However, no instances of extreme waterlogging were recorded in Mumbai on Friday, according to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) disaster management department. Mumbai News Highlights: Heavy rains lashed Mumbai overnight and on Friday morning with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting light showers in isolated place on Saturday. The neighbouring Thane city recorded 97.77 mm of rainfall in 12 hours since 8:30 in the morning, a local civic official said. The weather office also issued an `orange’ alert forecasting heavy to very heavy rains in neighbouring Palghar and Thane districts on Saturday.
In news related to the row over the Vedanta-Foxconn project that was moved from Maharashtra to Gujarat, The Indian Express has reported that Vedanta made two key requests to the state government before finalising the location of its Rs 1.5-lakh-crore semiconductor facility in Talegaon: “Central government alignment,” and state Cabinet approval. Putting this on record, in a letter to Vedanta Chairman Anil Agarwal, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said, “…(your) two key requests from the state are to seek central government alignment and cabinet approval. You will be pleased to know that on both fronts, the state is already in advanced stages and is moving ahead expeditiously.”
Separately, a magistrate’s court in Borivali on Thursday allowed bail to independent lawmaker couple Navneet Rana and Ravi Rana in connection with a chargesheet filed against them for allegedly resisting arrest and obstructing police, who had visited their Khar residence after their announcement that they will chant the Hanuman Chalisa at the private residence of then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in April.
A joint team from the Mumbai Police’s Crime Branch on Friday questioned Kapil Pandit, who was arrested by the Punjab Police in connection with the Siddhu Moosewala murder case.
Pandit had told the Punjab Police about a recce conducted by him and his associates at actor Salman Khan’s farmhouse in Panvel where they had allegedly planned to kill the latter. Read more
The Bombay High Court on Friday said that it will issue contempt proceedings against Municipal Corporations and planning authorities across Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) if they do not comply expeditiously with its February 26 directions, including conducting a monthly review of illegal buildings or structures in every ward and action taken against them.
The court, while hearing a PIL against unauthorised structures in Mumbra area of Thane argued through advocate Neeta Karnik, also directed an Assistant Municipal Commissioner (AMC) of the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) to identify unauthorised structures in the locality and affix notice on them so that the occupants are made aware that their buildings are a subject of the PIL and they can approach the court and be granted hearing. Read more
INS Ajay, an anti-submarine warfare corvette of western naval command, will be decommissioned on September 19 after 32 years of service.
Commissioned in the freezing temperatures of Poti Shipyard of erstwhile Soviet Union, which is presently in Georgia, the ship will be decommissioned during the monsoons of Mumbai, a naval press note said.
Decommissioning is considered a formal, yet very emotional ceremony for a ship, its crew, and the Navy in general. During the decommissioning ceremony, the National Flag, Naval Ensign, and the decommissioning Pennant of the ship will be lowered for the last time, at sunset, signifying the end of the ship’s commissioned service. Read more
The Bombay High Court Friday said it will not intervene in the pleas by Star India, Disney Broadcasting (India) and AsiaNet Star Communications against the Competition Commission of India (CCI) as the matter is beyond its jurisdiction.
But the bench of Justice Sanjay V Gangapurwala clarified that the interim relief granted to the petitioners will continue for ten more days from the date of the order during which they can approach the appropriate forum challenging the CCI’s ruling.
In April, the High Court had restrained the CCI from passing any orders against the petitioners until further orders in a complaint filed by the Asianet Digital Network Private Limited (ADNPL). Read more
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut played a major role in the money laundering case related to Patra Chawl redevelopment and acted "behind curtains", the Enforcement Directorate (ED) told a court here on Friday while opposing his bail application.
The Rajya Sabha member was arrested in the case in July and is currently in judicial custody. He has moved the special court for Prevention of Money Laundering Act cases for bail.
The ED, in its reply, denied Raut's contention that the action against him arose from malice or political vendetta. (PTI)
Adjunct and visiting faculty members at the Government Law College (GLC) have not been paid their dues for almost a year.
The GLC is one of the oldest law colleges in Asia with many prominent alumni. “Due to its reputation, there has never been dearth of faculty members even though full-time faculty positions are unfilled and several subjects are covered by adjunct or visiting faculty members,” said an adjunct faculty on condition of anonymity.
According to students, these teachers have been a great support to ensure a smooth academic year. Read more
Under fire over Gujarat bagging the Vedanta-Foxconn semiconductor project, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said the neighbouring state was "no Pakistan", and also accused the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of graft.
"Ten per cent commission" had to be paid for availing of any subsidy when Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government was in power and Gujarat surged ahead during this period, the BJP leader claimed.
Without naming the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, Fadnavis targeted the party for opposing big-ticket projects like a refinery in Ratnagiri and Vadhavan port in Palghar, and for stalling the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train and Mumbai Metro phase 3. (PTI)
Shiv Sena MLA Aaditya Thackeray, NCP MLA Dattatraya Bharne, and Congress MLA Dheeraj Deshmukh are among the 13 members of the State Wildlife Board whose appointments have been cancelled by the state government.
In a government press release issued on September 8, the Maharashtra government said that all non-official appointments except for those with designated posts will be cancelled.
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Two men have been arrested for allegedly obtaining PAN card and Aadhaar card for Rs 4,000 by submitting forged documents to the government.
A Sub-inspector from the Anti-terror Cell (ATC) of Borivali police station received a tip-off on August 21 that the accused, Shyamjai Lokhande, 51, provides Aadhaar cards with forged documents. Lokhande is a resident of Bhayandar (west) who provides online services, including photocopies, near Borivali court in Borivali (west). Read more
The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cancelled the product manufacturing license of Johnson’s Baby Powder manufactured by M/s Johnson’s & Johnson’s Pvt. Ltd., Mulund, Mumbai.
According to the press release, the FDA had drawn the samples of Johnson’s Baby Powder at Pune and Nashik for quality check purposes. The drawn samples were declared 'not of standard quality' by the government analyst.
The Administration issued show cause notice to the firm under Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules there under as to why the action like suspension or cancellation of manufacturing licence or product manufacturing licence should not be taken. Also issued instructions to recall the stock of the said product from the market.
The JJ Hospital in Mumbai on Thusday night conducted the post mortem of the 21-year-girl from Nandurbar district who was found hanging on August 1 in another hamlet Vavi located 20 kms from her home.
Following the post mortem, the body was handed over to relatives and the post mortem report handed over to Dhadgaon Police station, the hospital officials said.
The victim's father has preserved her body in a salt pit at his agricultural field for 44 days demanding justice for her alleged gangrape and murder.
Heavy rains lashed Mumbai overnight and on Friday morning with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting light showers in isolated place on Saturday.
The neighbouring Thane city recorded 97.77 mm of rainfall in 12 hours since 8:30 in the morning, a local civic official said.
The weather office also issued an `orange' alert forecasting heavy to very heavy rains in neighbouring Palghar and Thane districts on Saturday. The rains coupled with cloudy skies brought the mercury down and turned the weather in the city pleasant, though commuters faced traffic jams and delayed train services. (PTI)
Under the PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM), in a first-of-its kind project, the state health department is establishing state-of-the-art Integrated Public Health Laboratories (IPHL) in all districts in Maharashtra.
Such start-of-art laboratories will also be set up in all 730 districts across India to optimise access to laboratory services, quality assurance efforts, cost-effectiveness and efficient use of human resources.
These labs will merge all diagnostic services like haematology, clinical biochemistry and clinical pathology under a single roof to identify and detect diseases early so as to manage any outbreak similar to the Covid-19 pandemic. Read more
The State government will bear the cost of medical treatment of all cattle affected by Lumpy skin disease in the state, Maharashtra Animal Husbandry Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said on Friday.
Patil added that a drugs bank will be developed in each district to ensure that medical kit is readily available. He also said that around 50 lakh vaccines will be made available to the state in a week's time.
The Indian Coast Guard successfully rescued 19 persons from the sea near Ratnagiri, including 18 Indians and their Ethiopian Master from Motor Tanker Parth, a Gabon-flagged vessel.
The vessel reported flooding at about 9.23 am around 41 miles west of Ratnagiri coast. The vessel was on its way to New Mangalore from Khor Fakkan, UAE. Within minutes of receipt of the distress call from the vessel, the Marine Rescue Coordination centre Mumbai swung into action. Two Coast Guard Ships — Sujeet and Apoorva — patrolling in and around the area called ICGS Sujeet were diverted near Parth. Read more
A police inspector posted in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district has been suspended and a departmental inquiry initiated against him for allegedly making casteist remarks on another inspector while speaking on the phone with a subordinate.
The police inspector, Kiran Bakale, was posted in the local crime branch in Jalgaon. He was speaking on the phone with his subordinate and discussing work. While doing so, Bakale spoke about an inspector who was allegedly not discharging his duties properly due to which the workload was increasing on others. Bakale allegedly abused the Maratha community to which the other inspector belongs.
After the phone call’s recording went viral on social media, Mangesh Chavan, MLA from Chalisgaon constituency, raked up the issue threatening massive protest outside Jalgaon police headquarters. Demanding suspension of the officer, senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar too called out the inspector for his remarks on the Maratha community and questioned what action Chief Minister Eknath Shinde would take. Read more
Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray on Friday took a dig at the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government over Vedanta-Foxconn choosing Gujarat over Maharashtra to set up its semiconductor plant, saying that 'one engine of the double-engine government has failed'.
Addressing party workers in Ratnagiri as part of the 'Shiv Samvad Yatra', the home district of rebel Sena MLA and state Industries Minister Uday Samant, Thackeray said the CM as well as the minister were clueless about the details of the project. 'How did the project go out of Maharashtra when we had done so much follow-up with Vedanta? The chief minister and the industries minister were clueless about this,' Thackeray said in the rally. In any other state, the chief minister would have asked for the industries minister's resignation, he added.
Double engine government is the term the BJP uses for its government at the Centre and another in the state which it claims can help in seamless development. (PTI)
On the occasion of World Ozone Day 2022, an event was organised on Friday at Yashwantrao Chavan Pratishthan, Nariman Point, Mumbai.
Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Eknath Shinde, Maharashtra Chief Minister, and Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, were the guests of honour at the event.
World Ozone Day is celebrated on September 16 each year to commemorate the signing of the Montreal Protocol, an international environmental treaty for phasing out of production and consumption of ozone depleting substances, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs). The Ozone Cell, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Government of India has been celebrating World Ozone Day since 1995.
Following heavy rains lashed the city on Friday, the roads at Kasheli in Bhiwandi have become waterlogged, forcing commuters to wade through knee-deep water. Watch Express photos and video by Deepak Joshi.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Friday urged the Micro Small Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector to embrace technology and work towards upskilling the youth so as to make them employable.
Sitharaman was addressing a convention organised by the Maharashtra unit of Laghu Udyog Bharat, an RSS-affiliated consortium of MSMEs, in Mumbai.
“MSME is the backbone of the Indian economy. Out of all approvals given under the production-linked intensive scheme for telecom and networking products, 50 per cent of them have been from MSME. Currently there are 8,366 MSME-registered toy manufacturers in India who are growing as the import of toys has been reduced significantly with measures such as strict quality check and increased import duty among all,” she said, while talking about several schemes started by the central government aimed at strengthening the MSME sector. Read more