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A Village Burnt Overnight: Tears, Loss and Survival in Dhamangaon Blaze

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  Sitting amid the blackened remains of his home, 32-year-old Nikesh Gawali carefully broke open a half-melted plastic box with a screwdriver. His hands shook slightly, not out of fear, but out of hope. “I’m trying to find my daughter Aarti’s gold earrings,” he said quietly, still focused on the box. “She’s just five. I got them made recently after months of labour work.” The plastic box, warped and blackened by heat, was one of the few things left from his two-room house on the outskirts of Dhamangaon village . All around him lay ash, broken tin sheets and charred wooden beams. The walls had cracked under the heat and the front room’s tin roof had caved in completely. What remained was a blackened debris all around - almost nothing to suggest a home once stood there. Nikesh earns his living as an agricultural labourer, like many in the village. Work is uncertain and depends on the season. Those earrings weren’t just jewellery - they were a small dream, a reward for his hard work,...
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Guardian Minister calls for Buddhist Tourism Circuit

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Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Guardian Minister of Nagpur district, called for connecting Deekshabhoomi, Dragon Palace Temple, Chicholi into a Buddhist Tourism Circuit. Addressing the officials in a meeting held on Friday at Ravi Bhavan here, he asked the officials concerned to plan accordingly. 

During the meeting, officials concerned made a presentation on plan for development of Deekshabhoomi into a Class ‘A’ tourist destination. The entire plan entrusted to Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT), is of Rs 325 crore. Deekshabhoomi is on a sprawling 22.8 acres of area. Bawankule asked the officials to make certain suggestions and also to accord priority to development and beautification of whatever space available in the area. 

Sadanand Fulzele, Secreary of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Smarak Samiti; Adv Sulekha Kumbhare, former Minister of State; Prakash Gajbhiye, MLC; Sudhakar Deshmukh and Sameer Meghe, MLAs; Deepak Mhaisekar, Chairman of NIT; Vilas Gajghate, Vijay Chikate and others were present prominently in the meeting. They also participated in the discussion. 

A proposal regarding Class ‘A’ tourist destination status to Dragon Palace Temple was given to Regional Manager of Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC). The proposal for development and beautification of the temple is of Rs 214.50 crore. This proposal includes Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Convention Centre, accomodation hall, Vipassana hall, Buddhist Theme Park, museum and library, parking space, protection wall, electrification etc. A presentation was made in this regard. 

A proposal for renovation and beautification of Chicholi, where rare artefacts of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar are preserved in a building on land owned by late Wamanrao Godbole, was discussed on the occasion. The proposal includes renovation of museum building, memorial, mass training centre, Vipassana Centre, Anapan Satri Kendra, cafetaria, stalls, dining hall, teachers’ cottages, staff quarters, students’ residences, hostel, public toilets etc. Guardian Minister said that a fund of Rs 40 crore will be provided for the same, and if required, additional funds will be provided. Prakash Gajbhiye suggested some changes.

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