Controversy erupts as Ayodhya Development Authority denotifies Army training land
Ayodhya: A controversy has emerged following the Ayodhya Development Authority's (ADA) decision to denotify land previously used for Army training and practice in Majha Jamthara village. The land, which was reportedly purchased by several high-profile individuals, including the Adani Group, Baba Ramdev, and Sri Sri Ravishankar, is now earmarked for the development of a temple museum.
Advocate Praveen Dubey, who brought the issue of encroachment in 14 villages (5,419 hectares) around the Army cantonment to the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court, expressed shock over the denotification of Majha Jamthara while the case was still pending. Dubey emphasized that the encroachment posed significant security concerns, noting that some Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders had constructed commercial establishments on this land.
Divisional Commissioner Ayodhya, Gaurav Dayal, clarified to The Hindu that the denotified land never belonged to the Army. He stated that the area, a mix of nazul and private ownership, had been regularly notified for Army firing practice every five years upon the recommendation of the District Magistrate. However, no firing has occurred in the location for decades. According to Dayal, the area is designated for parks and open spaces in the notified Master Plan of the ADA.
Dubey further mentioned that despite the denotification, private landowners would not be permitted to conduct commercial activities as the designated land use remains for parks and open spaces. The government's plans to build a massive temple museum on the site have also been confirmed.
Congress leader Pawan Khera criticized the BJP-led state and central governments, accusing them of using religion as a cover to benefit a select few. "Land notified as a buffer zone for Army Training is first bought by Adani, Ravi Shankar & Baba Ramdev and is then denotified by the Governor," Khera wrote on social media platform X, questioning the motivations behind the decision.
Do you want to know what they actually do while hiding behind religion and nationalism?
— Pawan Khera 🇮🇳 (@Pawankhera) August 5, 2024
Land notified as buffer zone for Army Training is first bought by Adani, Ravi Shankar & Baba Ramdev and is then de notified by the Governor. https://t.co/eOr0BfTSN5
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Syria says Israeli strikes leave 18 dead in the biggest toll since the war in Gaza began
Masyaf (Syria), Sep 9: The number of people killed in overnight Israeli strikes in Syria has risen to 18 with dozens more wounded, Syria's health minister said on Monday — the largest death toll in such an attack since the beginning of the war in Gaza.
One of the sites targeted was a research centre used in the development of weapons, a war monitor said. Syrian officials said civilian sites were targeted.
Israel regularly targets military sites in Syria linked to Iran and the Lebanese group Hezbollah. Those strikes have become more frequent as Hezbollah has exchanged fire with Israeli forces for the past 11 months against the backdrop of Israel's war against Hamas — a Hezbollah ally — in Gaza.
However, the intensity and death toll of Sunday night's strikes were unusual.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of war-torn Syria in recent years, but it rarely acknowledges or discusses the operations. The strikes often target Syrian forces or Iranian-backed groups.
Israel has vowed to stop Iranian entrenchment in Syria, particularly since Syria is a key route for Iran to send weapons to Hezbollah.
Israeli strikes hit several areas in central Syria, damaging a highway in Hama province and sparking fires, Syrian state news agency SANA said.
Speaking to reporters, Syrian Health Minister Hassan al-Ghabbash described the strikes as a “brutal and barbaric aggression”. He said the death toll had risen to 18 with nearly 40 wounded.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, said 25 were killed, including at least five civilians, while the others included Syrian army soldiers and members of Hezbollah and other Iran-linked armed groups.
One strike targeted a scientific research centre in Masyaf, and others struck sites where “Iranian militias and experts are stationed to develop weapons in Syria”, the observatory said. It said the research centre was reportedly used for developing weapons, including short- and medium-range precision missiles and drones.
Minister of Electricity Mohammad al-Zamel said the strikes had caused “truly significant” damage to water and electricity infrastructure.
“This brutal attack targeted civilian targets, and the martyrs were mostly civilians, as were the wounded,” he said.
Local media also reported strikes around the coastal city of Tartous, which the observatory said were the result of air defense missiles falling.
On Monday afternoon, a charred car remained at the scene of one strike and smoke was still rising from some spots where fires had been put out.
