Page 136 - Maharashtra

Maha council adjourned briefly as oppn targets Shinde over Nagpur land case

Maharashtra Legislative Council was adjourned briefly on Wednesday after uproar over a Nagpur land allotment decision by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as the urban development minister in the previous state government. Leader of Opposition Ambadas Danve raised the issue again in the House for the second consecutive day to which members of the ruling side objected. The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court last week ordered status quo on the decision taken by Shinde, when he was the urban development minister in the previous Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, over the allotment of land meant for slum dwellers to private persons. Shinde had on Tuesday denied any wrongdoing and rejected the opposition's demand to quit. Danve on Tuesday said the Nagpur Improvement Trust, which comes under the urban development department, had reserved a plot measuring 4.5 acres in the city for the construction of houses for rehabilitation of slum dwellers. "However, Shinde had iss

No plans for mass Covid testing in state now: Maharashtra Health Secretary

Maharashtra Health Secretary Sanjay Khandare said that there are no plans to conduct mass testing in the state now

Will have to rethink water supply to K'taka: Maha minister on border row

Amid the simmering border dispute, Maharashtra minister Shambhuraj Desai on Wednesday said if Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai does not stop making irresponsible statements, Maharashtra will have to rethink about water supply from its dams to the neighbouring state. The Maharashtra government last month appointed cabinet members Chandrakant Patil and Shambhuraj Desai as nodal ministers to coordinate with the legal team regarding a court case on the state's border dispute with Karnataka. Addressing reporters in the Vidhan Bhavan complex here, Desai slammed Bommai over Karnataka government's stand that not an inch of land will be given to Maharashtra. The Karnataka legislature has reiterated the state's stand that the border issue is a settled one, and not an inch of land will be given to the neighbouring state. During a debate on the border dispute in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, CM Bommai himself suggested passing a unanimous resolution in both Houses of

'Like China, we will enter Karnataka,' says Sanjay Raut over border issue

Amid simmering tension over the border issue, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut sparked a fresh controversy by saying, "We will enter Karnataka like China has entered the country"

Karnataka-Maharashtra border region Belagavi peaceful, says police official

The Karnataka-Maharashtra border region, which has been witnessing a series of agitations since the first day of legislature session here is now peaceful, police said on Wednesday. "There's absolutely peace in the border district of Belagavi. Vehicular movement between the two states is normal and there is nothing to worry," a senior police official told PTI. As a precautionary measure, barricades have been put up on the bridge connecting Belagavi in Karnataka with Maharashtra. Police personnel have also been deployed at the vaccine depot ground in Tilakwadi, where the Madhyavarti Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MMES) was planning to stage a demonstration on December 19. "The MMES movement has stopped but as a precaution we are deploying forces there," the official added. The MMES wanted the leaders from Maharashtra to attend their event aimed at building pressure on Karnataka government to merge Belagavi with Maharashtra. The district administration denied the leaders permission to

Raise height of dams on rivers flowing into Karnataka: NCP's Jayant Patil

Amid the raging border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka, Nationalist Congress Party leader Jayant Patil has said Maharashtra should raise the height of the upstream dams to "rein in" the neighbouring state. The decades-old boundary dispute issue was raised in the legislatures of both the states on Tuesday. Speaking in the Maharashtra Assembly here on Tuesday, Patil said Karnataka was deliberately harassing Marathi-speaking people in its border areas. We should reply to what the Karnataka chief minister says in the same language. If they have so much attitude, then we will raise the height of dams on Koyna and Warna rivers and that of all the dams in Satara and Kolhapur districts. They (Karnataka leaders) would not be brought under control otherwise," the former Maharashtra water resources minister said. "If Karnataka holds us to ransom, then we have water, he added. The border issue dates back to 1957 after the reorganisation of states on linguistic lines. Maharashtra la

Uddhav joined hands with Congress, NCP for power: Maharashtra BJP chief

Maharashtra BJP State President Chandrashekar Bawankule said that Uddhav Thackeray joined hands with the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party due to his lust for power

Maha council adjourned over land allotment decision by Shinde as minister

Maharashtra Legislative Council proceedings were adjourned for the day on Tuesday after arguments between members of the opposition and ruling parties over the issue of a decision taken by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde when he was a minister in the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government of allotment of land meant for slum dwellers to private persons. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said in the House that their government does not give costly plots at lower rates to anyone. When Leader of Opposition Ambadas Danve was making a statement over the issue, ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders including state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandrakant Patil objected to it and asked Council deputy chairperson Neelam Gorhe to give another time slot to the LoP to raise the issue. On December 14, the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court was informed by amicus curie (appointed by court to assist) advocate Anand Parchure that Shinde during his tenure as the urban development minist

BMC prohibits staff from addressing media to counter fake information

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued a circular that only the civic chief and additional municipal commissioner will be authorised to speak to the media henceforth. In a circular issued on Monday, Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Chahal has instructed all other officers and staffers not to speak to the media. Only the municipal commissioner and concerned additional municipal commissioners will be the "competent authority" and they will be authorised to speak to the media, the circular said. Other officers and employees below the additional municipal commissioner rank are not authorised to speak to the media," it stated. The circular was issued after it was found that the department heads often shared information, including policy matters, with the media without the municipal commissioner's order, it said. Contradictory information was getting disseminated most of the time, which affected the civic body's image among the public, the circular said.

Maha session: Oppn accuses govt of corruption, seeks Shinde's resignation

The Opposition members staged demonstrations in the Maharashtra legislature complex here on Tuesday accusing the government of being corrupt and demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The demand for the CM's resignation comes against the backdrop of the Bombay High Court's Nagpur bench ordering status quo on a decision taken by Shinde when he was a minister in the previous Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of allotting land meant for slum dwellers to private persons. The HC bench was on December 14 informed by amicus curie advocate Anand Parchure that Shinde during his tenure as the urban development minister of the MVA government directed the NIT to give away land acquired for housing scheme for slum dwellers to 16 private persons. On the second day of the state legislature's winter session in Nagpur on Tuesday, Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly Ajit Pawar, Congress leaders Nana Patole, Prithiviraj Chavan, Balasaheb Thorat, Sh

More than 98% land acquired for bullet train project in Maharashtra: Govt

Work on the railways' ambitious bullet train project between Mumbai and Ahmedabad has gained momentum, with the ministry claiming on Monday that more than 98 per cent of the land has been acquired for the project in Maharashtra. Piers have been erected for a distance of more than 118 kilometres, girders are being launched and the work on the construction of bullet train stations has also started, the railway ministry said. With the change of government in Maharashtra, the pain points in the project in terms of forest clearances and land acquisition seem to have been overcome. In a series of tweets, the ministry claimed that while 98.22 per cent land has been acquired in Maharashtra, in Gujarat, 98.87 per cent land has been acquired and in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, 100 per cent of the land has been acquired for the project. The physical progress till November 23 was 24.1 per cent, the ministry said, adding that while almost 30 per cent of the work has been completed in Gujarat, in ...

55 villages in Nashik district of Maharashtra wish to be merged with Guj

Fifty-five villages under Surgana taluka wish to be merged with Gujarat to 'taste development'

Maoists issue public threats to kill NCP MLA; Maha govt assures security

Maoists allegedly issued a press statement threatening to kill the lawmaker following mining disputes

Sugar output up 5%; mills contract for 4.5-5 mn tonnes exports so far

Sugar production has increased 5 per cent to 82.1 lakh tonnes between October 1 and December 15 period of this marketing year, while mills have contracted to export 45-50 lakh tonnes of sweetener, industry body ISMA said on Monday. Sugar marketing year runs from October to September. The production of sugar stood at 77.9 lakh tonnes in the corresponding period of the 2021-22 marketing year. "As per port information and market reports, about 45-50 lakh tonnes of contracts for export of sugar have already been entered into so far. Out of that, about 6 lakh tonnes of sugar have been physically exported out of the country up to 30th November," Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) said in a statement. Market reports suggest that another 8-9 lakh tonnes of sugar is in pipeline to be exported in December, thereby total exports by the end of this month could be around 15 lakh tonnes. India exported a record 111 lakh tonnes of sugar in 2021-22 marketing year. In November, the government

Youth from Gadchiroli not joining Naxal movement anymore, says Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis on Monday said youth from the Naxalism-affected Gadchiroli district in Vidarbha are not joining the outlawed movement anymore and the new recruits are brought from Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Speaking in the Maharashtra Assembly, Fadnavis, who is also the state home minister, said his stand remains the same as was of former home minister R R Patil, who acted tough against the Left Wing Extremism. Today, the youth of Gadchiroli are not joining the Naxal dalams. They have to bring recruits from Chhattisgarh and Odisha, Fadnavis said. He was replying to queries raised by opposition members over Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Dharamrao Atram getting threats from Naxalites demanding stopping of the Surjagarh mining project in Gadchiroli district. Leader of Opposition in the Assembly and NCP MLA Ajit Pawar demanded that Atram's security be enhanced in view of the threat. NCP leader Dilip Walse Patil said Naxalites have started ...

Maha being misled over 'fake' Twitter account issue amid border row: Chavan

Senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan on Monday claimed Maharashtra was being misled over the issue of Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai's 'fake' Twitter handle amid the boundary dispute between the two states. Talking to reporters in the Vidhan Bhavan complex here, Chavan asked why the Maharashtra government was silent in the matter and said it seemed the state government was helping Karnataka to brush aside the controversy over the issue of the 'fake' Twitter account from which "provocative comments" were made. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde last week said tweets in the name of his Karnataka counterpart claiming some areas of Maharashtra were not actually posted by Bommai. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who last week met the chief ministers of Maharashtra and Karnataka to defuse the border tensions between the two states, had said fake tweets in the name of top leaders also escalated the issue. The dispute centres on Maharashtra's claims on Belagavi and the ...

Karnataka police disallow holding 'Maha Melav' by MES in Belagavi

The police have also vacated the stage erected by the MES at the Vaccine Depot area

Maha's winter session to begin in Nagpur; state to have Lokayukta law

Maharashtra will have a Lokayukta law on the lines of the Centre's Lokpal legislation which will also bring the chief minister and ministers under its ambit, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said. Addressing a press conference on Sunday ahead of the winter session of the state legislature beginning Monday, Fadnavis said a bill in this regard will be introduced. The new (to be amended) law is important in terms of bringing complete transparency in the state, he said. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said the decision was taken in the interest of the people of the state. The draft to prepare the new Lokayukta law was passed by the Cabinet and we will be tabling it before the legislature. For the first time, the chief minister and a council of ministers have been brought under the ambit of Lokayukta, he said. Fadnavis said the existing Lokayukta law did not include the Anti-Corruption Act. "So the Anti-Corruption Act has been made part of this Act (new law)," he added. Fadna

CM, Cabinet to come under Lokayukta law: Maharashtra Deputy CM Fadnavis

Maharashtra will have a Lokayukta law on the lines of the Centre's Lokpal law which will also bring chief minister and ministers under its ambit, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Sunday. Addressing a press conference on the eve of the winter session of the state legislature, he said a bill in this regard will be introduced. The recommendations of a panel led by social activist Anna Hazare have been accepted completely. He said the Lokayukta will be a retired chief justice of the High Court or a Supreme Court (judge). "The chief minister will be brought under the ambit of Lokayukta and so will the ministers (of the state Cabinet)," Fadnavis added.

Tata Power seeks regulator nod to raise tariffs and offset fuel cost surge

A spike in coal prices has increased cost of generation