Page 3 - Maharashtra

No provision for use of VVPATs in local body polls: Maharashtra SEC

The Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) has said there is no provision in the laws or rules governing local body elections for the use of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines. The Opposition parties have demanded that the upcoming local body elections in Maharashtra be conducted using VVPAT machines to ensure transparency in the voting process. If the deployment of VVPAT machines is not feasible, the elections to rural and urban civic bodies should be held using ballot papers, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Vijay Wadettiwar had said. Elections to various local bodies in the state, including the cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, are to be completed by January 2026. The SEC in a statement on Wednesday said that except for a few exceptions, almost all local body elections in the state are conducted under a multi-member ward system. The Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC), comprising all State Election Commissions across the country, is ...

Maharashtra rejects land lease renewal of Jeejeebhoy Trust in Mumbai

Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule has rejected the proposal for renewal of the government land lease held by Jeejeebhoy Trust, a prominent charitable organisation, at Mazgaon in Mumbai, officials said. Some business entities were attempting to occupy government land under the pretext of the trust and such attempts should be stopped, MLC Sachin Ahir of the Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) has claimed. Bawankule on Wednesday directed that the amount deposited by the trust or its developer in an irregular manner be refunded, the officials said. A meeting on the issue was held on Wednesday at the minister's office. Ahir, NCP MLC Amol Mitkari, Mumbai City Collector Aanchal Goyal and other officials attended it through video conferencing. According to officials, the Jeejeebhoy Trust held government leasehold rights over two plots in Mazgaon -- measuring 725.76 sq m and 9,154.10 sq m. The trust had delayed payment of the renewal amount. Subsequently, the amount was ...

Maharashtra to set up 'Namo Tourism Centres' at four heritage forts

The Maharashtra government on Wednesday approved the establishment of four 'Namo Tourism Information and Facility Centres' at prominent heritage forts in the state to boost regional tourism infrastructure and provide modern amenities to visitors. The centres will come up at Raigad, Pratapgad, Shivneri and Salher forts under the Regional Tourism Development Scheme for 2025-26, according to a government resolution (GR). The Tourism and Cultural Affairs Department has sanctioned Rs 20 crore for the project, of which Rs 5 crore will be released initially to the Directorate of Tourism for implementation. "The Namo Tourism Centres will become an integral part of Maharashtra's tourism landscape and help visitors access heritage sites comfortably," a senior official said, adding that the government intends to expand the initiative to 75 tourist locations in future phases. Each Namo centre is expected to serve as a one-stop information and service point for visitors, showcasing the site's .

Woman doctor suicide: Rahul Gandhi speaks to her family, promises justice

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday spoke over the phone with family members of a woman doctor who allegedly died by suicide in Maharashtra's Satara district, assuring them of support in their fight for justice. The doctor's family members, while demanding justice for her, asked Gandhi to put pressure on the government to set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) for a probe into her death. They said it has been a week since the doctor's death and feared that evidence would be wiped out. Gandhi spoke to the woman's parents and siblings over the phone of Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal when he visited them at Kavadgaon village in Beed district. The Congress MP assured them that he would pressure the government to set up an SIT to probe the woman's death. The 28-year-old doctor was found hanging in a hotel room in Phaltan town of Satara district on the night of October 23. The postmortem mentioned the cause as asphyxia due to hanging,

Satara woman doctor suicide: Police yet to recover phone of arrested cop

Police have yet to recover the mobile phone used by a police sub-inspector, arrested for the suicide of a female doctor posted at a government hospital in Maharashtra's Satara district, an official said on Tuesday. Suspended PSI Gopal Badane, arrested on October 25, was being questioned about his mobile phone, which can prove to be a crucial piece of evidence in the case, he said. The 28-year-old doctor, hailing from Beed district of central Maharashtra and posted at a government hospital in Satara district, was found hanging in a hotel room in Phaltan town on Thursday night (October 23). In a suicide note written on her palm, she alleged that PSI Badane raped her on multiple occasions, while Prashant Bankar, a software engineer, mentally harassed her. Police arrested both Bankar and Badane last week after a case of rape and abetment of suicide was registered against the two in Phaltan. "Badane has hidden his phone somewhere and he was being questioned about its whereabouts," said

Satara woman doctor's suicide: Kin demand probe by SIT, fast-track trial

Family members of a woman doctor who allegedly committed suicide in Maharashtra's Satara district last week have demanded that the government set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case. The trial should be held in a fast-track court in Beed, they said at a press conference on Monday. "We have some demands for the chief minister. An SIT should be formed at the earliest, and we will not go to Phaltan (where the woman died by suicide) to record our statements. The case should be tried in a fast-track court in Beed. The allegations that are being made against my sister should be verified by checking the CDR (Call Detail Records)," said a woman relative. The complaints made by the woman doctor in the past were not heeded, and a fresh inquiry should be held into them, she added. A male relative of the deceased woman raised questions about the surrender of suspended police sub-inspector Gopal Badane, one of the two arrested accused. "Police kept searching for him. They .

BJP doesn't need crutches, runs on own strength in Maharashtra: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said the BJP doesn't need crutches and runs on its own strength in Maharashtra, and asked the party cadre to ensure that the Opposition is wiped out in the ensuing local body polls. We have proven that the politics of family-run parties will no longer work in this country. It is the politics of performance that will lead the nation forward, Shah said, addressing party workers after laying the foundation stone of Maharashtra BJP's new office building near Churchgate station in south Mumbai. Modi ji is the best example of this. A child born in a humble tea seller's home rose, through his dedication, sacrifice, and hard work, to become the prime minister of India, Shah said. The BJP doesn't run on crutches in Maharashtra but on its own strength, Shah said. Referring to the double engine' government of the BJP at the Centre and in the state, Shah said, the party should also win the local body polls, scheduled later this year. Work so hard that ..

Maharashtra woman doctor's suicide: Sub-inspector, techie arrested

Police have arrested sub-inspector Gopal Badane in connection with the alleged suicide of a woman government doctor in Maharashtra's Satara district, officials said. Badane surrendered at the Phaltan Rural Police Station in Satara on Saturday evening following which he was arrested, district Superintendent of Police Tushar Doshi said. Earlier, on Saturday morning, a team from the Phaltan police arrested software engineer Prashant Bankar, whom the doctor had named along with Badane in her suicide note, from Pune. Bankar, accused of mentally harassing the victim and facing abetment of suicide charge, was produced on Saturday before a Satara district court which sent him to police custody for four days. The doctor, hailing from Beed district in the Marathwada region of central Maharashtra and posted at a government hospital in Satara district, was found hanging in a hotel room in Phaltan town on Thursday night. In the suicide note written on her palm, she alleged that police ...

Aurangabad railway station renamed Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar station

Three years after the renaming of the Aurangabad city in Maharashtra, the Central Railway on Saturday said the Aurangabad railway station has been officially renamed as "Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar railway station." Its new station code will be 'CPSN', the Central Railway said in a release. The station falls under the Nanded Division of South Central Railway. The BJP-led Mahayuti government on October 15 had issued a gazette notification to change the name of the Aurangabad railway station. The move came nearly three years after the then government headed by Eknath Shinde formally renamed Aurangabad city as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The city, previously named for Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, received the new name as a tribute to Chhatrapati Sambhaji, the son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and second ruler of the Maratha state. Aurangabad railway station was opened in 1900, during the reign of the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan. Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar is a tourist hub,

Satara woman doctor suicide: Accused named in note arrested from Pune

Police on Saturday arrested one person in connection with the alleged suicide of a 28-year-old woman doctor in Maharashtra's Satara district, an official said. A team from the Phaltan police arrested Prashant Bankar, one of the two men the doctor had named in a suicide note written on her palm, from Pune, he said. The doctor, hailing from Beed district and posted at a government hospital, was found hanging in a hotel room in Phaltan of Satara district on Thursday night. In the suicide note written on her palm, she alleged that sub-inspector Gopal Badane raped her on multiple occasions, while Bankar, a software engineer, mentally harassed her. A case of rape and abetment to suicide was registered against the duo. "One of the accused, Bankar, has been arrested and brought to Phaltan. The investigation is underway," the official said. According to the police, Bankar is the son of the landlord of the house where the doctor resided. She had allegedly called him over the phone and cha

Maharashtra doctor dies by suicide, alleges cop raped her repeatedly

A woman doctor working at a government hospital in Maharashtra's Satara district has died by suicide, leaving a note on her palm, accusing two cops of rape and mental harassment, police said on Friday. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis spoke to the Satara superintendent of police, ordering immediate suspension of the police officers named in the suicide note. The 28-year-old doctor, who hailed from Beed district and worked at a government hospital in Phaltan tehsil, was found hanging in a hotel room at Phaltan late on Thursday night, an official said. Fadnavis, who also holds the Home portfolio, has directed that strict action be taken against the accused, an official release said. In a suicide note written on her palm, the doctor alleged that she had been raped and mentally harassed by two personnel of the Satara police over the last five months. She wrote that sub-inspector Gopal Badane raped and sexually harassed her on multiple occasions, and another policeman Prashant Bankar .

GX Group to invest ₹500 crore in India for photonic module and chip unit

Broadband gear maker GX Group on Friday said it will set up a photonic module and chip arm in India with an initial investment of Rs 500 crore. The new subsidiary, headquartered in Manesar, Gurgaon, is expected to create over 300 direct jobs, GX Group CEO Paritosh Prajapati said. The group currently has about 250 employees in India. The Phase 1 investment of Rs 500 crore will be deployed towards establishing a manufacturing facility in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan, and expansion of its existing R&D centre in Chennai, Prajapati told PTI. "We will start operating the facility and the R&D centre by Q1 FY27. And we will start rolling out chips immediately after. The local market will get the chips by October 2026," he said. Quantum Photonics eyes a USD 50 billion addressable market in India, with GX Group's existing customer base, including tier I telecom operators and data centre companies, already showing interest. GX Group's existing customer base includes Airtel, ACT, and Tata Play.

Over 12,000 men received benefits under Maharashtra's Ladki Bahin Yojana

The Women and Child Development Department, which administers the scheme, said that these men had been removed from the beneficiary list, along with 77,980 women who were also found ineligible

Maha govt okays ₹648 cr relief for crop damage, aid extended to 3 hectares

The Maharashtra government has sanctioned Rs 648.15 crore for the distribution of relief to farmers affected by excess rainfall and floods during this year's monsoon, officials said. The relief limit too has been extended from two hectares to three hectares as a special measure, Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Makarand Jadhav-Patil announced on Tuesday. The decision aims to provide immediate financial assistance to rain-affected farmers and a necessary government resolution (GR) has been issued, he said in a statement. So far, the Relief and Rehabilitation Department has sanctioned around Rs 8,139 crore to assist farmers affected by natural calamities during the current kharif season, Jadhav-Patil said. The decision will benefit 6,12,177 farmers and cover 6,56,310.83 hectares of affected crop area, he said. The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division (districts of Beed, Latur, Parbhani, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Hingoli, Nanded) will get Rs 346.31 crore for 3,58,612 farmers,

Thane MACT awards ₹35.27 lakh to kin of pedestrian killed in crane accident

The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) in Maharashtra's Thane has awarded a compensation of Rs 35.27 lakh to the children of a 58-year-old woman who died after being hit by a hydraulic crane in 2017. Tribunal member R V Mohite held the Oriental Insurance Company Limited liable to pay the compensation at the first instance, but granted it the right to recover the amount from the vehicle's owner, citing a clear breach of the insurance policy terms. A copy of the order dated October 15 was made available on Monday. The accident occurred on the morning of November 20, 2017, when the victim, Shalan Suresh Kamble, was walking in the Wagle Estate area. A speeding hydraulic crane hit her and ran over her. She was rushed to the hospital with multiple fractures and severe damage to her kidneys and succumbed to her injuries five days later. The police registered a criminal case against the crane driver. The tribunal established that the accident was caused by the sole negligence of the c

Four killed, 10 injured in fire at Navi Mumbai residential building

Four persons were killed and 10 others suffered injuries after a fire broke out in a multi-storey residential building in Maharashtra's Navi Mumbai township shortly after midnight on Tuesday, police said. Prima facie, the blaze started at around 12.30 am in a flat on the 10th floor of the Raheja Residency, MGM Complex, at Sector 14 in Vashi area, and spread to the 11th and 12th floors, an official said. Two women, a man and a 6-year-old girl were killed, while 10 others were injured, he said. The injured persons were rushed to two hospitals in Vashi. After being alerted, 40 fire brigade personnel along with 8 fire tenders and police rushed to the spot and the blaze was put out by 4 am, the official said. The cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained, the official said.

Caste bias row: NCP's Rohit Pawar seeks removal of Pune college principal

NCP (SP) general secretary Rohit Pawar has demanded that the Maharashtra government remove a Pune college principal from its youth and sports policy committee, following allegations of caste bias by a former Dalit student. The former BBA student alleged caste bias and claimed the Modern College of Arts, Science and Commerce had withheld his job verification, a charge denied by the institution which clarified that it had sent the document to his UK-based employer and he had not lost his job. The college has refuted the allegations of caste discrimination, calling them baseless. Pawar has, however, accused the college of showing "Manuvadi" ideology and demanded the removal of its principal Nivedita Ekbote from the state government's core committee to frame policies for youth and sports. "If there are individuals with Manuvadi ideologies as well as those harbouring casteist grudges in the committee that formulates the state's sports and youth policy, then what will be the future of th

Ex-Maharashtra minister, BJP leader Mahadeorao Shivankar passes away at 85

Former minister and veteran BJP leader Mahadeorao Sukhaji Shivankar died after a prolonged illness in Maharashtra's Gondia district on Monday, family sources said. Shivankar (85) breathed his last at his residence in Amgaon in the early hours of the day, his son Vijay Shivankar said. He was a five-time MLA from the Amgaon constituency and had represented the Chimur constituency in the Lok Sabha. The veteran leader also served as the national president of the BJP farmers' cell. Shivankar had announced the bifurcation of Bhandara district and the formation of the new Gondia district on January 26, 1999. He served as the state irrigation and finance minister in the Manohar Joshi government in Maharashtra in the 1990s. Shivankar is survived by his sons, Vijay and Sanjay Shivankar, and a daughter. The last rites will be conducted at Sakhritla Ghat in Amgaon on Tuesday, and the funeral procession will begin at 10 a.m. from Shivankar's residence.

Sanjay Raut backs Raj Thackeray, calls for Nov 1 march over bogus voters

Raut announced plans for a meeting with election officials in Maharashtra, led by party chief Uddhav Thackeray, to address concerns over discrepancies in the voter list

Aurangabad railway station officially renamed Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

The Aurangabad railway station in Maharashtra has been renamed as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar station through a gazette notification issued by the state government. The move comes nearly three years after the then government headed by Eknath Shinde formally rechristened Aurangabad city as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The city, previously named after Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, received this name as a tribute to Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's son. The original name change was initiated by the erstwhile Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government. The BJP-led Mahayuti government on October 15 issued a gazette notification to change the name of Aurangabad railway station, an official said on Saturday. Aurangabad railway station was opened in 1900. It was made by the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad Mir Osman Ali Khan. The railway station is located on the KachegudaManmad section. This section mainly serves Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city (formerly Aurangabad). The station falls under the Nanded