Until 1 PM on Friday, a voter turnout of 31.77 per cent was reported in the second phase of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 for eight constituencies in Maharashtra, officials disclosed. The voting commenced at 7 am across Akola, Amravati, Buldhana, Wardha, Yavatmal-Washim, Hingoli, Nanded, and Parbhani constituencies and will conclude at 6 pm. The election office reported turnout statistics for the second phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Parbhani 33.88 per cent, Nanded 32.93 per cent, Wardha 32.32 per cent, Akola 32.25 per cent, Yavatmal-Washim 31.47 per cent, Amravati 31.40 per cent, Hingoli 30.46 per cent, and Buldhana 29.07 per cent, reported PTI. Former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, who is now a member of the BJP, voted in Nanded alongside his family. Around 1.49 crore voters, including males, women, and people of third genders, are eligible to vote in 16,589 polling stations. There are 204 individuals vying for the eight seats, the report added. Per the report, the number of contenders varies per constituency: 21 in Buldhana, 15 in Akola, 37 in Amravati, 24 in Wardha, 17 in Yavatmal-Washim, 33 in Hingoli, 23 in Nanded and 34 in Parbhani. In the previous phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2024, on April 19, five seats in east Vidarbha saw a voter turnout of 63.70 per cent. The Shiv Sena, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, is running directly against Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) in Buldhana, Yavatmal-Washim, and Hingoli. Prataprao Jadhav, the current Shiv Sena MP in Buldhana, will fight Sena (UBT) candidate Narendra Khedekar, PTI report added. According to the report, Rajashri Patil is the Shiv Sena's nominee for Yavatmal-Washim, whereas Baburao Kohalikar is running from Hingoli. In Parbhani, Rashtriya Samaj Paksha's Mahadev Jankar competes against MP Sanjay Jadhav. Prakash Ambedkar's Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) is contesting seven seats, with Prakash Ambedkar representing Akola and his brother Anandraj Ambedkar representing Amravati. In Akola, Anup Dhotre (BJP) will face Abhay Patil (Congress), with Prakash Ambedkar running as a third candidate. Amravati is witnessing a struggle between Navneet Rana (BJP) and Balwant Wankhede (Congress), the report added. The succeeding phases of Lok Sabha Elections 2024 in Maharashtra will take place between May 7 and May 20.
26 April,2024 03:00 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentTwo persons were killed and six injured, some of them seriously, after a drunk man driving a tempo knocked down pedestrians and two-wheeler riders in Maharashtra's Palghar district, police said on Friday, reported news agency PTI. The incident took place in the Wada area on Wednesday night, he said. The police have arrested the tempo driver but are yet to share his details. The tempo first hit pedestrians Ashok Kalingada (36) and Ajinkya Berde (35), killing them on the spot. The drunk driver then rammed the vehicle into a few two-wheelers, injuring six persons, a police official said, reported PTI. The injured individuals have been admitted to a local hospital where some of them are said to be in critical condition, he said, reported PTI. The station house officer of Wada police station said the tempo driver has been booked under the Indian Penal Code for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and the Motor Vehicles Act. In another incident, the driver of a milk tanker was killed after the vehicle overturned on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway in Maharashtra's Palghar district on Thursday, police said, reported PTI. A large quantity of milk spilled from the tanker on the highway, causing traffic disruption on the busy route, they said. The tanker overturned at Wada Khadakona under Kasa police station limits at around 12.15 pm, a police official said, reported PTI. The vehicle's driver was killed in the accident, he said. Meanwhile, the police in Maharashtra's Palghar district have arrested 25 individuals for not following rules in renting their premises to foreign nationals, an official said on Thursday, reported PTI. The property owners had given their premises to foreigners for residential or commercial purposes within the jurisdiction of the Tulinj police station in Nalasopara (East), on the outskirts of Mumbai, he said, reported PTI. According to an official release, such owners must inform the police within 24 hours of renting out their premises. As per existing laws, those not complying with the requirement are liable for action. However, despite wide publicity about the clauses and repeated warnings, the property owners failed to follow the rules, the official said. (With inputs from PTI)
26 April,2024 02:42 PM IST | Palghar | mid-day online correspondentThe police have seized 300 kg of beef from a shop and arrested two persons for illegally stocking the banned meat in Maharashtra's Thane district, an official said on Friday, reported PTI. Beef seized in Thane district: Beef worth Rs 67,000 seized The police inspected the shop in Bhiwandi town on Thursday and seized beef worth Rs 67,000 stored in the premises, sub-inspector Sahebrao Gaikwad said, reported PTI. The accused allegedly slaughtered a cow and sold the meat, he said. Beef seized in Thane district: Case registered A case under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act has been registered against the duo, the official said, reported PTI. Beef seized in Thane district: Other incidents Earlier this month, the Thane Police in Maharashtra have seized gutka worth nearly Rs 50 lakh from a truck and arrested its driver, an official said, reported the PTI. According to the PTI, the government has prohibited the manufacturing, sale and distribution of gutka in the state over health concerns. The Narpoli police intercepted a truck on Dapoda Road in the Bhiwandi area on Thursday afternoon and found it to be loaded with gutka of various brands, collectively valued at nearly Rs 50 lakh, the official said, as per the PTI. The consignment and the truck were seized and the driver, Ajaykumar Shaympal Singh (28), was arrested, he said, adding that they are trying to ascertain the origin of the consignment and its destination. (With inputs from PTI)
26 April,2024 02:31 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentKandivali Police on Thursday arrested a convict, who jumped his parole, from Pune after receiving a tip-off. The convict was serving a sentence in district jail in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar's Paithan on the charges of murder and was granted parole last year. The accused, Manish Prasad Narsingh Goud, aged 31, was booked and arrested under Sections 302, 363 and 201 of the Indian Penal Code by Kandivali Police in 2011. The Session court had sentenced him to life imprisonment and was serving the sentence, said officials. They added that Goud was released on accumulated leave for 28 days in 2023 but did not go back and was later booked under Section 224 of the IPC at Chembur Police Station. He committed a crime while jumping parole and was wanted in the case registered at Samta Nagar Police Station in Kandivali (East) last year under IPC Sections 324, 341, 323, 504 and 506. Goud was arrested by Senior Inspector Dnyaneshwar Ganore and his team which included sub-inspector Nitin Satam, sub-inspector Bharat Rane and their staff including hawaldar Kapse Chavan and others. The accused Goud was located through a tip-off from an informant and arrested from Nanekarwadi in Pune's Chakan and handed over to the custody of Chembur Police Station for further action. His arrest was carried out by the team under the supervision and guidance of DCP Anand Bhoite Zone 11.
26 April,2024 02:27 PM IST | Pune | Samiullah KhanThree shops were gutted in a fire in Thane district on Friday morning, and no one was hurt in the incident, a civic official said, reported news agency PTI. The blaze erupted in one of the shops in the Shil-Phata locality in Mumbra around 8 am and spread to two other establishments, the official said. Local firefighters and disaster management personnel were pressed into service, and the fire was doused in an hour, said Yasin Tadvi, chief of the civic disaster management cell, reported PTI. While no one was injured in the incident, three shops were gutted in fire in Thane district, he said, adding that the cause for the blaze is yet to be ascertained. In another incident, a fire broke out at a factory manufacturing plastic products in Maharashtra's Thane district on April 19 afternoon, officials said, reported the PTI. The officials said that no one was injured in the incident. The blaze erupted around 3 pm at the factory in Kalam village on the Mumbai-Agra road in Shahapur taluka, a police official said. The firefighting operations were underway, and water tankers were pressed into service, said an official with the district disaster management cell. According to officials, smoke bellowed in the area, and the flames could be seen from a long distance. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, they said. Meanwhile, a major fire broke out at a godown in the Reay Road area of Mumbai on April 18. There was no report of injury to anyone in the blaze, the civic body said. The fire erupted at the Devidayal Compound in Darukhana locality on Reay Road at around 10.40 am, the BMC said. "The fire was confined to a single storey godown," the civic body said. Twelve fire engines and other fire brigade vehicles were rushed to the spot, the BMC said. Local civic ward staff, Mumbai Police, Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) personnel and ambulance had also reached the spot. The fire was extinguished at around 5:20 pm, the officials said. The cause of the fire was yet to be known, they said. (With inputs from PTI)
26 April,2024 02:23 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe two accused persons, arrested in Punjab in connection with the firing incident outside superstar Salman Khan's Bandra residence, were brought to Mumbai on a transit remand, the police informed on Friday, reported news agency ANI. The accused were brought to the city by the Crime Branch on Thursday, Mumbai Police informed. Salman Khan firing case: Accused grilled by officials of the NIA The accused, Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal, were grilled by officials of the elite National Investigation Agency (NIA) over several hours, officials informed on Friday, reported ANI. Earlier, on Thursday, the Esplanade Court extended the police custody of both the accused arrested in connection with the firing incident till April 29. They were produced before the metropolitan magistrate's court here after their previous remand ended on Thursday and were remanded in custody of the Mumbai Police Crime Branch. Salman Khan firing case: Strong evidence against gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his brother Anmol Bishnoi Earlier, the Crime Branch claimed to have recovered strong evidence against gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his brother Anmol Bishnoi, identifying them as the key conspirators and 'most wanted' in the case, reported ANI. Mumbai Police registered a case against four people in the firing case, naming the Bishnoi brothers as key accused. According to the Mumbai Crime Branch, before the firing went down, the shooters had recceed Salman's residence four times. They had also staked out Salman's farmhouse, the Crime Branch informed, adding that since the actor hadn't visited his farmhouse over several days, they planned to execute the firing outside his plush Galaxy Apartments residence in Bandra, reported ANI. According to officials, the Mumbai Crime Branch recovered a broken mobile handset from the accused at the time of their arrest, adding that they were in possession of more than one phone, reported ANI. Salman Khan firing case: Second pistol recovered The Crime Branch informed further that they were looking into the other phones as well. They also informed of the recovery of the second pistol, along with four magazines and 17 rounds from the Tapi River of Surat. The sleuths stated earlier that they fished out the pistol from the river on April 22 and also found the footprint of one of the arrested shooters, Vicky Gupta, while he making a getaway from Mumbai to Gujarat's Bhuj. The Crime Branch said the shooters chucked the firearm into the Tapi River near Surat while making their escape, reported ANI. The police said they were searching for more mobile handsets that they may have dumped in the river, adding that they moved money to the bank several times. The two men, who came on a motorbike, fired four rounds outside the Galaxy Apartments, around 5 am on April 14 and fled. CCTV footage spotted both the accused sporting caps and carrying backpacks. Earlier, Kutch Police arrested the two accused persons and handed them to the Mumbai Crime Branch. Later, a city court sent the two accused to the custody of the Mumbai Crime Branch until April 25 in connection with the firing incident, reported ANI. The sections under IPC 506(2) (threatening), 115 (abetment), and 201 (tampering with evidence) have been added to the case. Mumbai Crime Branch officials disclosed that gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his brother Anmol Bishnoi have been declared wanted accused in connection with the case. Anmol Bishnoi claimed responsibility for the firing outside Salman's residence in a Facebook post following the attack. (With inputs from ANI)
26 April,2024 02:03 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentFor the first time, the entire film and TV industry of Mumbai have come together in one voice putting their entire might and support in favour of filmmaker Ashoke Pandit as their candidate for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 for the North West Constituency of Mumbai, reported news agency ANI. The Bollywood industry has recommended Ashoke Pandit as their candidate for the Lok Sabha elections 2024, reported ANI. A video shared by the film and TV fraternity endorsed Pandit's name for the Mumbai North West constituency. It also showed Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the clip, reported ANI. Ashoke Pandit is an Indian filmmaker. He is a Kashmiri Pandit who currently serves as the president of the Indian Film and Television Directors' Association (IFTDA), reported ANI. The Mumbai North West constituency has six Assembly segments, which include Andheri East, Versova, Andheri West, Jogeshwari East, Dindoshi and Goregaon. Of the six constituencies, three are with BJP, two with Shiv Sena UBT and one with Shiv Sena where Ravindra Waikar of UBT had switched sides and joined the Shiv Sena. Eight Lok Sabha constituencies of Maharashtra will go to polls in the second phase on April 26. In the first phase on April 19, polling was held in Ramtek, Nagpur, Bhandara - Gondiya, Gadchiroli - Chimur, and Chandrapur. In the second phase, voting will be held in Buldhana, Akola, Amravati, Wardha, Yavatmal-Washim, Hingoli, Nanded, and Parbhani. The NDA--BJP and the undivided Shiv Sena--won 7 of these 8 seats in 2019. The BJP bagged Akola, Wardha, and Nanded, while the Sena won Buldhana, Yavatmal-Washim, Hingoli, and Parbhani. (With inputs from ANI)
26 April,2024 01:55 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentMaharashtra saw 18.83 per cent voter turnout till 11 am in eight constituencies in the state in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 on Friday. Voting started at 7 am in Buldhana, Akola, Amravati, Wardha and Yavatmal-Washim seats in the west Vidarbha region and Hingoli, Nanded and Parbhani constituencies in Marathwada, and will end at 6 pm, the officials said, reported news agency PTI. Till 11 am, as per poll officials, Wardha had recorded an 18.35 per cent turnout in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024, Akola 17.37, Amravati 17.73, Buldhana 17.92, Hingoli 18.19, Nanded 20.85, Parbhani 21.77, Yavatmal Washim 18.01 per cent, reported PTI. Former chief minister Ashok Chavan, who recently switched over from the Congress to the BJP, voted along with his family members in the initial hours in the Nanded constituency. As many as 1.49 crore voters, including 77,21,374 men, 72,04,106 women, and 432 persons from the third-gender category, are eligible to cast their ballot across 16,589 polling centres to seal the fate of 204 candidates in the fray in the eight seats. Of the 204 candidates in the fray, there are 21 in Buldhana, 15 in Akola, 37 in Amravati, 24 in Wardha, 17 in Yavatmal-Washim, 33 in Hingoli, 23 in Nanded, and 34 contestants in Parbhani seat. On April 19, five seats in east Vidarbha - Nagpur, Ramtek, Chandrapur, Bhandara-Gondia and Gadchiroli-Chimur - went to polls, registering a voter turnout of 63.70 per cent. Buldhana, Yavatmal-Washim and Hingoli are seeing a direct contest between the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT). The undivided Shiv Sena contested the last general elections in the state in alliance with the BJP. It split in 2022 after Shinde led a rebellion, sunk the then Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and sided with the BJP to become the CM. In Buldhana, sitting Shiv Sena MP Prataprao Jadhav is pitted against Narendra Khedekar of Sena (UBT). The Shiv Sena has nominated Rajashri Patil in Yavatmal-Washim, dropping sitting MP Bhavana Gawli. Patil is pitted against Sanjay Deshmukh of the Thackeray-led party. In Hingoli, Rajashtri Patil's husband and sitting MP Hemant Patil was replaced by the Shiv Sena, which gave the ticket to Baburao Kohalikar. The Sena nominee is contesting against Nagesh Patil Ashtikar of Sena (UBT). In Parbhani, Mahadev Jankar of Rashtriya Samaj Paksha is contesting against MP Sanjay Jadhav, nominated by the Shiv Sena (UBT). Jankar has been backed by the ruling Mahayuti alliance, comprising BJP, Shiv Shinde Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP. Dr B R Ambedkar's grandson Prakash Ambedkar, who heads the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), has fielded candidates in seven seats, including himself from Akola. His brother Anandraj Ambedkar is in the fray in Amravati as a Republican Sena nominee. In Akola, the contest is between Anup Dhotre of BJP and Abhay Patil of Congress, with Prakash Ambedkar as the third candidate. Amravati is seeing a battle between MP Navneet Rana, now contesting as a BJP nominee, against Balwant Wankhede of Congress. Dinesh Bub is the Prahar Janshakti Party candidate. The Prahar party, which has two legislators in the assembly, is an ally of the ruling coalition. In Wardha, there is a fight between former Congress MLA Amar Kale, contesting on the symbol of the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) - "a man blowing turha" (a traditional trumpet) - against BJP MP Ramdas Tadas. In Nanded, BJP MP Pratap Chikhalikar is pitted against Congress nominee Vasant Chavan. Maharashtra, which has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second highest after Uttar Pradesh, will vote in three more phases between May 7 and May 20. (With inputs from Agencies)
26 April,2024 01:46 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentA total of 447 candidates have filed nomination forms for the fourth phase of Lok Sabha polling in Maharashtra on Thursday, which was the last date for the process, an official said, reported news agency PTI. Eleven constituencies in north Maharashtra, western Maharashtra and Marathwada will go to polls in the fourth phase on May 13. As per poll officials, 18 candidates have filed their papers in Nandurbar, 24 in Jalgaon, 31 in Raver, 47 in Jalna, 51 in Aurangabad, 38 in Maval, 42 in Pune, 46 in Shirur, 43 in Ahmednagar, 31 in Shirdi and 76 in Beed, reported PTI. Polling was underway on Friday in 88 constituencies spread across 13 states and union territories in the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging people to cast their votes in record numbers. Polling started at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm. Asserting that their vote is their voice, Modi especially told the youth and women voters to turn up at the polling booths in great numbers, and said a high voter turnout strengthens democracy. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also urged voters to come out and vote to protect democracy from the clutches of dictatorship. He also said that the Constitution should reverberate in their hearts before they push to voting button. In 2019, the BJP had won 52 and its existing allies 12 of these seats, including seven of eight in Uttar Pradesh, all 13, eight and seven in Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh respectively, and four of the five seats each in Assam and Bihar. The constituents of the now INDIA bloc had won 23 seats in the last general election.Polling was held in 102 seats in the the first phase polls on April 19. The turnout in the first phase was recorded at 62.37 per cent which may still be revised upwards as votes are tallied. The voting percentage in the first phase in 2019 was 69.43 per cent when 91 seats went to the polls. (With inputs from PTI)
26 April,2024 12:01 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentNearly 7.4 per cent of the 1.49 eligible voters cast their ballots till 9 am in eight Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024 on Friday, officials said, reported news agency PTI. Voting started at 7 am in Buldhana, Akola, Amravati, Wardha and Yavatmal-Washim seats in the west Vidarbha region and Hingoli, Nanded and Parbhani constituencies in Marathwada, and will end at 6 pm, officials said, reported PTI. Till 9 am, the Nanded constituency recorded 7.73 per cent voting for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024. It stood at 7.23 per cent in Hingoli, 9.72 per cent in Parbhani, Wardha (7.18), Akola (7.17), Amravati (6.34), Buldhana (6.61) and Yavatmal-Washim (7.23), they said, adding that the average turnout recorded in these eight seats is about 7.4 per cent, reported PTI. Former chief minister Ashok Chavan, who recently switched over from the Congress to the BJP, was among the early voters in the Nanded constituency. As many as 1.49 crore voters, including 77,21,374 men, 72,04,106 women, and 432 persons from the third-gender category, are eligible to cast their ballot across 16,589 polling centres to seal the fate of 204 candidates in the fray in the eight seats. Of the 204 candidates in the fray, there are 21 in Buldhana, 15 in Akola, 37 in Amravati, 24 in Wardha, 17 in Yavatmal-Washim, 33 in Hingoli, 23 in Nanded, and 34 contestants in Parbhani seat. On April 19, five seats in east Vidarbha - Nagpur, Ramtek, Chandrapur, Bhandara-Gondia and Gadchiroli-Chimur - went to polls, registering a voter turnout of 63.70 per cent. Buldhana, Yavatmal-Washim and Hingoli are seeing a direct contest between the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT). The undivided Shiv Sena contested the last general elections in the state in alliance with the BJP. It split in 2022 after Shinde led a rebellion, sunk the then Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and sided with the BJP to become the CM. In Buldhana, sitting Shiv Sena MP Prataprao Jadhav is pitted against Narendra Khedekar of Sena (UBT). The Shiv Sena has nominated Rajashri Patil in Yavatmal-Washim, dropping sitting MP Bhavana Gawli. Patil is pitted against Sanjay Deshmukh of the Thackeray-led party. In Hingoli, Rajashtri Patil's husband and sitting MP Hemant Patil was replaced by the Shiv Sena, which gave the ticket to Baburao Kohalikar. The Sena nominee is contesting against Nagesh Patil Ashtikar of Sena (UBT). In Parbhani, Mahadev Jankar of Rashtriya Samaj Paksha is contesting against MP Sanjay Jadhav, nominated by the Shiv Sena (UBT). Jankar has been backed by the ruling Mahayuti alliance, comprising BJP, Shiv Shinde Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP. Dr B R Ambedkar's grandson Prakash Ambedkar, who heads the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), has fielded candidates in seven seats, including himself from Akola. His brother Anandraj Ambedkar is in the fray in Amravati as a Republican Sena nominee. In Akola, the contest is between Anup Dhotre of BJP and Abhay Patil of Congress, with Prakash Ambedkar as the third candidate. Amravati is seeing a battle between MP Navneet Rana, now contesting as a BJP nominee, against Balwant Wankhede of Congress. Dinesh Bub is the Prahar Janshakti Party candidate. The Prahar party, which has two legislators in the assembly, is an ally of the ruling coalition. In Wardha, there is a fight between former Congress MLA Amar Kale, contesting on the symbol of the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) - "a man blowing turha" (a traditional trumpet) - against BJP MP Ramdas Tadas. In Nanded, BJP MP Pratap Chikhalikar is pitted against Congress nominee Vasant Chavan. Maharashtra, which has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second highest after Uttar Pradesh, will vote in three more phases between May 7 and May 20. (With inputs from PTI)
26 April,2024 11:21 AM IST | Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar | mid-day online correspondentA Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) employees' union leader on Thursday claimed the state-run undertaking's plan to buy 2,200 buses was stalled due to delay on the part of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to sign the concerned file, reported news agency PTI. Addressing a press conference in the Congress' Tilak Bhavan office in Mumbai, Shrirang Barge of the ST Karmachari Sangh said 10,000 of 15,600 buses in Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation's fleet were in deplorable condition and delay in signing the file has caused shortage of vehicles in the summer, reported PTI. "Many of the buses in the fleet have run for more than 8.5 lakh kilometres. These are plagued by frequent breakdowns, which inconveniences passengers and staffers. Moreover, MSRTC's operating cost has increased by 1.5 per cent due to such buses," he said. "As the chief minister has not signed the file pertaining to funds, the purchase of 2,200 buses has got stalled. Why hasn't the file been signed? It was sent to the CMO much before the code of conduct for the Lok Sabha polls came into effect," he claimed. As Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation chairman, the CM owes an explanation for this delay since it takes at least three months for new buses to arrive once a work order is placed, Barge added, reported PTI. MSRTC has awarded a tender for hiring 5,150 e-buses from an EV manufacturing company, and as per the contract, it was supposed to supply 215 buses per month though only 20 mid-sized vehicles have come in so far, he further claimed, reported PTI. In February, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde dedicated 5,150 air-conditioned electric buses to the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) fleet. Addressing a gathering at the Khopat bus depot in Thane, CM Shinde called for improvements in all ST bus depots in the state to ensure better passenger amenities and announced surprise inspections to monitor progress, according to the PTI. The addition of 5,150 electric buses to the MSRTC fleet marks a significant step towards modernisation and environmental sustainability, he said, while reiterating the importance of transitioning from diesel to LNG buses to reduce pollution. CM Eknath Shinde assured prompt resolution of pending issues concerning MSRTC workers and staff and emphasised the importance of competing effectively with private bus operators. CM Shinde also emphasised the importance of extending e-bus and AC bus services to rural areas of the state. (With inputs from PTI)
26 April,2024 10:28 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
