Tragic Blaze Claims 11 Lives in Delhi Factory

New Delhi, Dec 16 (IANS) The Delhi High Court on Monday asked the city government’s Fire Department and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to examine the feasibility of implementing a basic level of safety for the residents of slums and JJ clusters.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) highlighting the tragic incident in the slums of Neb Sarai, where a fire claimed the lives of a 12-year-old girl and a woman.

“This preventable disaster occurred because emergency services, including fire brigades, could not access the area due to narrow and congested lanes,” said the petition filed by Alliance For People’s Rights, a network of NGOs.

This heartbreaking event has brought into sharp focus the administrative apathy that has not only violated the fundamental right to life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India but also caused immense hardship to the community, it added.

The petition said that the fire caused immense hardship to approximately 100 individuals, most of whom belonged to economically vulnerable groups, and these families lost not only their makeshift homes but also their meagre possessions, plunging them further into despair.

“This incident underscores the dire consequences of administrative apathy and highlights the urgent need for infrastructural development and disaster preparedness in Neb Sarai to prevent such tragedies in the future,” it further stated.

The PIL, filed through advocate Pankaj Sinha, sought directions for formulation and implementation of comprehensive guidelines addressing the challenges faced by slums across various parts of Delhi, particularly those with narrow passages that hinder access to essential public services and facilities, to prevent the recurrence of such unfortunate incidents in the future.

It also demanded that authorities should be ordered to pay exemplary and adequate compensation to all the victims who have lost their lives or who have sustained fatal injuries on account of their fault. Further, it sought directions to ensure basic amenities in the localities so as to ensure the right to live with dignity to the residents of the community.

Stressing the requirement for proper construction guidelines in the national capital, the Delhi High Court disposed of the petition.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 12 (IANS) Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has highlighted that India is aiming for a balanced, comprehensive and mutually beneficial Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the EU, according to an official statement issued on Thursday.

At a meeting held here with Ambassadors of the European Commission delegation, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Spain and Sweden, the minister discussed the growing proximity and rising trade between India and the EU.

Minister Goyal said the FTA negotiations, after nine rounds of intense engagement, need political directions to arrive at a commercially meaningful deal while understanding the sensitivities of each other.

He further underlined that any sustainability discussions must appreciate the principle of Common But Differentiated Responsibility(CBDR) and implementation of such measures should take into account differing paths of development. He added that the Indian economy is expected to grow at 7-8 per cent annually to become the third-largest economy in the world over the next few years. Thereafter, rapid and exponential growth would help India’s GDP to reach the milestone of $35 trillion by 2047.

Acknowledging the large and untapped economic potential, the European side underscored that both sides would gain tremendously by integrating the two economies and building resilience in their supply chains. The interaction also accorded an opportunity to discuss progress in the India-EU Trade and Technology Council. India is the only country, other than the United States, with which the EU has such a mechanism.

India’s bilateral trade in goods with the EU was $137.41 billion in 2023-24, making it the largest trading partner of India for goods. In addition, the bilateral trade in services, in 2023, between India and the EU was estimated at $ 51.45 billion.

The trade agreement with the EU would help India further expand and diversify its exports of goods and services while securing the value chains. India is seeking to forge balanced agreements with major world economies to increase its market share in global trade, it added.

–IANS

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Bhopal, Dec 19 (IANS) The Madhya Pradesh government is gearing up for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Chhatapur to lay the foundation stone for the Ken-Betwa link project on December 25.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav will visit the Bundelkhand region on Thursday to review the state government’s preparations and participate in several programmes organised in different districts ahead of PM Modi’s visit.

The Chief Minister will participate in the ‘Kisan Sammelan’ (farmers gathering) at a stadium in Chhatarpur district. The farmers from districts Panna, Chhatarpur, Sagar of Bundelkhand region will attend the event.

Chief Minister Yadav will address the gathering of farmers to inform them about the benefits of the much-talked Ken-Betwa river linking project between Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

Later, he will participate in a ‘Jal Kalash Yatra’ being organised in Panna district. A group of women will take out a vibrant procession through the streets. Further, the Chief Minister will attend a ‘Sant Sammelan’ (gathering of saints) in Panna.

All these events are being organised under the ‘Jan-Kalyan Parv’, a campaign launched on the completion of one year of the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh.

The Ken-Betwa River interlinking project will transport excess water from the Ken River in Madhya Pradesh to the Betwa River in Uttar Pradesh to irrigate the drought-prone Bundelkhand region.

PM Modi will visit Chhatarpur to lay the foundation stone of the Ken-Betwa river linking project on the occasion of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birth anniversary on December 25.

Earlier, CM Yadav said that the project will provide water for irrigation for over 8.1 lakh hectares in MP’s Bundelkhand region and another 2.5 lakh hectares in Uttar Pradesh. Chhatarpur, Panna, Tikamgarh, Niwari, Sheopur, Damoh, Datia, Raisen, Vidisha and Sagar districts will benefit from the project.

Notably, a similar river interlining project was initiated between Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. A tripartite agreement was signed between MP, Rajasthan, and the Central government in the presence of PM Modi in Jaipur on Tuesday.

The project will provide water for 6.1 lakh hectares of farmland under irrigation in 11 districts of Madhya Pradesh, including Guna, Rajgarh, Shivpuri, Dewas, Ujjain, Agar, Mandsaur and Morena.

–IANS

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