Page 74 - Maharashtra

MNS going alone in Maha council polls as issues state-related: Leader

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena supported the Mahayuti in the Lok Sabha elections, has decided to go it alone for the upcoming legislative council polls for the Konkan Graduates Constituency, as the issues are state-related, a party leader said on Tuesday. The MNS on Monday announced the candidature of film director Abhijit Panse from the Konkan Graduates' constituency for the legislative council elections scheduled on June 26. The constituency is currently represented by the BJP's Niranjan Davkhare. Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, MNS chief Raj Thackeray had declared unconditional support to the ruling 'Mahayuti' alliance of the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP in Maharashtra. Addressing a press conference, the MNS's Palghar and Thane unit chief Avinash Jadhav said, "The support MNS gave to the Mahayuti in the Lok Sabha polls was to see Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister again. Now, this is the election for the state council, where the issues are local and related to the state. Hence, the par

Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar urge peace after Beed video suggests caste tensions

A video purportedly containing remarks against a particular community in the backdrop of tension between two caste groups in a village in Beed district has gone viral, prompting leaders of various political parties to appeal for peace. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis (BJP) and Ajit Pawar (NCP) have appealed for maintaining peace and avoiding such commentary. Beed Superintendent of Police, Nand Kumar Thakur, on Monday, rushed to Mundewadi village in Kej tehsil and held a meeting with villagers. The video clip went viral on Sunday against the backdrop of tensions between members of the Maratha and Vanjari communities. Some villagers in the video clip, which went viral on Sunday, can be heard saying that no 'Maharaj' (religious preacher) from the Maratha community should be invited to the village. Villagers also asked others not to consume liquor from a shop, while a man threatened that those violating this diktat would be penalised. "A meeting was conducted in

Coal scam: Court convicts Maha-based co, directors for criminal conspiracy

A Delhi court on Monday convicted a Maharashtra-based company and two of its directors for cheating and criminal conspiracy in a case related to irregularities in the allocation of a coal block in the state. This was the 16th case related to the alleged coal scam in which the court pronounced its judgment. Special Judge Sanjay Bansal held the accused -- B S Ispat Ltd, Mohan Agrawal and Rakesh Agrawal -- guilty under sections 420 (cheating) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC, noting that the prosecution had proved the case beyond any reasonable doubt. The case pertains to irregularities in the allocation of Marki Mangli-I' coal block situated in Maharashtra in favour of the company. The court is likely to hear the arguments on the sentence tomorrow. The convicts face a maximum punishment of a seven-year jail term, while the court is likely to impose a fine on the company. All the three accused persons i.e. the company, B S Ispat Ltd., Mohan Agrawal, along with Rakesh Agraw

Rajkot tragedy: Cong demands fire audit of game zones, malls in Maharashtra

The Congress on Saturday demanded that the Maharashtra government conduct a fire safety audit of game zones and malls to prevent incidents like the Rajkot fire tragedy in Gujarat which claimed 22 lives. Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad expressed shock over the death of children in the huge fire at a game zone in Rajkot. "Just announcing compensation will not be enough. The Gujarat government needs to take strong measures to ensure the safety of the lives of people," the Congress leader said. The Maharashtra government and the Mumbai municipal administration should conduct a fire safety audit of game zones and malls in the city and the rest of the state immediately, Gaikwad added. At least 22 persons, including children, were killed in a massive fire that swept through a game zone teeming with people enjoying a summer vacation outing in Gujarat's Rajkot city on Saturday evening, officials said.

Dombivli factory blast: Owner remanded in police custody till May 29

A court in Maharashtra's Thane district on Saturday remanded in police custody till May 29 the owner of the chemical factory in Dombivli where an explosion killed nine persons and injured more than 60. The accused, Malay Mehta (38), owner of Amudan Chemicals, was produced before the magistrate court in Kalyan, a spokesperson of the Thane city police said. The police sought Mehta's custody for 14 days and informed the court that they had to visit the factory site and find out if more persons were involved in the crime, he said. The extent of damage because of the explosion was enormous, and the police wanted to examine the role of many in the incident, the official said. Mehta's lawyer argued that the company had all the requisite permissions and followed all regulations. There was also an intervener in the matter who supported the police plea for custody and interrogations. After hearing all the counsels, the magistrate remanded the accused in police custody till May 29, the offi

Dombivli blast: KDMC urges public to share info if their kin missing

The Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) in Maharashtra's Thane district has appealed to citizens to contact one of its civic hospitals if any of their family members are missing after the recent chemical factory blast. A boiler blast and the resultant fire in the factory of Amudan Chemicals, located in Phase 2 of Dombivli MIDC, on Thursday killed nine persons and injured over 60. KDMC said in a release that a helpdesk has been set up at the civic-run Shastri Nagar hospital and citizens can get in touch with it on 0251-2481073/2495338. Officials said it is difficult to find out the exact number of people who died in the blast as body parts have been recovered from the site. Only DNA tests can establish the count, they said. According to the KDMC release, 68 people were injured in the accident of whom 42 have been discharged. The remaining 26 patients are admitted to different hospitals in the area and 12 of them are in the ICU, it said. All the patients are stable now, the

Remove all illegal hoardings in Mumbai, Maharashtra region: CM to officials

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday said he has directed the authorities to remove illegal hoardings in Mumbai and other parts of the state, and asked them to register cases against those responsible for such tragedies. He also said that he has also directed them to carry out a structural audit of all the hoardings, even if they are installed legally and have proper permission. Shinde was speaking to media persons at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters after reviewing monsoon preparedness works in Mumbai. Replying to a question about the Ghatkopar hoarding tragedy, Shinde said that he has already given instructions to remove illegal, and oversized hoardings in Mumbai, but in today's meeting he again asked them to pull down such illegal hoardings and register FIR against those responsible. "To avoid a loss of lives and recurrence of such tragedy, necessary instructions have been issued," he said. A giant 120x120-feet hoarding collapsed on May 13

Maharashtra's crucial role

Amidst the upheaval caused by political splits and new strategic alliances, both the Congress and the BJP are vying for dominance in the state

Pune car crash: Juvenile's father, five others sent in judicial custody

A court here on Friday remanded Vishal Agarwal, father of a 17-year-old involved in a car crash that killed two persons in the city, and five other accused in the case in judicial custody till June 7. The prosecution had demanded extension of their police custody for further probe. But the court remanded Agarwal and others including the owner and employees of two liquor-serving establishments -- where the teenager had allegedly consumed alcohol before his Porsche car knocked down two software professionals on a motorbike -- in judicial custody instead. Attempts were made to make it appear that the minor was not at the wheel and some adult person was driving the car at the time of the accident on May 19, Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar had said earlier in the day.

Attempts made to show teen was not behind wheel, says Pune police chief

Attempts were made to project that the 17-year-old minor who allegedly crashed his Porsche car into a motorbike killing two persons was not at the wheel at the time of the accident, said Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar on Friday. The city police chief told reporters that an internal inquiry has pointed to lapses on the part of some cops while registering the case and action will be taken against them. During our investigation, it has clearly emerged that the juvenile was driving the car and we have already collected all the necessary chronological evidence. For example, when the juvenile left the house, the entry on the security register shows that he left the house with the car, he said. On the basis of technical and CCTV evidence, it is confirmed that the car was being driven by the juvenile, the police chief said. Eyewitnesses have also corroborated that the teenager was behind the wheel at the time of the accident, he said. Kumar said attempts were made to show that an .

English will now be a 'foreign language' in standard 11, 12 in Maharashtra

The subject structure for classes 11 and 12 states that students can choose eight subjects, including two languages, environmental and physical education, and four subjects of their preference

Blood test irrelevant, teen committed crime in full senses: Pune police

Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said the accused teen was in full senses and knew his act of consuming liquor and then driving a car at high speed could lead to fatal consequences

Death toll rises to 9 in Thane chemical factory blast, owners booked

The death toll in the chemical factory blast in Maharashtra's Thane district rose to nine with the discovery of one more body from the accident site, officials said on Friday. Police have registered a case of culpable homicide against the owners of the unit, Amudan Chemicals, located in Phase 2 of Dombivli MIDC. Kalyan Tehsildar Sachin Shejal said the toll might go up as they suspect more bodies are lying on the premises of the devastated factory. The debris is being cleared, said the official. He said 64 persons, including many women from the factories in the vicinity, were injured and are being treated in at least six different hospitals. AIMS hospital in Dombivli is treating two dozen patients, he said. A boiler exploded at the factory on Thursday afternoon and the impact of the blast and the resultant blaze affected adjacent factories and houses, according to officials. Ten fire engines were pressed into service to control the blaze and the firefighting went past 11 pm on ...

Pune car crash: Police question accused teen's grandfather, driver

The accused teenager's one of the friends and the former's driver who were accompanying him in the car when the accident occurred in Kalyani Nagar area, were also questioned

Pune Porsche crash: MLA's visit, delay in alcohol test raise questions

A 17-year-old teen is accused of crashing his Porsche into a motorcycle in Pune, killing two IT professionals

Porsche crash: Why bus drivers not told to write essays, asks Rahul Gandhi

The Porsche crash incident in Pune involves a drunk minor, who killed two people with his speeding Porsche in the city's Kalyani Nagar area on pre-dawn Sunday

Death toll in Ghatkopar hoarding collapse incident rises to 17: Officials

The death toll in the hoarding collapse incident that occurred in Mumbai's Ghatkopar area on May 13 has gone up to 17 with the death of a man at a civic-run hospital here, officials said on Wednesday. Raju Sonawane (52), who had suffered injuries after the hoarding collapsed on a petrol pump in Chheda Nagar locality during gusty winds and unseasonal rains, died during treatment at the KEM Hospital on May 19, a civic official said. Earlier, the authorities had declared 16 persons, including a retired Air Traffic Control (ATC) general manager and his wife, as dead. The collapse of the giant 120x120 feet hoarding had also left 75 persons injured. A day after the incident, the injured who needed to undergo neurosurgery were shifted to the KEM hospital, the official said. Bhavesh Bhinde, the director of the advertising firm that had installed the hoarding was later arrested from Udaipur in Rajasthan. A court here has remanded him police custody till May 26.

Father of Pune teen, who killed 2 bikers with speeding Porsche, arrested

The 17-year-old minor was involved in a tragic car accident that claimed two lives on Sunday morning in the Kalyani Nagar area of Pune

Illegal hoardings in Maha: 15 cases lodged; billboards, banners removed

As many as 15 cases pertaining to illegal hoardings have been registered in Maharashtra's Latur city, including 11 on a single day, civic officials said. The Latur Municipal Corporation authorities removed two hoardings and 15 banners from the city on Monday, they said. The action was taken against the backdrop of the collapse of an illegal hoarding in Mumbai on May 13, which claimed 16 lives and injured several others. The Latur civic body had given a deadline till Sunday for the removal of illegal hoardings from the city, an official release said on Monday. After the deadline ended, 11 cases related to illegal hoardings were registered on Monday, it said. Since last week (after the hoarding crash incident in Mumbai), a total of 15 cases have been registered, the civic body said. Deputy municipal commissioner Dr Punjab Khansole recently held a meeting with the officials concerned and instructed them to accelerate the process and file cases against violators. The corporation had

Teen Porsche driver kills 2 in Pune crash, gets essay writing punishment

Two people died in Pune on pre-dawn Sunday after a speeding luxury Porsche car rammed into their motorcycle from behind in the Kalyani Nagar area