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Maharashtra

In a first, Mumbai now has a Commissioner of Police and a Special Commissioner of Police

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In an unprecedented move in the state police administration, the Maharashtra government on Wednesday appointed senior IPS officer and Additional Director General of Police Deven Bharati as the Special Commissioner of Police for Mumbai, as per an official announcement.

The post of Special Commissioner of Police, Mumbai has been created for the first time by the state government. The present Commissioner of Police is Vivek Phansalkar, appointed in July 2022.

Bharti, an IPS officer of the 1994 batch, has earlier held several top assignments including Joint Commissioner of Police, Additional Commissioner of Police, head of Maharashtra ATS, and Joint Managing Director of Maharashtra State Security Corporation.

As per a government notification, the new Special Commissioner of Police (Bharti) will function below the Mumbai Commissioner of Police (Phansalkar), and supervise and oversee the works of all the Joint Commissioners of Police.

The state government’s decision has created a flutter in state police circles with apprehensions that this could lead to a “dual centre of power” and “clash of interests”, especially since the key responsibility areas are not specified for the new incumbent, besides raising many other questions.

A former DGP-level officer, preferring anonymity, observed that “political wisdom behind the decision” is not clear but it could prove detrimental to the overall interests of the elite Mumbai Police which enjoys a global reputation.

Slamming the move of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis government, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) said that this is an indicator of the power struggle at the political levels, particularly with the upcoming elections to the BMC and other major civic bodies.

“This is an attempt by Fadnavis (who holds the Home portfolio) to create his own ‘parallel system’ to divide the highly disciplined Mumbai Police force,” Congress chief spokesperson Atul Londhe said.

NCP chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said the move lacks “rationale” and wondered if the government will consider appointing a Special Chief Secretary for the state, or a Special Municipal Commissioner for Mumbai, or even a Special Governor in the state to reduce the burden of the incumbents.

Flaying the move, Shiv Sena-UBT spokesperson Kishore Tiwari said that since the Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party (BSS-BJP) regime is at a standstill with just 20 ministers holding dozens of departments, Shinde-Fadnavis should seriously contemplate on a ‘Special CM’ and ‘Special Deputy CM’ to lessen their workload.

Former Additional Deputy Commissioner, Maharashtra State Intelligence Department Shirish Inamdar suspects this could be a prelude to split the Mumbai Commissionerate into the city and suburbs, given the huge expanse of the country’s commercial capital.

“This situation, akin to two swords in once scabbard, has the potential to create massive clashes, lead to a dual loyalty syndrome in the rank and file and result in groupism, indiscipline and loss of authority,” said a concerned Inamdar.

NCP national spokesperson Clyde Crasteo said the move will result in a “checknut” in the police department and pointedly asked: “Has the government lost confidence in the current CoP (Phansalkar) to appoint a Special CoP below him, is the decision acceptable to all, and will it now be implemented in other Police Commissionerates in Maharashtra.”

Terming the move as “wrong and unacceptable” Londhe asked whether the stalled government will even divide the governance system to appoint Special Collectors for all districts, Special Superintendents of Police’, etc to defraud the people of Maharashtra for their political ambitions.

Tiwari and Tapase wonder that if the Special Commissioner of Police will oversee the work of the other Joint CoPs, “then what will the Commissioner (Phansalkar) do”, and warn that it can hit the morale of the entire police force.

Other former officers also questioned whether this post will be a permanent one or only “one-time situation or individual specific”, it will be for how long, and whether it would be replicated at all levels.

The Mumbai Police’s origins are traced to 1661, and the present formalised system of Commissioners of Police started in 1864.

Maharashtra

Gaonthan land map certificate distribution program under “Swamitva” scheme was concluded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde

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Thane: Under the “Swamitva” scheme conceptualized by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for demarcation and ownership of properties in the Gaonthan land area, the Gaonthan Land Map Certificate Distribution Program was organized today through video conferencing by Prime Minister Modi. The certificate distribution program for Thane district was organized locally at the Niyojan Bhavan of the District Magistrate Office in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

MP Naresh Mhaske, MLA Sanjay Kelkar, MLA Niranjan Davkhare, District Magistrate Ashok Shingare, Chief Executive Officer Rohan Ghuge, and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

Swamitva Scheme: A Movement for Rural Development

This scheme simplifies the process of demarcation and ownership of properties in rural areas. Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said, “Even today, many citizens in villages do not have concrete proof of their properties, which leads to land disputes, court cases and other problems. The ownership scheme launched by the Modi government is an important revolution in the development of rural India.”

He further said, “This scheme is not just a certificate of property, but a ‘self-respect card’ for the poor. Through this scheme, the lives of many families have changed and the doors of banks have opened for them for property loans.”

Use of drone and GIS technology

Modern technology is being widely used in the Swamitva scheme. Village land is surveyed through drones and maps are prepared with GIS technology. 2.19 crore property cards have been prepared in the country and maps of 15,327 villages have been finalized in Maharashtra.

Beneficiaries got relief

Referring to Baliram Manekar of Bhiwandi, who was present at the program, Shinde said, “Under the Swamitva scheme, he got the ownership of his land, after which he got a loan of 60 lakhs from the bank and he became self-reliant.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address

Addressing the program through video conferencing, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “The Swamitva scheme is proving to be effective in making people economically capable in rural areas. This scheme is achieving the goal of making the rural community self-reliant.”

Instructions of the Deputy Chief Minister

At the end of the program, Deputy Chief Minister Shinde instructed the officials that “Proper planning should be done to complete the scheme within the time limit and in the right manner. This scheme should not be just on paper, but should become a strong step towards the development of rural areas.”

Giving momentum to rural development

This scheme is helping in resolving village disputes by preparing property cards in rural areas. It is also providing guidance to the village panchayats for development plans.

The program concluded under the guidance of Deputy Chief Minister Shinde. Officials of the District Officer Office, Land Records Department and District Council made tireless efforts for this successful event.

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Maharashtra

Integrated ticket system for urban traffic – Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a dream of bringing the public transport system on a single mobility platform and efforts are underway to develop infrastructure in Mumbai in this direction. Through this, passengers will get the benefit of public transport facilities by walking only 300 to 500 meters. This is an ambitious project to provide fast and smooth transport service from one end to the other, said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

The integrated ticket service system in Mumbai was discussed in the presence of Chief Minister Fadnavis and Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav. Mitrache Chief Executive Officer Pravin Singh Pardeshi, Secretary of Chief Minister’s Office Dr. Shrikar Pardeshi, officials of Central, Western Railway and Mumbai Metro were present in this meeting.

Chief Minister Fadnavis said, “Local rail is the lifeline for Mumbai. The integrated service system will make connectivity fast and smooth for passengers and at the same time will lead to maximum use of public services and increase revenue. Efforts are being made to integrate this system with taxi and other services using technology.” Through this, passengers will easily get all the transport facilities on a single platform. It will be possible to simplify the traffic and save time of the passengers, as well as remove the obstacles in the traffic system.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said, “Currently 3,500 local services are operational in Mumbai. Railways will invest Rs 17,107 crore to start 300 more local services in the coming time. Rs 1.70 lakh crore has been invested in railway projects in Maharashtra. The central and state governments are committed to the overall development of Mumbai.”

The Maharashtra government is taking important steps towards implementing a unified ticketing system for urban traffic. This venture will be led by the Maharashtra Institution for Transformation (MITRA). Its objective is to integrate and streamline the ticketing process for various public transport services. For this, technical assistance of the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) platform will be taken.

Mumbai’s public transport service will be more smooth and efficient through the new integrated ticketing system.

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Maharashtra

If celebrities in Mumbai and sarpanches in villages are not safe, then what will happen to the common people?: Nana Patole

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Mumbai: The law and order situation in Maharashtra has deteriorated at this time. While celebrities are not safe in Mumbai, sarpanches are unsafe in villages. In such a situation, what will be the condition of common citizens, this question has been raised by Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee President Nana Patole. While talking to the media in Nagpur, Patole fiercely targeted the state government.

Jungle Raj and attack on BJP government

Nana Patole said that a situation of jungle raj has arisen in Maharashtra. Today in Delhi, Maharashtra is being discussed in the name of jungle raj, which is very unfortunate. The BJP government has created an atmosphere of fear and terror in the state to remain in power. Law and order has completely collapsed. Criminals have no fear of the police. He alleged that 65% of the ministers in the cabinet have criminal background, due to which the situation has gone out of control.

Do not link the attack on Saif Ali Khan to caste issue

Referring to the attack on actor Saif Ali Khan, Patole said that it is wrong to see this incident from a caste perspective. There is no place for caste and religion discrimination in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s Maharashtra. People of all castes and religions should get a safe environment here.

Murder of Sarpanch and issue of casteism

Referring to the murder of Massajog village sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh and the death of Somnath Suryavanshi in Parbhani due to police beating, Patole said that it is not right to link these incidents with casteism. The BJP government has promoted the Maratha-OBC dispute, leaving behind the basic issues of the state.

Question on ‘Ladki Bahin’ scheme

Commenting on the ‘Ladki Behan’ scheme, Patole said that this scheme was started to get the support of sisters during the assembly elections. But now questions are being raised on the transparency of this scheme. He asked why did the BJP not investigate its flaws before the elections? Talking about taking back money from bogus beneficiaries shows the real face of the BJP government.

Question on Davos visit

Regarding the Davos visit of the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, Patole said that instead of taking industrialists to Davos, the state should improve the situation in Maharashtra. The BJP government claims that Maharashtra ranks first in the field of industry, but the truth is that the state has lagged behind economically. The wastage of public money in the name of investment should be stopped.

Concern over the safety of common citizens

Expressing concern over the law and order of the state, Patole said that if celebrities and sarpanches are not safe, then what will happen to the safety of common citizens? The poor law and order situation and increasing crime raise questions on the functioning of the government.

Appeal to raise voice against the government

Instead of getting embroiled in caste disputes, the public should raise voice against the government. Patole called upon the people of the state to unite and oppose the BJP government.

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