Mumbai: The Powai police, on Monday, registered a case against seven persons for allegedly obtaining jobs at the Currency Note Press (CNP) in Nashik through fake candidates and forged documentation.

The accused arranged for proxy candidates to appear for the recruitment examinations and submitted fake Industrial Training Institute (ITI) and diploma certificates to secure employment. A zero FIR was registered at the Nashik police station and was transferred to the Powai police station, as the examination was conducted in Powai.

The accused – Ravi Ranjan Kumar, Sandip Kumar, Shishupal Kumar, Ayush Raj, Rajeev Singh, Sandip Kumar, and Ashutosh Kumar, all residents of Nalanda, Bihar, are currently absconding. According to the police, examinations were held for the posts of junior technicians (print), junior technicians (electrical), and supervisors.

These examinations were conducted at Aurum IT Park on March 4 and March 13, 2022. The case has been registered under Sections 120(B) (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 467 (forgery of valuable security, will, etc.), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), and 471 (using as genuine a forged document) of the Indian Penal Code, along with relevant sections of the Maharashtra Prevention of Malpractices at University, Board, and Other Specified Examinations Act.

Mumbai: Abu Asim Azmi demanded strict action against environmental pollution and illegal soap making in Kurla scrap factory in Mumbai Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. Due to air pollution, public life has become unbearable. He told the House that due to pollution from legal Kurla scrap factories and SMS company in Mankhurd Shivani Nagar, the average life expectancy of the residents here has come down to just 39 years. Residents are forced to live amidst dirty, smelly water, air pollution and diseases. Despite this issue being raised in every meeting, the government has not taken any meaningful steps to resolve this issue and no action has been taken. Azmi drew the attention of the minister to this and demanded action as soon as possible, on which during the meeting, Environment Minister Pankaja Munde assured positive action on this serious issue and announced to call a meeting in this regard on Friday. She said that if any illegal activity or factory is going on, action will be taken against it. The local assembly member has also been invited to this meeting.

Mumbai: Despite a clear directive from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the Finance Department (FD) has not made provision for the ambitious Shaktipeeth Highway while introducing Rs 57,509 crores supplementary demands in the State Assembly on Monday.

Significantly, the supplementaries, according to government sources, will put an additional Rs 40,000 Cr burden on the state kitty, which is already overburdened with debt of over Rs 9 lakh Cr. The Chief Minister had in a recent meeting on infrastructure projects, asked the Public Works Department (PWD) to set aside Rs 20,000 Cr for the land acquisition of Shaktipeeth Highway, 802 KM greenfield, access control six-lane express highway connecting Nagpur to Patradevi (Dist Sindhudurg) near the Goa border.

The project has been facing stiff opposition from farmers from various districts, which led to altercations with government officials during surveys in the districts of Solapur, Latur, Dharashiv and Parbhani. Despite that, the state cabinet in a recent meeting approved the design and Rs 20,787 Cr for planning and land acquisition for the project. Usually, if total provision is not possible, the Finance Department makes a token provision to indicate that a particular project or plan is very much on the cards, and the provision can be made down the line. But this does not seem to be the case with the Shaktipeeth Highway, which is estimated to cost over Rs 86,000 Cr.

An offical told the FPJ that government will have to ask the state legislature to make the financial provision as approved in the June 24 meeting of the state cabinet. The Finance Department, led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, however, has earmarked approximately Rs 10,000 Cr for the PWD. A majority of the provision will go for the state highways, district roads, the ring road for Pune and a Samruddhi Mahamarg link connecting Jalna to Nanded.

Although Shiv Sena has only four departments under it’s control whereas there are as many as eight departments with the BJP and seven with the NCP, it seems to have cornered a substantial part of the provisions. Urban Development Department, led by Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, tops the list with the provision of Rs 15,465 Cr. The Public Health Department, led by Shinde’s party colleague Prakash Abitkar, will get Rs 6952 Cr.