Shahi Imam backs Congress and TMC, sparks political row

April 5, 2014

New Delhi, Apr 4: Three days after AICC president Sonia Gandhi met Jama Masjid Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari, triggering a political row, the religious leader on Friday announced his support to the Congress, the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal and the Rashtriya Janata Dal in Bihar.

Terming communalism a “bigger threat” than corruption, Maulana Bukhari appealed to Muslims to support the Congress and ensure that “secular votes are not divided.”

The BJP, which approached the Election Commission alleging that the meeting between the Shahi Imam and Ms. Gandhi could polarise the elections, reacted sharply to the Shahi Imam 's support.

The BJP said while the Congress accused the party of practising communal politics, it “exposed” itself by seeking the support of Muslim clerics for votes. “The Congress talks secularism but walks communalism. The Congress has been badly exposed. It has been labelling us as a communal party but now it has itself been unmasked,” BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.

The Congress downplayed the meeting and said the Imam had met leaders of other political parties too. Party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said “unlike the BJP and its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi,” the Congress never appealed to people to vote on religious lines.

“For the coming Lok Sabha elections, I declare support for the Congress. The nation faces danger from communal forces ... We have to fight unitedly against communal forces,” the Shahi Imam said on Friday.

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Mangaluru’s ₹1,200 crore fix: Massive sewage overhaul to end city’s drainage woes

News Network

December 19,2025

Mangaluru: In a decisive move to tackle the city’s deteriorating sanitation infrastructure, the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) has announced a massive ₹1,200 crore action plan to overhaul its underground drainage (UGD) network.

The initiative, spearheaded by Deputy Commissioner and MCC Administrator Darshan HV, aims to bridge "missing links" in the current system that have left residents grappling with overflowing sewage and environmental hazards.

The Breaking Point

The announcement follows a high-intensity phone-in session on Thursday, where the DC was flooded with grievances from frustrated citizens. Residents, including Savithri from Yekkur, described a harrowing reality: raw sewage from apartments leaking into stormwater drains, creating a "permanent stink" and turning residential zones into mosquito breeding grounds.

"We are facing immense difficulties due to the stench and the health risks. Local officials have remained silent until now," one resident reported during the session.

The Strategy: A Six-Year Vision

DC Darshan HV confirmed that the proposed plan is not a temporary patch but a comprehensive six-year roadmap designed to accommodate Mangaluru’s projected population growth. Key highlights of the plan include:

• Infrastructure Expansion: Laying additional pipelines to connect older neighborhoods to the main grid.

• STP Crackdown: Stricter enforcement of Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) regulations. While new apartments are required to have functional STPs, many older buildings lack them entirely, and several newer units are reportedly non-functional.

• Budgetary Push: The plan has already been discussed with the district in-charge minister and the Secretary of the Urban Development Department. It is slated for formal presentation in the upcoming state budget.

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