Mumbai: Mumbai Press is continuously monitoring the illegal activities occurring in the construction sector. Mumbai Press attempts to keep the public informed through every news report to protect them from fraudulent builders.

Currently, the process of filing documents for over 5,000 pavement slum dwellers in various projects is underway in Mumbai, where builders and their associates are buying and selling these files at very low prices through BMC officials.

The case of Mazgaon’s Alpha Mana Residency (AM Residency) is similar. According to BMC documents, the builder has provided houses to 20 pavement slum owners in this project, but the question arises: Were these individuals actually slum dwellers residing there?

In fact, AM Residency is being accused of a significant scam involving builder Salim Motorwala and his partner Suhail Ishq. The Alpha Mane Group wrote a letter to BMC E Ward expressing its intention to provide houses to 20 hut owners selected for their project, and corrupt officials of E Ward, Parveen Muluk and Amjad Khan, facilitated this by misleading their senior officials. In exchange for providing houses to these 20 hut dwellers, the builder received significant Floor Space Index (FSI) benefits. According to reports, on the day the contracts for the houses of the new hut owners were registered in AM Residency, these 20 hut files were transferred to the names of the builder and his family members, allegedly sold for only Rs 14 lakh, while now all these 20 houses are being marketed at market rates.

Many builders take on roles as trustees or responsible persons in mosques and madrasas but deceive the poor regarding their rightful housing in these projects.

Parveen Muluk and Amjad Khan of the E Department played a crucial role in this entire scheme.

To determine if the house you’ve purchased is a legitimate sale or a hut allotment, check if your payment is directed to the Alpha Mane Group or a third party. Legally, individuals allotted huts cannot sell their properties. However, the Alpha Mane Group accepted cheques in hut holders’ names and sold these houses to third parties, defrauding buyers. This also cheated the rightful hut holders, who had hoped for a better life after spending years living on the footpath.

Mumbai Press advises homebuyers to conduct thorough investigations when purchasing houses from potentially fraudulent builders. It’s crucial to verify in whose name your payment is being made.

Mumbai: A fire broke out in a residential flat on the fifth floor of a six-storey building in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar area on Saturday afternoon. The incident occurred around 12:45 pm at Vikas Apartment, located behind Pant Nagar police station in Ghatkopar East. Visuals of the blaze have surfaced on the internet showing massive flames coming out of the flat’s window.

According to a media report quoting fire brigade officials, the blaze was swiftly brought under control, and no injuries were reported. A fire engine and a water tanker were dispatched to the site to carry out the firefighting operation and the flames were completely doused by 1:20 pm. The exact cause behind the fire is yet to be ascertained.

Fire On 42nd Floor Of Byculla High-rise

This incident follows another major fire that erupted on Friday morning in a high-rise residential building, Salsette 27, located on B A Road, Byculla East. The fire broke out in a flat on the 42nd floor of the 57-storey tower. The Mumbai Fire Brigade received the first alert about the blaze at approximately 10:45 am, and it was successfully extinguished by 1:10 pm. Fortunately, no casualties were reported.

According to Mumbai Fire Brigade officials, Salsette 27 is a newly constructed high-rise that is only partially occupied. The fire originated in flat number 4203, which was vacant and undergoing renovation at the time.

Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Ravindra Ambulgekar stated that while the exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined, there is a possibility that renovation work might have contributed to the incident. He also confirmed that the building’s internal firefighting system was in working condition.

Some residents reportedly evacuated the building before emergency services reached the scene, while others were safely escorted out by fire officials.

Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Saturday said that the Pune rape accused was hiding in a sugarcane farm and was caught using a drone. He assured that a thorough investigation is underway to ensure justice.

“Till day before yesterday, people were raising questions about why he was not arrested. He was hiding in a sugarcane farm. We used a drone to catch him. His situation was such that he tried to die by suicide. I am firm on the point that such incidents shall not happen anywhere. Now, efforts are being made to get the case investigated properly. Let the facts come out after a detailed investigation. Action will be taken against those who are vandalising public property,” Pawar said.

The accused Dattatray Ramdas Gade was absconding since the incident happened on Tuesday, when the rape survivor, a working woman, was waiting for a bus to return home to Phaltan, which is located around 100 km away.

The accused allegedly approached her, falsely claiming that the bus to her destination was parked elsewhere. He led her to a MSRTC Shivsahi bus parked in the depot, where he allegedly raped her.

A Pune court on Friday remanded Dattatray Ramdas Gade, the accused in the Pune bus rape case, to 12 days of police custody till March 12.

Meanwhile, speaking on Maharashtra politics, Pawar commented on Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s statement about expanding the Shiv Sena’s influence across the state.

“Everyone has the right to expand their party. Wherever Eknath Shinde goes in the state, he can say that he wants to saffronise the district. In the same way, CM Fadnavis can say he wants to see the BJP’s flag in the whole district. Similarly, I can also say that I want to see NCP’s flag everywhere in the state. But there is nothing special about it. We have decided to be united. It’s the people who decide who gets the mandate. We keep the interest of the state ahead while working,” he added.