Varanasi Court to hear plea for ASI survey of unreached cellars in Gyanvapi Mosque on Feb 15
Varanasi: The Varanasi District Court is set to hear a plea on February 15, demanding a direction to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a comprehensive survey of inaccessible cellars within the Gyanvapi Mosque premises. The application calls for the removal of blocked entrances and debris hindering access to areas not covered in ASI's recent survey.
Filed under Section 75 (e) and Order 26 Rule 10A r/w Section 151 of CPC, the plea was submitted by Rakhi Singh, plaintiff no. 1 in the Shringar Gauri Worshipping suit 2022 (pending before the Varanasi Court), through Advocate Saurabh Tiwary.
Singh argues that surveying the remaining cellars is crucial to determine the religious character of the Gyanvapi premises. The application highlights the existence of cellars N1 to N5 (in the north) and S1 to S3 (in the south) within the Gyanvapi premises. Notably, cellars N1 and S1 are entirely inaccessible due to blocked entrances.
Referring to ASI's recent report on the scientific survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque, Singh notes that the entrances to N1 are blocked, hindering knowledge of its dimensions and inner arrangement. The plea emphasizes that certain cellars inside the mosque premises remain unsurveyed due to blocked entrances, urging the ASI to conduct surveys without causing damage to the structure.
In a related development, the Varanasi District Judge recently permitted the regular worship of Hindu deities in the southern cellar of Varanasi's Gyanvapi Masjid by a family of priests who performed rituals there before 1993. Following this order, District Magistrate MS Rajalingam, along with government officials, entered the mosque complex and spent approximately two hours inside. Subsequently, the basement (tehkhana) was unlocked, and regular worship commenced, leading to devotees congregating outside 'Vyas Ji ka Tahkhana.'
The Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee, which manages the Gyanvapi mosque, has challenged the Varanasi District Court's order in the Allahabad High Court.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
