A man walks past a mural on a street amidst the spread of COVID-19 in Mumbai. (Reuters)Mumbai Live Highlights: Maharashtra Wednesday reported 46,000 fresh Covid-19 cases at a positivity rate of 21.4 per cent. Of this, Mumbai logged 16,420 cases at a test positivity rate of 24 per cent. Seven deaths were also reported in the financial capital. Mumbai had on Tuesday reported 11,647 new Covid-19 cases and two fatalities.
Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar said the numbers of Covid-19 cases and its fast spreading variant Omircon were slowing coming down in the city, and appealed to citizens to get vaccinated against the viral infection.
Pednekar said out of those who died due to Covid-19 so far since February 2021, 94 per cent people were unvaccinated. Pednekar also said that even if vaccinated people get infected, they develop mild symptoms.
A court in Mumbai on Wednesday granted bail to Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik in a criminal defamation complaint filed against him by local BJP leader Mohit Bharatiya. The NCP leader tried to link Bharatiya with the NCB's drug raid on a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast last year, the complaint alleges.
In December 2021, the Mazgaon metropolitan magistrate had issued a summons to Malik, asking him to appear before it.
On Wednesday, Malik remained present in the court, following which the magistrate granted him bail on a surety of Rs 15,000. “The accused (Malik) is directed not to indulge in similar kind of offences alleged by the complainant against the complainant in future, otherwise the bail bond would be canceled,” the court said in its order. Further hearing on the complaint would be held on January 29, it added.
Bharatiya's complaint claimed that Malik misused his position to defame the BJP leader and his family by making highly speculative and malicious statements without providing any evidence. This is the second defamation complaint filed by Bharatiya against the minister. (PTI)
Maharashtra Wednesday reported 46,000 fresh Covid-19 cases at a positivity rate of 21.4 per cent. Of this, Mumbai logged 16,420 cases at a test positivity rate of 24 per cent. Seven deaths were also reported in the financial capital.
BJP MLA Nitesh Rane claimed before the Bombay High Court on Wednesday that an FIR on charge of attempt to murder was registered against him by Maharashtra's ruling party as it felt insulted and hurt by an alleged incident of mocking outside the state legislature complex last month.
A Shiv Sena MLA last month alleged that Rane had made 'meow' sounds looking in the direction of Maharashtra minister and Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray while he was going inside the Vidhan Bhavan building in Mumbai.
Nitesh Rane, the son of Union minister Narayan Rane, had earlier this month approached the HC seeking pre-arrest bail in connection with the case registered against him by the Kankavali police in Sindhudurg district last month under IPC Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 120(b) (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common intention). The case pertains to the alleged attack on a local Shiv Sena activist during the campaign for the Sindhurdurg District Co-operative Bank elections. (PTI)
A set of newly-laid tracks and a major infrastructure work being carried out between the Thane and Diva railway stations for the fifth and the sixth lines resulted in a delay in the local train service and led to crowding at the stations Wednesday morning when Mumbaikers were heading to work.
Several slow and fast trains for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) from Karjat, Kasara, Badlapur and Khopoli were delayed by at least 15 minutes.
A railway official said, “Since the tracks are new, the train speed has been restricted and thus, they are running late by 10-15 minutes. The speed will be gradually increased in a few days once we will have ensured consolidation of the new tracks and the new formation.”
The Central Railway had announced a mega block on the Main Line of 36 hours on Saturday and Sunday between Thane and Kalva stations for completion of the work on the fifth and sixth lines between Thane and Diva. (ENS)
The Wardha police in Maharashtra on Tuesday took custody of controversial religious guru Kalicharan Maharaj from Chhattisgarh Police for allegedly giving a hate speech targetting a minority community, abusing Mahatma Gandhi and hailing his assassin Nathuram Godse in Raipur last month.
Kalicharan Maharaj alias Abhijit Sarag, a resident of Shivajinagar in Akola in Maharashtra, was brought to the Wardha city and spent the night in lock-up at the Sewagram police station. “He was produced before a magistrate court on Wednesday afternoon and remanded to judicial custody,” said Piyush Jagtap, deputy superintendent of police.
An FIR under IPC Sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot) and 505 (2) (public mischief) was registered against Kalicharan at the Wardha city police station on a complaint from Congress leader Manoj Chandurkar. Read More
Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar said the numbers of COVID-19 cases and its fast spreading variant Omircon were slowing coming down in the city, and appealed to citizens to get vaccinated against the viral infection.
In a recorded video message issued by the mayor's office, Pednekar said out of those who died due to COVID-19 so far since February 2021, 94 per cent people were unvaccinated.
Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has tested positive for COVID-19 and is in home quarantine.
In a tweet, he said he has "mild symptoms" and is under home quarantine.
The minimum temperature remained below normal for the third consecutive day in Mumbai on Wednesday. The IMD's Santacruz observatory recorded a minimum temperature of 14.4 degrees Celsius, three degrees Celsius below normal.
The Mumbai Police on Tuesday arrested the supervisor of the Ghatkopar-based company where one person died and two others sustained injuries due to a gas leak on Monday.
The police said the supervisor, identified as Omkar Patil, was present at the spot when the incident took place and did not taken any precaution to ensure that the workers who were going to clean the tank were protected.
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UPKEEP OF over 400 gardens in the city may get delayed again as the elected representatives are likely to question, and dismiss, the civic body’s decision to go ahead with contractors who have bid 36 to 44 per cent below the estimated price. The corporators have alleged that low bids are indicative of poor quality work.
In September last year, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had scrapped 24 tenders for the maintenance of more than 400 parks and gardens (across 24 administrative wards) for a year after contractors bid over 40 per cent below the estimated cost.
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Bombay High Court has directed the state government to file its response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking implementation of the order of the heritage committee formed under Maharashtra Regional Town Planning (MRTP) Act for Satara, Wai Panchgani and Mahabaleshwar area.
The PIL, moved by ten nature lovers and trekkers from across the state, has sought directions for conservation, restoration and maintenance of the trails and walking paths. It said since these paths have been in use since at least 1862 and so have heritage status, it was the responsibility of the concerned officer to revive and maintain them.
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Almost seven months after amending the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975, the state government on Monday constituted the Maharashtra State Tree Authority and appointed a chairman and three members.
The tree authority will look into projects that would need the felling of more than 200 trees of fives years old or more, among others.
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Bandra magistrate court this Thursday will hear the bail plea of Vishal Kumar Jha, the first arrested accused in the Bulli Bai app case, who was remanded to judicial custody on Monday after testing positive for Covid.
Twenty-one-year-old Jha, a native of Bihar, was detained on January 3 from Bengaluru where he was pursuing civil engineering, and arrested next day. He was remanded to police custody till Monday this week.
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Before India’s women footballers board the plane from Kochi to Mumbai on Thursday, each player will be handed a dossier of sorts. From basic Covid-appropriate behaviour to avoiding shops and cafes at the airport, the document will spell out all the dos and don’ts for their trip.
And the moment they land in Mumbai, the 23-member squad and the coaching staff will be separated from other passengers and whisked away to a dedicated testing area at the Arrivals terminal through special lanes. Only after they test negative will the players board a bus for their hour-long journey to Navi Mumbai, where they will stay in a bio-secure environment for the next fortnight.
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Maharashtra reported 34 new cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, raising their count to 1,281. Of the 34 new cases of the highly contagious variant, 25 were reported from Pune city, six from Pune rural, two from Solapur and one from Panvel.
Maharashtra on Tuesday recorded 34,424 new coronavirus cases, taking the active cases tally to 2,21,477. The state also reported 22 related deaths, the state health department said.
Indicating a flattening of the third wave of pandemic in Mumbai, the daily Covid-19 cases dropped to 11,647 cases on Tuesday registering a 14.66% drop over Monday.
Along with this, the test positivity rate (TPR) has also plunged from 23% to 18% within 24 hour. On January 10, 13,648 patients were detected with Covid-19 out of the 59,242 tests done. Read More
Mumbai on Tuesday reported 11,647 new Covid-19 cases and two deaths, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said in a health bulletin. The active cases in the city rose to 1,00,523.
Dharavi witnesses sharp decline in Covid cases; only 51 new infections on Tuesday
In the ongoing trial into the 2008 Malegaon blast case, accused Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit has sought a ban on “all types of existing media, social media users” from reporting “anything and everything” till the conclusion of the case.
Special Judge Prashant Sitre directed the NIA and the intervener on behalf of a blast victim to file a reply. Read More