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Maharashtra

Amid heckling by MVA-BJP, Maha Guv ‘walks out’ of Legislature

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In an unprecedented development, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari ‘walked out’ of the state Legislature without completing his customary address to the joint House amid heckling by members of both the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi and Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party here on Thursday.

Soon after reaching the Legislature for the customary inaugural of the Budget Session, the Governor rose to deliver his speech, but ruling MVA legislators from the Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress raised slogans against him for his recent utterances against the warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and on the child-marriage of social reformers Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and Savitri Phule.

At this the Opposition BJP members raised slogans at the MVA demanding the resignation of Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik, who was arrested last month by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in an alleged money-laundering case arising out of a land deal with mafia links.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and other leaders attempted to placate the agitated members, but the ruckus continued.

Amid the continuing fracas by both sides a few minutes into his speech, the Governor placed his speech copy on the podium and quietly walked away without completing his much-awaited address or waiting for the National Anthem.

The incident resulted in a bitter brawl between the MVA-BJP, each blaming the other for the Governor’s sudden departure from the House amid uproarious scenes.

Irate MVA members termed Koshyari’s step as “an insult” to the Legislature, the National Anthem, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Jyotirao and Savitri Phule, and some demanded his immediate resignation.

Hitting back, the BJP Leaders of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis and Pravin Darekar, and BJP Chief Whip Ashish Shelar and others alleged that the MVA government was attempting to protect a ‘mafia-tainted minister’ and they would not rest till Malik quit his post.

Several leaders like Nana Patole, Jayant Patil, Chhagan Bhujbal, Manisha Kayande, Amol Mitkari and others slammed the BJP and the Governor for the day’s developments, saying they are not concerned about the peoples’ welfare but hell-bent on toppling the MVA government.

Crime

Accused of demanding ₹2.5 crore extortion from hotel owner, all arrested

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Mumbai: Gangster DK Rao and 6 others accused of demanding ₹2.5 crore extortion from hotel owner, all arrested.

The Anti-Extortion Cell of Mumbai Crime Branch received a complaint from a hotel owner, in which he made serious allegations. According to the complaint, notorious gangster DK Rao and his six associates conspired and tried to take over the hotel. Apart from this, they demanded ₹2.5 crore extortion from the hotel owner and threatened to kill him if their demand was not met.

Taking this matter seriously, the Anti-Extortion Cell of Mumbai Crime Branch took immediate action. Based on the information and evidence provided by the hotel owner, an FIR was registered against the accused under the relevant sections of the Indian Justice Code.

After interrogation and investigation, the police have arrested gangster DK Rao and his six other associates. All these accused are now in police custody. According to police officials, other aspects related to this conspiracy are being thoroughly investigated from the accused.

DCP Datta Nalawade said that the case is part of the ongoing police action against organised crime and extortion in the city. He said that the police will complete all evidence and legal procedures to ensure strict punishment to the culprits in such cases.

At present, the case is being investigated in depth and the police are trying to ensure that the hotel owner and other victims get justice.

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Maharashtra

Ban on petrol-diesel vehicles in Mumbai Metropolitan Region? Committee formed to promote CNG and electric vehicles

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Mumbai: The government has taken a big step to deal with the problem of increasing traffic jam and pollution in Mumbai. A committee of experts has been formed to ban petrol and diesel vehicles in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and promote CNG and electric vehicles.

Court’s concern and order

The Mumbai High Court had expressed serious concern over the suo-moto petition filed regarding traffic jam and pollution.

The Court said that the existing measures are inadequate to control the increasing number of vehicles and pollution in Mumbai.

  • This problem is not only disturbing the environmental balance but is also having a negative impact on the efficiency, standard of living and health of the citizens.

Committee formation

On the instructions of the court, the state government has formed an expert committee to study this problem and suggest solutions.

Chairman of the Committee: Former IAS officer Sudhirkumar Srivastava.
Committee members:

  • State Transport Commissioner.
  • Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Maharashtra.
  • Managing Director of Mahanagar Gas.
  • Project Director of Mahavitaran.
  • President of Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers.

Secretary: Joint Transport Commissioner, Maharashtra.

Objectives of the Committee

  • Study of the possibility of banning petrol-diesel vehicles.
  • Suggesting concrete steps to promote CNG and electric vehicles.
  • Analysis of the environmental and economic effects of this decision.

Time limit for submitting the report

The committee will complete its study within three months and submit the report to the government. The government will take further decision based on this report.

Cause and solution of pollution

Smoke emitted from vehicles is the main reason for increasing pollution in Mumbai.

  • The court said that pollution is having a bad effect on the health of citizens along with environmental imbalance.

Objective of the government

The government wants to solve the problem of pollution and traffic jam by promoting CNG and electric vehicles. This is expected to improve the standard of living of Mumbaikars.

Traffic and pollution have become big problems in a metropolis like Mumbai. Banning petrol-diesel vehicles and using eco-friendly vehicles can be a positive step in this direction. However, to make it successful, development of infrastructure and change in the mindset of the public will also be necessary.

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Maharashtra

16 ministers are still waiting for PA, what problems are they facing in work?

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Mumbai: PA (Personal Assistant) plays an important role in the functioning of ministers. PA is required for daily administrative work, management of meetings of ministers, implementation of government policies etc. But at present, work is being hampered due to vacant posts of PA in the offices of many ministers.

Due to delay in appointment of PA, ministers are facing difficulties in discharging their responsibilities. Some ministers have demanded the administration to complete the selection process quickly. However, this situation has arisen due to administrative delay and procedural bottlenecks.

There is a need to appoint persons with proper qualifications and skills, because due to absence of PA, ministers may fail to manage time properly and maintain balance in work. This situation may have a negative impact on the decision making process of the government.

Ministers have expectations of filling the vacant posts soon by increasing coordination between the ruling party and the administration. This will improve the pace of work and timely implementation of government policies will be possible. There is a big challenge before the government to complete this process quickly.

Who are those 16 ministers?

16 ministers in the state cabinet are still awaiting the appointment of personal assistants (PAs). These include Sanjay Rathod, Prakash Abitkar, Girish Mahajan, Gulabrao Patil, Ganesh Naik, Nitesh Rane, Uday Samant, Dadaji Bhuse, Jaykumar Rawal, Atul Save, Shambhuraj Desai, Ashish Shelar, Aditi Tatkare, Jaykumar Gore, Makarand Patil and Akash Fundkar.

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