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Ganesh Visarjan 2023: Famous Pandals Across City See Last-Minute Rush

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Mumbai: Scores of devotees on Wednesday queued at the city’s famous pandals to catch a glimpse of Lord Ganesh as the deity bids adieu today. Fondly known as Bappa, the elephant-headed god is immensely adulated during the 10-day Ganeshotsav. Anant Chaturdashi, which marks the end of the spirited festival, and Ganpati idols are immersed on this date, falls today.

On Wednesday, Akshay Kokate came all the way from Diva in Thane district to give a devotional farewell to Lalbaugcha Raja. Summing up his experience, an elated Kokate said that he felt twice as lucky because he got ‘mukh darshan’ (face glimpse), but was also present during ‘aarti’. “This is the second time I managed to get ‘mukh darshan’ during ‘aarti’. Last year, too, this had happened. I also got ‘darshan’ within 20-40 minutes as there was not much rush,” he said.

‘Last minute rush is less this year’

Another devotee Prathamesh Harer, who accompanied his mother to Lalbaug, said, “This year, people seem to have come on the first few days to take ‘darshan’ hence last minute rush is less.” His mother Sangeeta makes it a point to visit prominent Ganpatis in Chinchpokli-Lalbaug belt every year. She fondly remembers her wish being fulfilled when her husband returned home safely from service in Kashmir. “He was in Kashmir for two years during the 2000s as part of the civil defense service. I had stood in the ‘navas’ (wish-fulfilling) queue, praying that he would come home safely and he did,” recalled a barefooted Sangeeta.

Devotees walking barefoot and their forehead smeared with ‘gulaal’ (coloured powder) was a common sight on Wednesday at the Chinchpokli-Lalbaug belt which has famous pandals like Lalbaugcha Raja, Ganesh Galli Ganpati, Chintamani Ganpati and Tejukaya Ganpati. “We have been to Chintamani and now will be heading to Lalbaug. If we are lucky, we should be able to get ‘darshan’,” said Khushi Rai,18, who had come along with her friends.

Lalbaughcha Raja idol immersion

Talking about the idol immersion, Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshutsav Mandal President Balasaheb Kamble said, “We will be having a morning aarti and leave by 11am or so (today).” While the Ganpati will leave tomorrow, it will reach the immersion point at Girgaon Chowpatty on Friday morning. Andhericha Raja is one of those Ganpati idols that doesn’t go for immersion on Thursday. “Our Ganpati was of mill workers whose mill had shut down. They had a wish that if their mills restarted, they would keep Ganpati till ‘Sankasthi’, which happened. Hence, the trend of going later for immersion continues,” explained Azad Nagar Sarvajanik Utsav Samiti spokesperson Uday Salian.

Maharashtra

Mumbai: Asif Dari’s son Sameer Khan opened fire in a money transaction dispute, two attackers arrested, claims Mumbai Crime Branch

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The Mumbai Crime Branch has claimed to have solved the case of the shooting of Sameer Khan, son of D and underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Shakeel’s close aide Asif Dari, in the Mumbai Dockyard Road area. In this case, the Crime Branch has succeeded in recovering weapons, mobile phones and a motorcycle. Due to a money transaction and dispute, the accused targeted Asif Dari’s son Sameer Khan and attacked him. After that, the police reached the spot and conducted other investigations including forensic examination and started a parallel investigation in this case of the Mumbai Crime Branch and the Crime Branch found the trace of the accused attackers on technical grounds, after which the Crime Branch Unit 3 arrested both the shooters near Mahim Dargah on the outskirts of Mumbai in the middle of the night. On the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Devin Bharti, Joint Police Commissioner Lakshmi Gautam and DCP Raj Tilak Roshan carried out this operation. The accused have confessed to the crime in the initial investigation and said that they were involved in a money dispute. After the shooting incident, a case was registered in the Byculla police under the Arms Act and a case of murder was registered in this case. The Mumbai Crime Branch is investigating the case from an angle. The two accused who have been arrested have been identified as Sadiq Sheikh Liaquat Sheikh, 30, and Zeeshan Anwar Sheikh, 30. Asif Dari has underworld connections, so the Crime Branch is also investigating this angle. It is said that Sameer Khan is also the owner of a construction company and has also obtained the contract for its construction. The Mumbai Crime Branch is also investigating this case. After this shooting, there was a sensation and tension in Mumbai, but the Mumbai Crime Branch solved the case within a few hours and the accused are in police custody. The Crime Branch is also investigating whether more people are involved in this or not and who had ordered the attack on Sameer. In the initial investigation, both the accused were found to be involved in this case.

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Maharashtra

Osama Bin Laden is reborn in Owaisi! Nitesh Rane once again strongly criticizes AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi

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Mumbai: Maharashtra Minister Nitesh Rane once again criticized All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi, who had earlier called him equal to Osama bin Laden, but now he said that Osama bin Laden has been reborn in Asaduddin Owaisi, and that is why he has such ideas. There is no place for those who reflect such ideas in India. He showed venom in the case of Nida Khan and said that AIMIM had supported Nida Khan, but now as the facts have been exposed, AIMIM has also been exposed. Nitesh Rane, while describing India as a Hindu nation, said that this is a country of gods and goddesses. If someone does not accept Vande Mataram, then he should take his beard and round cap and go to his father’s Pakistan because they will not be tolerated in India. He said that could these people support India while living in Pakistan? Only these people do such things while living in India. Even after comparing Owaisi to Osama bin Laden, Nitesh Rane is sticking to his stance, and Rane has even declared AIMIM a terrorist organization.

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Maharashtra

Instead of increasing parking fees by 40%, BMC should focus on affordable parking and traffic discipline, Raees Sheikh writes to Mumbai Municipal Commissioner

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Mumbai: As the Mumbai Municipal Corporation prepares to hike parking fees by 40 per cent, Samajwadi Party MLA from Bhiwandi East Raees Sheikh has written to Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide, requesting him to review the current parking policy before increasing the fees and revive the defunct Mumbai Parking Authority (MPA). MLA Sheikh has demanded in the letter that the municipality should focus on improving traffic discipline and affordable parking instead of considering parking as a source of revenue generation. In his letter to the commissioner, MLA Raees Sheikh said that before making any changes in parking fees, a comprehensive review of the current parking policy and its implementation should be conducted. Citizens are facing many challenges due to inadequate parking infrastructure, uncontrolled parking on roads, lack of proper enforcement and irregularity of organized parking spaces. Before increasing parking fees, attention should be paid to making parking facilities affordable, transparent and accessible to the common citizen. MLA Raees Sheikh said that increasing fees without proper improvements in infrastructure and management can put unnecessary financial burden on residents, middle-class families, office workers and small traders. Stressing the need for strict enforcement of ‘no parking’ rules in the city, Raees Sheikh explained that traffic congestion due to illegal parking on roads, footpaths and squares is adding to the inconvenience of both pedestrians and motorists. Instead of just increasing parking fees, strict enforcement with better planning and digital monitoring system will help improve traffic discipline. The inefficient Mumbai Parking Authority should be revived so that parking management in the city is handled through a dedicated and accountable mechanism. MLA Raees Sheikh, in a letter to Commissioner Ashwini Bhide, suggested that a special authority could undertake scientific planning, formulate uniform parking policies, coordinate with the traffic police and transport departments and ensure a long-term solution to the growing number of vehicles in Mumbai.

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