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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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MSEDCL unearths major power theft by Nagpur Metro Rail contractor

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Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL), on Saturday, unearthed major power theft by a contractor of Nagpur Metro Railway Corporation Limited (NMRCL) during execution of the work to demolish Chhatrapati Square flyover. 

“The contractor had installed 19 floodlights and the lights were connected directly to feeder pillar of MSEDCL,” said K P Bhise, Executive Engineer of MSEDCL’s Congress Nagar Zone. Another MSEDCL official said that prima facie Nagarjuna Construction was found to be involved in the matter and Section 135 of Electricity Act would be invoked against it for power theft. Other players including officials of NMRCL or sub-contractors may be booked if their role in power theft comes to fore during investigation, the official said. 

Acting on a tip-off, a team of MSEDCL inspected the site and found illegal power supply to broad-beamed, high-intensity floodlights used during execution of work to demolish Chhatrapati Square flyover. MSEDCL officials immediately severed power supply to nearby areas for 10 minutes and removed all illegal connections. Each floodlight consumed 1,000 Watts of power. 

The demolition work of Chhatrapati Square over-bridge is in full swing round-the-clock for the past few days. The lights were installed for illuminating the site in night hours. However, neither NMRCL nor the contractor had applied for temporary power meter. Assessment of power pilferage will be done on Sunday morning, Bhise said.

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