'The Uttar Pradesh state government is preparing to fell 63,799 trees in Lucknow along the Gomti river for the Defence Expo, to be held in February next year, according to a report in IANS. In a letter, the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) has asked the Lucknow Nagar Nigam to cut trees from Hanuman Setu to the Nishatganj bridge as several events for the Defence Expo, in which guests from several countries will be invited to witness the country’s defence power, will be held there.
'On October 22, days before the state of Jammu and Kashmir was officially split into two Union Territories, the state administration announced a new department of registration would be set up. It would function under the revenue department. The aim was to “provide hassle free and speedy service to the citizens for registration of documents pertaining to immovable property like sale, gift, mortgage, lease, bequest”, said a government press release on October 23. The governor had approved the creation of 464 new posts for the new department...
'Last year, when the Supreme Court ruled that women of menstrual age could enter the Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala despite a proscription against this, the Kerala government led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) decided to prove its social crusader credentials by backing women who wanted to exercise their constitutional rights to visit the shrine... But all it took for the Left government to forget about constitutional rights was one election.
'...The woman went missing late on Wednesday after a few truck drivers had offered to help her get a punctured tyre repaired near the Shamshabad toll plaza. The woman’s sister had called the police to file a complaint on Wednesday night. She said that despite her calling the police, officials had not searched areas near the toll plaza for her sister, whose body was found on Thursday, The New Indian Express reported.
'The Assam government, which had announced that all the households in the state have had a power connection since the end of March this year, said in parliament that two lakh households had not been electrified on that date...'
'Nearly two months after the ‘namak-roti' fiasco at a primary school in Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh, now, a primary school in the tribal area of Sonbhadra district has been accused of serving adulterated milk to the students under the mid-day meal scheme on November 27. As per the menu of the mid-day meal scheme, prescribed by the Uttar Pradesh government, tehri and milk are supposed to be given to the students.
[Once again, the BJP appears to have little faith in EVMs.] 'The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) suspected foul play after it lost all the three seats in the bypolls held in West Bengal. National Secretary and Bengal BJP leader Rahul Sinha said that the state machinery openly helped the ruling Trinamool Congress and that they will report this to the Election Commission. Sinha told IANS, "Though the Election Commission monitors all the elections but the execution of bypolls is being done by the state. TMC can do anything to win the elections." He even raised doubts about the EVMs.
'Amitbhai Jerambhai Parmar, a dalit RTI activist and social worker was attacked reportedly by men belonging to upper caste while he was returning to his home at Khopala village in Gadhada taluka, Botad. At around 2.30 pm on November 25, Parmar was attacked by at least three men, who left him grievously injured. Parmar who has undergone surgery on his right hand at Bhavnagar civil hospital is awaiting surgery for his legs—fractured due to the attack. An FIR was filed at the Gadhada police station after Parmar was admitted to the hospital.
'A woman activist, who is part of a team headed for Sabarimala to offer prayers at the Lord Ayyappa Shrine, was allegedly attacked by a member of a Hindu outfit here on Tuesday. Bindu Ammini, who created history by visiting Sabarimala temple last year following the apex court order, was part of the team led by gender rights activist Trupti Desai. Ammini was attacked by a member of a Hindu outfit using pepper or chilli spray outside the police commissionerate...'
'...A little more than a month after the horrific double murder of the Dalit father and son, their family members face more threats of violent action. While the case is pending in the courts, the accused and the victims’ families in the village of Shirol in Mudhol taluk, Bagalkot district, are forced to live within spitting distance of each other. The accused meanwhile are out on anticipatory bail... Angered that they were being instructed by a lower caste man, a group of men allegedly came to their house that evening, beat up both men and women of the family and destroyed their things.
