Maharashtra
RTI: Maharashtra LoP Devendra Fadnavis is a ‘Man of Letters’, 230-plus
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis — whose political bark is considered worse than his bite — also uses the pen, literally, to bulldoze the Maha Vikas Aghadi ‘auto rickshaw’ government, no-holds-barred.
Not content with regular jibes at the ruling Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress alliance in general and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in particular, Fadnavis also regularly pens his pricks and pains, at the MVA — quite frequently.
As per an RTI reply from the Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Office CMO, in around 22 months Fadnavis has shot off — on record — various issues to the CMO vide a whopping 231 letters.
“In the 22 month period from November 2019 – September 2021, this comes to roughly 10 letters every month or nearly three for a working week…” said RTI activist Prafful Sarda.
Sarda had penned the RTI query to the CMO, seeking, among other things, the number of letters sent by the Leader of Opposition (Fadnavis) to the Chief Minister (Thackeray), and got the revealing letter-in-reply.
“This is more than 7 times the number of published letters that Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had penned to his doting minor daughter Indira (Priyadarshini) Nehru while he was incarcerated in jails during the Independence Movement, later published as a literary masterpiece, ‘Letters From A Father To His Daughter’ (1929),” Sarda pointed out.
Sources say that usually Fadnavis writes about mostly state-related or political issues to the Chief Minister, and in the initial days, his letters rattled the fledgling MVA ministers and officials.
Later, the old economic theory came into play — ‘the more you have of something, the less you want, the more of it’, with Fadnavis’ letters averaging one-to-three pagers, becoming less awesome, plus the government’s response is not known.
With time Fadnavis’ painstakingly printed letters, both in email and hardcopy on the glittering ‘Leader of Opposition’ letterhead — where his name is proclaimed in larger size than the august post he holds — came to be treated as ‘routine’, not ruffling the officialdom.
Official sources wonder, if the Honourable Leader of Opposition has indeed written so many letters in such a short period, “it may be a record of sorts”, with each letter winking — “Mee Punha Yaeen (I will return)” – a la Fadnavis!
“In the past, at best we recall barely a handful of letters from any Hon.’ Leader of Opposition to the reigning Hon.’ CM… Usually a phone-call or a mere word was enough to get things moving… So many letters are unheard of… makes one wonder about the possible intentions,” said a senior former officer.
To Fadnavis’ credit, some of the letters he penned, mostly in Marathi, few even in English and Marathi for the larger audiences, many posted on social media, raised pertinent current issues and even garnered huge media publicity, ensuring he remained in the spotlight.
But, in some dark moments, he grabbed the limelight by unilaterally proclaiming – “I feel I’m still the CM” — to drive the entire state into splits, with MVA leaders urging the BJP to ensure proper treatment for mental problems, hallucinations, or trauma of his defeat two years ago which he still cannot digest, etc.
Crime
Illegal Reoccupation Of Reserved Rehab Flats In Mankhurd; 3 Booked By Trombay Police

Mumbai: In a shocking incident, an attempt to illegally reoccupy three flats reserved for project-affected persons has come to light at the Shivshahi Rehabilitation Project in Maharashtra Nagar, Mankhurd. The Trombay police have registered a case against three individuals, including a 47-year-old woman, for illegal trespass and occupation.
According to the FIR, the complainant, Prasad Popat Doke, 33, serves as an Assistant Security Officer in the M-East Ward of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). He is responsible for overseeing security arrangements to prevent unauthorized entry into flats reserved for rehabilitation of project-affected persons.
The Shivshahi Rehabilitation Project comprises around 2,330 flats handed over by MHADA to the BMC in 2012 for rehabilitation purposes. Of these, 2,138 flats have already been allotted. Recently, between February 16 and 18, authorities had evicted illegal occupants from several units and sealed 20 flats under police protection.
However, the BMC later received information that three sealed flats Nos. 713, 715, and 716 in Building No. 11 had been unlawfully reoccupied.
During an inspection on March 27 around 7:30 pm, Doke, along with security personnel Sagar Kadam and Vishal Dethe, found the flats illegally occupied. Wahida Arafat Chaudhary was found residing in Flat No. 713, while Anis Alam Muklesh Shaikh and Nizamuddin Dagdu Momin were found in Flats No. 715 and 716, respectively.
Following the discovery, a complaint was lodged at the Trombay police station. The police have registered an offence under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act, and have initiated further investigation.
Maharashtra
Mumbai-Goa Highway Accident: 2 Killed, 38 Injured After Private Passenger Bus Overturns In Sukeli Ghat Near Raigad’s Nagothane

Mumbai: Two people were killed and 38 others were injured after a private passenger bus overturned on the Mumbai-Goa Highway near the Sukeli Ghat in Raigad’s Nagothane. The tragic incident occurred in the early hours of Friday.
According to preliminary information, the bus was travelling from Mumbai to Goa when the accident occurred at a sharp turn in the ghat section. The driver reportedly lost control over the vehicle due to excessive speed, causing it to overturn. The impact triggered panic among passengers, with several trapped inside the mangled vehicle.
Local residents rushed to the spot after hearing a loud crash and assisted in rescue efforts before emergency services arrived. Police from Nagothane and local rescue teams later extricated the injured passengers and shifted them to nearby hospitals for treatment.
Of the 38 injured, at least 10 are said to be in critical condition. Initially, all the injured were taken to a local medical facility, but those with serious injuries were later shifted to MGM Hospital for advanced treatment.
In a shocking revelation, several survivors alleged that the accident was not caused by any technical fault but by the driver’s reckless behaviour. Passengers claimed that the driver had been speeding and driving erratically since the beginning of the journey. Despite repeated warnings, he allegedly ignored their concerns.
Some passengers further stated that they had even lodged an online complaint about the driver’s rash driving on the RedBus portal while the journey was still underway. However, the accident occurred before any action could be taken.
The identities of the deceased are yet to be confirmed, and police are conducting further investigations into the incident. Authorities have also indicated that a technical inspection of the bus will be carried out. The Sukeli Ghat stretch is considered accident-prone, with the latest tragedy raising fresh concerns over highway safety and enforcement of traffic regulations.
Maharashtra
Mumbai: Speeding Dumper Kills Young Man Near Mahim Hospital, Driver Booked For Negligence

Mumbai: A young man was killed after a speeding dumper rammed into a two-wheeler near S.L. Raheja Hospital in Mahim on the night of March 31. The Mahim police have registered a case against the dumper driver for causing death due to negligent and rash driving.
According to the FIR, the deceased has been identified as Ganesh Kannan Mudaliyar, a resident of New Kamla Nagar in Dharavi. The incident occurred at around 10:00 pm when Ganesh was riding pillion on a motorcycle driven by his friend, Muthu Gopal Mudaliyar.
As they reached near the hospital, a dumper (MH 01 CV 9397), allegedly being driven at high speed, collided violently with their two-wheeler. Ganesh sustained grievous injuries in the crash.
Local residents rushed to help and alerted the police. Ganesh was immediately taken to Sion Hospital for treatment, where doctors examined him and declared him dead before admission.
Following the accident, the dumper driver, identified as Dharmendra Rajkumar Prajapati, 28, a resident of Yashoda Balaram Patil Nagar in Diva East, Thane, presented himself at Mahim police station.
Based on a complaint filed by Ganesh’s father, Dhanraj Kannan Mudaliyar, the police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act, and the Motor Vehicles Act. Further investigation is underway.
Ganesh, the younger son of the complainant, was employed at a garment shop in Sewri.
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