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BMC, Railways, IIT-B to jointly audit 445 bridges from Friday

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Mumbai, July 5 (IANS) A day after stringent observations by the Bombay High Court, a high-level meeting of the civic and railway administrations, besides the IIT-B, on Thursday decided to start detailed audits of all 445 bridges in the Mumbai suburban railway networks area from Friday, an official said here.

A dozen teams comprising experts from BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Western Railway (WR), Central Railway (CR) and the Indian Institute of Technology, (IIT-B) will be formed, as the three organisations finally got cracking on the issue.

These teams will take up the technical audits of all 445 structures like road overbridges, foot overbridges, pipelines, flyovers, skywalks, etc, which pass over the railway tracks on the CR and WR suburban system, the lifeline of Mumbai’s daily eight million commuters, spanning Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad districts.

“As per directives of Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, the high-level meeting was held at the BMC office. It was attended by Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta, WR General Manager A.K. Gupta, CR General Manager D.K. Sharma and engineering heads of all the three organisations,” WR spokesperson Ravinder Bhakar told IANS.

“We shall ask the IIT-B experts to suggest if they have any advanced technology for the speedy repairs or reconstruction of the stressed bridges,” he added.

Bhakar however ruled out the possibility of taking help of the Indian Army which had helped construct three other railway bridges on the Mumbai suburban section with record speed last year after the September 29 stampede at Elphinstone Road station which killed 23 commuters.

The audits of all these structures shall be completed within a time-frame of three-four months, he added on the development which came two days after a portion of the Gokhale Bridge in Andheri crashed, paralyzing Mumbai on Tuesday.

A division bench of the Bombay High Court comprising Justice N.H. Patil and Justice G.S. Kulkarni, while hearing a PIL filed by Mumbai Congress leader Smita Dhruva, made stringent observations asking the BMC not to shirk its responsibility when any incident pertaining to civic amenities affects the citizens of Mumbai.

Additionally, at Thursday’s meeting in the BMC, the heads decided to order repairs or reconstruct the stressed bridges on priority without procedural delays, with precedence given to the oldest structures, with complete coordination among various agencies.

The three organisations shall also conduct regular monthly meetings of top officials, clear issues about designs, drawings, approvals, land issues, etc, to speed up the required works.

They would also explore the feasibility of creating a special corpus fund for the purpose of an appropriate amount, to ensure financial resources are readily available, especially for undertaking works of urgent nature or in emergencies.

However, the work on those bridges and structures already identified for repairs or reconstruction, would be taken up on top priority without procedural delays.

The CR and WR heads urged the BMC chief to initiate a drive to remove encroachments on the pedestrian pathways on all bridge which corrode and weaken the structures.

–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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