Maharashtra
1,500 km from Singhu border, celebrations erupt in Maharashtra

Nearly 1,500 km away from the epicentre of the year-long farmers’ agitation, celebrations erupted in Maharashtra on Friday after Prime Minister Narendra Modi abruptly announced the yanking off of the three contentious farm laws, taking the nation by surprise akin to the demonetisation broadcast-blast.
Farmers and local leaders trooped out in places like Sangli, Palghar, Thane, Nashik, Satara, Kolhapur and other places to cheer the Prime Minister’s declaration — coming barely a week before the upcoming first anniversary of the peasants’ protests — by lighting fireworks, distributing sweets, dancing, hugging each other with joy, playing drums, offering thanksgiving prayers, and general revelry.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, currently convalescing, could not contain his excitement and said the farmers who are the breadwinners of the country deserved “3 Salutes” after their long struggle ended in victory.
“I welcome PM Modi’s announcement on Guru Nanak Jayanti. There was an atmosphere of strong opposition to the 3 laws all over India. But the breadwinners, who were victimised, showed their strength,” Thackeray said.
Chiding the Central government, he said the government should take into confidence all stakeholders including the Opposition before taking such decisions, and this would have prevented the “humiliation” of today.
Thackeray, the Shiv Sena President, also expressed optimism that the technicalities of the repeal process of the laws would be expedited since “the farmers’ agitation has still not ended”.
Maha Vikas Aghadi ally and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)president Sharad Pawar said he “salutes” the spirit of the peasants who braved the heat, cold, rains, labelled as ‘terrorists’ and inflicted other forms of humiliation, with many lives lost, but they finally achieved victory.
“The government rushed through the bills in Parliament without heeding to the Opposition demands for discussion… The government will have to pay the price for its mistakes… Elections are coming to Punjab and Uttar Pradesh and people were bound to question them on the three farm laws,” Pawar pointed out.
“We said in Parliament that agriculture is the soul of this country and economy… to solve the problems of hunger, and it (3 laws) must discuss in details while enacting the laws relating to the famers,” Pawar said.
State Congress president Nana Patole said that it was the fear of defeat in the coming elections that forced the “arrogant and dictatorial” government to bow before the united strength of the farmers.
“Not only the elections, the growing disenchantment among the masses has brought the BJP government to its knees. They are withdrawing the 3 laws. It is a historic victory for the farmers’ struggle. But the BJP will have to face the consequences,” Patole warned.
He said, in Maharashtra, the Congress had collected over six million farmers’ signatures and sent a memorandum to the President, the peasant protested on the border for a year under trying circumstances, but the Prime Minister had no time to meet them though over 700 lost their lives.
Patole said after the recent string of defeats in bypolls, the BJP reduced the petrol-diesel prices, now the farm laws, but the battle ahead will continue for other farmer-centric issues also.
Shiv Sena’s farmer-face and Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swavalamban Samiti President Kishore Tiwari — accorded an MoS status — said that after the 12-month long struggle, the farmers and people of the country have understood the “real motives” of the BJP government and how it is working for a handful of big industrialists.
“Hundreds of farmers have been martyred to the cause. The country has lost faith in the Narendra Modi government, they will show the BJP its place in the next elections. The historic agitation has served its purpose, the government has suffered a huge setback,” Tiwari said.
However, he said that the unending farmers suicides will not end — Maharashtra being the highest in the country, as per official data — till the BJP government takes this opportunity to bring about fundamental changes in the existing setup to genuinely benefit the peasantry as a long term solution to the end bloodshed in farmlands.
Top leaders of MVA from Shiv Sena, NCP, Congress, Samajwadi Party, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, All India Kisan Sabha, farm activists and others have hailed Modi’s move, urging that now “it’s time to get back to business” and do something long-lasting for the cause of the country’s ryots.
Incidentally, Maharashtra had contributed by sending several bus-loads of people at various intervals to the farmers protesting outside Delhi borders, and many top leaders visiting and addressing.
Maharashtra
It is unconstitutional to deprive SP MLA Raees Sheikh of his right to handle religious affairs under Article 26 of the Constitution

Mumbai: Maharashtra MLA Raees Sheikh has opposed the introduction of the Wakf Bill in the Lok Sabha. Raees Sheikh has strongly criticized the BJP for creating a false narrative and called the bill a misconception and unconstitutional bill which is harmful for the poor of the society.
Shaikh further said that Article 26 of the Constitution guarantees freedom to run religious institutions. It is unconstitutional to take away the right of a person to run his institution under Article 26 of the Constitution. MLA Shaikh said that this move is against the constitutional guarantee of dealing with religious matters.
Shaikh said that the BJP government is showing the UPA government that it is doing politics of appeasement of a particular community, while the BJP-led government is not doing so. This is an attempt to spread a lie that allows the community to seize any land under Waqf or claim it to be Waqf. The Waqf Board is not a private organisation of the Muslim community but a statutory body established under the Waqf Act. In the process of declaring a property as Waqf, a government surveyor conducts a survey and officially declares the property as Waqf. Sheikh remarked that it is completely wrong to present the idea that Muslims can arbitrarily declare any property as Waqf.
Shaikh further said that he strongly opposes the false image being created by the government and the government has not considered the suggestions given by Muslims or the opposition. All Waqf governing boards and trusts have been given the option to exit the Waqf framework. This has weakened the system. “This is an unimaginable and unimaginable bill that only harms the poor of the society,” Sheikh said.
He further said that some provisions, such as the condition that the person making the donation should have been a Muslim for five years, are strange. Earlier encroachment on wakf property was a non-bailable offence, but now it has been made a criminal offence
Maharashtra
Who put up 103 out of 306 hoardings on railway land? BMC has no information. Hoarding mafia is active in Central and Western Railways.

Mumbai: A total of 306 hoardings have been put up on Central and Western Railway land in Mumbai. Of these, 179 hoardings are on Central Railway land and 127 on Western Railway land. It is noteworthy that no information is available about who has put up 68 out of 179 hoardings of Central Railway and 35 out of 127 hoardings of Western Railway. This shocking information has come to light from an investigation conducted under the Right to Information (RTI) by RTI activist Anil Gilgali.
Anil Gilgali had sought various information from the Licensing Superintendent Office of Mumbai Municipal Corporation regarding the hoardings installed in the city. In response, the Licensing Superintendent Office provided detailed information about the hoardings installed on the land of Central, Western and Harbor Railways.
127 hoardings have been installed on Western Railway land. There are 3 seats in A ward, 1 in D ward, 1 in G South, 12 in G North, 2 in K East, 1 in K West, 10 in P South and 4 in R South. 35 hoardings are on Western Railway land, which have no owner and 179 hoardings are on Central Railway land. There are 68 hoardings on Central Railway land, which are not owned by anyone. There are 5 hoardings in E ward, 10 in F South ward, 2 in G North ward, 9 in L ward and 42 in T ward, a total of 68 hoardings.
According to Anil Gilgali, it is very important for the railway administration to maintain transparency after the Ghatkopar accident. Apart from this, the rules of the Municipal Corporation should be followed completely. If these hoardings are unauthorized, then the railway administration should remove them immediately and take strict action against the people concerned. Hoarding mafia is active in Mumbai and an IAS officer was given the charge of licensing department to bring a positive impact on the new advertising policy of Mumbai Municipal Corporation. Because financial irregularities are being done deliberately and without permission.
Maharashtra
Mumbai’s Bandra Worli Sea Link Toll Rates To Go Up By 18% From April 1

Mumbai: The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation has announced an 18% increase in toll charges for Mumbai’s Bandra Worli Sea Link from April 1. According to media reports, this hike in toll rates is limited to-one way travel.
After the implementation of the surge rates, cars and jeeps, from Monday, will have to pay Rs 100, up from the current Rs 85.
On the other hand, minibus, tempos, and similar vehicles will have to pay Rs 160. Earlier, these vehicles paid Rs 130.
While two-axle trucks currently pay Rs 175, they will have to spend Rs 210 for a one-way trip from tomorrow.
The old rates were put in place in April 2021. The new rates will be in effect for three years – from April 1 to March 31, 2027.
The report added that the MSRDC officials announced a rebate of 10% for motorists and 20% on the purchase of booklets carrying 50 and 100 toll coupons in advance, respectively.
The Bandra-Worli Sea Link was opened to the public in 2009. The cable-stayed bridge was named after former Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi. It connects Mumbai’s Worli and Bandra, making it easy for commuters to avoid congestion in Dadar, Mahim, Prabhadevi, and Worli neighbourhoods.
In a big relief to commuters, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde inaugurated the Mumbai coastal road. The 9.6-km high-speed corridor also connects Worli with Marine Drive.
The coastal road has been constructed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
It proposes to connect the Marine Drive area in south Mumbai to Kandivali, a western suburb, via the existing Bandra Worli Sea Link and is expected to ease Mumbai’s northbound traffic.
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