Maharashtra News Updates: Uddhav govt did nothing for farmers hit by rains, crop loss, says Fadnavis

Senior railway officer Rajeev Tyagi has taken charge as director (Project) of the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited or Maha Metro, an official release said. An IRSE official of 1989 batch, Tyagi took charge of his new responsibility last week, it said. (PTI)

Former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede on Friday alleged before the Bombay High Court that the "draft complaint" in the 2021 drugs-on-cruise case named actor Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan as an accused, but it was later replaced and Aryan's name was dropped. The Indian Revenue Service officer made the claim in his petition before the HC seeking to quash an FIR registered by the CBI against Wankhede for allegedly seeking a bribe of Rs 25 crore from Khan for not implicating his son in the alleged drug bust. A vacation bench of Justices Sharmila U Deshmukh and Arif S Doctor, after recording Wankhede's undertaking that he would appear before the CBI on Saturday, directed the agency not to take any coercive action (like arresting him) till May 22. (PTI)

One person was killed and three others were injured after the diesel tank of a truck exploded when it was being cut in Nagpur on Friday morning, a police official said. The incident took place at 11:30am in Sugat Nagar area and the deceased has been identified as gas welder Takdirraj Kamble (35), the official said. (PTI)

The Nationalist Congress Party on Friday slammed the Union government over the announcement by the Reserve Bank of India to withdraw Rs 2000 denomination currency notes from circulation. The RBI announced withdrawal of Rs 2,000 currency notes from circulation and said existing notes in circulation can either be deposited in bank accounts or exchanged by September 30. (PTI)

Former NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede, accused of demanding a bribe from Shah Rukh Khan for not implicating his son Aryan Khan in the 2021 drugs-on-cruise case, has claimed in his petition that the superstar praised the officer's "integrity" and pleaded with him to be kind to Aryan. As per Wankhede's petition before the Bombay High Court seeking to quash the FIR registered against him by the CBI for bribery, Khan deplored the political involvement in the case. (PTI)

One person was killed and four others injured when a speeding truck ran over them on Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway in Maharashtra's Palghar district, police said on Friday. The incident took place on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday at Medvan, an official said. (PTI)

A passenger was found dead in a general coach of the Bengaluru-Danapur Sanghamitra Superfast Express in Nagpur, a police official said on Friday. The body of Ram Bhuiyya (38) of Bihar was found on Thursday inside the toilet of the coach, after which an accidental death case was registered, he said. (PTI)

Mumbai on Friday reported 29 Covid-19 cases, which took the tally to 11,63,627, while the death toll stood unchanged at 19,771, a civic official said. The addition to the tally was a rise from the 21 cases detected on Thursday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation official pointed out. (PTI)

A 23-year-old man allegedly bludgeoned his friend to death after the latter sodomised him in an inebriated state at a village in Maharashtra's Nagpur district, police said on Friday. The victim, who hailed from Seoni district of Madhya Pradesh, was found dead in the early hours of Thursday, an official said. (PTI)

Flotsam and jetsam

In hubby’s name

Time running out

Sweating it out

All decked up

A 16-year-old boy drowned while swimming in a water-filled quarry in Maharashtra's Thane district on Friday, a civic official said. The incident took place around 3.40 pm when the boy Rohit Suryaban Raut had ventured into the quarry in Diva area for a swim, said Avinash Sawant, chief of the regional disaster management cell said. Local firemen along with the RDMC team fished out the body, which was sent to a government hospital for post-mortem, he said. The police have registered a case of accidental death, it was stated. (PTI)

A separate department for action on climate change is one of the highlights of the good governance regulations approved by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday. A statement from the chief minister's office (CMO) said Maharashtra is the first state in the country to have good governance rules, the focus of which would be to ensure citizens get services expeditiously and smoothly. The state will have a separate department for action on climate change, which will implement an action plan to deal with heatwaves, unseasonal rains and will include citizens in decision making through the use of technology, it said. (PTI)

Maharashtra on Friday reported 81 new cases of coronavirus and a single casualty due to the infection that raised the tally to 81,68,737 and toll to 1,48,549, an official from the state health department said. As per the health department's report, the state currently has 558 active cases after 119 patients recovered in the last 24 hours taking the recovery count to 80,19,669. (PTI)

The previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government under Uddhav Thackeray did not do anything for farmers distressed by unseasonal rains and crop loss and relief was provided to them by the Eknath Shinde dispensation, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Friday. Addressing a gathering of BJP functionaries in Katol in Nagpur, he said the Shinde government had started various farmer welfare schemes after coming to power in June last year, adding that 12-hour daytime power supply will begin for the agriculture sector soon under the CM Saur (solar) Krishi Yojana. "The Uddhav Thackeray government did not do anything for farmers hits by unseasonal rains that damaged crops. Financial assistance was provided to them by the Eknath Shinde government. The Maharashtra government has set aside Rs 3,000 crore for drip irrigation, cotton shredders and will implement four schemes for farmers," he said. (PTI)

A woman police constable was arrested on Friday for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 1,000 in Palghar district, a Maharashtra Anti Corruption Bureau official said. The WPC, attached to Virar police station, had sought Rs 1,500 from a man who wanted no action to be taken in a case he had filed against his brother as the siblings had settled the matter among themselves, the official said. (PTI)

The next hearing in the corruption case against former zonal director, NCB Mumbai, Sameer Wankhede will be on May 22 in the Bombay high court.

Former zonal director, NCB Mumbai, Sameer Wankhede will appear before the CBI on Saturday at 11am.

IRS officer Sameer Wankhede gets relief from the Bombay high court. The court asks the CBI not to take any coercive action against Wankhede till May 22.

Two persons were arrested for allegedly transporting beef worth Rs 45,000 in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Friday. Based on a tip-off, the police intercepted a tempo on Thursday and recovered 300 kg of the banned meat, inspector Pramod Kumbhar of Narpoli police station said. An offence under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Maharashtra Animal Protection Act has been registered against the accused, who are from neighbouring Mumbai, he added. (PTI)

An offence has been registered against four directors of a Hyderabad-based company for allegedly supplying defective products to a firm in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Friday. Based on a complaint, a case under sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code has been registered against the accused, an official said. (PTI)

Actors Ayushmann Khurana and Aparshakti Khurana's father P Khurana died on Friday due to a "prolonged incurable ailment". P Khurana, who was an astrologer by profession, breathed his last in Mohali, Punjab, read a statement by Aparshakti's spokesperson. "It's with our deep sadness to inform that Ayushmann and Aparshakti Khurana's father, Astrologer P Khurana passed away this morning at 10:30am in Mohali, owing to a prolonged incurable ailment. "We are indebted for all your prayers and support during this time of personal loss," the statement read. According to media reports, P Khurana had been battling heart problems for a while and was being treated at a private hospital in Mohali. (PTI)

Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council Ambadas Danve on Friday blamed the state government and police for failing to prevent last week's communal violence in Akola city. Some people were deliberately trying to create communal tensions in the state, Danve told reporters in Akola after meeting the family members of Vilas Gaikwad who died in the clash which erupted over a social media post. "Is the government encouraging these people?" Danve, who belongs to the Shiv Sena (UBT), said while blaming the superintendent of police for not taking swift action. He also asked why the Eknath Shinde-led government was dithering over the long-due civic elections in the state. "Why is the government afraid of holding elections?" Danve asked. He also visited the riot-hit area of Old City. (PTI)

IRS officer Sameer Wankhede moves court challenging the CBI FIR and seeking protection against any coercive action. He claims that CAT had stayed the NCB’s vigilance report, so the CBI cannot register an FIR on the basis of the vigilance report.

A policeman was attacked while arresting a man allegedly involved in stealing mobile phones in Palghar district. (PTI)

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A short circuit triggered a fire in the MSEDCL administrative office at Jawahar Baug, near Dadoji Konddeo stadium.

Chief minister Eknath Shinde will visit major civic teaching hospitals over the next few days.

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