10 things to look forward to in 2009

> The state will have a battalion of elite commandos trained on the lines of NSG in four months called the Maharashtra Security Guards (MSG)

> Mumbai will get an NSG hub, along with Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore as part of the Centre's post 26/11 initiatives
> By the end of 2009, the number of new coastal police stations will be upped from 12 to 24, and smart identity cards will be given to 55,000 fishermen by March 31
> 24 new speedboats will be purchased by the state
> State Intelligence Centre will become operational in Pune by June-July
> A State Industrial Security Force to provide arms training to private security guards will be formed

Hospitality
>u00a0 While the Taj Mahal Tower and the Oberoi-Trident reopened on December 21, last year, the Taj Mahal Palace (heritage wing) and the Oberoi Towers are slated to reopen early this year.

Health
> Dr Pravin Shingare, joint director, directorate of medical education and research, says his team is working
on a project to provide better meals to patients in state-run hospitals in the city. Special diabetic diets are also being introduced to the 2009 menus

Civic initiatives
>u00a0 Thanks to a new BMC e-initiative, Mumbaikars can now pay their property taxes and water bills through an SMS, and revamp all major civic hospitals. Basic infrastructure facilities like beds will see an increase this year

Infrastructure
> The much-awaited Bandra-Worli Sea Link is expected to be ready for use in July, while one half of the lanes will be functional in April
> The Western Express Highway will probably become traffic-free after the completion of the domestic airport, Kandivli, Malad and Dindoshi flyovers
> The 10-km long Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road is also expected to be completed by July this year
> Skywalks at Kanjurmarg and Bandra (W) to be completed by the end of this year

Railways and transport
> CR commuters will get some much-needed visual relief after the plan to renovate all gardens from CST to Kurla that were in disarray following platform extensions is implemented
> A new set of coaches to be introduced on the Neral-Matheran line with toilets and air-brake system
> RTOs in Mumbai and Thane will have kiosks that will help people submit relevant forms without standing in a queue. One can also submit the forms online

Sports
> Mumbai's Ranji squad that has the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan, may well pouch their 38th Ranji Trophy title this year. All they have to do is to defeat Saurashtra in the semi-finals on Sunday in Chennai, and do a repeat with the winners of the Tamil Nadu vs Uttar Pradesh clash in Nagpur
> You can expect the Tendulkar-led Mumbai Indians to put up a good fight at the IPL in April this year. The Indians lost a series of matches on the trot, but recovered well only to be thwarted by some poor umpiring in a
do-or-die encounter against the Kings XI Punjab in May last year

Real estate
>u00a0 Expect commercial and residential property to become even cheaper this year, as builders wage a price war. Expect home loan rates to plummet further

Education
>u00a0 IIM Common Admission Tests that were given by 2.76 lakh aspirants last year to finally go online this year

Politics
> Expect a change of guard at the Centre as well as the state, in the upcoming state assembly (October) and Lok Sabha elections in May. The elections will test the political mettle of CM Ashok Chavan, Congress rebel Narayan Rane and the fortunes of the Bahujan Samaj Party

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