Page 2 - Maharashta

Maha's active Covid tally reaches 165, with 26 new cases; zero fatality

Maharashtra on Tuesday recorded 26 new cases of coronavirus that raised the tally of infections to 81,36,552, an official from the state health department said. The toll remained unchanged at 1,48,415 and the count of recoveries reached 79,87,972 after 15 patients recovered from the infection during the day, he said. With 9,681 swab samples tested in the last 24 hours, the total number of tests conducted in the state so far rose to 8,58,76,790, the official said. As per the health department's report, Pune logged the highest eight cases, followed by seven cases in Mumbai circle, four each from Nashik and Latur, and one each from Nagpur, Aurangabad and Kolhapur circles. Maharashtra now has 165 active cases, of which Pune accounts for the highest 54 cases, followed by 44 in Mumbai and 11 in Thane district, it said. The recovery rate in Maharashtra is at 98.17 per cent and fatality rate stands at 1.82 per cent, the report said. According to the health department, 44,666 passengers .

NCP asks Maharashtra DGP to withdraw vehicles bought under Nirbhaya Fund

NCP has written to Maharashtra DGP demanding "immediate withdrawal of vehicles procured under Nirbhaya fund" after reports alleged that vehicles were being used for Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction

Maha ex-minister Anil Deshmukh gets bail in corruption case after 13 months

The Bombay High Court is likely to pass an order on Monday on the bail plea of former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh in a corruption case being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). A single bench of Justice M S Karnik had reserved the order on the plea last week after both sides completed their arguments. Deshmukh, 74, approached the HC after a special CBI court rejected his bail plea last month. He sought bail on medical grounds as well as on merits. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader has been in jail since November last year after he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case. In April this year, he was arrested by the CBI in the corruption case. He is in judicial custody and lodged at the Arthur Road prison in Mumbai. Deshmukh was granted bail by the high court last month in the ED case. His bail plea in the corruption case was, however, rejected by the special CBI court noting there was prima facie evidence a

Two students killed, 47 injured after bus overturns in Raigad district

Two students were killed and 47 others injured on Sunday night when their bus overturned in a hilly section near Khopoli town in Raigad district of Maharashtra while they were returning from a picnic in Lonavala, police said. Prima facie, the driver of the bus lost control of the wheel due to the failure of the brakes. The incident occurred near Magic Point hill on the old Mumbai-Pune highway around 8 pm, about 14 km from Lonavala hill station, an official said. At least 49 students of a coaching class from suburban Chembur in Mumbai were travelling in the private bus, he said, adding they all are students of class 10. "While returning from a picnic in Lonavala (located in Pune district), the driver of the bus lost his control over the vehicle in the ghat (hilly road) terrain near Khopoli due to the failure of brakes," the official said. All the students and the driver sustained injuries in the accident, he said, adding they were rushed to hospitals in Lonavala and Khopoli. Two .

Vehicles bought under Nirbhaya Fund diverted for security to Shinde faction

Some of the vehicles procured by the Mumbai Police earlier this year under the Nirbhaya Fund to fight crime against women are currently being used for providing Y-plus security to the MLAs and MPs of the Shiv Sena faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, a police official said on Sunday. In June this year, the city police force had procured 220 Boleros, 35 Ertigas, 313 Pulsar motorcycle and 200 Activa two-wheelers using the Rs 30 crore corpus that it had received under the Nirbhaya fund. The development prompted the opposition Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to attack the Shinde-led government, as they asked if the security of the ruling legislators was more important than protecting women. The Nirbhaya Fund is being given to the state governments by the Centre since 2013 to implement schemes related to women's safety. "After the vehicles were procured in June, they were distributed to all 97 police stations, cyber, traffic and coastal police units

Dharavi redevelopment project a veritable realty goldmine, say experts

Sensitive rehab, retaining local jobs key challenges in Adani's mega project

Not appropriate for Maharashtra ministers to visit Belagavi: Karnataka CM

Reacting to the reports of Maharashtra ministers planning to visit Belagavi on December 6, the CM said it is not appropriate for them to come

Maha govt tweaks policy on single-use plastic, allows compostable materials

The Maharashtra government has permitted the production of straws, cups, plates, forks and spoons made from 'compostable' materials by making changes to the policy on single-use plastic, a senior official said here on Friday. Satish Darade, secretary of the Environment and Climate Change department, told reporters that a panel which studied the ban on single-use plastic and thermocol items, headed by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, decided to permit items made from compostable material. But it will be mandatory to get approval for these products from the Central Institute of Plastic Engineering and Technology (CIPET) and Central Pollution Control Board, he said. The move will give relief to plastic product manufacturers, he said. There was a demand to allow production of single-use items made from degradable materials, Darade said. In 2018, the Maharashtra government had imposed a ban on single-use plastic.

717 measles cases reported in Maharashtra since Jan, Mumbai worst-affected

The tally of measles cases recorded in Maharashtra since the start of the year has reached 717 including 303 in Mumbai, the state health department said on Tuesday. The viral infection, which affects children the most, has claimed 14 lives so far. In Mumbai alone ten deaths due to measles have been reported as of November 28, the official release said. On Tuesday, Mumbai recorded five fresh measles cases and one suspected death, the city's civic body had said in a bulletin earlier in the day. Since January, 70 cases of infection have been reported in Malegaon city in Nashik district and 48 in Bhiwandi near Mumbai. Mumbai has recorded 74 outbreaks so far this year. If there are five suspected cases within a week of which more than two are confirmed by laboratory, then it is termed as an outbreak. The state capital also recorded 11,390 suspected cases since January 1, 2022. In 2019 the state had recorded 1,337 confirmed cases; 2,150 in 2020 and 3,668 in 2021. Of 14 patients who d

Pune airport to get new terminal building by May, says Jyotiraditya Scindia

The Pune airport will get a new terminal building by May next year, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said here on Friday. He was speaking after inaugurating a multi-level car parking at the airport. "A direct flight from Pune to Bangkok has already started. Flight operations between Pune and Singapore will start from December 1," the minister said. "A new terminal will be constructed by May 2023 at the Pune airport. Seventy-five per cent of the new building has been completed," Scindia added. There is a plan to set up an integrated domestic and international cargo system in Pune and flight operations at the airport will also increase, he said. The BJP leader also said that he has a "very personal relation" with Pune city. "Though I live in Gwalior, my heart still remains in Pune. The city holds top rank in arts, culture, history, business, IT and much more," he added.

Pawar slams Koshyari over remarks on Shivaji; says crossed all limits

NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday slammed Bhagat Singh Koshiyari over his remarks on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and said that Maharashtra Governor has crossed "all limits".

Measles: One more child dies in Mumbai, toll at 11; case tally rises to 220

With the death of a one-year-old boy on Tuesday, the toll due to outbreak of measles in Mumbai reached 11, of which two patients were out of the metropolis, while 12 more persons were infected by the viral disease, taking their count to 220, said the local civic body. A Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) health department bulletin said 12 new confirmed cases of measles were found in the city, taking their overall count to 220. The tally of suspected measles cases rose to 3,378 with the addition of 170 such infections on Tuesday, it said. According to the bulletin, the one-year-old boy, a resident of Nalasopara (East) in adjoining Palghar district, died in a government hospital in Mumbai. The child was admitted to the government hospital after initial treatment at a private hospital and had developed respiratory failure due to which he was put on a ventilator on Monday. The patient's condition deteriorated and he subsequently died. The suspected cause of the death was "acute

Dismissed Mumbai cop Sachin Waze seeks bail in money laundering case

Dismissed Mumbai Police officer Sachin Waze on Tuesday filed a bail application before a special court here in a money laundering case linked to former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh. This was Waze's second application for bail under section 88 of the CrPc where the applicant is remanded to judicial custody at a post-cognizance stage and not arrested under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Waze has not been arrested under the provisions of PMLA thus the rigour of the Act will not be attracted to the Applicant, his bail plea said. It stated the court has granted bail to the accused in matters where they have not been arrested during the stage of investigation and requested the court to grant bail to Waze. Special court judge R N Rokade after hearing brief arguments from both sides adjourned the matter for order on November 18. The Bombay High Court on October 4 granted bail to Anil Deshmukh in a money laundering case registered by the Enforce

Congress Seva Dal functionary dies during Bharat Jodo Yatra in Maha

A Congress Seva Dal functionary died after collapsing on Tuesday during the party's Bharat Jodo Yatra in Maharashtra's Nanded district on Tuesday, party leaders said. Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is leading the foot march, expressed grief over the death of the Seva Dal general secretary Krishna Kumar Pandey. He said Pandey held the national flag till the very last moment. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said Pandey was holding the tricolour and walking with him and party veteran Digvijaya Singh. "After a few minutes, as is the practice, he handed the flag to a colleague and moved back. Thereafter he collapsed and was taken in an ambulance to a hospital where most sadly he was declared dead," Ramesh tweeted. "He was a staunch Congressman and used to take on the RSS in Nagpur. It is a most humbling moment for all the Yatris," Ramesh added. "The Yatris, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee and @RahulGandhi paid last respects to Krishna Kumar Pandey this afternoon

BJP-Shinde to contest some civic polls separately, others jointly: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said the ruling BJP and Shiv Sena faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will contest some of the civic polls separately and others in alliance. Notably, CM Shinde had in August said the "original" Shiv Sena and the BJP will contest the forthcoming elections to civic bodies in Maharashtra together. He had claimed that the led by him represents the "original" Shiv Sena. The elections are due in various civic bodies in the state, including the cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The Shinde-BJP coalition came to power in Maharashtra on June 30 this year after a rebellion led by Shinde led to the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government headed by Uddhav Thackeray. Speaking to reporters in Nagpur on Wednesday, Fadnavis said, The BJP and the Shiv Sena faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shide will contest some civic polls separately, while there will be an alliance in other civic polls. We will ...

Make 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' a grand success: Maharashtra Cong chief to workers

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole urged party workers to make party leader Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra a grand success in Maharashtra. Speaking at a gathering at Vasai in Palghar district on Thursday, Patole appealed to Congress workers and local leaders to come out in the open and tell people about the government's failures, and convert the Bharat Jodo Yatra into a mass movement. Over the last one month, the Congress has embarked on a 3,570 km journey across the 12 states of the country eyeing a political and electoral revival. The state Congress chief said whenever party leader Rahul Gandhi travels to one place during the yatra, local leaders and workers in other districts should simultaneously take out marches in their respective areas and tell people about the government's failures. "The government sitting in Delhi has triggered price rise and unemployment and forced farmers to commit suicide," Patole said, terming the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as Gabbar Singh

BJP's Murji Patel files nomination for Andheri East Assembly bypoll

The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Murji Patel filed nomination papers on Friday for the November 3 Andheri East Assembly by-election. He is the joint candidate of the BJP and the Shiv Sena faction headed by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Patel had unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Assembly polls from the same seat against Shiv Sena's Ramesh Latke, whose death earlier this year necessitated the by-election. "I am a worker of the BJP and do what the party asks me to do," Patel said before filing his nomination papers here. In a show of strength, Patel was accompanied by the BJP's Mumbai unit president Ashish Shelar, party MLC Pravin Darekar and MLA Nitesh Rane. Deepak Kesarkar, minister and spokesperson of the Eknath Shinde camp of the Shiv Sena, was also present. On Thursday, Kesarkar had said that the BJP and the 'Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena' headed by CM Shinde would field a joint candidate for the Assembly bypoll. From the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena, Rut

Govt amends Multi State Cooperative Societies Act to bring in transparency

Credit cooperatives constitute the bulk of the MSCS (610), followed by agriculture-oriented MSCS (244)

'This time Ravan is different': Uddhav's jibe at Shinde at Dussehra event

In a scathing attack on Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his supporters, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said their reputation as "traitors" will never be washed away. Addressing the annual Dussehra rally at the iconic Shivaji Park ground here, Thackeray lashed out at Shinde, whose rebellion in June this year brought down the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government in the state. "As time changes, Ravan's face also changes. Today, it is the traitors (who are Ravan). When I was unwell and underwent a surgery, I had given the responsibility to him (Shinde). But he conspired against me thinking I will never stand up on my feet again," the former chief minister said. The Shiv Sena does not belong to one person but it belongs to all loyal Sena workers, Thackeray said, adding, "If you feel I should not remain the Sena president, I will quit. "There is a limit to lust for power...After the act of treachery, he now wants the party, its symbol and also

Car hits multiple vehicles on Bandra-Worli Sea Link; 5 killed, 8 injured

Five people were killed and eight others injured after a speeding car rammed into three other stationary cars and an ambulance on the Bandra-Worli Sea Link in Mumbai on Wednesday, police said. The accident took place around 3 am between pole numbers 76 and 78 on the south-bound stretch of the sea link bridge, which connects Bandra in western suburbs to Worli in south Mumbai. A car initially hit a divider on the bridge and an ambulance was rushed to the spot for assistance. The occupants of two other cars also halted their vehicles to provide help, they said. At that time, another car coming from behind rammed into three stationary cars and the ambulance, a senior police official said. Thirteen people, including a woman and a Sea Link employee, were injured and five of them were later declared dead during treatment, he said. Six of the injured were undergoing treatment in different hospitals. Two others were allowed to go after being treated for minor injuries, the police said.