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Friday,24-March-2023

Maharashtra

Amruta Fadnavis jumps in to save Governor amid clamour for his ouster

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Amid a shrill clamour to sack besieged Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, singer Amruta Fadnavis – wife of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis rushed to his aid, here on Friday.

She said that Koshyari is a ‘Marathi manoos’ (Marathi man) at heart whose recent utterances on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj were misinterpreted.

Amruta said she knows the Governor personally and he genuinely loves the Marathis in the state.

“I have experienced this myself… Though it has happened many a times that he has said something that has been wrongly interpreted” claimed Amruta, speaking to the media.

Her defence of Koshyari – who kicked up a huge row on November 19 with his statements on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – came a day after the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance declared that the Governor has “crossed all limits”.

Barring the ruling ally Bharatiya Janata Party, all political parties – Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena, and the Opposition Congress, Nationalist Congress Party and Shiv Sena (UBT) – have slammed the Governor and demanded his immediate removal from the august post.

Sena (UBT) President and ex-CM Uddhav Thackeray said that the Governor has insulted Maharashtra’s ideals and icons like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and Saviti Phule and also the people of the state.

“After the ‘Minde’ government (referring to Shinde) came to power in the state, it is being continuously insulted and abused, the Governor is slighting ‘Shivraya’. The Centre should recall him immediately. People who have no place even in old-age homes are being appointed as Governors,” said Thackeray sharply.

NCP President Sharad Pawar said on Thursday that Koshyari has “now crossed all limits” and urged the President Draupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take a call on him.

“The post of Governor represents an institution… To maintain its dignity, we did not speak against the Governor earlier, but now he has crossed all limits. Such people don’t deserve crucial posts like Governor” said Pawar sternly.

The state Congress President Nana Patole and other party leaders have also demanded the removal of the Governor for his slur against Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

The direct descendants of the legendary Maratha warrior king, Chhatrapati Udayanraje Bhosale and Chhatrapati Sambhajiraje have come down heavily on the Governor for his statements on their illustrious ancestor.

Bhosale called Koshyari ‘third-class’ and has shot off letters to the President, PM and Union Home Minister Amit Shah demanding his removal while warning that he would launch an agitation in the state.

However, the Governor sought to make amends by praising Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at a function a couple of days ago, but the state leaders are not convinced and are firm on his ouster.

Crime

Maharashtra: 4 killed as truck rams into tempo on Ahmednagar-Pune highway

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The accident, in which the truck driver also suffered injuries, took place near Kamargaon on the Ahmednagar-Pune highway in western Maharashtra.Four people were killed and seven others injured after a truck collided with their tempo on a highway in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra in the early hours of Thursday, said police.

The accident, in which the truck driver also suffered injuries, took place near Kamargaon on the Ahmednagar-Pune highway in western Maharashtra.

According to the police, approximately 15 people were returning to their native place in Shirur tehsil of Pune district in a vehicle after visiting some religious sites in Ahmednagar district.

A truck coming from Pune suddenly veered off from its path, jumped the divider and collided with their vehicle. Three people died on the spot, while another person succumbed to his injuries in hospital,” said an officer from the Ahmednagar police.

He said seven other passengers in the ill-fated vehicle were injured and were being treated at a hospital.

According to the police officer, a case has been filed against the truck driver under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

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Entertainment

Bollywood director Pradeep Sarkar, who made ‘Parineeta’, ‘Mardaani’, dies at 67

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National Award winner and veteran film-maker Pradeep Sarkar, noted for making sensitive and powerful films like ‘Parineeta’ and ‘Mardaani’, passed away here after a prolonged illness, early on Friday morning, family sources said.

He was 67 and his funeral rites shall be performed at the Santacruz Crematorium this afternoon at 4 p.m.

According to his friends and associates, he was rushed to a hospital last night for kidney and related ailments, but failed to survive and breathed his last early this morning.

Prominent Bollywood biggies like Ajay Devgn, Manoj Bajpayee, Ashoke Pandit, Nitu Chandra-Srivastava, Hansal Mehta, Neil Nitin Mukesh and others mourned and paid tributes to Sarkar as the news broke out.

Starting his entertainment career with commercials and music videos in the early 1900s, Sarkar debuted as a director with ‘Parineeta’ (2005) starring Sanjay Dutt, Saif Ali Khan and Vidya Balan.

Over the years, he made other films like ‘Laaga Chunari Me Daag’ (2007), ‘Lafangey Pandey’ (2010), ‘Mardaani’ (2014), ‘Helicopter Eela’ (2016), and co-edited the superhit Vidhu Vinod Chopra film ‘Munna Bhai MBBS’ (2003).

Since 2019, Sarkar has also directed web series like ‘Coldd Lassi Aur Chicken Masala’, ‘Arranged Marriage’, ‘Forbidden Love’, ‘Duranga’.

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Maharashtra

NMMC refuses to allow media during hearing on Navi Mumbai Development Plan.

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The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has cleared that media persons will not be allowed during the hearing on objections and suggestions received for the Draft Development Plan (2018-2038) of the city.The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has cleared that media persons will not be allowed during the hearing on objections and suggestions received for the Draft Development Plan (2018-2038) of the city.A statement issued by civic administration stated that proceedings regarding the development plan are of statutory nature and it is necessary to carry out the said process within the prescribed time limit. Therefore, in such a situation, it will not be possible to postpone the said hearing and have a live telecast of the hearing on Youtube and Facebook to the journalists.

The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) received a total of 15,261 objections and suggestions in 80 days including 20 days extension after publishing the draft development plan.

The hearing of all 15,261 objections and suggestions will be completed in six days from March 14 to March 28 and March 29 has been reserved for an emergency.Every ward has given time as per the number of objections and suggestions. Airoli, Belapur, Vashi and Turbhe wards will get two slots each for the hearing.Similarly, Koparkhairane and Sanpada will get three slots and Ghansoli will get four slots and finally, Nerul will get five slots for hearing.The hearing will be held at the Knowledge Centre of NMMC headquarters from 9 am and 6 pm with an hour break between 1 pm and 2 pm.

On the last day, March 28, hearings on objections and suggestions of CIDCO will be heard. CIDCO submitted a total of 625 objections and suggestions regarding the reservations put up by NMMC in the DP 2018-38. It raised its objections on 385 plots that NMMC reserved for various public amenities. But there are no objections to 240 plots, reserved in the DP.Since Navi Mumbai is a planned city, there is very little scope for further development and even in DP, the civic body admitted that the city is developed upto 95% with only 5% vacant land available for future development.The first DP was prepared by CIDCO and sanctioned by the government in 1979. Even after its formation, NMMC has been following the development control regulations (DCR) formed by CIDCO and there has been a demand for fresh DP to look into micro issues. CIDCO’s 1979 DP was a structural development plan.

Initially, there were a low number of objections and suggestions and political parties, as well as social activists, alleged that the civic body did not carry out adequate awareness regarding the development plan of the city for the next 20 years.

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