A Delhi court on Friday rejected the bail applications of four jailed <keyword id="20402086" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="co-owners" source="keywords">co-owners</keyword> of a coaching centre basement where three civil services aspirants drowned last month but observed that they were not "exclusively responsible" for the incident. The role of <keyword id="19907640" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Municipal-Corporation-of-Delhi" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Municipal Corporation of Delhi" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Municipal Corporation of Delhi">Municipal Corporation of Delhi</keyword> (MCD) officials who kept the matter of illegal use of the basement pending, even after a complaint from a citizen, speaks volumes about their complicity, the court said. It hoped that the <keyword id="19900833" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Central-Bureau-of-Investigation" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Central Bureau of Investigation" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Central Bureau of Investigation">Central Bureau of Investigation</keyword>, probing the July 27 incident at the <keyword id="22578108" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Raus-IAS-Study-Circle" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Rau's IAS Study Circle" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Rau's IAS Study Circle">Rau's IAS Study Circle</keyword> in Old Rajindra Nagar, would bring all culprits to the book. Principal District and Sessions Judge Anju Bajaj Chandna denied bail to Parvinder Singh, Tajinder Singh, Harvinder Singh and Sarbjit Singh, saying the <keyword id="19971126" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="CBI-probe" source="keywords">CBI probe</keyword> was at an initial stage and their specific role had to be ascertained. Besides, the issue of violation of <keyword id="21060848" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="building-bye-laws" source="keywords">building bye-laws</keyword> and <keyword id="22889584" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="encroachment-over-the-drainage" source="keywords">encroachment over the drainage</keyword> (in the area) needed to be probed, she said. The court said a month prior to the incident, Kishore Singh Kushwaha, a resident of Karol Bagh, had complained to authorities, specifically against Rau's IAS Study Circle for running a classroom in the basement without permission. He had expressed apprehension of a major accident, it said. "Despite reminders sent in this regard in the month of July, it is painful to note that authorities kept sitting on the said complaint and did not take prompt action, otherwise precious lives could have been saved," it said. "Coming to the failure of civic authorities and drainage system, it is true that the system has contributed substantially to the occurrence but this does not reduce the fault of the applicants particularly when the failure of stormwater drains has been mainly due to encroachments and obstructions," the court added. Regarding the direct and proximate nexus between leasing out of the basement and the incident, the court said the owners of the basement were in a position to know about the risks for carrying out activities which involved the presence of a huge number of students for long durations against safety norms. "Therefore, the plea that knowledge of culpable homicide cannot be attributed to the owners has no merit or substance particularly when owners are the residents of the same vicinity and aware about its specific conditions," the court said. In its 14-page order, the court said it was not necessary that the exact happening or precise incident must be in the knowledge of the offender to invoke the offence of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. "Knowledge means being conscious about the possibility of such an incident. It was sufficient that offenders were knowing that by permitting illegal use of the basement they are endangering the life of others. Permitting illegal use of the basement has a direct nexus with the unfortunate incident," it said. The court said that the fact that the applicants themselves surrendered before police was not enough to enlarge them on bail when the CBI investigation was "at its initial and crucial stage", when "important evidence" was being collected and at the point where "witnesses were being examined." It said, "The issue of violation of building bye-laws and encroachment over the drainage system needs to be investigated and the specific role of the applicants needs to be ascertained." Dismissing the bail application, the judge said, " I find no reason to enlarge the applicants or accused on bail." The court also observed that the four joint owners of the basement were not "exclusively responsible" for the incident. "The role of MCD officers who kept the matter of illegal use of the basement pending without taking any action, more particularly not paying attention to the recent complaint of Kishore Singh Kushwaha speaks volume about their complicity. This court sincerely hopes that CBI would deeply and thoroughly investigate the matter and bring all culprits to the book," it said. On August 17, the court had reserved the order after hearing the arguments of the lawyers of the CBI and the basement's four joint owners. The Delhi High Court recently transferred the probe into the deaths in the basement of the coaching centre building in Old Rajinder Nagar from police to the CBI "to ensure the public has no doubt over the investigation".

Delhi coaching centre deaths: Court denies bail to 4 co-owners of basement

The hospitals across <keyword id="6357783" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="west-bengal" source="Orion">West Bengal</keyword>, both public and private, are overflowing with <keyword id="6360092" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dengue" source="Orion">dengue</keyword> patients. According to an official in the <keyword id="160703" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="state-health-department" source="Orion">state health department</keyword>, 800-900 cases are being reported on average daily. This could send West Bengal to the top of the list among the states in the country where dengue cases have been reported, in just over a month. According to the figures released by the National Center for Vector Borne Diseases Control (<keyword id="404771" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="nvbdcp" source="Orion">NVBDCP</keyword>), West Bengal had reported only 239 cases till August 31. In the 40-odd days since the number of cases in the state has surpassed 20,000, the state health department admits. Apart from <keyword id="6354925" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kolkata" source="Orion">Kolkata</keyword>, most cases are from districts like North 24-Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Murshidabad, Siliguri and Darjeeling. "Lack of proper sanitation, clogged drainage systems, accumulation of rain water due to unplanned urbanisation are some of the reasons behind this spurt. There has certainly been some negligence on the part of civic bodies entrusted with monitoring the situation and combating the threat. Sufficient intervention was not carried out and efforts weren't made to prevent the accumulation of water near human settlements. The presence of cattle sheds, encroachments and the like in urban and semi-urban areas added to the mess," the official in the state health department said. There was hardly any activity by the civic bodies over the last fortnight due to <keyword id="6357908" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="durga-puja" source="Orion">Durga Puja</keyword> celebrations across the state. State government offices — including civic bodies — have remained closed since October 1 and will open from Monday. Health officials hope that measures will be taken on a war-footing thereafter to prevent further spread as hospitals have started running out of space, despite opening temporary wards for the dengue patients. West Bengal's record hasn't been too good, so far as combating the disease is concerned. In 2015, it recorded fourth highest figures after Delhi, Punjab and Haryana. In 2016 and 2017, West Bengal was at the top of the list. No records were available for the next two years from the state. In 2020, West Bengal was again in second position after Punjab. Doctors say that more than the figures, people's suffering is what matters. <h2>Recommended stories:</h2> <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="94753588" title="The blue part in Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 is made of repurposed fishing nets" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"><payload><![CDATA[seealso]]></payload></div> <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="94737827" title="Gambian cough syrup issue: 384 people arrested after 462 samples found spurious" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"><payload><![CDATA[seealso]]></payload></div>

West Bengal reports over 20,000 tragic dengue cases since September; hospitals overflow despite addition of new dengue wards

The hospitals across West Bengal, both public and private, are overflowing with <keyword id="6360092" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dengue" source="Orion">dengue</keyword> patients. According to an official in the state health department, 800-900 cases are being reported on an average daily. This could send West Bengal to the top of the list among the states in the country where dengue cases have been reported, in just over a month. According to the figures released by the National Center for Vector Borne Diseases Control (NVBDCP), West Bengal had reported only 239 cases till August 31. In the 40-odd days since, the number of cases in the state has surpassed 20,000, the state health department admits. Apart from Kolkata, most cases are from districts like North 24-Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Murshidabad, Siliguri and Darjeeling. "Lack of proper sanitation, clogged drainage systems, accumulation of rain water due to unplanned urbanisation are some of the reasons behind this spurt. There has certainly been some negligence on the part of civic bodies entrusted with monitoring the situation and combating the threat. Sufficient intervention was not carried out and efforts weren't made to prevent the accumulation of water near human settlements. The presence of cattle sheds, encroachments and the like in urban and semi-urban areas added to the mess," the official in the state health department said. There was hardly any activity by the civic bodies over the last fortnight due to Durga Puja celebrations across the state. State government offices -- including civic bodies -- have remained closed since October 1 and will open from Monday. Health officials hope that measures will be taken on a war-footing thereafter to prevent further spread as hospitals have started running out of space, despite opening temporary wards for the dengue patients. West Bengal's record hasn't been too good, so far as combating the disease is concerned. In 2015, it recorded fourth highest figures after Delhi, Punjab and Haryana. In 2016 and 2017, West Bengal was at the top of the list. No records were available for the next two years from the state. In 2020, West Bengal was again in second position after Punjab. Doctors say that more than the figures, people's suffering is what matters. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/gambian-cough-syrup-issue-384-people-arrested-after-462-samples-found-spurious/articleshow/94737827.cms" style="">Gambian cough syrup issue: 384 people arrested after 462 samples found spurious</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/india-reports-2756-fresh-covid-cases-21-deaths/articleshow/94737352.cms" style="">India reports 2,756 fresh Covid cases, 21 deaths</a>

Dengue cases in Bengal shot up by 20,000 in a month

<ul><li>The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of heavy rains in the city on Thursday as well. </li><li>The Delhi Traffic Police remained busy clearing traffic on Narela-Bawana road, Raja Garden flyover, Kasturba Underpass, MB Rad, Jhandewalan Mandir, Jhilmil underpass,, Azadpur vegetable market, Sarai Pipal Thala, Jahangirpuri, Madanpur Khadar among other places. </li><li>Similar scenes played out on Wednesday, as incessant rains pummelled the national capital region, submerging roads, underpasses and parks in waist-deep water and bringing traffic on key stretches to a virtual halt. </li></ul> Many parts of the national capital and key road stretches remained flooded as rains continued to drench the city on Thursday, triggering traffic snarls during morning rush hours. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of heavy rains in the city on Thursday as well. The downpour may lead to "major traffic disruption" due to heavy water logging and there is an "increased chance" of road accidents, it warned. The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative figures for the city, recorded 46 mm rainfall between 8:30 am on Wednesday and 8:30 am on Thursday. On an average, the city gauges 11.3 mm rainfall from 8:30 am on August 19 to 8:30 am on August 20 every year. The Palam weather station gauged 70.9 mm precipitation during the period, more than six times the normal rainfall. The Delhi Traffic Police remained busy clearing traffic on Narela-Bawana road, Raja Garden flyover, Kasturba Underpass, MB Rad, Jhandewalan Mandir, Jhilmil underpass,, Azadpur vegetable market, Sarai Pipal Thala, Jahangirpuri, Madanpur Khadar among other places Similar scenes played out on Wednesday, as incessant rains pummelled the national capital region, submerging roads, underpasses and parks in waist-deep water and bringing traffic on key stretches to a virtual halt. The flooding was particularly severe in Gurugram, where roads turned into small rivers and parks resembled swimming pools. Just a few hours of rains flooded swathes of Delhi, spelling trouble for commuters who remained stuck for hours on water-logged roads. Pictures and videos of vehicles and people wading through waist-deep water were widely shared on social media. The rains also crippled electricity supply in many areas. Civic bodies reported incidents of uprooting of trees in a few areas due to the rains. A boundary wall of a school in Saket collapsed, damaging several vehicles parked alongside it. Mahesh Palawat of Skymet Weather, a private forecasting agency, said climate change had led to a change rain pattern. Earlier, we used to witness continuous light rains over two-three days. Nowadays, the same quantum of rainfall occurs in just 2-3 hours. These extreme events have been taking place across the tropical region since last 10 years," he said. Experts said the flooding was a result of bad urban planning. "Flooding in Indian cities is largely a product of bad urban planning. In Delhi, the Yamuna floodplains have been encroached upon obstructing the natural water flow. Other issues include deforestation, poor drainage system and lack of integrated urban planning," Anjal Prakash, research director, Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, said. Kuldeep Srivastava,the head of regional forecasting center of the IMD, said the axis of monsoon will remain close to the national capital till Thursday. Therefore, more rains are likely. Southwesterly winds from the Arabian Sea and southeasterly winds from the Bay of Bengal are also feeding moisture to the region, he said. The downpour also reduced the rain deficiency in the capital -- from 13 percent on Monday to 11 percent on Wednesday. The Safdarjung Observatory has recorded 147.4 mm rainfall against the normal of 165.2 mm in August so far. Overall, it has recorded 466 mm rainfall, six per cent more than the normal of 441.3 mm since June 1 when the monsoon season starts. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/linkedin-tcs-disney-hotstar-zee-and-other-companies-hiring-right-now-in-india/slidelist/77352775.cms">LinkedIn, TCS, Disney+ Hotstar, Zee and other companies hiring right now in India</a>

Delhi to witness heavy rains that may lead to major traffic disruption and increase chances of road accidents, warns IMD

<ul><li>68 Right to Information (<keyword id="6356198" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="RTI">RTI</keyword>) <keyword id="41907" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="activists">activists</keyword> have been killed since 2005, while 6 have committed suicide, according to the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative. </li><li>There is no law to protect activists or to prevent their personal details from falling into the wrong hands. </li><li>The amended Whistle Blower Protection Bill has been stalled in Parliament since 2015.</li></ul> On March 20th, 38-year old Poipynhun Majaw was killed after receiving multiple blows from a wrench to his head in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district, a prominent mining area rich in coal and limestone. The motive behind his <keyword id="6355784" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="death">death</keyword> is yet to be confirmed by the district police, but it is likely tied to his investigation into the arrangements between the leaders of the Jaintia Hills district council and cement manufacturing firms. Majaw’s death, while tragic, is not surprising. The Right to Information (RTI) activist revealed last year that the district council had allowed cement companies to mine in the area without adequate licenses. As the head of the Jaintia Youth Federation, a social activist group, for six years, he rallied the district’s youth around a number of issues such as electoral fraud and environmental damage from business activities. Like many activists and journalists in the country who have used the RTI law to expose corruption, Majaw was a sitting duck. There was no adequate law to protect him or to prevent the personal details on his RTI application from falling into the wrong hands. The Right to Information Act The Right to Information Act , ranked <a href="http://www.rti-rating.org/">5th best</a> in the world in terms of strength according to the Centre for Law and Democracy, allows Indian citizens to request information from public institutions and the <keyword id="26362" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Government">government</keyword>. Since October 2005, when the RTI Act was implemented, the deaths of 74 activists have been documented in India, according to<a href="http://attacksonrtiusers.org/"> attacksonrtiusers.org</a>, a tracker set up by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI). An additional 164 activists have reported assaults while 180 have been threatened. A significant portion of these activists had exercised this right and asked for information, only to be harassed and in some cases, silenced permanently. Around 68 of the deaths are outright murders, while the rest have been ruled suicides. John Mascrinaus, a data analyst at the CHRI, says that 16 of these murders have taken place in Maharashtra, 12 and eight have occurred in Gujarat and Karnataka, respectively, while six each have taken place in Bihar and UP. And what of the stories of the slain activists? They have been consigned to the archives of the internet, mere statistics in a country where the truth is better left uncovered and cold-blooded killings are regular fixtures of the daytime news. Their stories bear revisiting. A list of their names is published on the CHRI tracker and here are a few cases:- Rajesh Savaliya, 31. Killed on July 19th, 2017. Savaliya was still alive when he was found near a temple on National Highway 8 in the Navsari district of Gujarat. Despite being rushed the hospital, he succumbed to his head injuries later in the night. Savaliya had been receiving threatening calls for the preceding month after filing multiple complaints with the District Education Officer about all the schools in the area that had been operating without necessary licenses. In the process, he raised the ire of a consortium of owners running the schools. The<a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/india/gujarat-rti-activist-who-took-on-education-mafia-found-dead-in-navsari/"> Indian Express</a> was the only national daily to report on Savilaya’s death. Bhupendra Vira, 72. Killed on October 15th, 2016. A father of three and member of a local citizens activist group, Vira was shot while watching television at his home in Santa Cruz East, Mumbai. He was killed over a land encroachment dispute. Vira had won a number of demolition orders for four illegal residences constructed by his landlord Razzaq Khan, a former member of the municipal corporation. The documents obtained through Vira’s RTI application had shown that his land was being unlawfully encroached upon. Khan and his son were subsequently arrested for the murder. Yallalinga Kuruba, 17. Killed on January 11th, 2014. The body of the first-year college student was found on the railway tracks on the periphery of Koppal, a district in northern Karnataka. On January 6th, Kuruba had told a local news channel about the corruption that was hindering the implementation of government schemes in his village. He specifically cited the lack of roads and drainage systems. On January 10th, he reportedly filed an RTI to ask for details about the development work being subcontracted under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme from the local Panchayat Development Officer. He was subsequently chased and killed by members of a gang that was loyal to Balan Gowda, a gram panchayat member. Ravinder Balwani, 61. Killed on April 26th, 2012. Balwani, a member of Parivartan, an NGO led by Arvind Kejriwal, was hit by a car in the Vasant Kunj neighbourhood in Delhi on April 23rd and died three days later after succumbing to his head injuries. Balwani had been receiving threats after filing a corruption complaint against a former official at Delhi Transco Ltd, the state transmission utility for the NCR region. He had also filed a complaint against the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission over the revision of tariffs.The cases reportedly involved a number of senior officials in the power sector. The perpetrators of the crime were never identified. Shashidhar Mishra, 35. Killed on February 14th, 2010. The street hawker and father of four was shot by some men on motorcycles in the Begusarai district of Bihar. Mishra, who was affectionately called Khabri Lal (news man) by his peers, had filed a number of complaints against panchayat and district officials. By the time he died, Mishra had filed close to a 1,000 RTI applications. His applications covered a range of issues, including the mistreatment of animals at a local dairy, unlicensed shops outside the railway station as well as land purchases and contracts given by local council officials- the latter being the last request he filed. What needs to be done? The deaths of the aforementioned people should not be in vain. The ability to exercise one’s right to information is an essential component of democracy and should be preserved. The personal details of RTI applicants need to be kept secure. The anonymous filing of RTI applications should be enabled. Additionally, applicants could also be required to furnish their email details as opposed to their address and mobile numbers. There needs to be a law to protect whistleblowers. The amended Whistle Blowers Protection (WBP) bill has been stalled in the upper house of India’s Parliament since 2015, when the NDA government moved to water down the original act with the removal of a clause that prevents whistleblowers from being prosecuted under the Official Secrets Act (OSA). This outdated anti-espionage act prohibits the disclosure of state secrets. In its attempt to preserve information that relates to national security, which the RTI act disallows applicants from obtaining in the first place, the government is compromising the personal security of its citizens. The proposed amendments to the Whistle Blower Protection act need to be withdrawn. Finally, the government authorities need to do a better job of disclosing information at the national, state and district level. A section of the RTI act calls for the “voluntary disclosure of information” by authorities. This includes all information related to government schemes and business licenses. This is precisely the information that Yallalinga Kuruba, mentioned above, was asking for. Out of the total number of RTIs filed to date, estimated at 24.9 million by CHRI, a vast majority are denied for reasons such as a “lack of information”, calling into question the purpose of the act itself. However, the act is genuinely capable of affecting change, as demonstrated by success stories such as<a href="http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-chandigarh-to-become-india-s-first-smoke-free-city-1102240"> Chandigarh’s decision to become a smoke free city</a> as a result of RTI petitions and the discovery that some funds used for the Commonwealth Games<a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Rs-744cr-dalit-fund-diverted-for-Games/articleshow/6173912.cms"> were actually earmarked for Scheduled Castes</a>. The government therefore has the responsibility of ensuring the safety of RTI applicants so the act can continue to be used to promote transparency, check corruption and ultimately, improve this country.

You Searched For "encroachment over the drainage" and got 5 results

Delhi coaching centre deaths: Court denies bail to 4 co-owners of basement

PTI

West Bengal reports over 20,000 tragic dengue cases since September; hospitals overflow despite addition of new dengue wards

IANS

Dengue cases in Bengal shot up by 20,000 in a month

IANS

Delhi to witness heavy rains that may lead to major traffic disruption and increase chances of road accidents, warns IMD

PTI

For 74 Indian activists, the punishment for seeking the truth has been death

Dilsher Dhillon