Mumbai: Reaffirming their commitment to peace during celebrations of festivals and occasions, the Naya Nagar police held a committee meeting ahead of Ramzan on Thursday.

The meeting was held at a hall in the Rassaz International School in Mira Road registered the active presence of around 115 people including representatives of peace committee, mohalla committee, various religious trusts and distinguished citizens in order to prevent any type of untoward incident during the holy month. Urging continued among all community members, senior police officials including DCP (Zone I)- Prakash Gaikwad and senior police inspector- Amar Jagdale informed the participants about the importance of ensuring that closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed in mosques/madrasas, traffic diversions, alternate routes and parking arrangements.

The officials also advised citizens not to believe rumor-mongers who spread fake messages on social media platforms to disturb peace and harmony tagged with an appeal to immediately inform the police if they face any difficulties, come through such defamatory messages or spot any suspicious activities.

This year, astronomers have predicted that the moon may be visible on 28, February which would set the first fast (Roza) for 1, March 1. Similarly, Ramadan will mark the arrival of Eid ul-Fitr, which is anticipated to be observed on 30 or 31 depending on the moon sighting.  

Thane: An automated pod taxi system will be operated on a trial basis between Bhayander Pada Metro Station on Ghodbunder Road and Vihang Hills Circle in Thane as part of efforts to alleviate traffic congestion, Maharashtra transport minister Pratap Sarnaik said on Friday.

The rising number of vehicles and limited road space in Thane have made it imperative to explore alternate solutions like pod taxis and ropeways, he added.

Pod taxis, also called Personal Rapid Transit, are driverless electric vehicles that carry passengers between specific locations at high speeds.

“The initiative aligns with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, who have been advocating for modern urban transport solutions,” said Sarnaik who recently visited the site of a pod taxi project in Vadodara in Gujarat.

“A pilot project for automated pod taxis has already been approved for the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) in Mumbai. Pilot projects will also start between JP Infrastructure in Mira-Bhayander and Shivaji Maharaj Statue as well as between Bhayander Pada Metro Station and Vihang Hills Circle in Thane,” he said.

During the day, the minister reviewed the progress of various projects along with Thane Municipal Corporation officials.

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday raised concerns over the “cut, copy, paste manner” in which banks pass orders declaring accounts as `defaulter’ or `fraud’, and asked industrialist Anil Ambani to approach the RBI against an order of the Union Bank of India declaring his loan account as `fraud’.

A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Neela Gokhale was hearing a petition filed by Anil Ambani challenging the October 10, 2024 order passed by the Union Bank of India.

He was not granted any hearing before the order was passed, he claimed, challenging two show-cause notices issued by the bank. He had also asked for copies of the documents on which the bank had relied before passing the order, but no documents were furnished, the petition claimed.

During Friday’s hearing, the court said it was repeatedly coming across cases where banks declare accounts as `fraud’ or `willful defaulter’ without following the guidelines laid down by the Reserve Bank of India.

“There cannot be such cut, copy and paste orders. There has to be some application of mind. Ultimately this is public money. We cannot have such orders passed in such a casual manner. There has to be some mechanism put in place,” the bench said.

Banks have to be mindful of the fact that guidelines, published in the RBI’s `master circulars’, are in place, the HC said.

Such orders will continue to be passed unless the RBI takes action against bank officials, and it was advisable that the RBI put in place some mechanism, the court said.

“We feel this is being done deliberately. There has to be some checks and balances, otherwise this will go on,” it said.

Senior counsel Venkatesh Dhond, appearing for the RBI, said any aggrieved person can lodge an online complaint with the RBI if they feel that a bank order violated the principles of natural justice.

Advocate Dhond, however, clarified that the RBI will not go into the merits of the case after a complaint is filed, but only see if mandatory procedures were followed before passing the order.

The court accepted his statement, and asked Anil Ambani to lodge a complaint with the RBI.

“Let the petitioner upload his complaint. Let us start with that,” the HC said.

The court also directed the Union Bank of India to file its affidavit in response to Ambani’s petition, and posted the matter for further hearing on March 13.