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Maharashtra

Maha crisis: Rebels group submits list of 37 MLAs to Dy Speaker

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As the Maharashtra political crisis continued for the fourth day, the rebel group led by Minister Eknath Shinde has submitted a list of his 37 MLAs to Deputy Speaker of Legislative Assembly Narhari Zirwal.

The list, submitted late on Thursday, has also attached two resolutions stating — Shinde continues to be the chief of Shiv Sena Legislative Party, and MLA Bharat Gogavale has been appointed new Chief Whip. The group claimed the support of 40 MLAs plus a dozen independents and smaller parties on Friday (June 24).

The development came shoulder-to-shoulder with the Shiv Sena in Mumbai submitting a list of 12 MLAs, including Shinde, to Zirwal, demanding their disqualification late on Wednesday.

Party MP Arvind Sawant said that the disqualification has been sought for flouting the Sena’s Whip to attend a meeting of party legislators held on Wednesday.

Those who did not attend that meeting included: Eknath Shinde, Tanaji Sawant, Prakash Surve, Sandipan Bhumre, Bharat Gogavale, Balaji Kinikar, Anil Babar, Lata Sonwane, Yamini Jadhav, Sanjay Shirsat, Mahesh Shinde and Abdul Sattar.

The development came after the party on Tuesday removed Shinde as the Shiv Sena Legislative Party Leader and replaced him with Ajay Chaudhri, which the Deputy Speaker has accepted, but the rebels group has cried foul.

Dismissing the Sena move, Shinde said in Guwahati on Friday that the move was ‘illegal’ and intended to scare the legislators.

“We are not frightened by all this. We know what they are doing and we also are aware of the laws and procedures… Let them send any number of letters or notices, we are not bothered,” declared Shinde, speaking to the media.

Sena MP and Chief Spokesperson Sanjay Raut said on Friday that now the legal battle has begun with the plea to the Deputy Speaker Zirwal to disqualify the 12 legislators as democracy runs on majority figures “which can change anytime”.

“So far, the support claimed by the rebels is only on paper… They have not yet come to Mumbai and the numbers will change after they return… Those who have gone will have to repent,” Raut cautioned.

Meanwhile, Shinde is taking a meeting of his group in the Guwahati hotel where they have pitched a tent, with more Sena legislators trickling in and unconfirmed reports of around four Sena MPs also jumping into his boat.

In Mumbai, the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi allies Nationalist Congress Party-Congress have thrown their full weight behind Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and help him fight the crisis till the end.

Earlier, in a bid to mollify the rebels, Thackeray offered to quit as Chief Minister and also as party chief, and on Thursday (June 23) expressed willingness to leave the MVA provided the mutineers returned to Mumbai “in 24 hours” (by Friday evening) to hammer out their differences with the party leadership – but the Shinde group has spurned the overtures.

General

Maharashtra: Locomotive Detaches From Borivali-Ahmedabad Express At Vaitarna Station

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Palghar: A locomotive attached to the tail end of a long-distance train decoupled when it departed after halting at the Vaitarna station on Saturday. A mishap was averted as the train hadn’t attained speed, but the episode resulted in one-hour delay.

The incident took place at around 2.15 pm when the 19417 Borivali-Ahmedabad Express stopped at the Western Railway’s (WR) Vaitarna station. As it started to pull out, the locomotive detached and skidded 20 metres away from the train.

The passengers experienced a strong jerk and heard a loud noise due to decoupling, said Jitu Mehta who was onboard at the time of incident. The shocked travellers converged at the tracks and platform. Passenger activist Shilpa Jain said, “Although most passenger trains have been upgraded to express category, the standard of coaches and locomotives remains the same. Despite paying extra fares, passengers are deprived of express train facilities. The condition is same with the Valsad Express which is a lifeline for thousands of daily passengers commuting from Gujarat to Mumbai.”

However, WR chief spokesperson was unavailable for comments.

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Maharashtra

Goods Train Derails In Raigad District; Operations On Panvel-Vasai Route Hit

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Raigad: A goods train derailed on Saturday afternoon in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, disrupting operations on the Panvel-Vasai route, the Central Railway said.

Nobody was injured in the incident, as per the preliminary information.

Central Railway Chief Public Relations Office (CPRO) Shivraj Manaspure said four wagons, including a brake van, of the freight train, headed to Vasai (in Palghar district) from Panvel (in Raigad district), derailed on the Panvel-Kalamboli section at around 3.05 pm.

Restoration work to start soon

“ART (Accident relief train) from Kalyan and Kurla stations is being sent to the accident site,” Manaspure said, adding that a Road ART has been sent from Panvel to the accident site.

He said the restoration work will start soon. 

After the incident, at least five passenger trains were detained at various spots on the Konkan-Mumbai route. 

However, Navi Mumbai suburban services between the Panvel-CSMT section were unaffected as the incident occurred on the Panvel-Kalamboli railway line, which further leads to Mumbai and Vasai.

Notably, Railway authorities have planned a 38-hour mega block between Panvel and Belapur stations of Harbour and Trans-Harbour corridors beginning Saturday night for laying two new lines under the Dedicated Freight Corridor.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai News: BMC To Spend ₹315 Cr For Underground Tunnels Of GMLR Project For 10 Years

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Mumbai: The BMC will be spending Rs 315 crore on the repair and maintenance of underground tunnels of the Goregaon Mulund Link Road (GMLR) for 10 years. A contract of Rs 6,301 crore has been allotted to construct 4.7km long twin tunnels in July. The tunnel is expected to be completed in five years.

The 12.2km road – connecting the Western Express Highway at Goregaon to the Eastern Express Highway at Mulund – will be crucial in decongesting other prominent pathways like the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road, Andheri-Ghatkopar Link Road and Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road. The total cost of GMLR is around Rs 12,013 crore including all taxes.

Details On The Project

As part of the GMLR project, the civic body will be constructing a twin tunnel and a box tunnel under Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) and Film City. Each tunnel will be 4.7km in length, while the box tunnel will measure 1.6km. It will have a diameter of around 13 metre and the distance between both tunnels is 15 metre and they will be connected via cross passages every 300 metre.

The BMC appointed a joint venture comprising J Kumar Infra Project and Nagarjuna Construction Company as the contractors. The contract includes maintenance of the tunnels for 10 years. “The twin tunnels will be constructed with state-of-the-art systems and regular maintenance will be required. Annually Rs 32 crore will be spent on the maintenance of ventilation, fire fighting, CCTV, communication system in the tunnel,” said a civic official.

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