Plea for removal of Mathura's Shahi Idgah mosque: Court issues notices
Mathura, Feb 7: A Mathura court has issued notices to the Shahi Idgah Masjid management committee and others, seeking their stands on a fresh plea for the removal of a 17th-century mosque from near the birthplace of Lord Krishna in the Katra Keshav Dev temple complex here.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Dev Kant Shukla on Saturday issued notices after admitting the plea, ruling that the suit is "maintainable and hence admissible" for detailed hearing, District Government Counsel (Civil) Sanjai Gaur said.
After admitting the civil suit, the court also issued notices to three other respondents -- the president of Sunni Waqf Board, Lucknow and the managing trustees of Sri Krishna Janmabhumi Trust Katra Keshav Dev temple and Sri Krishna Seva Sansthan, Katra Keshav Dev temple.
The court sought the stands of the four respondents to the new plea by March 8, the next date of hearing, DGC Gaur said.
The fresh plea has been filed by priest Pawan Kumar Shastri of the old Keshav Dev temple on behalf of the temple's deity, Thakur Keshav Dev Ji Maharaj Virajman.
'Sevayat' Shastri has made three demands in his plea, firstly claiming the right to manage the entire 13.37 acres land of the Katra Keshav Dev temple complex, including the land on which the Shahi Idgah mosque stands.
He sought the right to manage the entire temple complex claiming that his ancestors have been serving as priests of the deity for decades and he has inherited the right from them as the temple's real 'sevayat' (priest).
Shastri has also demanded the annulment of a 1967 ruling of Mathura court which has ratified a land deal between the Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan and Shahi Idgah Management Committee, allowing the existence of the mosque near the temple.
In his third plea, Shastri has demanded a court direction to the Shahi Masjid Idgah's management committee and Lucknow's Sunni Waqf Board's president to remove the mosque from its current location.
Besides the present suit, three more suits are pending with Mathura courts on the issue.
One suit, filed by advocate Mahendra Pratap Singh on behalf of five plaintiffs, has been admitted for the hearing by the court.
The admissibility of two others, filed respectively by advocate Hari Shankar Jain for Sri Krishna Virajman through the deity's next friend Ranjana Agnihotri and others and advocate Shailendra Singh for Hindu Army chief Manish Yadav, are yet to be decided, DGC (Civil) Gaur said.
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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.
