With a positivity rate of 1.29 per cent, the total Covid-19 cases as of Tuesday evening stand at 10,52,176. (Express Photo/File)Mumbai News Highlights: Mumbai reported less than 500 coronavirus cases, for the third day in a row, on Wednesday. However, the number of fatalities due to the infection jumped to nine, a day after recording only one Covid-related death, as per the bulletin released by the city civic body.
With the detection of 441 fresh cases, the overall tally of cases has risen to 10,52,617 in Mumbai. The COVID-19 death toll has jumped to 16,676, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) bulletin said.
The Sessions court in Sindhudurg granted bail to BJP MLA Nitesh Rane on Wednesday in connection with an attempt to murder case. Rane surrendered before the court on February 2 after which the Kankavli police in Sindhudurg district sought his custody. The court had then granted the police his custody for two days, after which he was sent to judicial custody for 14 days. His lawyers then filed a bail plea.
Meanwhile, the Bombay High Court has given the Maharashtra government six more weeks to resolve the differences between its health and medical education departments over instituting a quota in postgraduate medical admissions for government doctors volunteering to serve in tribal and rural areas.
The Juhu police lodged a Non-Cognisable (NC) complaint against actor Aditya Pancholi, 57, for allegedly threatening and assaulting producer Sam Fernandes, 41, outside Sun and Sand hotel in Juhu on January 27. The next day, Pancholi lodged a cross NC complaint against Fernandes for abusing and threatening him.
As per a complaint filed by Fernandes, he was working on a movie with Aditya’s son Sooraj Pancholi. Due to Covid-19 pandemic, Fernandes was unable to complete the movie and get funds from other producers. Read more
The Sessions court in Sindhudurg granted bail to BJP MLA Nitesh Rane on Wednesday in connection with an attempt to murder case.
Rane surrendered before the court on February 2 after which the Kankavli police in Sindhudurg district sought his custody. The court had then granted the police his custody for two days, after which he was sent to judicial custody for 14 days. His lawyers then filed a bail plea.
The court had reserved orders on Tuesday after hearing both sides. Read more
The Bombay High Court has given the Maharashtra government six more weeks to resolve the differences between its health and medical education departments over instituting a quota in postgraduate medical admissions for government doctors volunteering to serve in tribal and rural areas.
A division bench of Justices Nitin M Jamdar and Amit Borkar, while hearing a plea by Dr Suryakant Tejrao Lodhe and others who wanted an in-service quota discontinued in 2017 to be restored for the 2021-2022 academic year, reiterated the need for providing tribal areas with expert doctors to address malnutrition and child mortality. Read more
Shiv Sena MP to Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu claiming that the law enforcement agencies have been “let loose” against leaders of his party since it ended its alliance with the BJP. He alleged that leaders and legislators of the Sena have been “systematically targeted” by “using” law enforcement agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Vishwas Waghmode explains on why Raut made these allegations and what does this mean for the Shiv Sena and MVA government. Read more
Hours after Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut claimed he will “expose” BJP and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis “will not be able to visit his home town Nagpur“, the latter hit out and said, “Sher kabhi gidado se nahi darta (lions are not threatened by jackals)”.
Raut said BJP is misusing central agencies against him, his family and friends as he has refused to buckle under the pressure. He also alleged that the BJP wants to initiate mid-term polls in Maharashtra. Read more
Sam Fernandes, producer of the film Hawa Singh, has lodged a complaint at the Juhu police station against actor Aditya Pancholi for allegedly abusing him. (ANI)
Palghar will soon have a separate crematorium for transgender persons, officials said.
Notably, the Palghar district collector had last week issued an order to set up a separate crematorium for the group, as transgender people were reportedly facing difficulties in performing the final rites of the members of their community. Read more
The Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) this week launched a pair of 120-metre-long Orthotropic Steel Decks (OSDs) on the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (MTHL), a 22 km-long sea link that will connect south Mumbai with Navi Mumbai.
The OSD is a steel-deck superstructure, which can carry the vehicular load more efficiently and improve the load-carrying capacity of the bridge as compared to a concrete superstructure for a similar span. Read more
A 59-year-old man lost 1.17 lakh from his bank account after a pickpocket allegedly stole his wallet while he was travelling in a local train from Virar to Kopar and later withdrew money using his ATM card. As per the man’s complaint to the police, he had written down his ATM pin number and kept it in his wallet along with the ATM card, making it easy for the pickpocket to withdraw the money.
An FIR was registered on February 7 (Monday) against unidentified accused at the Dombivali government railway police (GRP) station. Read more
A 48-year-old woman working in a cooperative bank in Navi Mumbai lost Rs 45.91 lakh after a fraudster impersonating a doctor from the United Kingdom befriended her and asked her to pay for the “expensive gifts” he sent, the police have said.
A First Information Report (FIR) was recently registered with the Nerul police station in Navi Mumbai. In December last year, the complainant received a message from the cyber-fraudster who contacted her through a UK-based mobile phone number. He told her that he is a doctor and works as a gynaecologist in Liverpool. Read more
A panel of an Alliance Air ATR 72-600 aircraft’s engine fell off after take-off at the Mumbai airport on Wednesday morning and was retrieved by the staff on the runway, said officials.
The flight, however, landed safely at its destination, Bhuj in Gujarat, added officials. As many as 70 people, including four crew members and one aircraft maintenance engineer, were on board. Read more
A day after state Congress president Nana Patole asked party workers to hold protests outside BJP offices over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement in Parliament that Maharashtra is a “Corona spreader”, BJP leader Anil Bonde Wednesday threatened to thrash Congress workers if they come near the party offices.
Meanwhile, protests have already begun across the state with Congress workers gheraoing BJP party offices demanding an apology from Modi. While speaking in the Lok Sabha, the PM had questioned the role of the state government. Read more
Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik on Wednesday said the NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena will not only continue to govern Maharashtra, but will also come to power at the Centre by dislodging the BJP.
Malik, who is the NCP's national spokesperson, made the comments in the wake of Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut's claim that he was approached by “certain people” who asked him to assist in toppling the MVA government in Maharashtra so that the state could be forced into mid-term elections.
Raut, in a letter written to Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday, also alleged that central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) were targeting leaders of the Shiv Sena after the Uddhav Thackeray-led party formed a government in Maharashtra with the NCP and Congress. (PTI)
The viewing deck extending over the Dadar beach at Chaityabhoomi was inaugurated by state Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray today. The civic body built the elevated platform over a non-functioning stormwater drain outfall. The deck provides an uninterrupted view of the sea.
The structure is 16 feet above the shore, and is spread across 1,500 sqm. The deck is 24-metres long and 20-metres wide, and has ornamental light and few plants. The deck will be opened for the public at night as well, and can hold around 40 people. The estimated cost of the project was around Rs 3 crore. Read more here
The Bombay High Court on Tuesday commuted the death sentence of a resident of Bhiwandi to life imprisonment for the murder of a four-year-old girl in April 2018. The convict, who was 20 at the time of the incident, had murdered the daughter of a man who slapped him for failing to clear pending dues of Rs 1,500.
As per the police, the girl went missing on April 1, 2018 and her partially decomposed body was found three days later with a head injury and her hands and right leg hacked. Omkar Gokhale reports
The bail plea of a 19-year-old accused in the Clubhouse app case was rejected by the metropolitan magistrate court in Bandra on Tuesday. The teenager is one of the three accused arrested from Haryana by the Mumbai Crime Branch’s cyber police for passing lewd comments on Muslim women on the social audio app.
The accused, Akash Suyal, 19, is an HSC student and was arrested along with Jaishnav Kakkar, 20, a BCom student, and Yash Kumar, 22, a law student. Kumar was granted bail last week on multiple grounds including mandatory behavioural counselling, staying in Mumbai for a month and being present whenever needed by the investigating officer of the case. The bail plea of Kakkar will be heard later this week.
Suyal’s lawyer, Rahul Yadav, said, “We will now approach the Sessions court.”
The 5th and 6th lines between Thane and Diva on Central Railway's Mumbai network were commissioned after a 72-hour block, allowing for the complete segregation of suburban and long-distance trains, giving relief to passengers by way of more services and punctual operations.
The segregation of local and express trains is now complete between Kurla and Kalyan, two major junctions on the network, over a decade after the 5th and 6th lines were commissioned between Kurla and Thane in April, 2011, officials pointed out on Tuesday. "Thane-Diva 5th and 6th line work has been completed successfully. The separation of the corridor will help improve punctuality of trains and allow us to have additional paths for more suburban trains," Shivaji Sutar, CR chief public relations officer said.
The Air Quality Index in Mumbai continued to be in the red /very poor category on Wednesday. The AQI recorded in Mumbai on Wednesday was 304. On Tuesday the AQI had increased to 320.
The minimum or the night temperature in Mumbai slightly increased in the last 24 hours. The India Meteorological Department's Santacruz observatory recorded a minimum temperature at 18 degrees Celsius, which was a degree above normal. Fog/mist was recorded on Wednesday morning.
Jalna-based social activist Vijaya Dinkarrao Ambekar died on Tuesday at the age of 84. Her body was donated to the anatomy department of the Government Medical College in Aurangabad as per her wish, her son Dr Madhav Ambekar said. Among those who offered tribute were MLA Kailash Gorantyal and former state minister Arjun Khotkar. (With PTI)