sending up smoke plumes before being doused by the police.

According to a report published by Reuters, over 60 people were arrested by the police in their initial efforts to end the protests. While many protesters packed up their tents and left after the New Zealand government deployed riot police to tackle them, there were many who refused to budge, resisting the police force for the protests they had participated in against stifling restrictions imposed by the government.

New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern defends heavy-handed measures adopted by police to evict protesters

Even as clashes erupted between demonstrators and New Zealand police, many social media users lambasted PM Jacinda Ardern for employing tyrannical measures against peaceful protesters. They alleged that Ardern did not care to talk to the protesters even once and went in with brute force to stamp out the demonstrations, which were also attended by women and children.

However, Ardern defended her government’s actions, deligitimising the protests by calling it an attack on the values cherished by the country. “It was an attack on our frontline police, it was an attack on our parliament, it was an attack on our values, and it was wrong,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told a news conference while adding that protesters were given ample opportunity to leave.

The protest had reportedly started as a stand against COVID-19 vaccine mandates but soon many groups joined in calling for an end to all pandemic restrictions. New Zealand, which was prematurely hailed by many as a model country to fight COVID-19 outbreak, recently found itself overwhelmed with soaring coronavirus cases, powered by the new highly infectious Omicron variant. As a consequence, the country imposed stringent anti-virus curbs, engendering resentment among a large section of the population, who took to streets to protest against them.

Russia-Ukraine war: Public hearings of ICJ to be held on 7th and 8th March 2022

OpIndia Staff
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Russia-Ukraine war: Public hearings of ICJ to be held on 7th and 8th March 2022

In another development regarding the ongoing Ukraine Russia crisis, the International Court of Justice has declared on 1st March 2022 that it will hold public hearings in this matter on 7th and 8th March 2022 in a hybrid format.

In its press release, the ICJ has said “The International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, will hold public hearings in the case concerning Allegations of Genocide under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Ukraine v. Russian Federation) on Monday 7 and Tuesday 8 March 2022, at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the seat of the Court.”

It has further said in this press release, “The hearings will be devoted to the request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by Ukraine. In view of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the hearings will be held in a hybrid format. Some members of the Court will attend the oral proceedings in person in the Great Hall of Justice while others will participate remotely by video link. Representatives of the Parties to the case will participate either in person or by video link.”

According to a report by ANI, earlier, while addressing an urgent communication to the external affairs minister of Russia, the ICJ president Judge JE Donoghue had said, “I call the attention of the Russian Federation to the need to act in such a way as will enable any order the Court may make on the request for provisional measures to have its appropriate effects.”

Ukraine Russia crisis

It is notable that the Russian forces have launched military operations in Ukraine on 24th February 2022. Russia took this step three days after recognizing Ukraine’s breakaway regions Donetsk and Luhansk as independent entities. On 28th February 2022, the negotiations between the two countries were held in the Gomel city of Belarus though Ukraine had earlier denied having any talks in Belarus citing its involvement in the Russian invasion. The next round of talks is scheduled for 2nd March 2022.

What would India do if China builds military establishment in Bdesh? Who is Abhay Kumar Singh, Putin’s MLA from Bihar, and what he said

OpIndia Staff
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What would India do if China builds military establishment in Bdesh? Who is Abhay Kumar Singh, Putin’s MLA from Bihar, and what he said

Abhay Kumar Singh, a native Indian serving as deputat (the equivalent of an MLA in India) in Putin’s government, has justified Russia’s military action against Ukraine. He said President Putin gave multiple chances to Ukraine to discuss the issues, but things did not work out. Comparing the situation between Russia and Ukraine with India and China, Singh said, “How would India react if China builds a military establishment in Bangladesh?”

‘NATO was created against Russia’

Singh added North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed against Russia. “It [NATO] was not dissolved even after the dissolution of Soviet Union, and it kept advancing closer to Russia. Ukraine is next to the Russian border, and they are calling NATO forces that are against the agreement between NATO and Russia. The President had to take steps to ensure our safety,” he said.

‘Ukraine soldiers are using civilians as shield’

Speaking about Putin’s address where he hinted using nuclear weapons, Singh said, “No one needs to be afraid of nuclear weapons. Our President has announced it, but we take action only if we are attacked by other nations.” Speaking to Aaj Tak, he said it is not a two-way war. “The Russian army’s movement in Ukraine is slow as we are ensuring the safety of the civilians.”

Singh alleged the Ukrainian armed forces have been using civilians as shield in the war zone. He said, “They [Ukrainian soldiers] are using the civilians in the shelter as a shield. This is why the Russian Army’s movement is slow.”

‘It is like a surgical strike’

Singh compared the current situation to a surgical strike. When asked how he could call it a surgical strike when the shelling has happened on civilian establishments like malls, Singh said, “We are only attacking the military establishments. If someone shoots at us using a civilian establishment, we have to answer it.”

‘Ukraine’s President has run away’

Singh blamed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the current situation and said, “Ukraine’s President is responsible for the situation. He came under the influence of the other countries and now have run away from the responsibilities.” He further said during discussions Russia has made its stand clear that the President of Ukraine had to step down as he was under the influence of other countries and speaking their language.

‘Ukraine wants to destabilize next government’

The Russian Deputat blamed Ukraine for conspiring to destabilize the future government. He said, “They must be questioned why they are distributing weapons to civilians? They are releasing criminals and handing over weapons to them as well. What are their intentions? It is clear they are preparing to destabilize the next government.”

Abhay Kumar Singh, an Indian serving as a lawmaker in Russia

Abhay Kumar Singh is a native of Patna, Bihar, currently serving as a deputat (equivalent to an MLA) in Kursk, Russia. Singh had joined United Russian Party, President Putin’s political party, in April 2017. However, his political inclination was visible on his Facebook profile from 2015. Singh had completed his education at Loyola High School in Patna. Singh had lost his father at the age of 13. He wanted to become a doctor, and destiny took him to Kursk to pursue a degree in medicine from Kursk State Medical University in 1991.

After acquiring his degree from Russia, he came back to India to practice as a doctor, but things did not work the way he intended. Soon after returning back to India, he decided to return to Kursk and started a pharmaceutical business. His association with political figures came to light in 2012 when then-Indian Ambassador to Russia, Ajai Malhotra, inaugurated Uralskiy Trade Centre, a mall owned by Singh in the heart of Kursk City.

While he continued to build relations with local Russians in Kursk, his Indian connection remained close to his heart. In 2015, on the first International Yoga Day, Singh organized a Yoga event in Kursk. After getting elected as Deputat in 2018, he had said, “India is my origin place, but Russia is my adopted place.” Singh further added as his family and friends are in India, he often tried to visit India.

Speaking to Sunday Guardian after being elected as Deputat, he had said, “My father passed away when I was just 13 years old. At that time only, I had decided to become a doctor. Hence, I came here. After graduating from the Kursk State Medical University, I went back to Patna to practice as a registered doctor there. But I came back here after some time and entered the pharmaceutical business. However, gradually, I entered politics.”

Initially, he felt awkward being the only Indian among the Russian lawmakers, but soon the awkwardness faded away as the fellow lawmakers always respected him for his position in the assembly. While talking about Indian politics, he said he liked Prime Minister Modi and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. He had said, “I am still interested in the political happenings in India, and I like Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar. I want relations between India and Russia to always stay warm as they have been. Everyone here still remembers the popular slogan ‘Hindi Russi Bhai Bhai’. That is the spirit that should govern our relations.”

Speaking about racism in Russia, Singh had told DNA in an interview that though Russia was a tough country for him and there was a language barrier, he was accepted by the locals quickly. He said, “There is a language problem, and Russia is a tough country. In other countries, people accept foreigners easily, but I am also an example of how Russia has accepted outsiders. Racism is a thing of the 1990s, it does not exist anymore.”

SC sentences criminal to life imprisonment in a 2004 murder case, realizes he has already been released after serving 15 years in prison

OpIndia Staff
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SC sentences criminal to life imprisonment in a 2004 murder case, realizes he has already been released after serving 15 years in prison

Last week, the Supreme Court convicted an accused in a murder case pending from the year 2004 only to realize that the lifer had already been released from jail in 2019. A bench of Justices Dinesh Maheshwari and Vikram Nath sentenced life imprisonment to Suresh Yadav who had killed his lover in 2004. The Court was informed that Yadav had already served 15 years 9 months and 27 days in prison and was released by the Chhattisgarh government.

The case dates back to the year 2004 when Yadav had murdered his lover on learning about her involvement with some other person. He had stabbed her 12 times with a sharp blade and laid open her lungs and liver. According to the reports, Yadav was convicted by the trial court in 2006 under section 302 of IPC. The court had also sentenced him to life imprisonment under sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act. Later the HC happened to uphold his conviction and the punishment after it re-examined the evidence on Yadav’s appeal in 2010.

He then moved to the Supreme Court in 2012 who admitted to having listed the appeal in August 2013. After that, the case was listed for hearing thrice but was adjourned every time due to reasonable circumstances. According to the reports, the Supreme Court forgot about the case for the next eight years.

As the apex court, last week decided to uphold the conviction and the punishment aligned by the trial court and the High Court, it was informed that Yadav had already served almost 16 years in prison and was released by the Chhattisgarh government who exercised the power of remission under section 432 of CPC.

According to the Code of Criminal Procedure, when any person is sentenced to punishment for an offence, the appropriate Government may, at any time, without conditions or upon any conditions, suspend the execution of his sentence or remit the whole or any part of the punishment to which he has been sentenced. However, the Supreme Court in its verdict affirmed that ‘dismissal of appeal shall not be of any adverse effect on such exercise of the power of remission by the Chhattisgarh government.

It is pertinent to note that there are about 73,000 cases pending before the Supreme Court and about 44 million in all the courts of India as of last year. A report by NITI Aayog in 2018, stated that cases that had been in the courts for more than 30 years were numbered at 65,695 in December 2018. By January this year, the number has risen to 1,05,560, accounting for 60% raise.

The Supreme Court has 193 working days in a year and has five vacations in its annual calendar. A summer break of 45 days, winter break of 15 days, Holi vacation of one week, five days break each for Dussehra and Diwali which accounts for a total of 193 working days. According to the reports, considering the rate of disposal of cases in Indian Courts, it would take more than 324 years to clear the entire backlog.

Kerala High Court upholds centre’s ban on MediaOne TV over its links with radical Islamist outfit Jamaat-e-Islami

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala High Court upholds centre’s ban on MediaOne TV over its links with radical Islamist outfit Jamaat-e-Islami

On Wednesday, the Kerala High Court upheld the ban imposed on the Malayalam TV channel MediaOne TV.

According to the reports, the division bench of Kerala High Court comprising Chief Justice S Manikumar and Justice Shaji P Chali upheld the single-judge order on the ban on Malayalam news channel MediaOne TV. The Kerala High Court refused to lift the ban on the channel imposed by the Union government, citing “security reasons”.

Madhyamam Broadcasting Limited, owned by the radical Islamist organisation Jamaat-e-Islami, which runs MediaOne TV, had approached the High Court after a single bench refused to lift the ban on the channel.

On February 8, a single-judge bench of Justice N Nagaresh had upheld the ban imposed by the Union Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry. The central government had refused to renew the transmission licence of the channel after the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) refused to give security clearance to the controversial channel, citing “security reasons”.

The single-judge bench had dismissed the petition after observing that material and intelligence reports supported the ban on the channel. The court observed that there were sufficient grounds for denying permission to renew the channel’s licence.

Passing the orders, Justice AN Nagaresh said he had gone through the files. “I find that the ministry has called for reports from various intelligence agencies. Based on those inputs, it was found that security clearance should not be renewed. There are inputs that justify the decision. Therefore, I am dismissing the petition,” said the judge.

MediaOne TV’s 10-year permission was to expire on September 29, 2021, and the company had applied for its renewal for another ten years in May last year. On December 29, 2021, the MHA denied security clearance citing “security reasons”. On January 31, the ministry had issued the order barring the channel’s transmission. Hours later, the channel had moved the High Court.

In 2020, the controversial channel with links to radical Islamic organisations faced a 48-hour ban in connection with its reporting of the Anti-Hindu Delhi riots that year.

J&K Students Association sues Turkey-based TRT World for publishing fake images of three Kashmiri students in Agra sedition case

OpIndia Staff
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J&K Students Association sues Turkey-based TRT World for publishing fake images of three Kashmiri students in Agra sedition case

On Monday, the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association sent a legal notice to Turkey’s state-run media outlet TRT World for publishing fake images of students in the Agra Sedition Case and claimed compensation amounting to Rs 1 crore. The legal notice read that the Turkey-based outlet TRT World had broadcast fake images of three Kashmiri students falsely claiming that were arrested in Agra for cheering in support of the Pakistan cricket team in a recent T-20 World Cup Match.

According to the reports, the legal notice by the association was sent through their lawyer Aamir Masoodi who said that the students have been exposed to high risk and loss of career, education and reputation. The Association said that the TRT World had not verified the facts regarding the case and had broadcasted fake images of three Kashmiri students who are at present studying in Karnataka.

National Spokesperson of the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association Nasir Khuehami in the statement claimed that the three students have no direct or indirect connection to the case. He added that TRT World through its ulterior motives had affected the lives of three innocent Kashmiri students and their families.

Seeking an unconditional apology to the students, Khuehami stated that the photographs published by TRT World were circulated continuously for over 24 hours and the consequences faced by the families and innocent students are huge. “TRT must tender an unconditional apology, failing which we shall proceed with defamation proceedings as advised by our legal team”, he said.

The notice read, “TRT World displayed the photographs of other three Kashmiri students namely Talib Majeed, Basit Ahmad Sofi, claiming that they were languishing in jail and are facing sedition charges for praising Pakistan. The claim is totally baseless, highly libellous, and concocted”.

The legal notice further stated that the three students were all studying in Karnataka’s Hubbali under Prime Minister’s Special Scholarship Scheme (PMSSS). According to the reports, they were maliciously arrested in the year 2020 for raising objectionable slogans. “They were released, shifted to the mainstream and are living their normal life peacefully,” it added.

In October last year, the three students named Arsheed Yusuf, Inayat Altaf Sheikh and Showkat Ahmed Ganai were arrested for allegedly sharing anti-India messages on WhatsApp after Pakistan’s victory against India in the T-20 World Cup Cricket Match. All in their twenties, the three students were enrolled at Raja Balwant Singh Engineering College in Agra in Uttar Pradesh state under a special scholarship programme meant for students from the conflict torn region.

They are currently lodged at the Agra district jail. They have been charged with cyber terrorism, sedition, promoting enmity between different groups, and making statements likely to cause alarm to the public.

Congress funded by Russians? Plurals Party of Bihar resurrects a 1970s issue: Read how

OpIndia Staff
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Congress funded by Russians? Plurals Party of Bihar resurrects a 1970s issue: Read how

In a stunning accusation, the Bihar-based Plurals Party has questioned the silence of the Congress party over the ongoing Ukraine crisis, asking them whether the alleged Russian funding has forced them to be a mute spectator amidst the ongoing global turmoil.

Taking to Twitter, the Plurals Party said that the government’s dilemma over the Ukraine invasion is still understandable. However, the silence of the opposition, including the Congress, who pretend to be liberals, is absurd. “Is it intellectual and moral impoverishment or the effect of Russian funding for elections?” The Plurals Party questioned the opposition party, especially the Congress.

Tweet by The Plurals Party

It is pertinent to note that Plurals Party, co-founded by the London-return Pushpam Priya Choudhary, had suffered humiliating results in the 2020 Bihar elections. Following the results, Pushpam Priya Choudhary had suffered a meltdown and had resorted to accusations of EVM tampering. 

The tweet put out by the Plurals Party comes amidst the ongoing clashes between NATO-backed Ukraine and the Russian troops. Last Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin had announced limited military operations against Ukraine. In a televised address, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the special operation to be conducted in East Ukraine to “demilitarise” and “denazify” Ukraine.

Since then, the battle between the Russian troops and the NATO-backed Ukrainian forces has turned dangerous, resulting in massive damage to properties and loss of lives.

Amidst these clashes, the Indian government has taken a prudent stand to stay neutral and has repeatedly called both parties to adhere to UN Charter and international law while asking them to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states.

In the meantime, the Modi-led government is also making all efforts to evacuate the Indian citizens stranded in Ukraine. More than 18,000 Indian students were believed to be staying in Ukraine when the clashes began. The government swiftly launched “Operation Ganga” to evacuate its citizens, mostly students, and has been running several flights to bring back to India safely.

Even as the government is making all its efforts to bring back stranded Indians safely, the political blame-game back at home has not stopped. The opposition parties, especially the Congress party, have again resorted to politicising issues concerning the country’s security by repeatedly questioning the government over its stand on the Ukraine-Russia crisis.

Ever since the war broke out, the Gandhi-scion Rahul Gandhi has openly criticised the government’s approach in handling the issue and has been continuously attacking the Modi government’s evacuation process.

Congress party and the allegation of its nexus with the Soviets

The allegations of the Congress party’s nexus with the Russians is not a new one. For decades now, there have been rumours and allegations that the Congress party is one of the beneficiaries of the Soviet Union, especially during the Indira Gandhi rule in the 1970s.

According to reports and testimonials by former Soviet spies, during the cold war period, both CIA and KGB, the spy agencies of the US and USSR, respectively, carried out proxy civil wars in various countries and fought hard to establish their influence.

Vasili Mitrokhin, a KGB spy who later defected to the United Kingdom, had revealed many secret documents in his “Mitrokhin Archive”, in which he revealed that Joseph Stalin had a rather poor opinion of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India. He had disclosed that Stalin regarded Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi as “imperialist puppets”. However, the Soviets had a favourable opinion of Indira Gandhi, nicknamed Vano.

The KGB had managed to infiltrate deeper into the Indian government, revealed Mitrokhin, adding that Indira Gandhi was given 20 million rupees in exchange for crucial information. Mitrokhin had also claimed that at least seven cabinet ministers from the Congress party were elected due to Soviet funding during the regime of Indira Gandhi, while the defence minister during Nehru’s tenure – V Krishna Menon was also given Soviet backing.

Mitrokhin Archives said that due to Soviet backing and influence, former defence minister V. Krishna Menon purchased Soviet MiGs instead of British lightning aircraft after his election campaign got funded by KGB in 1962 and 1967.

The Congress party had denied all the allegations made by Soviet spy Mitrokhin.

The ‘absolute’ State of the Union: President Joe Biden confuses Ukrainians with Iranians during his speech

OpIndia Staff
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The ‘absolute’ State of the Union: President Joe Biden confuses Ukrainians with Iranians during his speech

On March 1 (local time), Joe Biden, President of the United States, appeared to have confused Ukrainian people with Iranian people during his State of the Union speech. He said, “Putin may circle Kyiv with tanks, but he’ll never gain the hearts and souls of the Iranian people.” White House website specifically mentioned the transcript of the speech ‘As Prepared for Delivery’ where ‘Ukrainian’ was mentioned instead of ‘Iranian’.

Daniel Chaitin, Deputy News Editor, Washington Examiner, also pointed out the fact that after the gaffe made by the President, the White House used ‘Prepared for delivery’ instead of ‘as delivered’ with the transcript of the speech.

The video of the blunder made by the US President has gone viral on social media and is being widely shared. Thomas Massie, the Republican Congressman, wrote several phrases in a tweet thread that had confused the audience during Biden’s speech. He asked, “Does anyone speak Biden? Can you translate these?”

Some Twitter users shared videos highlighting VP Kamala Harris muttering ‘Ukrainian’ when Biden mistakenly said ‘Iranian’.

It is noteworthy President’s “mental sharpness” and overall health has raised several questions in the past. According to a recent poll conducted by The Washington Post and ABC News, 54 per cent of Americans think President Biden does not have the “mental sharpness it takes to serve effectively as president”. The poll suggested 59 per cent of Americans do not see Biden as a strong leader.

The US President has made multiple errors in the past that has put his health in question. So much so, in December 2018, he had called himself a “gaffe machine”.

In August 2021, he confused facts about his late son during an interview and claimed Beau had served in the Navy in Afghanistan. In October 2021, there were rumours floating in Rome that US President Joe Biden had a “bathroom accident” during his meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican. In February 2021, he casually dropped N-word during Munich Security Conference.

Mumbai: BMC plans to chop off 2000 mangrove trees to build bridges, while Aarey Metro car shed project is still stuck

OpIndia Staff
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Mumbai: BMC plans to chop off 2000 mangrove trees to build bridges, while Aarey Metro car shed project is still stuck

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has planned to chop off nearly 2000 mangrove trees to make way for bridges in the Andheri and Malad region, as per a report in The Indian Express.

The report states that an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report for six bridges that have been planned by the BMC has been submitted to the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA). Recently, the MCZMA had cleared a proposal for one bridge that will require 48 trees to be cut. The Coastal Regulation Zone approval for 5 other bridges is pending.

The Indian Express report further states that the construction of all 6 bridges will be in the sensitive CRZ areas and over 1966 mangrove trees will have to be cut for the construction work. A patch of mangrove forest spread over 6.35 hectares will be impacted by the construction.

The BMC’s proposal was reportedly tabled before the MCZMA’s 157th meeting for consideration. The MCZMA reportedly asked the BMC to carry out the EIA for all the six planned bridges individually and asked to study the socio-economic impact of the structures on local fishermen by taking the consultation of the local communities.

The 6 bridges that are planned by the BMC are as follows, Madh to Versova Creek between Andheri and Malad, Marve to Manori in Malad, a bridge on Ramachandra Nullah in Evershine Nagar in Malad, Lagoon Road to Infinity Mall in Malad, Oshiwara River to Malad Creek, a bridge on Marve Road in Dharivali village.

The BMC had in 2021 appointed a consultant for the environmental impact study for the six planned bridges. As of now, the MCZMA had cleared only the proposed bridge on Ramachandra Nullah in Evershine Nagar. It had asked the BMC to get the clearance from the Bombay High Court for Mangrove cutting, promise five times afforestation and get due clearances from the forest department.

A report in the Hindustan Times on March 1 stated that the MCZMA has asked the BMC to seek alternate alignments for the proposed bridge network, adding that the current proposals will have a considerable negative impact on the mangroves.

These 6 bridges, along with another proposed bridge by the MMRDA connecting Borivali to Gorai, will eat up nearly 29.6 acres of mangroves, HT had reported earlier.

Aarey Metro car shed project is stuck

It is notable here that while the BMC and the Maharashtra government have no qualms about cutting trees and harming the mangrove forests that are crucial to the city, the Aarey Metro car shed project is stuck after the MVA government came to power. Despite all due clearances, and a Supreme Court order, the MVA government halted the project soon after coming to power, riding over a wave of activism that launched Aaditya Thackeray’s career as a politician.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led govt, in a vindictive order, had declared the Aarey area where the metro car shed was planned as ‘forest land’ and had shifted the facility to government land in Kanjurmarg. 

Even though the metro project will substantially improve the environment by removing lakhs of fossil fuel-guzzling vehicles from the roads, the project was opposed due to political reasons. The decision to shift the metro car shed from Aarey to Kanjurmarg will now increase the project’s cost by at least Rs 4,000 crore, which was estimated by a committee appointed by the current government. Further, the project will also be delayed by several years due to ongoing litigation and the condition of the new site.

A month after extreme activism by Shiv Sena to impress its coalition parties – Congress and NCP, Sena had exposed its hypocrisy by ordering the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation to chop down 1,000 trees for a Bal Thackeray memorial in Priyadarshini Park.

In January 2020, a committee set up by Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in December had recommended lifting the stay on construction of the Mumbai Metro Line 3 car shed at Aarey Milk Colony. Reportedly, the committee has said that shifting the car shed site from Aarey would not be viable. 

Student pursuing MBBS in Ukraine turns out to be Gram Pradhan of UP, Panchayat Raj issues notice: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Student pursuing MBBS in Ukraine turns out to be Gram Pradhan of UP, Panchayat Raj issues notice: Details

The Russian-Ukraine conflict has jeopardised Gram Pradhan’s seat in Uttar Pradesh. A video of Vaishali Yadav, who was elected Gram Pradhan last year, had surfaced on February 24 when Russia announced military action against Ukraine. Yadav is currently pursuing MBBS from Ivano Frankivsk National Medical University had appealed to the Government of India to rescue the students stuck in Ukraine.

Reports suggest that the villagers were not aware that Yadav had returned to Ukraine after being elected as Gram Pradhan, and the information has irked them. Panchayati Raj has reportedly issued a notice to Yadav seeking an explanation why she moved back to Ukraine after getting elected as Gram Pradhan.

It appears that in the last year, while Yadav was in Ukraine, the work in her village continued, and some funds were utilised. As per a report in News18, Panchayati Raj would conduct an investigation on the funds utilised by Gram Panchayat in her absence.

‘I chose Ukraine as its degree is accepted across EU’

Speaking to Times of India, 24-years-old Vaishali said she chose Ukraine for MBBS as its degree is acceptable across European Union. She said, “I never thought that I would get stuck here in the crossfire. I have only chosen Ukraine because its degree is accepted for practice anywhere in the EU. I only want a flight back home now.”

Attending meetings via video calls

In December 2021, Amar Ujala had reported ‘praising’ Vaishali for attending Gram Panchayat meetings via video calls. The report suggested Yadav wanted to develop her village Tera Pursali on the lines of villages in Ukraine. Vaishali, who had done her schooling from Hardoi district and Lucknow, has been pursuing MBBS in Ukraine for the last three years.

Last year, she expressed her desire to contest Gram Panchayat elections to her father and former Block President Mahendra Singh Yadav. The report further suggested initially, her father did not agree as she had to return to Ukraine to complete her studies, but she ‘insisted’ she could attend Gram Panchayat meetings via video conferencing and continue her studies in Ukraine.

Though Amar Ujala’s report suggested she wanted to come back after completing her studies and work for the betterment of her village, the TOI report suggested she selected Ukraine as its degree is acceptable in European Union.

OpIndia tried to reach out to the Panchayati Raj District head and Arwal Police Station but could not connect.

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