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Powai Lake neglect: NGT orders joint inspection, serves notices to state govt, BMC, SWA

Powai Lake neglect: NGT orders joint inspection, serves notices to state govt, BMC, SWA

Deccan Herald7 days ago
The #Powai Lake in #Mumbai started overflowing today as heavy rains lashed the financial capital @DeccanHerald pic.twitter.com/xcMMmwjImu
— Mrityunjay Bose (@MBTheGuide) July 8, 2024
Joint effort of @natconnectnow and #ALMPowai have got the @mybmc to allott the civil work on diverting the sewer water flow from Powai lake and floated a tender for setting up a treatment plant near the site at a cost of Rs. 71crs. #Powai @Mi_DilipLande @N_Hiranandani pic.twitter.com/xctXf22PBe
— My Powai (@mypowai) July 13, 2025
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This Indian man used a diamond worth crores as paperweight, his name was..., where is that diamond now?
This Indian man used a diamond worth crores as paperweight, his name was..., where is that diamond now?

India.com

time28 minutes ago

  • India.com

This Indian man used a diamond worth crores as paperweight, his name was..., where is that diamond now?

New Delhi: Among all the Nizams who ruled Hyderabad, the sixth Nizam Mir Mehboob Ali Khan was the most cheerful and fun-loving king. He was very fond of western things, be it clothes, cars, manners or habits. Born in 1866, Mehboob Ali ascended the throne at the age of three after the death of his father Afzal-ud-Daula and ruled till 1911. Mehboob Ali held an extremely grand court in Hyderabad, which many native rulers of India tried to imitate. He was also once the richest man in the world. What is the Jacob diamond? He was fond of expensive jewellery and precious diamonds. His valuable collection included many magnificent jewellery including the famous necklace of Marie Antoinette of France. However, the most famous in his collection was the Jacob diamond which is said to be the fifth largest diamond in the world. The size of Jacob is twice that of the famous Kohinoor. But what makes this diamond even more interesting is how it was found. It was found in a shoe. The person after whom it was named was a very mysterious Mr. Jacob. How did all this happen? Let's find out. What is the story of the Jacob diamond? According to Peopletree, the story of the Jacob diamond revolves around three very interesting characters. The sixth Nizam of Hyderabad Mehboob Ali Khan, his Armenian servant Albert Abid and a mysterious jeweler named Alexander Malcolm Jacob. Mir Mehboob Ali Khan ascended the throne of the richest and most powerful state in 1869. Being a kind and compassionate person, he was known as the 'beloved' king of Hyderabad. Stories are prevalent about him that he used to roam around the city in disguise and help those in need. It is said that he was so generous that no person who came to him for help returned empty-handed. He was also very fond of collecting diamonds. Who was Albert Abid? Albert Abid was an Armenian man and Mehboob Ali Khan's right hand. As the Nizam's servant, Abid's duties included looking after the Nizam's clothes, shoes, watches, jewellery and other belongings. It is said that 12 servants prepared the Nizam's clothes and Abid supervised them. But Abid also took advantage of his position. Who was Alexander Malcolm Jacob? Alexander Malcolm Jacob was a gem and antiques dealer. Through Abid, he was in regular contact with Mehboob Ali Khan. In 1891, Jacob was preparing to make the biggest deal of his life. He had planned to buy the 184.75 carat 'Imperial' diamond recently found from South Africa from a London consortium for Rs 21 lakh and sell it to the Nizam for Rs 50 lakh. With the help of Abid, Jacob met the Nizam. The Nizam told him that he would buy the diamond which was in London at that time. The condition was that the Nizam would be free to decide whether he liked the gem or not. That is, he could still say 'like' or 'dislike'. The Nizam then transferred a bank deposit of Rs 23 lakh to Jacob so that the diamond could be brought to India. Why was a case filed against Jacob? In July 1891, Jacob met the Nizam in his palace. The clever Jacob presented the diamond to him on a silver tray covered with red velvet. Mehboob Ali Khan took the diamond in his hands, looked at it a few times and said just two words, 'Do not like it'. Jacob was stunned. The biggest deal of his life had fallen through. A few days later, Jacob sent a telegram to his bank asking them to send the money to London after the Nizam agreed to buy the diamond. Later he claimed that the Nizam had told him through Abid that the 'disappearance' was a mere formality to fool the British. He actually wanted to buy the diamond. However, it appears that the Nizam changed his mind and asked for his deposit back. Jacob refused, saying the deal was done. This led to a long trial for that money. Jacob hired some of the best lawyers of British India and gave the Nizam a tough fight. The trial was long and expensive and created a sensation across India and even the international media. Eventually Jacob was acquitted of fraud charges by the court, but he did not receive the balance amount. How this diamond became a paperweight? After this trial, Mehboob Ali Khan did not want to have anything to do with the jinxed Jacob diamond. So he wrapped it in a dirty cloth, put it in an old shoe and kept it at the back of a drawer. Mehboob Ali Khan died in 1911. His son and successor, the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan, is said to have found the diamond in his father's shoe and used it as a paperweight. Irrespective of its size and price, the Jacob diamond had caused so much embarrassment to his father that the new Nizam also did not want to have anything to do with it. Eventually, decades later, the Jacob diamond was transferred to a trust and in 1995, the Indian government acquired it. It is kept safe in the vaults of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in Mumbai. The Government of India bought the Jacob diamond from the Nizam's trust by paying more than Rs 13 crore.

Jaisalmer schools lack safe bldgs, students forced to study outdoors
Jaisalmer schools lack safe bldgs, students forced to study outdoors

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

Jaisalmer schools lack safe bldgs, students forced to study outdoors

1 2 Jaisalmer: Hundreds of children in Jaisalmer district are forced to study outdoors under trees or in makeshift shelters due to a severe shortage of safe school buildings. Despite repeated requests from school authorities, the govt has failed to allocate adequate funds for repairs, leaving more than 1,200 classrooms in over 500 govt schools in urgent need of attention. In the current academic session, at least 25 schools in Jaisalmer, located near the Pakistan border, are operating without any buildings. Students in these schools have no choice but to attend classes outdoors, exposed to extreme weather conditions. Even in schools with buildings, many classrooms are in such dilapidated condition that they have been declared unsafe, forcing multiple classes to be combined or moved outside. The education department reportedly allocates only Rs 10,000 per year for repairs in secondary and higher secondary schools. This amount is barely enough for minor maintenance and often gets used for other expenses such as electricity bills. As a result, essential repairs are neglected, and the safety of students is compromised. According to Mahesh Kumar Bissa, district education officer (secondary), principals have been instructed not to use unsafe rooms and to relocate students to safer areas. However, actual repair work requires approval from higher authorities in Jaipur, and proposals often remain pending for years. Six years ago, a school building in Chainpura collapsed during school hours, yet little has changed since then.

700 classrooms in Kota's govt schools are ‘ruined'
700 classrooms in Kota's govt schools are ‘ruined'

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

700 classrooms in Kota's govt schools are ‘ruined'

1 2 3 Kota: Class 11 student Alfi broke down in tears while describing the conditions at her govt school, which has been operating for decades in the nearly 350-year-old Nanta Mahal building in Kota city. Alfi's distress is similar to those of thousands of students in Kota, who are compelled to study in perilous environments. Fourteen school buildings have been identified as requiring immediate demolition to prevent accidents, and around 700 classrooms in 1,057 govt school buildings in the district have been classified as "damaged and ruined". Despite requests for maintenance funds for 200 school buildings, only 26 schools have received allocation of Rs 2 lakh each under SDRF fund. The govt senior secondary school at Nanta, which also accommodates primary and upper primary classes with around 600 students, has been running for decades in the centuries-old building. The school also lacks ownership documents for the building and is ineligible for maintenance funds. Following the school tragedy in Jhalawar, the Kota education department has initiated process for relocating the school. Narpat Singh Hada, assistant sngineer for Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SMSA), Kota, who surveyed the school, stated, "The centuries-old Nanta Mahal school is not technically safe at all and can face structural failure at any time."

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