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Conduct socio-economic impact assessment study on proposal to levy property tax on commercial units in slums, SP MLA Rais Shaikh to BMC

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Mumbai: Following the BMC’s announcement of levying property tax on commercial units in slums, Samajwadi Party (SP) legislator Rais Shaikh has written to the BMC demanding that the civic body conduct the socio-economic impact assessment study by renowned institutions such as Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) to understand the far-reaching ramifications on the poorest of the poor in the city. The move will have a catastrophic impact on the informal sector, with over 3 lakh people losing their livelihoods and becoming unemployed, said Shaikh.

In his letter to BMC chief Bhushan Gagrani, Shaikh stated that the BMC Budget for 2025-26 proposes to levy property tax on commercial units in slums. “This move indicates the BMC’s impending financial crisis due to the mismanagement of its finances. It will have the potential significant impact of rendering over 3 lakh people unemployed, losing their livelihoods, with the poorest of the poor being hit hardest by this decision,” said Rais Shaikh, MLA.

Shaikh has demanded that the move will have an adverse impact on the sustainability of the MSMEs which provide employment to lakhs of people. “Levying property tax on commercial units in slums will render MSMEs unsustainable, as it imposes an additional financial burden. This move will have a significant impact on the informal sector, and lakhs of people will lose their livelihoods, leading to unemployment. It is completely unjustifiable to consider commercial units in slums on par with those in malls and commercial complexes for the purpose of levying property tax,” said Shaikh.

Shaikh further stated that the rise in unemployment may lead to social disharmony and a potential increase in crime in the city. “Therefore, I demand that an socio-economic impact assessment study of the BMC’s decision to levy property tax on commercial units in slums be conducted by renowned institutions such as TISS,” Shaikh demanded.

According to the BMC, there are around 2.5 lakh slums in Mumbai. A significant number of these slum areas (at least 20%, i.e., 50,000 slums) are being used for commercial purposes such as small and large industries, shops, godowns, hotels, etc. The BMC expects to generate revenue of Rs 350 crore by levying property tax on the commercial units in slums.

Maharashtra

Maharashtra: Abu Asim Azmi presents bill in the House against religious hatred and blasphemy, application of MCOCA and UAPA also included in the draft bill

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Mumbai: Nagpur Samajwadi Party leader and MLA Abu Asim Azmi presented a private bill in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly against those who spread blasphemy and religious hatred. The bill demands action against hate elements and calls for action under MCOCA and UAPA against those who spread religious hatred, in addition to ten years of imprisonment and a bail of Rs 2 lakh so that sectarians do not get bail and such cases of spreading religious hatred are banned. He told the House that there has been an increase in cases of blasphemy in the country and in such a situation, tension arises in the country. Action should be taken against such elements to maintain law and order. This will be possible only when action is taken against such sectarians who promote a hate agenda under the guise of freedom of expression. He said that the Supreme Court had also issued an order for strict action against hate elements and miscreants and has banned inflammatory and hate speech. In such a situation, Maharashtra The bill has been formally introduced in the House to take action against those who spread religious hatred and incite hatred against important people. The draft bill proposes to register a case against communalists under the section of the MCOCA UAPA, which carries a maximum sentence of ten years, so that such elements cannot be granted bail.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai fuel theft gang busted, 13 accused arreste, The gang of thieves had attempted to steal fuel in November

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Mumbai: Police claims to have busted a petrol theft gang. The accused were arrested for attempting to steal petrol from BPCL company on November 14 at around 3:30 am under the limits of RCF police station in Mumbai. A complaint was registered for attempting to steal fuel from the underground 18-inch Mumbai Manmade Multi-Product pipeline on Mumbai Gadkari Road. Vinod Devchand Pandit was arrested from Chembur on November 17 on the basis of technical investigation and information from an informant. His investigation revealed that the mastermind of this racket, Riaz Ahmed Ayub (59), Salim Mohammad Ali, Vinod Devchand Pandit had hatched a plan to steal fuel. 13 accused including Gopal Narayan, Mohammad Irfan, Vinay Shashikant, Ahmed Khan Juman Khan, Nishan Jagdish, Mustafa Manzoor, Nasir Shaukat, Imtiaz Asif have been arrested. All these accused have been arrested from various areas. Their arrests were made from Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and surrounding areas. This operation was carried out by Additional Commissioner Mahesh Patil and DCP Sameer Sheikh on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti.

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Maharashtra

Vasai-Virar Faces 50,000 Duplicate Entries In Voter Roll; Voters Asked To Choose Single Booth

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Virar: More than 50,000 duplicate voters have been found in the Vasai-Virar city area. The Municipal Corporation has published a list of these voters on its website. The Corporation has appealed to those whose names appear in duplicate to visit and vote at any one polling center of their choice and inform the Corporation of their decision in advance.

More than 50,000 duplicate voters were found in the draft voter lists published by the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation. This large number of duplicate entries has created a major conundrum. To resolve this issue, the Election Commission has allowed voters with duplicate names to cast their vote at any single designated polling center.

Accordingly, the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation has published the list of 50,000 duplicate voters on the municipal website. Municipal Commissioner Manoj Kumar Suryawanshi has appealed to these voters to check their names, select one polling center, and vote there.

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