Page 107 - Maharashtra

Dharavi project gift from Maharashtra govt to Modi's crony Adani: Congress

The Congress on Saturday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Maharashtra government formally awarding the Dharavi Redevelopment project to an Adani Group firm, alleging that BJP state governments have been reduced to "ATM machines for his cronies." A resolution released on Thursday by the Housing Development department of the Maharashtra government said the state cabinet had approved the outcome of the bidding process on December 22, 2022, following which the rights were awarded. Adani Properties will be the lead partner in the project for which a special purpose vehicle will be formed. Reacting to the development, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said Devendra Fadnavis' last act before handing over the housing department on Friday was to formally approve the Adani Group's "shady takeover" of the Rs 5,069 crore Dharavi redevelopment project, which involves 600 acres of prime Mumbai land. The project had originally been awarded to a different bidder, he said. "Af

Children risk lives to reach school on overcrowded boats in Maharashtra

Additionally, during the monsoon season, the students often miss school as the river gets flooded, making it difficult for them to cross it

Ajit Pawar takes charge as Maharashtra's finance and planning minister

Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar was given the Finance and Planning portfolio on Friday, nearly two weeks after he broke away from the original party and took oath as Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister. Eight of Pawar's NCP colleagues who were sworn in as ministers on July 2 also received their portfolios, said a statement issued by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's office. As per the statement, Dhananjay Munde has been given Agriculture, while Dilip Walse-Patil will be the Cooperation minister. The other NCP ministers with their allocated ministries are Hasan Mushrif (Medical Education), Chhagan Bhujbal (Food and Civil Supplies), Dharmrao Atram (Food and Drugs Administration), Sanjay Bansode (Sports), Aditi Tatkare (Woman and Child Development) and Anil Patil (Relief, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management), it said. With the inclusion of 9 NCP ministers, there are 29 cabinet ministers in Maharashtra. Shinde-led Shiv Sena MLAs apparently had objected to the allocation o

NCP's Ajit Pawar, Praful Patel meet BJP leaders amid tussle over portfolios

NCP leaders Ajit Pawar and Praful Patel met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and senior BJP leaders late on Wednesday night amid a tussle over the allocation of portfolios to the latest entrant in the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP coalition in Maharashtra. The stand-off over portfolios has persisted since the surprise swearing-in of Ajit Pawar and eight other NCP legislators as ministers in the Maharashtra government on July 2 after a split in the Sharad Pawar-led outfit. Pawar's nephew Ajit and senior leaders Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, and Sunil Tatkare walked out with a major chunk of MLAs and MLCs of the NCP, staking claim to the name and election symbol of the party. Patel insisted that the meeting with Shah and other BJP leaders was a "courtesy call" as he and Ajit Pawar had not met them formally since joining the ruling alliance in Maharashtra. NCP has been insisting on the crucial finance and water resources portfolios, which the Shiv Sena is learnt to have opposed strongly. Patel

Technical issue disrupts local trains on Western Railway route in Mumbai

Local train services of the Western Railway in Mumbai were disrupted on Thursday morning due to a "point failure" on a track at Borivali station, an official said. Some commuters complained the suburban services were delayed by at least 10 to 15 minutes, resulting in overcrowding on trains and railway stations. A spokesperson of the Western Railway (WR) said a "point failure" occurred on the slow (north-bound) track at Borivali station and it was rectified at 6.52 am, but due to the problem trains were running 10-15 minutes late. Passengers said the crowd on trains and platforms swelled due to the issue. "Train timetable is completely disrupted," commuter Chetan Mundhe claimed, adding the trains leaving from Borivali were running at a snail's pace. Commuters also claimed some trains were cancelled, but there was no official confirmation from the Western Railway. The WR operates local trains, considered as the lifeline of Mumbai, from Churchgate (south Mumbai) to Dahanu Road (Palg

Bombay HC refuses NCP leader Nawab Malik's bail plea on medical grounds

The Bombay High Court on Thursday refused to grant bail on medical grounds to NCP leader and former Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik in connection with a money laundering case being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Malik was arrested in February 2022 by the ED in the case allegedly linked to activities of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his associates. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is in judicial custody and currently undergoing treatment in a private hospital here. Malik had sought bail from the HC on medical grounds, saying he was suffering from a chronic kidney disease apart from various other ailments. He also sought bail on merits. A single bench of Justice Anuja Prabhudessai rejected Malik's plea seeking bail on medical grounds. The court said it would hear his plea seeking bail on merits after two weeks. Malik's counsel Amit Desai had argued his client's health was deteriorating since the last eight months and he was in stage 2 to stage 3 of a chroni

Hindalco Industries board approves proposal to sell land for Rs 595 cr

Hindalco Industries' board on Wednesday approved a proposal to sell a land parcel at Kalwa, Maharashtra, for Rs 595 crore. The transaction is subject to the signing of definitive documents, completion of customary closing conditions and the receipt of regulatory approvals, if any, Hindalco Industries said in a regulatory filing. The definitive documents shall be signed in due course, it said, adding that the expected date of completion of the sale/disposal is 15 months. Hindalco further said it will receive Rs 595 crore in multiple tranches over a period of time. Birla Estates Private Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Century Textiles and Industries Limited, is the buyer and not a part of the promoter/promoter group/group companies, as defined under the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), it said. Hindalco Industries Limited is the metals flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group. A USD 26-billion firm, Hindalco is an industry leader in aluminium and copper. Share

IT firm Axtria opens two offices in Pune with 1,000 seat capacity

US-based IT company Axtria Inc has opened two new offices in Pune with a combined seating capacity of 1,000 people, the company said on Wednesday. Axtria co-founder and CEO Jaswinder Chadha said in a statement that the company now has eight offices in India, signifying its "commitment to leverage expertise in artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics to drive meaningful change in the health care industry". The company plans to open an office in Hyderabad soon, he said. "We saw that a lot of talent in data analytics comes from Pune and Hyderabad and that's how these two centres got shortlisted. Opening two offices in one city was a tough call but we want to look at the convenience of people," Chadha said. With the launch of the Pune offices, Axtria will now have eight global innovation, research and development, and capability centres in India. It has offices in the National Capital Region -- three offices in Gurugram and two in Noida -- and one in Bengaluru, the statement ...

RTO drive finds 30% of over 14,000 buses flouting rules in Maharashtra

Nearly 30 per cent of more than 14,000 private buses checked by regional transport offices (RTOs) in Maharashtra during a special drive were found to be flouting rules, the transport department has said. According to a release by the department on Tuesday, RTOs checked 14,161 private buses as part of the special drive conducted between May 15 and June 30. Of these vehicles, 4,277, or nearly 30 per cent, were found to be violating rules and regulations and offences were registered against some of them, it said. The very next day after the drive ended on July 1 25 passengers travelling on a private sleeper coach were charred to death when the vehicle caught fire after hitting a road divider on the Samruddhi Expressway in Buldhana district. Of those buses caught flouting rules during the special drive, 1,702 were found violating norms about reflectors, indicators and tail lights, followed by 890 buses plying without permits or not following permit conditions. According to the relea

Cabinet expansion soon: CM Shinde after meeting with Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar

Shinde was speaking to reporters after holding a meeting with Maharashtra deputy CMs, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, at his official residence, on Tuesday late night

Eye on 2024 polls, Congress to hold foot march, bus rallies in Maharashtra

Senior leaders of the Maharashtra Congress on Tuesday met the party's national leadership here in New Delhi and discussed strategies to strengthen the party's roots in the state

Will table paper on Maha missing out on Foxconn project in monsoon session

The Maharashtra government will table a white paper on circumstances in which the Vednata-Foxconn project went outside the state in the monsoon session of the legislature, state Industries Minister Uday Samant said on Tuesday. We will present a white paper on reasons behind the semiconductor project of Vedanta-Foxconn went outside Maharashtra. We are working on it and it will be tabled in the monsoon session starting July 17, he said. The minister said he was studying the factors based on which Foxconn announced its decision. "I cannot comment on it without any proper information in my hand, he said. Foxconn on Monday announced withdrawal from its chip-making JV with Indian conglomerate Vedanta.

Housing prices rise 11% annually in Pune in last 12 months: Report

Average housing price in Pune has risen 11 per cent to Rs 5,208 per square feet in the last year on better demand, according to a report by realty firm Gera Developments. Pune-based realty firm Gera Developments has come out with its bi-annual 'The Gera Pune Residential Realty Report', which is based on primary and proprietary research and covers all existing projects in a 30 km radius of the city centre. "The Pune real estate market is showing dual signs of both boom and consolidation at the same time. The prices have gone up 11.03 per cent from Rs 5,208 per sq ft in June 2022 to Rs 5,782 per sq ft in June 2023. "There has been an across-the-board increase in the rates of new projects, existing phases of old projects as well as new phases of old projects," Rohit Gera, Managing Director of Gera Developments, said. This indicates a strong demand as home buyers have purchased homes at higher prices than ever before, he added. As per the data, the prices in the newly launched project

BJP workers stage protest against Thackeray over taint jibe at Fadnavis

Bharatiya Janata Party workers on Tuesday protested here against Uddhav Thackeray over his taint remark for Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and demanded that the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief retract his comment. The BJP workers staged a demonstration at Variety Square in the morning where they raised slogans against Thackeray. BJP's Nagpur chief Pravin Datke said Thackeray has not only insulted their senior leader Fadnavis but also denigrated the people of the city. Addressing Shiv Sena (UBT) workers here on Monday, the home turf of Fadnavis, Thackeray said the BJP leader was a taint on Nagpur as he had aligned with the NCP despite asserting that he would never do so. Playing an old audio clip of Fadnavis stating that he would never join hands with the NCP, Thackeray said the BJP leader's no means yes. Datke said Thackeray had done injustice with Vidarbha and Nagpur during his two-and-half-year stint as the Maharashtra chief minister. He also alleged that Thackeray ..

Congress leaders deliberate on post-NCP split situation in Maharashtra

Senior Congress leaders from Maharashtra on Tuesday held a meeting with the party leadership here to discuss the political situation in the state in the wake of the split in the Sharad Pawar-led NCP. The Congress has now emerged as the largest opposition party in Maharashtra and has staked claim to the post of Leader of Opposition in the state assembly. The deliberations come after a faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Ajit Pawar switched over to join hands with the NDA. Congress leaders are discussing the aftermath of the NCP split and how it will affect the party's prospects in the state ahead of Lok Sabha elections. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi were present during the meeting at the AICC headquarters here. AICC in-charge for Maharashtra H K Patil and PCC chief Nana Patole were also present at the meet, besides senior party leaders Sushilkumar Shinde, Ashok Chavan and Prithviraj Chavan. The NCP, founded by Sharad P

We have aligned with BJP, but not abandoned our 'ideology': Chhagan Bhujbal

Maharashtra cabinet minister Chhagan Bhujbal has said though they have aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party, they have not abandoned their "ideology", and criticised NCP founder Sharad Pawar for changing his stand on joining hands with the BJP on multiple occasions. Bhujbal claimed 45 of the 53 NCP MLAs have gone with Ajit Pawar and said, "What would have I done by remaining outside." Speaking to reporters at Mahatma Phule Wada in Pune on Monday, Bhujbal said Sharad Pawar announced support to the BJP in 2014 after it formed government following the Assembly polls without the Shiv Sena's backing. "That time I wondered and said we are in the Opposition. In 2017 also, when I was in jail, five leaders from the NCP and five leaders from the BJP discussed about NCP's induction in the government. That time, the BJP was told to drop its ally Shiv Sena to pave the way for a BJP-NCP government. Then also he (Pawar senior) backtracked," he claimed. Asked whether he has changed his ideology

Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar meet CM Eknath Shinde at Varsha

Earlier, on Monday, Union Minister of State for Social Justice, Ramdas Athawale met state minister Chhagan Bhujbal

Proposal for new assembly building on lines of Central Vista: Maha speaker

Maharashtra Assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar on Monday said a proposal is under consideration to construct a new legislative building in Mumbai on the lines of the Central Vista project. Speaking to reporters here, the speaker said the number of seats in the state Assembly and the Council will be in proportion to the rise in the number of voters after delimitation. Central Vista created entire new houses for Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha anticipating that delimitation would increase the number of members. "I wish to have the same (construction of the new legislative building) here for the Maharashtra legislative assembly and the council. I hope the proposal will get enough funding for taking it forward, he said. Narwekar said once the exercise of delimitation is completed, there are chances that the number of MLAs and MLCs will be in proportion with the rise in the number of voters. "If it happens, the current House (legislative building) will not have enough seats to accommodate them.

BJP 'broke' NCP, Shiv Sena to be in power in Maharashtra: Rohit Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party MLA Rohit Pawar, the grandnephew of party chief Sharad Pawar, on Monday accused the BJP of breaking the NCP and the Shiv Sena to remain in power in Maharashtra. Speaking to reporters in Pune, the legislator claimed while leaders of other parties were pitted against each other, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was "enjoying" the developments. A revolt by Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde and 39 other MLAs against the party leadership in June last year led to a split in the party and collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-headed Maha Vikas Aghadi government. Shinde later became the chief minister with the BJP's support. On July 2 this year, Ajit Pawar led a split in the NCP, founded by Sharad Pawar, and joined the Shinde-BJP government as deputy chief minister. Eight other NCP MLAs also took oath as ministers in the state cabinet. Speaking on the developments, Rohit Pawar claimed the BJP has made a "very good ploy". Balasaheb Thackeray formed the Shiv Sena to protect t

Mumbai receives 31.17% of average annual rainfall this monsoon season

Mumbai has received 31.17 per cent of the annual average rainfall of 2,547 mm till Monday morning, as per the city civic body's monsoon report. The India Meteorological Department's (IMD) Mumbai centre declared the onset of monsoon in the country's financial capital on June 25, late by about a fortnight. According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) report, the IMD Mumbai has recorded 1,043.8 mm rainfall at its Santacruz observatory (representative of suburbs) and 658.7 mm rainfall at the Colaba observatory (representative of the island city) in the last 15 days. The downpour recorded at the Santacruz observatory is 37.49 per cent of the average annual rainfall of 2,784 mm and the figure at the Colaba observatory is 28.52 per cent of the average rainfall of 2,310 mm, according to the report. During the same period last year, the Santacruz and Colaba observatories recorded 1,106.6 mm and 1,015.1 mm rainfall, respectively. The IMD Mumbai has predicted moderate rain in