HP: Sessions court stays order to demolish Sanjauli mosque
Shimla, May 26 (PTI): A sessions court on Monday stayed the May 3 order of the Commissioner's Court that directed the demolition of a mosque located in Sanjauli locality in Shimla after the waqf board had failed to provide the records regarding the ownership of the land.
The court also sought a reply from the Municipal Corporation, Shimla, on the plea by the Himachal Pradesh Waqf Board which has challenged the decision of the Commissioner's Court.
The next hearing in the matter is scheduled for May 29.
Meanwhile, Devbhoomi Sangharsh Samiti, which had filed a caveat petition in the case, withdrew the petition.
A section of residents of Sanjauli and Hindu outfits had launched an agitation last year to press for the demolition of the mosque, claiming that it was unauthorised but no action was taken by the Corporation during the past 15 years.
In October last year, the Commissioner's Court had directed the Sanjauli Mosque Committee and the waqf board to raze the top three floors of the five-storey mosque after they were found to be illegal.
On May 3, the Commissioner's Court directed the Sanjauli Mosque Committee and the waqf board to demolish the remaining two floors of the mosque also after the board failed to provide the records regarding the ownership of the land on which the mosque was constructed.
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Mumbai-Pune Expressway connecting link now fully operational
Mumbai (PTI): The Mumbai-bound carriageway of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway connecting link was opened to vehicular traffic on Saturday noon after a delay caused by the dismantling of inauguration infrastructure and cleaning work, a day after the Pune section became operational.
The 13.3 km-long "missing link", which bypasses a section of the Bhor Ghat stretch of the expressway and cuts travel time between Mumbai and Pune by 25 to 30 minutes, was inaugurated a day earlier by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the presence of Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar.
The Pune-bound carriageway of the corridor was opened to traffic immediately; however, the Mumbai-bound section remained closed to traffic for several hours after the inauguration.
An official of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation told PTI on Saturday that the opening of the Mumbai-bound carriageway was delayed mainly due to the dismantling of the inauguration infrastructure and cleaning work.
The removal of the stage and other decorations was completed in the morning. The work to load and transport the material slightly delayed the opening of the carriageway.
Vehicular movement on the carriageway began after all the remaining material was cleared and road cleaning was completed, the official added.
The expressway control room said that despite significant vehicular movement, the access-controlled highway has not witnessed any major traffic snarls since Friday evening, after the Pune-bound carriageway of the missing link was opened to traffic.
The Missing Link project connects Khopoli (in Raigad) on the Mumbai side to Kusgaon near Lonavala in Pune district and is expected to make the expressway fully access-controlled, easing congestion in the ghat section.
Developed by the MSRDC and dubbed an "engineering marvel", the project includes two tunnels, two viaducts and a cable-stayed bridge over Tiger Valley. It bypasses the steep, accident-prone ghat section, where frequent traffic snarls are reported during weekends and on public holidays.
