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Maharashtra

Presidential poll: Opposition decide to field joint candidate

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The opposition parties on Wednesday decided to field a joint candidate in the Presidential polls next months.

A meeting of opposition leaders, called by Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, was held here on building consensus on zeroing in on a joint opposition candidate.

In the meeting, a resolution was passed to field a common candidate in the next Presidential poll.

“In the forthcoming Presidential election which is being held on the 75th anniversary of India’s independence, we have decided to field a common candidate who can truly serve as custodian of the Constitution and stop the Modi government from doing further damage to Indian democracy and India’s social fabric,” it said.

Banerjee said all important political parties sent their representatives and several senior leaders attended the meeting.

“One or two parties did not attend the meeting and they must have their reason. All the members in the meeting unanimously named Sharad Pawar. If Pawar is ready, it is ok. If not, then names will come for political parties. It (name) will be discussed and decided. Today is the beginning and I think after so many months we sat together and we will do it again… for the bulldozing going on in the country’s democratic system. Every institution is totally misused politically and it is necessary we must sit together,” she said.

An opposition leader present in the meeting said that the Trinamool supremo proposed the name of NCP chief Pawar and everyone agreed.

“But Pawar refused and said he will be active in politics till his death.”

Banerjee also suggested names of Farooq Abdullah and Gopalkrishna Gandhi for opposition nominee for Presidential polls but no discussion was held on the names. It is learnt that opposition leaders will meet again on June 21 to finalise the candidate.

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge said: “Congress will play a constructive role in ensuring that the parties assembled here this afternoon arrive at a consensus candidate in the next few days. Let us be proactive and not be reactive. The Congress has no particular candidate in mind. It will sit together with all of you and arrive at a candidate acceptable to all.”

Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, NCP chief Pawar, Congress’ Kharge, Jairam Ramesh, and Randeep Singh Surjewala, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, National Conference’s Omar Abdullah, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav, DMK’s T.R. Balu, Shiv Sena’s Priyanka Chaturvedi, RJD’s Manoj Jha and others attended the meeting.

The presidential poll will be held on July 18 and counting of votes will take place on July 21.

Maharashtra

Mega Block Alert: Local Trains to be Rerouted & Delayed On Feb 23 For Maintenance Work, Check Details

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Mumbai: Central Railway announced a major change in the UP and Down fast local trains in the Central route for February 23. Meanwhile, Western Railway also announced a major mega block on the line. The jumbo block is carried out for maintenance work on signals and tracks, which will lead to rerouting and delays in train schedules.

Central Railway Rerouting Details

On the Thane to Kalyan route, Down Fast and Semi-Fast local trains departing from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) Mumbai will be diverted to the Down Slow line between Thane and Kalyan stations. These trains will have additional halts at Kalva, Mumbra, and Diva stations, which will result in a delay of approximately 10 minutes in reaching their destinations.

Similarly, Up Fast and Semi-Fast trains departing from Kalyan towards CSMT will be rerouted onto the Up Slow line between Kalyan and Thane stations. They will also halt at Diva, Mumbra, and Kalva before merging onto the Up Fast line at Mulund station, causing a delay of around 10 minutes.

Western Railway’s Five-Hour Jumbo Block

On the Western line, a significant five-hour Jumbo Block has been scheduled on February 23, between Santacruz and Goregaon stations. From 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, both Up and Down Fast lines due to maintenance work of tracks, signalling systems, and overhead equipment.

Trans-Harbour Line

According to railway officials, there will be no block on the Uran and Harbour routes.

However, services on the Trans-Harbour line will be temporarily suspended. Up Trans-Harbour services from Panvel, Nerul, and Vashi towards Thane starting with the 10:25 AM departure from Vashi and the 4:09 PM departure from Nerul will remain non-operational. Likewise, Down Trans-Harbour services from Thane to Vashi, Nerul, and Panvel, running from 10:35 AM to 4:07 PM, will also be suspended during this period.

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Maharashtra

Maha minority panel to seek shorter working hours for Muslim staff during Ramzan

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Mumbai, Feb 22: After Telangana and Andhra Pradesh permitted Muslim government employees to leave offices early during the fasting month of Ramzan, similar demands are now being raised in Maharashtra and other states.

Maharashtra Minority Commission Chairman Pyare Khan confirmed that the commission has received multiple applications requesting the state government to allow Muslim employees to leave work an hour early during Ramzan.

“We have received several requests from people asking for permission to leave offices an hour early during Ramzan. India is a great example of ‘Ganga Jamuna Tehzeeb,’ where people from different communities live together in harmony,” Khan told media.

He added that he plans to present this demand to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis through an official letter.

The demand follows orders issued by the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments, allowing Muslim employees, including teachers and contract workers, to leave work at 4 p.m. instead of the usual 5 p.m. from March 2 to March 30 to perform religious rituals.

“The government hereby permits all the employees who profess Islam, including teachers and persons hired on contract, out-sourcing basis, and Village/Ward Secretaries, to leave their offices/schools early by an hour before closing time on all working days during the Holy month of ‘Ramzan’ to perform necessary rituals,” read the Andhra Pradesh government order.

Similarly, the Telangana government order stated: “Government hereby permits all Muslim government employees/teachers/contract/out-sourcing/boards/corporations and public sector employees working in the state to leave their offices/schools at 4 p.m. during the holy month of Ramzan, i.e., from March 2 to 31, to offer necessary prayers, except when their presence is required due to exigencies of services.”

The demand is also gaining traction in Karnataka, where Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Vice Presidents M.R.M. Hussain and Syed Ahmad recently wrote to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, urging the state government to grant Muslim employees a one-hour exemption from duty to facilitate prayers and iftar.

However, the Karnataka government has yet to make a decision on the request.

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disaster

Massive Fire Breaks Out At Residential Building In Mumbai’s Marine Lines

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Mumbai: A massive fire broke out in Mumbai’s Marine Lines on Saturday. The blaze rupted on the top floor of a residential building, Marine Chambers. The building is located near Gol Masjid.

The fire broke out at around 12.30 pm on Saturday. After receiving information, several fire tenders reached the spot. Senior officials also rushed to the place where the blaze erupted.

Visuals of the fire also surfaced online. In the video, an envelope of black smoke could seen billowing out of the building. This led to panic among the locals.

A firefighting operation is currently underway.

The reason for the blaze is not yet known. There are no reports of any injuries.

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