Page 35 - Mumbai

Bomb threat scare on Air India flight from Mumbai a hoax, say police

A bomb threat message in the washroom of an AI flight from Mumbai that resulted in a full emergency being declared at the Thiruvananthapuram airport here on Thursday turned out to be a hoax according to the police. A senior officer of the Thiruvananthapuram city police said the threat was a hoax. The police also said that no explosive was found on the aircraft after an intensive search carried out by security agencies. The emergency declared at the airport in the morning was withdrawn around 12.10 pm, airport sources said, adding that all the 135 passengers who travelled on the flight were permitted to leave at 12.45 pm. Police have launched an investigation into the incident. Earlier in the morning, the pilot of the aircraft informed the ATC about the threat after a 'Bomb in flight' message, written on a tissue paper, was found in the washroom of the plane, the sources said. The bomb threat was communicated by the pilot at 7.30 am as the aircraft approached the Thiruvananthapura

'Self-defence for girls': Maha schools put on alert after Badlapur incident

From September 1, schools and colleges in the Mumbai Suburban area and all Industrial Training Institutes across Maharashtra will provide self-defence training students and young women

Survey finds half of Mumbai's bakeries using wood, pitches for cleaner fuel

An environmental non-profit has raised concerns over the alarming use of wood as fuel in Mumbai's bakeries, warning that it poses serious health risks to citizens and batting for the adoption of cleaner methods to combat air pollution. The Bombay Environment Action Group (BEAG) surveyed 200 bakeries across the city over six months and found that about 47 per cent of these establishments rely on wood fuel, primarily scrap sourced from furniture stores, for their operations. This practice releases harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulate matter (PM2.5) into the air, which leads to asthma and other diseases, BEAG has said in a report. PM2.5 refers to fine particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less. They can enter the lungs and even the bloodstream, making them particularly harmful to human health. As per the study, the Byculla and Mumbai Central areas (E ward) have the highest concentration of bakeries, with 84 establishments, followed by Andheri (K West war

1993 Mumbai blasts: Court orders police to provide security to approver

A sessions court on Wednesday directed Mumbai Police to provide adequate security to an approver in the 1993 serial bomb blast case and his family members. Sessions court judge V D Kedar stated the man was a star prosecution witness and prime approver and the trial in the case of the belated arrest of seven persons is slated to commence soon. "In the said trial, the evidence of the applicant may be required for cross-examination at the hands of accused persons. Thus, looking at the above facts and circumstances of the case, I am of the view that the applicant and his family members need to be provided sufficient security," the court said. The court directed the police to provide sufficient security to the applicant and his family members as contemplated under the Witness Protection and Security Act as early as possible. The court ordered a compliance report to be submitted within two weeks. The man had filed an application seeking to beef up police protection provided to him ...

Badlapur sexual abuse: MVA calls for Maharashtra bandh on August 24

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on Wednesday called for a Maharashtra bandh on August 24 to protest against the alleged sexual assault on two young girls at a school in Badlapur of Thane district. MVA allies Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) headed by Sharad Pawar took the decision after a meeting here, said Vijay Wadettiwar, leader of opposition in the state assembly. He said all MVA allies will participate in the bandh on August 24. We discussed the issue of women's security in the state and the failure of the BJP-led Mahayuti government on all fronts, he said. Meanwhile, Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad led a protest outside Mantralaya, the state secretariat, over the Badlapur incident. Wadettiwar and a few congress leaders were also present during the protest. Holding placards outside the gates of Mantralaya, Congress leaders and workers shouted slogans against the government for the delay in the registration of the FIR. The protester

Badlapur protest politically motivated; most protestors outsiders: Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday claimed that the protest at Badlapur in Thane district over the alleged sexual abuse of two kindergarten girls was politically motivated and aimed at maligning the state government. He also said that the majority of protesters were outsiders. Talking to reporters, Shinde targeted the opposition and said those doing politics over the incident should be ashamed. A massive protest broke out in Badlapur town on Tuesday as angry parents, local residents and others blocked railway tracks and ransacked the school where two kindergarten girl students were sexually abused by a male attendant last week. "The protest was politically motivated because the protesters were not local residents. The local residents who were part of the protest could be counted on fingers," he said. He said state minister Girish Mahajan agreed to all demands of the protestors but they were still not ready to relent. "This means they just wanted to malign the .

Badlapur sexual abuse: Child rights body to probe case; internet restored

Thousands of protesters blocked railway tracks at Thane's Badlapur station over the alleged sexual assault of two girls by a school sweeper

Badlapur school case: Protesters reject govt appeal to withdraw 'rail roko'

Protests at Badlapur railway station in Thane district against the alleged sexual abuse of two girl students of a kindergarten continued even after six hours on Tuesday as the crowd, including several women, refused to heed pleas of the state government to allow the passage of trains. State cabinet minister Girish Mahajan tried to pacify the protesters in the afternoon who responded with slogans like "justice" for the victim girls and capital punishment for the arrested accused. Mahajan's appeal to vacate the train tracks was met with the chanting of "hang, hang" by demonstrators. Mahajan, a close aide of Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, said police officials who allegedly failed to address the complaints of the parents of the victim girls have been suspended. "The state government has expressed deep concern regarding the (sexual abuse) incident. The accused person will face the most severe punishment," Mahajan said. He said common citizens are suffering because of the rail roko prote

Shapoorji Pallonji to take its real-estate arm public in 2 years: Report

In the first phase, Shapoorji Pallonji Real Estate aims to raise around $800-900 million through an IPO of about 10-12 per cent stake

Mumbai doctors protest at Azad Maidan over Kolkata rape-murder incident

One of the protesting doctors urged the government to ensure that every organisation has a safety audit

Macrotech net debt rises 43.5% to Rs 4.3K cr in Q1 on higher capex for land

Realty firm Macrotech Developers Ltd's net debt rose 43.5 per cent to Rs 4,320 crore during the first quarter of this fiscal year due to higher investment in land acquisition and construction. Mumbai-based Macrotech Developers, which sells its projects under the Lodha brand, is one of the leading developers in the country. According to its latest investors presentation, the company's net debt stood at Rs 4,320 crore as of June 30, 2024, against Rs 3,010 crore at the end of the March quarter of 2023-24. The net debt stood at Rs 4,320 crore, 0.24 times equity, well below the ceiling of 0.5 times equity, the presentation said. The investment in growth led to an increase in net debt, the company added. According to a transcript of discussions with analysts, Macrotech Developers MD and CEO Abhishek Lodha said, "In spite of the significant level of business development plus a significant ramp up in construction spend in this quarter, our net debt stood at Rs 4,300 crores, which is 0.24

Setback to Pak-origin biz man Rana as US Court says extraditable to India

In a major setback to Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana, who is sought by India for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has ruled that he is extraditable to India under the extradition treaty between the two countries. The (India US Extradition) Treaty permits Rana's extradition, the court said in its ruling on August 15. Ruling on an appeal filed by Rana, a panel of judges of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the District Court in the Central District of California's denial of his habeas corpus petition challenging a magistrate judge's certification of his as extraditable to India for his alleged participation in terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Under the limited scope of habeas review of an extradition order, the panel held that Rana's alleged offense fell within the terms of the extradition treaty between the United States and India, which included a Non Bis in Idem (double jeopardy) ..

Strict implementation of redevelopment act could make Mumbai slum-free: HC

The Bombay High Court on Friday said the vision should be to make Mumbai a slum-free city and raised concerns about the plight of slum dwellers who become "victims at the hands of private developers". A division bench of Justices G S Kulkarni and Somasekhar Sunderesan emphasised the need for strict and robust implementation of the Maharashtra Slum Area (Improvement, Clearance and Redevelopment) Act. "Vision is to have Mumbai, which is considered an international city and the financial capital of our country, slum-free. We need to have an absolutely slum-free city. This Act will help that vision," the court said. The bench said the implementation of provisions of the Act lies with the government as the mandate lies with them. The bench was set up last week to undertake a "performance audit" of the Act pursuant to the Supreme Court's directives in July. The apex court had raised concerns about the working of the Act. The high court, on Friday, stressed the need for sustainable ...

RevPAR sees 4.8% growth in Apr-June quarter in hospitality sector: Report

The revenue per available room rose by 4.8 per cent year-on-year in the hospitality sector in the April-June quarter this year mainly driven by the rise in Average Daily Rate, a report said on Wednesday. However, sequentially, the June quarter recorded a dip in occupancy levels, which can be attributed to the onset of summer vacations and a subsequent decrease of corporate travel, according to JLL's Hotel Momentum India (HMI) Q2 report. The report further revealed that besides a slight decrease in Goa's Average Daily Rate (ADR), all other markets (Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, and Mumbai) showed considerable growth in ADR and revenue per available room figures, with Hyderabad leading the list. Hyderabad emerged as the RevPAR leader in the second quarter registering a growth of 11.9 per cent over the same period of 2023, followed by Delhi and Bengaluru with year-on-year growth of 11.8 per cent and 10.4 per cent, respectively, it added. Although occupancy levels remained

US Consulate Kolkata offers fastest visa issuance for your ticket to the US

The US Consulate in Kolkata is currently the fastest in India for issuing visas for holiday or business travel, averaging just 24 days. Chennai ranks last

Centre sets up team to implement internship scheme announced in Budget

The Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs is holding discussions with corporate HR leaders in Delhi and Mumbai to finalise the contours of the scheme

Sky high: Diwali airfares shoot to Rs 20K-30K on some domestic routes

Limited capacity growth, high demand pushing up ticket prices

BMW hit-and-run: No traces of alcohol found in Mihir Shah's blood samples

The Worli police arrested the accused Mihir Shah from Virar Fata approximately 58 hours after the incident

Zepto to shift headquarters to Bengaluru, mandates employees to relocate

Zepto is planning to shift its headquarters from Mumbai's Powai to Bengaluru's Sarjapur, and has mandated all its employees to relocate to Bengaluru by the end of November or early December

Mumbai: BMC plans to deploy smart sensors to avoid manhole cover thefts

791 manhole covers were stolen in Mumbai in 2023, compared to 836 in 2022, a stark increase from previous years where 564 cases in 2021, 458 in 2020, and 386 in 2019 were reported stolen