Hijab verdict: Udupi student-petitioners, Muslim girls in Shivamogga skip classes, exams
Traders in Bhatkal observe Bandh to "lodge their dissatisfaction"
Bengaluru(PTI): The six Muslim girl students of the Government Pre University Girls College in the coastal town of Udupi did not turn up for classes on Wednesday, a day after their petition seeking permission to wear hijab inside classrooms was dismissed by the Karnataka High Court.
In its 129-page order the High Court had held that Hijab is not an Essential Religious Practice and upheld the Karnataka Government's order banning the use of any cloth on the campus that could disturb peace, harmony and public order.
The girls stuck to their stand that they will not enter the college without the headscarf and would fight the case legally. They were absent when the preparatory exams of the second pre-university classes were going on.
In Kamala Nehru College in Shivamogga, which had seen disturbances over the Hijab row earlier, 15 girls returned home saying that they will not enter college without wearing hijab.
It was in this district headquarters town that a Bajrang Dal activist was hacked to death recently, leading to tension. The 15 girls arrived with burqa and hijab but the college management barred entry, and they decided not to attend classes.
One of them told reporters that hijab was their religious right and identity and they cannot enter the college without it.
"Today was the last day to submit our assignments but we are not allowed inside the class. We requested them (college authorities) to allow us but the college said the court order has to be followed. It is not the fault of principal or the teachers. Actually we did not get justice," another girl said.
Meanwhile, in Muslim-dominated Bhatkal town in Uttara Kannada district, a section of traders observed Bandh to "lodge their dissatisfaction" over the Karnataka High Court order.
The Burma Bazaar, Main Road, Madina Colony and Navayat Colony in Bhatkal wore deserted look.
Karnataka Higher Education Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan said the government will not succumb to any threat from those "who wanted the High Court order pertaining to hijab in their favour"
"We have to understand that we are Indians and Kannadigas first. The adamant posture of the girls that the order should have been in their favour is not proper. Our government will not succumb to any threats," Narayan told reporters in Magadi in Ramanagara district.
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Mumbai Metro lines 9 and 2B open for commuters
Mumbai (PTI): Commercial operations on the first phases of Mumbai Metro corridors 9 and 2B began on Wednesday morning, a day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the mass-transit routes, officials said.
While the Metro 9 marks the first direct connectivity between a suburb in Mumbai and a part of Thane city in the metropolitan region, the Line 2B will provide the first metro connectivity on the Harbour Line in Mumbai.
The 5.6-km elevated Phase 1 stretch of Metro Line 9 comprises four stations -- Dahisar East, Pandurangwadi, Miragaon and Kashigaon. The 5.53-km Phase 1 of Metro Line 2B has five stations, including Deshbhakt N G Acharya Udyan (Diamond Garden), Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Chowk, Deonar, Mankhurd and Maharashtra Nagar–Mandale.
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According to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), Line 9 is expected to cut travel time between Mira-Bhayandar in Thane district and Mumbai to around 30 minutes from the current one to two hours. Built at Rs 6,607 crore, it will eventually provide seamless connectivity to south Mumbai through interlinking with other lines.
With the addition of the two new lines, Mumbai’s operational Metro network has expanded to six corridors, including Line 1 (Ghatkopar-Andheri-Versova), Line 2A (Andheri West-Dahisar East), Line 7 (Dahisar East-Andheri East) and the underground Line 3 (Colaba-Bandra Kurla Complex-SEEPZ).
As per MMRDA, the revised timetable for Line 2A and Line 7 came into effect on Wednesday, aimed at improving frequency, predictability and overall commuter experience.
It said that with the inauguration of Line 9, Metro Line 2A will now operate as a standalone corridor between Andheri West and Dahisar East, with services from 5.50 am till around 11 pm and a peak frequency of about six minutes.
The integrated Line 7-9 corridor (Gundavali to Kashigaon), spanning 19.79 km, will operate from 5.50 am to 11 pm, with a peak frequency of under six minutes and 276 services on weekdays.
Metro Line 2B (Phase 1) services commenced at 6 am and will run till around 10.30 pm at intervals of approximately nine-and-a-half minutes, operating 209 services daily, according to officials.
MMRDA said the integration of Line 7 with Line 9 enables direct connectivity from Andheri East to Mira-Bhayandar, while Lines 2A and 7 will function as separate corridors.
A seamless interchange facility at Dahisar station will allow passengers to switch between Lines 2A and 7 without exiting the “paid” (ticketed) area.
