State okays ACB decision to close Gavit inquiry

MUMBAI: The state government informed the Bombay high court on Wednesday that it had approved the anti-corruption bureau decision to close the open inquiry into the alleged disproportionate assets of former state minister Vijaykumar Gavit, his wife, Kumudini, and his brother, Sharad.

On March 24, the ACB in Dhule submitted its report of the open inquiry to the high court and its director general was granted two weeks to take a decision on it. A division bench of Justice Naresh Patil and Justice V L Achliya was submitted the director general's report in a sealed envelope.

The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) by Nashik activists for the prosecution of the Gavit trio. The PIL alleged that "illegal assets" were acquired by Gavit when he was minister of the tribal development department, a portfolio he held for a long time.

Gavit's advocate, Mahesh Jethmalani, asked what the director general's final report had said. Justice Patil said: "The final report is in your [Gavit] favour. DG is not in favour of the open inquiry continuing. State government has concurred and sanctioned its closure."

The bench called for the director general's communication to the government giving reasons for closure. After perusing it, the judges said the director general was of the opinion that no case was made out in the open inquiry and nothing further was required to be done.

Jethmalani urged for disposing of the PIL, saying the petitioners' prayers had been granted. "The SIT probed the case; the inquiry was conducted under the auspices and monitoring of the court," he said.

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At standing committee meet, most political parties oppose new hawking policy

MUMBAI: Almost all political parties are united against BMC's new hawker policy. Their common refrain was that the new policy should not disturb residents just to accommodate hawkers.

Corporators of almost all parties opposed the civic authority's decision to disturb peaceful areas after marking them as 'hawking zones'. Already, citizens too have been opposing the policy.

Recently TOI reported about how Pali Hill residents were upset about hawking zones being proposed in their area despite it being a purely residential zone having no footpaths.Residents from south and central Mumbai too strongly opposed the idea of having their areas converted into hawking zones.

The BMC has mapped out about 60,000 'hawking patches' (one will usually accommodate one vendor) across the city and will try to accommodate around 90,000 hawkers at different time slots. Currently, the city has nearly 15,000 licensed hawkers.

During the civic standing committee meeting, MNS corporator Sandeep Deshpande raised the hawker issue after stating that there is no proper plan with the civic authority to implement the policy and they are trying to turn the entire city into a hawking zone. Shiv Sena and BJP corporators supported Deshpande, stating that the civic authority should not accommodate hawkers at the cost of disturbing citizens.

"If hawkers disturb residents, action should be taken against them" said BJP corporator Vinod Shelar.

Congress adopted a balanced approach, stating that citizens do need their peace but hawkers too have to earn their living. However, Samajwadi Party corporator Rais Shaikh supported the decision to accommodate more hawkers.

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Bengalis, Malayalees enjoy ‘workday’ new year

MUMBAI: Despite the fact that Wednesday was a working day, the Bengali and Malayalee communities made time to visit temples and prepare the elaborate Vishukani and feast on the occasion of new year.

Poila Boishakh 2015 saw the Bengali calendar turn to the year 1422. Around 300 people prayed to Goddess Kali at the temple inside Shivaji Park. "This is still significant for the festival fell midweek. More people would have come were it the weekend," said Sheela Roy, retired principal of BES school, who volunteers at the club.

Roy spent a busy afternoon preparing a range of Bengali delicacies. "Poila Boishakh began with the morning puja, after which we exchanged greetings over WhatsApp. I cooked a festive spread whose centerpiece was ilish (hilsa) fish. The feast commonly begins with sukto, a mixed vegetable dish that includes bitter gourd. This is meant to teach us to digest the unsavoury experiences that life brings. This is followed by fried potato and brinjal, dal, jackfruit or parwal curry, raw mango chutney and payesh. The meal ends on a sweet note to signify that life comes full circle," Roy said.

The Bengali Association Antop Hill Wadala (BAAW) will stage the play 'Tasher Desh' by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore at Mysore Auditorium in Matunga on Friday, April 17. It had enacted 'Chitrangada' last year. "We will distribute 250 copies of the Bengali almanac to our guests," said BAAW member Asim Bhattacharya.

Working Malayalee housewives rose early to arrange the auspicious 'Vishukani' display, which is laid out in the main hall. The array of puja offerings is placed before Lord Krishna or the family deity. P V Pappu, secretary of the Kandivli Malayalee Samajam, said golden 'konna' blossoms are at the heart of the arrangement.

Meanwhile, several Punjabi celebrities attended a Baisakhi mela at Khalsa College on Tuesday.

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Mumbai school team makes a bookmark at global challenge

MUMBAI: Five students from the city have worked for six months to created unique bookmarks, which have won them a chance to fly to Seattle later this month.

Class VI, VII and VIII students of R N Podar Schol, Santacruz, along with their teacher, Varsha Bhambani, made over 250 corner bookmarks depicting traditional Indian art like Warli, Madhubani and Kalamkari for the Microsoft Global Enterprise Challenge. The team won from among 34 schools from across the world, of which five were from India.

The Bookmates team consists of Kurian David, Pranshu Jindal, Kalyanee Bhor, Avaanya Pandya and Sindhuja Suryanarayan. "We were given the bookmarks industry and soon began researching on types available in the market. We found that corner bookmarks were the most suitable and long lasting," said Kalyanee.

After several brain-storming sessions, the team decided to bring out Indian culture through their product. "We thought of making 3D or fluorescent bookmarks but wanted to ensure our country is represented," said Kurian. The students made the bookmarks out of paper, cloth and beads.

Once the product was finalized, the students created a budget and a pitch for their product and presented it to a panel. "The panel approved of Rs3,000 for the project, with and the students started off with," said Bhambani.

In the first batch, they created 75 bookmarks and sold them going door-to-door for Rs30 each. Soon, they were sold out and another batch was made. "We got feedback from customers that the bookmarks could be slimmer," said Avaanya. The students also worked on creating a brand identity for the product.

In the second phase, the price increased to Rs40. "We once again did a survey to find out if customers will pay more, and we got a positive response," said Pranshu. The team sold the bookmarks at a carnival at their school and made a profit of over Rs6,000.

The trip to Seattle isn't the end of the project for the students, who are confident of running their own business. "We plan to make products like files, rakhis and introduce more prints," said Sindhuja. "We also plan to tie up with an NGO and hold sessions with underprivileged children," she added.

The team will be felicitated at an education conference at the Microsoft headquarters in Seattle between April 28 and May 1.

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4 cops get HC contempt notice for taking 1 year to probe trespass case

MUMBAI: Irked that the Mumbai police had failed to probe a city resident's complaint of trespass, despite court orders, the Bombay high court (HC) has issued a contempt notice against four officers who served at Sakinaka police station in the past two years.

A division bench of Justice Ranjit More and Justice Anuja Prabhudessai issued a show-cause notice to the four officers, asking them to explain why contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against them for disobeying orders.

The four officers—assistant police inspectors Taral and Kandalkar and sub-inspectors S Chavan and Amit Mhatre—have been given four weeks' time to submit their explanation. The HC has also transferred the probe in the case to Crime Branch Unit 9 and asked it to submit a report within four weeks.

"This petition discloses very sorry state of affairs," said the judges. The HC pointed out that though a cognisable complaint had been lodged, the police took over two months to register an FIR. "Even after registration of the FIR, no proper investigation was conducted despite the orders of this court. Though a solemn statement was made before this court that the investigation would be completed within two weeks, for a period of one year thereafter, nothing has been done. The petitioner, therefore, is perfectly justified in making allegation that the investigating agency is hand in glove with the accused," added the court.

Sakinaka resident Jos Kulangara had lodged a complaint that the accused had broken open the locks of his shop on April 20, 2013. When the Sakinaka police failed to take any action, Kulangara filed a petition in high court in May 2013. The police then lodged a complaint on June 16, 2013.

Kulangara filed another petition in HC in 2014, claiming that though his complaint disclosed a serious offence of trespass and house break-in, which is punishable with a maximum jail term of 14 years, the police had booked the accused under a minor offence of house trespass (section 448 of the Indian Penal Code), which is punishable with a maximum jail term of up to one year or a fine of Rs 1,000.

On April 9, 2014, the HC directed the police to look into the allegations and the evidence and file a report within two weeks.

According to Kulangara, despite specific orders by the court, the police had done nothing and were, therefore, liable for contempt. The prosecutor sought to justify the delay, claiming that the problem arose as the officers were transferred.

The high court was not convinced. "We are not at all satisfied by the explanation," said the judges while issuing the notices to the police officers.

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Bombay HC extends protection to Urdu editor from arrest

MUMBAI: Bombay High Court on Thurday extended its interim relief from coercive steps, including arrest, granted to Avadhnama editor Shirin Dalvi till June 15.

On March 18, a bench of Justice Ranjit More and Justice Anuja Prabhudessai while approving the State's decision to let State CID probe all offence registered across Maharashtra, had also directed that interim relief shall continue till April 15.

Dalvi's advocate Chetan Mali, while seeking extension of court's protection to her, urged the court to take up the issue of quashing of first information reports next week. The bench said it will also take it up at the next hearing on the court reopening after summer break.

Dalvi was booked for reproducing a controversial cover of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. Court was informed that five first information reports have been filed in respect of the same article in Mumbai, Thane and Malegaon under Indian Penal Code section 295 A for outraging religious feelings through deliberate and malicious acts

The Urdu daily had to shut down following an uproar over it featuring the cover with cartoon of Prophet Mohammad on January 17. Dalvi moved HC to club the multiple cases filed against her and to quash them.

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Animal activists condemn the chicken abuse during Shiv Sena victory celebration

MUMBAI: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA India) has strongly condemned the cruel abuse of chickens during the victory celebrations for the Bandra (east) bypolls.

"Animals claim no political sides and yet, even when humans celebrate a political win, they still make animals losers. Chickens pose no threat, they are the most gentle beings on the planet, and for them there are no voting rights, just our mercy," stated the CEO of PETA India, Poorva Joshipura, who said she was aghast to see live visuals on TV about the birds being roughly handled and flung in the air by the Shiv Sainiks.

PETA has been inundated with calls and emails from people who were shocked and horrified that chickens—who already suffer so much abuse—are now being abused in this way too.

Apparently, the chickens were used by the political activists as a taunt for the losing candidate, Narayan Rane, who has been nicknamed by his rivals as `kombi chor' (chicken stealer) out of spite.

In 2012, following PETA pressure, the Election Commission of India asked all political parties to refrain from using any animals for election campaigns. In an advisory, it also notified all Indian political parties that any violations of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, will not be tolerated.

Chickens used for meat and eggs are the most abused animals on the planet. Chickens used for eggs are typically crammed into cages hardly bigger than the size of their own bodies, while those used for meat are crammed into sheds with often thousands of other birds struggling for space, informed an animal activist. Instead of giving them more room to move, farmers usually cut off the beaks of birds used for eggs since they peck each other in such close confinement. They are then thrown into trucks, tied upside down on motorbikes, or stuffed into suffocating sacks to be transported to slaughter where they are typically hacked at with dull knives while still conscious.

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Maharashtra bypoll: Shiv Sena Trupti Sawant defeats Narayan Rane

MUMBAI: Congress leader Narayan Rane once again received a major political setback after a widow of former Sena legislator late Prakash Sawant defeated him in a bypoll with a comfortable margin of around 19000 votes.

Sawant led Sena's home turf Bandra E where Matoshree is located. This is Rane's second consecutive defeat after he lost election to Vaibhav Naik on his homeground in Kankavli.

While Rane received 33703 votes, Shiv Sena's Trupti Sawant has got 52711 votes pushing MIM candidate (15050) to third position. Sawant's victory has given Sena a much needed boost ahead of civic polls in Navi Mumbai, Aurangabad and later in Mumbai n Thane.

In Tasgaon R R Patil's widow has won with a thumping margin of over 1 lakh vote. She defeated a BJP rebel.

According to sources Rane's political rehabilitation now looks bleak and he will be at his party's mercy but, for the Congress, there's a silver lining even in the Mumbai loss; the party seems to be back in favour among at least the minorities with more votes this time than in the last year's elections. Also, Cong will not have to deal with a resurgent and, therefore, rebellious Rane and the big guns in the party will breathe easy for now.

Read this in Hindi: उपचुनाव में भी हारे नारायण राणे, समर्थकों की भिड़ंत

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Shiv Sena's Trupti Sawant trounces former CM

MUMBAI: In a major political coup, Shiv Sena's Trupti Sawant trounced former CM and Congress heavyweight Narayan Rane in the Bandra (east) assembly by-election with over 20,000 margin of votes.

A rank novice, Sawant was in the poll fray following the death of her husband, Sena MLA Prakash Bala Sawant early this year. Siraj Khan Rahbar Khan of the MIM came a poor third.

However, analysts say Khan's presence led to polarisation of votes along communal lines, which helped the Sena bag the seat in what was being described as an uneven fight.

Jubilant Shiv Sainiks held noisy celebrations outside Rane's Bandra residence, triggering tension in the area. Timely police intervention averted a crisis.

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Maharashtra okays ACB clean chit to Gavit, HC told

MUMBAI: Maharashtra government informed Bombay High Court on Wednesday that it has sanctioned Anti-Corruption Bureau's clean chit to former cabinet minister Vijaykumar Gavit, his wife Kumudini and his brother Sharad.

A division bench of Justice Naresh Patil and Justice V L Achliya were submitted a report from the ACB in sealed cover containing the decision. The bench questioned on what basis the director-general has arrived at his decision and asked it to be shown to the court at 3 pm. When Gavit's advocate Mahesh Jethmalani asked what the final report says. Justice Patil replied,"The final report is in your (Gavit) favour. DG is not in favour of the open inquiry continuing. State government has concurred and sanctioned its closure."

The court heard public interest litigation by Nashik activists for prosecution of Gavit, Kumudini and Sharad,. PIL alleged that ``illegal assets '' were acquired by Gavit when he was minister of the Tribal Development Department, a portfolio he held for a long time. Last month the investigating officer submitted the report of the open inquiry and the DG's report was awaited.

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'Workers spend an average of 5% of income on commuting': Study

MUMBAI: The cost of travelling to work has almost doubled over the past five years. New research findings by global workplace provider Regus shows that workers worldwide now spend an average of 5% of their net take-home income on their annual commute.

The research also sheds light on the fact that more than half of the global workers have a home office, but having a fully equipped professional space at home is much rarer and businesses hardly ever foot the bill. The study surveyed more than 44,000 senior business people across more than 100 countries.

Global workers spent an average of 3% of their annual take home pay on their commute into work back in 2010, but the situation has now significantly worsened. Costs have risen even higher than the 5% average for workers in some parts of the world: in South Africa, Brazil, France, India and Mexico, for example, country averages have reached 6%. Businesses that want to retain and attract top talent cannot fail to address the issue of the costly commute.

A fifth of the respondents also report that it would take a whole month's salary for them to fit out a professional working space within their home and only one third (34%) report that their firm has contributed to creating their home office, making a neat little saving for firms that encourage home working.

The research highlights that: · In 2010 the average commuter spent 3% of take home salary on travel, this has now risen to 5% in 2015;

· In Mexico, South Africa and India commuters spend an average of 6% of annual income on travel;

· 79% of respondents confirm that most companies that encourage their employees to work from home do not cover all the costs of creating and maintaining that workspace;

· Almost half (49%) of workers globally think that most companies that encourage their employees to work from home are simply trying to transfer the cost of having workspace onto the employee.

Harsh Lambah, country manager for Regus in India, said, "With living costs rising, every penny counts for the world's workers, yet travel expenses are accounting for a larger and larger slice of their yearly outgoings. Flexible working can provide a solution for maxed out employees. The financial benefits of remote working for both staff and employer are clear, yet many businesses are currently missing out on a valuable opportunity by failing to fully commit. Businesses that want to retain top talent need to urgently address reducing the cost of commuting by offering them the choice to work closer to home at least some of the time."

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Half of construction project owners experienced underperforming projects last year: KPMG

MUMBAI: Over half of construction project owners experienced one or more underperforming projects last year, despite confidence in project planning and controls, said KPMG International's 2015 Global Construction Project Owner's Survey: Climbing the Curve, released on Wednesday. Project owners said only 31% of their projects came within 10% of budget, and just 25% within 10% of original deadlines, in the past three years.

"As engineering and construction projects get bigger, the complexity grows exponentially," says Geno Armstrong, Global Chair, Engineering & Construction and a principal with KPMG in the US. "The improvements by owners in planning and risk management have been significant, yet there is further work to be done to reduce the number of project failures, and bring more projects in on-time and on-budget."

KPMG's survey shows that owners of major capital projects are implementing more mature planning and approval processes, with 84% reporting that their company screens projects using both financial and risk analysis, and 74% of firms requiring formal project delivery and contract strategy analysis, prior to authorization.

About 44% acknowledged a struggle to attract qualified craft labour and 45% percent cited a lack of planners and project managers. Consequently, the majority - 69% - say their firms hire external resources equivalent to more than 5% of their total project workforce.

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HC puts on hold govt move to regularize Mumbai’s illegal buildings

MUMBAI: In a setback to the Maharashtra government, the Bombay high court on Monday restrained the state and BMC from taking a final decision on regularizing over 56,000 illegal structures in the city. Hearing a public interest litigation filed by city resident Rajendra Thacker, a division bench of Justices Abhay Oka and Ashok Bhangale directed the state and BMC to reply within six weeks and not to take any decision on the issue during that period.

Advocate Sumedha Rao, counsel for Thacker, pointed out to the court that there was no mention in reports about whether the proposal to regularize the illegal buildings conformed to the guidelines laid down by the high court in 2004. "Nobody knows which are these 56,000 buildings that the authorities plan to regularize or what sort of violations are being condoned. Despite an RTI application, the authorities have not furnished a list of these buildings," said Rao. The petition has urged the court to ensure that the 2004 guidelines are followed and no regularization is permitted till the state gives time to citizens to submit their objections and suggestions.

As per BMC records, there are over 56,000 illegal structures in Mumbai housing around 15 lakh people. Last month, TOI had reported about BMC commissioner Sitaram Kunte submitting a report to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis with a proposal to regularize most of the illegal structures and demolish the others partially or completely. The report said that constructions where the balcony area or extended part of the legal constructions have been occupied could be compounded by charging additional fees, and norms could be relaxed for those falling in reserved or no-development zones. The state had reportedly given its in-principle approval for the scheme though it was scrutinizing it for legal implications, especially if it was in accordance with the Mumbai Regional Town Planning Act.

Thacker in his petition urged the court to order the state to reveal the details and whether it was in conformity with the 2004 HC guidelines. The 2004 guidelines were framed in an order that had come on an earlier PIL filed by Thacker, which had challenged a 2003 BMC decision to regularize 154 buildings in the city. The HC had in its guidelines said that structures that have violated FSI rules will not be permitted to be regularized unless it is allowed under the Development Control regulations. The civic authorities have to ensure that health, safety, fire and structural safety of the buildings and neighbourhood is not affected and had provided for compensation of affected residents as part of the premium.

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‘Accused was in cop’s home at time of crime’

MUMBAI: The first defence witness in 2010 Kurla minor rape and murder case told a sessions court Monday that the accused Javed Sheikh, a cable man, was attending to a repair call at the home of a police constable in Nehru Nagar at the same time the prosecution claimed he had carried out the gruesome act.

The witness, a cable distributor, is a former employer of Sheikh and said on June 6, 2010, Sheikh had spent the entire day on field, collecting the cable and internet fees and also attending to calls. The witness also said he had diary entries and receipts collected by Javed on that day.

The victim was found raped and murdered in 2010. Sheikh was arrested and trial began in September 2010.

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Happy new year, solar calendar way

Several communities that observe new year by the solar calendar are preparing to celebrate April 14-15 amid feasting and festivity. The advent of Vaishakh or Vishubh Sankranti marks the turn of the calendar for natives of Punjab, Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Assam and Kerala. Some celebrations:

Baisakhi | April 14

The foremost festival of the Punjabi calendar is being celebrated on April 13-14. Celebrations by the Maharashtra Sikh Association and Punjabi Heritage Cultural Board were held in Bandra and Andheri on April 11 owing to the weekend holiday. But the Sikhs of Lokhandwala gathered on Monday.Bhangra and gidda performances were followed by a feast that demonstrated the community's love for food.

Puthandu | Tamil Nadu (April 14)

Tamilian households across the city, particularly in South Indian enclaves like Sion Matunga, are preparing to welcome new year at Puthandu on Tuesday. After they adorn the threshold of the house with traditional rice flour rangoli, women prepare a range of bitter, sour and sweet dishes, including neem rasam, salad pachadi and appam. Families visit the temple wearing new clothes and return home to light the holy lamp. Mohana Iyer of the Vashi Fine Arts Society plans to visit the Ayyappa temple with her husband who is from Palghat. The family will celebrate Puthandu and Vishu simultaneously.The Tamil Nadu government had "shifted" new year to Pongal some years back but not all accepted the revision.

Bishubha Sankranti | Orissa (April 14)

The community will celebrate it on Saturday as it falls on April 14, a working day. A grand function has been organised at Orissa Bhavan in Navi Mumbai. Dr Kananika Tripathi, head of the Bombay Odia Women's Association (BOWA) since 23 years, says, "Our Bishubha Milan programme draws hundreds of people for its ethnic flavour. We serve classic bel fruit sherbet and the delectable manda peetha sweet, which resembles modak. This year, we are staging a comedy that has been sourced from the cultural department of Orissa." Students of the community-run Utkarsha dance academy will perform the Odissi Dashavtar dance led by Guru Shakti Nayak.

Rongali Bihu | Assam (April 14-15-16)

The month of Vaishakh is called Bohag in Assam, so the three-day festival of Rongali Bihu is also termed Bohag Bihu. The Assam Association will host a Rongali Bihu celebration with 'Bihu gaan' and 'hosuri' dance at the Cidco Hall in Navi Mumbai on April 18.Around 650 people are expected to attend. S P Borthakur, former vice president of the association, says, "The first day or Goru Bihu is dedicated to worshipping and adorning cows and livestock, the second for Manuh or human beings, the third for Gosain or God. This is when we start using handheld fans to signal the change in season, and share vegetables with neighbours as a gesture of goodwill. We visit religious places and seeking blessings from family elders." He says turmeric water is prepared for bathing so the skin can be purified. Housewives cook ethnic sweets, including various peetha made from black sesame, rice or coconut.

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Has night-life policy figured women safety? : Maharashtra to tell HC

MUMBAI : The Maharashtra government is expected to tell the Bombay High Court on Wednesday whether its policy decision to allow bars, pubs and restaurants to remain open all night in Mumbai has considered the impact of safety of women.

On March 13, the HC had restrained the government from implementing its proposed decision unless it satisfies the court that it has conducted an impact study on the safety of women.

The court is hearing two public interest litigation including one taken up spontaneously after a woman was molested on a train between Nerul and Juinagar stations in the wee hours of June 19, 2011.

The government was granted time of three weeks to file reply including informing if it will entrust the Dharmadhikari committee, which was set up to suggest women-friendly recommendations, to look into the entire issue.

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Free medical treatment for rape victims :Maha to tell HC

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government is expected to place before the Bombay High Court on Wednesday its policy for providing free medical treatment for rape victims. The government has to state if rape victims can also avail free treatment at private medical colleges.

On March 12, the court passed the direction while hearing two public interest litigation including one taken up spontaneously after a woman was molested on a train between Nerul and Juinagar stations in the wee hours of June 19, 2011. The Dharmadhikari panel, set up to suggest women-friendly recommendations, had submitted six reports with 171 recommendations including ban on women waitresses in bars and restaurants as measure to curb attacks on women and reduce the crime rate in Mahararashtra, The government has accepted 109 recommendations.

The bench was informed by a petitioner's advocate that one of the committees recommendations was to ensure that appropriate free medical treatment is extended to the victims of rape. He also informed that the government's response is that free treatment is provided only in government hospitals.

The court was told that the real emphasis should be on providing prompt medical treatment to rape victims in all hospitals. Also , that if a government hospital is not available in the vicinity, the victim should be able to take treatment in a private hospital and the government should reimburse them. Adjourning the hearing to April 15, 2015 bench then directed the State government`` to deal with this aspect and place on record the policy. ''

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Unseasonal showers fail to cool Mumbai

MUMBAI: Unseasonal showers of rain were recorded on Tuesday all over the city and suburbs. There were rains observed even in areas of Thane, Kalyan and Dombivli in the evening. However the unseasonal rains failed to cool the city and maximum temperatures stayed above normal.

Areas in Andheri, Goregoan, Borivli witnesses showers on Wednesday early evening. However the maximum temperatures recorded in Colaba was 33.4 degree Celsius which was 1.2 degree Celsius above normal while in Santacruz it was 31.8 degree Celsius whichw as 0.8 degree Celsius below normal. The minimum temperatures meanwhile in Colaba was 25.6 degree Celsius while in Santacruz it was 23.2 degree Celsius.

"This is an upper air circulation over Gujarat bringing in a lot of moisture to Mumbai. This is just slight rain which may last for a day more," said VK Rajeev, regional director, India Meteorological Department, Mumbai.

The unseasonal rain in Kalyan-Dombivli, Ulhasnagar and Titwala's city area brough some relief to residents while it affected to farmers in villages of Shahapur and Murbad area of Thane District, where unseasonal rain damaged their crops.

In Navi Mumbai it rained between 5.15 pm to 5.40 pm in several areas , including Vashi, Sanpada. Koparkhairane and Belapur among others.

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Boy scales school wall to look for ball, drowns in swimming pool

MUMBAI: A 10-year-old boy died after entering the swimming pool of an international school located in Borivli (west) on Saturday evening. The boy, Sahil Bhandary, and one of his friends had scaled the compound wall to enter the school premises looking for a cricket ball.

A watchman of the school, Ajay Pawar (49, has been arrested for 'negligence while on duty'.

The boy, who lives near the school, was playing cricket with his friends at a playground in the area when the ball entered the school premise. According to the kids, Bhandary and one of their friends climbed a tree near the school compound wall and jumped inside. The school is shut for vacations.

Bhandary studied in Class IV in a sister concern of the same school housed on the same premises.

Senior inspector Subhash Chavan of MHB Colony police station said, "Bhandary got into the pool to fetch the ball. But the boy could not swim and soon started drowning. That's when his companion rushed to the gate and alerted the watchman who informed others and rushed Bhandary to a hospital where he was declared dead."

Inspector Chavan said they will also initiate action against the school management for negligence shown in not posting a guard at the pool. The school, however, said that the guard at the swimming pool had left since it was Saturday and it is vacation time.

The watchman will be produced in court on Monday.

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Over 30 IPS officers transferred in Maharashtra

MUMBAI: Over 30 IPS officers were transferred and some of them were promoted in Maharashtra on Monday.

A new post of joint commissioner of police, economic offences wing, has been created in Mumbai and Dhananjay Kamalakar will be posted there.

Meanwhile, state ATS chief Himanshu Roy has been transferred to state police housing. He will be replaced by Vivek Phansalkar, city police's joint commissioner for administration. Phansalkar has been promoted.

Among others transferred include senior IPS officer Satish Mathur who was Pune police commissioner. He has been promoted as director general for Legal and Technical.

SP Yadav who headed state CID has been transferred as Nagpur police commissioner. Meanwhile, Nagpur police commissioner KK Pathak has been transferred as Pune police commissioner.

Mumbai police's joint commissioner post has been filled in by Deven Bharti, who was inspector general of police, law and order in the state police.

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