Page 35 - Maharashtra

Current Maharashtra CM doesn't sit at home: Fadnavis' swipe at Uddhav

In a veiled swipe at Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said the current chief minister does not sit at home but tours the state and meets people. He also said the alliance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will win the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls. Thackeray was often accused by the BJP of not stepping out of Mumbai during his tenure as the chief minister (November 2019- June 2022) and mostly using his residence for meetings. Fadnavis said MLA Ashish Shelar was asked to take up the post of Mumbai BJP to ensure victory in the BMC polls and exuded confidence the latter will win the "match". "When the BMC polls took place last time with Shelar was Mumbai BJP president, the party won 82 seats (in the 227-member civic body in 2017). We were ready to install our mayor but took two steps back for our ally (Shiv Sena) and allowed them to have their ..

Would burst 'Handi' of corruption in BMC, says Devendra Fadnavis

Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said the BJP would soon "burst the Handi of corruption" in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The BJP leader was speaking at a Dahi Handi event in the city. The Mumbai civic body was controlled by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena before its term ended. The Sena has been in power in the BMC for more than 30 years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started breaking the Handi of corruption. We will also burst the Handi of corruption in the BMC," Fadnavis said. Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar on this occasion took a swipe at Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray who won the 2017 Assembly election from Worli in the city. I want to thank Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and deputy CM Fadnavis for relaxing all the restrictions on the celebration of Hindu festivals....not only in Worli, but in many parts of Mumbai you (Shiv Sena) have won elections because of our support," he said. This time the BJP's lotus will bloom on the BMC, .

Maharashtra logs 2,285 new Covid-19 cases, 5 deaths; active tally at 11,733

Maharashtra on Friday reported 2,285 new COVID-19 cases and five fresh deaths linked to the infection, while 2,237 more patients recovered in the state, said the health department. With this, the overall tally of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra jumped to 80,80,696, while the death toll increased to 1,48,191, said the department in a bulletin. A day ago, the state had reported 2,246 COVID-19 cases and six fatalities due to the respiratory illness. As per the bulletin, of the total new cases, the highest 1,630 were registered in the Mumbai administrative circle followed by Pune (331), Nagpur (138), Nashik (60), Kolhapur (45), Latur (38), Akola (27) and the Aurangabad circle (16). An administrative circle consists of multiple districts. Of the five coronavirus-related deaths reported in the state in the last 24 hours, two occurred in the Mumbai circle and one each in Pune, Kolhapur and Aurangabad circles, said the department. The overall number of recuperated cases rose to ...

Elgar Parishad case: Arun Ferreira moves Bombay HC for default bail

Activist Arun Ferreira, one of the accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, has approached the Bombay High Court seeking a default bail on parity with co-accused Sudha Bharadwaj, who was granted relief in December 2021. Ferreira's petition came up for hearing on Friday before a division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Sharmila Deshmukh. Justice Dere, however, recused from hearing the plea without assigning any reason. The petition will now be placed before another bench. The activist in his petition filed through advocate Satyanarayanan R said his case stands on par with that of Bharadwaj, who was granted default bail by the high court. "The only distinguishing factor is that while the applicant (Ferreira) filed the default bail application (in the lower court) on the 94th day, co-accused Sudha Bharadwaj filed it on the 91st day," the plea stated. The high court while granting default bail to Bharadwaj held that the Pune sessions court that had granted extension o

Crop assessment complete, new pest affecting produce: Maharashtra minister

The assessment of damage to crops in rains that took place in July is complete and its details along with the way compensation will be disbursed will be informed in the Maharashtra Assembly, state Agriculture Minister Abdul Sattar said after a review meeting here on Friday. The monsoon session of the state legislature is currently underway in Mumbai. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Sattar also said a new pest was affecting crops in Osmanabad, Beed and Latur and agriculture experts will visit affected areas to come up with mitigating measures. "Crop loss panchnama (detailed assessment) has been completed for July. However, assessment of the damage caused by rains in the first half of August is not complete," the minister, who is on a three-day tour of Nagpur, Amravati and Marathwada divisions, said. "Panchnama of half of the assistance announced by the chief minister and deputy chief minister is complete. The rest will be done in the next few days. The state government has

Maha: Commuters block rail track, demand resumption of non-AC local

Hundreds of commuters squatted on a railway track near the Kalwa station in Thane city on Friday morning, blocking the path of an empty AC local train for 20 minutes to demand resumption of a non-AC service in the morning peak hours, officials said. The protest, however, did not affect the train services on the main line of the Central Railway (CR), as it took place at the car shed in Kalwa, they said. The CR has added 10 air conditioned (AC) locals replacing the existing non-AC locals on the main line. CR general manager Anil Kumar Lahoti had announced these services in his Independence day speech. However, the commuters were unhappy with the decision. "An empty rake of AC local going out from the car shed was detained by people for about 20 minutes - from 8.10 am to 8.30 am," Shivaji Sutar, chief public relations officer of the CR, said. They demanded that non-AC locals be restored on the route from Kalwa to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), another official said. Th

Yacht found off Raigad coast belongs to Australian, no terror angle: Govt

A 16-feet-long yacht owned by an Australian woman drifted to Raigad coast near Mumbai, officials said on Thursday, but ruled out a terror angle after three AK-47 rifles were found aboard. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the Home portfolio, informed the State Assembly that the vessel owner is an Australian woman whose husband was its captain. "As of now, there is no terror angle. But investigation is going on. We can't rule out any angle as of now. I am just sharing primary information, he added. Local police and the Anti-terror Squad are investigating the matter, he added. The yacht, which is four metres wide, was on way to Europe from Muscat in June when it drifted to inclement weather, he said. The Australian couple abandoned it after engine trouble, he added. Prima facie, there is no terror angle, but it is unclear why it was carrying arms, Fadnavis said, after Raigad legislator Aditi Tatkare sought a probe into the issue. A police official

Maharashtra records 2,246 new Covid-19 infections, six deaths in 24 hours

Maharashtra recorded 2,246 new coronavirus infections and six fatalities on Thursday, the state health department said. The state's COVID-19 case tally rose to 80,78,411, and death toll reached 1,48,186. The state had recorded 1,800 new cases and six fatalities on Wednesday. Mumbai recorded 1,201 new coronavirus cases and two fatalities on Thursday. Two deaths were reported in Pune city, while one death each was recorded in Amravati and Nagpur districts. The case fatality rate stands at 1.83 per cent. There are 11,690 active patients in the state. As many as 1,920 patients recovered from the infection since previous evening, taking the total of recovered patients to 79,18,535. The recovery rate in the state stands at 98.02 per cent. As many as 33,140 coronavirus tests were conducted since previous evening, taking the tally of tests conducted so far to 8,37,34,694. Maharashtra's coronavirus figures: New cases: 2,246; Deaths: six; Active cases: 11,690; Tests: 33,140.

Top headlines: Boat with ammo in Maha coast; Mittal hails ease of doing biz

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Boat found with weapons off Raigad coast belongs to Australian: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said the boat found with some semi-automatic weapons off the Raigad coast was owned by an Australian woman. The boat drifted due to the inclement weather and came to the Raigad coast, Fadnavis informed the state Assembly. The state home minister made the statement after NCP legislator Aditi Tatkare raised the issue in the House. "The boat found drifted off the Raigad coast is owned by an Australian woman. Some semi-automatic weapons have been found on it," he said. "Central agencies and the state police have started an investigation into the matter, he added. Earlier, a Coast Guard official said there was no security threat. According to officials, the crew members of this boat had been rescued in June this year near the Oman coast. It later drifted and grounded ashore, a Coast Guard official said. Some locals spotted the boat, having no crew member, in Shrivardhan area, located more than 190 km from Mumbai, and al

Suspicious boat with weapons found off Raigad coast in Maharashtra

A suspicious boat with three AK-47 rifles and bullets was found off the Raigad coast in Maharashtra on Thursday, a police official said

Maharashtra: Thane records 227 new Covid-19 cases; active tally at 1,606

As many as 227 new cases of coronavirus have been detected in Maharashtra's Thane district, taking its tally of infections to 7,37,425, a health official said on Thursday. With the addition of the latest infections on Wednesday, the district currently has 1,606 active COVID-19 cases, he said. The death toll in the district remained unchanged at 11,938. The recovery count has reached 7,24,398, he added.

Maharashtra Oppn raises slogans against Shinde govt before monsoon session

Just before the monsoon session of the Maharashtra legislature began on Wednesday, the opposition parties raised slogans against the Eknath Shinde-led state government on the steps of the Vidhan Bhavan here. Led by Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar, the leaders from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Congress and other allies shouted slogans against the government over farmers' issues. Some members of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, including MLA Aaditya Thackeray, also took part in the sloganeering. Some opposition members were seen holding placards that questioned the legitimacy of the Shinde-Fadnavis government. "This government has ignored the plight of farmers who lost their crops due to excess rains. The government's legitimacy is also in doubt and being debated legally," an opposition leader said from the steps of the Vidhan Bhavan, the state legislature complex in south Mumbai. Aaditya Thackeray said, There are no two groups of Shiv Sena in Maharashtra legislative ...

Maharashtra records huge jump in new coronavirus cases at 1,800; 6 more die

Maharashtra on Wednesday recorded 1,800 fresh coronavirus cases, more than half of them from Mumbai and a steep jump from 836 a day ago, while six more patients succumbed to the infection in the state, the health department said. With these fresh additions, the overall COVID-19 tally rose to 80,76,165, while the death toll increased to 1,48,180, said the department in a bulletin. On Tuesday, the state had recorded 836 cases and two fatalities linked to the respiratory illness. Mumbai recorded 975 fresh cases and two coronavirus-related fatalities, said the bulletin. Municipal corporations of Mira Bhayander, Nashik, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Satara district recorded one fatality each, it said. The case fatality rate in the state stood at 1.83 per cent, while the recovery rate was 98.02 per cent. It said 2,182 patients recovered from the infection in the last 24 hours, taking their cumulative count to 79,16,615 and leaving the state with 11,370 active cases. The department said 22,953

Everyone knows who the 'real CM' is: Aaditya Thackeray's dig at Shinde

In a searing attack on the Eknath Shinde-led government in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray on Wednesday said everyone knows who is the "real chief minister", apparently alluding to the clout of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP in the new dispensation. Taking a dig at the cabinet expansion, Aaditya Thackeray said the ministerial team has neither heard Mumbai's voice nor the voice of women or Independent MLAs. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde last week expanded his Cabinet, inducting nine MLAs each of the rebel Shiv Sena camp and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is supporting his government. No woman legislator or Independent was inducted in the Cabinet whose strength is now 20. The first 14 to 15 MLAs who aligned with Shinde when he revolted against the Shiv Sena leadership in June have not found a place in the Cabinet. So there is no place for loyalty, Aaditya Thackeray, a former minister, mocked while talking to reporters outside the state ...

How Pashtepada's smart school inspired 50,000 schools in Maharastra

Digital classrooms are now far more common and advanced than they used to be a few years ago

Passenger train collides with goods train in Maha's Gondia; 2 injured

Two persons sustained minor injuries after four wheels of a coach of an express train on its way from Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh to Rajasthan's Jodhpur derailed in Gondia district of Maharashtra

Shinde faction MLA threatens Sena workers; Uddhav supporters go to cops

An MLA from Maharashtra Chief Eknath Shinde-led faction has asked his supporters to beat up workers of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena amid the growing rift between the two groups.

Maharashtra sees 1,189 Covid-19 cases, one death; active tally at 12,148

Mumbai accounted for 584 of the new cases, while the lone death took place in Panvel Municipal Corporation limits in the Raigad district, the official said.

Maharashtra: Fadnavis gets Home; Shinde to handle Urban Development

Another important portfolio - the Revenue Dept - has been given to BJP leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, who had quit Congress a few months before the 2019 Assembly elections to join the saffron party