Unknown odour reported from Mumbai suburbs
Mumbai: Many residents in Mumbai's western and eastern suburbs reported an unknown odour, prompting rumours of a gas leak at the Rashtriya Chemical Fertiliser's plant in the Chembur suburb, officials said.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said late Thursday that the odour was reported from Powai, Chembur, Mankhurd, Govandi, Chandivali, Andheri and Ghatkopar areas. A police official said no injuries were reported.
A fire brigade spokesperson said the unknown odour was also reported from areas adjoining the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in northern suburb Borivli. Nine fire engines were send at various places to find out the source of leakage, the official said.
The Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL), which supplies piped gas in Mumnai, said in a statement that it had been receiving complaints of gas smell from various parts of Mumbai.
"Our emergency teams have reached the sites from where the complaints have been received. So far, we have not come across any breach in our pipeline system which could result in leakage of gas," it said.
A BMC official said, "In order to trace the origin of the reported gas leak, we deployed fire engines at Deonar, Mankhurd, Chembur, Vikhroli, Dindoshi, Vile Parle, Kanivali and Dahisar areas".
"A total of 29 complaints were received by the BMC control room regarding an unknown smell, which has considerably reduced now," he said.
Four emergency vans of MGL were also mobilised, the official said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
