Mumbai on Thursday recorded 14 Covid-19 cases, which took the tally in the metropolis to 11,54,972, while the death toll stood unchanged at 19,744, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said. The recovery count increased by two and reached 11,35,167, leaving the city with an active caseload of 61. Also Read: Mumbai: Fire breaks out in residential building in Goregaon Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation data showed the city's recovery rate was 98.3 per cent. So far, 1,85,83,003 coronavirus tests have been carried out in the city, including 2,782 in the last 24 hours, as per official data.
08 December,2022 09:38 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentAmid the ongoing counting for the Gujarat and Himachal Assembly poll results, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday exuded confidence of the BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena combine winning the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. "We will win the BMC elections along with our alliance partners," Fadnavis told ANI on Thursday. On the Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute, Fadnavis added, "It seemed to be politically motivated by some fringe groups. Some people wanted to create unrest in the border areas." "I have spoken to the Karnataka CM and the police and have also briefed Union Home minister on the situation," he further said. Also Read: Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde directs BMC to beautify Mumbai ahead of G20 meeting On the Karnataka Bank controversy raised by the Opposition, Fadnavis said, "It was the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government which took the decision to vest Karnataka-based banks with the authority to open salary accounts of government officials. So, they should have checked facts before making any allegations against our government." Amid the border dispute, the state government allowed the use of the privately-owned Karnataka bank for government transactions, including transfer of salaries and pension deposits, adding to the furore over the border unrest. In January 2021, the former Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government allowed the use of private sector banks for availing salaries and other government transactions. Earlier, in September, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a meeting with party leaders in Mumbai and had set a target of 150 seats for the BJP-Shinde Sena alliance for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls. The Union Home minister also expressed confidence of the BJP winning the high-stakes civic polls. According to sources, Shah had said the target of the BJP and the "real Shiv Sena" should be to bag at least 150 seats in the BMC polls. Referring to the work done by the Modi government, he said he was sure the BJP would win the civic elections. He was also learnt to have said that people are with the BJP and not with the 'Uddhav party'. Shah met with BJP MPs, MLAs, MLCs and corporators and held discussions on the upcoming BMC elections. During the 2017 BMC elections of the BMC, BJP won 82 of the BMC's 227 seats and eight out of the ten significant municipalities, while the Shivsena, at 84 finished marginally ahead. None of the parties could get near the majority mark of 114. The Sena had ruled out any alliance with BJP and contested the 2017 BMC elections solo. 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.
08 December,2022 09:14 PM IST | Mumbai | ANIShiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday targeted the BJP saying that just the way big-ticket projects were shifted from Maharashtra to Gujarat ahead of the Assembly polls there, villages from the state could be merged into Karnataka, where elections are due next year. The shifting of the projects to Gujarat from Maharashtra earlier this year played a major role in the Bharatiya Janata Party's resounding victory in the neighbouring state, he said. Thackeray made the remarks during a press conference held following a meeting of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders here. The MVA comprises the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress. "Just the way projects in Maharashtra were taken away to poll-bound Gujarat, villages from Maharashtra may also be given to Karnataka where elections are due," he said. Also Read: Mumbai cops say preliminary enquiry initiated against Maha ex-CM Uddhav Thackeray for alleged disproportionate assets "Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai staking claim over the areas of Maharashtra has to be taken seriously. The BJP has a ploy to destabilise Maharashtra," Thackeray claimed. The over-six-decade-old border dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra recently took a new turn after Bommai staked a claim to several villages in Maharashtra. Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly Ajit Pawar, state Congress president Nana Patole, who were present at the press conference, said the December 17 'morcha' organised by the MVA in Mumbai will be massive and it would highlight the "anti-Maharashtra" stand of the BJP. The rally by the opposition parties is targeted at the Eknath Shinde-BJP government in the state over several issues, including certain remarks being made against Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the state losing mega projects. "I appeal to all Maharashtra lovers to join the protest which will start from Jijamata Udyan and lead to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT)," he said. Thackeray said the Maharashtra government did not react when the Karnataka chief minister was claiming areas of Maharashtra. Patole and Pawar said the BJP kept mum despite Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari insulting Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and social reformers Mahatma Phule and Savitribai Phule. "The BJP lost the civic polls in Delhi, where it ruled for 15 years, and the Assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh where it was in government. The party now only has to rely on PM Narendra Modi for Gujarat," Patole said. Pawar said J P Nadda who is president of the ''world's largest party'' could not save the BJP from defeat in his home state. 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.
08 December,2022 08:04 PM IST | Mumbai | PTIAmid the simmering border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka, Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar on Thursday said the central government cannot remain a mute spectator. If power is misused to destroy the idea of a language medium and movement, there is bound to be a reaction. But, the Centre has turned a blind eye to it, Pawar said addressing a meeting of the NCP. The Maharashtra-Karnataka boundary dispute is not between the two states, but for the rights and justice of the Marathi- speaking people in the border areas of the neighbouring state, the former Union minister said. On Wednesday, the issue of the border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka was raised in the Lok Sabha with NCP leader and Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule seeking the intervention of the Union home ministry in the matter. Referring to it, Pawar said, "Yesterday, the Lok Sabha Speaker told Supriya Sule that the issue is between two states and not an issue to be raised in Parliament. If Parliament will not look into the dispute, who will? The central government cannot be a mute spectator." Also Read: Maharashtra-Karnataka border row: NCP-BJP leaders clash in Lok Sabha over violent incidents He said the Karnataka government has always taken a different stand on how the percentage of Kannada population can be increase in Belagavi in the southern state, which is located adjoining the Maharashtra border. They (Karnataka government) brought government offices to Belagavi. The winter session of the Karnataka legislature is also held in Belagavi to show Maharashtra has no right over the city, Pawar said. Kannada is compulsory in schools there and children are not allowed to study Marathi, he said, adding that there are schools of all mediums in Maharashtra, he said. ''If power is misused to destroy the idea of language medium and movement, there is bound to be a reaction. Unfortunately, the Centre has turned a blind eye," said the NCP chief. Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Sule said people of Maharashtra are getting "beaten up" every day despite the BJP being the ruling party in both the states. The border issue dates back to 1957 after the reorganisation of states on linguistic lines. Maharashtra laid claim to Belagavi, which was part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency as it has a sizeable Marathi-speaking population. It also laid claim to 814 Marathi-speaking villages which are currently part of the southern state. Karnataka, however, considers the demarcation done on linguistic lines according to the States Reorganisation Act and the 1967 Mahajan Commission Report as final. 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.
08 December,2022 07:57 PM IST | Mumbai | PTIMumbai Police have seized 100 grams of the banned drug mephedrone worth Rs 20 lakh from a 26-year-old man in the city's Dharavi area, an official said on Thursday. The accused had at least five criminal cases of vehicles and mobile phone theft registered against him, he said. Officials of the police's Anti-Narcotics Cell apprehended the man on Wednesday night when he was roaming in a suspicious manner near the Sion-Bandra Link Road, the official said. Also Read: Mumbai: Drugs found in Arthur Road Jail; cops file FIR; launch probe During a search, police found 100 gm of mephedrone, a synthetic stimulant, in his possession, he said. The man was arrested after an interrogation and booked relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the official said. Police are looking for suppliers of the drug in this case, he added. 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.
08 December,2022 07:28 PM IST | Mumbai | PTIMaharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday said the roads of Mumbai will be cement concretised and pothole-free in the next two-and-half years, reported PTI. He was speaking at the launch of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's 'Mumbai Beautification Project' at Gateway of India in Mumbai. Shinde said within one or two months there will be visible change in the city. Informing that the BMC had invited bids for cement concretisation works worth Rs 6,000 crore, the CM said he had asked the BMC to give contracts to reputed firms instead of issuing it for small patches (piecemeal). Shinde further said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked his government to carry out radical change in Mumbai in keeping with its status as the country's financial capital and an international city. Also Read: Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde directs BMC to beautify Mumbai ahead of G20 meeting Speaking on the occasion, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis asked people of the metropolis to accept some troubles while roads are being concretised as it would result in pothole-free roads for the next 30 years without the need for repairs. "Repeatedly the same contractor, same work and the same money. Every year this formula was going on. A decision has been taken to stop this formula in the municipal corporation," Fadnavis said, adding there will be transparency while allotting and implementing these works. Without naming former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray or his Shiv Sena (UBT) party, Fadnavis said those who couldn't come up with these (beautification and cleanliness) initiatives had taken a meeting on Wednesday to bring three-four parties together to come up with a strategy to find flaws in these works and have even formed a task force with this aim. Mumbai municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal said the civic body will complete black topping of 120 kilometres of asphalt roads within 30 to 45 days. He said as part of the Mumbai beautification project, works such as painting of flyovers, beautification of beaches and traffic islands, painting of walls along major roads, LED lighting on important streets will be carried out. The work of beautification and cleanliness of forts, Koliwadas and civic gardens has been undertaken and the BMC has also accepted the challenge to construct 10,000 new toilets to improve sanitation, besides upgradation of 3,000 toilets transferred to the civic body by MHADA, Chahal said. (With inputs from PTI)
08 December,2022 07:15 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentA fire broke out in a ground-plus-four storey building in Goregaon on Thursday afternoon, but nobody was injured in it, according to BMC. Civic officials said that it was a level one fire. The incident occurred in 'Nisarg', a residential-cum-commercial building located opposite Goregaon police station in Goregaon West, around 2.35 pm, the BMC said. According to the civic body, the fire was confined to the ground floor shop and the office of deputy collector (encroachment) located on the first floor of the building. Also Read: Maharashtra: Fire at incense sticks unit in Pune; no casualty The fire was extinguished at 3.50 pm, the civic body said. Cooling operation is currently underway and the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. According to the BMC, the incident was reported by the Mumbai Fire Brigade.
08 December,2022 05:57 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe Regional Passport Office, Mumbai, has decided to keep all offices open for processing passport applications on the next three Saturdays i.e. December 10, 17 and 24. According to a press release issued by Regional Passport Office, Mumbai, all offices under RPO Mumbai will remain open on the next three Saturdays from 9 am to 5.30 pm. "The appointments for December 10 are available online. Appointments for December 17 and December 22 shall be available on December 14 and December 21, respectively," the release said. Also Read: Mumbai cops say preliminary enquiry initiated against Maha ex-CM Uddhav Thackeray for alleged disproportionate assets As per the press release issued by Regional Passport Office, Mumbai, new appointments can be booked by filling the form online at https://www.passportindia.gov.in and making the payment online. The applicant should thereafter log in again to the https://www.passportindia.gov.in website to verify the payment and schedule the appointment. Applicants with passport appointments at a later date, or those who have missed their earlier appointments can also reschedule their appointments for above mentioned Saturdays. Such applicants will be allowed to reschedule their appointment only once, said the Regional Passport Office, Mumbai.
08 December,2022 05:27 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe Mumbai Police on Thursday told the Bombay High Court that they have initiated a preliminary enquiry against former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and his kin on a complaint about alleged disproportionate assets. Public Prosecutor Aruna Kamat Pai informed this to the HC after a division bench of Justices Dheeraj Thakur and Valmiki Menezes reserved its order on a public interest litigation seeking probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against the Thackerays for allegedly amassing wealth disproportionate to known sources of income. The Thackerays sought dismissal of the PIL on the ground that it was filed on assumptions and without any factual foundation. The petition, filed by behaviour and soft skill consultant and city resident Gauri Bhide, sought a direction to the CBI and the ED to conduct a "thorough and impartial" investigation against Thackeray and his family. Also Read: Bombay HC reserves order on PIL seeking probe against Uddhav Thackeray, kin for alleged disproportionate assets The bench heard the matter briefly in the morning session and closed it for orders. However, in the afternoon session, Pai mentioned the matter once again to inform the court of the state government's stand. "The Mumbai Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has initiated a preliminary enquiry into the allegations," Pai told the court. Uddhav Thackeray's counsel Aspi Chinoy objected to this and said it was an "abuse of the process of law." Bhide, before filing the petition, had sent a letter to the Mumbai police commissioner on her allegations. However, on Thursday, Bhide told the court that she has not been informed about any such enquiry initiated by the police. "My request is that the central agencies should be directed to conduct a probe," Bhide told the court. Senior counsels Chinoy and Ashok Mundargi, appearing for Uddhav Thackeray, his wife Rashmi Thackeray and son Aaditya Thackeray, had argued the PIL was filed on assumptions and without any factual foundation. "The petition is absolutely bereft of any material and is filed purely on assumptions. The petitioner has an alternate remedy of filing private complaint before a magistrate's court seeking police probe," Chinoy argued. He said Uddhav Thackeray is not in power anymore and, hence, it cannot be alleged he or his family would influence any probe. Mundargi argued Bhide should have first filed a complaint with the police or a private complaint. "The high court's jurisdiction comes only when the alternate remedies have been availed of and no relief has been granted," Mundargi said, adding the PIL has levelled allegations based on assumptions instead of facts. Bhide, whose family owned a printing press in Mumbai's Dadar area, in her PIL said being a sincere and vigilant citizen, she wanted to help the Government of India in "unearthing some more hidden, unaccounted wealth disproportionate to income and also unearth laundered money." The plea stated Bhide was inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's fight against corruption and claimed she has evidence to show the Thackeray family accumulated properties and assets illegally. It further alleged that Uddhav Thackeray and his family never disclosed any particular service, profession and business as their official source of income. "Yet, we find they have huge properties in a metro city like Mumbai and in Raigad district, which may run into crores," the plea said. It also referred to raids conducted by the CBI and the ED on people who are "very very close" to the Thackeray family and claimed it is crystal clear the huge undisclosed properties, cash and other wealth with those persons have a close nexus to the Thackerays. During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, when the entire print media was facing heavy losses, Thackeray's company Prabodhan Prakashan Pvt Ltd showed a brilliant performance of Rs 42 crore turnover and Rs 11.5 crore profit, the petition further claimed. During this period, Uddhav Thackeray was the chief minister and his son Aaditya Thackeray was a cabinet minister, the plea said. "It seems it is a clear case of turning the black money into white one," the PIL alleged. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government collapsed in June this year after a revolt in his party. 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.
08 December,2022 04:22 PM IST | Mumbai | PTIFormer Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday sought the dismissal of a public interest litigation seeking probe against him and his family for allegedly massing wealth disproportionate to known sources of income.Senior counsels Aspi Chinoy and Ashok Mundargi, appearing for Uddhav Thackeray, his wife Rashmi Thackeray and son Aditya Thackeray, argued the PIL has been filed on assumptions and without any factual foundation.A division bench of Justices Dheeraj Thakur and Valmiki Menezes on Thursday briefly heard the matter and then reserved its order. The petition, filed by behaviour and soft skill consultant and city resident Gauri Bhide, sought a direction to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) to conduct a "thorough and impartial" investigation against Thackeray and his family."The petition is absolutely bereft of any material and is filed purely on assumptions. The petitioner has an alternate remedy of filing private complaint before a magistrate's court seeking police probe," Chinoy argued.He said Uddhav Thackeray is not in power anymore and, hence, it cannot be alleged he or his family would influence any probe. Mundargi argued Bhide should have first filed a complaint with the police or a private complaint."The high court's jurisdiction comes only when the alternate remedies have been availed of and no relief has been granted," Mundargi said, adding the PIL has levelled allegations based on assumptions instead of facts.Bhide, whose family owned a printing press in Dadar in central Mumbai, in her PIL said being a sincere and vigilant citizen, she wanted to help the government of India in "unearthing some more hidden, unaccounted wealth disproportionate to income and also unearth laundered money."The plea stated Bhide was inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's fight against corruption and claimed she has evidence to show the Thackeray family has accumulated properties and assets illegally.It further alleged Uddhav Thackeray and his family never disclosed any particular service, profession, and business as their official source of income."Yet, we find they have huge properties in a metro city like Mumbai and in Raigad district, which may run into crores," the plea adds.It also referred to raids conducted by the CBI and ED on people ¿who are very very close to the Thackeray family and said this is crystal clear the huge undisclosed properties, cash and other wealth with those persons have a close nexus to the Thackerays.During the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown when the entire print media was facing heavy losses, Thackeray's company Prabodhan Prakashan Pvt. Ltd showed brilliant performance of Rs 42 crore turnover and Rs 11.5 crore profit, the petition further claimed.During this period, Uddhav Thackeray was the chief minister and his son Aaditya Thackeray was a cabinet minister, the plea said."It seems it is a clear case of turning the black money into white one," the PIL alleged. Also Read: Workers of Uddhav-led Sena, MNS paint Karnataka buses with graffiti in Pune 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.
08 December,2022 02:25 PM IST | Mumbai | PTIA female leopard found dead in the forest area of Yeoor in Thane city of Maharashtra died of natural reasons and there was no foul play, forest department officials said on Thursday. Deputy Director (North) of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) Uday Dhage said the leopardess, aged around five years, was found dead in the forest area on November 25. Also Read: Gujarat election results 2022: Hardik Patel predicts 135 to 145 seats for BJP The carcass of the feline was taken to the SGNP office, where post-mortem was conducted by the veterinary doctors. The autopsy report confirmed that she died a natural death. "There was nothing suspicious in the death of the animal," the official said in a release. 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.
08 December,2022 11:02 AM IST | Mumbai | PTI
