Page 20 - Maharashtra Government

Veteran Cong leader Shivraj Patil's daughter-in-law joins BJP in Maha

Chakurkar had met Fadnavis at his official residence 'Sagar' in south Mumbai on Friday

Maha ATS nabs five Bangladeshi nationals for illegal stay in country

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested five Bangladeshi nationals from Navi Mumbai for staying in the country without valid documents, officials said on Saturday. The operation was conducted at two locations in Ghansoli by the Vikhroli unit (Mumbai) of the ATS on Friday, they said. "Acting on a tip-off, the ATS led the operation and arrested five Bangladeshis, who were found living in India without valid documents. They were nabbed from Janai Compound and near Shivaji Talao, both in Ghansoli," a police official said. The accused, Aahat Jamal Sheikh (22), Rebul Samad Sheikh (40), Ronney Soriful Khan (25), Julu Billal Sharif (28) and Mohammad Munir Mohammad Siraj Mulla (49), hail from two districts in Bangladesh and were employed as masons in Navi Mumbai, he said. They were arrested under provisions of the Foreigners Act, 1946, and the Passport (Entry into India) Rules, 1950, following a complaint lodged by a police sub-inspector attached to the ATS. The Rabale polic

Toll rates on Mumbai's Bandra-Worli sea link to go up by 18% from Apr 1

The toll charges on Mumbai's iconic Rajiv Gandhi Bandra Worli Sea Link will increase by about 18 per cent from April 1, officials from the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation said on Friday. An MSRDC spokesperson told PTI that the new toll rates for one-way journeys for cars and jeeps will be Rs 100 from the beginning of next month, while minibuses, tempos and other similar vehicles will have to pay Rs 160 for it. Two-axle trucks will be charged Rs 210 for a one-way trip on the cable-stayed bridge on the Arabian Sea. Motorists using the eight-lane overpass now pay Rs 85 for cars and jeeps, Rs 130 for minibuses, tempos and light commercial vehicles, and Rs 175 for two-axle trucks and buses. These rates have been in force since April 1, 2021. The new toll rates on the sea link, which opened for traffic in 2009, will be applicable between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2027, he said. Every day, scores of motorists use the sea link, connecting Worli in the Island City and Ban

Cracks in MVA: Congress, Uddhav Sena spar over candidates in Maharashtra

The Maharashtra Congress on Wednesday objected to the Shiv Sena (UBT) announcing its candidates for the Bhiwandi, Mumbai South Central and Sangli Lok Sabha seats, saying MVA partners must stick to "coalition dharma". Congress Legislature Party leader Balasaheb Thorat urged Sena (UBT) to reconsider its decision. However, his party colleague Sanjay Nirupam adopted a more belligerent stand, attacking their leadership for letting the Uddhav Thackeray-led outfit grab most of the seats in Mumbai. Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) constituents Congress, Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) have been holding seat-sharing discussions for the 48 constituencies in Maharashtra, where the Lok Sabha polls will be held in five phases starting April 19. Amid the talks, Sena (UBT) earlier in the day released its first list of 17 candidates for the upcoming elections and said it will contest a total of 22 seats in the state. Congress Legislature Party leader Balasaheb Thorat said the announcement was not

INDIA bloc rally at Shivaji Park is black day for Shiv Sena: Maha CM Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday said the INDIA bloc rally at Mumbai's Shivaji Park, a venue from where Balasaheb Thackeray often addressed the country, was a black day for the Shiv Sena. Shivaji Park has traditionally been the venue for rallies and gatherings of the Shiv Sena. Rahul Gandhi is ending his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra with a rally at Shivaji Park and it will be a show of strength for the INDIA bloc, with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and SP chief Akhilesh taking part in it. On his arrival at the venue, Gandhi paid floral tributes to the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and visited the memorial of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackray and paid his respects. The last rally of the Congress at the venue was addressed by Sonia Gandhi in 2003. Speaking to reporters, Shinde said, "It is a black day for the Shiv Sena, as Shivaji Park is the venue from where Balasaheb addressed the country and today you (Udddhav) are sharing the sta

Maha CM Eknath Shinde inaugurates country's first LNG-powered bus

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday inaugurated India's first Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) powered bus, which will be operated by Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation, an official said. A release from the state-run transport corporation said 5000 of its diesel vehicles will be converted to LNG alternative fuel vehicles in phases, adding that 34 per cent of its total expenditure is for diesel for its fleet of 16,000 buses. "Due to conversion of buses from diesel to LNG, pollution will reduce by 10 per cent and fuel cost will go down significantly. MSRTC has signed an MoU with M/s Kings Gas for the conversion of buses to LNG. It includes usage and supply of fuel," the release said. MSRTC, which ferries around 60 lakh passengers everyday, will set up LNG distribution facilities at 90 depots across the state, the release added.

L&T Technology Services bags $100 mn deal for Maharashtra cybersecurity

Programme will set up 'cybersecurity and cybercrime prevention centre' for public safety

LTTS bags Rs 800 cr project from Maha govt to set up cybersecurity hub

L&T Technology Services on Friday said it has secured a USD 100 million (around Rs 800 crore) project from the Maharashtra government to establish a cybersecurity and digital threat analytics centre. The engineering services arm of infra major L&T has teamed up with KPMG Assurance and Consulting Services LLP as a forensics partner to provide advanced cyber security solutions for the state, enhancing public safety against cyber threats, according to a statement. The company said the contract is a first-of-its-kind programme in India, and a part of its initiative to develop digitally interconnected smart and safe cities through cyber security and digital forensic solutions consolidated under one umbrella. It said the project entails designing a sophisticated cybersecurity system and establishing a cyber security and cybercrime prevention centre to address cybercrime incidents and investigations by leveraging AI (Artificial Intelligence) and digital forensic tools. "It's an ...

Since Sharad Pawar's objection, we use Yashwantrao Chavan's name: Ajit

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP president Ajit Pawar on Thursday said that although following a split his party initially used the name and photos of his uncle Sharad Pawar, after the latter's objection, it started using state's first chief minister Yashwantrao Chavan's name and pictures. His made the statement after the Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday sought a response of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Ajit Pawar on a plea filed by the Sharad Pawar faction, alleging misuse of his name and pictures for political gains. The apex court directed the Ajit Pawar-led party to give a categorical and unconditional undertaking that the name, pictures of Sharad Pawar will not be used. Talking to reporters in his hometown Baramati in Pune district, Ajit Pawar said after he aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra, his party started using the name and images of Sharad Pawar. "But after he (Sharad Pawar) objected to the use of his .

Maha govt new owner of iconic Air India building, pays Rs 1,601 cr

The Maharashtra government has become the owner of iconic Air India building with the Union government approving transfer of the asset on Thursday. The Maharashtra government bought the Air India building at Nariman Point in Mumbai for Rs 1,601 crore. "GoI has approved transfer of Air India building, Mumbai of AI Assets Holding Company Ltd (AIAHL) to Government of Maharashtra (GoM) at consideration of Rs.1601 cr. GoM has agreed to waive dues of Rs. 298.42 cr, which would have been otherwise payable by AIAHL to GoM for this transaction," DIPAM Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey said in a post on X. AIAHL, a Government of India company under administrative control of Ministry of Civil Aviation, was set up in 2019 for holding non-core assets and debt of Air India. The non-core assets of Air India, including land and building, valued at Rs 14,718 crore was transferred to AIAHL after it was set up by the government as a precursor to the sale of Air India for holding the debt and non-core ass

Leave BJP, we will ensure your victory: Uddhav Thackeray tells Gadkari

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has again asked Union minister Nitin Gadkari to leave the BJP if he is being "insulted", saying the opposition in Maharashtra would ensure his victory in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Speaking at a rally at Pusad in eastern Maharashtra's Yavatmal district on Tuesday, Thackeray said people like (former Congress leader) Kripashankar Singh, whom the BJP once targeted (over alleged corruption), figured in the saffron party's first list of candidates along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but Gadkari's name was missing. "I had told Gadkari this two days ago, and I am repeating it again. If you are being insulted, leave the BJP and join the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). We will ensure your victory. We will make you a minister when our government comes to power, and it will be a post with powers," he said. The opposition MVA comprises the Shiv Sena (UBT), Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) and Congress. Last week, responding to Thackeray's offer to Gadkari t

Coastal road to save $100 mn a yr in carbon emissions: Mumbai civic chief

The opening of the coastal road's southbound carriageway between Worli and Marine Drive will reduce travel time from 40 minutes to just 9 minutes and save nearly USD 100 million annually in carbon emissions through fuel savings, Mumbai civic chief Iqbal Singh Chahal has said. The first phase of the coastal road project was inaugurated by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday morning. The public has been allowed to use it from 8 am on Tuesday. "The travelling time will be reduced from 40 minutes to 9 minutes now, and it would save nearly $100 million annually in carbon emissions through fuel savings," Chahal said on Monday. The coastal road of 10.58 km length and 16.5 km of interchanges, being built at a cost of Rs 14,000 crore, consists of four lanes on each side along with two 12.19 metre diameter tunnels of 2.07 km length, he said. These are the largest tunnels by diameter built by tunnel boring machines in the country, Chahal said. "It is for the first time in India that a ...

SC rejects Maha govt's plea seeking stay on acquittal of G N Saibaba

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a Maharashtra government application seeking a stay on a Bombay High Court order that acquitted former Delhi University professor G N Saibaba and others in the Maoist links case. A bench of justices B R Gavai and Sandeep Mehta admitted the state government's appeal, even as it observed that the high court order was "prima facie well reasoned". The bench also rejected the oral request of Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for the Maharashtra government for early listing of the appeal and said it will come in due course. "There cannot be any urgency in the order of reversal of conviction. Had it been the other way around, we would have considered," the bench told Raju. Justice Mehta said it is a hard-earned acquittal and in normal course, this court should have dismissed this appeal. On March 5, the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court acquitted Saibaba, 54, and others, noting that the prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable

HC pulls up Maha govt for delaying land allotment for new court building

The Bombay High Court on Monday rapped the Maharashtra government for delaying land allotment for the new court building in suburban Bandra, noting that the condition of the existing structure in south Mumbai was bad and lives of judicial officers were in peril because of it. A division bench of Chief Justice Devendra Upadhyaya and Justice Arif Doctor expressed displeasure with the state government for dragging its feet on the issue, and said it does not want to create an "unsavoury situation". The bench was hearing a petition by lawyer Ahmed Abdi, alleging that the government had not complied with the high court's 2018 order on land allotment for the court building. Last year, the government informed the bench that approval was given to grant 30 acres of land for a new high court building in Bandra, and the process was on to make necessary changes in the state revenue records, after which possession would be handed over. Additional government pleader Abhay Patki informed the court

ED seeks details of accused from Pune police in Rs 3,600 cr drug haul

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has sought details of the persons arrested by Pune police in Maharashtra in the last month's mephedrone drug haul case, a senior official said. The city police in February seized more than 1,700 kilograms of mephedrone, valued at about Rs 3,600 crore in illicit markets, across Pune, Delhi and Sangli. Eleven persons, including the owner of a manufacturing unit in Kurkumbh MIDC (near Pune), where the contraband was allegedly produced, were apprehended. "We received a letter from the ED on Monday, seeking information about the accused. Given the magnitude of the drug racket, it was expected that the ED would seek details," the crime branch official said on Tuesday. The central agency asked for information about the accused, their bank accounts and locations where searches were conducted. "Based on the information, the agency will investigate money trails and suspected hawala transactions involving the accused," he said. The police have arrested 11 per

State board plans open-book exam for classes 9 to 12 students in Maha

The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) plans a pilot run of open-book exams in chosen schools like their CBSE counterpart

BJP leader Harshvardhan Patil writes to Fadnavis citing threats from allies

Maharashtra BJP leader Harshvardhan Patil has written a letter to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, accusing some functionaries of "ally partners" in his home turf Indapur tehsil of Pune district of using foul language against him and threatening not to allow him to move freely in his former Assembly constituency. Patil is a former MLA from Indapur who was defeated by undivided NCP's candidate Datta Bharne in the 2019 state elections. Post-split in the Sharad Pawar-founded outfit, Bharne is now with Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar-led NCP, which is an ally of the BJP in the Shiv Sena-led ruling coalition in the state, 'Mahayuti'. "The Maha alliance (Mahayuti) government in Maharashtra is working properly under your guidance. However, I am being targeted in my own tehsil (Indapur) by functionaries of ally partners, who are making baseless remarks and using foul language against me in political congregations," claimed the former state minister in the letter posted on ...

Education considered pious in our culture, has now become unaffordable: HC

Education, which is considered pious in the Indian culture, has now become unaffordable, the Bombay High Court has said noting it is the state's constitutional responsibility to ensure quality education reaches everyone. A division bench of Justices A S Chandurkar and Jitendra Jain made these observations while refusing to quash decisions taken by the Maharashtra government to grant permission to two organisations to set up educational institutions in Pune. The HC in its February 21 order said the court is not an expert in education policy matters and state government is the best authority to select the best and mere power to choose cannot be termed as arbitrary. "Pune is known as the 'Oxford of the East' for decades and it has attracted students not only from India but other countries as well. This has resulted in Pune being a hub of educational institutions," the HC noted. With the passage of time and due to growth of the city, there has been a huge growth and competition in sett

Maharashtra govt working towards doubling income of farmers: CM Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday said the state government has implemented various schemes for farmers aimed at doubling their income. Addressing a gathering at the inauguration of Balasaheb Thackeray Shetkari Training Centre in Washim, Shinde said the government has always stood behind agriculturists during drought, excess rain, and other issues. Notably, Washim is one of the districts in the Vidarbha region known as the country's largest cotton-growing belt. "The Mahayuti government was formed inspired by the ideology of Balasaheb Thackeray. We have provided financial assistance totalling Rs 35,000 crore to farmers in the last 17 to 24 months," he said. In a first, the government has provided crop insurance to farmers by paying only Rs 1, said Shinde who became the chief minister in June 2022 after toppling the Maha Vikas Aghadi government. "The government has launched various schemes for farmers and aims at doubling their income," he added. The Shetkari Bhava

Mumbai EOW files C summary in bank scam case against Dy CM Ajit Pawar

The court will decide whether to accept the report or direct the agency to continue the investigation and file a charge sheet