Trauma care centre continues to ail, patients move out

MUMBAI: Several patients took discharge on Wednesday even as the services at Bal Thackeray Trauma Care Municipal Hospital in Jogeshwari continued to suffer owing to lack of staff and ailing infrastructure.

Work at the only specialized trauma hospital in the western suburbs came to a naught after a dozen nurses, employed on contract, stopped reporting about five days ago. The orthaopedic department took the worst hit with all the routine procedures being cancelled.

While most patients were unofficially told by doctors to shift to other hospitals, some like Rupesh Surve (32) had no other choice. The road traffic accident victim, who has suffered a fracture on his right leg, needs a surgery. "We waited for a week but they kept on postponing the surgery. He developed an infection and it scared us," said his sister Madura. The family said there was no clarity from the hospital why the surgery was being postponed. Surve was shifted to a private hospital in Vile Parle where he was operated upon on Wednesday.

Akash Gajmal, another patient who had twice been taken to the OT but no surgery was held, has been assured of better treatment after media reports. "I may be operated upon on Thursday or Monday. I have waited for 10 days, so I might as well stay here for another couple of days," he said. According to the hospital, about a dozen orthopaedic patients are awaiting surgery.

Medical superintendent Dr Shashikant Wadekar, however, claimed work in other departments, including surgery, ophthalmology, ENT and gynaecology, was more or less normal. "The BMC is recruiting 900 nurses for all hospitals, including ours. The nurses are obviously unhappy about not being absorbed in the services," he said.

The hospital, built at Rs 125 crore, is yet to get over the "initial hiccups". The hospital has been grappling with a shortage of doctors. There is only one orthopaedic unit while at least three are needed to function optimally. Wadekar said all these problems were being dealt with.

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Popular monsoon camping spots around Mumbai

Want to spend a family weekend away from the madding crowd and enjoy a scrumptious barbecue under the grey clouds?

Or are you the trekking kind, seeking the kind of setting where you can take in some lush greenery in the rains?

Then it's time to pitch your tent at one these camping sites near Mumbai, this monsoon:

KARNALA

CAMPSITE: Near Karnala Bird Sanctuary

DISTANCE FROM MUMBAI: 60km.

HOW TO REACH: On the Mumbai-Pune highway , the drive takes about one-and-a-half hours. You can also head to Panvel by local train and hire a taxi or an autorickshaw from there.

Known for its well-preserved bird sanctuary as well as the fort, this lush green location in Raigad district makes for one of the ideal camping sites. With camping grounds at the base of the sanctuary , you can take a nature trail to see some rare species of birds and animals or even explore the hill fort within its premises.

VASIND

CAMPSITE: Near Bhatsa river DISTANCE FROM MUMBAI: 75km.

HOW TO REACH: Less than two hours on the Nashik highway , you can either drive down or catch a train till Kalyan and then hire public transport.

A good option for nature lovers as well as adventure enthusiasts, you can either go kayaking in the river or take in the picturesque Mahuli fort while fishing on its banks.

GORAKHGAD FORT

CAMPSITE: In the fort caves

DISTANCE FROM MUMBAI: 93km

HOW TO REACH: Take a train to Kalyan and then head to Dehri village at the base of the fort.

Always wanted to enjoy the wilderness in the caves? Try out the night trek to Gorakhgad, the fort located close to Murbad. With a medium difficulty level, start with a walk in the woods followed by rock cut steps that lead to the cave on the fort. Right on top, is a small temple.

TIKONA FORT

CAMPSITE: Near Pavna Dam

DISTANCE FROM MUMBAI: 120km.

HOW TO REACH: Drive down to Lonavala and then head to Tikonapeth, situated at the base of this fort.

Overlooking the Pavna valley and a beautiful lake, camping at the base of Tikona fort is sure to chase away your monsoon blues. You can indulge in a bonfire, sleep under the stars or even take up adventure activities like ziplining and rappelling.

MALSHEJ GHAT

CAMPSITE: Foothills of Harishchandragad DISTANCE FROM MUMBAI: 126km.

HOW TO REACH: Take a train till Kalyan and then board a public transport to Khireshwar village. Trek to the foothills.

Whether you want to just lie under the stars or soak yourself in the waterfalls, Malshej Ghat is a popular monsoon destination. Camping spots near this ghat offer uninterrupted view of the lush, green Konkan region including the spectacular Harishchandragad and Taramati peak.

KARJAT

CAMPSITE: Base of Rajmachi fort

DISTANCE FROM MUMBAI: 320 km

HOW TO REACH: Two-and-half hours away from the city , take a train to Karjat and then a local transport to the base village Kondivita or trek to the fort from Lonavala (18km away).

A name given to twin hill forts located in this region, go camping to this spot if you enjoy spending time in wilderness. In the evening, walk through the lush greenery and take a dip in a pond located at walkable distance from the village.

SATARA

CAMPSITE: Kaas Plateau

DISTANCE FROM MUMBAI: 300km.

HOW TO REACH: A four-hour drive by car, you can take the Mumbai-Pune highway or the local transport to Pune and rent a car from there.

Though a little farther away from the city, this plateau is rich in flora and fauna, much to a camper's delight.

The best time to visit this plateau is around August because that's when the entire plateau blooms with flowers and exotic and beautiful carnivorous plants such as the Sundew and Pitcher plants and the Venus Fly Trap.

KOLAD

CAMPSITE: Near Kundalika river

DISTANCE FROM MUMBAI: 117km.

HOW TO REACH: Located on the Mumbai-Goa highway , it takes approx three-and-half hours to get there by road.

This popular adventure sports destination in Raigad district offers a year-round white water rafting opportunities. You can either set up a tent independently, or rent a site offered by one of the outdoor camping tours in the city.

CAMPING ACTIVITIES

Here's how to make your camping experience more interesting Barbecue: Many city-based travel agencies offering camping options have facilities of an open barbecue. Carry the veggies of your choice and enjoy watching them sizzle under the night sky.

Fishing: Take a fishing line and bait along, if you're heading to a campsite near a waterfall or a lake. Kayaking: Want to drift into the lake waters on your camping trip? Opt for a spot that has a lake nearby where you can get into a canoe-type small boat and row through the t still waters. However, ensure that your safety gear is in place.

Rapelling: If you're an adrenaline junkie, choose a campsite located at a base of a fort and rappel up a hilltop. It's best to indulge in this activity in a group under expert supervision.

Ziplining: Also known as flying fox, many tours offer ziplining experience on their camping grounds. Enjoy the thrill of zooming across one hilltop to the other, with the beautiful valley view beyond your feet.

Make a bonfire: Heading to a campsite with friends? Light up a bonfire at night and sing, dance or just play boardgames around it.

Carry a few skewers and marshmallows that you can heat in the bonfire and munch on.

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7-year-old killed in landslide in Mumbai

MUMBAI: A seven-year old boy Ganesh Khurade was killed and at least five others were injured in a landslide in a Mahul area near Chembur on Thursday morning, officials said.

The accident occurred around 8.30am when a portion of a hill came crashing down on some hutments below near Ashok Nagar in Chembur, said an official of BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Disaster Management

There were 15 illegal hutments at Panjarpol area near Shivaji Statue below hill. Fire Brigade personnel were rushed to the spot immidiately after the incident took place and rescued people. About 15 slumdwellers have shifted nearby BMC school. The rescue operation has been over, said official from Disaster Management Cell.

All the slums were on MMRDA land and they have been allotted houses.

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75K pay, no evening duty to woo specialists to civic hospitals

MUMBAI: Can a monthly consultancy fee of Rs 75,000 plus the flexibility to practise privately in the evening appeal to super specialists? The BMC is certainly hoping so.

In a bid to upgrade its healthcare machinery in the suburbs, the civic body is trying out new schemes, one of them being offers of incentives to doctors. It also plans to woo the middle class with private wards.

"While our main hospitals enjoy 90 to 120% occupancy, the figure is barely 50% for our peripheral hospitals," said additional municipal commissioner Sanjay Deshmukh at a public meeting on Saturday.

The low occupancy is mainly due to the unavailability of doctors. The BMC thought process is that specialists like gynaecologists and neurologists will be encouraged to take up positions in its facilities due to the promise of fixed fee and private practice.

Senior health officials said doctors would have to put in eight hours at the BMC hospitals they are attached to. "Their evenings will be free for their own practice. It is a win-win situation for them," said an official. At present, super specialists who work as consultants get a honorarium of Rs 1,000 to 1,500.

The BMC also plans to introduce private wards in its new hospitals in the suburbs but it may take a couple of years to implement the proposal. "We want to set up a whole floor of private wards at Shatabadi Hospital in Govandi, Bhagwati Hospital in Borivli and the 600-bed hospital planned in Bhandup," said Deshmukh. He added that the middle class that cannot afford private corporate hospitals will benefit from the civic body's private wards. Roughly 25 to 30% of the total beds in the civic hospital would be allocated for the private wards, an official said, adding that the cost of civic private wards would be lower or on a par with nursing homes.

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MNS wants 5-day school break for Ganesha, govt passes buck

MUMBAI: For a second year running, schools in the city are roiled by confusion over Ganeshotsav holidays, thanks to the government's shilly-shallying. The state education department recently sent them an equivocal letter referring to the MNS youth wing's demand for a five-day school vacation during the festival period, but gave them no directions on what to do.

Last year, pressured by the Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena , a circular was issued last-minute to schools to give additional four days off for Ganeshotsav. The late announcement had created uncertainty among school administrations, upset their schedules, affected the length of other vacations, and derailed the travel plans of several families with school-going children.

This year, a rerun of the confusion is playing out. The MNVS has rekindled its demand and the government appears unable to decide. Ganeshotsav begins on August 29.

"Mumbaikars celebrate the festival on a large scale. Many children travel with parents to their native place, so they miss school. Ditto with teachers. So we want schools to give a five-day vacation and the break to be made a part of the yearly academic calendar," said MNVS vice president Sainath Durge.

Earlier this month, Sarjerao Jadhav, director of secondary and higher secondary education, wrote a letter to deputy director of education for Mumbai division, saying that the education department should take a decision after considering the demands of various groups. "We just want that the schools should start and close on the same day and the number of holidays cannot exceed as prescribed (sic). The local authority (the deputy director and the BMC education officer) will take a call. Depending on the region, the schools might want to give longer breaks for different festivals," said Jadhav.

The same letter was sent to schools. "The deputy director did not want to burn his fingers, so he just forwarded the letter to schools and allowed them to decide. If schools are allowed to take the final call, most of them will not abide by the demand," said Durge.

The uncertainty has confounded schools and students alike. Some schools like Christ Church School in Byculla have decided to go ahead with a one-day holiday. "But we have not scheduled any examinations or activities around that time, so that our schedules are not disturbed in case of a last-minute change," said Carl Laurie, principal of Christ Church School.

Others are being more cautious. "The festival's first day is a Friday; it is followed by the weekend. To be on the safe side, we will give two more days off. We will compensate by cutting a day each from the Diwali and Christmas vacations," said Chandrakanta Pathak, principal of HVB Global Academy at Marine Lines.

Nearly everyone is worried about exceeding the annual holiday limit of 76 days. "There is no clear directive in the letter sent to us. We cannot give more than 76 holidays, which means we have to cut down on other vacations. This is again a problem," said Suresh Nair, principal of Vivek Vidyalaya in Goregaon. Principals of schools in some western suburbs will meet on August 5 to take a decision on the issue. In 2013, Christian groups were upset as two days were reduced from the Christmas vacation.

MNVS members met school education minister Rajendra Darda on Wednesday to put forth their demand. "They have made a representation to the minister. We will examine it," said school education secretary Ashwini Bhide. Deputy director of education N B Chavan and BMC education officer Shambhavi Jogi were unavailable for comment.

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Swadhin Kshatriya is new Maharashtra chief secretary

MUMBAI: Additional chief secretary Swadhin Kshatriya has been appointed as the new chief secretary of Maharashtra.

He currently holds charge of the revenue department. He replaces J S Saharia who retires on Thursday.

Amitabh Rajan, additional chief secretary (Home), said sources, was not very keen on the chief secretary's post as he had only five months to retire. He is more keen on being appointed to the Upa Lokayukta's post which will now fall vacant on the retirement of former bureaucrat Johny Joseph.

Kshatriya, if all goes well, will have one of the longest stints as CS. He has 2.5 years before he retires.

As BEST general manager and BMC commissioner he has worked with the Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party, the ruling alliance in the corporation. If the saffron parties come to power it remains to be seen if they will continue Kshatriya as CS.

Kshatriya said he has had a professional relationship with all political parties.

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Broken TV, gold jewellery replaced after consumer body intervenes

MUMBAI: The city-based Consumer Guidance Society of India (CGSI), whose legal arm takes up consumer grievances on a weekly basis, solved four major disputes involving high profile companies and service providers in its latest session.

Dr M S Kamath, honorary secretary of CGSI, said, "The first complaint was from a consumer who had purchased a 40-inch Samsung LED television set from the e-commerce site eBay. He did not receive the physical warranty card despite a long wait. After six months the TV stopped working. When he complained, he was told that the set would be replaced. The replacement package arrived through Blue Dart Courier, but when the buyer opened it, he found the TV set broken. He wrote to eBay asking for a proper replacement but repeated letters drew no response. The company made the consumer undergo an interminable wait after which he requested a refund. That too fell on deaf ears. The complaint was brought to CGSI and with our intervention he got relief. eBay refunded his money."

Another consumer had purchased 24-carat gold biscuits from a jeweller and handed them over to him for making 22-carat gold jewellery. However, when the ornaments were delivered, he discovered a discrepancy in the rate of gold and the weight of the jewellery. Repeat complaints went unheard and he approached the consumer body. The matter was resolved at a meeting between both parties at the CGSI office.

"In the third case, a consumer used a credit card of ICICI Bank on a regular basis and diligently paid his bills. However, he was shocked to receive bills charging a late fee and penalty on interest although no bills had been received for that period. He kept requesting for the 'missing' bills but none were provided. Meanwhile, recovery agents started calling and hounding him. CGSI was brought into the picture and through mediation with the bank the matter has been solved," Kamath said.

The fourth matter involved post office deposits. The head of a Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) invested a fairly large amount of money to buy Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP). The post office accepted the money and issued the KVP although HUFs are not allowed to invest in this scheme. At the time of maturity, though, he was informed about this loophole and the post office denied his claim. He made several visits to the office of the Postmaster General and wrote letters to no avail. Hoping for a fair resolution he approached CGSI. The consumer body intervened and the investor shall receive his dues shortly.

CGSI is a leading consumer organisation that was founded in 1966 and has acquired a reputation for working to protect consumer interest. Its consumer complaints redressal wing receives several complaints which the legal aid cell processes. "We first write a letter to the goods and service provider to resolve the matter amicably with the complainant. If this fails, our legal arm guides the complainant to move forward with legal remedies. Each complaint is addressed personally and we charge a nominal fee of Rs 150-250 per case," Dr Kamath said.

CGSI also conducts consumer education drives, seminars and exhibitions to spread consumer awareness among urban poor and rural areas. It carries out testing of consumer products and publishes a bi-monthly magazine named 'Keemat'.

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Awareness on waste management for 2 lakh students

MUMBAI: Tata Power's Club Enerji has announced the launch of "waste management module" as part of its resource conservation programme.

The module will lay emphasis on saving water, fuel, paper, and electricity. It will also involve imparting knowledge on fuel conservation, water management and energy conservation to thousands of students.

"The objective of the waste management module is to educate students about the repercussions of waste dumping on the environment, and its impact on the quality of soil, air and the ecosystem as a whole. The module aims to provide a platform to more than 2 lakh students to share and expand their understanding, thereby, bringing about a chain-reaction that can significantly reduce generation of waste and increase efficient waste management in the country," said a Tata Power official.

Speaking on this initiative, Tata Power managing director Anil Sardana said: "Today's youth are tomorrow's decision makers, and it is vital to mobilise and educate them with the knowledge that will help bring about an important change. Club Enerji aims to spread the message further to their families and reach out to the communities at large. The module also encourages students to form their own mini clubs in their societies to reach out to more citizens."

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Central Railway train services affected due to heavy rain

MUMBAI: Long distance and suburban trains services on the Central Railway were disrupted due to heavy rain for the past two days.

Suburban trains were running late by 20 to 30 minutes early Wednesday.

Boulders fell between the towns of Kasara and Igatpuri and held up long distance services coming to Mumbai.

A CR spokesperson said, "Due to heavy rain, a boulder fell around 4km from Igatpuri resulting in an overhead breakdown on up line at 8.30am. This has resulted in delay."

He added that 12262 Howrah-Mumbai Duranto and 13201 Patna-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Express were held up since 8.30am.

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13/7 Mumbai blasts: Arrested hawala operator's custody extended

MUMBAI: A special MCOCA court extended the police custody of alleged 13/7 Mumbai blasts financer Abdul Mateen Damada who was nabbed in Goa last week.

Chief public prosecutor Kalpana Chavan, while seeking the extension, told the court that it was needed to be ascertained if there were others who also helped finance the blasts. "The trail of the money needs to be found," she argued. The court granted custody till August 2.

Damada is suspected to have sent Rs 10 lakh through hawala to India.

The accused was detained at Goa airport when he arrived there from Dubai. He was going to his hometown, Bhatkal, after almost five years. Damada's name in the earlier chargesheet was mentioned as Mateen alias Farooque (wanted accused).

Till date, eight accused, including Damada, have been arrested in the 13/7 bomb blasts when 27 people were killed at Oepra House, Zaveri Bazar and near a bus stop at Dadar.

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New buses for Metro Rail in Andheri go practically empty

MUMBAI: Over a month after BEST inaugurated a new bus service especially for Metro Rail users in Mumbai, residents have spotted the new route go practically empty, even during peak hour. Mumbai's first Metro Rail project from Versova to Ghatkopar was launched June 8.

Since June 25, spanking new buses have been plying along two feeder routes named 'Metro Pheri 1' and 'Metro Pheri 2' for passengers who wish to connect with the three Metro Rail stations along J P Road in Andheri (West).

"Particularly during this week when it has been raining so heavily, all other bus routes in Andheri are packed to capacity, except the Metro Pheri. You will barely see two or three passengers here because this ring route plies a short distance. It is a pity to see shiny new mini-buses operate unnecessarily when they could be pressed into service to ease passenger load on other crowded routes," said Sriram Shetty, a shopkeeper at Veera Desai Road.

Locals say there was no need to launch a special feeder bus route to the Metro rail stations. Ravi Jiandani, a resident of Lokhandwala Complex, said, "The Metro Rail line is located along the arterial JP Road where several buses already ply. Most passengers utilize routes with better frequency like 266, 249, 251, 252 and 254 to travel to Andheri station, and they alight along the Metro line if they wish. They can hardly be bothered to wait for the Metro Pheri which arrives only after 15-20 minutes."

He points out that a group of visually challenged youths, who board bus route 266 from Lokhandwala for Andheri station every afternoon, sometimes alight at Indian Oil junction and climb to the D N Nagar Metro station.

In fact residents of faraway suburbs like Goregaon and Borivli wish that special bus routes were started for them to join the Metro line in Andheri.

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Women lawyers face discrimination too, say legal eagles

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra State Commission for Women (MSCW) organized a state-level conference of lawyers "with a view to ensure the dignity, safety, empowerment and freedom of women in Maharashtra". The gathering comprising leading lights of the judiciary met at Y B Chavan Auditorium in Mumbai on July 26.

Supreme Court justice Ranjana Desai, chief justice of the Bombay high court Mohit Shah, registrar of the Bombay high court Shalini Phansalkar-Joshi and advocate Susiieben Shah who is chairperson of the women's commission were present along with other dignitaries. Minister Varsha Gaikwad who heads the department for women and child development (WCD) as well as Fauzia Khan, state minister WCD, addressed the audience. Principal secretary, WCD, Ujjwal Uke, and Sangitrao Patil, secretary, law & judiciary, headed different sessions.

The seminar was divided into two segments and addressed topics like sexual violence against women and children, rights of women in NRI marriages and the formulation of a local complaints committee and an internal complaints committee. The laws may read well in principle but it is their implementation that often poses a problem. The panelists debated the difficulties that mar the effective enforcement of laws related to women, particularly the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (2005).

Property rights, social and economic issues as well as the hurdles that lawyers and public prosecutors are forced to overcome before they can successfully implement women-friendly laws were also a matter of concern.

Drawing attention to the extent of the malaise, Justice Desai pointed out that women lawyers themselves face various forms of discrimination as well as gender bias during the course of work. She urged that women must have a share in governance.

Justice Shah informed the gathering about his effort to build washrooms for women in lawcourts and also to ensure that women lawyers receive their due. Susiieben Shah meanwhile drew attention to an initiative named 'Ignore No More'. She invited all stakeholders to join hands to fight violence and improve the status and dignity of women.

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Aided schools get grant after 10 years

MUMBAI: In a major relief to the state's aided schools, the education department has finally disbursed non-salary grant, which was discontinued in 2004. While the decision to resume the grant was taken way back in October 2012, schools received the money only recently and many complained that the amount was not enough.

A committee set up to review the demands to resume the non-salary grant had fixed the amount at 5% of the salary grant according to the 2008-2009 pay scale. "We received the non-salary grant after over 10 years. As the fund is based on the 2008-2009 pay scale, it is only about 3% of the current pay scale based on the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations," said Najma Kazi, principal of Anjuman-I-Islam's Saif Tyabji Girls' High School, Byculla. The state has set aside over Rs 266 crore for the grant.

"The cash-strapped aided schools were largely affected as there wasn't enough money to invest in infrastructure. Some schools could not even appoint enough teachers owing to the lack of funds," said Fr Francis Swamy, joint secretary, Archdiocesan Board of Education, which governs over 150 schools across the city.

About institutes that have not received the grant yet, deputy director of education N B Chavan said, "Some schools might not have received the fund because they might have provided incorrect account details or are yet to fulfil RTE norms."

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'Insurance cover for acid attack victims soon’

MUMBAI: Acid attacks victims may soon have help at hand, with an NGO pushing the Centre to frame a comprehensive insurance policy that covers their medical treatment. In addition, a psycho-social-cum-burn rehabilitation centre is being set up by the organization for the victims.

"Given the speed with which the current government is passing proposals, we are very hopeful of getting the insurance cover for these victims by the end of this year," said Rahul Varma, CEO and managing director, Acid Survivors Foundation, Kolkata. He said this in the sidelines of a campaign announcement in the city on Monday.

Maharashtra alone has seen around 35 cases of acid attacks, of which 25 have been registered in Mumbai alone in the past three years. More recently, two women from the outskirts of the city were the latest victims of acid attack.

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Plan to lease out gyms, libraries under new caretaker policy

MUMBAI: In spite of multiple bad experiences of private parties misusing civic plots given to them for maintenance, the BMC yet again plans to lease out gymnasiums, community welfare centres and libraries on caretaker basis.

The BMC has framed a new policy to allot buildings for public purposes such as schools, dispensaries, libraries, welfare centres, gymnasiums and community welfare centres on caretaker basis for 10 years. Also, schools and sports complexes, built under the civic accommodation-reservation policy that offers an extra FSI to the owner of the plot for building the structures for the BMC, will be included in the scheme.

The policy will be tabled before the civic improvements committee on Wednesday. A seven-member panel, led by additional municipal commissioner, will be formed to take decisions on the allotments. Till now, the BMC has been leasing out its buildings for public purposes on caretaker basis but without a policy for it.

Under the proposed system, any institute with an annual turnover of above Rs 10 lakh, will be entitled to take a 500-sq-m-or-above building on lease. An institute, which has a turnover of over Rs 2 lakh, will be entitled for 100- to 500-sq-m structure, and those with a turnover of below Rs 50,000 will be entitled for a building less than 100 sq-m. Structures built with MP, MLA, state or Centre fund will also be part of the proposed policy.

The scheme mentions that preference will be given to the nearest social institute. And, if any private party does not fulfil the leave and license agreement, the municipal commissioner can cancel the deal prior to the usual 30-day notice.

The Congress has strongly opposed the policy. "Why would the BMC not take care of its own property and use it for public welfare?" said Devendra Amberkar, opposition leader in the BMC.

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HC: Govt acquired land for temple for public purpose

MUMBAI: A decade after the Maharashtra government acquired a plot of private land for the Siddhivinayak temple in order to create facilities for devotees, the Bombay high court ruled that the acquisition was for a "public purpose." A division bench of Justice Anoop Mohta and Justice Amjad Sayed settled a 14-year legal dispute and dismissed a petition challenging the acquisition proceedings by a firm who were tenants on the land adjacent to the temple.

The Siddhivinayak temple is one of Mumbai's most famous shrines. Around 55,000 devotees visit the temple every day, while on special days like Chaturthis, the numbers touch 20 lakh.

The judges said it could not be denied that the adjacent plots were being used for long for the public at large, including devotees of all communities. "The submission that the whole acquisition procedure is malafide and colourable exercise of powers and/or arbitrary, is unacceptable. We are inclined to observe that in the present facts and circumstances, the acquisition was for the public purpose and in the interest of public," said the judges. The HC said though the acquisition was not for the state or the BMC and was for a public charitable trust, "it is well within the framework of law, power and authority."

The dispute was over a 642-square metre plot which was tenanted to Sadanand Garages. There were talks between the temple trust and the owners of the land to purchase the property, but the talks ultimately did not go ahead. In 2002, on a request by the trust, the state government initiated proceedings to acquire the land for constructing a waiting hall and rest house for devotees. In 2004, the acquisition proceedings were finalised, with the owners being paid over Rs 1.38 crore, and the tenants were to be given around Rs 43 lakh. The owners accepted it but the tenants challenged the acquisition proceedings in court.

The HC said there were talks to transfer the property and the dispute had only been over the amount of compensation.

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Lahoria murder accused’s bail plea rejected 14th time

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court adjourned Suresh Bijlani's bail application in the murder case of Navi Mumbai builder Sunil Lahoria. This is the fourteenth time in the past year that Bijlani, a builder, has sought bail. Various courts have rejected his applications 13 times. He has sought bail on medical grounds.

Lahoria was gunned down outside his office in Vashi on February 16 last year. Bijlani and architect Anuragh Garg were arrested for the murder. They allegedly killed Lahoria for gathering information about their illegal construction in Navi Mumbai using the Right to Information Act.

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Very heavy rainfall likely in Mumbai in next 24 hours: IMD

MUMBAI: An alert of "very heavy" rainfall in Mumbai has been issued by the Indian Meteorological Department's (IMD) regional centre here on Tuesday, with the rains expected to intensify in the next 24 hours.

"There is low pressure formed over the Bay of Bengal and there is an outshore trough running from the Maharashtra coast to the coastline of Karnataka. This has strengthened the winds along the coastline and have further activated the monsoons," IMD, Mumbai director V K Rajeev said.

The IMD expects "very heavy" rainfall in Mumbai and the Konkan region over the next 24 hours, he said.

"We expect that the rainfall in Mumbai will exceed 7 cms and will remain in a range of 7-14 cms. There are, however, a couple of areas in Thane district and the Konkan region which might witness showers upto 24 cms," Rajeev added.

According to IMD records, in the 24-hour period till on Tuesday from 8.30am on Monday, Santa Cruz recorded 48.3mm rainfall and Colaba had 26.6mm.

Meanwhile, the Tulsi lake, one of the six major reservoirs from which Mumbai receives its water requirements, has started overflowing since Monday. It had begun overflowing last year from July 12, a civic official said.

As of today, water in seven major lakes — which supply water to the city — is 4.99 lakh million litres (enough to last for about four months) compared to 11.48 lakh million litres last year, according to MCGM records.

The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) had announced a 20 per cent water cut earlier this month to cope up with water crisis arising due to "poor rainfall" in the city last month.

The civic body is expected to assess the latest situation of the availability of water on July 31, and further action will be taken based on the assessment report, a municipal official had earlier said.

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Englishman on global hunt for 'Time Twins' hopes to end search in Mumbai

Midlife crisis has been kind to Richard Avis. In stead of a fancy car or an affair, it has resulted in the shy 39-year-old English man having effortless conversations with complete strangers, including aDutch female bodybuilding champion, an Italian mayor, an Austrian footballer, an Irish novelist and an Australian neuroscientist among others. The management consultant may have very little in common with them but for his birthdate, December 1, 1974, but then, that's all the ice-breaker he needs.

For a while now, Avis, who will be in Mumbai soon, has been on a cross-continent search for his 'Time Twins' because at the age of 36, he felt unsuccessful by British standards. Avis was single and living in a shared home in London with friends. As a management consultant of 13 years, his job was to improve the systems and processes for corporate but one day, he returned home with questions about the mechanics of his own life. Instead of getting depressed though, Avis wondered if people in other parts of the world, born on the same day as him, also suffered similar thoughts. Soon, the seemingly eccentric idea of meeting Time Twins was born.

The aim wasn't to compare one life against another though. "The project is about exploring how people's circumstances, locations and heritages impact their lives," says Avis, who began his search in 2012 when inside the cafe of a cinema in central London, three of his friends, challenged him to meet 40 Time Twins before he turned 40. So far, Avis has met 38 and he is over five months away from forty.

Initially, Avis made his Time Twins trips during weekends or holidays. For instance, before his vacation in New York City, he had found the details of Time Twin Dan Parilis, a self-styled cultural omnivore in Brooklyn online and sent him an email explaining the project. "To my surprise, he replied and was very keen to meet." However, the year 2013 rather cruelly persuaded Avis to take up the project full-time. It claimed both his parents. Avis' mother died "very unexpectedly" and then, his father succumbed to dementia. "When one loses the most important people in one's life, you have to think what is important in life, as it reminds you of your own mortality," says Avis, who took a sixmonth unpaid sabbatical and flew to Sydney the day after Christmas, armed with the small fortune he had bequeathed and the names of 333 Time Twins from 111 countries.

Soon, the Englishman — who has always been fascinated by cultures u found himself swimming in a crucible of priceless experiences.

His personal gems include attending the Dutch national bodybuilding championships where he met a Time Twin who was the over 35s ladies `model physique' champion, being shown around an Italian village destroyed by an earthquake by the mayor, learning one man's fear of the homophobia in his society in Eastern Europe; being invited to the family temple of a Balinese Time Twin for the New Year's ceremony and finding the photograph of his Time Twin in the list of candidates in the Indonesian election at a polling station in Makassar.

"The project is, on one level, mini biographies of these disparate people around the world," says Avis, who has a standard set of questions but allows his conversations to flow. For many of the people he met, the countries they were born into in December 1974 were very different than they are now. His Vietnamese Time Twins, for instance, were born into a country ravaged by the American War. His Latvian Time Twins were born in the Soviet Union and experienced the changes from Soviet collectivized economy to independence, democracy and free-market economics. "We have sociology, the study of groups of people, biology, the study of life and biography, the study of the lives of `important people', but Time Twins looks at the lives of `ordinary people'," says Avis, whose project will culminate in a book and adocumentary.

Currently, the 39-year-old, is in Vietnam, near the end of his savings. Having met 38 Time Twins, he is about to fly back to London via Mumbai. While he hasn't set up any meetings in the city yet, Avis — whose project has so far led him largely to Time Twins who are graduate professionals — is keen to hear the story of Mumbai's transition in the last 40 years from a cross-section, including a Time Twin from Dharavi perhaps. In fact, Indian Time Twins could make for a fascinating separate project, believes Avis, who will return, having travelled to the other side of midlife crisis.

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Employer gets 7 years in jail for raping staff

MUMBAI: A suicide note and resignation helped nail a 27-year-old youth from Jogeshwari accused of raping his young employee in 2010.

Justice Sadhna Jadhav dismissed the accused Aftab Shaikh's plea that the rape survivor had consented to the act by pointing to the note discovered by her mother following a suicide attempt.

"The victim had undergone a traumatic condition since she was a victim of rape. She was scared of social humiliation and indignation and, therefore, had even attempted to commit suicide," Justice Jadhav said.

The court upheld a trial court order punishing Shaikh with seven years rigorous imprisonment.

She has written a note to that effect which was found by the mother subsequently. Hence, it cannot be said that the victim was a consenting party. The victim had also quit the job soon after the incident. In the eventuality that she was a consenting party, she would have continued with her job," said Justice Jadhav.

"The whole incident had come to light only after her mother had found the chit written by the victim. There is nothing on record to even remotely indicate that the survivor has falsely implicated," Justice Jadhav added. The high court also said that the rape survivor would also be entitled to seek compensation under the new provisions of the law enacted to provide relief. The law ensures that every rape survivor is given compensation ranging between Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 3 lakh, depending on her rehabilitation needs.

The incident dates back to December 2010, when the rape survivor who was looking for a job was introduced to Shaikh. She started working with Shaikh on December 13, 2010, which involved accompanying the accused to collect dues from jewellery shops and other establishments.

On December 17, Shaikh took her to a hotel in Juhu under the guise of collecting money and allegedly raped her. The survivor stopped going to work after the incident and following calls from the accused threatening her to come back to work she tried to commit suicide by consuming rat poison.

Initially, a complaint was registered against the accused for making calls. Subsequently, with the support of her mother, who found a suicide chit in her notebooks, the survivor lodged a complaint alleging she was raped. A doctor who had examined the survivor following her suicide attempt stated before the court that she had told the doctors that she was raped.

"It can be safely inferred that the prosecution has proved the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt," said the high court while holding Shaikh guilty of the rape charges.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Suicide note,Employer gets 7 years in jail for raping staff

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Two die in road accident in Murbad; locals burn vehicle, block highway

MURBAD: Two people died while seven injured in a road accident in which a passenger jeep collided with a container on National Highway number 222 near Murbad on Monday morning.

After the accident, local villagers set container on fire and blocked the highway for around one hour till police intervene to control the situation. The incident happened at around 7.30am near Vadachapada village in Murbad Taluka when a jeep carrying eight passenger from Tokwade village was on its way to Murbad when suddenly a container carrying some iron plates (which was hanging five to six feet outside) collided with jeep.

The collision was such huge that the iron plates hit two passengers, Vaibhav Nikite and Barku Gholap, who were seated on the front side, claiming their lives. Other suffered serious injuries due to the collision impact. The injured were later rushed by locals and police to Murbad gramin hospital for treatment.

The incident had however angered the local villagers who came on the road in protest against the incident and set tanker on fire. The highway was blocked for almost two hours. Seeing the seriousness of the incident, local Murbad and Kinavali police rushed on the spot and controlled the situation by assuring strict action against container driver whose mistake resulted in accident.

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Mumbai municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte is registered as a hawker

MUMBAI: Mumbai municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte has been registered as a hawker seeking a licence in the latest twist in the tussle between the BMC and its critics over the ongoing hawker registration drive. To show that the BMC drive has its drawbacks, a group of Dadar residents got a small, three-by-five-foot stall on busy Ranade Road registered under Kunte's name on Saturday.

While Kunte was unavailable for comment, civic officials have promised a probe. "I have ordered a probe into the whole incident," said Anand Wagralkar, deputy municipal commissioner in-charge of the hawker survey. "I have asked the ward to submit a detailed report on how a registration was done in the municipal commissioner's name. It looks like there was carelessness on the part of the BMC survey staff. After examining the report, we will take stern action against those responsible for this. It is shocking that such a registration was done. The police have also been apprised."

With a Supreme Court formula dictating that Mumbai can have as many as 3 lakh hawkers, the BMC has been registering those seeking hawker licences in a bid to implement the hawking policy. By Saturday night, BMC licence department records for G-North Ward showed Sitaram Kunte as seeking a hawker's licence.

"We have been complaining to the BMC that the entire registration drive has become a farce," said Dadar resident Swapnil Karbhari. "Hundreds of illegal hawkers have suddenly mushroomed in Dadar alone. Instead of evicting them, the BMC is getting them registered in their survey. So we got Kunte registered too." The form given to Karbhari says that Kunte has been called for scrutiny of documents and submitting the completed application on August 4 from 11 am to 1 pm.

"The BMC staffers conducting the survey did not bother to ask for any details or identity proof. They just asked me to pose with a slate that had details of my stall and its location. They gave me a form and an acknowledgement slip. I wrote my name as Sitaram Kunte in their register, but they did not ask for any proof. They were only interested in collecting the Rs 100 for the form and left the spot," Karbhari said.

BMC headquarters

The form has been signed by S V Kamble, an official with the licence department. Corporators from across party lines have slammed the BMC's hawker registration drive calling it arbitrary and bogus. MNS workers, led by Shivaji Park corporator Sandeep Deshpande, on Friday set up hawking stalls outside Kunte's official bungalow at Carmichael Road to protest against the registration drive. The MNS alleges that many people whose main source of income is not hawking are taking advantage of the registration drive. "I received several complaints of fake hawkers from local residents. They told me that people from as far away as Thane and Kalyan had come to set up stalls at Shivaji Park," Deshpande said. "So we decided to actually see how bogus the BMC survey was. The residents managed to get Kunte registered as a hawker in no time. At least now the BMC must scrap the survey and call for a discussion on the issue. The entire registration drive must be made transparent. People should be taken into confidence."

Deshpande added that with a goahead from party chief Raj Thackeray, the MNS would take to the streets in protest against the BMC's "bogus" hawker survey. Meanwhile, G-North officials are crying foul. "We have filed a complaint with the Shivaji Park police for missing registration forms," said Sharad Ughade, assistant municipal commissioner, G-North.

"Some people tried to forcefully register themselves as hawkers. This looks like an attempt to sabotage the survey. There might have been some errors in the initial survey, but all the bogus applications will be weeded out in the scrutiny. We have chalked out a very strict scrutiny process."

Another G-North official said, "We don't know how Sitaram Kunte was registered as a hawker. We will inquire into the matter and find out who has done this mischief. If our staffers are at fault, we will take strict action against them."

The residents alleged that the BMC filed the complaint about the forms late on Saturday night after realizing its staffers had goofed up by registering Kunte. They said the BMC had filed a false police complaint. "A probe will reveal how bogus the survey is. The BMC is just making false allegations against us because we exposed them," Karbhari said.

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Accused of rape, Mumbai additional CP Sunil Paraskar to be quizzed again

MUMBAI: After a model-turned-actress accused senior IPS official Sunil Paraskar of rape, the alleged victim has been placed under police protection as she claimed threat to life.

The model has alleged that the senior IPS officer raped and molested her between November 2013 and January 2014. A local court has directed the police to not arrest Paraskar till July 31 since he applied for a bail.

Sources tell news channel Times Now that the victim's statement will be recorded again. The statement of Paraskar has been recorded and he might be questioned again.

The statement of the additional CP of Police insists that he did not rape the victim, and he had taken her to a bungalow to show a location for a photoshoot.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Sunil Paraskar,additional CP

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Mumbai triple blasts: Hawala operator's ATS custody extended

MUMBAI: A special court on Monday extended the ATS custody of an alleged hawala operator suspected to be involved in the July 13, 2011 Mumbai triple blasts.

"The special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court extended the ATS custody of Abdul Mateen Damada alias Farooq till August 2," his advocate Shahid Nadeem said.

Damada had been arrested on July 15 from the Goa airport. The operator is suspected to be involved in the crime by ensuring that the funds reached Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal, who was later arrested, to trigger the explosions.

The funding for blasts had allegedly been provided to Bhatkal from Dubai, police said.

Three powerful blasts had ripped through the crowded areas in Mumbai on the evening of July 13, 2011, killing at least 21 people and injuring 141.

The first explosion had rocked Zaveri Bazar, a popular jewellery market, at 6:50pm. A minute later, another blast shook the busy business area Opera House. The third blast ripped through the crowded Dadar (West) area in Central Mumbai at 7:04pm.

Earlier, seven accused namely Yasin Bhatkal, Asadullah Akhtar alias Tabrez, Naquee Ahmed, Nadeem Shaikh, Kanwar Pathrija, Haroon Naik and Mohammed Qafeel Ansari were held in the case and are facing trial under MCOCA, IPC and other laws.

Two other accused in the case -- Waqas Ahmed and Tehseen Akhtar alias Monu — are presently in the custody of National Investigation Agency.

Those wanted in the case are Riyaz Bhatkal, who is also a top operative of the alleged home grown terror outfit, Dubai-based hawala operator Muzaffar Kolah, Wasim alias Ibrahim, Muzaffar Kola and his nephew Ubaid.

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IM letter threatens bomb blast, throws a challenge at Mumbai Police

MUMBAI: Mumbai police comissioner Rakesh Maria has ordered a high-level probe after the police control room last week recieved an anonymous letter threatening to carry out bomb blasts to avenge the killing of innocents in Gaza.

On July 25, police control room received a one-page well-typed letter in English claiming to be from the Indian Mujahideen.

"Maria you were lucky in 1993 to have escaped the wrath but this time you will not. Now we are going to carry a blast and it is a challenge for you if you can stop, stop it. Mujahideen," said an officer who read out the letter.

This is not a stray incident as Rakesh Maria, who cracked several bomb blast cases and busted the IM module, has been receiving regular threats.

In 2012, the government reviewed his security and alloted him a bullet proof vehicle while he was heading the ATS.

The Mumbai Police have sounded a high alert, particularly in view of upcoming religious fetsivals like Eid and Ganesh Chatturthi.

The probe has been handed over to city crime branch.

Given the Indian Mujahideen's past record, police believe this could be prank.

"In the past the IM used to send emails and claim responsibility for the blasts, but after their module was busted in 2008 due to same mistake, they stopped doing it and secondly with most of its active members inside jails, the IM module has almost become defunct," said an officer from the security agency.

As a precautionary measure, all anti-terror cells in Mumbai have been put on high alert and the ATS have also been alerted.

On March 12, 1993, Mumbai was rocked by a series of blasts which 257 people were killed and 713 were injured.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Indian Mujaheedin,Rakesh Maria,Mumbai Police

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Sunnis demand action against Maulana who wrote to Saudi govt

MUMBAI: Expressing shock and anguish over cleric Maulana Salman Hussaini Nadvi's letter to the Saudi government requesting it to prepare an Army of five lakh Indian Sunni Muslims to fight the Shia militias in Iraq, a section of Sunnis in the city have demanded strict action against him.

Many Sunnis said Nadvi doesn't represent the Sunnis as he is an avowed follower of Wahhabism, a fanatical form of Islam which despises Sufism and discourages visit to the shrines of Sufi saints.

"If he has written such a letter, it is misrepresentation of the Sunnis. We don't believe in violence and will certainly not support a violent conflict just to gain power. The militants of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) are ideologically close to the Wahhabis and have nothing to do with the faith of Sunnis," said Rafiq Ahmed Khan, president of Minhajul Quran (India), an organization of Sunni Muslims. Khan said that such letters would only defame Sunnis.

Many have demanded action against Nadvi. "He is not a Sunni. He is acting on behest of Saudi Arabia, a Wahhabi-influenced country. He must be stopped from creating schism between Shias and Sunnis," said Farid Batatawala of Muslim Front.

Though Wahhabis too claim to be Sunnis (followers of the traditions of the Prophet), the difference between them and other Sunnis is that they regard visits to the Sufi shrines as biddat (innovation) in the faith and discourage them.

No wonder the ISIS militants have attacked shrines of many Sufis in Iraq and Syria. The call for creation of an Islamic Army has shocked scholars as well. "This is an incitement and completely anti-Islamic. This will further deepen the sectarian divide between Shias and Sunnis," said Islamic scholar Zeenat Shaukat Ali. Senior Shia cleric Maulana Zaheer Abbas Rizvi too condemned Nadvi's letter to Saudi government.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Maulana Salman Hussaini Nadvi,Iraq,Zaheer Abbas,Syria,Rafiq Ahmed

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'NCP to go it alone if not given 144 seats'

YAVATMAL: Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Saturday stated that the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is ready to go it alone in the upcoming assembly elections if its alliance partner Congress does not agree to give 144 out of 288 seats to NCP.

Addressing a press conference in Yavatmal on Saturday, Pawar said the NCP has grown in strength since the last state election. "We have been supporting the Congress for the last 15 years but it is not willing to accept our demand," he said.

Pawar added that he has convened a special meeting on Wednesday in Mumbai to review the issues faced by Yavatmal district.

Earlier, Pawar reviewed developmental works in the district at a meeting held at the collectorate. He directed district administration to expedite works and utilize the funds sanctioned by the district planning committee (DPC) within the time frame. He asked them to prepare an action plan and get sanctions before the model code of conduct for assembly polls comes into force.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Ajit Pawar,Nationalist Congress Party (NCP),deputy chief minister

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Guru Dutt's son Arun Dutt passes away at 58

MUMBAI: Veteran filmmaker Guru Dutt's son Arun Dutt passed away in Pune due to health reasons, a family member said on Sunday. He was 58.

Arun Dutt's daughter Gouri Dutt said he died on Saturday afternoon.

"My father passed away yesterday (Saturday) afternoon in Pune. He was suffering from multiple complications but the major reason was kidney failure. His funeral took place last (Saturday) night in Pune," Gouri Dutt told IANS.

Arun Dutt is survived by his two daughters and wife.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Guru Dutt's son Arun Dutt,Guru Dutt

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IM letter threatens bomb blast in Mumbai

MUMBAI: Mumbai police commissioner Rakesh Maria has ordered a high-level probe after the police control room last week recieved an anonymous letter threatening to carry out bomb blasts to avenge the killing of innocents in Gaza.

On July 25, police control room received a one-page well-typed letter in English claiming to be from the Indian Mujahideen.

"Maria you were lucky in 1993 to have escaped the wrath but this time you will not. Now we are going to carry a blast and it is a challenge for you if you can stop, stop it. Mujahideen," said an officer who read out the letter.

This is not a stray incident as Rakesh Maria, who cracked several bomb blast cases and busted the IM module, has been receiving regular threats.

In 2012, the government reviewed his security and alloted him a bullet proof vehicle while he was heading the ATS.

The Mumbai Police have sounded a high alert, particularly in view of upcoming religious fetsivals like Eid and Ganesh Chatturthi.

The probe has been handed over to city crime branch.

Given the Indian Mujahideen's past record, police believe this could be prank.

"In the past the IM used to send emails and claim responsibility for the blasts, but after their module was busted in 2008 due to same mistake, they stopped doing it and secondly with most of its active members inside jails, the IM module has almost become defunct," said an officer from the security agency.

As a precautionary measure, all anti-terror cells in Mumbai have been put on high alert and the ATS have also been alerted.

On March 12, 1993, Mumbai was rocked by a series of blasts which 257 people were killed and 713 were injured.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Indian Mujaheedin,Rakesh Maria,Mumbai Police

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Preity Zinta had used harsh words against Wadia: Witness

MUMBAI: A witness listed by industrialist Ness Wadia has told the police that it was Preity Zinta, who used harsh words against her ex-boyfriend during an IPL match here on May 30.

The witness, Savan Daru, a businessman, has recorded his statement on Friday before the Marine Drive police, which is probing the case, a police officer said on Sunday.

"Daru claimed in his statement that Ness had leaned towards Zinta and spoke something to her. He could not hear the conversation between the two due to loud noise around," the officer added.

"However, soon after Ness walked away from there, Preity started shouting at him very loudly and used harsh words," the officer said, quoting Daru.

Daru claimed Ness had come late to the stadium and was trying to find a seat for his mother, police said.

In her police complaint registered in June, Zinta had accused her former boyfriend of molesting, abusing and threatening her during an IPL match between Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings on May 30 at Wankhede Stadium in South Mumbai.

However, Wadia has dismissed the actor's charges. Despite their break-up, Wadia and Zinta continue to co-own Kings XI Punjab.

Among those whose statements had been recorded are IPL chief operating officer Sundar Raman, BCCI Secretary Sanjay Patel and COO of Kings XI Punjab Fraser Castellino.

Witnesses Danish Merchant, Jai Kanojia and Parul Khanna have told the police that Wadia had "pulled" Zinta by hand during a "heated" argument, while Castellino said he did not see any fight or argument between the two.

Ness had given a list of witnesses and requested the police to record their statements.

Farah Oomerbhoy, listed by Ness Wadia, had said in her statement that there was no heated argument between the two and she did not see him (Wadia) pulling Zinta by her arm on the day of the alleged incident.

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2 missing Kalyan youths call up families, confirm they're fighting for ISIS in Syria

KALYAN: Two of the four Kalyan youths suspected to have joined the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) called up their families earlier this week and confirmed they were working as members of the militant Sunni Islamist group in the Raqqa province of Syria, investigating officials said.

Aarif Majid and Saleem Tanki, the two youths who spoke to their families, told them they were safe and that their entire family would go to 'jannat' or heaven because of the 'work' they were doing as part of ISIS, the officials said.

Aarif and Saleem said that the other two youths from Kalyan who had gone missing, Aman Tandel and Fahad Shaikh, were also with ISIS and safe. All four were living separately in two groups in the same province, they said.

Though Aarif's family denied such a call and Saleem's family was unavailable for comment, sources said both had shared details with the anti-terrorism squad and National Investigation Agency.

READ ALSO: Thane businessman radicalized Kalyan youth who joined ISIS, funded their Iraq trip

ISIS has designs on India, experts say

Sources said Aarif, who had been studying civil engineering at a Navi Mumbai college, spoke to his father Ejaz, who is a doctor. When the father asked him to return, Aarif said he would not but the family could come to Syria to meet him, sources added.

Saleem, an HSC dropout who had been working at a call centre here, also spoke to his parents and confirmed he was in Raqqa.

Raqqa is a province in the northern part of Syria that the ISIS captured early this year. It is considered an ISIS stronghold where the outfit has imposed its version of Islamic law.

The families of the four youths had lodged complaints at the Bazarpeth police station in Kalyan after they went missing in the last week of May. The four had gone to Iraq as part of a 30-member group of pilgrims but had disappeared a day before the group was supposed to return. A taxi driver had told investigators he had dropped the four at Mosul, which had soon after come under ISIS control. Investigators said Aarif had left a letter at home before leaving, in which he had criticized his family members for "sinning".

Meanwhile, sources said investigators probing if the youths were indoctrinated locally have come to know that one of Aarif's relatives, along with his five friends, left for Saudi Arabia for Umrah (mini-Haj) in June and is expected to return at the end of the ongoing month of Ramzan. The agencies are waiting for the relative to come back, so that they can probe if he played any role in brainwashing them.

READ ALSO: Tamil Nadu youth joins ISIS, family recalls his journey into insurgency

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Stuck in traffic jam, GRP constable carries injured commuter to hospital

A railway police constable was hailed as a hero on Thursday after he carried an injured train commuter on his shoulders to a hospital to save time navigating Mumbai's notorious traffic.

Thane resident Vinayak Katale, 24, fell off a Virar-bound between Grant Road and Mumbai Central stations around 5 pm on Thursday. Government Railway Police (GRP) constable Prashant Tanaji Golem (pictured left) was taking him to JJ Hospital in a cab when they encountered a traffic jam on JJ flyover.

Vinayak had sustained injuries to his head and legs and was bleeding. Fearing that crucial time would be wasted waiting for the traffic to clear, Golem got out of the cab and placed Vinayak on his shoulders and made a dash for JJ Hospital.

"We had already lost some time and I was concerned that the victim's condition might worsen. I carried him to the hospital to ensure that he received prompt treatment," Golem, adding that GRP constables had been trained for such emergencies. Vinayak, who works in a computer store in Grant Road, was recovering well on Friday. His 65-year-old father, Krushna Katale (pictured above), went to Mumbai Central railway police station to thank Golem and other officers.

"These people saved my son's life and I have come here to thank them," Krushna said.

A senior police inspector said that Vinayak was first taken to Nair Hospital, but the staff there refused to admit him or provide an ambulance. He was then taken to JJ Hospital.

"At JJ, there was further delay and red tape. The commuter was finally admitted at 9.30 pm," the inspector, who didn't want to be identified, claimed.

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Thane residents pick up some unusual Eidis

The pious month of Ramzan is coming to a close with the Muslim community in Thane celebrating Eid on July 29th.

The elders are all set to shower their blessings in the form of Eidi. Though tradition says that the Eidi is usually given in the form of cash, these days there are some who are opting for gifts as well. Some gift ideas that have gained popularity in the city are - gift hampers, gadgets, perfumes and also gift vouchers. Gourmet hampers, organic food hampers, special flavoured teas, exotic chocolate hampers, skin care and hair care hampers - one is spoilt for choice with the variety available in Thane.

These days there are complete food hampers available too with the ingredients of a particular dish all packed in proportion that would make even a novice in the kitchen into a chef! For the gadget-friendly, and technology-friendly Thaneite, festivals are just another reason to pick up the latest models of mobile phones, tabs, computers, laptops or televisions. These are fine gifts that can be cherished for a long time. Perfumes are an apt gift for this occasion, specially ittars. And now, with the various malls in Thane offering mega discounts - gift vouchers are a great gift. The person can choose to purchase their own favourite item with the gift voucher.

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Survivor’s testimony, if credible, strongest evidence, SC has said

MUMBAI: A complaint of rape almost six months after the alleged crime means the case is tough for investigators as well as courts because corroborative evidence is that much more difficult to get with the passage of time, say lawyers.

In this scenario, the survivor's testimony plays a crucial role. The Supreme Court has held that a rape complainant's testimony, if found to be cogent, convincing and trustworthy, is enough to establish guilt even in the absence of medical or other corroborative evidence.

An FIR was filed on Thursday after a small-time model accused DIG Sunil Paraskar of repeatedly raping her between December 2013 and January 2014.

For such a case, advocate Nusrat Shah, a criminal lawyer, said "police must investigate the case and can file a chargesheet only on merit".

There might be call records to show if the accused and complainant were in a relationship or total strangers when the alleged rapes took place. But key is the complainant's testimony. If it doesn't crumble during cross-examination and is found to be honest, then even if medical proof or digital evidence or photographs are not strong, the case will not be weakened.

A police officer said in such cases, investigators usually find it difficult to establish rape (because of the possibility of consensual sex) and cases often go in favour of the accused. "The rape survivor also often does not cooperate," said the officer. But there are cases where courts have acted relying only on forensic evidence even when the woman has resiled from her allegations.

Lawyers feel stress must be put on finding out why the complainant stayed mum for so long — was it duress or was the rape tag being attached after consensual sex. "At the same time, it is important to find out how and why such serious allegations have been made against a top police officer and a scientific investigation will provide a conclusive answer to these questions," said advocate Aabad Ponda.

If the model's statement is found to be strong, "the cops must go ahead with prosecution since it is a police officer against whom the charges are filed and the courts would need to apply the law strictly against a law-enforcer", said Shah.

If a police officer probing a case or trying to help a woman who sought assistant is accused, it means the cop allegedly committed the crime while
discharging his duty thus the punishment would be higher, may be even life imprisonment, said a lawyer.

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IIT Bombay campus leopard remains elusive

MUMBAI: Forest department officials carried out search operations at mid night from 2am to 3.30am on Saturday in the metallurgical workshop of IIT Bombay where a leopard was spotted by the lab employees on July 23. Surprisngly, no leopard was found and the forest department officials handed over the workshop to the IIT authorities.

The big cat turned out to be smarter and had managed to escape, forest officials said despite them trying to seal all possible exit points. However, the huge size of the workshop made it difficult for the officials to net the animal. Some exit points like broken windows of the workshop had not been netted which could have been used by the leopard to escape.

"No leopard was found in the lab despite carrying out our search and combing operations at midnight. On Wednesday, two lab assistants from the neighboring lab spotted the big cat. Later, two staffers from the metallurgical workshop then sighted the leopard and immediately shut the entrance. By Wednesday noon, our rescue van reached the spot and since then we were waiting to trap the leopard," K D Thakare, deputy conservator of forest (territorial), Thane, said.

Several strategies like sending in robots with night vision cameras and two forest personnel in a caged trolley proved unsuccessful to trap the leopard.

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‘Woman, 65, strip-searched for travelling first class’

MUMBAI: Family says senior citizen had a second-class ticket, lodges complaint with head ticket checker's office. Railways say probe will be held

An elderly woman is in a state of shock after being allegedly strip-searched by a woman ticket checker (TC) at Mira Road station. The senior citizen had a second-class ticket but was found in a first-class compartment.

While Western Railway (WR) officials initially denied the incident, they later said that they would order a probe. The family of the senior citizen has already submitted a complaint to the TC head office at Grant Road station. The 65-year-old woman's family said they also plan to take up the issue with the Maharashtra Human Rights Commission.

The victim, Satyabhama Krishna Malik, had boarded the train at Andheri station on Tuesday and erroneously entered the first-class compartment, her family said. She was on her way to meet her daughter at Virar.

"My mother-in-law boarded the train at Andheri and did not realise that it was a first-class compartment," said Kishore Rane, Satyabhama's son-inflaw. "A lady ticket checker got into the i train and asked for tickets. When my mother-in-law told her that she had a second-class ticket, the ticket checker made her get off the train at Mira Road. She then took her to the TC office where she asked how much money she had."

Rane told Mirror, "When my mother-in-law told the lady TC that she had just Rs 25, the ticket checker abused her and asked her to remove her sari. When my mother-in-law refused, the TC pulled off her sari saying she knew where people hid their money. On finding nothing there, the TC also stripped off her blouse to look for money. My mother-in-law was then detained in a dingy room that is used as a godown and let off only two hours later. My mother-in-law is in a state of shock since the incident and has not been talking to anyone."

Satyabhama Malik (left) was traumatized after the alleged incident. The complaint her family filed against the ticket checker at Grant Road station.

Rane asked, "Isn't there a protocol for what should be done when a citizen is caught without money? They could have called the family and we would have paid the fine. It was unfair to insult a lady of this age." He added, "We went to the stationmaster to complain, but he said we should complain directly to the head ticket checker's office at Grant Road, which we did. We only want punishment for the TC who acted in such a way," he added.

When asked why the family did not file a police complaint, Rane said, "The humiliation has been done by the railways and we want to alert the general manager, who is the topmost authority. Since we could not meet him, we filed a complaint with the TC head office at Grant Road on Wednesday. The person who was in charge at the TC office said he would look into the complaint on Monday when he returns from Surat."

AWR official said the complaint had not yet been brought to the notice of higher officials, but they would ensure a proper investigation. "The procedure is that when one does not have money to pay a fine, the person is taken to the court," said a WR official.

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Court adjourns hearing in 2002 hit-and-run case involving actor Salman Khan

MUMBAI: A sessions court on Friday adjourned the hearing in the 2002 hit-and-run case involving actor Salman Khan to August 21.

During the previous hearing earlier this month, the police had told the court that they could not trace the original documents pertaining to certain witness statements. This was repeated on Friday, after the police informed the court that out of 63 such documents, only seven originals are available with them. They sought more time to look for the documents. Even as the police insisted that the copies of these documents are available with it, the defence said that the originals were required.

The actor was not present during the hearing.

His presence was not essential as no witnesses were to identify him.

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Customs seize Rs 3cr at airport in one night

MUMBAI: In seven cases, Customs officials of Mumbai airport seized 11 kg of gold worth Rs 2.86 crore on Wednesday night. With these, the gold seized in the first few months of this financial year has crossed the amount seized during the entire previous financial year, said a Customs official.

The biggest seizure was from Mohammed Abdallah Abutouq who came from Bahrain. He had concealed seven gold bars weighing 1kg each and valued at a total Rs 1.8 crore, in a specially stitched belt.

In another case, a passenger identified as Faridaben Ali Asgar landed from Dubai and was found to carrying six crude gold bangles worth Rs 15.4 lakh. Three cut pieces of gold worth Rs 17.41 lakh and weighing 675 gm was recovered from Muhammed Abbas, a flyer from Hyderabad. In two similar cases, four cut pieces of gold was found on passenger Rajesh Udasi and one cut piece of gold on a passenger named Iran Mohammed, both of whom also arrived from Hyderabad on the same flight.

In the fifth case, four gold bars—each worth Rs 13.9 lakh—were recovered from Harcharm Singh, who arrived from Hong Kong via Delhi. Chaminda Ekanayake, a Sri Lankan passenger from Colombo, was caught with one 880gm gold rod valued at Rs 22.7 lakh.

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File reply on parking lot allotment in 3 weeks: HC

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Thursday gave the state three weeks' time to file its reply on the delay in the allotment of public parking lots.

A PIL filed by Thane resident Pravin Wategaonkar said the proposals for parking lots, which entitle builders to incentive FSI, have been mired in irregularities with the chief minister allegedly sitting on the files.

The PIL said the proposals are scrutinized and approved by a five-member empowered committee of the BMC headed by additional municipal commissioner followed by examination by the urban development principal secretary who then recommends it to the chief minister for approval.

The PIL sought a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigations into the proposals.

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Eight superfast trains announced from Pune to Kamakhya

MUMBAI: The railways will run 8 superfast weekly special trains between Pune and Kamakhya to clear the extra rush of passengers, officials at the CR headquarters in Mumbai said.

The train No. 02511 superfast weekly special will leave Pune at 10.45am every Thursday from July 31 to August 21 (4 trips) and will arrive Kamakhya at 3.15pm on third day, which is Saturday.

The train No. 02512 weekly special will leave Kamakhya at 10.45pm every Monday from July 28 to August 18 (4 trips) and will arrive Pune at 2.45 am on fourth day, which is Thursday.

It will have halts at Daund, Ahmednagar, Kopergaon, Manmad, Bhusaval, Akola, Badnera Jn., Wardha Jn., Nagpur, Gondia, Durg, Raipur, Bilaspur, Jharsuguda, Rourkela, Chakradharpur, Purulia, Joychandipahar, Jn., Asansol, Durgapur, Rampurhat, Malda Town, Kishanganj, New Jalpaiguri, New Coochbehar and New Bongaigaon. The train will have one AC-2 Tier, AC-3 Tier, 7 sleeper class, 4 general second class and 2 brake van cum general second class compartments.

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BARC scientist dies in road accident

NAVI MUMBAI: A senior scientist of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Dr P M Pathak (45), was killed in a road accident which took place in Trombay last night.

Dr Pathak, who was a radio chemistry researcher at BARC, was going on a motorcycle with a friend late on Thursday night, when a Honda City car hit the bike at Anushaktinagar complex in Trombay.

Dr Pathak suffered grievous head injuries and was rushed to hospital. He succumbed to his injuries at MGM hospital in Vashi, Navi Mumbai, on Friday.

Dr Pathak was a very sincere and dedicated scientist. He is survived by his wife and two daughters,'' said his senior colleague at BARC, Ashok Goswami.

Meanwhile, Trombay police is probing the fatal accident case. It is gathered that the Honda City driver is also a resident of Anushaktinagar in Trombay.

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RBI fines 12 banks Rs 1.5 crore for Deccan Chronicle default

MUMBAI: Reserve Bank of India has fined 12 banks Rs 1.5 crore ​​for not following proper guidelines in advancing loans to the Deccan Chronicle group which has defaulted to the extent of Rs ​4000 crore.

​The Reserve Bank had carried out a scrutiny of the loan and current accounts of Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd., in certain branches of these banks in late 2013. Based on the findings of the scrutiny, the Reserve Bank issued show cause notices to these banks in March 2014, to which the individual banks submitted written replies. " After considering the facts of each case and the individual bank's reply, as also, the personal submissions etc., by some of the banks before its Committee of Executive Directors, the Reserve Bank came to the conclusion that some of the violations were substantiated and warranted imposition of monetary penalty," said RBI in a statement.

The 12 banks that have been fined are Andhra Bank (Rs 10 lakh), Axis Bank (Rs 15 lakh), Canara bank (Rs 10 lakh), Corporation Bank (Rs 10 lakh), HDFC Bank (Rs 5 lakh), ICICI Bank (Rs 40 lakh), IDBI Bank (Rs 15 lakh), IndusInd Bank (Rs 10 lakh), Kotak Mahindra Bank (Rs 10 lakh), Ratnakar Bank (Rs 5 lakh), State Bank of Hyderabad (Rs 10 lakh), and Yes Bank (Rs 10 lakh)as determined above.

What was unusual about the loans was that these advances were not backed by enough security. The mortgaged assets are expected to fetch a third of the loan exposure. Secondly, most of the lenders were unaware of the extent of leverage by the company and the exposure of other lenders to the group. Sources said that RBI was shocked that advances were made by lenders without speaking to each other.

​T​his action is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into between the concerned bank and the borrower the central bank said.​

​In July, Canara Bank, which has an exposure of Rs 350 crore to Deccan Chronicle, said that the company's promoters had approached the bank for restructuring. However the bank had asked for a one-time settlement as the promoters might not be in a position to meet the huge funding requirement.

Last year the Central Bureau of Investigation had filed a case of cheating, fraud and criminal conspiracy against Deccan Chronicle Holdings chairman T Venkattram Reddy, vice-chairman and managing director T Vinayak Ravi Reddy , vice chairman PK Iyer as well as the company's auditors CB Mouli & Associates.

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Former Maharashtra minister Mohan Patil passes away

NAVI MUMBAI: Senior leader of Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) and former state minister, Mohan Patil, who was five times MLA from Pen in Raigad district, passed away Thursday due to an illness. He was 68.

Hundreds of PWP members and other followers gathered outside Patil's residence to mourn his demise and participate in the final rites.

His son, Dhairyashil Patil, is currently the PWP MLA from Pen. In 1999, Mohan Patil was a state minister in the Vilasrao Deshmukh cabinet of Maharashtra.

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Potholes on Dindoshi flyover, shower jam Western Express Highway

MUMBAI: Motorists had an infernal time inching their way on the Western Express Highway on Wednesday morning when a heavy spell of rainfall, coupled with potholes on the Dindoshi flyover, threw the south-bound traffic out of gear for six hours. The MSRDC has finally announced that contractors would shortly undertake repairs.

It was only in May that the south-bound stretch of the flyover was repaired but craters have already started appearing there.

The snarl-up was so bad that it took almost an hour to travel from Kandivli (E) to Goregaon (E), which otherwise can be covered in 20 minutes. With the stretch being choc-a-bloc with cars, the traffic police allowed south-bound vehicles to use one of the north-bound lanes on the Dindoshi flyover, providing brief respite to motorists.

"My colleagues and I have been carpooling and it took us three hours to travel from Dahisar to Prabhadevi via WEH. It was particularly chaotic at Dindoshi," said Ashish Pawar, an insurance company employee.

"Whichever engineer gave the final nod to the flyover repair work in May needs to be suspended and the contractor should be penalized for misusing public money. The names of all those involved in the project should be made public. It's high time that the government became answerable for such lapses," said activist Sandeep Ohri who left his Kandivli home at 7.40am and reached his office at Aarey around 8.45am. To avoid the jam on WEH, some motorists took a detour and used the Link Road.

MSRDC joint managing director S M Ramchandani assured that the contractor has been asked to undertake repairs on the Dindoshi flyover shortly.

"This is a temporary measure. Once the monsoon ends, the contractors have been told to use stone matrix technology for permanent repairs," he said. According to the MSRDC, the Dindoshi flyover surface was damaged in June because the contractor did not get adequate time for repairs in May as monsoon was fast approaching then. Sources said the layer of asphalt membrane could not settle and the layer is one-inch, while it should have been at least 3-inch.

An official from the Mumbai Entry Points Limited (MEPL), which maintains the flyover, also assured: "We will repair the stretch as soon as the rain subsides."

For the time being, the traffic police have increased bandobast around the flyover and prohibited heavy vehicles from using it.

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Good news pours on lake areas, rain likely to pick up

MUMBAI: The city did not receive much rain on Wednesday but the catchment areas, where the lakes supplying water to Mumbai are situated, received a good spell of showers, making up for water stock of another 12-13 days. Expecting monsoon to be picking up, weather officials have also forecast heavy rain on Thursday and Friday owing to depression forming in the east.

Following downpour in the catchment areas, the seven reservoirs supply drinking water have collected around two weeks of stock in one day. In the past 24 hours, Modak Sagar has recorded 37.4mm rainfall, Tansa 35.6mm, Vihar 18.20mm, Upper Vaitarna 44mm, Bhatsa 73mm and Middle Vaitarna 16.2mm. From 2.51 lakh million litres on Tuesday, the total stock in the seven lakes has increased by a 45,000 million litres to a total of 2.96 lakh million litre. This amount is sufficient to supply water to the city for around 82 days.

"Heavy rainfall in the catchment areas is a positive sign. In fact, the interior areas of Maharashtra, too, have been getting good rain. We are looking at southwest monsoon getting vigorous over central Maharashtra and Konkan in the next two days due to a depression that is forming there," said V K Rajeev, director of the regional meteorological centre in Mumbai.

The IMD has also issued a warning to fishermen, advising them not to go out to the high seas in the next 24 hours, as strong winds blowing at a speed of 45-50 km per hour are predicted. The city and the suburbs have not received much rain since the beginning of the week. In the last 24 hours, Colaba has recorded 6.8mm rainfall and Santa Cruz 10mm.

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Corporators demand probe into ‘tricks’

MUMBAI: Corporators on Wednesday blamed the unholy nexus between civic officials and hawkers for the corruption in the registration drive which is being conducted in the city from July 18. They have demanded an inquiry in the fraudulent ways that people have been adopting to get registered on the BMC's list by paying a hefty sum to civic officials.

MNS corporator Sandeep Deshpande, who raised the issue in the standing committee meeting, alleged the administration did not have any mechanism to curb the rising number of hawkers who have been cropping up ever since the survey began. BMC officials, however, clarified that not all those registered would be issued licences; they would have to prove that they have been using the hawking slot for 10 years. Demanding an inquiry into the issue, BJP leader Manoj Kotak said, "If the BMC is not planning to issue licences to all who are getting registered then why register them in the first place? The entire exercise is meaningless and it should be stopped immediately."

Vile Parle BJP corporator Ameet Satam alleged, "A deputy municipal commissioner with the help of licence inspectors is running a scam and selling hawking space at different rates."
Even Shiv Sena seemed to support the other parties. "The survey is going in the wrong direction and it should not help in increasing the number of hawkers," said Sena leader Trushna Vishwasrao. Opposition leader in BMC Devendra Amberkar of the Congress also slammed the administration and claimed hawkers were being promised a licence for Rs 5,000, though it was supposed to be for free.

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Hawker drive a money-spinner for all

MUMBAI: The civic drive of registering street vendors, which has been launched to issue licences and streamline hawking in the city, seems to have turned into a money-spinner for civic officials, politicians as well as hawkers alike. From hawking slots to backdated fine receipts, everything is apparently being sold with a promise of a hawker's licence.

According to BMC rules, to prove their professional identity and get a licence, hawkers can produce the fine receipts they were issued during earlier eviction drives. Corporators alleged that licence department officials, who are the custodians of those receipt books, have been forging and issuing fake backdated receipts to applicants for a hefty sum. MNS corporator Dilip Lande claimed the bogus receipts were sold for Rs 500. Moreover, BMC officials have allegedly been selling registration forms, which actually cost Rs 100, for Rs 1,000. Even hawkers in possession of multiple fine receipts are selling them to other people for registration.

Not to be left out, politicians are allegedly getting their supporters to sit on pavements with a few wares just before the registration team arrives on the spot.

One corporator claimed that in Dadar, the BMC has registered multiple hawkers using the same spot, with one giving up the slot to another, just after the registration is completed. "A person is photographed selling tomatoes and after a few minutes, another person takes the same spot and is registered selling bananas. All this happened in front of BMC officials. The entire exercise is futile, it is a mockery of the SC order," said a resident of Dadar. Some spots are also allegedly being sold.

When told about the tricks that civic officials and politicians have been resorting to, senior administration officials promised to look into them. "I have received complaints and have started investigating them. On finding anyone guilty, the officer concerned will be suspended," said additional municipal commissioner Mohan Adtani. Another senior civic official clarified that all the vendors registered would not necessarily be issued licences; to be eligible, they would have to submit a proof of using the spot for the last 10 years by August 2.

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Mumbai model accuses senior IPS officer of rape

MUMBAI: A senior IPS officer has been booked by Malwani police on charges of raping a model.

Deputy inspector general (protection of civil rights unit), Sunil Paraskar, has been booked but no arrest has been made. The probe has been handed over to the women's cell of the crime branch headed by deputy commissioner Sharda Raut.

"An FIR has been registered against Paraskar and we will be releasing a statement shortly," confirmed joint commissioner, crime, Sadanand Date to TOI.

Paraskar has served as additional police commissioner (north region) till earlier this year. He was shifted to Maharashtra police headquarters as deputy IG.

The model has complained that she used to visit Paraskar, when he was posted in the north region, for some work for which she needed his help. She has alleged that she was taken to a hotel in Malwani where she was raped on several occasions.

She has reportedly also submitted a proof of sexual assault.

Paraskar did not respond to repeated calls made by TOI for his comments.

The model first complained to police commissioner Rakesh Maria who directed her complaint to the women's cell of the crime branch. The women's cell, in turn, lodged a complaint with the Malwani police station.

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JJ doctors remove 232 teeth from Buldhana teenager

MUMBAI: Doctors at the JJ Hospital in Byculla created a record of sorts by removing 232 teeth from a teenager, who came in with routine complaints of swelling and pain in the mouth. There are very few cases of this tooth developmental anomaly recorded in the dental literature, said doctors.

Ashik Gavai (17), a class X student from Buldhana, had a swelling on the right side of the mouth when he came to JJ Hospital on June. This was after several doctors failed to diagnose his condition. A battery of tests later, JJ doctors concluded that it was a rare abnormal growth affecting the second molar tooth on the lower right side of his jaw. The only solution was surgery.

But a bigger surprise awaited them during the surgery that lasted over seven hours on Monday. "We started picking small teeth from the abnormal molar. These pearlies were of varying sizes, some as tiny as a grain of mustard and some almost the size of a marble. At the final count, we had a total of 232 of them," said Dr Sunanda Dhivare-Palwankar, head of dental department at JJ Hospital. She said that they were developing as regular tooth and would have got more painful eventually. "The fact that it was coming from a single molar was very unique," she said.

During the surgery, they also found a rock-like formation inside the affected tooth, which had to be removed with a drill. "It is a developmental anomaly that had affected the molar tooth at its formation stage or rather when he was a child. The medical term for the condition is complex composite odonntom. In other words, it could also be called a benign tumour," she added. Gavai had eating difficulties, which was getting worse. Doctors in her team will now be looking up medical literature to ascertain whether or not it qualifies for a world record.

In the course of surgery, the doctors also crushed an upcoming wisdom tooth. Doctors said that despite the abnormal molar tooth growth, the jawbone had not weakened.

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Bombay high court hears honest citizens’ pleas, not of those with oblique motives, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena told

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's violent agitations came in for flak from the Bombay high court, which was hearing a public interest litigation by the party's student leader seeking a CBI probe into the 2009 Sangli riots.

"Why should we entertain a PIL of such a party that has indulged in rioting," asked a division bench of Justice V M Kanade and Justice P D Kode on Monday. The bench was hearing a petition by MNS student wing's Sangli vice-president Ashish Kori and referred to the party's recent protest where they vandalized toll booths.

"A person who comes to the court has to establish his credentials," observed the bench. "You want to convert this court into an arena to settle political scores. This is a forum for an honest citizen and a sincere litigant, and not for someone who has an oblique motive."

During the hearing, the court also referred to the Supreme Court's guidelines on frivolous PILs and asked the petitioner if he was willing to deposit Rs 10 lakh to prove his bona fide.

The high court also questioned the inordinate delay in filing the PIL—the riots took place in September 2009, while the PIL was filed in 2013. "The next state elections are due in a few months and you seem to want to take advantage of this," remarked the court. The bench cited the "gross" delay and the fact that another petition on the issue was already pending before it, and dismissed the petition.

"We will soon move the Supreme Court against the high court order," said advocate Ashish Mehta, counsel for the petitioner. The petition had alleged political pressure from the ruling party to not take action against the alleged rioters, and claimed that places of worship of the majority community were damaged and the state had failed to take any action.

In September 2009, clashes had erupted in Sangli and Miraj during Ganesh festival over the setting up of an arch that depicted the scene of Chhatrapati Shivaji killing Afzal Khan.

In its affidavit, the police had claimed that though there were no casualties, property worth around Rs 80 lakh was destroyed and 29 religious places defiled.

The police said they had registered around 131 cases and filed chargesheets against 316 accused.

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‘Can’t recognize vendors in other wards’

MUMBAI: ALM members, who have been accompanying civic officials on their drive to register hawkers, seem to be upset with the manner in which the survey is being conducted. Calling the campaign a "complete eyewash", the members claimed that activists from one ward were being asked to go for the survey in another locality.

Chairperson of H West Federation Anandini Thakoor said she went for the survey despite being called at a short notice. "But on reaching, I was told that I would be taken for the hawkers' registration survey in another ward and not in the area I belong too. Though I was angry about it, I still decided to go. Since it was not my ward, I could not figure out whether those vendors were the regular ones or not. After one day, I decided not to go as I felt that the entire exercise was a hogwash. Because of the way the survey is being done, the number of hawkers will increase."

Echoing her, chairperson of the 33rd Khar ALM Aftab Siddique said she was against the idea of the survey right from the beginning. "On the evening of July 17, I received a call from the BMC, asking me to accompany the officials for the survey from the next morning. There was no official letter. I was told that early on July 19, random hawkers were made to sit outside National College and made to fill forms. I tried getting in touch with the authorities but failed to get any concrete response." Anil Joseph from Perry Road ALM also pointed out that he had noticed a sudden surge in the numbers of vendors on Perry road.

But Bharati Kakkad, secretary of Union Park Residents Association, feels the census is a good idea. "It will give a clear idea about which vendors are legal," Kakkad said. "I was also asked to visit a different ward and I could not say if they were indeed the regular hawkers."

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MNS demands 80% hawkers’ licences be given to sons of soil

MUMBAI: With the assembly polls being only a few months away, politicians have weighed into the wrangle over the BMC's drive to register hawkers in the city.

The MNS seems to have grabbed the opportunity to fight for sons of the soil, demanding that 80% of the hawkers' licences be granted to locals only. Party workers, led by Dadar corporator Sandeep Deshpande, gheraoed the local licence inspector at the Dadar (W) ward office on Tuesday. As soon as the inspector entered his office around 11am, the party members barged in and staged a demonstration. But the officer clarified the workers staged a protest but did not assault him.

Their demand was that the BMC must incorporate a clause in the new hawker's policy about preferences to be given to sons of the soil. "We want that 80% licences be given to locals. Also, the BMC should add the clause that every hawker applying for a licence should submit a domicile certificate," said Deshpande. But he denied that they were raising the issue to woo voters before the assembly polls. "This is our party policy and it has got nothing to do with the elections," he maintained.

The demonstration was staged even as the BMC carried out a survey of hawkers, collecting their personal and biometric details, and registering them. Under the drive that started on July 18, all vendors will be given ID cards and allotted specified spots for hawking.

While the MNS has picked up the cudgels for sons of the soil, the Shiv Sena seems to be in favour of the registration drive. When asked about their view on the MNS' demand for domicile certificates for hawkers, Yashodhar Phanse, chairman of the civic standing committee, said, "The BMC has to go with the Supreme Court order. We can't make any change." The SC order says every state must have a policy for vendors and hawking zones must be earmarked.

Both the BJP and NCP feel the current survey should be stopped and that the authorities should follow the earlier hawkers' data for registration. But the NCP also feels preference shoud be given to those living in Mumbai and not in Thane or Kalyan. NCP leader Dhananjay Pisal said, "The BMC may get fake documents from hawkers." Though the Congress welcomed the drive, opposition leader in the BMC Devendra Amberkar said, "They should have done it earlier.

Times View

The citizen's views should count when something important as important as a hawker registration drive, which can change the contours of Mumbai's streets forever, is being done in the city. Letting narrow political agendas come into play — and manipulating or rigging the registration drive — could cause Mumbai permanent damage.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=politicians,Hawkers,BMC's drive,Assembly polls

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