Page 71 - Gujarat

Morbi bridge collapse effect: Licenses of 25 boats suspended in Dwarka

The boat owners were allegedly ferrying more passengers than permitted or having life jackets on board

One out of every three Indians 'middle class'; to double by 2047: Report

The report released by PRICE added that the share of middle class in the total population rose from 14 per cent in 2004-05 to 31 per cent in 2021-22

Replicate Morbi hospital makeover plan in all govt hospitals in India: NCP

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Wednesday took a swipe at the Centre and said it must replicate the Morbi Civil Hospital's "overnight makeover plan" across all government hospitals in the country and call it the 'Gujarat Hospital Model'. The comments came after the hospital in Gujarat's Morbi city was spruced up ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit there on Tuesday to meet those injured in the suspension bridge collapse which claimed 135 lives. Workers were seen cleaning and painting a portion of the hospital ahead of the PM's visit. NCP national spokesman Clyde Crasto in a statement said that a day before the PM's visit, there were visuals of the Morbi Civil Hospital getting a "complete makeover" and being made to look neat, clean and modern to welcome him. Government authorities in Morbi took the PM's visit so seriously that they even replaced malfunctioning drinking water dispensers with new drinking water coolers, he claimed. They worked so diligently that the

Kharge seeks time-bound judicial probe into Morbi bridge collapse case

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday sought a time-bound judicial enquiry into the Morbi bridge collapse case that claimed 135 lives on Sunday evening."A time-bound judicial enquiry led by a sitting SC/HC Judge is the only recourse," Kharge tweeted.He said that accountability must be set for the loss of lives in Morbi after the suspension bridge collapsed."Accountability must be set for the loss of 135 lives in the Morbi bridge collapse. The conduct of the municipality, Pvt. firm and officials must be thoroughly investigated," read Kharge's tweet.https://twitter.com/kharge/status/1587417145520320512?t=QvHTH2Wc4040-txUi5AQiQ & s=08Addressing a public rally in Hyderabad on Tuesday during Bharat Jodo Yatra, Kharge attacked the TRS government in Telangana, saying it had extended support to some bills in parliament which were opposed by the opposition parties and it was now talking of ousting the BJP government at the Centre."Whenever we used to oppose any bill in ...

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi rues Morbi bridge collapse incident

The AIMIM chief Owaisi urged the government to take charge of those responsible for the death of so many people in Morbi

Ex-BJP MP Prabhatsinh Chauhan from Panchmahal in Gujarat joins Congress

Former BJP MP from Panchmahal constituency in Gujarat, Prabhatsinh Chauhan on Tuesday joined Congress in the presence of party's general secretary Mohan Prakash and other state leaders.

Best of BS Opinion: Enhancing yields, a leg-up for logistics, and more

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

PM Modi chairs high-level meet, asks for extensive inquiry on Morbi tragedy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said a "detailed and extensive" inquiry to identify all aspects relating to the Morbi bridge collapse tragedy is the need of the hour, as he chaired a high-level meeting here to review the situation. He asserted that key learnings from the inquiry must be implemented at the earliest, officials said. Authorities must stay in touch with the affected families and ensure that they receive all possible help in this tragic hour, he said after he was briefed on the rescue operation and the assistance provided to the affected families. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Gujarat's Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi, who holds the rank of minister of state, were among those who attended the meeting. Earlier, Modi visited the site of the bridge collapse and also went to the local hospital where the injured are recovering. He also interacted with those involved in rescue and relief work and lauded their efforts.

Latest LIVE update: PM meets those involved in rescue operations at Morbi

Catch all the latest updates from across the globe here

Massacre of tribals in Mangarh more gruesome than Jallianwala: Gujarat CM

The killing of tribals by the British in Mangarh in 1913 was more gruesome than the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said on Tuesday. Patel was speaking at an event where Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared the Mangarh Dham, a memorial to the tribals massacred by the British Army in 1913, in Rajasthan's in Banswara district as a national monument. Modi said more than 1,500 tribal people sacrificed their lives in the massacre that took place on November 17, 1913 and it was an example of extreme cruelty by the British rule in India. "...unfortunately, in the history written post-Independence, this was not given its due place.... In this Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, India is filling this void and correcting the mistakes that were made decades ago," he said. "India's past history, present and India's future will never be complete without the tribal community. Every page of the story of our freedom struggle is filled with tribal valour," Modi said. He sai

Hasty projects' inaugurals spell disasters like Morbi: Shiv Sena (UBT)

Shiv Sena (UBT) has drawn attention of PM Modi at the rash inaugurals of various incomplete/semi-complete infrastructure projects all over India which can result in monumental disasters like Morbi

Gujarat CM has no right to continue: Kejriwal on Morbi bridge collapse

AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal said that Bhupendra Patel has no right to continue as Gujarat Chief Minister after the Morbi bridge collapse

Morbi bridge collapse in Gujarat result of massive corruption: Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said the Morbi bridge collapse in Gujarat was a result of massive corruption and prayed for those who lost their lives in the incident. The suspension bridge on the Machchhu river in Gujarat's Morbi city collapsed Sunday evening, killing 134 people, a senior police official had said. He also demanded that the Gujarat government should tender its resignation in the wake of such a big incident and the assembly polls be held immediately. "The Morbi bridge collapse was a result of massive corruption and I pray for the victims. Why was a watchmaking company which had no experience of bridge construction allowed to do so?" he said during a press conference. The AAP supremo also said that the BJP is struggling in Gujarat because the Aam Aadmi Party is there to challenge it in the upcoming polls.

PM asks Raj, Guj, MP, Maha govts to prepare roadmap to develop Mangarh Dham

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asked the governments of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra to hold detailed discussions and prepare a roadmap to develop the Mangarh Dham. The dham, a memorial for around 1,500 tribals massacred by the British army in 1913, is located in Rajasthan's Banswara district on the Gujarat and the desert state's border, a region with a large tribal population. The four states together under the leadership of the Centre can develop the memorial more so that tribal leader Govind Guru's place, Mangarh Dham, can create an identity at the global level, Modi said addressing a gathering. The tribals massacred in 1913 were being led by social reformer and tribal leader Govind Guru. "These four states and the government of India has to take it (the dham) to a new height. In that direction, the government is fully committed," he said while addressing a gathering at the memorial. He said that it can be called a national monument or any other n

Morbi bridge tragedy an act of fraud or mere accident, asks Uddhav faction

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction on Tuesday said the Gujarat government cannot shirk its responsibility for the loss of lives in Morbi bridge collapse and asked whether it should be termed as an "act of fraud, conspiracy or a mere accident". When a similar incident took place in West Bengal in 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had slammed that state government and called it an act of God, an editorial in the Thackeray camp's mouthpiece 'Saamana' said. The Marathi daily also questioned the quality of renovation of the Morbi suspension bridge, which was opened for the public four days before it collapsed. The suspension bridge on the Machchhu river in Gujarat's Morbi city collapsed on Sunday evening, killing 134 people, a senior police official earlier said. "Will the lives lost come back? The company responsible for the maintenance of the bridge should be probed, but the Gujarat government cannot shirk its responsibility, the editorial in Saamana said. Should this incide

Morbi bridge collapse: SC to hear plea on Nov 14 seeking judicial probe

The plea was mentioned by advocate Vishal Tiwari before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India U.U. Lalit

Morbi bridge collapse: Death toll rises to 135, rescue operations still on

With one more injured succumbing at the District hospital on Tuesday morning, the death toll stands at 135, said the Morbi District Collector.Indian Coast Guard, Indian Navy and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) along with local administration and other agencies are carrying out search and rescue operations at the spot of the Morbi bridge collapse."With one more injured succumbing at the District hospital a while ago, the death toll stands at 135. A total of 14 persons are still hospitalized. One person is still reported to be missing and a search is on for him," told Morbi District Collector.Commandant Prasanna Kumar, NDRF rescue incharge said, "We have been continuing our search and rescue operations since yesterday. We have resumed today morning and continuing. We have not been informed about any official number of persons missing but it is suspected that three or four persons may be there in the river bed. Though we have not recovered anybody or a missing person today but we

Morbi hospital gets makeover ahead of PM Modi's visit to meet the injured

The government hospital at Morbi has got a makeover ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the facility to meet those injured in Sunday's suspension bridge collapse which claimed 134 lives. Workers were seen cleaning and painting a portion of the 300-bed hospital, which is a ground plus two-storey structure of three wings, ahead of Modi's visit later Tuesday. Six of those injured in the collapse are undergoing treatment at the hospital, while four to five other injured are being treated at a private hospital, a doctor said. So far, 56 people have been discharged, he added. Portions of the entry gate have been painted in yellow, while some areas inside the hospital have got a coat of white paint. The Congress tweeted images that showed repair work going on inside the Morbi hospital, to launch a tirade against the BJP. The photos posted by Congress on Twitter showed overnight repair work going on inside the Morbi hospital, which included a fresh coat of paint, new tiles on

Congress to launch 'Parivartan Sankalp Yatra' in poll-bound Gujarat

The Congress will take out the 'Gujarat Parivartan Sankalp Yatra' in five zones of the poll-bound state from Tuesday, during which 145 public meetings and 95 rallies will be held along the route covering more than 5,400 km. It will be launched from Vadgam, Bhuj, Somnath, Vadgam, Fagvel and Jambusar, party leaders said. The yatra was earlier scheduled to start on Monday, but was postponed by a day following the Morbi bridge collapse tragedy on Sunday. The Gujarat Assembly polls are due this year-end the Election Commission is yet to announce its schedule. Senior Congress leaders, including Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, his Chhattisgarh counterpart Bhupesh Baghel, former Madhya Pradesh chief ministers Digvijaya Singh and Kamal Nath, and MLA Sachin Pilot, are expected to join the yatra, party leaders said. "The Congress' 'Parivartan Sankalp Yatra' will be launched in five zones of Gujarat, and 145 public meetings and 95 rallies will be organised throughout the journey. The .

Morbi bridge tragedy: Digvijaya Singh demands Gujarat CM's resignation

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has demanded the resignation of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel over the Morbi bridge collapse tragedy. A Congress delegation led by Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Gujarat party president Jagdish Thakor and former Madhya Pradesh CM Digvijaya Singh visited Morbi on Monday, a day after the suspension bridge over the Machchhu river collapsed. Rajkot Range Inspector General Ashok Yadav told PTI on Monday that 134 people were killed after the bridge collapsed on Sunday evening. Talking to reporters on Monday, Digvijaya Singh claimed it was a "government-made tragedy" and demanded that the state chief minister resign on moral grounds. "I don't want to do politics, but I have learnt that BJP ministers, MPs, collector and Morbi district superintendent of police were holding a meeting at a nearby place when the bridge collapsed on Sunday evening. They did not stop the meeting to come here," the Congress veteran further claimed. Singh al