Latest news with #FOB
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Delhi: Until FOB built for Rajputana Rifles Regiment, PWD to clean culvert daily
The Public Works Department (PWD) told the Delhi high court on Friday that it will remove debris and garbage from a culvert used daily by more than 3,000 soldiers of the Rajputana Rifles Regiment on their way to the parade ground as a short-term solution until a foot overbridge is constructed. The court took cognizance of a Hindustan Times report highlighting the unsanitary conditions the soldiers were forced to endure and passed an order on Friday directing PWD to ensure the culvert was cleaned so that soldiers could use it until the FOB was built. The bench, comprising justices Pratibha M Singh and Manmeet PS Arora, observed that the existence of debris and stones will be hazardous for soldiers, especially with monsoons expected to arrive in the coming months, which will make the path muddy and more treacherous. 'While the FOB is designed and built, the engineer in-charge has agreed to get the walking path cleaned with some tiling in the culvert after removal of malba and stones, which could be hazardous. Accordingly, let the cleaning in the area be undertaken forthwith and photographs shall be placed before this bench on June 18 along with the status report,' the court said on Friday. The PWD engineer said that in-principle approval for the long-pending FOB has been given by the PWD sub-committee on Wednesday. He admitted that this construction would take time due to the area's topography, vehicular movement and the metro line. On Thursday, PWD officials had conducted a site visit to decide the FOB's location and said that the same was likely to come up between Delhi's metro pillar numbers 64 and 65 of the Delhi Cantonment Board (DCB) and would not require tree felling permission. In the meantime, PWD proposed to make the path used by the soldiers clean by removing the debris on their route through the culvert. Apprehending the accumulation of mud in the culvert during monsoon, the court also directed PWD to clean the area on a daily basis. 'During monsoon, there is a possibility of a lot of mud being collected in the area. After rains, the maintenance of the area shall be undertaken on a daily basis so that no inconvenience is caused to the movement of the soldiers in the culvert,' the court said. The order was passed in a suo motu plea taking cognizance of HT's report, 'A smelly trail from barracks to grounds: Regiment's daily battle in Delhi,' which had shown how 3,000 soldiers of the Rajputana Rifles, the oldest rifle regiment of the Indian Army, located in the Delhi Cantonment, are forced to march through a culvert four times a day– twice before breakfast and twice after dusk. The report highlighted the failure of the Delhi government to construct the FOB at the spot. During the hearing on Friday, PWD also suggested that traffic signals and a zebra crossing be installed for the soldier's convenience. Considering the suggestion, the court directed the deputy commissioner of police, traffic and PWD to convene a meeting on June 3. The order said, 'The concerned DCP shall consider the feasibility of creating zebra crossing and the traffic signal, in a manner so that the vehicular movement is also not obstructed in any manner and for a limited time only. Let a meeting be conducted with the DCP traffic and Bhushan (PWD engineer) with the nodal officer in the DCB on June 3, at 11am. The DCB shall appoint a nodal officer for all these works.' The matter will next be heard on June 18.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
FOB for Rajputana Rifles to come up near Delhi Cantt metro station
Officials from the Public Works Department (PWD) on Thursday conducted a site visit to decide the location for the foot overbridge (FOB) to be built near the Rajputana Rifles headquarters in Dhaula Kuan. Officials said that the FOB will likely be constructed between Delhi Metro's pillar numbers 64 and 65 of the Delhi Cantonment stationand it will not require any tree felling permission. The FOB, however, will not have any lift, escalator, or ramp, as stated earlier, the officials said. 'The space between pillar number 64 and 65 seems ideal for the FOB as it will not need cutting of trees and basic pruning will do. There is, however, no space for a ramp at the spot and including that in the design may not be possible,' said the official. On Wednesday, the subway committee of PWD gave its in-principle approval to the construction of the long-pending FOB following a May 26 Hindustan Times report. HT highlighted how thousands of soldiers of Rajputana Rifles, the oldest rifle regiment of the Indian Army, located in Delhi Cantonment, negotiate a smelly culvert that overflows during rains on their way to the parade ground due to the absence of a safe crossing. They do this four times a day – twice before breakfast and twice after dusk even as the Delhi government has failed to build a foot overbridge. However, it is yet to be decided which agency will bear the cost of the FOB's construction, as PWD has asked the army to arrange funds for the same. PWD has estimated that a basic FOB will cost around ₹2.59 crore, and an additional ₹1 crore will be needed if a lift is added to the design. Officials said that a report regarding the site inspection will be submitted soon, and a final design will be prepared after financial approval is received. The FOB is crucial, especially with the monsoon coming, as the situation worsens during rains as the culvert fills up with rainwater runoff and the trainees of the Rajputana Rifles regiment have to either wade through waist deep drain water or walk along the road for over 2.5 kilometres to cross the road from one side of the carriageway to the other. HT also found that the FOB was approved earlier as well in 2010 but could not be constructed despite the approval being granted 15 years ago. The project was eventually scrapped until the demand was raised again recently.
Hindustan Times
7 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Delhi FOB: PWD calls meeting to discuss pedestrian bridge plans for regiment
New Delhi The Public Works Department (PWD), in an order late Monday night, called for an urgent meeting of stakeholders to discuss the construction of a foot overbridge (FOB) between the Rajputana Rifles headquarters and their training ground located on the opposite side of the Ring Road near Dhaula Kuan. The move comes on the heels of an HT report, titled 'A smelly trail from barracks to grounds: Regiment's daily battle' published in these columns on Monday. The report highlighted how, in the absence of a FOB, thousands of soldiers have to cross a filthy drain culvert four to six times a day. The report also highlighted that the situation worsens after rainfall, forcing the regiment to wade through waist-deep rainwater or walk along the road for 2.5 kilometres to cross the road through the main carriageway. 'Coordination in planning and design of the FOB, consider and recommend the location of the FOB to UTTIPEC for deliberation and approval, promotion of utilization and any other matter relating to construction and use of the FOB,' the PWD said in the order. A PWD official said that the FOB has been under consideration and financial feasibility was being checked, but final approval was not yet granted. The subway committee includes officials from PWD, MCD, DDA, CRRI, traffic police, and the transport department. PWD minister Parvesh Verma also instructed officials to expedite the construction. 'I have asked officials to ensure that work on this FOB should be started at the earliest and tendering should be done so that it is completed at the earliest, and the soldiers do not have to cross a drain. It is shameful that none of the previous governments ever took this seriously,' Verma said. According to locals and officials, soldiers have been using the culvert for at least 35 years. A proposal for a FOB was approved in 2010, but the project remained on paper, as ascertained by HT from a written response in the Delhi assembly to a question raised by the Delhi Cantt MLA Karan Singh Tanwar on March 31, 2010. 'Yes, the location of the FOB has been approved by the subway committee... The designs are being prepared. Its cost is approximately ₹2.75 crore. The work will be done after getting financial approval,' the MLA had said. Over 15 years and four governments later, soldiers are still waiting for the bridge.
News18
23-05-2025
- Politics
- News18
Four Maoists Killed In Encounter Near Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh Border
Agency: PTI Last Updated: The intermittent exchange of fire lasted for nearly two hours, after which a search operation by security forces led to the recovery of the bodies of four Maoists. In a joint operation, police's special commando unit C-60 and the CRPF killed four Maoists in an encounter along the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border in Gadchiroli district on Friday, a senior official said. The official, in a statement, informed that based on credible intelligence inputs about the presence of Maoists formations on the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border near a recently opened FOB (Forward Operating Base) in Kawande area, an operation was launched on Thursday afternoon. A dozen C-60 parties (300 commandoes) and a component of the CRPF launched the operation from Kawande and Nelgunda areas towards the banks of the Indravati river amidst heavy rains, it said. On Friday morning, when the cordon was being laid and river banks were being searched, Maoists started indiscriminate firing on C-60 commandoes, leading to an effective retaliation by security forces in Gadchiroli district in eastern Maharashtra, said the official. Intermittent exchange of fire continued for almost two hours and a search of the area by security forces later led to the recovery of bodies of four Maoists, he added. An automatic self-loading rifle, two .303 rifles, a Bharmar gun, walkie talkies, camping material and Naxal literature, among other items, were recovered from the spot, according to the statement. The encounter in Maharashtra comes two days after 27 Naxals, including their top leader Basavaraju, were gunned down by security forces in adjoining Chhattisgarh. First Published: May 23, 2025, 15:00 IST
The Star
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Daniel Dae Kim breaks barriers at the Tony Awards
The first monologue Daniel Dae Kim ever performed was by David Henry Hwang. He had to do one for his college summer program at the National Theater Institute in Connecticut. Kim chose a scene from FOB, Hwang's play about the assimilation struggles of a Chinese American. So, it's fitting that 35 years later Hwang – the first Asian American to win the Tony Award for best play – would be the one to bring Kim into the Tony spotlight. Known for TV series such as Lost and Hawaii Five-0, Kim, 56, is the first Asian nominee in the category of best leading actor in a play in the Tonys' 78-year history for his work in a Broadway revival of Hwang's Yellow Face. "I can imagine a lot of things, but I did not imagine this scenario with David,' said Kim. "That I would be in a play with him, that we would both be nominated for Tony Awards and we would be able to call each other friends.' In the semi-autobiographical show, which ran last fall at the Roundabout Theatre Company, Kim played a satirical version of Hwang. The show also scored nods for best play revival and best performance by a featured actor in a play for first-time nominee Francis Jue, an original 2007 cast member. You could not have scripted a better ending for a play that was written in response to the musical Miss Saigon casting white actors as Asian characters. Kim's performance was filmed in November and PBS will broadcast Yellow Face this Friday. The Tonys, airing on CBS on June 8, also will put a spotlight on the play. This groundbreaking nomination seems like the perfect karmic reward for Kim, who has spent years advocating for greater Asian representation. At the pandemic's height, the Korean American actor was a constant media presence speaking out against anti-Asian hate. Daniel Dae Kim, left, and Ryan Eggold, and Shannon Tyo during a performance of 'Yellow Face' on Broadway, a semi-autobiographical play by David Henry AP He also jump-started a campaign for veteran actor James Hong, then 91, to get a Hollywood star. He woke up to the news of his nomination after people were able to get around his phone's "do not disturb' mode. His competition includes George Clooney and Cole Escola. "It'd be a huge surprise if I won, but I will say that even getting the nomination is a win especially when you put it in the context of our community and what this means for Asian Americans,' said Kim, whose previous Broadway credits include The King And I. He admits it's surprising and "a little sad' that no other Asian actor has been in this category. There's still never been an Asian nominee for best lead actress in a play. "Of course, the barrier we really want to break is to actually have someone win, and hopefully that happens sooner rather than later, whether it's me or not.' Kim is one of seven Asian acting nominees this year. Only three acting trophy winners have been Asian. One was Lea Salonga for Miss Saigon and another was Ruthie Ann Miles for The King And I. Coincidentally, the first was BD Wong for best featured actor in Hwang's Tony-winning play, M. Butterfly. Hwang takes special pride in helping actors break glass ceilings. "I get to feel like, 'Oh, maybe I'm actually able to make a difference' and change the culture in the way that my little-kid-self would have loved but would not have thought possible," said Hwang, who now has his fourth career Tony nomination. He was last nominated 22 years ago. For a long time, Hwang felt the only way to get a play with Asian characters made was to set it outside America because "Broadway audiences are not interested in Asian Americans.' Historically, productions with Asian ensembles have been musicals set in "the exotic lands of Asia,' such as The King And I, said Esther Kim Lee, a theatre studies professor at Duke University and author of The Theatre Of David Henry Hwang. Flower Drum Song, set in San Francisco, was an exception but the songs and book were by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Hwang actually revised the book in 2002. "It's 2025. We finally see an actual Asian American play with an Asian American lead,' said Lee. "You can have The King And I and have great actors and they may get Tony Awards, but it's really not about Asian Americans. That this has happened with Yellow Face is just incredible.' Kim from 'Yellow Face' attends the 78th Annual Tony Awards Meet the Nominees press event in New York on May 8. Photo: AP The show's two-month run brought the Roundabout a 50% increase in first-time audience members – "a powerful statement," said Kim. "One of the nicest compliments I would hear after the show when I would go to the stage door is, 'This is the first Broadway show I've ever seen,'" said Kim. "That meant a lot to me because bringing Asian Americans into the theatre is important and bringing younger people into the theater is important just for the health of theater in general.' Besides discussing whitewash casting, Yellow Face examines the pain of the main character's immigrant father. The role is based on Hwang's father's experience being wrongly accused of laundering money for China. With the current anti-immigrant and anti-DEI climate, the show's airing on PBS feels especially vital to Hwang. "Whenever there's a conflict between America and any Asian country, Asian Americans are the first to get targeted,' said Hwang. PBS is also where in 2020 the five-episode history docuseries Asian Americans aired for Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Kim was a narrator and remains "unequivocally proud" of the project. Five years after the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes, Kim sees Yellow Face simply making it to Broadway as a victory. "I don't want to get preachy, but I will say that the goal with spotlighting and elevating people of colour is not to threaten the establishment,' said Kim. "The goal was really to say everyone can contribute to our society. Everyone can be a positive force for change.' – AP
