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Maharashtra

MP Navnit Rana’s MRI scan or ‘scam?’ – Shiv Sena ‘dissects’ Lilavati Hospital!

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In an unprecedented development, a team of senior Shiv Sena leaders trooped to the Lilavati Hospital on Monday to ascertain the exact medical details and certain irregularities that later emerged when independent MP Navneet Kaur-Rana was admitted there for three days last week after getting bail.

Simultaneously, the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s H-West Ward Office slapped a show-cause notice to the Hospital seeking an explanation on several alleged violations of medical norms that have come to light, a day after Navneet was discharged (May 8).

The delegation led by Sena Spokespersons – medico Dr Manisha Kayande, former Mayor and nurse Kishori Pednekar, plus Rahul N. Kanal and Anil S. Kokil – was warmly ‘admitted’ to the hospital conference room by the management, along with a battery of the media.

In the ensuing ‘public hearing’, the Sena team called out for details of the MRI scan report of Navneet’s stint at the hospital and pointed out ‘wrongdoings’ as seen in photos/videos circulated on social media in the past few days.

“How was this kind of ‘shooting’ blatantly permitted inside the MRI room, under what circumstances and who authorised it, Dr Kayande grilled the hospital.

“Why were mobiles, cameras with metallic, electric or electronic devices allowed in the MRI room when it is banned as per the hospital rules for such sensitive locations,” shot out Pednekar.

Kanal and Kokil also fired searching questions on certain ‘unauthorised persons’ allegedly allowed entry to the VVIP patient’s room and even posing for selfies with the MP.

Dr Kayande and Pednekar wondered how the lady MP – who had complained of severe back pain and spondylosis – was made to lie on her back and how she lifted her head when being rolled inside the MRI machine.

“When she was rushed to the hospital, she appeared in great distress… then all these pictures/videos came out and on Sunday when she was discharged, she was absolutely fit and fine from her severe medical condition… We have raised our doubts,” Dr Kayande added.

Stunned by the volley fired by the aggressive Sena group, the Hospital management and some doctors were mumbling their replies, nodding silently or hanging their heads in embarrassment.

The Sena submitted a letter to the Hospital COO & Senior Consultant, Lt.Gen.(retd) Dr V. Ravishankar seeking replies to the purported irregularities perpetrated during Navneet’s sojourn there.

Referring to a January 2018 incident in which a 32-year-old man who entered a MRI scan room with a gas cylinder, was sucked inside an MRI machine and killed, the Sena asked: “Would the hospital management have taken responsibility for putting the Hon’ MP’s life at risk? We want a written reply to all these issues.”

The delegation said if the hospital management, doctors or paramedical staff were put under “any pressures” then they should come forward and give details since such things cannot be allowed in any hospital.

Incidentally, Lilavati Hospital in Bandra west is a favourite of many VVIPs, including Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and his father, the Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray, the late BJP strongman Pramod Mahajan, many film-stars, industrialists and more.

A BMC official said if the Hospital fails to submit its reply to the show-cause notice, the civic body would initiate appropriate action in the matter.

Despite repeated attempts by IANS, the Hospital management or trustees were not available for comments.

Maharashtra

Mira Bhayandar: 266 properties sealed as MBMC struggles to meet ₹200 Cr property tax collection target

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Mira Bhayandar: With just two days left in the ongoing financial year, the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) is facing a herculean task of collecting at least ₹28 crore to keep itself qualified for receiving grants under the 15th finance commission.

Stung by the cold shoulder response to notices and warnings, the MBMC’s tax department has sealed more than 266 properties of chronic tax defaulters who owe more than ₹5 crore. The MBMC  had managed to recover a little over ₹172.58 crore till Tuesday evening which hovers below 79 percent of the total amount billed by the civic body towards property tax collections.

Surge in collection through digital payments

As per information sourced from the tax department, the target was set at ₹190 crore for the financial year 2021-22. However, the MBMC had managed to mop up just ₹161 crore. Against this year’s demand of around ₹222 crore, the MBMC has so far managed to recover a little over ₹172.58 crore 1 April 2022 to 28, March, 2023. The collections were limited to ₹150 crore in the corresponding period last year.

Notably, there has been a surge in collections through digital modes of payments including links on the municipal website and mobile application facilitated by the civic administration. Till now, more than ₹65.12 crore has been received from 1,24,715 taxpayers via digital payments. The assessed number of properties in the twin-city is currently pegged at around 3,68,501 including 63,498 commercial and 3,05,003 residential units. While the actual target is ₹222 crore, the MBMC needs to recover at least ₹200 crore to keep itself qualified for receiving grants under the 15th finance commission. Apart from this the shortfall in revenue generation is all set to put a negative effect on the ongoing developmental projects in the twin city.  

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Maharashtra

Mumbai: Shelar calls for SIT to probe ₹12,000 Cr BMC scam

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Mumbai: The president of BJP’s Mumbai unit, MLA Ashish Shelar has demanded the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the Rs12,000 crore corruption in the BMC, which has been exposed,

He told media persons on Tuesday that it is necessary to find out the mastermind behind this huge corruption, which involved a lot of kickbacks. 

Shelar to Shinde: Corruption pertains to 76 works undertaken by nine BMC departments


Shelar has written a letter to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in this regard. He said the corruption pertained to 76 works undertaken by nine BMC departments and alleged that it took place when the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav and Aaditya Thackeray was in power. 

The CAG report was  from Nov 28, 2019 to Oct 31, 2022 and it does not include the works undertaken during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Shelar said there is a ‘yellow book’ with the BMC and a national construction code that tells how roads are supposed to be built. However, in brazen violation of all these rules, contracts were awarded without even floating tenders and that too in excess of the amount mentioned in tender documents. There have been cases of manipulation of tenders and breach of norms, he said, adding that perhaps no other governing body in the country has indulged in a scam of this scale. 

“There have been instances where tenders have been awarded to four companies but actually it is only one. In some other cases, tenders have been awarded to those who were not even qualified. Why were these contractors favoured?” he asked, adding that the CAG report exposed “lack of transparency, negligence, sloppy planning and misappropriation of funds”.

According to the Development Plan of 1993, over 32,394.90 sqm of land in Dahisar was reserved for a garden/ playground/ maternity home. Later, in Dec 2011, a decision for acquisition was made. Its final land acquisition valuation was Rs349.14 crore. Using the formula, the property was valued at Rs206.16 crore, which was 716% more than 2011, Shelar said. He alleged that land price valued at Rs130 crore was hiked to Rs349 crore. “It did not stop here. To allow development, the BMC spent another Rs77.80 crore to remove the encroachments. This means that it spent Rs420 crore on land worth Rs130 crore,” he claimed. 

While working as a corporator in the BMC during 2007, Shelar had exposed the scam in the SAP system. At that time, he had protested in front of the offices of the then municipal commissioner and the then Mayor and had demanded an investigation.

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Maharashtra

MVA predicts President’s rule in Maharashtra after SC verdict

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The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies Nationalist Congress Party and Shiv Sena (UBT) have forecast the possibility of President’s rule being imposed in Maharashtra after the upcoming Supreme Court verdict on the disqualification of 16 MLAs, here on Wednesday.

State NCP President Jayant Patil said that after the apex court judgement, the government of Shiv Sena Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Bharatiya Janata Party Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis is most likely to collapse.

“However, there may not be a midterm election as anticipated in some quarters, but instead, Central rule would be imposed after the SC verdict,” asserted Patil, addressing a meeting of party workers in Jalgaon late on Tuesday.

He claimed that the Shinde-Fadnavis government is “scared” of holding mid-term elections and is devising methods on how to postpone all elections due, including local bodies, and Market Committees also, as much as possible.

Endorsing the NCP leader’s stance, Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said here this morning (March 29) that he is in full agreement with Patil’s assessment of the situation.

“It is very obvious that the SC verdict will ensure the disqualification of 16 MLAs, including Shinde… So, the state government will fall and there will be no other option left. Hence the likelihood of the President’s rule cannot be ruled out,” declared Raut.

The Sena (UBT) leader said that his party had absolutely no doubts that Shinde and the other MLAs would be disqualified, “provided everything goes as per the law”.

The third MVA ally, Congress has not commented on the latest developments, though its top leaders have said several times in the past that the Shinde government will topple after the SC judgement.

Nevertheless, the three parties are optimistic that the apex court outcome could prove to be a turning point for the state politics nine months after the MVA headed by former CM Uddhav Thackeray was ousted following a Shinde-led rebellion in June 2022.

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