Get a taste of Old Delhi street food right here in Mumbai

Mumbai: For Mumbaikars who’ve only heard about Delhi being a gastronome’s paradise, here’s your chance to check it out for yourself.

But, you don’t have to go all the way to the capital for that. Just hop across to the Peshwa Pavillion at ITC Grand Maratha, Andheri, where you can tuck into bharwa golgappas, kullas (scooped out vegetables filled with chickpeas, pomegranate, mint and lemon), parathas, dahi gujiyas (soft vadas made of pulses and topped with yoghurt, mint and tamarind chutney), tantalising beetroot kanji (digestive drink made of mustard powder, beetroot and radish) or the yummy Daulat ki chaat (sweet milk froth garnished with almonds and pistachios).

The festival is on until February 28.

“Old Delhi’s street food is distinct from the rest of Delhi. It has recipes that have been handed down through generations and have retained their integral flavour,” says Gunjan Goela, founder and owner of Dilli Ka Khana who has flown down with her team to host the Purani Dilli Ka Khana, an Old Delhi food festival in the city.

Towering new look for Bandra colony on cards

MUMBAI: The residential colony of government employees in Bandra (E) is all set to get a new look, with 12-storey towers coming up in place of the current two and three-storey buildings. The Rs 1,200 crore redevelopment project — divided in three phases — is expected to start in the next three months.

Superintending engineer PWD's Mumbai circle, A B Gaikwad, said: "The Government Colony in Bandra was developed between 1958 and 1968. There are 4,848 flats for employees from Class I to Class IV.

Apart from these, we will get and additional 5,466 flats after the redevelopment. In addition, a shopping centre spanning 1 lakh sq ft and a new administrative building of 9.5 lakh sq ft will be constructed by the builder. The colony is located on a 93-acre plot and the builders will get 20.14 acres.

"The developers will also construct a post-graduate medical college and a research centre of 5 lakh sq ft and a community centre spanning 30,000 sq ft. Even the internal roads will be rebuilt, said Gaikwad. The project will get an FSI of 1 while the builders can buy another FSI of 1 from the TDR market. "There are height restrictions as Bandra is located close to the airport," he said. 

Builder hurdle seen in land gift for slums

MUMBAI: Bestowing full property rights to slumdwellers was proposed in the budget for which the Union government has sanctioned Rs 1,270 crore. The funds will be used for creating housing. But this is not the Centre's first attempt at such a scheme. In the '90s, the government initiated a scheme whereby the land slumdwellers lived on was given to them on lease.

In Mumbai, it led to the formation of 42 cooperative housing societies at Bandra, Dharavi and Chembur. They were the only beneficiaries. The scheme was replaced by the Slum Rehabilitation scheme where builders play a key role in the formation of a housing society and a slum going in for redevelopment.

In Mumbai, 58% of the population resides in slum. Adolph Tragler who heads an NGO called Slum Rehabilitation Society applauded the idea, but expressed doubts over its implementation given that the scheme will not go down well with the builder lobby. There is also the view that the Centre's funds are not likely to have much effect in Mumbai.

"It is not liked by the builder lobby as it might lead to slumdwellers developing their dwellings on their own stream rather than approaching builders," said Tragler. 

BMC plans to induct women in fire brigade

MUMBAI: The BMC is trying to bridge the gender gap in the fire brigade. Civic officials on Friday decided to bring women power to the service sector.

The decision was taken at a disaster management drive organised by the BMC at Shivaji Park in Dadar. According to officials, they noticed awkwardness among men while dealing with women at the mock drill that took place on Friday.

"We realised that while men were lifted easily, there was an amount of reservation when it came to women. That's when everyone agreed that women need to be admitted to the force. Municipal commissioner Swadheen Kshatriya was also receptive to the idea," said additional municipal commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar. Kshatriya said the BMC should have a helicopter to tackle emergencies. Now, officials will prepare an administrative proposal and put it up before the standing committee.

A disaster management seminar was also organised by the BMC. Called Tatpar-Mumbai 2010 or Alert Mumbai, it includes a two-day exercise and exhibition. "It is important to spread awareness among people on what to do and how to attend to injured people," said Mahesh Narvekar, chief officer of the BMC's disaster management cell. 

9 airport loaders held in 2 theft cases

MUMBAI: The Sahar police arrested nine airport loaders on Thursday in two separate cases of theft. In a case reported on February 15, the chairman-cum-managing director of a travel agency lost Rs 2 lakh while on his way from Mumbai to Kochi.

The passenger, who had taken an Air India (AI) Mumbai-Kochi flight from the international terminal, was carrying the cash in his check-in baggage. After landing in Kochi, he found that the cash was missing from his bag. An investigation revealed that two loaders from the same airline had stolen the money.

"We interrogated all the people on a shift during the time of the flight and arrested two loaders. Later, they confessed they had stolen the money just after the bag was removed from the conveyor belt," said senior police inspector Dilip Patil. "We have recovered the entire amount," he added.

There was no CCTV coverage in the make-up area (from where check-in baggage is carted from the conveyer belt to the aircraft), which made it easy for the accused to steal the money.

"We do use the CCTV footage in cases reported from the terminal area," said a senior police official. The two accused, Jagdish Salunke (38) and Ganesh Khedekar (38) have been remanded to police custody and booked for theft. 

Rs 50L more seized from Bali's 8 bank accounts

MUMBAI: The CBI on Friday seized Rs 50 lakh from eight bank accounts maintained by M S Bali, chief post master general (Maharashtra & Goa). The accounts were maintained in Faridabad and Gwalior. This money is in additional to over Rs 50 lakh and foreign currencies that have already been recovered from him.

Bali was arrested on Wednesday night for demanding a bribe of Rs 2 crore for granting an NoC to a builder to develop a land, a portion of which was reserved for a post office.

Bali has reportedly told the CBI during interrogation that he collected the foreign currencies during his trips abroad. Deputy director general (vigilance) from the department of telecommunication, Ashutosh Tripathi, met CBI officials in Mumbai on Friday.

The vigilance department will carry out a probe into Bali's decisions taken during his stint in Mumbai, said a source.

Hike in gold, fuel prices to burn a hole in pocket, say Mumbaikars

MUMBAI: While announcing the huge change in the tax slab in this year's Budget, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee said that it would benefit 60% tax payers in the country. While many did appreciate the change in the tax system, an equal number claimed that the Budget has brought little respite to them.

"I think it's a happy change for tax-payers. Not only has the government brought down the tax slab, they have also made the system much clearer to us. Now, with the process made simplified, people will voluntarily come forward and pay tax," said Devendra Shastri (37), a media professional. Aarti Mhatre (26), an HR executive, seemed equally happy with the new system.

"This is a great move for someone like me. Until now, I paid 20% tax but from now on, I'll be shelling out half the amount," Mhatre said.

However, those falling in the higher salary bracket do not seem too keen on it. "This doesn't bring any respite to those who are in the higher brackets. We'll end up paying 30% of our income, like every year," said Ajay Karkera, a banker who is also not happy that the excise duty on fuels has gone up. "Just recently, petrol and diesel prices were increased and now, they repeat it once again. Petrol already costs Rs 48-Rs 49 per litre, which is likely to go up by a few rupees," he added. With the hike in fuel price, many fear a rise in transport fares as well.

Will Slumbai enjoy any of the facial?

Mumbai: It may take a long time coming Mumbai-wards, but the first adult step, worth Rs1,270 crore up from last year’s baby step of Rs150 crore, has been taken by the finance minister.

Nomenclatured Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY), the scheme gets a 700% hike in allocation in the country’s effort to be slum-free. Mumbai — the slum capital of India — is waiting impatiently for the largesse.

Though the benefits may not come the city’s way soon,Gautam Chaterjee, vice chairman and chief operating officer of Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada), showed excitement about the development. “This is a revolutionary decision by the Centre. Though Mumbai may not get immediate benefit from the decision, this definitely is a first realistic approach towards making it slum free,” Chaterjee toldDNA.

He added, “I feel certain cities will be chosen for pilot projects under RAY for eradication of slums. Pimpri-Chinchwad may be one of the cities in Maharashtra. One must understand that though Mumbai is not on the radar directly at the moment, RAY will definitely have a stipulated time-bound plan for the city.”

Sena wants Bharat Ratna for Sachin Tendulkar

Mumbai: Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar’s double-hundred against South Africa in Gwalior on Wednesday has not only silenced his critics, but also clean bowled the Shiv Sena, which took on the little master for his ‘Mumbai for all’ remark.

The same Shiv Sena, whose leaders questioned Tendulkar’s loyalty to Maharashtra following the remark, wants to felicitate the star for making Mumbai and the state proud. They also want the Centre to confer the Bharat Ratna on him.

On Friday, showering praise on the cricketing legend, the Shiv Sena leadership in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) decided to confer the star with a citizen’s award.

During BMC’s general body meeting, opposition leader Rajhans Singh (Congress) demanded Tendulkar’s felicitation to celebrate another world record set by him. Claiming that Tendulkar has made the city proud yet again, Sena leader Sunil Prabhu asked the civic body to make arrangements for a grand felicitation in the near future.

Hasan Gafoor named new chief of anti-corruption bureau

Mumbai: Hasan Gafoor, the former Mumbai police commissioner who was allegedly shunted out from his high profile position after an enquiry committee chastised him for inept handling of the situation during the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, is back in the limelight.


In a reshuffle of the top police echelon, he has been made director general of the anti-corruption bureau (ACB). In the police hierarchy, the post is considered second in importance to the job of the director general of police (DGP).

Gafoor, who was DGP (police housing), will handle sensitive graft cases in his new position. He has had a stint in the ACB as its additional director general.

“I am happy that I’ve been made chief of the ACB and I am looking forward to take the charge,’’ he said. He, however, refused to speak further, stating “We are not supposed to talk to the media without the government’s permission”.

Pranab Mukherjee lets Mumbai fight its own battles

Mumbai: Did Mumbai get a raw deal in the budget 2010-11? The country’s financial capital, many in the state’s power circles feel, did not get the attention it deserves in Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee’s budget.

While chief minister Ashok Chavan has lauded the budget for its emphasis on social and agriculture sectors, several elected members in the ruling Congress-NCP combine are at loss to figure out why Mumbai fell off the finance minister’s radar this time.
Former finance minister P Chidambaram dreamt of transforming Mumbai into a international financial centre and always gave special treatment to the city, said an NCP cabinet minister.

“Pranabda seems to have overlooked the complex problems which make Mumbai a candidate for separate treatment,” he added.

Mumbai likely to amend building laws

With a view to up the security of Mumbaikars, the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) is likely to amend Development Control (DC) rules, and developers will also be asked submit a security plan while submitting their proposal to the building proposal department.

The Committee formed under the chairmanship of N V Merani, retired PWD Principal Secretary, has submitted the report to the government, and the Urban Development (UD) has asked the MCGM to make amendments in the DC rules.

Slain ATS Chief Hemant Karkare was also part of the committee which was formed a few days prior to the dastardly 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.

The matter will be discussed in the Improvement Committee of the civic body on Thursday.

The recommendations made by the Committee include making amendments to DC rules to incorporate regulations for bomb blast resistant structure, integrated explosive alarm, detection and deactivation systems in the design and security audit of the building.

The other recommendations are installation of CCTVs at all important locations including main gate, reception, utility areas, and common open areas on floors, lifts, lobbies and compound. 

Deepka Says,I am selfish

Deepika Padukone as you enter the lobby of the Emirates NBD’s corporate headquarters in Deira, someone says: “It looks like a porcelain doll, so perfect and so delicate.” We can not help but agree. She is a perfect beauty, so a red scar on his right elbow stands. Deepika famous dimples flashing when we wonder what happened. “I was skating, which is what happened.” So much for being sensitive! This is what most Masala News learned of the stunning actress is now in Dubai for the world premire of ‘Calling Karthik Karthik.

Sonam signed a film titled “Thank You’

We all know katrina Kaif is the favorite of Akshay kumar and his lucky mascot. Therefore, it is hardly surprising if necessary Akshay refers to the directors of Katrina, while future plans, Farah Khan’s Tees Maar Khan and Anees Bazmee Thanksgiving.

As Akshay was referred by both managers were convinced that Kat is signed, but things are not as good as everyone thought.

Sources close to Anees revealed, “Anees wanted to start shooting this year, but Katrina could not give dates as he was juggling Tees Maar Khan, Zoya film opposite Hrithik Roshan and thanks. And he chose Tees Maar Khan.”

Sonam Kapoor confirms with enthusiasm: “I have signed a movie called” Thank You “, directed by Anees Bazmee. I am being paired opposite Akshay Kumar.

‘War room’ swings into action

Mumbai Chief Minister Ashok Chavan on Thursday held the first meeting of the “war room”, in which he reviewed the city’s major infrastructure projects.
The meeting of the heads of agencies implementing the projects was convened at Sahyadri Guest House in the evening, in which Chavan reviewed the status of the Mumbai Trans-Harbour link, Navi Mumbai airport, Metro, monorail, modernisation of Mumbai airport, BRIMSTOWAD and Bandra-Worli sea link extension. He suggested that reports should be submitted on these projects every three months.BMC commissioner Swadheen Kshatriya, Mumbai Transformation Support Unit project manager UPS Madan, members of Bombay First and senior government officials attended the meeting. “Since it was the first meeting, it was a quick review. Subsequent meetings will discuss the projects in detail and help clear bottlenecks,” Madan said.

Only Marathi for official work, corporators tell devp body

Mumbai The Shiv Sena, BJP and MNS corporators in the Sena-ruled BMC have asked the Congress-led Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to send only officers who can speak Marathi to its headquarters for official work.
The row broke out at the civic improvements committee meeting on Thursday, in which officials from the development agency made a presentation on the proposed commercial exploitation of Metro station premises. The officials had made the presentation in Hindi and English.
“We have no problems if they make the presentation in other languages. But, when asked questions in Marathi, the officer told me to speak in Hindi,” said BJP corporator Manoj Kotak. “Why should I talk in Hindi when I always talk in Marathi? If the officer doesn’t understand our mother tongue, the MMRDA shouldn’t have sent him. ”

Holi: As BMC pulls plug on tankers, residents look for private solutions

Mumbai Even as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has issued a diktat to its 24 ward offices asking them to not supply water from civic reservoirs for celebrating Holi, private water suppliers have already received orders for 125 tankers.
Around 125 private tankers supplying 12 lakh litres have been booked by organisers and enthusiasts for the festival.
“None of our tankers and those under contract will be sent to housing societies and hotels for purposes other that drinking. People should understand there is water shortage and that it should not be wasted on Holi,” said Hydraulic Engineer Vinay Deshpande.
The BMC notice is not binding on private tankers that get its share of water from private wells and borewells. “We have received a notice from BMC not to supply potable water, taken from BMC reservoirs, for playing Holi,” said Rajesh Thakur, secretary, Water Tankers Suppliers Association. “But since we do not use BMC water and depend on wells and bore wells, we will be supplying water to those who booked the private tankers,” he added.

Govt passes 'Best of 5' policy for junior college admissions

MUMBAI: The much-awaited “Best Five’’ policy for junior college admissions has finally been passed by the state government. According to this policy, out of the six subjects for the SSC exams, the marks in the best five subjects will be counted during junior college admissions. “We want to reduce the stress that students face during the exams,’’ said state education minister Balasaheb Thorat. The policy will be implemented this year itself.

The new decision is in sync with the national boards. CBSE students appear for five subjects at the Class X board exams. While ICSE students appear for seven subjects, the ICSE board takes into consideration the marks for the best five subjects.

The government had recently called for suggestions on the Best Five policy. Of the 250 emails that the government received from the public, an overwhelming majority (189) were in favour of the policy. Of the remaining, 59 opposed the policy and 2 neither supported nor opposed it. 

Crucial infra projects get green signal

MUMBAI: The cabinet infrastructure sub-committee headed by chief minister Ashok Chavan on Thursday cleared the Rs 5,000-crore Worli-Haji Ali Sea Link and approved the design for the Rs 6,000-crore Haji Ali-Nariman Point Link as well as the Rs 900-crore 12-laned Sion-Panvel Expressway.

Senior officials told TOI that the Worli-Haji Ali Sea Link project was awarded to the Reliance Infrastructure-led consortium with conditional approval. Acting managing director of Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Sonia Sethi said they would be issuing a letter of acceptance to the consortium which was the front runner for the project.

The committee also took a decision to redevelop the Government Colony in Bandra (East) and gave its nod for the Rs 900-crore Talegaon-Chakan-Shirpur-Chakula Expressway. 

Pedder Road flyover finally overcomes CRZ hurdle

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority has finally given its consent for the Pedder Road flyover. It took 15 years for the approval to be given to the 4.4 km four-lane flyover. The proposal was approved by the MCZMA and will now be forwarded to the Centre for its consent. A decision to this effect was taken at a MCZMA meeting held in Mantralaya on Thursday.

“The flyover’s ramp will be built on CRZ-2 (Wilson College) and not CRZ-1 (Chowpatty). MSRDC will have to use hi-tech methods to control and monitor air as well as noise pollution. They will display air and noise pollution levels on the bridge,’’ said state environment secretary Valsa Nair Singh.

The proposal, estimated at around Rs 300 crore, to build a flyover between Haji Ali (Lala Lajpat Rai College) and Nana Nani Park (near Wilson College) will not encroach on a portion of Girgaum Chowpatty and will be built over Marine Drive. 


The flyover will start at Lala Lajpat Rai College and will pass via Haji Ali square, Cadbury Junction, Kemps Corner, Babulnath Temple, and Tambe Chowk to finally end at Nana Nani park near Wilson College. MSRDC minister J Kshirsagar said that the design of the Marine Drive ramp will ensure that the speed of vehicular traffic is reduced to 10-15 km/hr from a speed of 40 km/hr.

Maharashtra chief post-master general held for taking Rs2cr bribe

Mumbai: The chief post-master general of Maharashtra and Goa has been arrested by CBI for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 2 crore for issuing a no objection certificate (NOC) for construction of a post office in neighbouring Thane district.

Manjit Singh Bali, a 1978 batch officer of the Indian Postal Services, was caught yesterday by the sleuths of the anti corruption bureau of the CBI while allegedly accepting the bribe amount.

The CBI has recovered a sum of Rs 34 lakh, USD 10722, 3050 UK Pounds and 3470 Euro from his South Mumbai residence.

Bali, who is one of the senior-most officers in the postal department across the country, had demanded the bribe to issue a NOC for the development of land at Mira Bhayendar in Thane district.

Was murdered Barc scientist a sex maniac?

Mumbai: Was Mahadevan Padmanabhan Iyer, the 46-year-old senior scientist from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (Barc), who was found murdered, a sex maniac?

Well, numerous packs of condoms, pornographic videos, photographs of men and a proof that gigolos visited his house very often at least point to the fact that Iyer indeed had a very colourful life.

This assumption has been validated by the initial investigations.

Police have confirmed that Iyer was a homosexual who used to call male sex workers on regular basis. In fact, he had established sexual relationships with most of the men he was acquainted with, the police said.

Iyer’s decomposed body was found in his Anand Bhuvan Apartment at the Barc quarters, next to Breach Candy Hospital, late on Tuesday night. He was murdered in his apartment and his body had been lying inside the flat for two days, the police said.

JJ, IIT students to make MHADA flats

Housing authority hopes to rope them in to bring their projects at par with private builders Having conquered the market when it comes to low-price affordable housing, the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) is all set to give competition to private builders. The housing authority has decided to take the help of students of JJ School of Arts for designs that can beat the standards of private builders and the help of academicians from VJTI and IIT-Bombay to turn those designs into architecturally sound buildings.




MHADA buildings have always been associated with shoddy work and weak construction. But the last two years, since MHADA started its lottery system again, the overwhelming response has forced the authority to improve the quality of construction. According to MHADA officials, the authority now wants to prove that its houses are no longer a cheap option for the lower-income strata, but a property that people from all classes would love to stay in. 


Amarjit Singh Manhas, chairman, MHADA, Mumbai board, said, "One of the members of the board, MLA Krishna Hegde, came up with the idea of involving JJ students and IITians. The board immediately accepted his proposal."

Shahid's surprise birthday bash busted

The Bandra police fined the Retro Pub at Bandra last night for violating the 1.30 am deadline. The pub was hosting a surprise birthday party for actor Shahid Kapoor.


Celebrities like Amrita Rao, Archana Puran Singh, Parmeet Sethi, choreographer Ahmed Khan and Shahid's brother Ishaan were present at the party.

The police arrived at 2 am and fined the owner of the pub for crossing the deadline. PI Avinash Bhadgujar, of Bandra police station, said, "The pub had crossed the deadline so we fined them according to the Bombay Police Act."

However, Vicky, manager of the Retro Pub, said, "The pub had shut the music well before the 1.30 am and had not violated any rules. The guests took time to finish their food and therefore we had to extend the deadline to allow them to finish. The police are doing their job and fined us for the violation."

Worli-Haji Ali link awaits decision on bid, Bandra-Worli second arm gets a date

The fate of the Worli-Haji Ali Sea Link contract remained undecided on Wednesday as a Cabinet meeting did not take up the matter for discussion, with a subcommittee on infrastructure to take a decision.
The subcommittee is scheduled to meet Thursday and a decision is likely then, said sources in the Maharashtra State Road Development corporation(MSRDC). It would be the last opportunity for the state government to award the project to the current lowest bidder, since the validity of the bid expires on February 28.
The bids for the 4.7-km extension of the Bandra Worli Sea Link were opened on February 4, 2009, and have been awaiting Chief Minister Ashok Chavan’s clearance for eight months. A Reliance Infrastructure Ltd-led consortium emerged the frontrunner to bag the contract with its lowest quote: a Viability Gap Fund (VGF) of Rs 1,392 crore.

Promise of plot raises MIAL’s integrated terminal hopes

Mumbai The Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) can now look forward to complete the construction of the integrated terminal-II of the Mumbai airport after Air India (AI) agreed to hand over 40 acres of land to it, said MIAL sources.
According to AI sources, though AI and MIAL are yet to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the airlines’ board on Saturday agreed to hand over the land to MIAL.
Air India officials categorically denied that they had yielded to any pressure to give up a portion of the land without accepting appropriate compensation. Air India owns over 200 acres of land in Sahar, Kalina and Santa Cruz areas of the airport.
“We have given the land as central government has approved the construction of the terminal II. The infrastructure of Air India is situated next to the proposed terminal,” said Arvind Jadhav, CMD, Air India. Jadhav also said had Air India not given the required piece of land to MIAL, the construction of the integrated terminal would have been delayed. “Even we want a good terminal at the airport.”

Mumbai Bonanza For Central, But WR Gets Little

MUMBAI: It was almost like a tale of two cities on Wednesday, with railway minister Mamata Banerjee’s budget promising a bonanza for the eastern half of Mumbai and not offering much for the west. The 2010-11 railway budget proposes 101 new suburban rail services for Central Railway (CR), but not a single one for Western Railway (WR).

WR officials were unmoved and claimed that since their lines were already saturated, they wouldn’t know how to introduce new services. CR officials said their tracks were put to optimum use only during peak hours and they could introduce the new services at other times as short-distance shuttles. 

NGO files PIL against astrologer Bejan Daruwalla

Mumbai: Is astrology a science or an art of making money? The city-based NGO, Janhit Manch, has started a debate on the issue in the Bombay high court.

A public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the manch and its convener Bhagwanji Raiyani, along with his associate Dattaram Kumkar, has questioned the validity of predictions by well-known astrologers, including Bejan Daruwalla, and unknown babas like Brahmarshi Shri Kumar Swami.

Taking note of the PIL, a division bench of justices FI Rebello and JH Bhatia on Wednesday directed the Union government, Maharashtra government and state director-general of police to file separate affidavits, stating the number of cases registered by the authorities under The Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954.

Maharashtra governor dissolves vice-chancellor search panel

Mumbai: Maharashtra governor K Sankaranarayanan, in his capacity as chancellor of Universities in the state, has dissolved the existing Search Committee for the selection of vice-chancellor of the
University of Mumbai.

A new Search Committee will now be constituted and the process of selection of vice-cChancellor of University of Mumbai would be started afresh, a Raj Bhawan spokesperson said.

The Committee was constituted by the Governorin July 2009 under the chairmanship of Prof Andre Beteille, Emeritus professor of sociology, University of Delhi for recommending the panel of names for appointment of the vice-chancellor of the University of Mumbai.

MUTP to get Rs 660 crore in 2010-11

MUMBAI: The Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) got its second consecutive shot in the arm with the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC), the coordinating body, getting Rs 660 crore to complete on-going railway and related infrastructure projects. The projects also got a special mention in the speech with Union railway minister Mamata Banerjee setting deadlines—MUTP-I by December-end and MUTP-II scheduled for March 2014.

A happy MRVC managing director P C Sehgal said, “If we continue to get such healthy doses of funds from the Centre for the next five years we will be able to meet the deadline of the second phase of the project.’’

According to the existing funding structure, of the Rs 660 crore, the Indian Railways and World Bank will jointly provide Rs 330 crore while the remainder would come from the state government. “The percentage of the World Bank loan is yet to be worked out,” said an MRVC official. 

Sachin Tendulkar makes history; hits first ODI double century

Milestone man Sachin Tendulkar wrote history today, hammering the first double century in the history of one-day cricket to add another feather to his well-adorned cap.

The capacity crowd at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium witnessed history today as Tendulkar, statistically the greatest batsman the game has ever seen, pushed a Charl Langeveldt delivery through the off-side and ran a single to achieve a feat which no other cricketer has achieved.

One Day International cricket, since its 1971 inception, had to wait nearly four decades to see a batsman score 200. The previous best mark was shared by Zimbabwean Charles Coventry (194 not out) and Pakistan's Saeed Anwar (194).

As the crowd erupted with unbridled joy, Tendulkar, tired but composed, took off his helmet, looked skyward, closed his eyes to offer a silent prayer.

From April, two new fleets, more taxis

The city is likely to see more fleet taxis with two companies planning to launch services by April.

Carzonrent Pvt Ltd and Ballal Jyoti Travels Pvt Ltd have been given letters of intent from the transport department. The two companies, which have been providing cars to the corporate and hospitality industries, will join Meru Cabs, Mega Cabs, Mumbai Gold Cabs, Mumbai Taxi Company and Orix Auto.
The existing fleet taxis are short of the demand.
“By April, we plan to launch some 100 fleet taxis in the city. The pilot project will us decided on our future action plan,” said Gopalkrishnan, CEO of Ballal Jyoti Travels Pvt Ltd. A Carzonrent spoksesperson confirmed plans to launch Easy Cab, a dedicated fleet service for Mumbai, from March, but did not specify the number.Transport department sources said of the existing fleets, only Meru Cabs has a permanent licence and the rest have temporary ones. “One of the main criteria to get a permanent license is to have a minimum 500 taxis. The operator, should not, however, exceed 10,000,” said a senior RTO official.

Finance model for third metro line almost ready

MUMBAI: The government is pushing the third line of the Mumbai metro on a public private partnership (PPP) basis and will finalise the financial model for the Rs 9,000-crore project in the next two weeks.

The joint commissioner of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) S Srinivasan said the line would be from Colaba to Bandra and link up with the airport. “The government is in favour of the PPP model and the plans should be ready shortly,’’ he said.

Metro officials point out that the PPP model is being used for the first two lines. It entails that a private operator must build the line and then operate it for 35 years before handing it back to the state government. This model is becoming popular around the globe as governments and city authorities which are strapped for cash find it difficult to pledge huge funds for developing public projects. 

‘City has no space for small taxis’

MUMBAI: There will be no new small taxis in the city anymore. Alarmed by the exponential growth in the number of vehicles, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Transport Authority (MMRTA) headed by transport secretary C S Sangitrao has proposed a complete ban on registration of smaller vehicles—less than 1,000 cc, as cabs, initially in Mumbai, Thane and Pune.

The multi-pronged strategy to tackle traffic congestion will also see the introduction of 6+1-seater cabs and boost in public transport by adding a fleet of over 5,000 new buses for the metropolis.

It was found that vehicle density in Mumbai was 750 vehicles per sq km, 1,700 in Pune and 800 in Thane against the standard vehicle density of 350 vehicles per sq km. “Mumbai has crossed the stage of saturation. Now, it can’t afford more number of vehicles, therefore the MMRTA has decided to halt registration of vehicles of less than 1,000 cc as cabs,’’ a senior official told TOI.

Assess building ‘harmed’ by metro work, says HC

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Tuesday ordered Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) to carry out a structural audit of a building in Andheri West, following claims by the housing society that its structure had been damaged due to the construction work on the Mumbai metro.

Hearing an application filed by residents of Gautam Niwas on J P Road, Andheri West, a division bench of Justice F I Rebello and Justice J H Bhatia asked MMRDA to submit an interim report within seven days. Mumbai Metro One (MMOPL) offered to deposit Rs 10 lakh in court towards the assessment and for subsequent repairs, if any. 

Mumbai tops in accidental deaths

Mumbai: The country’s financial capital has earned the dubious distinction of being the nation’s death capital as well, with the highest number of accident deaths.

The latest figures by the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) on accidental deaths in 2008, show that Mumbai accounted for 18.5% of the total number in 35 mega cities.

Traffic accidents comprised road, rail-road and other railway accidents. Fire was also a major cause of accidental deaths.
State-wise Maharashtra reported the highest number of accidental deaths - 58,755 out of 3,42,309 - nationwide in 2008.

Nationwide, during 2008, the number of road accidents, fire accidents and heart attacks increased compared to the previous year. About 3.5 lakh accidental deaths were reported in the country in 2008, of which 93% were due to unnatural causes while the rest were due to causes attributable to nature like lightening, floods, starvation, heatstroke, etc.

Also, throughout the country, men constituted 77.1% of accident death victims, most aged between 15 to 44 years.

It is BMC babus' gift

Mumbai: Mumbai’s babudom is to be blamed for the road caving in at Kalachowkie on Monday. But for the civic body’s inordinate delay in taking up a crucial project, the incident could have been averted.
The collapse of portions of an old leaky drain is officially being cited as the trigger for the cave-in. A 100-year-old arch-shaped drainage network, which covers a stretch of 2.6km from Hindmata junction in Parel to Britannia Nullah at Reay Road, ran at a depth of 15 feet beneath the road surface.

Need of the hour: Urgent upgrades for platforms

Mumbai: The number of train commuters in the city keeps growing by leaps and bounds every single day, but railway authorities haven’t been able to do much to improve ground facilities for the commuters. With newly developed areas like Girangaon and Oshiwara adding up as the new ‘business centres’ in the city, railway stations attached to them need an urgent infrastructure upgradation. Even educational hubs like Vile Parle and Matunga are examples of stations that lack infrastructure to handle huge crowds.
“With over 70 lakh commuters travelling daily on the local trains, it is necessary to concentrate on quick dispersal of the people from stations,” said GR Madan, director of Mass Rapid Transit System, Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA), who is also a former-railway official.

Maharashtra government awaits its due from the railway budget

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government is pushing hard the Union railway minister Mamata Banerjee to get a good deal for the state from the railway budget. The state wants to get maximum allocation for the 29 railway projects that it has proposed with the Centre.

The proposal includes 21 new routes and expansion of two routes.

Some of the key demands made in the proposal for Mumbai are additional funds for the 15-rake and 12-rake coaches on harbour line, adequate funding for the Mumbai Urban Transport Project-II, rehabilitation of the project-affected people (PAPs) and fund allocation for the Metro and Mono rail projects.

In monetary terms, the state has demanded a provision of Rs1,000 crore for the western and central railways to get 15-rake coaches. An additional Rs500 crore is required for the extending elevated stations for 12-rake coaches and to acquire more coaches, the state’s proposal says.

Two arrested for robbery in Café Churchill

Mumbai: The police claim to have cracked the Café Churchill robbery which took place on February 14.The Cuffe Parade police arrested two men — Arif Suleiman and Sunil More —and recovered Rs12,000 from them on Monday. Suleiman was arrested from Govandi and More, who works at Radio Club, was nabbed in Colaba.

According to inspector Vilas Bhole of Cuffe Parade police station, the robbers were captured on the CCTVs installed in the café, which helped the police to track them down. “Their images were circulated in all police stations. We went through our police records to ascertain whether they had any past criminal records. That’s when we found that Suleiman was arrested last year in an assault case,” he said.

Gay sex angle in BARC scientist’s mystery killing

A 48-year-old Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) official was found murdered in his home at Breach Candy on Tuesday morning, and police suspect that his killing may have been the result of a homosexual relationship gone sour.

With the autopsy report on his body showing signs of sodomy, officers investigating the case are looking into the possibility that the murder was committed by a jilted lover.

M Padmanabhan Iyer, a science officer with the BARC for several years, was found dead in his house at around 12:20 am on Tuesday morning. "Based on clues from the police, who suspect that there could be homosexual angle to the murder, we took swab samples and have sent them to the Kalina Forensic Labs for further tests.

BARC scientist found murdered in Mumbai

MUMBAI: A scientist of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) was found murdered at his residence in south Mumbai, police said today.

"Mahadevan Padmanabhan Iyer (42), a mechanical engineer working in BARC's Reactor Group, was found murdered at his residence 'Anand Bhavan' near Breach Candy Hospital late last night," Deputy Commissioner of Police Sanjay Mohite said.

Hailing from Tamil Nadu, Iyer was found lying in his bed with a rope tied around his neck, which bore injuries. Iyer was last seen on Saturday (February 20), he said.

The postmortem report revealed that he was assaulted with a blunt object, which led to internal bleeding in the brain, Mohite said. 

Shilpa Shetty at DNA After Hrs Style Awards

Shilpa Shetty at DNA After Hrs Style Awards. Shilpa Shetty was at DNA After Hrs Style Awards, She came here with her husband Raj Kundra. Shilpa who recently came back after month long honeymoon looks quiet happy and why not. Shilpa Shetty’s curves getting in nice shape day by day even after her marriage. Checkout Shilpa Shetty DNA Style Awards.

39 police officers honoured with police medals

Mumbai: Thirty-nine police officers from across the state were awarded for distinguished and meritorious service by Governor K Sankaranarayanan at Raj Bhavan on Monday morning.
Of the 39 officers, six were bestowed police medals for distinguished service and the remaining were honoured with police medals for their meritorious service.
Home Minister RR Patil, Deputy Chief Minsiter Chhagan Bhujbal, DGP AN Roy, Commissioner of Police D Sivanandhan and additional chief secretary (Home) Chandra Iyengar were present on the occasion.

NGO Pearls Wave presents awards to women leaders in Mumbai

Mumbai: Pearls Wave- Ek Leher (NGO) with the slogan Nari Shakti Ko Salam recently celebrated Pearls Wave gala award night to salute and celebrate Indian women against violence.

On this day, women from all walks of life came together. They were entertained, felicitated and honored.

It turned out to be an evening to empower women to take up the cause of 'Women Against Violence' and highlighted the efforts of brave people working together to make a safer world free from violence and abuse for women.

Many Bollywood celebrities joined their hands together to support the cause of 'Women against Violence'.

Shiv Sena's search for leaders of 'tall stature' continues

Mumbai: The crisis of leadership in the Shiv Sena is becoming acuter by the day as the party struggles to find replacements for leaders who have quit or died.

The right-wing party is now unlikely to fill the post vacated after senior leader Madhukar Sarpotdar’s death Saturday last. It is also yet to find a replacement for Pramod Navalkar even two years after his demise, owing primarily to none among the current flock of leaders being of the same “stature”.

At present, Sena has 10 first rank leaders, including executive president Uddhav Thackeray. The party has promoted two second rung leaders — Ramdas Kadam and Gajanan Kirtikar — after Narayan Rane and Raj Thackeray left the party in the past five years. Even so, three out of these 10 — Sudhir Joshi, Datta Nalawade and Liladhar Dake — are out of action for health reasons.

http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_shiv-sena-s-search-for-leaders-of-tall-stature-continues_1351370

Wipro 'fraudster' commits suicide

Mumbai: Anoop Agarwal, the employee who was allegedly responsible for a $4 million fraud at information technology firm Wipro Ltd, is believed to have committed suicide some time after the fraud came to light, sources have told Bloomberg UTV.
Agarwal had been working with the company for the past three years in the ‘controllership’ division within the finance department. This cell is responsible for keeping the company’s financial books and also has the powers to authorise payments whenever needed. The employee is believed to have embezzled about $4 million by stealing a password and transferring money from Wipro’s bank account.
http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_wipro-fraudster-commits-suicide_1351404

Feb drizzle takes Mumbai by surprise

MUMBAI: Even the overcast skies of the last few mornings had not prepared Mumbaikars for the brief spell of February rain that several parts of the city experienced on Sunday evening and Monday morning.

So, if it drizzled in Chembur on Sunday evening, Borivli experienced it on Monday morning. But this is not the first time that Mumbai received a drizzle in the month of February.

According to the records with the meteorology department, slight traces or very light rainfall was recorded in February in 2007 and 2006 as well.

With 92% relative humidity recorded on Monday, weather bureau officials said a shower was expected. "It is not a surprise that Mumbai has seen rain, especially after the whole week of clouds and overcast skies. There is a cyclonic circulation going on all over South India and Gujarat and Maharashtra is just caught in between," meteorology department director Sathi Devi said. 
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Feb-drizzle-takes-Mumbai-by-surprise/articleshow/5605009.cms

Sachin bats for campaign against domestic violence

Want to play like Sachin Tendulkar on the field? First, behave like him off it. With domestic violence becoming a serious problem in India — one in three married women reporting some form of abuse — around 25 cricket coaches in Mumbai are now being trained to teach their players how to behave with a woman.

Initiated by the International Centre for Research on Women (ICRW), in collaboration with Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF) and Mumbai School Sports Association (MSSA), project 'Parivartan' hopes to use India's most popular sport to curb domestic violence. 
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Sachin-bats-for-campaign-against-domestic-violence/articleshow/5605016.cms

Mumbai Indians' IPL camp kicks off

The preparation-cum-conditioning camp of Mumbai Indians for the forthcoming third edition of the Indian Premier League kicked off at the franchise's home venue, the Brabourne StadiumThe contingent, largely comprising domestic players, commenced the 18-day camp with the international cricketers slated to progressively join them on completion of their respective commitments, a media release said.
The team's head coach Robin Singh, assistant coach Paras Mhambrey and fielding coach Jonty Rhodes are supervising the camp.
http://sify.com/sports/mumbai-indians-ipl-camp-kicks-off-news-cricket-kcwvADbfaab.html

Juhu airport to get extended

Mumbai: To counter the increasing level of air traffic jam in Mumbai, the state government has now diverted its attention towards reviewing its vintage scheme of extending the Juhu airport to relieve some pressure from its Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA).

The AAI (Airports Authority of India) has asked its consulting chief KPMG to design a renovation plan for the Juhu airport.
At present, the runway at Juhu airport stretches up to 4,000 ft long. In the first stage of the development process, the runway will be stretched to 5,500 feet so that it can support ATRs.
http://headlinesindia.mapsofindia.com/state-news/maharashtra/juhu-airport-to-get-extended-38739.html

Shree Renuka Sugars rises on Brazilian deal news

The scrip of sugar refining major Shree Renuka Sugars Ltd (SRSL) rose more than 3.94 percent at the Bombay Stock Exchange during morning trade Monday, after the company said it was acquiring majority stake in a large Brazilian sugar and ethanol firm.

The SRSL stock rose more than 3.94 percent to Rs.187 during morning trade, before settling to Rs.184.10, an increase of 2.33 percent from its previous close at Rs.179.90.

http://sify.com/finance/shree-renuka-sugars-rises-on-brazilian-deal-news-news-default-kcwmucecgjg.html

Shops blocked ventilation, made illegal changes

Borivali fire ; Civic body to survey old commercial complexes

Shops at Borivali’s Goyal Shopping Centre, which caught fire on Friday, had blocked a mandatory ventilation system located at the basement level, obstructed exit doors and had not installed any sprinkling mechanism. A fire brigade officer was killed in the blaze that took his colleagues almost 12 hours to douse.

The shops had made several structural changes and had allegedly flouted the Development Control regulations, prompting the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to order a survey of all similar old commercial shopping complexes in the city.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/shops-blocked-ventilation-made-illegal-changes/582673/

Indian markets join Asian rally, Sensex up 163 points

Indian equities markets were in an uptrend Monday, joining the rally in other Asian bourses. A key benchmark index for Indian equities managed to hold on to its early morning gains and was ruling 163 points higher in the afternoon.

At 1.14 p.m., the 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 16,191.32 points, was at 16,355.18 points, up 163.55 points or 1.01 percent from its previous close.

At the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the broader 50-share S&P CNX Nifty was at 4,891.25 points, against the previous close at 4,844.9 points, a gain of 0.96 percent or 46.35 points.

http://sify.com/finance/indian-markets-join-asian-rally-sensex-up-163-points-news-default-kcwnOdjdgdj.html

Experiment clicks, less stench from Mithi

The experiment of Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority to infuse oxygen into the Mithi River has brought positive results as the stench from the water body has reduced considerably. The authority will now get the stretch where the experiment was carried out evaluated by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) or the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.

The agency had begun the experiment in December last as untreated waste is being dumped in the 18 km-river through 43 drains along its stretch. It had rented out an oxygen infusion device called DynamOx from the US-based Environmental Consulting Technology Inc. (ECT), which has been applying this technology effectively in River Rogue in Michigan and other water bodies in the US. The technology and other expertise are being shared under the memorandum of cooperation signed between the US and India.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/experiment-clicks-less-stench-from-mithi/582669/