On the second day of Central Railway's 63-hour mega block, work is underway to widen Platform 5/6 at Thane station and extend Platform 10/11 at CSMT to accommodate 24-coach trains, according to CR on Saturday. The 63-hour mega block, which began at midnight on Thursday, has had a severe impact on suburban services along CR's main corridor, causing thousands of commuters to be inconvenienced, reported PTI. #CRUpdate on Infrastructure Upgradation work at Thane. 100 to 200 coping block fixing work is in progress. Platform wall being constructed in cramped space where diesel power is stable during block at Thane. pic.twitter.com/kRvwi6tQgE — Central Railway (@Central_Railway) May 31, 2024 According to Swapnil Nila, CR's chief public relations officer, "The 63-hour mega block will benefit long-distance travellers because we will be able to run trains with 24 coaches, which was previously limited to 18." The placement of pre-cast RCC blocks at Thane station's Platform 5 was completed by 4:45 am on Saturday, and the platform wall is presently under construction, according to CR. Inspected the ongoing Special Infrastructure Upgradation& Non-Interlocking work at CSMT, began at midnight today.Witnessed the transition to the Intelligent, Efficient & Integrated Electronic Interlocking signaling system at CSMT.This will Enhance Rail safety & future mobility! pic.twitter.com/LgvNXT2ZQr — GM Central Railway (@GM_CRly) May 31, 2024 During the 63-hour block, 930 suburban locals and 86 long-distance trains will be cancelled. On Saturday alone, 545 suburban services and over 35 long-distance trains are affected. Additionally, there will be short terminations and short orientations of local trains, causing maximum inconvenience to passengers, officials said. #CRupdate on Special Block for Infra upgrade work at Thane station at 6:00 am on 1.6.2024.* RCC BOX placement completed at Thane PF5 by 04:05 hrs.* At 04:30 hrs, MBWT rake moved towards Kalyan end for loading of poclain and roller.* 01 poclain and 01 roller loaded at 05:10… pic.twitter.com/UnrVHcOEpv — Central Railway (@Central_Railway) June 1, 2024 #CRupdate on Special Block for Infra upgrade work at Thane station.Platform wall gap cementing is almost complete, the gap filling work is in progress. pic.twitter.com/sMKgO9xU0F — Central Railway (@Central_Railway) June 1, 2024 To mitigate the disruption, four additional UTS counters have been opened at Dadar for short-originating trains. "Bulk messages have been sent to all long-distance travellers whose trains are impacted," CR stated. With PTI inputs
01 June,2024 01:06 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe mother of a kid involved in the Pune car crash has been detained after it was confirmed that his blood samples were switched with her. She is set to appear in court today, said Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar. Probe revealed that the juvenile, who allegedly caused the Pune car crash while driving under the influence, had his blood samples substituted with his mother's. Two IT professionals were killed early on May 19 in Kalyani Nagar, Pune, when a Porsche driven by a child collided with their two-wheeler, reported PTI. According to the PTI report, the 17-year-old accused has been assigned to an observation home until June 5. His father, realtor Vishal Agarwal, and grandpa, Surendra Agarwal, have been detained for reportedly kidnapping the family's driver and pushing him to accept responsibility for the Pune car crash. A court has put the father and grandpa into judicial custody for 14 days. Dr Ajay Taware, former director of the forensic medicine department at Sassoon General Hospital, medical officer Dr Shrihari Halnor, and employee Atul Ghatkamble have been accused of manipulating the minor's blood samples to indicate he was not intoxicated at the time of the accident. During the sample collection process, police discovered that Vishal Agarwal and Dr Taware had exchanged many calls. Dr Taware allegedly took Rs three lakh to enable the sample manipulation, according to Maharashtra minister Hasan Mushrif. The police have requested Vishal Agarwal's arrest in connection with the blood sample manipulation in the Pune car crash case. Meanwhile, the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) has given police permission to examine the youngster involved in the Porsche crash. The Juvenile Justice Act requires that a minor's inquiry be conducted in the presence of their parents. Initially, the JJB granted bail to the adolescent and asked him to prepare a 300-word essay about road safety. However, due to public indignation, the police petitioned the JJB again, resulting in a modification of the order and the minor's transfer to an observation home until June 5. The Maharashtra government has formed a committee to evaluate JJB members' conduct and verify that right procedures were followed in the matter. The committee, chaired by a deputy commissioner, is set to present its report next week, according to Prashant Narnavare, commissioner of the Women and Child Department.
01 June,2024 12:56 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentPanvel police have arrested four persons for their involvement in a plan to kill actor Salman Khan. The police said the four accused had been surveilling locations where Salman Khan worked and also keeping an eye on his farmhouse at the behest of Lawrence and Anmol Bishnoi. This comes a month after the Salman Khan house firing incident. Sources in the police told mid-day that the four arrested accused were identified--Dhananjay Singh Tapesingh alias Ajay Kashyap, Gaurav Bhatia alias Nahayi, Vaspi Khan alias Wasim Chikna and Zeeshan Khan alias Javed Khan. The arrested individuals were found to be in contact with the primary accused, Lawrence Bishnoi and Anmol Bishnoi, said the police. A case was registered against 17 persons for their alleged involvement in a conspiracy to kill Khan, however, only four of them have been arrested, officials said and added that the search for others is on. The case against them has been filed under Sections 115, 120(B), and 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). "The accused persons carried out surveillance at the behest of Lawrence and Anmol Bishnoi. The investigation into this conspiracy is ongoing. We are conducting a probe into how the accused rented an apartment, where were they staying and for how long have they been following Salman Khan. We are also looking into others involved in the conspiracy to kill Salman Khan," said a police officer. Vivek Pansare, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Panvel Division confirmed the development and said the accused have been sent to judicial custody. A probe into the matter is underway, said officials.
01 June,2024 12:09 PM IST | Panvel | Faisal Tandel
India is the motherland of the brave, from historical warriors such as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Rani Lakshmibai, who fought for freedom, to heroes like Captian Vikram Batra, PVC, and Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, AC, who sacrificed themselves to keep that freedom. The Indian Armed Forces—Army, Navy, and Air Force—employ around 1.4 million active personnel, with the Indian Army being the largest standing army in the world. From early morning PTs to overnight duties, these soldiers seldom rest in their endeavours. Amongst these are a few who, even after retirement, work relentlessly for the betterment of their brethren. Such is the story of Colonel Vembu Shankar, SC. Col Shankar is a multifaceted personality—a Shaurya Chakra awardee Army veteran, magician, quizmaster, linguist, philographist, and the proud initiator of the one-man philanthropic endeavour: Project Sambandh. “Project Sambandh aims to connect with the next of kin or the families of those armed forces personnel who have died while in service because of non-operational circumstances. It is for those who are referred to as physical casualties. The project makes sure that the delivery of the entitlements, grants, and schemes happens.” Indian Army veteran Col Vembu Shankar SC/ Sourced Photo Col Shankar explained his endeavour. While commanding a unit in the northeast of India, he realised that the army loses 1,500 soldiers every year because of non-operational reasons like accidents, medical reasons, etc which are different from battle casualties- deaths occurring in operations. When asked what the inspiration was he said, “ These 1500 physical casualties leave behind 1500 families who need to face the challenges which could be emotional and financial ones because they get less pension, aged parents, children's education lagging. Although the army puts in a lot of effort they still have challenges.” “And so I embarked on a personal mission where I could go and meet these next of kin, that is, the widows, children, and parents, and ensure that let's see what the challenges are. So I thought I could do this in a thousand days while travelling around India, for which I opted for premature retirement after 20 years of service,” he continued. A one-man initiative means a lot of challenges to handle alone. Addressing this, Col Shankar said, “Every day is a challenge. The first and foremost challenge is to connect with them. Identification is a challenge. Establishing rapport is a challenge because suddenly you're calling them after 10 years; you don't know, and they don't know who you are. And there are so many scams that happen over the telephone. So they're always afraid.” But when one aims to help 1500 families alone, the institutionalisation of the entire process proves to be the biggest challenge, according to Col Shankar. Col Shankar was awarded Shaurya Chakra in 2003/ Sourced Photo Around 25,000 next of kin till now have benefited from Project Sambandh. “I've evolved so much in the last six years since I've embarked on this project, than what I would have gained in 44 years of my existence in this world,” he says, reflecting on his journey till now. ” He shared an anecdote, “In Sunderbani, Jammu and Kashmir, I reached out to one lady who said that she's got little time and she's got about 10 minutes to spare. And she said, Okay, I can meet you at a tea stall. She came along with her daughter, who was maybe 14 years old. Since it was Sunderbani, I started speaking to them in Hindi and asked them if they had filled up the form so that they could claim the scholarships, to which they replied in the negative. I then asked the girl what class she was in, and she answered in proper English that she was in 9th grade and she wanted to be a cardiologist. Imagine a 9th-grade kid in Sundarbani without a father having such confidence that she can achieve anything. But you also need a little bit of support, which I provided, and sure enough, she proved us right. In the 10th grade, she got 484 out of 500, in the 12th grade, we moved her to Jammu, and she got 492 out of 500. And she took the NEET exam. So we had to support her with the coaching for NEET. And today she's a second-year MBBS student in Jammu.” Such cases are his motivation to carry forward Project Sambandh. Apart from being a successful philanthropist, Col Shankar also received a Shaurya Chakra, the third highest gallantry award, at the age of 23, for displaying bravery in fighting terrorists in J&K, eliminating 11 militants without a single casualty on our side under his leadership. He created the first English-Hindi-Dzonkgha dictionary ever. Being a philographist, he has over 8,000 autographs of people ranging from Presidents of India like APJ Abdul Kalam and Shankar Dayal Sharma to sportspeople like Sachin Tendulkar and Pele, cinema stars, Nobel laureates, politicians, poets, and a lot more. A good friend of MS Dhoni, he shared some pearls of wisdom for our readers. “Anything you do, you need to practice well. In the army, we have an adage that says that the more you sweat in peace, the less you will bleed in war. You need to be prepared and do research on whatever you are doing. The second thing I have learned from my friend MS Dhoni, who's been a successful Indian cricket team captain, is that he believes in the principle of control, the controllable. Many times, as young adults, we get frustrated because we don't get to meet our aspirations when things don't go our way, and we blame the environment for the failure. This is something that I learned from my tenure in Bhutan, which believes in something called gross national happiness; the final goal of life is all about happiness. Don't worry about the past, because it's as uncontrollable as the future. The present is controllable.” Colonel Vembu Shankar is the embodiment of the lines: “If you can fill the unforgiving minuteWith sixty seconds’ worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!” from Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If”. They say one life isn't enough, but for Col Shankar, it isn't true. He is a true inspiration for people who struggle with pursuing their interests due to paucity of time or resources.
01 June,2024 12:01 PM IST | Mumbai | Tanishka DesaiAccording to a police officer, a man was detained on Friday in Ambernath, Thane district, for allegedly molesting a three-and-a-half-year-old girl sexually. Abdul Kadir Abdul Kalam (41), a resident of Ambernath, was taken into custody under the terms of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act following the mother of the child's complaint, according to a Shivaji Nagar police station official. "The accused and the victim are neighbours. At 9 pm on Thursday, the child went to the accused's house to play. He sexually abused her at the time," he said. (With Inputs from PTI)
01 June,2024 10:44 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentUnder the mitigation of pollution guidelines, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), has decided to ban tandoors outside the hotels. BMC has issued a notice to the “AHAR” Indian Hotels and Restaurant Association. Additional Municipal Commissioner, Dr Sudhakar Shinde confirmed that BMC has issued notice to the AHAR, to ask restaurant owners to stop using it outside the restaurant. “Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has issued directions under Section 5 of the Environment Protection Act, 1986, regarding the placement of tandoors at the entrance of restaurants or outside the premises. In compliance with these directions and in the interest of environmental protection and public health,” read the notice. As per the notice, failure to comply with these directions may lead to actions as per Section 394 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (MMC) Act, 1888, including but not limited to seizure and cancellation of licences. BMC asked “AHAR” to inform all members. Meanwhile, Sukesh Shetty, President of the AHAR, told mid-day, “The association recently received notice from BMC about tandoors and we have informed our members about the same. However, most of our members do not keep tandoor outside the hotels. Still, we have asked our members to take the necessary prevention. BMC published dust mitigation guidelines in October 2023, after the city witnessed the worst air. In the first phase, BMC focused on the implementation guidelines on construction sites and industries. “We have started visiting hotels, and wherever we found a tandoor outside the restaurant, we asked the management to keep it inside. If we find that the restaurant hasn’t complied with the instructions, we will seize the tandoor. If even after that, the situation hasn’t changed, a prosecution or action to seal the restaurant will be taken,” said a BMC official.
01 June,2024 08:26 AM IST | Mumbai | Sameer SurveAround 785 Lego-like blocks, military battle tank wagons, dry runs and rehearsals. Knowing well that widening an existing platform at a continuously fully packed station like Thane will not be easy, the central railway had literally geared up for military-level preparations for the 63-hour block with multiple dress rehearsals and dry runs to construct a platform within the limited few hours. The entire widened portion of the platform will be built with 785 blocks similar to Lego which have already been aligned, assembled and laid out at Mulund. They were ferried in a special train of military wagons after the tracks at Thane station were shifted. These military wagons have been designed to carry military battle tanks. 63 hoursDuration of the mega block
01 June,2024 08:24 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentCommuters experienced disruptions on the first day of the three-day mega block announced by the central railway. On Friday, 160 services were cancelled due to ongoing work of lateral extension of platforms at Thane station. This has led to overcrowding and delays, leaving passengers frustrated. Also, as an effect of the mega block, a huge traffic jam was seen on the Eastern Express Highway (EEH). The work at Thane station is currently in progress, causing a reduction in the number of available services. Passengers have reported long waiting times and packed trains, making their daily commute challenging. The situation is expected to worsen as the work at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) begins on June 1. With more services to be cancelled, congestion is predicted to increase further. Traffic congestion on EEH was attributed to regular train commuters taking to the road owing to the mega block Passengers stranded Atul Gokhle, a regular commuter said, " As it is, the trains are running delayed and on top of it cancellation of some train services added to our difficulty."He said, "Even though we will face this problem for three days, further down the line, passengers will be relieved as the platforms are being extended to make sure that the always crowded Thane station will be equipped to handle more passengers." Another passenger in a rush to board a train said, "Offices should have declared a holiday. Who will be responsible if someone falls off the overcrowded trains? The offices will never take up any responsibility of the person falling off the train." Lego-like blocks placed to extend the platform at Thane Dabbawala services affected Subhash Talekar from the Mumbai Dabbawala Association said, "The impact of the mega block on the dabbawala service cannot be denied. A three-day mega block was announced in Mumbai, and hundreds of local trains have been cancelled. This has put a strain on the services of Mumbai Dabbawala. Today, some of our customers received their food late due to delayed and cancelled locals." Heavy traffic jam on EEH The three-day mega block has also caused a traffic jam on the eastern express highway as many individuals choose to travel by vehicle instead of trains considering the mega block. Amar Vatkar said the traffic on the highway was much more than on other days Amar Vatkar said, "I am a regular commuter on the EEH. Today, the traffic situation on the EEH was much worse due to the mega block. The number of vehicles on the highway is usually less than what one can see today." Ramsingh Pal said, "I usually travel by train to go to work. Today, owing to the mega block, I chose to take my vehicle to work. I regret doing this as the traffic situation on the highway has worsened. Many have brought their personal vehicles out today due to the mega block leading to the traffic congestion." Update on the ongoing work Talking to mid-day, Central Railway spokesperson said, "The tracks at Thane have been shifted and the process of laying the blocks in order to extend the platform are being placed. The CR is working on a war footing basis and we are running ahead of the schedule."
01 June,2024 08:21 AM IST | Mumbai | Prasun ChoudhariOne of the government offices of Aarey Milk Colony seems to be turning into a den for tipplers. Senior officials attached to the Aarey CEO’s office were found drinking liquor in broad daylight inside one of the colony’s offices. On May 30, the NGO We Will Help (WWH) Charitable Foundation sent a letter to Animal Husbandry & Dairy Development Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and Tukaram Mundhe, secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development. In the letter addressed to the dairy minister and secretary, the NGO has identified officials from the Aarey CEO office, including senior clerk Vijay Kokhare, assistant chief executive officer Suryakant Khate, agriculture assistant Mahadev Yelkunde and senior clerk Sanjay Jogi. The letter alleges that these individuals were observed consuming alcohol and smoking cigarettes on official premises during working hours. The picture and the names of the officials have also been forwarded to the minister and secretary. Eugene Das, managing trustee, WWH Charitable Foundation, said, “Out of frequent regular gatherings a recent photo has been taken at the Unit No. 5 government nursery office, which shows senior government officials from the Aarey CEO office consuming alcohol and smoking cigarettes on official premises during working hours. We urge the authorities to take serious action against those involved in this inappropriate behaviour. The names and photographs of the officials have been submitted to the dairy minister and secretary to take necessary action.” Mundhe told mid-day, “The necessary action will be taken. Already directed CEO to take necessary action.” WWH Charitable Foundation has been doing environmental activities and also working with tribals in Maharashtra. With a vision to set up a permanent environmental training and an empowerment centre, the NGO requested the state government to sanction the broken dilapidated government nursery at Unit No. 5 in Aarey Milk Colony to develop and operate the place. Similarly, Unit No. 20 nursery near Ganesh mandir in Aarey Milk Colony was sanctioned to Global Art Foundation before WWH approval. The NGO named its project Aarey Vasundhara and envisioned it to transform the land into a sustainability hub and open the doors to community-driven projects that can add value to lives. “To talk the talk and walk the walk, it is necessary to understand how to implement environment-friendly activities in our daily lives. Aarey Vasundhara—an eco village—hopes to bridge the gap, educate individuals and empower tribals by altering our perception of life, nature, and sustainability. But unfortunately, the extensively corrupt bureaucrats of the Aarey CEO’s office started demanding bribes from the NGO to give further approvals and NOC,” alleged the NGO. The NGO further alleged that Aarey authorities in their report to the Lokayukta dated March 6 blatantly denied the requirements of any developments according to the detailed project report because their demands were ignored and turned down. The NGO also alleged that the organisation has been frequently harassed by the Aarey CEO’s office to the extent that those participating in its activities and children were denied usage of washrooms. 04No. of officials named in letter
01 June,2024 08:19 AM IST | Mumbai | Ranjeet JadhavIndia’s forex reserves dropped by USD 2.027 billion to USD 646.673 billion for the week ended May 24, the Reserve Bank said on Friday. In the previous reporting week, the kitty had reached an all-time high of USD 648.7 billion after a jump of USD 4.549 billion. For the week ended May 24, foreign currency assets, a major component of the reserves, decreased by USD 1.51 billion to USD 567.499 billion, the data released on Friday showed. Expressed in dollar terms, the foreign currency assets include the effect of appreciation or depreciation of non-US units like the euro, pound and yen held in the foreign exchange reserves. Gold reserves decreased by USD 482 million to USD 56.713 billion during the week. The Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) were down by USD 33 million to USD 18.135 billion. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
01 June,2024 08:16 AM IST | Mumbai | AgenciesThe families of the two septuagenarians killed due to the slab collapse in Vikhroli East on Thursday evening have alleged that MHADA had delayed the process of issuing an NOC for redevelopment of the building, despite it being in urgent need of repair. The incident occurred around 6.30 pm at the Guru Kripa CHS building in Vikroli’s Kannamvar Nagar area. “The documents were rotting with MHADA for 3-4 months. If they had issued the NOC on time, this mishap would not have occurred,” said the daughter of Suryakant Madhalkar who was killed in the mishap. Sharad Masal and Suryakant Madhalkar The police said the authorities rescued Suryakant, 78, and Sharad Masal, 75, but they were declared brought dead at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital.According to a resident, the three-storey structure is in a dilapidated condition. “We are 14 buildings and together approached Diwan developers to redevelop the buildings. However, the redevelopment did not take place and so only residents of the Guru Kripa building had approached MHADA for an NOC.” said the resident on condition of anonymity. According to Madhalkar’s daughter, the building’s secretary had informed her that a slab had collapsed on her father after which she rushed to the hospital. “But when I reached there, the authorities told me that he had died.” “It’s a 60-year-old building and it was not in a good condition. My father had various health ailments but wanted to stay alone. We had approached MHADA and they had delayed the process of issuing an NOC for redevelopment. The society members used to visit the office and officials would claim that the file was transferred to some other department,” she added. According to Sheetal Misal, they had heard a loud sound when the slab collapsed. “My parents were living in the society. We heard a loud sound at 6.30 pm and there was dust all over the building. My mother was standing outside their residence and banging on the door and my father who was paralysed was inside. With the help of authorities, we broke open the door and found my father trapped under the rubble. We were living here on a rental agreement and were going to shift to Airoli. Last year we had received a notice that that building was not fit to live in. However, MHADA gave an extension to stay here,” she said. Refuting the allegations, MHADA’s PRO Vaishali Gadpale told mid-day: “We had provided a notice to the residents last year and informed them that the building is depleted and is not fit to live in. People had started to leave the building. The NOC was given after due process.” At present, there are 12 families from the building who have been allocated flats at a transit camp in Kannamvar Nagar. “MHADA had issued two notices to building and people had started to shift elsewhere. We will register an FIR after scrutinising the documents of the building,” said an officer.
01 June,2024 08:13 AM IST | Mumbai | Apoorva AgasheADVERTISEMENT
