Maharashtra's 50th Foundation Day today

MUMBAI: On Maharashtra's 50th Foundation Day, Governor K Sankaranarayanan and chief minister Ashok Chavan led the state in paying tributes to the 105 martyrs of the movement that led to the creation of the state. The Governor and chief minister paid floral tributes to the martyrs of Samyukta Maharashtra movement at the Hutatma Chowk (martyrs' memorial) in South Mumbai

The Governor later unfurled the tricolour and took salute at a ceremonial parade at the Shivaji Park here. He also inaugurated an exhibition organised by the Directorate General of Information and Public Relations on `Maharashtra's Progress during the last 50 years' at Shivaji Park. A series of functions have been planned to commemorate the golden jubilee of Maharashtra, formed on May 1, 1960. They include a light and sound show followed by fireworks along the Marine Drive this evening. At a function organised by the Shiv Sena in suburban Bandra this evening, melody queen Lata Mangeshkar would render patriotic songs. Sena chief Bal Thackeray would be present at the event.

A cultural programme, `Swarna Maharashtra' (Golden Maharashtra), is being organised at Girgaum Chowpatty and is based on historical, cultural and social heritage of Maharashtra. 

Experiment of an assimilative state by Nehru

Mumbai: he reorganisation of states was always on the minds of leaders. The first sign of this were seen in 1920-21, when Congress leaders asked state units to reorganise on linguistic lines.Thus, we saw the formation of the Bombay, Marathwada and Vidarbha Congress units. The basic principle of having states formed on linguistic lines was to make governance easier, facilitate better information gathering and also better communication. It was a universal assumption that people think best in their mother tongue.

Before independence, there were meetings and discussions in the constituent assembly when leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar wanted the formation of states on linguistic lines to be deferred. It was around the time of independence that they felt that linguistic passions would grow and eventually become a threat to national unity. They believed unity was far more important.The leaders, especially Nehru, believed in the power of Indian plurality, which was assimilative and inclusive. He believed that it would lead to the betterment of culture and enhance the way of life, like in England.

Unable to use MGNREGA effectively: Jayant Patil

MUMBAI: State rural development minister Jayant Patil stunned participants at a national seminar on the agrarian crisis here this week when he admitted that Maharashtra was lagging behind in the implementation of the prestigious Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) because its "bureaucracy found the transparency clauses in it too much of a bother".

He was speaking at the Kalina campus of the Mumbai University which had organized a two-day national seminar on `MGNREGA and the agrarian crisis' through its Centre for Human Development in the Department of Economics. MGNREGA is the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government's flagship programme and has been credited with helping it return to power in 2009's general election. The main objective of the scheme is to enhance livelihood security in rural areas by providing not less than 100 days of wage employment in an year to one adult member of every family. 

Fail not, fear not: State to safeguard 'weak' students

MUMBAI: There will hopefully not be another Shams Merchant. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, which came into force from April 1, has a clause which makes it clear that no student between the ages of 6-14 can be expelled or held back in any class. Merchant (14), a Class VII student, hanged himself at his Millat Nagar residence on Thursday after learning he failed for the second time in the same class.

Under the provisions of the new landmark legislation on education, no child admitted in a school will be failed in any class or expelled from the school till the completion of elementary education from the ensuing academic session. “We are duty-bound to implement the legislation, and at the same time, we will take adequate care of weak students. From this academic session onwards, no student will fail, at least up to elementary education,’’ school education minister Balasaheb Thorat told TOI on Friday. About Merchant, the minister said, “The case was brought to my notice, it was unfortunate.’’ 

High life: Flat on Carmichael Rd fetches Rs 33 cr

MUMBAI: In another freak transaction, an apartment in the art deco Kamal Mahal building on Carmichael Road in south Mumbai is believed to have fetched its owner around Rs 33 crore. Barely a few weeks ago a sprawling duplex in Samudra Mahal building at Haji Ali went for about Rs 37 crore—over one lakh rupees a square foot—making it the highest recorded price for an apartment in the country. The Kamal Mahal flat is located on the fourth floor of the seven-storey building and belongs to one Bhagat family. The identity of the buyer, however, is not yet known. The sale papers are expected to be submitted to the building’s society for its no objection certificate in the next one week.
The apartment has a carpet area of 4,171 sq ft and was in the market for the past 15 months. Market sources said the owners had initially set a price of around Rs 40 crore for this flat, but later scaled it down. “Such deals are not representative of the property market today. You can possibly get a flat across the street or on the same road at half the price. But buildings like Kamal Mahal are considered to be iconic and always command a premium when volumes are not available,’’ said developer Niranjan Hiranandani. He confessed that when such large transactions are reported, builders take advantage and jack up rates of their own properties. “Some are willing to pay any price because of the building and its location,’’ he added. 

Won’t train recruits: motormen

In violation of service rules, motormen of Western Railway (WR) suburban trains have shown unwillingness to groom new recruits as train drivers. “Motormen have refused to train the new staff. They have informed the administration that motormen will impart training on the condition that they would not be responsible for any untoward incident,” said a senior official at WR. “Had their seniors taken the same stand, they would never have become motormen,” the official added.

In fact, it was in accordance with their demand to fill motormen vacancies in the suburban section of Mumbai division immediately that the WR filled almost all vacancies in Mumbai division. Filling of vacancies was a major demand of motormen during their agitation in January, when they said they were overworked due to staff shortage.

At present, 70 motormen are under training and of them, 45 have completed a year of training at the institute at Mahalaxmi workshop. Now they have to train under the supervision of seniors.

'Sr RTO official took bribe in superbike scam'

MUMBAI: A deputy regional transport officer and three of his assistants had taken huge bribes for illegal registration of imported superbikes, CID superintendent of police M A Gundewadi has told the Bombay high court.

Following a high court order, the CID had appointed Gundewadi to probe into the multicrore sam of imported bikes. “We recorded the statements of the accused before a magistrate as is the provision under the Criminal Procedure Code. The accused disclosed that they had paid a huge amount money to four senior officials, including the deputy regional transport officer of Pen,’’ Gundewadi said in his affidavit submitted to the court. A few witnesses have also said that an overlook on the part of officers at the RTO offices in Pen and Andheri facilitated the fraud. 

CM sets 2012 deadline for city's infra projects

MUMBAI: On the eve of Maharashtra’s golden jubilee celebrations, chief minister Ashok Chavan has promised to make it a global state. For Mumbaikars, the CM’s promises for what they are worth hold out hope of a better quality of life. “We are determined to make it a world-class city. I will ensure that all infrastructure projects are completed by 2012,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, the foot soldiers of the original army of the Samyukta Maharashtra movement are a disillusioned lot. “We fought for the cause of the Marathi manoos before it became a political slogan. Little did we know that rich rulers would get richer by turning mills into malls,’’ they rued in Parel, the heartland of the Marathi community.

Milind Deora is dreaming of a world-class Mumbai

Mumbai is definitely on the verge of being one of the best cities in the world. All that we need to do is concentrate on the key issues like governance, transport, infrastructure, housing and water supply. I feel more power should be vested upon the Mayor of the city and BMC to effectively push for growth. Then there are talks whether Mumbai should be a separate state or a Union Territory. Mumbai should always be a part of Maharashtra. The people have gone through a lot and Mumbai’s history is linked directly to that of the state. We can’t divide the two ever because that won’t make Mumbai grow.

The government should quickly act on opening the Navi Mumbai and Mumbai link bridge which will solve the housing problem in Mumbai. The rent or property rates are definitely on the higher side in the city. So Navi Mumbai — that has a lot of land — can be explored to solve the housing problem. When the new bridge becomes operational, a person can travel from Navi Mumbai to South Mumbai in about 25 minutes. That would really help the people as they would look to settle there as 25 minutes travelling is not a big deal.

Fire at cloth godown kills 3 in sleep

Three people died when a fire gutted a cloth godown in Khotwadi, Santacruz, at 3 am on Thursday. They had been sleeping in the godown, a ground-plus-two-storey structure in a narrow bylane in Santacruz West.Pappu Devraj Vaidya, 22, Ramdev Praveen Singh Jhala, 22, and Ramesh Hirjee Kathre, 20, were all workers in the godown, which also served as a cloth-cutting factory.Once the fire was doused, the upper two floors were demolished as the structure could collapse, a BMC official said.

The cause of the fire could not be determined, said Uday Tatkare, chief fire officer. “It proved difficult for us to take the fire truck to the narrow bylane, and we had to use hose pipes to get water to the site,” he said.Usually more people sleep in the godown, but three of them were not there on Wednesday night. Had they been there, they could have also died, said Jaishree Mathur, who lives in the same lane. “We did not realise there had been a fire until we woke up and saw the fire brigade.” 

Another onlooker said the godown was not adjacent to other buildings, so other houses did not suffer much damage. These houses, in one of the city’s oldest areas, have been marked for slum rehabilitation.“The upper floors were unauthorised and we will serve a notice to the owner,” said assistant municipal commissioner M M Kshirsagar, H West ward (Bandra West). A survey will assess whether other houses in the area are authorised, he added.

'I-T' men in Rs1.3-cr diamond heist held in Mumbai

Mumbai: A sensational robbery case involving the theft of diamonds worth Rs 1.30crore by men posing as Income Tax officers was cracked by the Mumbai Crime Branch. Seven persons were arrested on Thursday.The arrested have been identified as kingpin Pravin Parab alias Bala, Govind Mankar, Ramesh Shinde, Harpreet Singh, Amardeep Singh, Gagandeep Chauhan and Rahul Jaiswal.

They were arrested on the basis of a complaint filed by Deepak Lalwani, who works in KGK Diamonds. According to joint commissioner of police, crime, Himanshu Roy, Lalwani was accosted on March 28 by five persons posing as I-T officers.

A case of dacoity, kidnapping with arms was registered with the Dindoshi police. The number plate of their escape vehicle was traced to someone who had nothing to do with the case.A team of senior inspector Milind Khetle, assistant inspectors Sandeep Vishwasrao and Vijay Kandadgaonkar nabbed the culprits. “We have recovered diamonds worth Rs1.16 crore, charas, a pistol and four live rounds,” Roy said.

New domestic terminal will open on Monday

MUMBAI: The much-awaited new domestic terminal at Mumbai airport will be inaugurated on Saturday and thrown open for passengers on Monday. The new terminal — 1C — will function as a link between the existing terminals, 1A and 1B.

Passengers can look forward to boarding their flight from the new terminal more conveniently as six new aerobridges will be opened up for domestic flights. Till now, only terminal 1A (from where Air India and Kingfisher flights operate) had aerobridges. “The entry and exit points for the passengers will remain the same as usual. However, once they have collected their boarding pass and are through with security checks, they will move towards the new terminal for boarding,’’ an airport official said.

The 1C, the official added, will serve till the new integrated terminal for both domestic and international operations is ready. “The current structure will be demolished once the X-shaped integrated terminal in Andheri is ready,’’ an official said.

Heading to sea? Watch out for invisible craters, say experts

MUMBAI: The drownings of three children at Aksa beach on Wednesday has once again highlighted the need to plan trips cautiously and watch the water one steps into. Even as summer vacations have started and families have started thronging sea-side resorts, experts warn of the danger that lurks beneath the tempting waters.

The sea, say experts, cradles big holes that is not visible to the eye. The treacherous sands and powerful waves are enough to drag even swimmers into the depths of the sea. “People want to soak in the cool waters as the heat is too much to bear, but the sea can often be treacherous,’’ explains Rajnikant Mhashelkar (54), a lifeguard who has spent 35 years in this profession.

“When a person is in the water, the strong waves slowly drag him in the direction of the holes. While the person himself is unaware of this gradual shift, an onlooker can see it. But before anyone can
realise it, the person gets sucked into the deep sea,’’ said Mhashelkar.

Fire brigade plans to train lifeguards

MUMBAI: Taking into account the frequent drowning deaths on beaches, the BMC has transferred the entire responsibility of beach safety to the fire brigade. Considering their expertise in tackling eventualities, the fire brigade will appoint and train lifeguards for all beaches. A day after three youngsters died after drowning off Aksa beach, civic and fire brigade officials were busy chalking out a beach safety plan. It has now been decided to double the number of lifeguards on beaches. While currently there are 34 lifeguards on beaches, there will now be 68.

“We have handed over the responsibility of beach safety to the fire brigade as it has the core competence for the exercise. During monsoons, we will double the number of lifeguards. They will be given training by fire officials,’’ said additional municipal commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar.

The BMC, last month, issued an order to shift lifeguards from public health department to the fire brigade as it is on duty for 24 hours. This makes them better equipped to manage lifeguards. Chief fire officer Uday Tatkare said, “There are lifeguards at Juhu, Versova, Aksa, Madh, Marve and Gorai. But they are neither properly trained, nor available when there is a crowd. We are in the process of training them.’’

Science made fun for school kids

Students most often find science a difficult subject to crack in school. But when it comes to practical experiments in the laboratory, the subject become interesting.In an effort to make the subject have a greater connect with students in the city; Bayer’s conducted a school education initiative — Make Science Make Sense (MSMS) — a science challenge.The challenge, launched in India in 2007, had 200 students from 10 city schools participating in it. Conducted for Std V and VI students, the challenge involves initial phase of activity conducted during school hours, where the students participate in various demonstrations and experiments.

Activities include the functioning of hydraulic bridges, finger prints, paper chromatography, water rockets, etc. “Students also had to participate in a hands-on activity and build a small robot that can walk in a straight line from the kit provided to them,” said Kaikobad Mistry, chief financial officer, Bayer, India.

Second sea link will be longer & costlier

Mumbai: Although the length of the Worli-Haji Ali stretch of the sea link is said to be approximately 4 km on paper, if the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) officials are to be believed, the total length of this second phase is going to be more than the first link. Also, the cost of this stretch will go up by leaps and bound.The cost of the Bandra-Worli stretch increased from Rs400 crore to a whopping Rs1,634 crore. However, the contractor and MSRDC have been defending their case by saying that the escalation was because of the change in alignment and an additional cable stayed bridge. Now, the second stretch will also see a higher cost, even though there are no complicated engineering works such as the cable stayed bridge — an extremely complicated engineering job.

According to senior MSRDC officials, though the actual sea link is 3.6 km into the sea, there are several other aspects which will be responsible for the increased cost. “The connector towards Haji Ali connecting the link with the main road will be of 1.25 km. Besides this, the most complicated part will be the clover leaf flyover at Worli. This will be a similar structure like the one opposite the Bandra fire brigade office. This will ensure smooth traffic flow at Worli junction. Together, this takes the total length to 7 km,” said an MSRDC official.

State's clever move: Smart cards to curb fake degrees

Mumbai: The state government plans to provide smart cards to university graduates to curb the menace of fake degree certificates. It will also introduce a bill to prevent the mushrooming of unauthorised universities in the state.Also, in a step to restrict the ad-hoc mushrooming of unauthorised institutions, the government has drafted the prevention of unauthorised institutions bill.

Higher and technical education minister Rajesh Tope mooted the idea of smart cards in the legislative council on Thursday.He announced the measure given 1,134 cases of fake degree certificates coming to light since February this year — in two months. This was said in response to MLC Bhagwan Salunkhe’s query if the government had any system to verify the degree certificates.

Tope said the government or the universities have no such facility, but if a demand is made by the graduates’ employers, the universities will do the needful.But, for the future, he said a more foolproof plan was in motion.“All universities in the state would be directed about smart cards which will keep a check on bogus certificates and degrees by the graduates,” Tope said.

Your power bills will shoot up from May

MUMBAI: Residential electricity consumers across the state, as well as medium and large sugarcane farmers, face increased power billing by at least 25 paise a unit from May onwards with the MERC deciding to continue with the policy of gradually eliminating the cross-subsidy system.

The move is in keeping with the national policy to gradually eliminate the cross-subsidy, which involves using revenue from industrial and commercial users to reduce the burden on suburban and agricultural users. Last year, on these grounds, MERC had approved a hike for residential consumers in the rest of the state, but not in Mumbai. This summer, MERC is planning to continue its implementation of the central policy, which will lead to residential rates across the state, including Mumbai, going up.

“We are serious about implementing a gradual reduction in the cross-subsidy by effecting a minimal increase in the tariff for residential and some agricultural consumers this summer. The action plan for the execution of this idea is being prepared,’’ said an official. 

Maharashtra govt starts suspension proceedings against Ravi Gaekwad

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has begun suspension proceedings against Deputy Regional Transport Officer Ravi Gaekwad, brother of Rendezvous Sports CEO Shailendra Gaekwad, for his failure to report to duty after being transferred out of Mumbai in the wake of the imported bike scam.

"We have initiated suspension proceedings against Gaekwad who has not reported to duty after he was transferred out of Mumbai following the imported bike scam," Transport Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil said.

Ravi Gaekwad was shunted to Beed in Marathwada district after his alleged involvement in a fraud involving registration of imported bikes. However, he did not join his new posting.Ravi, who was deputy RTO in Mumbai, is elder brother of Shailendra Gaekwad and runs The Pushp Cricket Academy in Solapur. His father Kishan Gaekwad is a retired executive engineer in the Irrigation Department.

Preity, Bollywood’s richest girl!

Is Preity Zinta the richest girl in Bollywood today? It would seem so. The pretty co-owner of the Punjab IPL team, rough estimates say, is worth a whole lot of moolah. 

Preity’s stake in her cricket team alone is valued at around Rs 350 to Rs 400 crores. Some cricket experts say the figure is higher. Besides which, the actress is also likely to be the legal heir of Shandar Amrohi, who is one of the co-owners of Kamalistan Studios (that originally belonged to Meena Kumari and Kamal Amrohi). 

Asin travels cattle class!

Asin seems to be following in the footsteps of her former co-star Salman Khan, who is known to hop into rickshaws on impulse and even engage in antics like driving one late at night. Recently, when Asin was heading to Madurai airport to catch a flight, she took up an unusual dare by her friends - to travel in a bullock cart.

A source close to Asin reveals, “It is a two-hour drive to Madurai airport from Kairaikudi. Asin was to catch a flight to Mumbai and was accompanied by three friends. On the way, they spotted a bullock cart and one thing led to another. When her friends challenged Asin to ride on it, she immediately agreed.” 

Gold Mohur fire was sabotage

The forensic science laboratory report on the fire at Gold Mohur textile mill, Dadar, on March 20 has established sabotage.The report - a copy of which is with Mumbai Mirror - has been submitted to Bhoiwada Police Station and the BMC. It says kerosene residue was found in the samples.According to the report, forensic scientists collected 11 exhibits (samples) - earth, debris, stone and partly burnt metallic parts - from the Gold Mohur Mill. The report says, “… kerosene residues were positively detected in the sample number 1, 2, 3, 4, 8 and 11.” Around 22 fire engines and 10 water tankers battled for ten hours to douse the flames. However, no casualties were reported as the mill was shut down. Corporator Niyaz Wanu said, “The forensic report has proved the mill was wilfully set ablaze.

The culprits need to be punished and booked under MCOCA.” Pointing out how densely populated this Dadar neighbourhood is, he said, “We are lucky the fire was restricted within the mill premises and did not spread to adjoining areas.”

Mayor Shraddha Jadhav too had alleged the 120-yr-old textile mill owned by NTC had been set ablaze as the stake holders wanted to construct high-rise residential and commercial complexes. She had demanded a probe.

Salman Khan joins Twitter

Bollywood star Salman Khan is the latest actor from tinsel town to have joined the micro-blogging site Twitter. "Arbaaz ne kaha ke Tweet karna toh banta hai boss. Chalo now, whoever was being me, party over, baju hatto please (Arbaaz said that I must Tweet. So now whoever was being me, please move aside)," Salman said in his initial posts.

The actor was welcomed on Twitter by jewellery designer Farah Khan Ali who is amongst the most regular celebrities on the website. "Hey guys please welcome the one and only superstar actor Salman Khan on Twitter @BeingSalmanKhan. Big shout to him," Farah posted.

While a lot of Bollywood actors have joined Twitter, stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Aamir Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Sushmita Sen, et al, are yet to get bitten by the Twitter bug. 

In tug-of-war, bid to revive Mantralaya plan, in parts

The Mantralaya makeover project, the subject of a debate between the Congress and the NCP, will go back to the drawing board, with PWD Minister Chhagan Bhujbal hoping to have it resurrected as two separate projects.The NCP leader said on Tuesday, “The total project stands cancelled. We will probably prepare two new projects. The project for renovation of the Mantralaya and the new administrative building will be funded through the state’s budgetary provisions.”

Other components might be taken up separately on a build-operate-and-transfer basis, he said. The existing plans include construction of a rest-house for dignitaries, an MLA hostel, political parties’ offices and six 60-storey towers to house ministers, judges and bureaucrats. “We cannot afford Rs 1,500 crore on our own,” Bhujbal said.

As per the PWD’s original plans, the developer was to invest at least Rs 1,100 crore; it would then gain by constructing on a four-acre plot at Nariman Point. The project was cleared by the state infrastructure committee in April 2008.

No takers for INS Vikrant's museum plan

MUMBAI: The much-awaited bidding on Tuesday for the proposed Rs 450-crore conversion of the decommissioned aircraft carrier INS Vikrant into a maritime museum failed, as none of the five industrial players turned up. The government had announced a proposal to convert the carrier into a museum on the very day she was decommissioned — on January 31, 1997.

The project has been delayed by more than 10 years. Manukumar Srivastava, secretary, urban development and special projects said, "Five bidders — HCC Infrastructure, Srei Infrastructure, Kalpataru Power, Dhoot Developers and Zoom Developers — were asked to submit financial bids after they qualified in the technical bids round, but no one turned up. We will have to go for re-bidding again." 

Asia's first artificial Sea World to come up in Konkan

Mumbai: Now, here’s a distinction that would see Maharashtra set apart from the other states. The state government on Tuesday announced its plan to set up Asia’s first ever artificial Sea World in Konkan by next year.The Sea World will have an artificial sea that will represent the marine life.

“We have asked for a feasibility report for the Sea World. The report will be out in the next six months, following which the actual project work will start in another six months,” state tourism minister Vijaykumar Gavit said in the legislative council.

Gavit was replying to a calling attention motion raised by Shiv Sena’s Parshuram Uparkar over the proposed Sea World in Konkan.“The project will be set up on a 150-acre land at the cost of Rs150 crore. Once we receive the feasibility report, we will ask for funds from the Centre to implement the project. If the Centre denies funds, we will complete the project through a public-private partnership within two years,” said Gavit. He added that once the project was complete, 10 lakh tourists are expected to visit it. Gavit also announced that they had plans to recruit locals for the project work.

Activist alleges 40 more violations in Wankhede redevelopment work

Mumbai: While the Bombay high court is hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), challenging the redevelopment of Wankhede stadium, the petitioners on Tuesday brought to notice 40 more violations in the redevelopment.Social activist Amit Maru has now also sought action against the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI), the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Garware Club House for allegedly violating the development plan.Wankhede is presently undergoing a total makeover for World Cup-2011.A division bench of justice FI Rebello and justice Mridula Bhatkar will hear the PIL on April 22.

Maru had moved the high court in 2009, seeking restraint on the redevelopment of the stadium, alleging that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had granted redevelopment permission without proper clearances from the Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) and the environment ministry.

His fresh application seeks the demolition of construction of the Garware Club House, BCCI and IPL headquarters and they be converted into a public recreation ground as shown in the development plan.

Tragedy averted as Garib Rath derails near Kalyan

A major tragedy was averted after an air-conditioned compartment of Jabalpur-bound Garib Rath train derailed around 2.40 pm on Tuesday, seconds before it was supposed to take the railway bridge over the Waldhuni river between Kalyan and Shahad. No casualty or injury to passengers was reported. 

This, along with a few other disruptions, affected even the suburban services on the Central Railway till evening. For the hundreds on board the 2188 CST-Jabalpur Garib Rath, it was a providential escape. Had the engine moved another 20 metres onto the bridge and if the bogey had slipped off the tracks, there could have been a large number of casualties as the bridge is about 40 m above the river, which carries toxic effluent released from chemical factories in Kalyan, Dombivli, Shahad. The train, with 18 coaches, left CST at 1.30 pm and reached Kalyan at 5 pm. 

100 bicycles for BMC’s foot soldiers

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is buying 100 bicycles. Not as a thoughtful giveaway for its staff, but to help the men patrolling the 100-km water pipeline from Tansa move faster.The idea, says the civic body, is to keep an eye on the parts along the Eastern Express Highway where the arterial pipeline is heavily encroached and is vulnerable to pilferers.Rahul Shewale, chairman, Standing Committee, said, “Water is our biggest concern this year and will remain so in the years to come. Incidence of breaking into the main pipelines by slum dwellers is the biggest worry for the civic body.

As we are planning to get rid of all the encroachments along the pipelines, better vigilance is the need of the hour. I have thus asked the security personnel guarding our pipelines to purchase bicycles. This will help them move around faster. After all, the pipeline is more than 100-km long from the Tansa Lake.”

40% less water in stock than at same time last year

The six lakes that supply water to Mumbai have 40 per cent less in stock than at the same stage last year.Already struggling with frequent pipeline bursts and leaks, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has more bad news from its data on Modak Sagar, Tansa, Vihar, Tulsi, Upper Vaitarna and Bhatsa.

The total usable water in the lakes together is 2,80,494 million litres as on Tuesday. The same day last year, the lakes had 4,67,493 million litres between them.The low levels in the lakes are indicative of the low content: the Bhatsa, which contributes half the total water supply to Mumbai (including large parts of the eastern suburbs and some parts of the western suburbs), is down to a level of 113.35 metres, after 121.50 metres on April 13 last year.

The level in the Upper Vaitarna Lake, which supplies 20 per cent of the city’s water, is 595.75 metres, close to its lowest drawable level of 595.13 metres. The water in Vihar Lake, one of the oldest, has dropped to 73.56 metres, already below its lowest drawable limit of 73.92 metres.

Few takers for extra built-up space at BKC, scheme extended by a year

The cash-strapped Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has extended for another year — till March 2011 — a scheme that gives additional built-up space to developers of projects in the commercial business district of the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC).

Last May, the MMRDA increased the global floor space index (FSI) in BKC’s 178-hectare G-block to 4 from 2, meaning that projects over a plot area of, say, 1,000 sq m could have a built-up area of 4,000 sq m.Developers wanting to use the FSI, over and above what they were allowed at the time of buying the plot, were to pay a premium by March 31 2010.

Of the 18 that applied and were granted the additional built up area, however, seven have either not paid the premium yet or have decided not to use the additional built-up area at all. Only ING Vysya Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce and IDBI have made a full payment. The rest have opted for installments over five years at 10 per cent interest annually.

Nothing against me, trial will go on, give me bail: Jerome

Emile Jerome Mathew, accused of conspiring with his actress-fiancée Maria Susairaj in the murder of Synergy Adlabs creative head Neeraj Grover, has sought bail saying that there is no direct evidence of murder against him and that, since the trial will take a long time for completion, he should be released.

The bail application filed through lawyer Wahab Khan states that of the 16 witnesses examined by the prosecution, none has presented any evidence indicating the direct role of Jerome. Khan said his client is a permanent resident and wouldn’t flee if given bail.

It has been over a year since the trial began and many witnesses remain to be examined. Jerome would be present whenever required and should be given bail now, Khan has prayed.

The Crime Branch arrested Susairaj and Mathew on May 21, 2008. According to police, Mathew stabbed Grover to death that May 7 at his fiancée’s house in Malad. The couple allegedly chopped the body into small pieces and disposed of them at an isolated spot in Manor, Thane (Rural).

Reluctant lawyers cheque-mate night court move: no hearing yet

A week since evening courts to hear bounced-cheque cases had been inaugurated at the Dadar and Kurla magistrate’s courts, only one such case has been transferred, and it hasn’t been heard yet. This is because lawyers believe they are so overworked that they have no time for evening cases.

The courts, with a 6-8 pm schedule, were set up to deal with 20, 000 pending cases on bounced cheques. Advocate Jayesh Kanani, who specialises in such cases, said, “We come to court at 10.30 in the morning. We handle our cases at different courts around Mumbai and now we are expected to argue cases in the evening again. We are left with no time to prepare before arguing in the court.”

A court employee also cited a shortage of resources. “We have no typist for the evening court. Another clerk, meant only to call out a case, doubles up as typist. Having a non-specialist to work as a typist involves a high risk of errors.”

Panel to probe dumping in Aarey

The government today conceded that debris has been dumped illegally on Aarey Colony land, and around five acres of protected forest area has been cleared. The CEO of Aarey Colony has been suspended and a three-member probe committee set up.

Responding to allegations by MLAs from across parties, Dairy Development Minister Nitin Raut said that since last year, around 8,000 trucks have illegally dumped debris from Hi-Tech Enterprises on Aarey land. “No permission was given by our department.” He said permission had been given to create parking space during the Ganesh immersion but the company cleared huge tracts of land by dumping debris... We told them to stop but lot of debris had already been dumped,” he said.

The three member committee, headed by the animal husbandry commissioner and including the dairy development commissioner and the regional assistant commissioner (animal husbandry), will submit a report in one month. “Following the report action will be taken against offenders,” he said.

Satish Shetty murder case transferred to CBI

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government on Wednesday told the Bombay High Court that it has decided to transfer the probe of Satish Shetty murder case to CBI. A notification to this effect, requesting CBI to take over the case which was earlier being probed by Pune rural police, was issued yesterday, said government pleader N Deshpande.

Shetty, a Talegaon-based activist, who had unearthed many land-scams in Pune district using Right To Information (RTI) act, was murdered in January this year.
The High Court took a suo motu notice of the newspaper report on Shetty's murder, saying that attacks on social activists was a serious issue.

Shetty's brother, Sandip, had filed an intervention application in the matter, seeking CID or CBI inquiry. The High Court has now issued notice to CBI, seeking its reply as to what steps it has taken regarding the probe by April 21. 

'Enough' govt aid for Shivaji temple soon

Mumbai: The state government on Wednesday said it would provide enough funds for the maintenance of the Shivrajeshwar temple at Sindhudurg Fort in Malwan. At present, the government disburses Rs5,029annually for the maintenance of the 345-year-old temple. In June last year, DNA had published a report stating that the only temple in the state dedicated to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was on the verge of collapse due to lack of maintenance.

“At present we are paying the electricity bill of the Shivrajeshwar temple. But now we will provide as much fund as is needed for its maintenance,” minister of state for tourism Varsha Gaikwad told the legislative council.

The dilapidated condition of the temple was raised by Shiv Sena’s Parshuram Uparkar through a calling attention motion. “The Sindhudurg Fort has leakages at 12 places and its walls have cracks at four places,” he said.While the Fort is under the supervision of the Archaeological Survey of India, the temple is managed by a trust under by the state’s public works department. “We will initiate a procedure to take over the Sindhudurg and Vijaydurg Forts from the ASI,” said Gaikwad.

Pollution: second round of inspection at Wankhede Stadium this week

The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) will conduct a second round of inspection at the Wankhede Stadium, days after it issued a show cause notice to the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) for pollution of air and ground water in the area due to the on-going stadium renovation work.

Mahesh Pathak, member secretary of MPCB, said, “The inspection would be conducted this week. Fresh samples of ground water will be collected and air quality reading will be carried out.” The first round of inspection was conducted on November 24, 2009, and found high levels of respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM) and nitrous oxides (NOx) in the air. Based on the report, a notice was served on the MCA. The MPCB has called for pollution controlling measures and treatment of waste water at the site.

Referring to a reply sent by the MCA to the notice last week, G T Deole, senior law officer of the board, said, “The MCA administration has requested us to carry out a second round of inspection along with their representatives. They have claimed that the last inspection was not conducted in their presence and that the officials concerned did not even meet the MCA administratives after the work. They want to know where the samples were collected from.”

Committed to Best of Five scheme: State

MUMBAI: The state government is committed to the implementation of the Best of Five scheme as the basis of admission for Std XI, said Balasaheb Thorat, school education minister, on Wednesday. The issue of junior college admissions was raised in the legislative assembly on Wednesday by Shiv Sena MLA Subhash Desai. “The government’s past attempt to introduce a new method for admissions to Std XI have failed and it may face a similar fate this time,’’ said Desai and asked if the government had an alternate plan ready.

To ensure a level playing field during admissions to students from the state SSC Board, the government has decided that only five of the six subjects where the student has scored the highest marks will be considered for admission to Std XI.

“We expect the student to pass in all subjects. In case the student fails to clear a paper, she/he can take admission to Std XI but will need to clear the subject,” Thorat added.

Mumbai to get its very own MiG 27 fighter plane

MUMBAI: The MiG-27 may be mired in controversy with the Indian Air Force’s decision to ground its fleet of the Russian fighters earlier this year, but the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) may have a novel use for the plane. The IAF central command in Delhi donated an airframe of one of its MiGs to the municipal body with a request that it be installed at the Horniman Circle Gardens, Fort.

The glitch, however, is the 12,081 sq yard of park space is a notified Grade Two heritage precinct and any such move would need a nod from the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee (MHCC). The proposal will be tabled before the MHCC on Thursday for approval. But it will not be the first aircraft exhibit in Mumbai: Diamond Gardens, Chembur has a similar installation.

Meanwhile, the BMC has already started looking for alternatives. Several traffic islands in South Mumbai including Vasudev Balwant Phadke Marg and Shyam Prasad Mukherji Chowk are the top contenders. 

Runway 2 reopens tomorrow, taxiways not yet ready

The Mumbai airport’s secondary runway will open on Thursday but the targeted operational gains will not come immediately. This is because construction will continue on the two new taxiways that were supposed to open along with it.

Taxiways Echo 9 and Echo 10, once completed, are expected to halve the runway occupancy time (ROT) of departing aircraft, both domestic and international. “The ROT of departing domestic aircraft will come down to one minute from two, and the ROT for international departures will come down to two-and-a-half minutes from five,” said a senior airport official. “However, under the current situation, there will be no gains on the operational front,” he said.

Echo 9 and Echo 10 are being constructed on the domestic terminal end of the secondary runway, 14/32, and their major function will be to provide quicker access to departing aircraft. Echo 9 is expected to open within two weeks of opening of the secondary runway, while the construction of Echo 10 has been delayed because of a pipeline of the Indian Oil, the spokesperson for the Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) said.

School bus must, auto on way out

Over the next three years, autorickshaws ferrying children to school and back will be phased out; schools will be asked to tie up with government transport agencies or arrange for their own buses for transporting their students.

These clauses are part of the government’s state school bus policy that will be in force from next week.

The buses will stop only at specified points near a school and children’s homes; abrupt halts involve the risk of an accident, the government said. Other clauses involve a colour code, fire safety measures and a thorough head count of students being transported in any bus.

The government began plans for a comprehensive policy on school buses after an accident last August, when three schoolchildren died and 20 were injured when their school bus caught fire in Navi Mumbai.

“We will ensure that autorickshaws ferrying students to school are phased out in three years. The policy entails that students should be travelling only in a bus or a large vehicle,” Minister for Transport Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil said.

Safety drive on sea link too: more speed arresters, CCTV connectivity

The Bandra-Worli Sea Link has been given additional speed arresters while the CCTV cameras installed there have been finally networked to the police control room, in twin moves aimed at curbing speeding.

The traffic police have added six speed arresters to the existing five. “The speed arresters include toughened rubber speed arresters and thick thermoplastic paints. The arresters, which are 2.5 feet wide and run along the breadth of the sea link, are reflective and will warn drivers beforehand. Such arresters will hopefully discourage motorists from over-speeding,” DCP (Traffic) Nandkumar Chaugule said.

The traffic police have also acquired the connectivity that will enable them to view the footage from the CCTV cameras installed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation. “Earlier, we could not access the feed and as such, we had no way to monitor traffic on the sea link besides relying on the police officers who patrol the sea link on vehicles. Now that we have acquired connectivity, we should be able to monitor the traffic from the traffic police control room,” Chaugule said, adding some technicalities remain to be taken care of.

270 MBA aspirants still to get results, may lose a year

Mumbai: The fate of at least 270 students, who had taken the state common entrance test for admission to management courses (MBA-CET) on February 21, is in limbo. They are still to receive their results, which were declared on Monday.According to the Directorate of Technical Education (DTE), the students’ results weren’t declared because, as per their records, they had appeared for the exam as well as taken admission in 2009.

“There are two kinds of cases as far as these students are concerned,” said SK Mahajan, DTE director. “There are students who took admission last year but didn’t report to the colleges. The others are students who failed in their final year (of graduation). They applied for re-evaluation, but still failed to clear. Their admissions stand null and void.”

Several students, however, said they had cancelled their admissions last year. “Many of us had taken only provisional admission in 2009, but we cancelled it. Further, at the time of registering for the exam this year, no one informed us that we were not eligible,” said Dinesh Jagwani, a student awaiting his result.

Online admission booklets are out after 20-day delay

Mumbai: The booklets containing information on how to go about the online admission process for junior colleges have finally reached the city schools, after a 20-day delay. This queers the pitch for lakhs of students who have left on summer vacation after their Std X board exams ended on March 17. The education department has also reneged on its promise of segregating information in the booklet according to streams, which would have made it easier for students to identify details relevant to them.
The delay has forced schools to devise innovative ways to draw students back to school for the training programme, scheduled later this month. “Students were asked to inquire about the booklet with their schools a week after the board exams, but we still had no news on them by then. Hence, many must have left for vacation by now. The training is on April 19, and we don’t know if they will be able to make it,” said the principal of a school in Sion.

BMC lines up leak detection project

MUMBAI: To rein in the increasing incidents of pipe bursts and leaks, the BMC will carry out an extensive leak detection project in three wards of the city. The corporation on Monday opened tender bids for private agencies equipped with modern technologies to carry out the pilot in Goregaon, Malad, Borivili, Dahisar and Grant Road.

As many as 12 companies applied for the bidding process, said officials. Civic officials said the bids will now be scrutinised and shortlisted for giving out work orders. A recent RTI query found that the BMC reported about three cases of burst or leaks a day in 2009. There were as many as 1,031 cases of pipes bursting or leaking in 2009. Officials said until the century-old pipelines are replaced, the wastage would continue. Water lost through leaks accounts for an astonishingly high 20% of the total loss.

“The leak detection pilot would look to detect, curb and arrest increasing number of pipe leaks in our network. The appointed agencies would use modern technologies such as ground-penetration radars, for the purpose,” said a senior civic official. 

16 skywalks nixed

Mumbai: The authorities have been quick on the feet to cancel 16 skywalks in the city just a day after chief minister Ashok Chavan said the government would review unfeasible skywalks.The skywalks are being cancelled due to local resistance, though they are techno-economically feasible, said an official at the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) — under which 61 skywalks are being constructed.

Among the areas where skywalks have been cancelled are Mahim and Mahalaxmi. “While in Mahim, residents and the MLA had differences regarding the alignment of the skywalk, in Mahalaxmi, it would have posed a problem for the proposed third phase of the metro rail. In the other places, the problems pertained to permission from civic and railway authorities,” said Ashwini Bhide, joint metropolitan commissioner, MMRDA. The priority now, he said, is to complete 17 skywalks before May 31.

About the Santacruz (East) skywalk not being useful enough since it does not cross the Western Express Highway, Bhide said the authority was considering to extend it beyond the highway, but “it may take time since several permissions will be needed, including one from the traffic department”. “Our target is to complete the project by May end. But we can continue extending some skywalks as per need.”

Man ended life after failing to repay Rs 2cr

MUMBAI: Businessman Jatin Patel, who ended his life by jumping in front of a train at Kandivli last month, was going through a trying time after officials from a public sector bank sealed his pharmaceutical factory, the police said. A resident of Charkop, Patel (50) had taken a Rs-2 crore loan from the bank. In his suicide note, he said he had asked the bank for six months’ time to repay the loan, but the officials refused to do so.

“We summoned the representatives of the bank for inquiries, following Patel’s death. They said that Patel had taken a loan of Rs 1.84 crore in 2006, but wasn’t able to repay the amount. The bank then advised him to rope in a partner who could invest finance in the factory or had land at his disposal. An additional loan of Rs 30 lakh was sanctioned to Patel for expanding his business,’’ senior inspector PM Karyakarte said. 

Mangoes with a dash of poison

Mumbai: Love the look of the tempting red-yellow mangoes at your local fruit vendor’s shop? Stop, before you reach for them. Dangerous chemicals could be the secret behind their good looks. These chemicals are not just carcinogenic and cause serious physiological problems, they are also banned by the Indian government.On Tuesday, inspectors of the Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), raided two mango vendors at Ghatkopar and seized a huge amount of such artificially ripened mangos. The cost of these mangoes is more than Rs2.5 lakh.

According to joint FDA commissioner, Suhas Chaudhari, food inspectors LJ Rathod and Kranti Bhunje received specific information about certain vendors in Ghatkopar (east) artificially ripening mangoes.

“When officials raided the vendors, they found dozens and dozens of mangoes packed into boxes containing the dangerous calcium carbide powder. The first vendor had 348 dozen Alphonso mangoes costing Rs1.91 lakh. When officials conducted raids at the other vendors’ shops, 130 dozen mangoes costing Rs70,500 were seized,” Chaudhari said.

The vendors - Rajesh Kumar Vijayshankar Patel and Sampat Chandrawalli Patel - were selling mangoes near Satyam Shopping Centre, in Ghatkopar. “While the quantity of calcium carbide with Rajesh Kumar was not known as he had put it in the mango boxes, three kg calcium carbide was recovered from Sampat,” Chaudhari added.

Bandra promenade with a tower, 2 amphitheatres & a slice of history

At 70 feet, it will be Mumbai’s highest man-made vantage point, providing the best possible view of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link and the coastline. The Sheesh Minar, a glass tower that will also be called the Tower of Destiny, will come up at Mahim, competing for iconic status with the central tower of the cable-stayed bridge of the sea link.

The Tower of Destiny is part of a project by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) that involves building a brand new seaside promenade stretching from the Mahim Interchange to the approach road leading to the sea link. The Rs-7.8 crore project will be executed by DB Realty over nine months, starting June. The Sheesh Minar at the Mahim end will be a modern incarnation of the lighthouses that once directed seafarers and traders towards the Bombay Harbour.

The entire 40-metre promenade, in fact, will be an ode to Mumbai’s coastal topography and to its evolution from being seven disjointed islands. Along its 1.25 km length will be installations depicting seven periods during which different dynasties ruled the city. Also included in the plan is a “wharf-styled” amphitheatre at the Mahim end, a cycle track and a jogging track.