India News
Either we shut it down or you restore or demolish Taj Mahal: Supreme Court to Centre

The Supreme Court on Wednesday, July 11 slammed the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government for failing to take steps for protecting the Taj Mahal.
Observing that the issue of preserving the Taj was a “hopeless cause”, the apex court expressed anguish at the Yogi Adityanath-led government’s failure to produce a vision document to protect the iconic heritage site and warned it will “shut it down” and the authorities should “demolish or restore” the Mughal structure.
The bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Deepak said it was “sheer lethargy” on the part of the authorities. “There is absolutely no willingness to protect the Taj Mahal. Taj Mahal has to be protected. Either we will shut it down or you demolish or restore it,” the bench observed.
The court said the Taj Mahal is much more beautiful than the Eiffel Tower and could have solved the country’s foreign exchange problem. “Eighty million go to watch Eiffel Tower which looks like a TV Tower. Our Taj is more beautiful. If you had looked after it your foreign exchange problem would have been solved. Do you realise the loss caused to the country due to your apathy?” observed the bench.
The Uttar Pradesh government had earlier told the bench that it would place before the court a draft of vision document on protection and preservation of the Taj Mahal.
The court asked how is it that foundries and other polluting industries are still being allowed to function within this delicate environmental zone which was created to protect the Taj Mahal.
The court also sought personal appearance of the chairman of Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) – a 10,400 sq km area spread over the districts of Agra, Firozabad, Mathura, Hathras and Etah in Uttar Pradesh and Bharatpur in Rajasthan – to explain violation of its orders prohibiting expansion of industrial units in the zone.
The Uttar Pradesh government had said it was also trying to take care of the environment around the structure so that the historic monument could be there for another 400 years and not just for a generation.
The SC was hearing a petition that called for proper maintenance of the Taj Mahal, which attracts thousands of tourists from around the world every year. A bench of Justices MB Lokur and Deepak Gupta said no concrete steps have been taken by the state government, despite a parliamentary standing committee report on Taj’s protection. The bench asked the Centre to furnish details of what has been done and what is required to protect the monument.
The Centre, in its response, told the court that researchers from IIT Kanpur are assessing the source of pollution in and around the Taj, and will submit its reports in four months. It added that a special committee has been set up for the cause.
Earlier this year, the SC had blamed the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) for its failure to take appropriate steps to protect the monument. It had also observed that Taj Mahal’s white marble turned yellow due to the pollution.
Saying it would hear the case next on July 31 on a day-to-day basis, the bench told the Centre to furnish full details of the steps taken and action it intends to take for protecting the Taj Mahal.
India News
Fire engulfs Delhi hospital, 20 newborns rescued
Delhi Fire Service Director Atul Garg said, at 1:35 am, they received a call about a fire to have broken out at a hospital. First, four teams were sent but later as they were informed there were 20 newborns trapped, again four more tenders were sent.

A fire broke out at a West Delhi hospital in the early hours of Friday, 20 newborns were rescued and no fatalities reported.
The incident reported at a Child hospital in the Vaishali colony of Delhi.
As many as nine fire fighting teams were effectuated to rescue the newborns from the deadly ablaze.
All 20 newborns were immediately shifted to other medical facilities after were rescued.
As per the Delhi police, 13 of the 20 rescued newborns were shifted to Janakpuri’s Arya hospital, two were shifted to a newborn child hospital in Dwarka, two were shifted to JK Hospital in Janakpuri and other three were discharged after rescue.
Reports said, the fire broke out at around 1:35 am after some furniture items caught fire, but was brought into control by the Delhi fire service team.
Delhi Fire Service Director Atul Garg said, at 1:35 am, they received a call about a fire to have broken out at a hospital. First, four teams were sent but later as they were informed there were 20 newborns trapped, again four more tenders were sent.
Garg said, he and his team reached the spot on time and were succesful in extinguishing the fire.
Garg also claimed the hospital did not have a fire NOC and it was just a one floor hospital.
Further investigation is underway to find out the reason behind.
The incident comes just a day after a massive fire broke out at a hospital in Lucknow.
An under-construction facility of the King George Medical University’s (KGMU) of Lucknow was engulfed with fire, which was later brought under control with no casualties reported.
A similar incident was reported from Mumbai early this morning, a huge fire broke out in a 5-storey building in the Zaveri Bazaar area of Mumbai, which trapped around 50-60 people inside the building.
However, with the efforts of 12 fire tenders team, all the people trapped were evacuated safely.
India News
Fire breaks out in air-conditioned coach of Durg-Puri Express in Odisha, creates panic, no fatalities reported | Watch video
The train left the station at 11 p.m. after the issue was resolved by the railway officials in less than an hour.

Days after a triple-train accident in Odisha, on Thursday, a small fire broke out inside a Durg Puri Express coach in the Nuapada region of Odisha, causing panic among the passengers. The East Coast Railway authorities verified that there were no casualties or injuries after the accident.
As per the statement issued by ECoR, he said, the brake pads caught fire due to friction and incomplete brake release. The brake pads were the only thing on fire. There was no other damage reported.
On Thursday evening, the smoke was noticed in the B3 coach of the train as it approached the Khariar Road station. The train left the station at 11 p.m. after the issue was resolved by the railway officials in less than an hour.
When the smoke was spotted, a large number of people ran out of the train, sparking panic among them.
However, everything was resorted and was under control.
Meanwhile, in one of the nation’s worst train tragedies at the Bahanaga Bazar station in Odisha’s Balasore district, involving the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, and a goods train, collided in which 288 people died and more than 1,100 were injured, several aids and assistance are being given to the affected families.
After reviewing the rescue and restoration efforts following the triple train tragedy, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw traveled back to Delhi from Balasore in Odisha and had a high-level meeting with officials. According to sources, Vaishnaw gave the Railway Board officials the green light to design strategies that would entirely secure the railroads from outside forces.
On the request of the Ministry of Railways, with the approval of the Odisha Government, and further orders from DoPT (Govt. of India), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has initiated a case regarding the train accident involving the Coromandel Express, Yashwantpur-Howrah Express, and a Goods train at Bahanaga Bazar in Odisha on June 2.
India News
Union Minister Smriti Irani questions Rahul Gandhi’s love for Indian democracy over his boycott of the new Parliament inauguration
Irani questioned what kind of love it that massacred Sikhs(referring to the 1984-Anti Sikh riots)?

Union Minister Smriti Irani tore apart Rahul Gandhi’s Mohabbat Ki Dukaan campaign, questioning his love for Indian democracy and the people of India.
Irani questioned what kind of love it that massacred Sikhs(referring to the 1984-Anti-Sikh riots)? She questioned, what kind of love was that insulted the Sengol(the golden stick, which was placed in the new Parliament by Prime Minister Narendra Modi)? She said she wanted to ask him about what kind of love was it that boycotted the inauguration of the new Parliament? Irani asked him to tell her what kind of love was it which was to be silent while the film The Kerala Story was released.
She said she could not understand what kind of love is it that shook hands and hugged those people who curse India or the concept of India.
Irani adding to her attack, said, Rahul Gandhi is only defaming India outside its national boundaries. During the press conference, she listed the achievements of the Modi-ruled Centre government in the last nine years.
She said, women are more protected today and cited the success of government programs like Beti Padhao and Beti Bachao. She hailed the government for its efforts of holistic development, talking about the government scheme of Sabka Saath and Sabka Vikas.
The Minister congratulated the people of India on the inauguration of the new parliament building. She stated it was the priority of the government to ensure that every class is assured that financial allocation is done for any class or community.
She said the figures themselves told the truth. She said that the Congress party, in its hunger for power, is using external forces which are hurting the Indian democracy.
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