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Sena leader claims 5 MLAs, 2 MPs from Uddhav group to join CM Shinde-led faction
Shiv Sena Lok Sabha member Krupal Tumane on Wednesday claimed two MPs and five MLAs from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena faction will join the group headed by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at the latter's Dussehra rally in the evening. The two MPs could be from Mumbai and Marathwada region, Tumane, who is part of the Shinde group, told a news channel. "You will see in the evening," he added. Those who believe in the Shinde faction's ideology are themselves calling up and joining it, said Tumane, the MP from Ramtek in Maharashtra. Also read: Principles more important than venue, says CM Shinde ahead of Dussehra rally At present, the Shinde faction comprises 40 MLAs, including the CM, and 12 Lok Sabha members. The Thackeray faction is left with 15 MLAs and six Lok Sabha members. Before the split in June this year, the Shiv Sena had 18 Lok Sabha members from Maharashtra and one from Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The rebel group led by Shinde will hold its Dussehra rally on Wednesday evening at the MMRDA ground at Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai. The Thackeray faction will hold its rally at the historic Shivaji Park in Dadar in central Mumbai, a venue associated with the Shiv Sena since its inception in 1966. Shinde and 39 other Sena legislators had rebelled against the party leadership in June, following which the Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government collapsed. On June 30, Shinde was sworn in as the CM along with BJP's Devendra Fadnavis as his deputy. 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.
05 October,2022 04:20 PM IST | Mumbai | PTI
Octogenarian security guard killed in Mumbai for not allowing liquor
An octogenarian man, working as a security guard, was allegedly bludgeoned to death in the Powai area of Mumbai on Tuesday.Both the accused and the victim were the residents of a chawl near an open plot in the area. The incident took place in the early hours of the day at JC Builders compound- where the deceased, 86-year-old Limbaji Kamble worked as a security guard. The accused, Shripat Dengle, allegedly in an inebriated state, allegedly beat up the old man with sticks after the deceased didn't allow him to drink liquor, officials said. Also read: Mumbai: Auto driver held for stealing coconuts from shop in Powai The 58-year-old accused used to visit the compound- an open plot owned by a private builder near the Hiranandani Hospital in Powai. On the day of the incident, Kamble denied Dengle to consume liquor, which irked the latter. Around 4 pm on Tuesday Kamble assaulted Dengle with wooden sticks leading to the old man's death."Shripat Dengle (56) allegedly hit his colleague with sticks and killed him on the spot following a brawl- which started after the old man denied the accused to consume liquor in an open plot on Monday," Mumbai Police said. After hearing Kamble's screams some locals ran to the spot and called up the security guard's son, who rushed his father to the Rajawadi Hospital, where he was declared brought dead.Mumbai Police have registered a case on the statement given by the family members of Kamble against Shripat Dengle. 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.
05 October,2022 03:23 PM IST | Mumbai | PTI
Mumbai: Mukesh Ambani, family get death threats
Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) chairperson Mukesh Ambani and his wife Nita Ambani received death threats on Wednesday. The calls were made to Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital from an anonymous number. The caller said he will blow up the hospital and also kill RIL chairperson Mukesh Ambani and his wife Nita Ambani. The development was confirmed to Mid-Day by Dr. Tarang Gianchandani, CEO, Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital. Also Read: Government upgrades Mukesh Ambani's security cover to Z plus Tarang also told Mid-Day that the complaint was given to DB Marg police after receiving a call at 1 pm today. The call was received on the landline of Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital today from an unknown number in which the caller made threats. An offence is being registered at DB Marg Police Station and further investigation in this matter is being done by Mumbai Police, said Neelotpal, DCP Zone 2.
05 October,2022 02:43 PM IST | Mumbai | Faizan Khan
Maharashtra cabinet clears proposals of home loan for police
The Maharashtra cabinet has cleared a proposal to allow police personnel to take home loans at subsidised interest rates. The scheme was earlier launched in 2017 and was implemented till 2019, after which it was discontinued by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government. The new Eknath Shinde government has decided to reintroduce the scheme for which the State Police Housing and Welfare Corporation will operate as the nodal agency, a government statement said on Tuesday. The cabinet also cleared a revised proposal of Rs 9,279.06 crore to speed up phase-1 of the Nagpur Metro project. Also Read: Maharashtra: Ration card holders to get grocery pack at Rs 100 The state has sanctioned Rs 622 crore interest free loan for the Nagpur Metro phase-1 project and also approved the land transfer proposal, the statement said. The cabinet has also cleared the pending project of transportation of the Krishna river water to Marathwada by sanctioning Rs 11,726.91 crore. It will benefit 33,945 hectares of land for irrigation in eight districts, the statement said. Under the Krishna Bhima rivers stabilisation project, the construction of a connecting tunnel for both the rivers has also been included, it said. The cabinet has also decided to notify state or Union government-owned companies as implementing agencies on a turnkey basis for projects under the state disaster management plan. 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.
05 October,2022 01:50 PM IST | Mumbai | PTI
Mumbai
Five killed, eight injured in a high-speed collision on Bandra-Worli sea link
At least five people died and eight were injured after a speeding car rammed into a crash site on the Bandra-Worli sea link in Mumbai early on Wednesday. The incident took place around 2.53 am when a car rammed into an ambulance that had come to pick up the injured. All the injured have been rushed to Breach Candy Hospital. 5 dead, 8 injured after a collision between four cars and an ambulance on Mumbai's Bandra Worli Sea LinkImages: ANI Read more on: https://t.co/Dl1pGOYLiS#MiddayNews #Mumbai #MumbaiNews pic.twitter.com/BWlR4TsGM5 — Mid Day (@mid_day) October 5, 2022 According to police, the accident occurred in the southbound lane of the sea link. Around 2.20 am on Wednesday, a car met with an accident. An ambulance was rushed to the spot to take the injured to hospital. When the rescue operation was on a couple of cars stopped to help medical professionals. That is when around 2.53 am a speeding car crashed into the stationary vehicles, resulting in the deaths of five people. Also Read: Mumbai: Lured by ‘confirmed MBBS seat’, parents lose Rs 2.17 cr Out of them, 10 were rushed to BMC-run Nair Hospital of which five were declared dead. Three are under treatment while two were allowed to go after treatment. A personnel of sea link security and two more injured in the accident have been shifted to Lilavati, Saifee and Global Hospitals. DCP (zone 3) confirmed the death of five persons. "We have checked the CCTV footage of the accident and it appears that a vehicle dashed to people waiting near the ambulance. We are in process of registering statements of injured to get more details," he added.
05 October,2022 12:16 PM IST | Mumbai | Anurag Kamble
All eyes on Mumbai as Dussehra rallies of Shiv Sena factions in city today
For the first time since the Shiv Sena's inception 56 years ago, two Dussehra rallies will be held in Mumbai on Wednesday evening by the party's rival factions -- led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his predecessor Uddhav Thackeray -- in what is being billed as a show of strength by both camps after a change in government in June. Anticipating huge turnouts at the rallies of the Sena factions, the Mumbai Police have tightened security at the Shivaji Park and Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), an official said on Tuesday. More than 5,000 buses, a number of small tourist vehicles and cars, and a special train have been roped in to ferry supporters of the two rival Shiv Sena factions for their respective Dussehra rallies, sources said. The rallies have generated intense interest in political circles and also among common citizens and there will be more than just speeches by the two friends-turned-foes as the rival factions seek to present themselves as the 'real' Shiv Sena and try to claim the legacy of the party founder late Bal Thackeray. While the Uddhav Thackeray faction will hold its rally at the historic Shivaji Park in Dadar in central Mumbai, a venue associated with the Shiv Sena since its inception in 1966, the rebel group led by Shinde has organised their event at the MMRDA ground at BKC in the suburbs. The sprawling MMRDA ground is located close to 'Matoshree', the private residence of the Thackeray family in Bandra. Both the camps have claimed they are taking forward the ideals of Bal Thackeray, who was known to make fiery speeches at the Dussehra rallies at Shivaji Park year after year till his death in 2012. Since then, his son Uddhav Thackeray, a former CM who lost power in June following rebellion by his once trusted aide Shinde, had been addressing the annual event. The Dussehra rally is being held at the Shivaji Park after a gap of two years due to COVID-19 restrictions. Also Read: Mumbai: We’re with Uddhav Thackeray, say Kolis from Worli Both sides have claimed their rallies will be a grand success with top leaders giving last minute touches to the preparations for the mega shows. On the ground, the areas in and around the two venues are awashed in saffron flags and banners. Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray is expected to launch attacks on the Shinde faction and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), his former ally which is now part of the government in the state. In his address, the chief minister is likely to target Uddhav Thackeray for "deviating" from the path of Hindutva and joining hands with his once rivals Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in November 2019. Rebellion by Shinde against Uddhav Thackeray's leadership brought down the MVA government in June this year. A senior Mumbai Police official said 3,200 officers, 15,200 personnel, 1,500 personnel of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF), 1,000 jawans of Home Guard, 20 Quick Response Teams (QRTs), 15 Bomb Detection and Disposal Squads (BDDS) have been deployed for the two rallies. At BKC, 2,000 personnel of the Mumbai Police and traffic branch, 5 to 6 DCPs and 15 to 16 ACPs, will be on duty. Sheetal Mhatre, a spokesperson for the Shinde camp, said 3.5 to 4 lakh people are expected to attend the rally at the MMRDA ground. Arrangements for food and vehicle parking for those coming from outside the city have been made.A railway official said a train has been booked for the Dussehra rally from Nanded city in central Maharashtra. The train, booked by the Shinde faction, will arrive in Mumbai (Lokmanya Tilak Terminus) on Wednesday afternoon. According to bus operators, the Shinde-led faction has hired at least 3,000 private buses from different districts of Maharashtra to ferry its supporters. Besides, around 4,000 tourist cabs will bring supporters to the MMRDA ground, the sources said. The Thackeray faction has booked 700 buses to bring rally participants to the Shivaji Park. A bus operator said the buses booked by the Thackeray group will bring Sena workers and supporters mainly from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). On the other hand, buses and other vehicles hired by the Shinde faction will arrive from various parts of Maharashtra. Many activists of the rebel camp are using their personal vehicles to travel to the event site. At least 1,700 state-run buses have been booked in various regions in Maharashtra, an official of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) told PTI, adding this will generate additional revenue for the cash-strapped corporation. A large number of vehicles heading towards Mumbai led to traffic congestion at some locations on state highways. The Mumbai traffic police have made necessary arrangements for the parking of scores of buses and other vehicles that will bring workers to the rallies. 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.
05 October,2022 10:29 AM IST | Mumbai | PTI
Mumbai: We’re with Uddhav Thackeray, say Kolis from Worli
Days after the Shinde Sena claimed that 500 Kolis from Worli have joined the rebel camp, the fisherfolk from the south Mumbai pocket said they would don their traditional costume and walk to Uddhav Thackeray’s Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park on Wednesday. The fishermen community from Marve Koliwada at Malad will also attend Thackeray’s rally. A group of fishermen opposing the Coastal Road project had recently met Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Soon, claims were made that they had joined the Shinde camp. Sources said the Kolis then met with Thackeray to express their solidarity with him. “We will walk from Worli Koliwada to Shivaji Park in our traditional costume playing our Koli band,” said local Shiv Sena office-bearer Suryakant Koli. Former Sena corporator Geeta Bhandari confirmed the support of fisherfolk from Malad. “The Koli community from Marve Koliwada will also attend Thackeray’s Dussehra rally in their traditional attire.” 2.5 lakh food packets for BKC Sources close to the Eknath Shinde camp said that more than 2 lakh karyakartas from across the state will attend their Dussehra rally at BKC. “About 2.5 lakh food packets are being readied in Thane for our karyakartas who will be coming to BKC,” said former corporator Purvesh Sarnaik. “The food packets will have dhapate (a Marathi dish), kachori and gulab Jamun.” Also Read: Mumbai: Residents of Worli koliwada join the Eknath Shinde camp Traffic cops close many roads, open up optional routes for today With lakhs of people expected to spill onto Mumbai’s roads to attend the Dussehra rallies organised by the Uddhav and Shinde Senas—at Shivaji Park and BKC—the traffic police will close several major roads today between 9 am and midnight. The two factions have made the event a prestige issue and are expected to bring in people packed in vehicles, which are expected to create massive snarls in central and eastern parts of the city. For the convenience of motorists, the Mumbai Traffic department on Tuesday released a list of roads that will remain closed and shared options routes. Cops work on their plan for Wednesday when two big rallies will be held. Pic/Ashish Raje No parking on these roads1. S.V.S.Road (from Siddhivinayak Mandir Junction up to Yes Bank)2. Keluskar Road (South) and (North), Dadar3. M. B. Raut Marg (from its junction with S.V.S. Road), Dadar4. Pandurang Naik Marg (M. B. Raut Road) Dadar5. Dadasaheb Rege Marg (from Senapati Bapat statue up to Gadkari Junction), Dadar6. Lt. Dilip Gupte Marg (from Shivaji Park Gate No. 4 up to Shitaladevi templejunction)7. N.C.Kelkar Marg (from Gadkari Junction up to Hanuman Temple junction), Dadar8. L.J. Road, Rajabade signal to Gadkari Junction For BKC1. No Entry for vehicles coming from Western Express Highway, Dharavi and sea link through Bandra Family Court towards Kurla2. No Entry from Saint Dnyaneshwar road through BKC I-T junction towards Kurla3. No Entry from Govt. Colony, Kanakiya Palace and Valmiki Nagar through BKC towards Chunabhatti and Kurla4. No Entry through Surve Junction and Razzak Junction through BKC towards WEH, Dharavi and sea link5. No Entry through Eastern Express Highway via Chunabhatti by using BKC connector southbound6. No Parking curbs imposed earlier at BKC to be released on Wednesday between 2 pm and midnight Optional routes1. Vehicles coming from WEH, sea link through BKC towards Kurla shall take U-turn from Family Court junction, Left turn from MMRDA Junction and proceed through T-junction towards Kurla2. Vehicles from Saint Dnyaneshwar Nagar through BKC I–T junction to proceed along Guru Nanak Hospital-Jagat Vidya Mandir junction-through Kala Nagar junction and through Dharavi T-junction towards Kurla3. Vehicles towards Kurla through BKC to take U-turn from Valimiki Nagar and proceed through Govt. Colony–Kalanagar junction–Dharavi T-junction towards Kurla4. Vehicles from Razzak and Surve junction through BKC towards WEH, Dharavi and Worli sea link to proceed through CST Road, University main gate, Ambedkar junction—right turn at Hansbhugra junction and proceed towards destination5. Vehicles using EEH from Chunabhatti towards BKC to take a right turn at Sion Circle and proceed to destination through T-junction-Kalanagar junctionShivaji Park: No entry/optional routes 1. No Entry: S.V.S.Road from Siddhivinayak Mandir Junction up to Kapad Bazar Junction, MahimOptional route: Siddhivinayak Junction-S.K. Bole Road-Agar Bazar-Portuguese Church and Gokhale Road2. No Entry: From Raja Badhe chowk junction up to Keluskar Marg (North) junction, DadarOptional route: L.J.Road- Gokhale Road- Steel Man Junction then through Gokhale Rd3. No Entry: Lt. Dilip Gupte Road from its junction on Pandurang Naik Marg for Southbound trafficOptional route: To proceed through Raja Bade junction towards L. J.Road4. No Entry: From Gadkari Chowk junction up to Keluskar Road (south), DadarOptional route: M. B. Raut Marg
05 October,2022 08:40 AM IST | Mumbai | Sameer Surve | Anurag Kamble
Maharashtra: Ration card holders to get grocery pack at Rs 100
The Maharashtra cabinet on Tuesday decided to provide a package of groceries at Rs 100 to holders of the ration card in the state for the upcoming Diwali festival. The package will contain 1 kg rawa (sooji), groundnuts, edible oil and yellow lentils (chana dal). “There are 1.70 crore families or seven crore people who have ration cards and are eligible to buy food grain from state-run fair price shops,” the statement said. The proposal was moved by the Department of Food and Civil Supply and Consumer Protection. The cabinet also cleared a proposal to spend Rs 513.24 crore for the grocery initiative. Also Read: Maharashtra: MSRTC suspends bus conductor for shooting Instagram reels during duty hours As per the Reserve Bank of India’s consumer price index, the country’s retail inflation rate is 7 per cent. Against this backdrop, the state government’s decision to offer essential items at subsidised rates will enable the economically weaker sections to prepare snacks and sweets for Diwali using the package of groceries. Notably, many civic and local governing bodies, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, in the state are due for elections in the coming months. As per the cabinet decision, the package of groceries will be given only for one month and its distribution will take place from shops that have an EPOS system. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has given instructions to distribute the packages of groceries before Diwali, which will be mainly celebrated from October 24 to October 27. He asked officials to ensure there are no complaints from the ration card holders. 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
05 October,2022 08:37 AM IST | Mumbai | Agencies
Mumbai: Metro Lines 7 and 2A earn Rs 100 cr non-fare revenue in first year
The MMMOCL’s plan to earn revenues from avenues other than fare has clicked well as the new Metro lines from Dahisar to Aarey Colony and Dahanukarwadi are set to earn R100 crore in a year. These revenues help the corporation keep the fare low, thus making the public transport accessible to citizens. “The existing partial stretches of Mumbai Metro Red Line 7 and Mumbai Metro Yellow Line 2A have become India’s first small route Metro lines to achieve this feat within the first financial year,” said an official from Maha Mumbai Metro Operation Corporation Ltd (MMMOCL). At present, the minimum fare is Rs 10 for 3 km, and the maximum fare is Rs 50 for 30 km. Currently, 18 stations are operational on these two lines from Aarey Colony to Dahisar to Dahanukarwadi. “Maximising revenue from non-fare sources helps keep fares in check, thereby making it affordable to more passengers. This, in turn, encourages a switch from private to public transport, which is required to decongest the city, reduce air pollution and make the city more liveable,” Metropolitan Commissioner S V R Srinivas said. Also Read: Mumbai: 21-year-old TV actor duped of Rs 10 lakh for role in movie MMMOCL has already monetised non-fare revenue of Rs 70 crore for the partly commissioned Metro lines 2A and 7 in the financial year 2022-2023 and deals worth Rs 30 crore are in the pipeline. MMMOCL plans to award a licence period of up to 15 years across various revenue streams, which will amount to Rs 1,500 crore over the period. Non-fare revenues are generated by giving out various rights including retail/food and beverages, ATM space rentals, station and train advertising rights and station telecom tower rights. Metro stations and depots are also available for film/TV/ad shoots during non-operational and non-peak hours. Revenue generation through more sources such as station naming and branding, optic fibre cable rights, pillar telecom rights, pillar advertising rights, etc, is in the pipeline. The next phase of these Metro lines, with 12 stations, is expected to be commissioned by December 2022. Once the entire line is operational, commuters will have easy access to other Metro lines as well as suburban railway stations. As per the detailed project report, the steady ridership of these two lines is estimated at 9 lakh daily. Overall, around 80,000 sq ft commercial space is available for rent across these 30 stations. Vidyavihar bridge’s steel girders in place The girders of the Vidyavihar road overbridge are almost complete The massive girders of the steel road overbridge in Vidyavihar are taking shape rapidly and the assembly is set to be done soon. Once the girder is placed, the work of finishing the road overbridge shall be completed. mid-day had been following up on the issue and had highlighted how the west side booking office had been demolished for the work. It is a two-lane bridge from RN Gandhi School on the east side to Ramdev Peer Marg on the west side. Once completed, it will bring Vidyavihar East closer to LBS Road. 18No of stations that are operational currently
05 October,2022 08:35 AM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B. Aklekar
Mumbai: Lured by ‘confirmed MBBS seat’, parents lose Rs 2.17 cr
The Vashi police have booked six people for duping eight parents of about Rs 2.17 crore by promising their children confirmed MBBS seats in their choice of college, officers said on Wednesday. The accused are absconding. Bhandup resident Pradip More brought the crime to the fore after losing over Rs 12 lakh and finding that the gang, who were functioning out of an office in Vashi, had also cheated seven others. If there are more parents whom the gang has defrauded, they must come forward and lodge a complaint, said the police. They added that the main point of investigation is how the racketeers got the list of student aspiring to pursue medicine. In his police complaint, More said that in February, he received a call from a person claiming to be from ‘medico help desk’. The caller assured admission to MBBS course for Rs 90 lakh in a Maharashtra college and Rs 95 lakh in a Karnataka college. Pradip enquired about a Ratnagiri college, and was told that he would need to pay Rs 58 lakh as fees and Rs 18 lakh as capitation charge. The fraudster asked him to visit their Vashi office. Also Read: Mumbai: Woman who hugged elderly to steal valuables arrested “I visited the help desk office in Vashi and met one Rajkumar, who introduced me to the head of the office, Rakesh Jadhav. They asked for my son’s mark sheets, Aadhaar card and photographs to process the admission,” his statement read. “On March 21, I visited the office again with my son to submit the documents. Jadhav claimed my son would get admission in the desired college under the management quota, for which we had to sign a memorandum of understanding and pay Rs 12.20 lakh by cheque to the help desk office,” it added. At the meeting, they met one more person, Pravin Goyal, according to the complaint. More immediately wrote the cheques that were cashed on March 23. Jadhav and Goyal then told More that he needed to pay Rs 70 lakh as capitation fees and Rs 10 lakh in cash for admission. But More insisted on admission confirmation first. Hence, they asked him to visit the college in Ratnagiri on April 5 with his son and the documents. “When Pradip went to Ratnagiri and contacted Rajkumar, he was told that they were running late. Later, all their phone numbers were unreachable,” said an officer from Vashi police station. “More returned home after waiting the entire day. Next day, he went to their Vashi office, which was shut. After enquiring in the area, he learnt that the people were fraudsters and had cheated some other parents, too,” the officer said. More later found out about at least seven other victims of the gang. “Six people are involved in this fraud, and two to three people used aliases to contact the victims. It’s a matter of investigation how they got the contact details of students who have cleared Std XII in Science and are looking for a medical seat,” said Ramesh Chavhan, senior inspector, Vashi police station. Vashi police identified the accused as Rakesh Jadhav, Karthik, Sudeep, Pravin Goyal, Prasiddhi Pednekar alias Ruchika, Shravan Kumar alias Atul Tiwari. 8No of victims as per cops’ knowledge
05 October,2022 08:34 AM IST | Mumbai | Anurag Kamble
Marathi signboards
Mumbai: Shiv Sena leaders accuse civic body of not acting on defaulters
The deadline for shops to display Marathi signboards ended five days ago, but it appears that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is not eager to take action against defaulters. Shiv Sena leaders have accused the BMC of going soft on defaulters, while the shop owners association approached the Supreme Court again for a stay on the diktat, and has written to the Chief Minister and civic chief asking them to not take action until the top court's direction. Though there is less than 40 per cent compliance for Marathi signboards in the city, and the demand for a third extension to the deadline expired on September 30, the BMC has not acted against defaulting shop owners. Its stand raises questions as even the Supreme Court refused to extend the deadline for the implementation of Marathi signboards on September 30. An official from the licence department said they were waiting for approval from senior level to decide on action to be taken. Also Read: Mumbai: Fraud exposed, Mahim-based nursing home’s licence cancelled “The state government and the BMC take harsh action only against the Shiv Sena and don’t want to implement policies. The BMC should take a lesson from what the High Court ruled in the Shivaji Park issue and act accordingly in the interest of people,” said Kishori Pednekar, leader of Shiv Sena and former mayor of Mumbai. According to the amendment in the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) (Amendment) Act, 2022, all shops in the state must display Marathi signboards in Devanagari script. The Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association (FRTWA) has challenged the constitutionality of the amendment. The hearing was on September 30 but the SC didn’t grant a stay while attaching the case to another one. Now Viren Shah, president of FRTWA, has written to CM Eknath Shinde and the civic chief asking them not to take any coercive action as the matter is subjudice.
05 October,2022 08:22 AM IST | Mumbai | Prajakta Kasale