Page 11 - Maharashtra

Shah visits Lalbaugcha Raja, CM residence and meets DyCM Shinde in Mumbai

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is in Mumbai to attend the ongoing Ganesh festivities, visited Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' residence and later took 'darshan' of the famous Lalbaugcha Raja Ganpati with his family members. Shah also held a meeting with Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and state BJP leaders. Shah arrived in the city on Friday night. On Saturday morning, he met Shinde at the state government's Sahyadri Guest House in south Mumbai, where he also interacted with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) joint general secretary Atul Limaye, Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan and newly appointed Mumbai BJP chief Ameet Satam. Shah later visited 'Varsha', the official residence of CM Fadnavis, party sources said. After that the Union minister visited the famous Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh mandal with his family members as part of his annual tradition. CM Fadnavis and Deputy CM Shinde also accompanied them. Shah is also scheduled to pay a visit to the Ganesh pandals in

Maratha quota stir: Govt panel to hold talks with Jarange, says minister

Maharashtra Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil on Saturday said that a government delegation has been deputed to hold talks with Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange, who is staging an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan. Talking to reporters after a meeting of the cabinet sub-committee, the state water resources minister said issues raised by Jarange were discussed in detail and the government is committed to resolving them positively. Jarange has been seeking a 10 per cent quota for Marathas under the Other Backward Class (OBC) category. He has demanded that Marathas be recognised as Kunbis an agrarian caste included in the OBC category which will make them eligible for reservation in government jobs and education. Vikhe Patil said that the delegation headed by Justice Sandeep Shinde (retired) will hold talks with Jarange. Justice Shinde heads the high-level committee constituted to scrutinise Kunbi records of the Maratha community. The minister further said, "We have discu

Maratha quota stir enters day 2: Hunger strike, traffic snarls, and more

Maratha quota protest: Thousands joined the protest at Azad Maidan despite police limits; hunger strike, traffic chaos, and rain tested Mumbai's civic infrastructure

Maratha quota: Protest enters second day as Jarange continues fast

Maratha quota agitation leader Manoj Jarange continued his indefinite hunger strike at Mumbai's historic Azad Maidan on the second day, declaring he would not budge until the community's demands were fulfilled. Jarange and his supporters battled mud on the ground due to overnight rains and bemoaned the lack of basic amenities, including a paucity of water in toilets. Jarange is demanding that all Marathas be recognised as Kunbis under OBC for job and education reservations. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said that the state government is positive about resolving the issues of the Marathas, if they are social and financial in nature and not related to political reservation. Fadnavis has said the cabinet sub-committee on issues related to the Maratha community was discussing Jarange's demands and will find a solution within the constitutional framework. The 43-year-old activist has warned that he will stop taking water in the next two days, and more Marathas

Maharashtra signs ₹33,768 cr MoUs; industries to generate 33,000 jobs

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said the state government has signed 17 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with various companies, attracting investments worth Rs 33,768.89 crore that are expected to generate more than 33,000 jobs. The MoUs, signed in the presence of Fadnavis and Industries Minister Uday Samant, span diverse sectors including electronics, steel, solar energy, electric buses and trucks, and defence-related industries, which will come up in north Maharashtra, Pune, Vidarbha and Konkan. The chief minister assured investors that the state government is committed to providing a smooth experience in Maharashtra. The MoUs of Rs 33,768.89 crore are expected to generate 33,483 jobs. "We will not stop at signing agreements. The government will remain a partner at every stage of investment, ensuring there are no hurdles," he said. He highlighted the state's 'Maitri' portal, a single-window platform aimed at facilitating quick approvals for land, permiss

Maratha quota protest: Maha govt open to talks with Jarange, say ministers

Maharashtra ministers Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Friday said the state government is ready to talk with Maratha quota movement leader Manoj Jarange, stressing that his demands are being viewed sympathetically. However, BJP member of legislative council Parinay Fuke cautioned against yielding to what he called unconstitutional demands, saying it would trigger bigger protests by the Other Backward Class (OBC) groups. Jarange started his agitation at the Azad Maidan in south Mumbai on Friday morning to press for reservation in education and government jobs for Marathas. Water Resources Minister and Maratha reservation sub-committee chairperson Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said they have Jarange's memorandum of demands and it would be taken up for discussion. Jarange Patil has arrived in Mumbai, and he says he is ready for talks with the government. We too are ready. Reservation was never treated as a matter of prestige by the government. Once his memorandum i

Heavy rains disrupt life in Latur; schools shut, rescue teams in action

Heavy downpour has disrupted life in Maharashtra's Latur district, prompting the administration to declare a school holiday on Friday, officials said. Of the 60 revenue circles in the district in the state's Marathwada region, 29 had reported excessive rainfall till Thursday night as water levels in rivers and streams rose, triggering rescue operations, they said. About 50 roads and bridges were shut after water began to flow over the structures. With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a yellow alert for August 29, District Collector and Disaster Management Authority Chairperson Varsha Thakur-Ghuge has announced a holiday for all schools from Class 1 to 12, an official said. Disaster management teams and local villagers rescued ten persons stranded in flood-hit areas of Shirur Anantpal and Ahmedpur talukas. An Army team has also arrived in Ahmedpur. In Shirur Anantpal, five persons trapped in a riverside shed and three labourers stuck during bridge construction on t

Palghar building collapse: Fadnavis announces ₹5 lakh aid for victims' kin

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday expressed grief over the death of 17 persons in a building collapse at Virar in Palghar district and announced an assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of the deceased. The building, which was allegedly unauthorised and housed nearly 50 flats, collapsed on an adjacent vacant tenement at Vijay Nagar in Virar area of Palghar, adjoining Mumbai, at 12.05 am on Wednesday, according to officials. A one-year-old girl's birthday party was underway on the fourth floor when 12 flats in a wing of the building collapsed, trapping residents and guests under the debris, as per eyewitnesses. The child was among the deceased. Police have arrested the builder of the four-storey structure, Ramabai Apartment, after the Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) lodged a complaint, the official said. Seventeen persons have died so far, and Chief Minister Fadnavis has expressed profound grief and paid heartfelt tribute to the deceased, a statement fr

Two more bodies found, death toll in Palghar building collapse rises to 17

The death toll in the collapse of a building at Virar in Maharashtra's Palghar district has gone up to 15 with the recovery of three more bodies overnight, officials said on Thursday. The unauthorised four-storey building, housing nearly 50 flats, collapsed on an adjacent vacant tenement at Vijay Nagar in Virar area at 12.05 am on Wednesday, they said. A one-year-old girl's birthday party was underway on the fourth floor when 12 flats in a wing of the building collapsed, trapping residents and guests under the debris, as per eyewitnesses. Palghar District Collector Dr Indu Rani Jakhar on Thursday morning confirmed that the death toll in the incident has gone up to 15. The work of clearing the debris by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other rescue teams will continue to ensure no other person was trapped under the rubble, she told PTI.

Maharashtra govt forms committee to study impact of pigeons on human health

Amid controversy over the closure of 'kabutarkhanas' in Mumbai, the Maharashtra government has set up an expert committee to examine the impact of pigeons on human health as directed by the Bombay High Court. In response to three writ petitions, the high court had on August 13 asked the government to set up a committee to study health hazards associated with pigeons and the practice of feeding them in public places. The Urban Development Department on August 22 issued an order appointing a 13-member committee headed by Rajay Kan Devad, Director, Public Health Services, Pune. Its other members include representatives from the Bombay Natural History Society, Maharashtra Animal Welfare Board, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Nagpur, pulmonologists from Mumbai, microbiologists, and senior officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. The committee will study the impact of pigeon droppings on health, public feeding of the

Maratha quota protest: Maha govt delegation to meet Jarange at Shivneri

The Maharashtra government on Wednesday stepped up its efforts to reach out to Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange, lining up a ministerial delegation to meet him at Shivneri. Jarange set out for Mumbai in the morning as he remained firm on launching his agitation from August 29 in the Maharashtra capital. The activist told reporters that he had received a phone call from cabinet sub-committee head and state minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil informing him that a government team would reach Shivneri in Pune district for discussions. The delegation sent by Vikhe Patil will be coming to Shivneri. The government has shown willingness to hold discussions, but our stand on the Mumbai agitation remains unchanged, Jarange told reporters. Meanwhile, Vikhe Patil said the cabinet sub-committee, which held its first meeting on Monday, had deliberated on Jarange's demands concerning extending reservation benefits to close relatives of the Maratha community. He added that the Shinde committee

2 dead, 9 injured as part of building collapses in Maharashtra's Palghar

Two persons were killed and nine others injured after a part of a building collapsed in Vasai in Maharashtra's Palghar district, an official said on Wednesday. The injured have been rushed to various hospitals in Virar and Nalasopara, on the outskirts of Mumbai. The rear portion of the four-storey Ramabai Apartment, located on Narangi Road in Vasai, crashed onto a chawl in the vicinity around 12.05 am, he said. Rescuers have pulled 11 individuals, some with serious injuries, from the debris so far and two of them have been declared dead, said the official from the Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVMC). The fire department and two teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were rushed to the accident spot, he said. Citing preliminary information, Vivekanand Kadam, District Disaster Management Officer of Palghar, said the rear portion of Ramabai Apartment fell on the adjoining chawl. Multiple residents were trapped under the debris, he said. Unfortunately, we ha

Supreme Court halts police action against Sanjay Kumar in voter rolls case

Supreme Court seeks response from the Election Commission and the Maharashtra government; says no coercive action until further hearing

Leaders claiming vote theft are consoling themselves over loss: CM Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said leaders alleging vote theft were doing so to provide solace to their workers for their defeat in polls instead of introspecting about their loss. Fadnavis's remark has come after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Saturday said that he had been talking about "vote theft" since 2016, and the Election Commission should have conducted a probe when both Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the BJP's Anurag Thakur alleged voter list fraud. Speaking to reporters, Fadnavis, in a veiled jibe, said, "Poet Ghalib once said 'Dil behelana ke liye khayal acha hain' (to console the heart, this thought is good). I want to say that they (leaders) are trying to provide solace to themselves and their workers by claiming there was a conspiracy behind their defeat in elecctions. But I want to tell them that they must introspect about their defeat, or they will never win." Asked about Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's statement

Onion farmers in Maharashtra claim losses over non-transparent procurement

Onion growers in Maharashtra are facing financial losses due to non-transparent procurement of the crop by a Central agency, an association representing farmers alleged on Saturday. State Onion Growers' Association president Bharat Dighole said farmers are compelled to stage protests even during festivals and demanded that the government should either ensure fair procurement or stop NAFED's onion purchases. A farmer from Nashik district staged a unique protest against NAFED on the occasion of the Pola festival with his bullocks. Pola is a thanksgiving festival celebrated by farmers to acknowledge the importance of bulls and oxen, who are a crucial part of agriculture. "For several years, NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India) has been procuring onions for buffer stock. However, farmers allege that large-scale financial irregularities occur in this process, depriving them of fair prices and causing losses worth crores of rupees annually," Dighole sta

No need to give political angle to Raj Thackeray-Fadnavis meet: Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday downplayed the meeting between MNS president Raj Thackeray and CM Devendra Fadnavis, saying that maintaining communication is a tradition in the state. Talking to reporters in Wardha, Pawar said, Many leaders meet one another as well as with the chief minister, irrespective of whether they are in power or not. Maintaining communication with each other is the tradition of the state. There is no need to give a political angle to this meeting. Earlier, Raj Thackeray met Fadnavis at the latter's official bungalow Varsha' in south Mumbai, prompting speculation in the state's political circles. The meeting came after the first joint contest by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in the BEST Employees' Co-operative Credit Society elections ended in a humiliating defeat on Wednesday. The two parties' joint panel failed to win any of the 21 seats in the polls. Fadnavis had on .

IAS officer, builders misused power in high-value fraud case, says ED

Former Vasai-Virar civic chief Anil Pawar and three others, held in a money laundering case, demonstrated a "deliberate" misuse of administrative powers and financial system to perpetrate a high-value fraud, the Enforcement Directorate told a Mumbai court on Wednesday. "Hawala and angadia" channels were used to launder the proceeds of crime, not just within Maharashtra, but across other states too, the ED told the special court, which later sent the quartet, including two real estate developers, to jail a week after their arrest. The hawala system refers to an informal channel for transferring funds from one location to another. Hawala operations are deemed illegal cash transactions in India. Angadias are traditional couriers who offer their services to transfer cash, diamonds and jewellery for a fee. Besides IAS officer Pawar, Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) town planner Y Shiva Reddy and two builders -- Sitaram Gupta and Arun Gupta -- are the other accused in the ..

Maharashtra inks MoUs worth ₹42,893 cr; projects to create over 28k jobs

The Maharashtra government on Tuesday signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) worth Rs 42,893 crore with various companies for data centre and solar energy projects in the state. Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the state is emerging as the data centre capital and solar energy integration capital of India. Eight MoUs for various investments and two strategic agreements, including a partnership with the UK to attract foreign investments, were signed. The MoUs worth Rs 42,893 crore are expected to generate 28,558 jobs, it was stated. The chief minister said these investment commitments reflect the trust of investors and the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Fadnavis assured investors that the state government will offer full support from start to finish to ensure smooth implementation of the projects. He also announced renewed momentum for the state's ambitious hyperloop project, now progressing with the involvement of IIT Bombay and IIT ..

Palghar cops on alert as containers fallen from ship likely to drift ashore

Palghar police in Maharashtra have been put on alert following a message from higher authorities about the probable drifting of some containers from a cargo ship in the Arabian Sea, according to officials. As per the police message circulated on Monday, 48 containers fell from the ship 'MV Phonnix 15' after it crossed 20 nautical miles from Salah in Oman. The Directorate General of Shipping has informed that 48 containers from the vessel fell into the sea. Out of these, 8 containers have so far been recovered, while the remaining have either sunk or are suspected to have drifted towards the shore, it said. The communication on Monday directed all Marine and Bay police stations in Palghar district including Safala, Kelva, Satpati, Tarapur, Wangaon, Dahanu and Gholwad to remain vigilant. The message further instructed that if any floating containers or related materials are spotted by local fishermen, villagers in the coastal areas or patrol teams, the information must be immediate

IBM opens Mumbai client centre to support Maharashtra's quantum push

The company has signed a Letter of Intent with the Maharashtra government to explore opportunities in quantum ecosystem development and talent building