First Class AC coach for four long-distance trains

MUMBAI: The Central Railway has decided to augment four long-distance trains by attaching a first class air-conditioned coach.

"We have decided to attach a first class AC compartment in the 22866 Puri-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Express from June 3, train no 22865 Lokmanya Tilak Terminus-Puri Express from June 5, train no 18407 Puri-Sainagar Shirdi Express from June 6 and train no 18406 Sainagar Shirdi-Puri Express from June 8,'' said CR spokesperson V Chandrasekar.

He further stated that the revised composition of the trains would now be: one First AC, one AC-2 Tier, four AC-3 Tier, pantry car, nine sleeper class, four general second class and two general second class cum guard's brake vans. Train no 22866/22865 Express will have a parcel van in addition to the above coaches.

"The reservation (booking) for the first AC accommodation in the trains 22865 and 18406 will open from Sunday,'' he added.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

WR jumbo block on Sunday to inconvenience commuters

MUMBAI: The Western Railway will carry out a jumbo block between Churchgate and Mumbai Central on Sunday and commuters are likely to be inconvenienced for five hours.
The frequency of trains will be disturbed due to the rail block. A WR official said, "To carry out maintenance work of track, signaling and overhead equipments, a jumbo block will be undertaken between Churchgate and Mumbai Central stations from 10.35am to 3.35pm on Sunday on Up and Down Through lines (i.e. fast corridor). During the block period, all Up and Down through line trains will run on local lines (i.e. slow corridor) between Churchgate and Mumbai Central stations. Due to this block, some Up and Down local trains will remain cancelled."
Detailed information to this effect will also be available with all the station masters.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Three BEST staffers quit tobacco on No-Tobacco Day

MUMBAI: Three BEST employees kicked the habit of chewing tobacco at the launch of a campaign on 'Tobacco free BEST' at Electric House in Colaba.

The BEST will also strictly observe the drive by banning chewing of gutkha, tobacco and smoking cigarettes in buses and at the bus stops.

"Those caught will be imposed with stringent fines," said a senior BEST official.

On Friday, the BEST officials also set up a havan in which it few tobacco products and appealed to staffers to refrain from tobacco products at its various depots and bus stations.

The campaign was launched on Friday in collaboration with Cancer Patients Aid Association, Salaam Bombay Foundation and Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya on occasion of "World No Tobacco Day 2014".

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Helpline for power faults during monsoon in island city

MUMBAI: The BEST has announced a helpline for those facing power cuts/interruptions this monsoon. You can lodge complaint on 22843939 and expect the power wing staff to redress the issue at the earliest.

"You need to give your consumer number while lodging the complaint," said a senior official from the electricity wing. He further stated that the BEST is equipped with vans which can rush to the site and restore electricity at the earliest. "Every complaint will be treated serious — be it from anywhere between Colaba and Mahim," he said.

BEST spokesperson, Hanumant Gophane, said that the power undertaking may, in the interest of citizen safety, be compelled to switch off the supply in certain areas to avoid danger to the installation by flood water. "This will be done as a temporary measure and only in emergency situations," he stated.

The BEST on Thursday also released a list of Dos and Donts to avoid electric shocks and power interruptions during monsoon which are as follows:

* Protect the meter cabin from rain water by way of plastering and raising the height of the cabin.

* Get the electrical wiring — right from the meter position to individual flat premises — and the internal wiring thoroughly checked through licenced electrical contractor.

* Switch "Off" the main switch in premises and cabin in case of water logging and switch "On" only when it is attended to and installation is checked by licenced electrical contractor or BEST staff.

* Inform BEST control centre/helpline in case of sparks or shock in meter cabins, street lighting poles or distribution pillars/junction boxes.

* In case of water leakages, don't touch the installation with bare or moist hands or without taking safety measures such as hand gloves, wooden/insulated platforms, etc.

* Restrict your load when temporary supply is given to your building or installations.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Now, extra coach in Goa bound train for passengers

MUMBAI: This could be good news for passengers. The Konkan Railway has decided to temporarily augment train no. 12051/12052 Dadar - Madgaon - Dadar Janshatabdi Express to clear extra rush of passengers to Goa.
Said KR chief spokesperson Vaishali Patange: "One additional second class chair car coach will be attached to Janshatabdi Express till June 4. This will help us clear the waiting list of passengers. There is a huge demand for this train during the summer vacation period."
It has also been decided to run additional trips of train no. 06314 / 06313 Trivandrum - Nizamuddin - Trivandrum Premium Superfast special trains on the same timings and path. "The train would run ex-Trivandrum on Saturday — from June 7 to 28 and ex-Nizamuddin on Monday from June 9 to 30,'' she stated.
"Passengers should take benefit of the additional trips and the addition of a new coach,'' she added.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Uddhav Thackeray visits road repair works in the city

MUMBAI: Shiv Sena CEO Uddhav Thackeray inspected the road repair work going on in the city on Saturday. We said that since the BMC has taken several roads for repairs this year, the number of potholes in the city during the rains will be less.

Thackeray said that all the roads whether belonging to the PWD or MMRDA should be handed over to the BMC as even if there are potholes on those roads it's the BMC who gets the flak.

Thackeray visited a few roads in the island city like Marine Drive, Peddar road, Worli Doordarsha. Meanwhile, the BMC has extended the deadline to bring all the road works in a safe stage before the monsoon to June 5.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Children draft anti-smoking Bill for schools on 'No Tobacco Day'

MUMBAI: Commuters at CST railway station learnt that on Friday, May 30, was World No Tobacco Day when children from civic and government-aided schools performed a skit to discourage smoking and chewing tobacco. The little champions of the Salaam Bombay Foundation, an NGO named after the famous film by Mira Nair, demanded that the government introduce the 'Right to Tobacco Free Schools Bill' in Mumbai.

The foundation's Bal Parishad drafted this 'Bill' which they later submitted to the office of the municipal commissioner opposite CST. They demanded that the government ban the sale of tobacco products within 100 yards of any school, and that smoking and chewing tobacco by faculty, staff and visitors be stopped inside the premises. The children want all schools to have a tobacco control committee chaired by the principal, and to integrate tobacco control activities with the ongoing School Health Programme of the state.

This activity was undertaken by children who are part of a 'Super Army' of this NGO. The foundation encourages them to discourage the use of tobacco using art, theatre and music. This programme involves 22 civic and government-aided schools across Mumbai. A 'survey' by the foundation claimed that the recommendations made in the WHO-Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC) for schools are not being implemented.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nehru's 'Discovery of India' remains a bestseller 50 years after his death

MUMBAI: Hardly any public functions were held to commemorate the 50th death anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on May 27. India's first prime minister had passed away this day in 1964, and although several projects and welfare schemes drafted by sequential Congress-led governments are named after him, his landmark anniversary passed unnoticed amid the new political equation.

In Mumbai, neither the Congress party nor Nehru Centre nor Khilafat House organised programmes to celebrate their founder-patron-mentor.

Yet the average Indian nurtures an abiding interest and faith in Pt Nehru, one that has withstood the ravages of time and survived scepticism and disillusionment. His books continue to draw a steady readership across age, community and class. P M Shenvi, the manager of Strand Bookstore in Fort, says, "Panditji's 'Discovery of India', which he wrote in 1946, as well as 'Glimpses of World History' that was written in 1934-35, still find committed buyers. Both books have gone into reprint several times. Other titles including 'Letters From a Father to His Daughter' which he wrote to Indira Gandhi from prison, as well as his autobiography, are also read though in fewer numbers."

Doordarshan continues to telecast the magnum opus 'Bharat Ek Khoj' that is a television adaptation of 'Discovery of India' every week to this day.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Mehboob Khan's sons donate Rs 10 lakh on his 50th death anniversary

MUMBAI: Wednesday, May 28, marked the 50th death anniversary of stalwart film director Mehboob Khan whose pictures 'Anmol Ghadi', 'Aan', 'Andaz', and of course 'Mother India', changed the paradigm of Indian cinema.

Two of his sons Shaukat and Iqbal, who run Mehboob Studio in Bandra, donated Rs 10 lakh to a federation of cinema workers in his memory.

Mehboob Khan began his career as an actor in the silent film 'Alibaba Aur Chaalis Chor' in 1927. His talent soon got him bigger roles, and by 1931, he was earning a princely salary of Rs 60 per month playing villain for Sagar Movietone.

He directed his first film 'Judgement of Allah' in 1935. In 1942, Khan established his own film unit, and produced and directed 'Najma' . This was followed by 'Takdeer', 'Humayun', 'Anmol Ghadi', 'Elaan', 'Andaz' and 'Aan'.

'Mother India' was the 19th film in his film career spanning 30 years. This cult classic was nominated for an Academy Award. Khan started Mehboob Studio in Bandra in 1954. He died 10 years later at age 56.

Shaukat Sahab said, "My father passed away on May 28, 1964. On his 50th death anniversary we thought it fit to contribute some amount of money towards the welfare of industry workers. He had started his career as a humble worker. He rose from the ranks of extra to side actor, then became a contracted director for Sagar Movietone before going on to open his own film studio. Yet he never forgot his humble origins. For him, his workers were as important as his actors. He always had their welfare at heart because he knew what they were going through."

On May 28 the brothers Khan donated the sum to FWICE (Federation of Western India Cine Employees), which is an umbrella organisation of 22 guilds run by make-up artistes, hair dressers, stuntmen, actors, writers and directors. "Our concern is that film workers in the state should continue to hold jobs. They should not suffer the plight of Mumbai's mill workers," Shaukat Sahab said. "However, we have not stipulated how FWICE should use the money. That is their prerogative."

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Three civic staffers on suspension for bribe charges, reinstated.

MUMBAI: Three civic employees who were caught red-handed accepting bribes two years ago and were on suspension have been reinstated by the Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation (MBMC).

Junior engineer Prashant Jankar, then in the electrical department was caught by the Thane Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) while accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000 from a civic contractor in December 2011. Two clerks Dashrath Handore and Ganesh Ghodge, then working in the recovery wing of the Local Body Tax (LBT) department were caught red-handed accepting bribe in March 2012.

Jankar, Handore and Ghodge were under suspension and their cases are in the court. On May 20, the three employees were asked to resume work based on the recommendation of an internal review committee.

Civic officials said that they were reinstated as per government rules that allows reinstatement after two years, till the matter is finally decided by the court. The three employees were drawing 75 per cent salary while on suspension. They have now been posted to departments where they do not have any contact with the public.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

300-year-old Matunga temple to reconsecrate idols

MUMBAI: Two old temples in the south Indian enclave of Matunga, one them reportedly 300 years old, will reconsecrate their idols this weekend.

The Mahakumbhabhishek of the 300-year-old Shri Marubhai Gavdevi temple and the 75-year-old Sri Sankara Mutt will take place at noon on June 1 and 2. All the deities and the kumbh representingall goddesses will be refreshed with holy water by priests.

According to Vedic norms, the Mahakumbhabhishek ceremony is organised either to consecrate a new temple or reconsecrate an old one, commonly at 12-year intervals. The previous time this was done was in 2002.

S Siva Subramanian, secretary of Sankara Mutt and chairman of the Marubhai Gavdevi temple's re-consecration committee, said that the yagyashala puja, Navgraha puja, kalash puja and Vedic recitations at both shrines began on Friday, May 30.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to take expert advise on mangrove conservation

MUMBAI: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to seek assistance of experts for the conservation of mangroves in the city.

Civic chief Sitaram Kunte said that a joint tour of civic tree authority members and experts will be organised to survey the mangroves and based on their observations, measures will be taken to protect mangrove forests in the city. A computer presentation will also be made on this issue, he said.

As a part of its pre-monsoon preparations, the BMC has pruned more than one lakh trees across the city.

The civic body has also given permission to hack 29 trees along the Western Railway land, while 407 trees have been trimmed, said deputy municipal commissioner (disaster management) SS Shinde.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Clash over parking in Thane

MUMBAI: A clash between two communities over parking on Wednesday night had created tension at Manor in Palghar taluka of Thane district.

The dispute started when a Scorpio driver of Khamloli village in Manor was allegedly beaten up by locals of another village Ten over a previous fight over parking.

A large mob of villagers had gathered at the Manor police station late night. Senior police officials pacified the crowd and to control the situation had deployed officers in the area.

Villagers of Khamloli came out on the streets demanding action against locals from the Ten village.

Additional SP Ashok Ambure has confirmed the situation and assured that it is under control.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Portion of Peddar Road caves in

MUMBAI: A 2-metre long portion of Pedder Road caved in at the Gamadia junction on Thursday morning, leading to huge traffic snarls on the key stretch in south Mumbai throughout the day.

Officials said that the cave-in happened after a century old stormwater drain under the road gave away.

Civic officials said that work to repair the 7.5-metre-long drain has started and will be completed by Friday morning.

The road that caved in on Peddar Road is near playback singer Lata Mangeshkar's residence 'Prabhu Kunj'.

While the BMC assured that the drain would be fixed by Friday, a senior civic official said it would take at least two days to re-surface the affected area. "The underground utilities are the main reason for these cave-ins. These utilities are rotten and need replacement, their life span is over.

Following the road cave-in at Peddar Road, north-bound traffic was severely affected on Thursday. Traffic jams started to build up right from 11.30am, motorists said.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Rights activists welcome RSS stand on Sec 377

MUMBAI: A cross-section of human rights activists from South Asia on Wednesday welcomed an apparent softening in the RSS's stand on homosexuality.

Commenting on Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that renders homosexuality a crime, RSS spokesperson Ram Madhav has said: "While certain social behaviour does not need to be glorified, it is debatable whether it should be considered a crime."

Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen tweeted in support of the shift in the RSS's stance on queer rights, calling it a great decision.

The recent statement by the RSS is welcome in the light of the BJP and RSS's silence on the issue a few months ago, said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director, Human Rights Watch. "The BJP has the numbers in Parliament right now and should immediately work towards amending the law," said Ganguly.

Shashikumar Velath, programmes director, Amnesty International India, said the RSS spokesperson's statement was a welcome sign the organization recognized the regressive nature of Section 377. "The new government should also recognize, as the Delhi high court did in 2009, that the criminalization of same-sex relations between consenting adults is discriminatory and violates the rights to equality, privacy and dignity set forth in the Constitution of India," Velath said.

Navaz Kotwal of Commonwealth Human Rights said: "If [Prime Minister] Narendra Modi wants to put India on the international map, not just as an economic superpower but on areas such as civil liberties and human rights, he needs to tackle issues such as the criminalization of homosexuality."

Sridhar Rangayan, director of Kashish, South Asia's largest queer film festival, also welcomed the RSS spokesperson's statement. "All of us who are part of the LGBT community would be happy with a forward-thinking statement by the BJP or any organization associated with it," he said. "The RSS's new stand needs to translate into action. We need to hear the right statements from the BJP before we believe that change will take place."

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

MNS men vandalize Kalyan school

KALYAN: Several Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers, led by party MLA Prakash Bhoir, vandalized Birla School on Wednesday and manhandled its administrator, alleging the school favours Sindhis over Marathis in junior KG admissions.

After examining the school's CCTV footage, the police booked 15 people for rioting, assault and trespassing. They arrested five people - including Bhoir and MNS corporator Ulhas Bhoir - and produced them in a local court. All five were released on bail.

The school management denied Bhoir's allegations of favouritism. Sources said Bhoir came to the school with scores of supporters around 11am on Wednesday and demanded to see the admissions data. They were told to wait for the arrival of the principal, who alone is authorized to access such information.

But after 15 minutes, they went on the rampage. School administrator Vijay Tekawade was kicked, glass panes at the reception were shattered, pieces of furniture were wrecked, and several garden pots were smashed.

Bhoir did not deny the violence. "The school's staff made us wait and did not provide us the details we sought. So, my supporters vandalized their office furniture," said the MLA from Kalyan West. Bhoir alleged he had got complaints over the last few years that "the school was neglecting Marathi students while admitting Sindhi students from Ulhasnagar after taking lakhs in donation".

The school rubbished the accusation. "We have only 128 seats," said O R Chitlangia, the chairman of Birla School management. He explained that after taking into account many factors - such as the preference given to siblings of students - the remaining seats are allotted as per the lottery system laid down in CBSE norms.

"So transparent is our lottery system that we keep the participants' fingerprints. Under this system, 70% admissions are given to aspirants from Kalyan, 20% to Ulhasnagar, and 10% to aspirants from other neighbouring areas," Chitlangia said.

Political observers say the attack indicates that MNS may reuse language politics in the coming assembly polls and to recover from its debacle in the Lok Sabha election. But school sources alleged the violence was triggered following the denial of admission to the son of a party leader's supporter.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Maharashtra state board HSC results on June 2

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra state board of secondary and higher secondary education (MSBSHSE) will announce class XII (HSC) results on Monday, June 2.

"The results will be declared on June 2 at 1.00pm and students will be able to access it through the website — www.mahresult.in," said Krishnakumar Patil, secretary of the board. There was worry among students that the results could have been delayed this year due to the elections. Last year, the result for HSC was declared on May 30, 2013.

Across the state, a total of 13,37,114 have appeared for the examination. Of these, 4,50,176 have appeared for the science stream, 4,66,723 from the arts stream, 3,62,705 from the commerce stream and 54,347 from the vocational stream. The exam was held in from February 26 to March 26, 2014.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Saïd Business School students to invest $5m in the bond market to deliver positive social impact

MUMBAI: A team of students from Said Business School at the University of Oxford will invest up to $5,000,000 in the bond market focusing exclusively on projects that tackle challenging social issues and deliver meaningful, positive social impact. The new 'Said Business School Impact Bond Fund', which has been funded by Zions Bank, will give students behind-the-scenes access to the management of investments in projects related to education, progressive finance, healthcare, housing, infrastructure and the environment.

'The aim of the Fund is twofold,' said John Hoffmire, Director of the Impact Bond Fund at Said Business School. 'As a learning experience it will it give students a unique opportunity to gain real-life skills in investing at an early stage of their financial careers. Students will have to carefully research the market and demonstrate sound financial and ethical judgement in seeking out suitable bonds for investment. The different securities receiving investment will enable the sponsors to have to continue to create jobs and unlock the enormous potential in the social sector to improve people's lives.'

The 15 students managing the Fund are drawn from the School's MSc in Financial Economics programme and the Oxford MBA programme. Working in small teams each will conduct research into potential securities for investment looking for possible projects and organisations that can demonstrate a specific social outcome. The groups will make their recommendations to the rest of the team who will democratically vote on the bonds to buy. The investments are to be made short-term and sold after 8 weeks with any profits returned to Zions Bank. At the end of the holding period, the fund members intend to critically evaluate their performance and identify room for improvement providing a platform for the fund's long-term success.

'Our team has assumed full directorship of the Fund and will jointly approve its investment decisions,' said Omar Zulaica, a student on the MSc in Financial Economics. 'We aim to generate returns by investing in securities that will directly improve societal welfare over the long run.' David Subel, another MSc student continued: 'Our strategy is aimed at demonstrating that investment returns and social considerations can, indeed, be complementary. We also hope to advocate for the role of social responsibility in the marketplace and encourage others to pursue similar efforts in the future.'

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

MNS target school for not giving admission to Marathi students

KALYAN: MNS workers led by the local MLA Prakash Bhoir vandalise famous Birla school furniture and manhandle school administrator in Kalyan alleging that school favours only Sindhis during admission of junior KG students and not Marathi students.

Cops have recovered CCTV footage of school and studying CCTV footage before making arrests.

Bhoir alongwith 20 to 30 workers including some parents on Wednesday at 11.30 am entered in to school premises to make enquiry about admission given to students.

When school denied giving details as computer password was protected and principal who was authority to open list of admission students was not available in school, then the eraked MNS workers vandlised office and manhandled administrator Vijay Tekawade.

O R Chitlangia, Chairman of Birla School management said, "We give admission as per lottery system in which we gives 70 percentage preference to Kalyan residents, 20 percentage to Ulhasnagar and 10 percentage to others".

Abhay Shelar, additional commissioner of police, Kalyan region said, " In this matter we are registering case against those involved in case and as per that further action will be taken against them".

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Red beacon on car is 'traditional right': Mumbai mayor Sunil Prabhu

MUMBAI: Mayor of Mumbai Sunil Prabhu on Wednesday asked the Maharashtra government to rethink its decision of "taking away" the "traditional rights" to use a red beacon by the mayor.

Prabhu, in a letter to Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, said that the mayor's position was a legislative post which should be respected.

"I have written a letter to Maharashtra chief minister (Prithviraj Chavan) and conveyed my grievances to him. I have also told him how the traditional rights of the mayor are being taken away," he told reporters here today.

Prabhu, who is also a Shiv Sena politician, said that it does not matter who the mayor of the city is, and what really matters, is that the mayor's position is a legislative post, which should be respected.

"If ministers of state and the principal secretary can be allowed to move in a car with a red beacon, then why is the mayor not allowed to use one? The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) has a sanctity of its own, and the mayor holds power equivalent to a principal secretary. That is why the Mayor of Mumbai should be allowed to use a red beacon," he said.

Prabhu, who is the 74th mayor of the city of Mumbai said that he sincerely hoped that his feelings would be taken into account by the government of Maharashtra and he believed that the government would rethink its decision to uphold the "traditional rights" of the mayor.

Last year, the Supreme Court had come down heavily on the rampant misuse of beacons by those in power and directed authorities to ensure that even those holding constitutional positions used beacons on vehicles only when they are on duty.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Celina Jaitly files police complaint against MLA and mahout for elephant cruelty

MUMBAI: Actor Celina Jaitly has lodged a 'zero FIR' police complaint against the Kolhapur MLA Vinay Kore and a mahout on grounds of animal cruelty, and causing a serious leg injury to the captive elephant, Sunder.

Jaitly lodged the complaint at the Colaba police station in south Mumbai, on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta), which is also legally fighting to free Sunder and release it in an elephant sanctuary.

Jaitly, who is an ambassador for the United Nations' Free & Equal campaign, has on Monday rushed to the Colaba police station and urged the station to act against Sunder's mahout and Kore. Senior inspector Rameshwar Supley acknowledged the complaint from Jaitly. A 'zero FIR' means that it can be later transferred to the police jurisdiction in Kolhapur for further action.

The actress has reportedly pledged not to rest until action is taken to bring Sunder's abusers to justice. Meanwhile, another complaint against Kore was also filed on Monday by People for Animals' (PFA) Naresh Kadyan in Delhi after he learned about Sunder's wound.

On Thursday, the Bombay high court hearing on the Sunder case will be heard. The animal rights activists have petitioned before the court that the captive elephant must be freed from the painful confinement in a tiny shed, where it is also reportedly beaten by the mahout earlier. MLA Kore is opposing this transfer of Sunder to an elephant sanctuary.

During a recent veterinary inspection by an elephant expert, 14-year-old elephant Sunder was found with what the health examination report calls a "massive wound ... as a result of constant tying with heavy chains". The expert's report also states that Sunder should be moved from Kolhapur to an elephant-care centre in Bangalore "on an emergency basis" as directed by the Bombay high court. The court had ordered the Maharashtra forest department to move Sunder to the centre before the monsoon season. But Kore - who Peta alleges is not the legal owner of Sunder - has attempted to block the order by filing an appeal with the Supreme Court. Peta has been campaigning for Sunder's release since 2012 and is represented in the Supreme Court by leading animal advocate Raj Panjwani.

"Sunder is a young kid who has not seen anything but loneliness, cruelty and pain,'' said Jaitly. "Peta is doing everything possible to rescue Sunder from his misery. It's high time for Sunder's abusers to be brought to justice, and I really hope that the Forest Department and authorities move Sunder as soon as possible before he is hurt again. We will do everything it takes to free this child!" she added.

All the paperwork for Sunder's transfer has been completed, and now the Maharashtra forest department simply needs to move Sunder. The health examination report also stated that Sunder's wound can be dressed, he is not in musth (a period of sexual urge in elephants that can make them difficult to handle) and he can and should be transported to Bangalore quickly.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sales tax official in net

MUMBAI: A senior officer of state Sales tax department was caught by the anti corruption bureau (ACB) red handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 4,000 from a garment trader in South Mumbai on Wednesday. Interestingly, a few hours before the trap, the ACB office by mistake instead of calling up complainant had called up the accused sales tax officer Shivshankar Gaikwad asking him as to why he did not come to the ACB office for the trap. Yet, sources said that Gaikwad who is a class one officer failed to smell the rat and fell into the ACB net.

According to the ACB, Gaikwad last week visited complainant's office and summoned him to sales tax office. Gaikwad inquired as to why his wife's signature was missing in the sales receipt as was the partner in the firm. Gaikwad demanded a sum of Rs 10,000 to turn a blind eye. After much bargaining the amount was brought down to Rs 5,000. On Wednesday no sooner did Gaikwad accepted the amount, the ACB caught him.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Air Marshal on two-day visit to review operational tasks

MUMBAI: Air Marshal AP Garud, Air Officer commanding-in-chief, Southern Air Command accompanied by his wife Sulochana, president AFWWA (R) SAC, was on a two-day visit to Mumbai on May 20.

He visited the Headquarter Maritime Air Operations (HQMAO) based at Mumbai this morning. During the course of the visit he reviewed the progress on various operational tasks of HQ MAO.

He was apprised of the improved coordination with the Indian Navy, resulting in synergy in securing the maritime frontier of the country. He was also apprised of the various air operations and exercises conducted in the recent past including the path breaking involvement of the maritime elements of the Indian Air Force during Ex-TROPEX 2014.

HQ MAO is tasked with coordination of Maritime Air Operations of the Indian Air Force. The Headquarter MAO is based in Mumbai and was previously under the control of Gandhinagar based South-Western Air Command of IAF. It was placed under Southern Air Command on April 1, 2009.

Air Marshal Arun Purushottam Garud, an alumnus of National Defence Academy, Khadakwasala, was commissioned into the helicopter stream of the IAF on 29 December, 1976. The Air Marshal has flown in excess of 6,100 hours on various helicopters and training aircraft in his career spanning over 37 years.

He is a qualified flying instructor and has held various command and staff appointments during the course of his illustrious career. He has also served as the inspector general (Air) BSF and director general inspection and flight safety at Air Headquarters. Sulochana Garud interacted with all Sanginis of Air Warriors posted to HQ MAO.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bangladesh Navy on a goodwill visit to Mumbai

MUMBAI: The Bangladesh Navy Ships Ali Haider and Nirmul sailed to Mumbai on a goodwill visit from May 21 to 23. The ships were commanded by Captain Mohammad Anwar Hussain and Commander Tanzim Faruq, respectively and have a combined complement of 320 personnel. The ships are enroute to Lebanon as part of United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

This was the first occasion when Bangladesh Naval ships have visited Mumbai. Hence, the current visit by BN Ships held significance for the Western Naval Command (WNC). During the ships' stay, crew engaged in professional interactions with personnel of WNC.

India and Bangladesh enjoy historical bilateral relations, built upon shared culture, geography and people to people contact. The Indian Navy has been in the forefront to train Bangladesh Naval Personnel. Visit by the ships would further enhance bilateral relations between the two countries in general and the two Navies in particular.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Karan Johar celebrates his 42 birthday bash amid Bollywood friends in Mumbai

Forty two by age but 20 at heart, Karan Johar, who has recently moved into a plush multi-storeyed pad in Bandra, celebrated his birthday and his new address with his close friends.

What happened when the two SRKs met That Vidya Balan likes to refer to husband Siddharth Roy Kapur as SRK is well known. At the party, Shah Rukh Khan, with his wit and charm firmly in place, was heard telling Vidya, who was standing with the two SRKs, "I don't want to meet a taller and more good looking SRK."

Shahid turns DJ for KJo Shahid Kapoor jazzed up Karan's double celebration with his DJ act. Sasha totally seemed to be enjoying himself as he took over the DJ's console and belted out one hit tune after another for the guests. But, this wasn't a random gig for him — he's been learning to spin for a while now and has a special liking for the deep house genre of music.

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

NDA may not reverse FDI in multi-brand: Arvind Panagariya

Columbia University professor and renowned economist Arvind Panagariya

The author has posted comments on this articleSurojit Gupta, TNN | May 26, 2014, 04.00AM IST

Columbia University professor and renowned economist Arvind Panagariya, who is seen as a front runner for a key advisory post in the Narendra Modi government, outlines the current policy priorities. He calls for undoing some of the draconian policies pursued by the UPA and says the current land acquisition act must be revamped. Excerpts:

What should be the three priority areas for the new government to revive the economy?

End the paralysis in decision-making in the Central government, end the policy uncertainty for investors including retrospective taxation and other surprises visited upon entrepreneurs by the authorities, and replace the current draconian land acquisition act by a more pragmatic one.

Do you think it is possible to bring down interest rates against the backdrop of high inflation?

The real issue is whether we are willing to tolerate 8-10% inflation or insist on bringing inflation below 5%. If the latter, the answer has to be in the negative. On the other hand, if we show more tolerance for inflation, it is possible to ease up on monetary policy and let the interest rates fall.

Should the Modi government rework the massive welfare programmes such as the MNREGA?

Definitely. In the current form, both Public Distribution System (PDS) and MNREGA are failing miserably in meeting their objectives, with vast leakages along the distribution chain.

Do you expect the NDA government to rethink its stand on allowing foreign retailers in multi-brand retail?

I do not expect the NDA to reverse the liberalization of FDI in multi-brand retail introduced by the UPA.

Will it be feasible for the new administration to focus on an expansionary fiscal policy to give a boost to the economy?

The new government should hold Central government fiscal deficit below 4.5% of the GDP. An effort must be made to raise capital expenditure and cut subsidies on petrol, diesel, cooking gas and kerosene.

The PPP projects have had a mixed track record. Is there a need to rework them? What is the way out in the infrastructure sector?

The top priority here should be ensuring adequate coal supply. This can be rapidly accomplished by allowing private players to do coal mining so that we quickly introduce the latest technologies. Additionally, railway links should be quickly established to remote mines in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha. To speed up other infrastructure projects, the first step will have to be replacement of the current land acquisition act by one that better balances the interests of public and landowners.

Should the NDA government pursue privatization of state-run companies? What would be the policy prescription on this key issue?

In my personal view, yes, though this need not be a top policy priority. Immediately, what the government will perhaps need to do is some disinvestment to raise revenues. But in not too distant future, the loss-making PSUs that have no chance of revival should be sold to private parties or closed down quickly. In the longer run, the government must return to the first NDA government's privatization agenda. The government has plenty of tasks to perform and manufacturing products should not be one of them.

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

No plans for Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s 50th death anniversary

MUMBAI: Way back in 1967, the nation was still grieving the loss of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru when a poignant tribute by Mohammed Rafi opened up a wound that was still raw. The 'Naunihal' song 'Meri awaaz suno, pyar ka raag suno', which was picturised on Nehru's funeral procession, showed millions of tearful Indians accompanying his bier. This was an era when leaders were distinct from politicians.

Tuesday, May 27, marks the 50th death anniversary of Pandit Nehru. India's first prime minister passed away this day in 1964. However, the passage of time and the radically altered political scenario in the Modi era have ensured that no commemoration is planned in Mumbai. Neither the Congress party nor Nehru Centre nor Khilafat House have announced programmes to celebrate their founder-patron-mentor. Each told TOI they would prepare a blueprint shortly.

Interestingly, Khilafat Committee trustee Sarfaraz Arzoo doubted whether the Nehruvian legacy of secularism, socialism and inclusive development could be distinctly attributed to this leader alone. "We first need to identify what the Nehruvian ideology involves. These ideals are common to all nation builders. Only the idea of strengthening the public sector was unique to his era. He described PSUs as the temples of modern India," Arzoo said.

Yet the average Indian nurtures an abiding interest and faith in Nehru, one that has withstood the ravages of time and survived scepticism and disillusionment. His books continue to draw a steady readership across age, community and class. P M Shenvi, the manager of Strand Bookstore in Fort, says, "Panditji's 'Discovery of India', which he wrote in 1946, as well as 'Glimpses of World History' that was written in 1934-35, still find committed buyers. Both books have gone into reprint several times. Other titles including 'Letters From a Father to His Daughter' which he wrote to Indira Gandhi from prison, as well as his autobiography, are also read though in fewer numbers."

Doordarshan continues to telecast the magnum opus 'Bharat Ek Khoj' that is a television adaptation of 'Discovery of India' every week to this day.

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Lover's murder: Techie sent to police custody till May 28

MUMBAI: A local court on Saturday remanded the engineer, who was arrested for plotting to kill his former girlfriend and her father, in police custody till May 28.

The accused, Amit Jain, was upset with the woman for implicating him in a rape charge following which he was sent to jail in 2012. He lost his job following his arrest at that time and he held the woman and her family responsible. The 28-year-old survivor is related to Jain and the two were in a relationship. Promising to marry her, he had physical relations with her but later reneged on his words.

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

MLA’s car damaged in Powai mishap

MUMBAI: An MLA's private vehicle was damaged on Saturday when a bus rammed into it, which in turn, was hit by a dumper in Powai. A BEST spokesperson said nobody was injured in the accident.

The collision took place near L&T Gate 6. "A dumper first rammed into the BEST bus on its rear right side. The bus, in turn, lost control and hit the boot of the Toyota car," said Gophane. "The car belongs to MLA Hanumantrao Patil from Nanded. Nobody was injured but the car and the bus were badly damaged." Senior inspector of Powai police station Y L Jadhav said no case was registered.

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Charges of rape: Arrested professor’s kin on the run

NAVI MUMBAI: The relatives of a professor from a Kharghar engineering college arrested on rape charges, are absconding from their Sangli home, police said. The relatives - the professor's mother, paternal uncle, sister and her husband - have been booked under the Prevention of Atrocity Act by the Vashi police.

Sumit Patankar, 26, was arrested after a 23-year-old girl student of a Koper Khairane engineering college, alleged that he had sexually assaulted her for the past three years, under the pretext of marrying her but later reneged on the promise.

The girl, who stays in a Vashi hostel, is the daughter of a cop at the Sangli police station. The girl has alleged that the professor's father who was against their marriage as she belonged to a lower caste, along with his family members had abused her and physically assaulted her some 2 months ago when she had gone to convince the professor's family members to accept their marriage proposal.

Acting on the girl's police complaint, the Vashi police, on Thursday had registered a FIR against the accused professor identified as Sumit Patankar (26), who has pursued M.Tech. He has been booked for rape, cheating, intentional insult and criminal intimidation under relevant IPC Sections 376, 420,417, 323, 504, 506 and 34. While the key accused professor's father Ratnakar Patankar (61) has also been arrested and booked under Prevention of Atrocity Act under Section 1,3 and 11.

Senior inspector Pathare said, "Our team had gone to Sangli to arrest them, but after knowing that the father-son duo have been arrested by the vashi police, the four accused have gone absconding. While, the arrested accused professor and his fatheWhile, the arrested accused professor and his father have been remanded in police custody till May 28."

22.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Four ‘insurance agents’ assault housewife, rob Rs 6 lakh valuables

Mumbai: Posing as insurance agents, four people gained entry to a flat in a housing society in Chinchpokli on Friday after. Once inside, they assaulted the housewife with a grinding stone and fled with gold ornaments and cash worth Rs 6 lakh.

The incident took place around 2.30pm, but it came to light around 5pm when victim Sushma Surve's neighbour Harshala Patil went to her house and found the door ajar. She then saw the victim lying unconscious with blood all around. Harshala called her mother, who alerted the police and rushed Sushma (34) to KEM hospital.

During the preliminary probe, Sushma told the police that four men had knocked on her first-floor flat door at Sankalp building, posing as car insurance agents. "The accused said they needed her signature and she allowed them in. One of them asked for water and when she went in, they bolted the door and hit her. They tied her up and robbed valuables," said an officer of Kalachowkie police. Cops said the circumstances point to a rivalry rather than a robbery. "The accused told Sushma they had come earlier too, but didn't get a chance to enter the flat. We are making enquiries with Sushma's husband who works as a security manager for a security firm in Bhandup. It could be a professional rivalry," said senior inspector Bhausaheb Gite.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Jailed for rape, techie plots to kill ex-lover and her dad, held

MUMBAI: A techie, thirsting for revenge after being accused of rape by a young woman, was arrested from Malad (W) where he had come prepared with weapons to kill her and her father. The accused, Amit Jain, had procured the weapons from Madhya Pradesh and had been planning revenge for nearly 16 months.

After his arrest in the rape case in September 2012, Jain, who is from Jabalpur, lost his job and he held the victim and her family responsible for wrecking his career.

The 28-year-old victim is related to Jain and the two were in a relationship. Jain had promised to marry her and forced her to get intimate, later going back on his word. The woman filed a complaint of rape against him in September 2012. Jain was lodged in Thane jail, where he got to know weapon suppliers.

"After his bail in January 2013. Jain started threatening the victim. They relocated to a new place but Jain tracked that down. He had done a recce before coming to Malad on Saturday," said Addl CP Brijesh Singh. Jain planned to kill the victim and her dad in a public place.

On receiving a tip-off, the Malwani police laid a trap. As Jain arrived at Marve Road around 8.10am, cops rushed to nab him. Refusing to give up, Jain pointed his pistol towards the team. Officers managed to overpower him. Jain has been in Mumbai since 2007.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Jewellery worth 2.5L stolen from train to UP

MUMBAI: A Jogeshwari housewife's plans to attend a wedding in UP with her family were ruined after her jewellery worth Rs 2.5 lakh was stolen from a long-distance train on Thursday. Sunita Yadav said the incident occurred between Bandra Terminus and Borivli station around 11pm. She called up a family friend who rushed to the Bandra GRP outpost and then to the Andheri GRP, but both refused to take down his complaint as the offence had been discovered at Borivli station. Yadav eventually lodged an FIR at Gorakhpur.

Yadav had boarded Avadh Express with her husband, child, brother and brother-in-law from Bandra Terminus around 10.30pm on Thursday. The family had a lot of luggage and placed it under their seats. "The train wasn't fully occupied from Bandra. We had six seats. The adjacent section was not lit. We noticed that a man dressed in a ticket checker's coat and his aide were asleep there," said Yadav.

As the train reached Borivli, the man dressed in a TC's coat switched on the lights in his section and said a suitcase was lying open with its contents strewn. Yadav was shocked to see that it was her suitcase. The man and his aide vanished. An FIR was lodged two days later when Yadav got off at Gorakhpur.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Jewellery worth Rs 2.5 lakh stolen from train to UP

MUMBAI: A Jogeshwari housewife's plans to attend a wedding in UP with her family were ruined after her jewellery worth Rs 2.5 lakh was stolen from a long-distance train on Thursday. Sunita Yadav said the incident occurred between Bandra Terminus and Borivli station around 11pm. She called up a family friend who rushed to the Bandra GRP outpost and then to the Andheri GRP, but both refused to take down his complaint as the offence had been discovered at Borivli station. Yadav eventually lodged an FIR at Gorakhpur.

Yadav had boarded Avadh Express with her husband, child, brother and brother-in-law from Bandra Terminus around 10.30pm on Thursday. The family had a lot of luggage and placed it under their seats. "The train wasn't fully occupied from Bandra. We had six seats. The adjacent section was not lit. We noticed that a man dressed in a ticket checker's coat and his aide were asleep there," said Yadav.

As the train reached Borivli, the man dressed in a TC's coat switched on the lights in his section and said a suitcase was lying open with its contents strewn. Yadav was shocked to see that it was her suitcase. The man and his aide vanished. An FIR was lodged two days later when Yadav got off at Gorakhpur.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Four ‘insurance agents’ assault housewife, rob Rs 6L valuables

Mumbai: Posing as insurance agents, four people gained entry to a flat in a housing society in Chinchpokli on Friday after. Once inside, they assaulted the housewife with a grinding stone and fled with gold ornaments and cash worth Rs 6 lakh.

The incident took place around 2.30pm, but it came to light around 5pm when victim Sushma Surve's neighbour Harshala Patil went to her house and found the door ajar. She then saw the victim lying unconscious with blood all around. Harshala called her mother, who alerted the police and rushed Sushma (34) to KEM hospital.

During the preliminary probe, Sushma told the police that four men had knocked on her first-floor flat door at Sankalp building, posing as car insurance agents. "The accused said they needed her signature and she allowed them in. One of them asked for water and when she went in, they bolted the door and hit her. They tied her up and robbed valuables," said an officer of Kalachowkie police. Cops said the circumstances point to a rivalry rather than a robbery. "The accused told Sushma they had come earlier too, but didn't get a chance to enter the flat. We are making enquiries with Sushma's husband who works as a security manager for a security firm in Bhandup. It could be a professional rivalry," said senior inspector Bhausaheb Gite.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Heart attack to hospital takes 6 hrs

MUMBAI: With three million cases every year, heart attack may be the commonest grave ailment in India. But Indians seem to be dimly aware of its calling card—be it the sudden pain in the chest, upper back or jaw—and often don't react appropriately. A shocking 95% of heart attack patients take public transport to reach hospital. And, many of them reach after six hours—or over 380 minutes—of the first symptoms, found an all-India study.

Cardiologist Dr Prafulla Kerkar, who heads KEM Hospital's cardiology department, said barely 10% of heart attack patients in the city reach the hospital within the golden hour. The golden hour is the crucial period in which prompt medical treatment can prevent permanent damage to the heart's muscles.

"A study among 350 of our heart attack patients showed that 10% reached the hospital 12 hours after the attack. By this time, the advantages of restoring blood flow are lost," said Dr Kerkar. The majority of the patients took a median time of five hours, which is twice as long as it takes in the West.

It is to reduce this time lag between the appearance of symptoms and hospitalization that a handful of cardiologists have come together to form a not-for-profit organization called STEMI India.

Three years ago, STEMI India brought together doctors, hospitals and ambulance providers in Coimbatore and Chennai to spread awareness about heart attacks and ensure that patients got treated within the golden hour. They have succeeded in reducing the average symptom-to-hospitalization time to less than three hours or 170 minutes so far.

Next weekend, the STEMI India group of which Dr Kerkar is a member will hold its first training programme in Mumbai at Powai. "Over 800 doctors from Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh will attend it," said course director Dr Rajesh Rajani, cardiologist from Hinduja Hospital, Mahim.

"The message is that the longer you take to report to a hospital after a heart attack, the higher the chance that you are left a cardiac cripple who may well need repeated hospitalizations later on," added Dr Rajani.

It is now well established that patients who are given immediate medical treatment—say, a blood thinner or clot buster—may not suffer any long-term effects of a heart attack. Many hospitals and nursing homes in Mumbai, though, still don't give a clot-buster to a patient who comes in with suspected heart attack, say doctors. "They refer the patient to a bigger hospital without even providing streptokinase injection that can dissolve blood clots that caused the heart attack," said Dr Kerkar.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Shatrughan Sinha in Kokilaben hospital for checkup

MUMBAI: BJP MP — actor Shatrughan Sinha is admitted at Kokilaben Ambani Hospital in Andheri (W). Sinha, who was previously admitted to the same hospital in February 2012 after suffering an allergic reaction, is undergoing a routine health check, said hospital officials.

"After a strenuous election campaign and victory in the Lok Sabha Elections, Mr Shatrughan Sinha was admitted to Kokilaben Hospital Mumbai, for his regular periodic, check up," said hospital' s executive director Dr Ram Narain.

He added that all tests are normal and the actor -MP should be discharged later on Saturday.

Sinha won the Lok Sabha elections from the Patna Saheb constituency.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Shatrughan Sinha in hospital for check up

MUMBAI: Veteran Bollywood actor and BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha, who underwent bypass surgery last year, is undergoing a "routine" check up at a suburban hospital here today.

Sinha was admitted to Kokilaben Hospital in July last year after he complained of breathlessness due to some paint work at his residence. He underwent bypass surgery as blockages were discovered in his coronary arteries.

"He is fine. He is in the hospital for routine check up because of the bypass surgery he underwent last year. We prefer not to talk about it," Sinha's son Luv said.

When asked will he be admitted, Luv said, "This kind of check up takes time. The doctors will be in a better position to talk about it".

"All tests are normal and might be discharged later today," Dr Ram Narain, Executive director, Kokilaben Hospital said.

The actor, who made his Bollywood debut in 1969 with 'Sajan', is currently BJP MP from Patna Sahib in Bihar.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Shatrughan Sinha in Kokilaben hospital for check-up

MUMBAI: BJP MP — actor Shatrughan Sinha is admitted at Kokilaben Ambani Hospital in Andheri (W). Sinha, who was previously admitted to the same hospital in February 2012 after suffering an allergic reaction, is undergoing a routine health check, said hospital officials.

"After a strenuous election campaign and victory in the Lok Sabha Elections, Mr Shatrughan Sinha was admitted to Kokilaben Hospital Mumbai, for his regular periodic, check up," said hospital' s executive director Dr Ram Narain.
He added that all tests are normal and the actor -MP should be discharged later on Saturday.
Sinha won the Lok Sabha elections from the Patna Saheb constituency.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

450 live cartridges found from nullah in communally-sensitive Bhiwandi

BHIWANDI: Around 450 live cartridges were found in drain packed in a gunny bag from Gayatri Nagar area in Bhiwandi on Saturday afternoon.

The bag found at around 12.15pm during drain cleaning work by local civic staff.

During drain cleaning work, staff noticed a heavy bag and when checked shocked to see bag full with cartridges.

The staff immediately informed to local Narpoli police who reached on spot and also alerted to ballistic experts.

The recovery of such a huge consignment of live cartridges in Bhiwandi city, which is considered as communally-sensitive area with background of several past communal riots have worried investigation agencies.

Co-incidentally recovery of arms has been made from same nearby area, where a Hindu organization is set to hold a programme demanding government to pass legislation to stop gau hatya (cow killing), in which one lakh Hindus are expected to attend.

Local Narpoli police along with crime branch team have started probe in to matter.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

450 live cartridges found from drain in communally-sensitive Bhiwandi

BHIWANDI: Around 450 live cartridges were found in drain packed in a gunny bag from Gayatri Nagar area in Bhiwandi on Saturday afternoon.

The bag found at around 12.15pm during drain cleaning work by local civic staff.

During drain cleaning work, staff noticed a heavy bag and when checked shocked to see bag full with cartridges.

The staff immediately informed to local Narpoli police who reached on spot and also alerted to ballistic experts.

The recovery of such a huge consignment of live cartridges in Bhiwandi city, which is considered as communally-sensitive area with background of several past communal riots have worried investigation agencies.

Co-incidentally recovery of arms has been made from same nearby area, where a Hindu organization is set to hold a programme demanding government to pass legislation to stop gau hatya (cow killing), in which one lakh Hindus are expected to attend.

Local Narpoli police along with crime branch team have started probe in to matter.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Techie, set to shoot his ex-girlfriend, nabbed by police

MUMBAI: A software engineer was nabbed by the police in suburban Malad today as he was allegedly about to ambush and gun down his former girlfriend, who had accused him of rape.

Police claimed to have prevented the attack by arresting Amit Jain (31) in Marve Road area.

Jain, arrested by the suburban Goregaon police on the charge of raping his girlfriend in 2012 and later released on bail, was seeking to take revenge, police said. According to the police, he was set to ambush the victim and her father, but was nabbed before that.

He pointed a pistol at the waiting policemen who managed to overpower him and seize two country-made pistols, four magazines and 20 rounds, procured from Madhya Pradesh. Jain wanted to kill the girl, who is related to him, as he blamed her for wrecking his life by filing the rape complaint, said additional police commissioner Brijesh Singh.

"Jain was subsequently arrested in the rape case and was lodged in jail from September 2012 to January 2013. Later, he was granted bail," Singh said. An employee with a multinational company, Jain had an affair with the victim and had promised to marry her. However, their relations soured, following which she split up with him and lodged an FIR for rape in 2012. Jain, a management graduate from Madhya Pradesh, lost his job after the complaint was filed, and was nursing a strong hatred against the victim and her family, police said.

"He had threatened the victim on several occasions, so her family shifted the house. However, he managed to find out their (new) house and procured firearms by paying over Rs 90,000. He was waiting for the victim and her father to arrive in Malad so that he can shoot them in public," Singh said.

"We had a tip-off about his plan and laid a trap. Jain was intercepted when he pointed the pistol at the cops. Our men overpowered him and seized the weapons." The accused had vowed to avenge himself by murdering the girl and her family, Singh claimed. Malvani police are conducting further probe.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Have a knack for mobile applications? Create a few of your own

From a calorie counter to flashlights and maps for navigation, smartphones are flooded with applications, making mobile app developers a much wanted species.

The industry is experiencing a sharp rise in text messaging , smartphone purchases and mobile advertising. While location-based services, social networking application, mobile-commerce , context-aware service, object recognition, instant messaging and mobile payments or money transfers are picking up, social games apps on mobile devices are among the most popular.

"Today, there are over 10 lakh applications in the Android play store. However, there are still plenty of opportunities in the mobile applications market. Students can look at being entrepreneurs which allows a creative freehand ," said Manas Gajare, founder, Zabuza Labs.

STARTING OUT

Since mobile applications are based on the IT platform, developers should have a BTech (computer application) or MCA degree with experience of working with gateways /servers (WAP, XML, VXML, WTA, etc), browsers (WML, XHTML), clients (SMS, e-mail , chat etc), and stacks (WAP2.0 and TCP/IP).

The industry also requires product and content creators who could be experienced graphics designers, content writers or researchers. One has to decide on functionality of an application, design user interface, develop codes, test it and then publish it.

CAREER PROSPECTS

The mobile application market is gaining popularity. "Besides mobile applications created for individual users, there are IT companies which make enterprise applications," said Gajare. Remuneration depends on the popularity of the applications developed. "The paybacks depend on how the application performs in the market. If it is a paid application , it depends on the number of downloads. In terms of free applications, remuneration depends on the advertisements that one can attract," he said.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Civic engineers threaten to stage protest

MUMBAI: The municipal engineers' union has threatened to stage a three-day protest against the BMC administration from May 27 to 29 for not fulfilling their demands. The agitation is likely to affect essential services such as water supply and collection of garbage.

The Municipal Engineers Association has been demanding that their salary should be on the sixth pay commission scale and they should also be paid arrears; besides, they have been saying no criminal case should be registered against the engineers who have been suspended following a building collapse in Dockyard Road. They also said the 10 officials arrested following the crash should be granted bail. "Our demands weren't met even after we were promised by the commissioner," said S Rajadhyaksha of the union.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Have a knack for mobile applications? Create a few of your own

From a calorie counter to flashlights and maps for navigation, smartphones are flooded with applications, making mobile app developers a much wanted species.

The industry is experiencing a sharp rise in text messaging , smartphone purchases and mobile advertising. While location-based services, social networking application, mobile-commerce , context-aware service, object recognition, instant messaging and mobile payments or money transfers are picking up, social games apps on mobile devices are among the most popular.

"Today, there are over 10 lakh applications in the Android play store. However, there are still plenty of opportunities in the mobile applications market. Students can look at being entrepreneurs which allows a creative freehand ," said Manas Gajare, founder, Zabuza Labs.

STARTING OUT

Since mobile applications are based on the IT platform, developers should have a BTech (computer application) or MCA degree with experience of working with gateways /servers (WAP, XML, VXML, WTA, etc), browsers (WML, XHTML), clients (SMS, e-mail , chat etc), and stacks (WAP2.0 and TCP/IP).

The industry also requires product and content creators who could be experienced graphics designers, content writers or researchers. One has to decide on functionality of an application, design user interface, develop codes, test it and then publish it.

CAREER PROSPECTS

The mobile application market is gaining popularity. "Besides mobile applications created for individual users, there are IT companies which make enterprise applications," said Gajare. Remuneration depends on the popularity of the applications developed. "The paybacks depend on how the application performs in the market. If it is a paid application , it depends on the number of downloads. In terms of free applications, remuneration depends on the advertisements that one can attract," he said.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

HC respite for engineering student whose caste claim rejected midway

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court has quashed and set aside an order of the Caste Scrutiny Committee of Maharashtra government which had invalidated the claim of a student, who was pursuing the final year in engineering, that he belonged to the Scheduled Tribe.

A bench, while setting aside the impugned order of September 24, 2010, recently remanded the matter back to the Caste Scrutiny Committee for reconsideration of the claim put by Swapnil Gaikwad, a resident of nearby Thane, that he belonged to Thakur caste, which comes under Scheduled Tribe.

The court opined that in this case, the scrutiny committee had not considered the documents and evidence and wrongly applied law on "affinity test issue, area restriction removal and caste certificates of relatives based on similar wrongly framed issues". Hence, it was setting aside the order.

The court asked the scrutiny committee to reconsider every aspect, by giving an opportunity to all parties. Liberty was given to the student to apply before the committee for filing additional evidence, oral and documentary material.

Justices Anoop Mohota and A A Sayed asked the petitioner to appear before the concerned committee on June 10. Thereafter, the committee was asked to fix the date and schedule the hearing to dispose of the matter early, preferably within four months from the date of receipt of the judgement/order.

The court said that in case the committee passes an adverse order against the petitioner, the same should not be given effect to and/or acted upon for four weeks thereafter from the date of communication of the order.

In that event, the court held that the petitioner would be allowed to finish the engineering course. However, it will be subject to the final decision of the scrutiny committee and/or subsequent challenge, if any.

The judges also ruled that any interim protection granted earlier to the student would continue.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Minors rescued from flesh trade in Mumbai

MUMBAI: Four girls, including three minors were rescued from a resort in Nalasopara where they were allegedly forced into the flesh trade.

Five persons including the resort manager Sudarshan Kotian (28) who doubled up as a pimp have been arrested. The anti-human trafficking cell of the Thane rural police raided the Vikas Resort on Rajodi beach of Nalasopara (west) on Thursday night. The police send a decoy customer and found Kotian (28) pimping for the girls.

Kotian and four other employees have been booked under sections 366 (a) (procuration of minor girl), 366(b) (Importation of minor girl from foreign country), 370(buying or disposing any person as a slave), 372 (selling minor for purposes of prostitution) and 34 (common intent) of the Indian Penal Code and under relevant sections of Prevention of Immoral Trafficking act. The police are in process of investigating allegations by the victims.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Election commission urges citizens to enroll for the voters list

MUMBAI: The state election commission has urged citizens to enroll for the voters list.

"From May 29 onwards we are launching a drive across the state to enrol voters. All citizens whose names do not figure on the list must take this opportunity to fill the form and ensure their names are on the voters list,'' said Anil Walvi, deputy chief electoral officer, Maharashtra.

There have been numerous complaints of deletion of names from voters list both from citizens as well as political parties. Public interest litigation was also filed in the Bombay high court against the Election Commission.

The Commission, however, maintained it had followed due process and widely publicised its intention to carry out correction of the electoral rolls. Around 50 lakh voters' names were deleted in the state last year and around 62 lakh new names added.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Don’t auction sand, put it back in creeks, say activists

MUMBAI: To prevent illegal sand mining, activists have demanded that sand be tracked electronically from the extraction point to the transport permits and octroi nakas to building sites, to ensure excess sand is not used.

Activist Sumaira Abdulali who has filed an appeal before the National Green Tribunal's Pune bench for a ban on sand mining in CRZ areas has asked the tribunal to direct the government to ensure that local self-government bodies do not issue Occupation Certificates to buildings unless a full disclosure of the quantity of sand used is made.

In her affidavit, Abdulali has said the illegally mined sand not be auctioned and rather be put back into the creek or beach from where it had been extracted.

"Mining is rampant due to lack of effective implementation of various bans," Abdulali said, demanding that the Maharashtra Maritime Board be made accountable as it plays a pivotal role in regulating mining. The final order in the case is expected by month-end.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Engineering student booked for rape of girlfriend

MUMBAI: A 21-year-old medical student has complained of being raped by her boyfriend, who is an engineering student, at the latter's Borivali West residence on Wednesday. The victim said she had gone to end their relationship when the incident took place. The accused is yet to be arrested.

According to the police, the couple was in a relationship for the past four years. The victim stopped conversing with the accused, Abhishek Ayare, 21, recently. Ayare was then trying to get in touch with her constantly.

"On Wednesday afternoon, the victim finally answered his repeated phone calls. Ayare then requested her to meet him at his residence. He told her that he wanted to sort out issues between them and find out why she had stopped communicating with him," said an official from the MHB Colony police station.

The victim refused to meet him initially, but he managed to convince her to come down. Around 2 pm, she reached Ayare's flat at Eksar Road in Borivali West. "The couple got into a heated argument at the accused's flat. Ayare's family members were not at home at that time. He assaulted the victim and raped her. He also threatened her against disclosing the incident to anyone," the official added.

Around 3 pm, the victim stumbled out of his flat. On reaching home, she narrated everything to her parents. They then approached the police. Officials said the couple were acquainted with each since junior college.

"We are trying to trace Ayare. We have also contacted the management of the college where he is studying. Neighbours are being quizzed," said the official. The victim has been sent for a medical examination.

Ayare has been booked under sections 376, 323 and 342 of IPC for rape and wrongful confinement.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

BMC zeroes in on 430 Campa Colas in city

MUMBAI: While the BMC is gearing up to demolish Campa Cola's illegal floors, there are 430 other buildings that have made unauthorized additions.

The 430 buildings were found during a ward-wise survey by the BMC to identify structures where illegal floors have been added. The survey revealed that 74 of those buildings are entirely illegal and have been built without any BMC permission.

R-Central ward (Borivli) with 96 buildings has the highest number of buildings where illegal alterations have been done. The second highest number of buildings is in G-south (Worli), where Campa Cola is located; it has 78 such buildings.

"This data has been collated to ensure that illegal extensions can be demolished. We are also finding out whether the buildings are involved in legal cases, if so we will pursue the litigations to bring them to a logical end," said an official. The BMC is also working on a mechanism to get stay orders on illegal construction vacated and initiate action against them at the earliest. tnn

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Asangaon commuters find reservation centres shut, block local trains

KALYAN: Asangaon commuters block local trains for more than one hour after finding the long-distance reservation booking counters at the station shut perpetually. The rail roko at both up and down line led to delay of local services between Kasara and Karjat by more than 30 minutes while between Kalyan and CST by 10 to 15 minutes.

The incident took place at around 9.30 am on Thursday, when commuters at Aasangaon railway station found reservation centre is shut down. Angry commuters gather on railway station and halted both up and down line local train which went up to 11.15 am till reservation counter not started.

Railway officials from Aasangaon railway station do not wished to be named said that protest went up to more than one hour hitting both line services between Kalyan and Kasara line.

Rajesh Ghanghav, Advisor of Kalyan-Kasara railway Passenger welfare association said, "The senior railway officials in Mumbai do not taking care of maintenance services beyond Kalyan and Kasara area due to which signal failure, rail fracture and other incidents has became normal practices here. This was reason upset over daily problems angry locals protested".
"There is need of senior railway officials to keep proper watch on maintenance work in the area to avoid such incidents in future" added Ghanghav.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Leading solicitor Subhash Kothari passes away

MUMBAI: Subhash Kothari, senior solicitor and partner at one of India's oldest law firms Kanga & Co passed away this week. His demise leaves a huge hole at the law firm established in 1890 where he headed a large and active litigation department as well as banking, finance and securitization matters.

The 70-year-old lawyer had a "no-nonsense and forthright attitude" said his peers. "He was an old-school advocate, who worked hard, had sound legal knowledge, strong work ethics and a sense of assurance that at once put clients at ease," said a young lawyer who had assisted him in matters.

Kothari was on a vacation in southern India with his wife Nilanjana when he developed a pain in his leg on May 19. By the time they reached Coimbatore the pain worsened and that afternoon was his last. His solicitor son Swapnil rushed with his wife and child to Coimbatore where the last rites were performed. "It is difficult to believe that he is no more. He was a giant in his field," said Swapnil. The Bombay HC had in 2008 appointed him as an amicus curiae (friend of court) in a complex matter, the first solicitor to be so appointed in several decades.

Shailsh Vaidya, partner at Kanga said— "He was my most respected senior, very kind hearted and had given me my initial legal training. I learnt all about bank documentation from him over which he had great mastery."

The law firm's managing partner, the eminent M L Bhakta, expressed grief at the sudden unexpected loss. "He was a senior partner and with the firm for over 40 years. I am the only partner senior to him. He was its pillar and one of the leading lawyers in the city who handled several important clients including the BCCL and trained many young lawyers in banking law. It is a big loss."

Senior counsel Veerendra Tulzapurkar who is vacationing in New Zealand learnt of the news from a weeping junior. His condolence message to Kothari's son Swapnil said, "I have known Subhash for the last 45 years. A true friend. He was always obliging to all. Particularly the junior members at the bar were helped by him." Senior and junior counsel at the Bombay high court bar alike considered him their mentor and remember him as a "large and warm hearted lawyer difficult to find."

His family will hold a prayer meeting for him on Saturday at Rangsharda Hall in Bandra (West) at 5pm.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Inspired by BJP's Modi gambit, MNS may project Raj Thackeray for CM

MUMBAI: Leaders of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) today said they were in favour of projecting the party president Raj Thackeray as the chief ministerial nominee ahead of the coming assembly elections in Maharashtra.

The MNS office-bearers met here today, and unanimously decided that Raj Thackeray should be projected for the top post of the state, on the lines of BJP's well-in-advance projection of Narendra Modi for the Prime Minister's post.

"Today's meeting was convened to boost the morale of the cadre," MNS leader Pravin Darekar told reporters.

"If the people want to see Raj saheb lead the state, as was the case with Narendra Modi (at the national level) who was projected for the Prime Minister's post, we will insist that he (Thackeray) agree to it," Darekar said.

Thackeray was not present at the meeting. Darekar said the MNS chief was not slated to be present, but he would address a big rally on May 31, "to give a direction to the party".

Asked about Bala Nandgaonkar, a key MNS leader, skipping two important party meetings in the wake of the Lok Sabha election results, Darekar said, "He is in Konkan with his family."

He added that MNS workers were not demoralised by the party's poor showing in the polls.

All the ten candidates of MNS lost in the Lok Sabha elections, and some of them forfeited their deposits. Its arch rival Shiv Sena, on the other hand, won 18 seats.

An MNS source said some organisational changes were expected before the assembly polls which are due later this year.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bomb scare delays Roha-Diva train by over 4 hours in Maharashtra

NAVI MUMBAI: The Roha-Diva passenger train has been delayed by over four hours at the Roha station on the Konkan Railway route due to a bomb scare early on Tuesday.

The train was supposed to depart from Roha at 5.30am on Tuesday, but an anonymous caller reportedly informed the station master that there was a bomb kept in the train.

The bomb detection and disposal squad from Alibaug was rushed to the spot to check the train and also the station premises. No explosives were detected so far.

"An unknown person had specifically mentioned the name of a female passenger and said that she was carrying a bomb. However, when we checked her, there was nothing. It seems to be that someone has a personal grudge against the woman. The train service has resumed now," said Raigad superintendent of police Ankush Shinde.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Second round of education quota admissions in Mumbai expected from Friday

MUMBAI: The second round of online admission for the 25% reserved seats under the right to education is expected to begin on Friday, said officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday.

The first round will conclude on Tuesday.

Of the 6,575 applicantions in the first round, 3,380 were allotted a seat in a lottery conducted on Tuesday last week.

Though there were fewer applications in the first round than the 8,223 seats available, all students could not secure a place as 57 schools received more admission applications than they had seats.

In the new round, applications for vacant seats will be accepted till May 30.

"A lottery will be conducted for the schools which have more applicants than seats available on June 2," additional municipal commissioner Mohan Adtani said. "Admissions for these seats will be held between June 3 and 7."

Adtani made the assurance that all students who were allotted a seat would be receiving admission.

"The parents have to get in touch with the school by May 20," he said. "Their admissions will remain intact even if the school calls them to complete the process later on. If the student is denied admission, the parents can complaint to department."

A decision was yet to be made on whether those students who were not allotted a school seat in the first round would need to apply all over again.

"We have not taken a call on whether the previous applications will be considered for those not allotted a seat in the first round," BMC education officer Shambhavi Jogi. "The decision will made by MKCL, which is handling the website, but parents can rest assured that everyone will get another chance."

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Labourer held for killing employer in Kalyan

MUMBAI: A labourer, Bhim Singh (28), was arrested on the charge of killing his employer, Gauri Prasad (58), in Kalyan on Monday. Prasad had caught Singh trying to steal 400 bags worth Rs 37,000 from his godown, said the police. "Singh wanted money for his wedding in UP," DCP (Kalyan) Sanjay Jadhav said.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Woman falls at Andheri station, taken to Palghar hospital

MUMBAI: A woman slipped into the gap between the platform and the train at Andheri while trying to board a long distance train to Palghar on Monday evening.

Sudaivi Meher (35) slipped while trying to board the crowded ladies compartment of the Mumbai-Surat Flying Ranee train on platform 4 at Andheri at around 6.20 pm.

While Meher was pulled out of the gap by commuters on the platform, she was put in the same train and travelled for two hours upto Palghar where she was admitted to Philia hospital.

Meher who lost a lot of blood suffered multiple fracture of the pelvic and spine.

An eye-witness and co-passenger Monali Chowdhary said that Meher had to be put in the same train and taken to Palghar as there was no help available at Andheri station.

There was no railway police to call for an ambulance, said Chowdhary who has given her statement to the Palghar GRP.

As the train began to move after its scheduled two minute halt, a badly injured Meher was put in the same train and proceeded with the journey.

Meher who works in an imitation jewellery factory in

Goregaon regularly boards the train at Andheri to travel to her Palghar home.

Chowdhary and other passengers then arranged for an ambulance at Palghar.

Dr Prakash Gudsoorkar, orthopaedic surgeon of the hospital said that Meher suffered multiple fractures of the pelvic and spine. Her condition is said to be greivous as she lost a lot of blood.

The police are waiting to record Meher's statement. Her parents arrived at the hospital afer being informed by co-passengers.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Shah Rukh Khan slams reports of making anti-Modi comments

MUMBAI: Superstar Shah Rukh Khan has slammed claims that he had made anti-Narendra Modi comments on Twitter.

There was a buzz in the social media that the 48-year-old actor had apparently tweeted that he will leave India if Modi becomes Prime Minister, a claim that Shah Rukh denied.

The actor took to Twitter to clear the confusion.

"Good time to tell all fools who are talking of a tweet that I didn't tweet, you suck as much as the grammar of that fake tweet & I'm being kind," he posted on Monday.

In fact, on May 16 SRK tweeted, "What a solid mandate given by the people. It proves again that the only constant is change. Now to move forward with strong and active faith, India."

The confusion arose when TV actor Kamaal R Khan, who uses shortened version of his name KRK on Twitter, boasted that he was leaving India following Modi's electoral win.

"So I am leaving India forever as I promised. I don't know if SRK and others will keep their promise but I will keep," Kamaal, a former 'Bigg Boss' contestant, had posted.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Shah Rukh Khan denies making anti-Modi comments on Twitter

MUMBAI: Superstar Shah Rukh Khan has slammed claims that he had made anti-Narendra Modi comments on Twitter.

There was a buzz in the social media that the 48-year-old actor had apparently tweeted that he will leave India if Modi becomes Prime Minister, a claim that Shah Rukh denied.

The actor took to Twitter to clear the confusion.

"Good time to tell all fools who are talking of a tweet that I didn't tweet, you suck as much as the grammar of that fake tweet & I'm being kind," he posted on Monday.

In fact, on May 16 SRK tweeted, "What a solid mandate given by the people. It proves again that the only constant is change. Now to move forward with strong and active faith, India."

The confusion arose when TV actor Kamaal R Khan, who uses shortened version of his name KRK on Twitter, boasted that he was leaving India following Modi's electoral win.

"So I am leaving India forever as I promised. I don't know if SRK and others will keep their promise but I will keep," Kamaal, a former 'Bigg Boss' contestant, had posted.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

2002 hit-and-run case: More trouble for Salman Khan, 4th witness says actor was 'drunk'

MUMBAI: In more trouble for actor Salman Khan, the fourth witness in the 2002 hit-and-run case has identified the actor and said that he was drunk on the night of the incident.

The witness who worked in a bar claimed Salman along with his friends had ordered drinks on the night of the accident.

Earlier on Monday, Salman Khan arrived at the Mumbai sessions court for hearing of the case related to a threat complaint made by one of the eyewitnesses in the 2002 hit-and-run case allegedly involving the actor, ANI reported.

On May 6, one of the prosecution witnesses in the 2002 hit and run case identified him as the person who had exited from car in a drunk state and escaped from the mishap site.

Samba Gowda, who was the first witness to depose in the court, had said he had drawn a panchnama of the articles seized by police on the day of the incident on September 28, 2002.

The witness had told prosecutor Jagannath Kenjalkar that it was a big car involved in the accident and said police had reached the spot along with him. He had said the car had rammed into a shop and its bumper had hit the shutter of the shop.

The actor is accused of culpable homicide not amounting to murder after he drove his SUV on to a pavement in Bandra, killing one person and leaving four injured.

On December 5 last year, the court had ordered a fresh trial on the ground that the witnesses had not been examined in the context of aggravated charge of culpable homicide, which was invoked against the actor midway through the case.

The charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder attracts a 10-year sentence. The actor had earlier been tried by a magistrate for a lesser offence of causing death by negligence, which entailed an imprisonment of two years.

So far, 17 witnesses have been examined in connection with the 12-year-old case.

(With inputs from ANI)

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Waiter identifies Salman Khan, says he served drinks to his group

MUMBAI: A bar waiter on Monday identified actor Salman Khan in a court saying he had come along with his friends in a group to have drinks in a five-star hotel on the same night, hours before Khan allegedly ran over his car over people sleeping on footpath in suburban Bandra, 12 years ago.

The waiter, Molay Baug, told Judge D W Deshpande he had served cocktails and Bacardi (White Rum) to the group who had come along with Salman to 'Zen Bar' in J W Marriot hotel, but could not remember whether the actor had consumed drinks.

Public prosecutor Jagannath Kenjralkar examined the witness to show the court that the actor had consumed drinks before meeting with an accident on the ill-fated day.

"The lights were dim and it was dark and hence I could not see who had consumed liquor...all that I remember is that I had served drinks to this group which had come with Salman, the waiter told defence lawyer Srikant Shivade during cross-examination.

To another question, the witness said it would be difficult for him to say whether everyone in the group had consumed alcoholic drinks.

Another witness, Laxman More, a police constable, said he was in the team which was on duty to give protection to Salman's brother Sohail Khan. On the day of the mishap, he was posted at Salman's residential building along with others.

Sohail and Salman had gone to 'Rain Bar' that night. While Sohail returned after midnight, Salman had still not come. At 3am, a man came running to us and informed us that Salman had met with an accident nearby. "I rushed to the spot with this man in his car but did not find Salman at the accident spot. We waited there for two to three minutes," the witness said.

However, during this period, the crane had not arrived to lift the car from the steps of the shop which had been hit in the impact. Also, I do not know the person who told us about the accident, the witness said in cross-examination.

One person was killed and four others were injured when Salman had rammed his car into a bakery shop on September 28, 2002.

Salman, attired in a grey shirt and blue denims, was in the dock. His sisters Alvira and Arpita were also present. Altogether six witnesses have so far deposed in the re-trial, which would continue on Tuesday.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

IPS coaching institute director held for cheating students

MUMBAI: The DN Nagar police arrested a director of a coaching institute on Sunday for cheating 11 students. The accused lived in Pune and was operating his business from a shop in Andheri.

The accused had claimed that he would help the students clear the UPSC and MPSC exams if they enroll themselves at his institute.

However, the director did not conduct the lectures regularly following which the students doubted his intention and filed a complaint with the DN Nagar police.

The police inquired the details and learnt that the accused didn't have the required documents to operate the coaching class.

They registered a case under Indian Penal Code sections 420 (cheating) and 34 (common intention) against him recently.

The police arrested the accused on Sunday from a hotel where he was staying with his wife and kids.

The police produced him before a court on Monday and the court remanded him in police custody till May 21.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Virar resort owner, lifeguard held for negligence after boy dies in pool

MUMBAI: A week after a six-year-old boy died after drowning in the swimming pool of a resort in Virar, the owner and lifeguard were arrested by the police. They were later released on bail.

Aman Shaikh, a resident of Kurla had gone to Swagat resort in Arnala, Virar (west) with his mother and relatives on May 9.

At around 11am after Aman entered the pool, he drowned and died. His body was taken out by other picnickers who were in the pool.

The family alleged that the lifeguard Gopikishan Rathod was not present near the pool when the boy was drowning. Even after screams of help were raised Rathod was no where to be seen. The boy was taken to a local hospital where he was declared dead before arrival. The autopsy report stated death due to drowning.

The Arnala coastal police registered a case of accidental death. On May 16, the police arrested Rathod and the resort owner Bavtis Lopez for negligence.

The resort did not have first aid that can help revive victims of drowning. The resort was also found to be crowded beyond its capacity.

Rathod and Lopez were produced before the Vasai sessions court where they were released on bail.

Cases of drowning have been reported from resorts in Arnala but no stern action has been taken against resorts that flout the rules. A number of illegal resorts have mushroomed in Arnala which is a famous picnic spot.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Virar resort owner and life guard held for negligence after boy dies in pool

MUMBAI: A week after a six-year-old boy died after drowning in the swimming pool of a resort in Virar, the owner and life guard were arrested by the police. They were later released on bail.

Aman Shaikh, a resident of Kurla had gone to Swagat resort in Arnala, Virar (west) with his mother and relatives on May 09. At around 11.am after Aman entered the pool, he drowned and died. His body was taken out by other picnickers who were in the pool. The family alleged that the life guard Gopikishan Rathod was not present near the pool when the boy was drowning. Even after screams of help were raised Rathod was no where to be seen. The boy was taken to a local hospital where he was declared dead before arrival. The autopsy report stated death due to drowning.

The Arnala coastal police registered a case of accidental death. On May 16, the police arrested Rathod and the resort owner Bavtis Lopez for negligence. The resort did not have first aid that can help revive victims of drowning. The resort was also found to be crowded beyond its capacity.

Rathod and Lopez were produced before the Vasai sessions court where they were released on bail.

Cases of drowning have been reported from resorts in Arnala but no stern action has been taken against resorts that flout the rules. A number of illegal resorts have mushroomed in Arnala which is a famous picnic spot.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Upset over no male child, man sets wife ablaze

MUMBAI: A 28-year-old Virar man has been arrested for allegedly setting his wife ablaze on Sunday afternoon. He was reportedly unhappy with her for not bearing him a male child. The couple has three daughters.

According to the Virar police, Sandeep Yadav, a driver poured diesel on his wife Suman (27) at their Virar (east) home at around 3pm on Sunday. He then lit a matchstick and set her on fire. He watched as she called for help. Suman rushed out of the house and poured water from a drum lying outside. Her neighbour Usha Shelar, who watched Suman in flames, called the police. The children were playing at a distance when the incident took place.

Suman has been admitted to the Shatabdi hospital in Kandivli with around 90 per cent burns. Sandeep who was arrested hours after the crime told the police that he was upset with his wife who had failed to deliver a male child. In his statement, he said that he had begun to dislike his wife and wanted her out of his life.

Shelar told the police that Sandeep was alcoholic and the couple often fought. On Sunday too, the couple had an heated argument following which Sandeep even hit Suman. Sandeep used to take money from Suman for his drinks. Suman worked as a housemaid in the locality.

Police found the can in which the diesel was stocked. Police suspect that Sandeep may have planned to burn his wife and hence bought the diesel. As he was a driver, it was not difficult for him to get hold of the diesel, said the police. Sandeep has been remanded to police custody by the Vasai sessions court.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

4 Mumbai Lok Sabha seats may see re-election if MPs charged with serious criminal cases are found guilty within a year

MUMBAI: There might be a re-election in four of the six Lok Sabha constituencies in the city within a year if the victorious candidates are convicted in the criminal cases against them, said the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) in its analysis of financial and criminal records of the winners.

The ADR said there were serious criminal charges against Arvind Sawant from Mumbai South, Rahul Shewale from Mumbai South-Central, Kirit Somaiya from Mumbai North-East and Gopal Shetty from Mumbai North. They could not be reached for comment on Saturday.

"After ordering disqualification of MPs and MLAs immediately after conviction for heinous offences, the Supreme Court on March 10, 2014, took a second big step towards cleansing the political process by directing that trial proceedings in cases of corruption and serious crimes against elected representatives must be completed in a year," Sharad Kumar, member, ADR, said.

Sawant is accused of criminal intimidation. Shewale is accused of voluntarily hurting a public servant to deter him from carrying out his duty; he is also accused of dishonestly receiving stolen property. Somaiya faces three charges, one of voluntarily hurting a public servant and two of house trespass with prior preparation for assault. Shetty is accused of voluntarily hurting a public servant, criminal intimidation, and cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property.

Shewale's wealth grew 6,980.80% in two years after the BMC election in 2012. He was standing committee chairman for four terms.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Not debris, it’s soil at Tower of Silence, Parsi committee members say

Earlier this week, four Bombay Parsi Punchayet trustees accused Chairman Dinshaw Mehta of dumping around 300 trucks of debris at the sacred Tower of Silence (see pic) and exposing colonies nearby to the threat of landslides.

On Saturday, Mehta and Dr Homi Dhalla, who is part of the Doongerwadi committee on a voluntary basis, took journalists' to inspect the soil and "show how well plants are sprouting in it". Since the ground level has been raised around four feet, "we are banking it with stones as a precaution during the monsoon," said Dhalla adding that a lab report showed that the soil was of good quality and all actions were taken under the guidance of a botany expert. Parsiana editor, Jehangir Patel, was part of the contingent and agreed with Dhalla's assessment. "It is soil, not debris," he said. "Earlier, the ground was rocky. With this new soil, they are hoping for more vegetation."

But trustee Jimmy Mistry, argues that such a decision should not have been taken unilaterally by the BPP chairman. "The bottom line is this was done without board approval. Merely because the earth is getting washed off with the rains doesn't mean you dump trucks of earth. We have to plan on how to retain it and create a structural report before doing a project like this." The charity commissioner has been asked to look into the matter.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Captain Nair, founder of Leela hotels, dies at 92

MUMBAI: Indian hospitality doyen and Padma Bhushan awardee, C P Krishnan Nair, 92, passed away in the city on Saturday after a brief illness. Nair, founder of the Leela chain of hotels, breathed his last at 3.40am at the Hinduja Hospital, where he was admitted recently.

Nair, popularly called Captain Nair given his stint in the Indian Army, had also served under Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. He had handed over the chairmanship of the hotels he built to elder son Vivek last year. He then became chairman emeritus of the company. His younger son, Dinesh, was made the co-chairman and managing director.

Nair's life typifies the proverbial rags-to-riches story that shows that through determination, grit and a bit of luck anyone can overcome challenging circumstances and achieve extraordinary success. The son of a government bill collector, Nair, one among eight siblings, was born in 1922 into a poor family in a Kerala village.

Part of Nair's school education was funded by a scholarship from a local landlord who was impressed by the 13-year old's recitation when the landlord was on a visit to the village school. It was also around the same time he joined the freedom movement and later enrolled in the Indian Army as an officer and was placed at Abbottabad in Pakistan, now famous for US secret services' operation to kill Osama bin Laden.

In 1950 Nair married Leela, the daughter of a handloom owner and soon started helping his father-in-law in the business. Over the next four decades he expanded the handloom business, set up a manufacturing facility in Mumbai, developed an export market for Indian handlooms and in the process went on to become one of the country's leading personalities in the sector.

In 1987, Nair opened his first luxury hotel in Mumbai. His inspiration to make a foray into the hospitality business came from his exposure to some of the finest hotels in the world like Adlon Kempinski and Waldorf Astoria during his business trips abroad. He ventured into a new business when he was 65, an age when many retire from active work and move to a quieter life.

Nair named the hotel after his wife and over the years grew the business into a chain of eight properties across India. In the process it also has become one of the most celebrated indigenous luxury hospitality groups in the country. Leela hotels are known for luxury and opulence, but it is now weighed down by huge debt and is considering divestment of stakes in some properties.

A few years ago when Nair felt a hostile takeover threat to his hospitality business from its bigger peer ITC Group, he said that he had a white knight in Reliance Industries chief Mukesh Ambani. ITC holds 12.2% in Hotel Leelaventure.

Nair is survived by his wife and two sons.

His funeral is scheduled for Sunday at Juhu crematorium. A condolence meeting will be held at The Leela Mumbai, on Thursday.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Milkman gets Rs 1 lakh as payout for cattle death

THANE: The Thane Motor Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) recently awarded Rs 1 lakh to a milk vendor for the death of his cattle that were hit by a truck. The plea was made by Deonarayan Jaiswar from Ambernath against New India Assurance Company Ltd, truck owner, Baliram Dawre, and the driver, Rambhau Hiwarale.

Jaiswar said on October 19, 2005, the truck driven by Hiwarale hit four of his buffaloes, killing them. He added each buffalo delivered about 15 litres milk daily. He substantiated his claim with the valuation of the buffaloes given by a vet and of the loss of Rs 90,000 from milk sale. After considering his monthly income of Rs 45,000, he claimed Rs 1.75 lakh. The tribunal gave the verdict ex parte against the owner and truck driver while the firm contested the claim saying the application was false. But the tribunal said the cattle died due to the accident and awarded Jaiswar Rs 1 lakh as compensation.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

80 RTO transfers may hit work in Maharashtra

MUMBAI: Transport-related work across Maharashtra is likely to be affected statewide for a few days as the government transferred around 80 officials across regional transport offices.

An official said, "This can have some impact on RTO-related work where officers have been given transfers orders." He added the transfers were routine. Work likely to be affected includes issuance of learning or driving license, new vehicle registration and permit issuance.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Borivali local skips Khar station

MUMBAI: A Borivali slow local train from Churchgate skipped its mandatory halt at Khar station on Western Railway on Sunday afternoon. It led to confusion and scare among the commuters, who had plans to alight at the station.

WR sources said that the incident happened around 12.40pm. The motorman and the guard were taken off the duty and train short-terminated at Andheri station.

The incident is abnormal as there have been extremely rare cases of entire train skipping the halt on suburban section. Usually, the violation is of motorman over shooting the platform of some coaches.

WR official said, "The incident is surprising as it happened on slow corridor where the motorman has to halt at all the stations in up and down direction between Churchgate and Virar. Such incidents usually happened on fast corridor and that too between Andheri and Borivali Virar fast locals skip the stations while Borivali fast locals halts at stations between this stretch."

The motorman and guard will be issued a chargesheet and minor penalty will be levied.

The official said, "Even though the train skipped the Khar station it never jumped the red signal, which in railway parlance is called Signal Passing at Danger (SPAD) case and amounts to suspensionof motorman or the guard or both from the service."

In this case, motorman immediately conceded his mistake.

Railway sources said that the incident led to brief commotion. There were fears of accident while others thought if they had boarded the wrong train.

22.23 | 0 komentar | Read More