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BJP not against caste-based census: Sushil Modi

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 A day after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar decided to call an all-party meeting to discuss the issue of caste-based census, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Kumar Modi on Tuesday claimed that his party is not against the proposal.

His statement comes at a time when BJP Bihar wing leaders realised that they should not stop or delay any further caste census in the state after the announcement of Nitish Kumar.

BJP leadership of Bihar have realised that it is better for them to catch the bus rather than missing it. The idea would be to at least claim before the people of the state that they were not against the process, a political expert said.

“The saffron party never opposed caste-based census in Bihar or in any other state. When the all-party delegation met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a senior state minister from BJP quota Janak Ram was a part of it. Similarly, when the all-party delegation of Jharkhand went to Delhi to meet PM Modi on the same issue, our leader of opposition in Jharkhand Deepak Prakash also participated.

“Had we been against it, we would not have been a part of the delegation. These delegations put a demand before PM Modi that the Centre would conduct a caste-based census in the country. The Centre had said that it is not possible for it to conduct caste census in the country but tha state governments are independent to conduct the same in their respective states,” Modi had said.

“The caste-based census was passed twice in the Bihar Legislative Assembly and Bihar Legislative Council and BJP supported it all along,” Modi said.

“Even we were not against the socio-economic census passed in Parliament in 2010. On that occasion, Gopinath Munde and Hukumdev Prasad Yadav during their speech in the House had supported it. Even when caste-based census was held in Karnataka (Sarva Kukumb Surve in Karnataka) and Telangana (2015), BJP did not oppose it,” Modi said.

Hence, it is a baseless allegation that BJP is against the caste-based census, he said.

Maharashtra

Work on Panjrapur pumping station begins, 15% water supply cut likely in some western and eastern suburbs of the city

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Mumbai: The Hydraulic Engineering Department of Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is undertaking a major project to replace the existing 6.6 kV High Tension (HT) Control Panels at Mumbai-3A Pumping Station in Panjrapur. As a result, water supply from Panjrapur to Bhandup Water Treatment Plant will remain suspended for a period of 20 hours i.e. from 9:00 AM on Tuesday, July 28, 2026 to 5:00 AM on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. As a result, water supply may be reduced by 15% in some parts and sub-parts of the city. The Eastern Suburbs Municipal Corporation administration humbly requests the citizens to take notice of this and extend their cooperation. The project involves replacing the 6.6 kV HT Control Panels at Mumbai-3A Pumping Station in Panjrapur. Under this initiative, 10 existing old HT Control Panels will be replaced with 10 new, modern, and efficient HT Control Panels. In the first phase, 4 out of a total of 10 HT control panels will be replaced. The work is to be carried out from 9:00 AM on Tuesday, July 28, 2026 to 5:00 AM on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. In order to carry out the work safely and in an orderly manner, it is necessary to shut down the ‘Mumbai 3A Pumping Station’ for about 20 hours. As a result, water supply from Panjrapur to Bhandup Water Treatment Plant will remain suspended for this 20-hour period i.e. from 9:00 AM on July 28, 2026 to 5:00 AM on July 29, 2026. This may result in a 15% reduction in water supply across the city and water supply may be reduced in some areas. The Suburbs Municipal Corporation administration strongly appeals to the citizens to take notice of this and cooperate.

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Business

There is no delay in probe into Air India Boeing crash: Govt

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New Delhi, July 27: The Ministry of Civil Aviation informed Parliament on Monday that there has been no delay in the investigation into the Air India Boeing Dreamliner crash at Ahmedabad airport and the inquiry “is progressing as per established procedures.”

The investigations into major aviation accidents depend on several factors and involve multiple variables, making it impossible to specify a fixed timeline for the final report, the ministry said in a written reply to a question in the Upper House.

“The timeline for completing a major air accident investigation cannot be predicted,” the Ministry’s statement said.

It also said that all probable causes and contributing factors leading to the accident are being investigated, indicating that the probe remains comprehensive and no conclusions have been reached so far.

The ministry further informed the Rajya Sabha that the inspection of the complete Thrust Control Module at the original equipment manufacturer’s (OEM) facility is underway as part of the ongoing investigation.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation had earlier, in a reply, also stated in Parliament that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is “transparently” conducting its investigation into the Air India Boeing crash on June 12 last year and “all probable causes leading to the accident are being investigated.”

A preliminary investigation report was published by AAIB on July 12, 2025, and the same is available on their website www.aaib.gov.in. The investigation is in progress, and the final report will be published after completion of the investigation, the ministry stated in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.

“As per the ICAO Annex 13 requirements, the interim statement has been published by AAIB on June 12, 2026. The final investigation report will be published after completion of the investigation,” the ministry added.

As many as 260 people were killed when the AI-171 Boeing Dreamliner flight from Ahmedabad to London-Gatwick on June 12 crashed within 35 seconds of taking off. While 241 people on board the Dreamliner lost their lives, 19 people were killed on the ground. One passenger on the plane had a miraculous escape.

The preliminary report released by the AAIB on July 12 stated that both engines of the ill-fated Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner lost thrust after the two fuel cut-off switches moved from the ‘RUN’ to the ‘CUTOFF’ position. However, the cockpit voice recorder has revealed that one of the pilots told the other that he did not turn off the fuel control switches. The fuel switches were then returned back to the RUN position just before the plane crashed.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu earlier said that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s report on the Air India crash was based on preliminary findings, and urged against reaching any conclusions until the final report is released.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai: Criminal arrested with a pistol and cartridges from Kala Chowki

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Mumbai: During an operation within the limits of Kala Chowki police station in Mumbai, the police have claimed to have arrested a 32-year-old criminal named Arif Mohammad Aslam Sheikh. The police have also recovered a pistol and 6 live cartridges from his possession. Mohammad Aslam Sheikh has 8 cases of assault registered against him, along with one case registered in Bandra and Sahar police stations. The accused had also been expelled from the city twice. This operation was carried out on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Devin Bharti, Joint Police Commissioner Manoj Kumar Sharma and DCP Anurag Jain.

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