Category Archives: Transport

Kerala man builds miniature replica of Mahindra jeep for his kids

Areekode (Malappuram District), KERALA :

Shakir, who is a resident of Areekode in Malappuram district, Kerala, built a miniature soft top Mahindra jeep for his children and the video of his creation is now making rounds on the internet.

While it’s common for parents to buy kids their favourite toys, a Kerala man went out of his way to build a miniature jeep for his children to play with.

Shakir, a resident of Areekode in Malappuram district, built a miniature soft top Mahindra jeep for his children and the video of his creation is now making rounds on the internet.

The jeep, which is a replica of a Mahindra Jeep, is powered by a 1000 watts motor and comes complete with a manual gearbox, power steering, detachable soft top and headlights. It took Shakir around a year to finish the project.

In the video, Shakir explained that though he completed the project over 5-6 years ago, it was only now that the miniature jeep went viral.

The jeep, which reportedly has a driving range of approximately 60-70 km, cost him around Rs 1.5 lakhs.

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Trending> Trending in India / by Trends Desk, New Delhi / April 19th, 2021

Mechanic Khaleel’s Way Of Aatmanirbhar Bharat: German Car’s Switch Unit Runs With Mixer’s Speed Knob!

Mysuru, KARNATAKA :

Owning a car was a distant dream till 50 years of my age. Finally, I could buy a petite beauty — a German company car Opel Corsa Sail. It was a “pre-owned” one (decent word for second hand). The running around I made to purchase this would itself make an interesting story as I was a greenhorn then. The pre-owner used all his expertise in explaining its features and convinced me to buy it. He also postured as if he was deeply pained to part with the car.

Well, like any other kid with a new toy, I developed a bond with this beauty. Once, it was a dream to buy a car but soon I used to drive this car even in my dreams. My   obsession for spic and span maintenance of my new love, made her silver-coloured curvatures (I believe Chassis is a very harsh word) shine brighter.

A veteran from Indian Air Force that I am, the lessons on cleanliness has been imbibed by me. I never cared for myself even when I got sunburned in the cleaning process. I thought I had to compensate the time lost in my earlier 50 years without a car and spent more time in adoration of this new car !

This car had an exquisite spacious accommodation and upkeep of the interiors of her beauty was also given equal prominence. Dust was my chief enemy. The sight of dust would horrify me. So cleaning was meticulous. Even the remote and hard-to-access portions were carefully polished.

Well, my wife was obviously unhappy that in the course of car cleaning, my household responsibilities were weaning. Her frequency of nagging had increased. (Friends used to say their wives are also same and that sounded like music to my ears). One fine day (can I call it so?), in spite of my wife’s admonitions, I ventured into cleaning my car.

Matter of just a switch

I do not dare to blame my wife for her warnings, because of which I got a little distressed. But the resultant bad mood had an evil effect as I cleaned the interiors. There was this headlight control switch that became the casualty of my distraught. Unlike the modern-day cars, which have control switch attached to steering wheel itself, in my car, it was a little remotely fixed at right-hand corner below the dashboard. Because of my unusual harsh handling that day, the switch got damaged and so was my sleep that night.

The next day I went to the company-authorised service centre. The service engineer inspected it and gave a verdict that it cannot be repaired and the entire switch control unit needs to be replaced, with an original imported one. He said that it has to be obtained from the manufacturer and may take 15 days and the estimated cost was about Rs. 7,000.

Deft hands

I got worried and decided to have a second opinion. One of my friends advised me to go to a local mechanic, Khaleel, who was an expert in his own way in repairing high-end cars. I thought of giving it a try and went to his garage which was next to a Gujari (dump yard). I was amazed to see several high-end imported cars parked there for different levels of repairs.

I was very anxious about the snag in my car, may be very minor, but was paramount for me. But after inspecting the car for only a few seconds, he showed no expressions whatsoever. He asked me to leave the car and come after an hour. His face was so serious that I did not dare to ask any more questions. The next one hour was the toughest in my life. My restless mind was preparing for the worst. 

Complex problem, simple solution

I went back to the garage, posing with a fictional courage. Cool as a cucumber, Khaleel said the snag is rectified and demonstrated that it worked properly.  He asked me to pay Rs. 100. I was astonished and could not believe. I peeped into the dashboard and I could see a new control knob, which looked pretty familiar as well as bizarre to me. It was totally different from the original one. I wondered how he could get such a part which was supposed to cost a bomb and was not readily available locally in such a short time and that too for a paltry hundred rupees.  

When I expressed my bewilderment and disbelief (though happy within), he nonchalantly said, “Saar, it is very simple technology like a mixer in your house.  I just bought a mixer speed control knob for just ten rupees and replaced the broken switch” and handed over the broken switch to me. I was astounded. I thought to myself, hell with the frightening company-authorised service centre, my job was done so effortlessly and the worry vanished.  

Above all, I thought, it was a classic  example of “vocal for local” and “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” much before our Prime Minister Modi promulgated the scheme nationally. Wonder how many such sophisticated spare parts Khaleel would have  replaced in those imported cars lying in his garage with their bonnets open to the sky. And how many such Khaleels  would be in the trade!

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / by S. Vasudevan, Retired Superintendent of Customs & GST / March 26th, 2021

Meet Subhana Nazir, doctor who helped deliver baby onboard Jaipur-Bengaluru flight

Jaipur, RAJASTHAN :

The flight is said to have landed at 8.05 am at Jaipur Airport following which a doctor and an ambulance was arranged.

Dr Subhana Nazir

Bengaluru :

A North Western Railway Zone doctor was lauded after she assisted in the delivery of a baby girl onboard an IndiGo flight from Bengaluru to Jaipur on Wednesday. An official communique from the airlines stated that the baby was delivered with the help of the flight crew under the guidance of Dr Subhana Nazir.  There were 116 passengers onboard the flight.  

The flight is said to have landed at 8.05 am at Jaipur Airport following which a doctor and an ambulance was arranged. The baby and the mother are safe, the airlines said.Dr Subhana received a rousing welcome on landing at Jaipur Airport and was also lauded by her railway zone.

“Committed to duty… anytime… anywhere. Dr Subhana Nazir, a railway doctor of North Western Railways, while travelling Indigo6E from Bengaluru to Jaipur attended to the medical emergency and helped deliver a baby on board. #Proudrailwaywoman,” tweeted the NW zone.“The Indigo crew were able to help the doctor after having received special training for such situations,” said an airline representative.
In October last year, the airline had faced a similar situation on a Delhi-Bengaluru flight.

Indigo permits expectant mothers till the end of 36 weeks of pregnancy, provided there are no prior complications, to board flights.  If the pregnancy is between the 33rd and 36th week, a fit-to-fly certificate from the treating obstetrician, dated not more than seven days before the date of travel, is required.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Express News Service / March 18th, 2021

Meet Kashmiri Hilal Ahmed Rather, India’s first pilot to fly Rafale

Anantnag District, JAMMU & KASHMIR :

Meet Kashmiri Hilal Ahmed Rather, India's first pilot to fly Rafale
The man in the Indian Air Force uniform is Air Commodore Hilal Ahmad Rather with India’s Ambassador to France Jawed Ashraf, an Chairman of Dassault Aviation, Eric Trappier
  • Hilal was commissioned in Indian Air Force as a fighter pilot on December 17, 1988
  • Air Commodore Hilal Ahmad Rather is presently India’s Air Attaché to France

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The first batch of the much-awaited five Rafale fighter jets that took off from France on July 27 will reach India today around 2 PM. In the moment of euphoria over the arrival of one of world’s best fighter jets, Indian social media users were quick to point out the important role played by Hilal Ahmad Rather in the quick delivery of Rafale.

Air Commodore Hilal Ahmad Rather is presently India’s Air Attaché to France. Hilal hails from South Kashmir’s Anantnag district. He became India’s first pilot to see off the batch of Rafale jets from France to India on July 27. Reports suggest that he played a crucial part in early delivery of the Rafales, and was previously associated with the weaponisation of the Rafale jets according to the Indian requirements.

Hilal was commissioned in Indian Air Force as a fighter pilot on December 17, 1988. He became flight lieutenant in 1993, wing commander in 2004, group captain in 2016 and air commodore in 2019.

Recipient of Vayu Sena Medal and Vishisht Seva medal, Hilal has a record of 3,000 accident-free flying hours on different aircraft.

An October 2019 video was also shared widely where he was preparing for Shashtra Puja along with Group Captain Anand, in presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

India had signed a deal worth over ₹60,000 crore with France in September 2016 for 36 Rafales to meet the emergency requirements of the IAF.

source: http://www.livemint.com / Mint / Home> News> India / by Staff Reporter / July 29th, 2020

J&K girls are flying high, as pilots

JAMMU & KASHMIR :

Kaneez Fatima.

In the recent past, Jammu and Kashmir has been giving to the country several women professional pilots—young women who have struggled hard to get their wings to fly. The latest to join the club is Kaneez Fatima who became the second lady from Ladakh to become a pilot.

Talking to The Sunday Guardian, her mother Shakeela Bano said that her daughter’s success was because of her, the mother’s, struggle as she had single-handedly brought up Kaneez and provided her with the required education. Shakeela was divorced at a young age and devoted her life to bring up her two daughters.

Shakeela said that she saw a spark in her daughter and was very keen for her education. “I got myself transferred from Ladakh to Srinagar only for the better education of my daughter. I gave her my best as a single parent, I tried my best to give her everything she needed,” she told this newspaper.

She said she was satisfied that her daughters were settled in their lives and added that the burden of her bank loan for their education was no longer occupying her mind. Her elder daughter Nahida is an engineer with HAL. She did her engineering from Srinagar.

“I took a huge loan from a bank in Srinagar for the education of my daughters. Now it is all over. I have achieved what I wanted for my daughters,” said a smiling Shakeela. She said that she could get her daughter admitted to the Government Aviation Training Institute at Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Kaneez, according to her mother, went through a six-year training course and subsequent flying experience.

According to Shakeela, another girl from Leh was so inspired by her daughter’s struggle that she too got herself enrolled for training in the same institute.

J&K came into prominence when Captain Tanvi Raina became a pilot. It was followed by other success stories of women pilots Ayesha Aziz and Iram Habib. The state got its first Muslim pilot Hina Masood, who is working with Air India now, and belongs to Ladakh. Like Hina, Kaneez has also joined Air India. Ayesha is flying fighter jets and has roots in Kashmir as her mother is from the Valley.

source: http://www.sundaygurardianlive.com / TSG – Sunday Guardian Live / Home> News / by Noor ul Qamrain / September 22nd, 2018

A 1947 vintage car returns to Salih’s home after 60 years

Valappad (Thrissur District) KERALA :

Thrissur:

Expatriate businessman C P Salih had a happy reunion recently after 60 years — with a gleaming Studebaker car that had left his home in 1960.

Salih’s father Chandanaparambil C P Mohammad had bought this American car from Delhi. It is estimated that the car, manufactured in 1947, arrived in India in 1949.

It was in this car that the wedding party of the mother-in-law of prominent businessman Galfar Mohamed Ali had travelled to the wedding.

C P Mohammad sold the car in the 1960s. After changing several hands, it finally reached Delhi again. What’s more, it had the same old number — DBG 8213. Mohammad had written in his diary that he had bought the car for Rs 2,400. The car was tracked in Delhi with the help of the old number.

Salih purchased the car and brought it to his Valappad home to give it to his son Anhar Salih as a wedding gift. The car was originally red in colour. It has now turned blue. The top was lost due to age. But the engine is still the old one.

C P Salih with his family.

On seeing its return, many elders shared their memories of having seen the car in the past. All this was recorded and kept by Salih’s family. Many were not even allowed to touch the car. But C P Mohammad took everyone in the area in the car.

While the old car has been found, one puzzle related to it remains. CP Mohammad had written in his diary that an Ezhuthachan in Thrissur had helped him buy the car. Salih has not yet been able to find out who that was.

source: http://www.onmanorama.com / OnManorama / Home> News> Business / by OnManorama Correspondent / January 17th, 2021

Neha Fida Wani Becomes Kashmir’s 2nd Commercial Pilots License Holder

Anantnag District , Kashmir , JAMMU & KASHMIR :

Captain Neha Fida Wani. Source: Greater Kashmir

On Wednesday, headlines in an English newspaper read: ‘Kashmir Girl, 20, Adds Wings to Her Dreams, Bags Commercial Pilot’s License.’ The report in Greater Kashmir newspaper was about Neha Fida Wani, who became the second girl from Kashmir to achieve this feat at such a young age.

Commercial Pilots License

Neha Fida Wani, has become the second girl from Kashmir after Ayesha Aziz. Ayesha had become the youngest student pilot in India in 2011 at the age of 16 years, the report said.

Neha, who hails from K.P Road area, did her  schooling from south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, and later moved to Chandigarh for higher studies. “After finishing 12th class in September 2018, I joined Chimes Aviation Academy in Madhya Pradesh,” Neha told Greater Kashmir.

She said the thing that fascinated her to become a pilot was the thought of flying an airplane. “I was clueless about this profession and would always spend hours surfing the Internet to know how to pursue this career. I have been fascinated by the pilots too,” said Neha.

Neha said she remembers flying the Cessna 172 aircraft for the first time in her life after getting a commercial license. “I was absolutely thrilled when I flew the aircraft for the first time. The whole journey through attaining my commercial pilot’s license (CPL) was surreal. I flew in all kinds of weather situations,” she said.

Neha has completed 200 hours

“I completed 200 hours of flying training, of which 185 hours were on Cessna 172 and 15 hours on DA42 aircraft. As a child I used to think whether one day I will be able to do that or not. I am glad that I am a pilot now. My dream is gradually becoming a reality,” she said, beaming with pride.

Revealing her future plans, Neha told the newspaper that said that she wants to work with Indigo airlines airlines. “It’s my dream,” she said.

2nd Kashmiri Girl Pilot

Neha has been very lucky as she has enjoyed the support of her family in pursuing her dream. “They (parents) have always been very supportive both financially and emotionally throughout the journey,” she said.

Her father, Fida Wani, who owns a business, said that they kept supporting Neha despite many people talking bad about them. “Sometimes it was getting very difficult for us but we never backed down. It did hurt us but it didn’t demotivate us. We are all very proud of her,” he said.

Neha said that everybody has a potential to do something out of the box, especially young Kashmiri youth. “All we need to do is to know our goals and work hard to achieve them,” she said.

source: http://www.aviatorsbuzz.com / Aviators Buzz / Home> News / by AB Editorial Team / December 10th, 2020

Self-made billionaire petrol station tycoon brothers, 48 and 49, from Blackburn agree deal to buy Asda from Walmart for £6.8bn bringing supermarket giant back under British control

Gujarat, INDIA / Blackburn (Lancashire) UNITED KINGDOM:

  • Mohsin Issa, 49, and brother Zuber, 48, stunned the City by being named as lead bidders for fight to buy Asda 
  • Walmart, chain’s US owner, announced they had accepted bid from duo today but will retain a minority stake
  • Last stage of extraordinary rags to riches story that began with them taking over single petrol station in Bury
  • It comes more than a year after planned merger between Asda and Sainsbury’s was torpedoed by regulators

Two self-made billionaire petrol tycoon brothers have agreed to buy Asda from Walmart for £6.8billion to bring the supermarket back under British control.  

Mohsin Issa, 49, and his brother Zuber, 48, from Blackburn, stunned the City by being named as lead bidders to take over the retail giant alongside private equity firm TDR Capital, and concluded the deal today. 

The new owners have committed to keeping the retailer’s headquarters in Leeds and said they will invest to grow its convenience and online operations. Walmart will retain a minority stake in Asda as part of the agreement.

It is the latest stage in the brothers’ extraordinary rags to riches story, which saw them turn a single petrol station in Bury into an empire of 5,900 branches.

The duo, whose parents came to Britain from India  ‘with nothing’, built EG Group – previously known as Euro Garages – from one site bought for £150,000 in 2001 into a £9billion giant employing 44,000 staff.  

Today’s deal comes more than a year after a proposed merger between Asda and UK supermarket rival Sainsbury’s was torpedoed by regulators. 

Mohsin Issa, 49, (left) and his brother Zuber, 48, whose parents came to Britain from India ‘with nothing’, today emerged as the winners of the battle to buy Asda 

The brothers holding trophies at an awards ceremony in London in 2018, which saw them named EY Entrepreneur of the Year

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The billionaire Issa brothers brothers and the rise and rise of EG Group  

1970s – Mohsin and Zuber Issa’s parents arrive to the UK from Gujurat, India and the brothers are born not long afterwards in Blackburn, Lancashire. 

They work at their parents’ petrol station before it closes. 

2001 – The brothers buy their first filling station in Bury, Greater Manchester. 

2015 – Private equity firm TDR Capital acquire a 50% stake in their Euro Garages chain. 

2017 – Euro Garages buys EFR Group, a Dutch-based forecourt operator, and is renamed EG Group. The new company buys 1,000 garages from Esso in Germany. 

2018 – EG Group announces it will buy 800 Kroger convenience stores in the US before buying 1,200 sites in Italy from Esso. Later that year it buys 97 fuel stations in the Netherlands and 540 from the Australian retailer Woolworths. 

2019 – In another US expansion, EG buys 54 Fastrac sites in the US and 69 from Certified Oil.  

2020 – EG becomes KFC’s largest franchisee in Europe after buying 145 KFC outlets in the UK & Ireland.  

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Asda has seen its fortunes improve recently with trading strengthening through 2020, as shoppers have spent more money on groceries during the pandemic.

In the quarter to June, Asda saw online sales double but the new owners will be tasked with expanding its digital business further to take advantage of soaring demand and make ground on rivals, such as Tesco, who have a larger slice of the market.

The new owners will also face the challenge of keeping prices low amid tough economic conditions for shoppers and potential new tariffs on EU-imported foods, with the other big four supermarkets all announcing a raft of price cuts in recent months.

EG Group has sealed the deal after its offer was favoured by Walmart ahead of a move by US private equity firm Apollo.

Last week, a third bid from Lone Star Funds, fronted by former Asda executive Paul Mason, was dropped after failing to meet the price of its rivals during the latter stage of bidding.

Walmart sought a sale after the UK’s competition regulator blocked its merger with Sainsbury’s amid fears the move would push up prices and reduce product quality.

The US grocery started new discussions over a sale of Asda in February, but saw these halted due to disruption as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

However, the auction process restarted in July as Walmart sought to exit the UK, 21 years after first purchasing the Leeds-based retailer.

Blackburn-based EG Group, formerly known as Euro Garages, already runs forecourt convenience stores for Spar and French hypermarket chain Carrefour.

The deal will have to pass through regulators, although it is expected to be given the green light.

Last week, EG Group announced a trial involving three ‘Asda on the Move’ convenience stores at its petrol forecourts.  

The £115,000 terraced house where the brothers grew up in Blackburn. They were born in the town after their parents moved from Gujurat, India 

A wider view of the road in Blackburn where the brothers grew up. Their company is still based in the town 

They are now worth an estimated £3.56bn, including a £25m Kensington townhouse (pictured) and a private jet that is kept in a hangar at Blackpool Airport alongside Donald Trump’s personal helicopter

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Asda history: How Britain’s third-largest supermarket began as a Yorkshire family butcher

1950s: The Asquith family (W.R. Asquith) open a butcher’s shop in Knottingly, West Yorkshire, which was eventually expanded to seven shops. 

1958: They travel to the USA to visit Piggly Wiggly, probably the world’s first supermarket. 

1963: The Asquiths open the UK’s first self-service supermarket in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. 

The first Asda supermarket, which was opened in 1965 in Wakefield, West Yorkshire 

965: Peter Asquith built his first new supermarket from scratch, next to a large car park, knowing that cars would change the way people shop. Associated Dairies were employed to run the in-store butchery operation and the name Asda was born by combining ASquith and DAiries. 

1966: Asda becomes the first major food store to sell general merchandise. 

1968: Associated Dairies buys out the Asquith Brothers.

A newspaper article about one of the first ever Asda stores 

1999 Asda is bought by Walmart.

2020 (February): Walmart says it is looking for a buyer.

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The Issa brothers are now worth an estimated £3.56bn, including a £25m Kensington townhouse and a private jet that is kept in a hangar at Blackpool Airport alongside Donald Trump’s personal helicopter.

They are also building five identical mansions just three miles from the £115,000 Blackburn two-up two-down where they were raised. Mohsin is expected to live there with his wife, Shamim with whom he shares two grown-up children.  

As the children of immigrants who moved to Blackburn from Gujurat, India, in the 1970s, Mohsin and Zuber Issa – who were born in the former mill town – quickly learned the importance of hard work.

Their first experience of business was selling petrol from their parents’ filling station, where they would have their big idea that would revolutionise the industry and make their millions. 

Petrol sales were in decline and fuel duty on the rise, cutting into already wafer-thin fuel margins and leading to hundreds of operators leaving the market.

At the time most garages – if they sold food at all – offered a measly selection of pre-packaged sandwiches, crisps, sweets and chocolate.

But the Issas realised fuel sales still had a purpose in creating a captive market at petrol stations, who could then be offered appetising food rather than the gruel offered elsewhere

The brothers struck franchise agreements with brands including Starbucks, Subway and KFC, before embarking on a buying spree to snap up sites that had previously become vacant.

They now own Europe’s largest forecourt operator, Euro Garages, which in 2019 reported revenues of more than £17.9bn.

The firm is now the largest Subway franchisee in Europe and earlier this year bought a group of 146 KFC stores.

Describing the secret of their success, Zuber told the Financial Times: ‘We wanted to create a destination where you could get fuel, food-to-go and shopping.

‘This is the formula and it works. 

‘We were fortunate that the big players were leaving the market just as we were growing.’

TDR Capital – a London investment firm behind We Buy Any Car and David Lloyd gyms – bought a 50% stake in EG Group in 2015. The Issas retain the remaining 50%.

This prompted a debt-fuelled buying spree that saw the brothers buy thousands of new sites and expand into eight other countries around the world.

‘They never in their wildest dreams would have imagined 5,500 gas stations in nine markets,’ senior executive Ilyas Munshi told the American trade magazine CSP last year.

‘If they had only 20 sites, they would have felt they had done their job.’

As proud Lancastrians, the brothers have insisted on keeping EG Group’s headquarters in Blackburn, and recently unveiled a new £35m headquarters.

‘People are always asking when we will move to London or Manchester,’ Zuber told the FT.

‘But the quality of life here is great. A lot of people do a few years in London then come to the North West.

‘They want to raise a family and have less pressure. We have got a lot of fantastic people that way.’ 

Architect’s plans for one of the five new homes that the brothers are building in countryside near Blackburn

Plans for the large houses, which are located on a quiet rural road outside Blackburn where houses sell for up to £1 million, were lodged in April 2018. They are currently a building site 

Pictured: The homes on Billinge End Road, Blackburn, Lancashire, that was demolished in order to make way for the new houses

Mohsin has a wife Shamim, and their son and a daughter both work for EG. Both brothers rarely give interviews and have adopted a low-key public profile. 

They are now building five identical ‘super-sized’ homes three miles from their childhood home.

Despite the fierce opposition, which saw the council face 30 letters of complaint, eight old houses have now been demolished and builders have laid foundations for the five 5,000 sq ft mansions.

Plans for the large houses, which are located on a quiet rural road outside Blackburn where houses sell for up to £1 million, were lodged in April 2018.

They sparked an uproar, with the properties described as ‘not in fitting with the local area’ as the homes stand over 4.5 metres taller with 1,500 square metres of floor space.

But planning permission was granted and pictures taken earlier this year showed builders had already moved in.

In 2017, the pair purchased a £25million mansion in Knightsbridge, which estate agents said could be worth £80million when planned renovations are carried out according to estate agents.

Their Grade II listed Georgian house is also at the centre of a long-running planning row.

The previous owner began digging a basement and left a vast 30ft-deep crater the size of two tennis courts, described by horrified neighbours to ‘Hitler’s bunker’.

When finished the luxury 22,000 sq ft home will have a huge underground car park, a swimming pool, spa, and cinema. 

The brothers donate 2.5% of their earnings to charity through the Issa Foundation, which funds hospitals and provides free breakfasts for children in Lancashire. 

The five new homes will stand over over 4.5 metres taller that the old homes with 1,500 square metres of floor space

These new photos show the EG Group’s gargantuan new premises in Blackburn, Lancashire, where the Issa’s were born and raised

Building took three years and staff began working there in August, although due to current social distancing only half can be there at once

source: http://dailymail.co.uk / Mail Online / Home> News / by Rory Tingle for Mail Online / October 02nd, 2020

Fearless autorickshaw driver turns hero for COVID-19 patients

Hyderabad, TELANGANA :

Fearless autorickshaw driver turns hero for COVID-19 patients

Hyderabad: 

At a time when people are turning on their old parents or sick family members, a 48-year-old auto driver, Mohammed Khalid , has become a hero of sorts for those who are dealing with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike most others who would think twice before ferrying across patients, Khalid has been providing service to COVID-19 patients those who require transportation.

Mohammed, since July 13 has been only providing transportation to people from Gandhi Hospital to private and government hospitals as and when required.  Moreover, he also privodes service to COVID-19 patients to others from any part of Hyderabad as well. “This is the time to help people in need, irrespective of cast and culture I have been regularly ferrying COVID-19 patients from Gandhi Hospital to Osmania, King Koti, and Fever Hospital,” stated Khalid.

Mohammed Khalid ensures safety measures for his passengers.

Even after the Centre relaxed lockdown rules a few months (post May) ago, there has been a dearth in passengers, recalled Khalid. “So on July 13 I went near Gandhi Hospital in Musheerabad, the main treatment centre for COVID-19 patients, and noticed that emergency patients were unable to get ambulance services as there were many cases. Then I decided to start service for them at affordable rates,” said Khalid.

The 48-year-old believes that in these difficult times, we must help each other irrespective of any religion, caste or creed. “Sab jane dare to kaisa jo log bimaar hai unlo ku kaun lekar jainga dawakhano ku (If everyone is scared, then  how will people travel to the hospital)” Khalid rhetorically questioned? He has a point however, as several citizens have been complaining of slow or lack of ambulance services.

Mohammed Khalid provides service to COVID-19 patients at Gandhi Hospital in Musheerabad.

The auto rickshaw driver is also not scared of the pandemic. Furthermore, going and waiting for passengers in front of Gandhi makes him proud of what he is doing. “Carrying a patient itself is a matter of pride for me, and sharing the happiness with those who have recovered is amazing,” Khalid added. He also felt that the Telangana government should provide some monetary relief or schemes for autorickshaw drivers, as they have also been hit hard due to the lockdown.

source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> Hyderabad News / by Mohammed Hussain / August 24th, 2020

Lawyer offers Rs 25 lakh for travel of UP migrants from Mumbai, moves SC

Sant Kabir Nagar District, UTTAR PRADESH / Mumbai, MAHARASHTRA :

New Delhi, (IANS) :

A Mumbai-based lawyer, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, has moved a plea in the Supreme Court seeking directions to ensure transportation of migrants from Mumbai to their native places in Uttar Pradesh. The lawyer has offered Rs 25 lakh towards the cost of travel of the migrants belonging to districts Basti and Sant Kabir Nagar, irrespective of their caste, creed or religion.

Advocate Sagheer Ahmed Khan moved the plea through advocate-on-record Ejaz Maqbool. The petitioner said that he is well conversant with the plight of the migrants who are left to fend for themselves in this national crisis. The petitioner sought directions from the apex court to ensure immediate and safe evacuation of migrant workers to their hometowns free from any technicality and under its supervision.

Khan, who is a native of Sant Kabir Nagar, contended in the plea that he first tried to help the migrants by approaching the Centre and the Maharashtra government. He moved the apex court after the authorities concerned failed to address the plight of the migrants.

“The petitioner is approaching this court seeking to exercise its jurisdiction vested in it under Article 32 of the Constitution to save the lives of the migrants who are caught between the inactions of the Respondents (Centre and state government)”, said the plea.

The petitioner argued he has moved the top court, as the migrant workers in Mumbai who have no source of livelihood due to the lockdown are constrained to leave Mumbai and are forced to travel to their hometowns in inhuman conditions. “While some migrant workers are undertaking the journey on foot, the others are resorting to truck journeys where at least 100-120 persons are traveling in one truck. It is submitted while some migrant workers are dying of exhaustion and starvation, others are suffocating while undertaking this tedious journey”, said the plea.

The petitioner said this is a clear violation of the right to life of these workers who have suddenly found themselves helpless in the midst of the nationwide lockdown.

“The repeated attempts of the petitioner to contact the nodal officer appointed by the state of Uttar Pradesh to ensure safe return of migrants from Maharashtra have failed as the telephone lines are continuously busy and the emails have not been answered”, said the plea.

The plea urged the top court to direct the authorities concerned to provide the migrants, who are on their way, safe and secure means and mode of travel to their destination.

–IANS / ss/kr

source: http://www.outlookindia.com / Outlook / Home> The News Scroll / IANS /May 12th, 2020