EU SAYS IT MAY NOT BE POSSIBLE TO CROSS FINISH LINE ON N-DEAL
UNITED NATIONS: Senior Western officials voiced doubts about reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal on Thursday, with the European Union saying it “might not make it over the finishing line” and a US official saying the odds had lengthened after this week’s failed talks.
The UN Security Council met to discuss Iran one day after indirect Us-iran talks ended in Doha with no sign of progress on resurrecting the pact under which Tehran limited its nuclear programme in return for relief from US, UN and EU sanctions.
“I am concerned that we might not make it over the finishing line. My message is: Seize this opportunity to conclude the deal, based on the text that is on the table,” EU Ambassador to the United Nations Olof Skoog said.
SPEAKER ELECTION
directed all parties maintain a status quo, the rebels too will have to follow the whip issued by Sunil Prabhu for Speaker’s election. To bypass this the Bjpshinde alliance has decided to adopt voice voting for the election of Speaker which will make it difficult to ascertain who violated the whip, said BJP insiders. The voice vote has been allowed by Governor Koshyari.
“Speaker’s election will be held through voice vote. Once the new Speaker is elected, the House will decide when the floor test will be conducted (July 3 or 4),” said principal secretary, state legislature, Rajendra Bhagwat. The last date for filing nominations for Speaker’s post is until 12 pm on Saturday, July 2.
Congress leader Balsaheb Thorat questioned the Governor’s decision to go ahead with the Speaker election saying that when the MVA government had wanted to hold Speaker’s election after the poste fell vacant on account of the resignation of
Nana Patole who took over state Congress chief, he refused to act saying the case was sub-judice. “I want to know on what basis has he allowed the Speaker’s election now,” said Thorat.
The floor test is likely to be held on Sunday and will decide the fate of the Shinde-fadnavis government, and also what happens to the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena in the Assembly.
Chief minister Shinde who held a meeting with rebel MLAS in Goa told reporters that his government has the support of 170 MLAS. “The Governor has called a special session and we will succeed on the floor of the House,” he claimed.
AAREY CAR SHED
pleted. The place (Kanjurmarg) for car shed proposed by the previous government is under dispute. Even if it is cleared the work cannot be completed in the next four years. In contrast, the Aarey Colony plot was approved by the Supreme Court. Around 25% work was already completed and the rest of the work can be completed at the earliest,” Fadnavis said.
In 2013, the Congress-nationalist Congress Party (Ncp)-led government proposed to construct a car shed on a 33-acre plot in Aarey Colony for the upcoming Metro 3 line. In 2014, when Fadnavis headed the Bharatiya Janata Party-shiv Sena regime, he had said that some trees were bound to be cut and that it was “important for development”.
In October 2019, the Bombay high court (HC) quashed a clutch of petition by environmentalists that sought to declare the plot in the city’s green lung as a legal forest under the Indian Forest Act (1927). Soon after the HC’S ruling, the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) chopped 98% of the 2,185 trees in that site. After he took over as the chief minister in November 2019, Thackeray stayed the construction of the, following vociferous protests by citizens. He proposed a 112-acre site in Kanjurmarg to develop the car shed.
An eventual tussle between the state and the Central government over ownership of the Kanjurmarg plot led to further delay in the 33-km underground metro project.
Fadnavis said that Thackeray’s decision was incorrect and he had pointed this out to him several times. “I also requested him to keep his ego aside and allow the work to be completed at Aarey,” he said.
The groundwork of the depot commenced in 2017 and was expected to be completed by the end of 2019. The metro depot will be able to accommodate 30 metro trains and is being constructed at a cost of Rs 328 crore.
According to Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL), the excavation of nearly 50% of the land available for the depot has been completed. It will also house the station premises, a maintenance area, metro control centre, stabling yard and a train washing system for the metro train coaches.
The MMRCL will leave 70% of the depot land unpaved and will have a subway, car shed building and a road on the remaining land.
The Metro 3 corridor is expected to be opened in two phases, of which phase one will be between Aarey and Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) of which major work on the depot is expected to be completed by the end of next year.
The body also completed its 41st tunnel breakthrough at the Mumbai Central metro station for the metro 3 corridor last week. A breakthrough is when a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) completes its predetermined drive.