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Monday,31-March-2025
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Maharashtra

Why Anna Hazare is mum on liquor policy in BJP states: Maharashtra women’s groups

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Hundreds of women’s Self Help Groups (SHG), activists and grassroots workers protested Maharashtra government’s move to permit wine sale in supermarkets and walk-in shops, and also questioned why social crusader Anna Hazare is mum on several Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states permitting liquor sale in grocery stores or even granting home-bar licences.

The SGHs’ convenor and tribal leader Ankit Naitam, Shramik Elgar activist Paromita Goswami, Maharashtra MoS Kishore Tiwari and others unanimously passed a resolution urging Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to roll-back the policy of allowing wine sale in supermarkets/stores with a minimum area of 1,000 square feet.

Attacking Hazare – who has postponed his proposed ‘hunger strike’ from Monday against the policy – Tiwari accused him of “double-standards” while opposing the rule in Maharashtra while being “absolutely silent” on BJP-ruled states like Goa, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh – where even home-bar licences have been allowed.

“Before targetting his home state selectively, Anna Hazare should also look at the BJP-ruled states and launch a nationwide agitation against all states which are liberalising wine-liquor policies to earn more revenues, especially after the economic crisis causefd by the two years of Coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns,” Tiwari said.

Goswami said that such a policy “could ruin households and cause disaster for the society at large” as it could be easily misused, and in the long-run, not only wine, but all types of hard liquor and even country-made alcoholic brews would soon be available in neighbourhood retail outlets.

On Sunday, Hazare had decided to call off his hunger strike after the Maharashtra government agreed to consider his suggestions, inviting suggestions/objections from the masses before implementing the new wine policy.

In January, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government had approved its new wine policy, permitting sale of wines produced in Maharashtra through a dedicated shelf in supermarkets and walk-in stores, subject to several conditions. The move is intended to help the fruit farmers and wine producers.

The BJP, AIMIM, Hazare, women activists/groups and others have vehemently opposed the move, while the ruling Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress defended it, with both sides hurling allegations and counter-charges at each other.

disaster

Mumbai’s Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Sudhakar Pathare, who was posted in the Port Zone, passed away in a road accident on Saturday.

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Pathare had visited Hyderabad for training. He was on his way to visit a temple with a relative when the accident occurred. Both Pathare and his relative lost their lives in the crash.

Mumbai Police have been informed about the incident.

More details are awaited.

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Maharashtra

Order to demolish the tomb of Hazrat Syed Bale Shah Baba in Mira Bhayander

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Mumbai: The state government has issued an order to demolish the four hundred year old dargah of Hazrat Syed Bale Shah Peer Rahmatullah Alaih located in Mira Bhayander. Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation has sent a letter to the collector declaring this dargah illegal and ordered action against it. As the dargah is located on forest land, communalists had started demanding the demolition of the dargah. In the House, Darranjan Daukhre had also demanded action against the dargah, after which now the state government has ordered to run a bulldozer on the dargah. An order has also been issued to remove and demolish the dargah by May.

Dargah trustee Amjad Sheikh said that this dargah is ancient and this order is illegal in itself. In this case, communal forces had launched a campaign against the dargah, after which this order was issued.

There is a dargah on the beach and citing the threat of terrorist and illegal activities and the presence of terrorists here, there was a demand to demolish the dargah. The dargah is close to the sea and in such a situation, the threat of a terrorist attack on Mumbai from the sea has been expressed, while the dargah administration has clearly denied this and said that communal organizations are running their agenda against the dargah and there is no such threat. Muslims have opposed this decision of the government and Muslims have also expressed their displeasure and anger over it.

The trustee says that this dargah is ancient and earlier the collector and the municipal corporation had given a notice, after which the illegal shed and other premises were demolished here and the dargah administration has taken this action at its own level. Now an order has been issued to demolish the dargah itself.

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Maharashtra

Haji Ali Dargah will be closed for pilgrims for a few hours on Eid due to rising sea level

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Mumbai: Due to rising sea level at Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai, the dargah will be closed for pilgrims for a few hours on Eid. On March 31, the dargah will be closed for pilgrims from 12 noon to 3 pm. During this time, entry of pilgrims to the dargah will be restricted. The dargah will be closed on Tuesday, April 1 from 12:45 pm to 3:45 pm and on Wednesday, April 2 from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm.

Therefore, we have appealed to the pilgrims not to gather at the dargah during these hours. This information has been released by Tahir, administrative officer of Haji Ali Dargah. Pilgrims visit Haji Ali Dargah on Eid-Basi and Tiwasi, but due to the rising water level of the sea, water gets accumulated on the way to the Dargah and entry to the Dargah is prohibited and the gate of the Dargah remains closed during these days, due to which there is a lot of crowd there. Therefore, pilgrims have been requested to come to the Dargah only at the scheduled time.

The police also remains vigilant at the Dargah during the rising sea level, as there is a crowd of pilgrims here during Eid and festivals. The Haji Ali Dargah administration has said that on the occasion of Eid, lakhs of pilgrims visit the Dargah of Haji Ali (RahmatullahAlaih). These pilgrims include pilgrims from the country and abroad, so the Dargah administration has also claimed special security arrangements on Eid. Spiritual scenes are also seen at Haji Ali Dargah during Eid prayers.

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