Page 135 - Maharashtra

Maharashtra minister abuses, beats 2 men in viral video; NCP demands action

Adding to woes of ruling Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena-BJP, a video of a state minister abusing, threatening and assaulting persons has come to fore and gone viral on social media

2022 saw political slugfests in Maha courtrooms, cases on alleged Maoists

Political turmoil in Maharashtra spilled over to the courts in 2022 with the arrests of leaders like Sanjay Raut, Nawab Malik and independent MP from Amravati Navneet Rana in different cases and subsequent legal battles over their bail applications. The courts also dealt with litigation related to the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case of 2017 with some of the accused getting relief. In February, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former minister in the then Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government Nawab Malik moved the Bombay High Court, seeking to quash an alleged money laundering case registered against him by the Enforcement Directorate. The ED case is related to a land deal in Mumbai in which associates of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim were involved. Malik's plea is still pending. In March, the ED arrested Malik in the case and subsequently a special court for the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) cases rejected his bail applications. Malik has now moved the High

CM Shinde to move resolution over Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will move a resolution in the State Assembly on Tuesday over the border dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra, said Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis

Deepak Kesarkar introduces Maharashtra Lokayukta Bill 2022 in Assembly

According to the Bill, the Lokayukta will have to seek the approval of the assembly before initiating any inquiry against the chief minister and bringing a motion before the session of the house

Maharashtra government to develop tourism circuit in Nanded: Minister

The Maharashtra government will develop a tourism circuit in Nanded district by connecting its popular travel destinations, state Tourism Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha said here on Sunday. Work in this direction will commence in the next three months, he told reporters. The minister was in Nanded to visit the Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib Gurdwara. "There are popular tourist spots in Nanded, including temples, gurdwaras and forts. A circuit will be planned to connect these places that are located within the radius of 100 km. Facilities for tourists will be created," Lodha said. A committee of local stakeholders will be set up in Nanded and it will meet every month. The Hottal Festival in the district will be celebrated on a grander scale henceforth, he said. The tourism ministry is also planning to form a tourist facilitation centre in Nanded, Lodha added.

Bombay HC issues notice to minister Abdul Sattar over land dispute order

The Bombay High Court has issued a notice to Maharashtra minister Abdul Sattar for ordering 'regularisation' of the possession of land reserved for public 'gairan' (grazing) in favour of a private person in the face of a civil court order. There shall be an interim stay to the effect and operation of the order passed on June 17, 2022 by Sattar until further orders, the HC's Nagpur bench said while issuing the notice on December 22. The details were available on Saturday. The bench was hearing a petition filed by social activist Shyam Deole and another person against the order Sattar had passed in June 2022 when he was the revenue minister. As per the petition, a public utility land meant for grazing measuring 37 acres was 'regularised' in favour of a private person. This was done even after the claim of this private person had been rejected by the civil appellate court, said the petitioner who was represented by advocate Sunil Manohar. The HC held that prima facie (on the face of

Measles tally in Mumbai rises to 514; cases in Maharashtra at 1,162

Mumbai on Saturday reported two measles cases, which took the infection tally to 514, while the death toll stood unchanged at nine, a civic official said. The city also has five suspected cases, where it is yet to be confirmed if measles was the cause of death, he added. Thirty-seven children were admitted in hospitals during the day and an equal number were discharged, a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation release said. Of the 335 beds earmarked for the treatment of the infection, only 114 were occupied, it added. Of the 2,60,739 children in the 9-month to 5-year age group in 78 health posts, 77,827 children have been given additional doses of Measles-Rubella special dose, the release said. Of the 5,293 children in the 6-month to 9-month age segment in 21 health posts, where the number cases in the sub 9-month group is more than 10 per cent of lab confirmed case, 1,940 were administered 'zero dose' of MR vaccine. Meanwhile, the measles tally in Maharashtra was 1,162 as on Friday,

NHRC notice to Maha govt, 8 district collectors over rise in child marriage

The National Human Rights Commission has sent notices to the Maharashtra government and collectors of eight districts in the state's Marathwada region over reported rising instances of child marriage, a senior official said on Friday. The Commission has observed that the contents of the article about the plight of the victims of child marriages, if true, amount to a violation of human rights relating to their life, liberty, dignity, and equality of the poor people, especially the women in the region. The NHRC in a statement said it has taken "suo motu cognisance of a newspaper article highlighting the malpractice of child marriage prevailing in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra due to which a large number of women are forced to lead a miserable life. The article has documented the plight of some child marriage victims in the region". Accordingly, the Commission has issued notices to the chief secretary of Maharashtra and the district collectors of Jalna, Aurangabad, Parbhani, ...

States to conduct mock drills next week to review Covid preparedness

Specific focus on oxygen plants, ventilators, logistics and human resources; aim is to check whether the equipment is in running condition, or needs refurbishment

Maharashtra govt issues notice to wardens of 28 hostels for poor facilities

Wardens of 28 government hostels have been served show cause notices and will face inquiries over various complaints about poor facilities, the Maharashtra government informed the state Legislative Council on Friday. A special squad of the social welfare department had conducted random checks at 54 government hostels in the state, Minister for Social Justice Sanjay Rathod said. Rathod was responding to a Calling Attention Motion moved by Shiv Sena (UBT) legislator Manisha Kayande, and BJP MLCs Prasad Lad, Nagorao Ganar and Ramesh Patil. The social welfare department had conducted a 'samvad' programme on July 27 and 28, during which officials themselves stayed in hostels and interacted with students living there, the minister said. Officials found that some wardens were not living in the hostels. Apart from this, some hostels also lacked clean drinking water and hot water, libraries, proper food, cleanliness among a host of other facilities, he said. After some of the complaints we

Maharashtra will pass resolution on border dispute next week: Minister

Maharashtra minister Shamburaj Desai on Friday said the state government will next week bring a resolution on the border dispute with Karnataka, which will be "10 times more effective" than the one passed by the neighbouring state. The Excise Minister said the resolution will be passed by the state legislature on Monday. Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution on the border row with Maharashtra, resolving to protect the state's interests and not to cede an inch of land to its neighbour. The resolution which also condemned the border dispute "created" by Maharashtra and moved by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, was adopted by a voice vote. Talking to reporters at the legislature complex in Nagpur, Desai said, "The state government will bring a detailed resolution on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border issue, which will be 10 times more effective than the one passed by Karnataka. It will be passed in the legislature on Monday." "I only want to say that

Maharashtra to test international passengers for Covid-19; masks advised

The Maharashtra health department on Thursday night said 2 per cent of the international passengers arriving at the state's airports will be tested randomly amid concern of a possible spike in COVID-19 cases due to detection of the BF.7 sub-variant of Omicron which is said to be driving the latest surge in infections in neighbouring China. The state government has not made masks mandatory for people, but has advised their use by elderly persons and high-risk populations, including those with comorbidities (having existing illnesses), the health department said in a statement. A state task force has been formed to guide the government for expert inputs, while district authorities have been asked to review the situation at their own level through existing committees. District administrations and civic bodies have been asked to ramp up testing and every positive RT-PCR swab sample should be sent for genome sequencing to detect any new variant, the health department added. Genomic ...

Mahindra Lifespace acquires over 9 acres of land in Mumbai for Rs 365 crore

Realty firm Mahindra Lifespace Developers Ltd has completed the acquisition of a 9.24-acre land parcel in Mumbai from Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd for Rs 365 crore. In February this year, Mahindra Lifespace had announced that it would purchase the land in Kandivali, Mumbai from Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd for the development of a housing project. Mahindra & Mahindra is the promoter and holding company of Mahindra Lifespace Developers. The aggregate consideration for this land deal is Rs 365 crore (subject to actual land area survey, deduction of TDS and applicable taxes), to be paid in tranches and interest of 7 per cent per annum payable during the interim period of payment on unpaid principal balance from the sale date. The transaction is at arm's length, it had said. In a regulatory filing on Thursday, Mahindra Lifespace said the "company and M&M Ltd, on Thursday have consummated the said transaction by executing a deed of conveyance for the said property." Mumbai-based ...

BoM raises Rs 880 crore through bonds; issue subscribed more than 4 times

State-owned Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) on Thursday said it has raised Rs 880 crore through Basel III-compliant Additional Tier 1 (AT1) bonds. The issue, including green shoe option of Rs 680 crore, was subscribed more than four times against base size of Rs 200 crore, the bank said in a statement. The fund raised through the AT1 bonds will support the business growth of the bank, it added. The AT1 instrument with a coupon rate of 8.74 per cent is perpetual in nature.

Online registration date for CIDCO housing scheme in Navi Mumbai extended

The last date for online registration for state-run CIDCO's mass housing scheme has been extended till January 6 from December 22 due to the overwhelming response from people, an official said on Thursday. A total of 7,849 apartments are available in Bambandongri railway station, Kharkopar East 2A, Kharkopar East 2B and Kharkopar East 2P in Ulwe node of Navi Mumbai as part of City Industrial and Development Corporation's Mass Housing Scheme Diwali - 2022, he said. The scheme was launched on October 24 this year, he said, adding the final list of accepted applications will be published on January 18. The lotter to choose winners will be held on February 3.

Kannada people will repulse Maharashtra like Indian Army: CM Bommai

Speaking to reporters at Belagavi, CM Bommai stated that everyone knows what importance should be given to Sanjay Raut. He always gives provocative statements, he said

5 Ellora caves to be illuminated with LED lights ahead of G20-related event

Five caves at the Ellora world heritage site in Maharashtra's Aurangabad district will be illuminated with LED lights and the Archaeological Survey of India will try to complete the work before the city hosts a G20-related event, a senior ASI official has said. The 'first inception meet' of Women 20 (W20) as part of India's presidency of G20 will be held in the city on February 13-14, 2023. The Women 20, an official G20 engagement group, was set up in 2015 to ensure gender considerations figure in G20 discussions. The ASI has already put up lights in various Ajanta caves for visitors to see the paintings made there between 400 and 650 CE, an official said on Wednesday. ASI's superintendent archaeologist Milan Kumar Chauley told PTI that they will also illuminate the inside portions of Ellora cave numbers 5, 10, 16, 29 and 32 which have paintings and sculptures. Chauley said they will try to finish the work before the G20-related event in Aurangabad in February next year. "The lig

Maharashtra's Oppn leaders have lost mental balance: Karnataka CM Bommai

The statements being made by the opposition leaders in Maharashtra gives an impression that they have lost their mental balance, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said

Genome sequencing of all positive samples in Maha, don't panic: official

Maharashtra's state surveillance officer on Wednesday said all swab samples testing positive for COVID-19 will be sent for genome sequencing to track any new variant and maintained there was no need to panic in view of the current surge in cases in China, said to be driven by a new strain of Omicron. State surveillance officer Dr Pradip Awate's statement came a day after the Centre asked states to step up genome sequencing of positive swab samples amid a spurt in coronavirus cases in the US, China and some other countries. Awate said they are already conducting genome sequencing of samples, but since the number of positive cases has come down in the last few months, the sequencing process, too, has slowed down. Genome sequencing is a laboratory test that can map out the whole genetic makeup of a virus from a patient's swab sample. "Earlier, we used to pick up samples of serious patients, admitted patients, patients who had re-infection after vaccination, and patients from ...

Ecosystem of paan shops, anti-social elements near schools: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday flagged a "growing ecosystem" of paan shops, cafeterias and the presence of anti-social elements near schools and said remedial measures are being taken. Fadnavis, who holds the Home portfolio, was responding to a calling attention motion moved by some BJP MLCs in the Legislative Council against the backdrop of the alleged sexual attack on a girl student in a civic-run school in Mumbai. "Secretaries of the department of Home and the Department of Education would meet to chalk out a plan to inspect the growing ecosystem of paan shops, cafeterias and the presence of anti-social elements near schools in the state," Fadnavis stated in a written reply. Among other measures, he reiterated the use of mobile phones is prohibited on the premises of schools and the respective management has been instructed. "A teenage girl student was sexually assaulted in the classroom by two students of class 8 in a civic-run school in Matung