Maharashtra Legislative Council deputy chairperson Neelam Gorhe on Saturday expressed satisfaction at Thane police filing a chargesheet quickly in connection with the gangrape of a 15-year-old girl.

The girl was gangraped on October 18 last year, following which one person was arrested, while four minors allegedly involved in the case were sent to the Bhiwandi remand home.

In a statement issued from her office, Gorhe said she had written to Thane police on October 21, just a few days after the incident, to carry out a detailed probe and file chargesheet against the accused quickly.

The Thane Superintendent of Police took note of the letter and has taken prompt action, which has resulted in filing of chargesheet expeditiously, Gorhe said in the statement. (PTI)

Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday recieved an invite to attend the consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on Saturday via speed post. 

Preparations are underway in Ayodhya as the Ram temple consecration ceremony is set to take place on January 22. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the chief guest at the event and around 7,000 people are expected to attend it

The Shiv Sena UBT had earlier expressed its unhappiness over Thackeray not being invited for the event. The decision to send the invite through speed post has riled the party further.

Upset with the way invitation was sent through a speed post, Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut said that,"you are giving a special invitation to the celebrities and film stars. They had nothing to do with Ram Janmabhoomi,  But you are treating the Thackeray family this way? Thackeray had played major and important role in the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation. Lord Ram will not forgive you and will curse for this. You are praying to lord Ram and running the government like Ravana,"Raut slammed the BJP.  

More than 100 religious places were cleaned in Latur district of Maharashtra as part of a special campaign ahead of the Ayodhya temple event, an official said on Saturday.

The 'Swachh Tirtha' campaign was implemented in urban and rural areas in the last three days which involved government officials, employees, sanitation workers and common people, said Joint Commissioner of Latur municipal administration, Ramdas Kokare.

Roads leading towards religious places and teerths (pilgrimage sites) were also cleaned.

During the drive, 10 tons of garbage was collected in the urban area, he added. (PTI)

The political environment in Maharashtra is conducive for the Congress and Maha Vikas Aghadi, and the alliance will win most seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, said senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Saturday.

Talking to reporters here, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Maharashtra said discussions on seat sharing among the MVA partners – Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP group under Sharad Pawar – is in the final stage.

“Let's fight the Lok Sabha elections unitedly. Rahul Gandhi's ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' is being held to maintain social harmony in the country,” he said.

Maharashtra sends 48 MPs, the second highest after Uttar Pradesh's 80, to the Lok Sabha.

“The country faces a significant challenge in the form of bigoted forces. These forces need to be tackled with equal strength in the upcoming elections,” he said.

He said Gandhi embarked upon the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra' from Kanyakumari to Kashmir to unite the country and boost social harmony. Now the ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' is underway from Manipur to Mumbai, he said.

The upcoming elections are very important for democracy in the country and everyone needs to be united for it, he stressed.

Chennithala expressed confidence that there is a positive atmosphere for the Congress and the MVA in Maharashtra, and the three-party alliance will win the most number of seats in the state in the Lok Sabha elections. (PTI)

Nestled within a century-old heritage building in Girgaum Chowpatty, Aamchee is the brainchild of Pinki Chandan Dixit, the restauranteur behind the 19-year-old contemporary vegetarian restaurant Soam.

Aamchee, also a pure vegetarian restaurant, serves food associated with various communities that made Mumbai the melting pot of cultures that it is, while also adding the dishes served on its streets as well as those popularised by the city’s Gymkhana. Think school-wala khatta thela salad, Matunga rasam, Khar Sindhi sai bhaji meal and Gymkhana corn chowder or the famous vada pav. Read more

#WATCH | Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde today chaired a meeting with officials on the Maratha reservation. pic.twitter.com/5pxMuMFar7

— ANI (@ANI) January 20, 2024

Maharashtra assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar will start hearing petitions seeking disqualification of MLAs from rival Nationalist Congress Party factions from January 23, a leader of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP said on Saturday.

The NCP split in July last year after Ajit Pawar and eight party MLAs joined the Eknath Shinde-led state government. Since then, both factions have laid claim to the party name and symbol and have petitioned the Speaker seeking disqualification of those owing allegiance to the other side.

Talking to reporters, the Sharad Pawar-led group's Maharashtra unit chief Jayant Patil said he came to the state legislature complex here on Saturday with the anticipation that his statement will be recorded.

"But the Ajit Pawar faction sought more time to study the affidavits filed by us and the Speaker has given time to them. The hearing will start from January 23" he said. (PTI)

Four law students have approached the Bombay High Court challenging the decision of Maharashtra government declaring public holiday on January 22 to mark the consecration ceremony of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. 

The petitioners, who are pursuing law courses from Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU), Government Law College(GLC), Mumbai and NIRMA Law University, Gujarat have sought quashing of January 19 notification of state government claiming that 'any policy regarding declaration of public holidays cannot be at the whims and fancies of the political party in power.' Pending hearing of the plea, they have sought stay on effect of the notification. 

'Holiday can be declared perhaps to commemorate a patriotic personality or historic figure but not to celebrate consecration of Ram lalla to appease a particular section of the society or religious community,' the petition states. The petitioners have sought constitution of special bench to hear their plea on Sunday. 

As his march to Mumbai from Antarwali-Saraati in Jalna district began Saturday morning, Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil broke down, declaring that he would prefer to die rather than go back on holding his agitation.

“Even if they (the government) shoot, there is no back-tracking. I will prefer to die but won’t withdraw my agitation,” Jarange Patil told reporters as he left Antarwali-Saraati by foot and headed to Mumbai where he is expected to arrive on January 26 to begin his fast for Maratha reservation.

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday said the Enforcement Directorate was being used as a tool to terrorise and silence political opponents.

He was responding to a query on grandnephew and party MLA Rohit Pawar getting summons from the ED to appear before the agency on January 24 for questioning as part of its money laundering probe into the alleged Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank (MSCB) scam.

The MSCB case stems from an August 2019 FIR of the Mumbai Police's Economic Offences Wing. The ED had raided Baramati Agro, a company owned by the Karjat-Jamkhed MLA, and some linked entities in Pune, Aurangabad etc on January 5.

Hitting out at the Centre, Sharad Pawar said, "The ED is being used to silence political opponents through misuse of power and to terrorise them. We have to go to the people to defeat such tendencies."  (PTI)

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange along with thousands of others on Saturday embarked on a protest march from Maharashtra's Jalna district to Mumbai to draw the state government's attention to the demand for reservation to his community.

Speaking to reporters before beginning the march, Jarange lambasted the government for its "cruel and insensitive" attitude and failure to resolve the Maratha reservation issue, and vowed to continue the fight till his last breath.

The protest march began from Jarange's native Antarwali Sarati village around 11 am.

"The Maratha community gave seven months to the government to provide reservation, but no action was taken all this while," he told reporters.

(PTI report)

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Rohit Pawar, the grandnephew of party supremo Sharad Pawar, in connection with the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank (MSCB) scam. Rohit has been asked to remain present before ED officials in south Mumbai on January 24, sources with the central agency confirmed on Friday.

The officials wish to question Rohit over the affairs of his company Baramati Agro, which is allegedly linked to the MSCB scam.

Former Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray has taken an aim at Shiv Sena leader and MP Shrikant Shinde for going to the Netherlands on an "official tour" along with the officials of a few civic bodies.

In a post on X on Friday, Thackeray, without naming Shinde, said an MP from the "gang of traitors" has gone to the Netherlands along with the civic commissioners of Kalyan-Dombivli and Thane, and additional commissioner of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).

Since when has the government of Maharashtra started allowing MPs to lead delegations for the Urban Development Department, the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader asked.

"Is the leading of this delegation because the said person is a son of the minister of the concerned dept or because he is an MP?" Thackeray sought to know.

(PTI report)

According to the India Meteorological Department, the minimum and maximum temperatures in Mumbai are expected to hover between 18 degrees to 28 degrees Celsius on Saturday. Mainly clear skies and sunny conditions in the city today.

A 24-year-old man from Mumbai central suburbs has been booked for allegedly sexually assaulting a 21-year-old woman. The police said the accused and the victim initially became familiar with each other on Instagram and after they met on January 13, the youth allegedly took her to his friend’s place and forced himself on her while she was under the influence of alcohol.

According to police officials, the case was initially registered at a police station in the northern suburbs but it was transferred to Worli police station on Thursday.

Nayonika Bose writes about the proposal put forth by the BMC seeks to convert nearly 4,293 sq mt of the garden into cemetery and 4,300 sq mt into a hospital.

Pulling up the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) for stalling permission to two housing societies in Nerul to construct additional floors citing a ‘solitary mangrove tree’ in the vicinity, the Bombay High Court on Thursday said the reason given by the civic body was ‘irrational.’

The bench reminded the civic body that its decision to delay permission was contrary to how the public authorities often seek permissions from the court to destroy acres and acres of mangroves for mega projects citing public interest.

The HC directed NMMC to issue development permission and commencement certificate (CC) to societies situated in Nerul for additional floors using their available additional Floor Space Index (FSI). (Know more)

The state government on Friday declared a public holiday on January 22 to mark the consecration ceremony of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.

The announcement comes a day after the Central government declared a half-day holiday for its employees.

The decision was taken after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde returned from World Economic Forum (WEF) at Davos in Switzerland. A number of legislators from BJP had raised the demand to declare a public holiday on Monday.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Rohit Pawar, the grandnephew of party supremo Sharad Pawar, in connection with the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank (MSCB) scam. Rohit has been asked to remain present before ED officials in south Mumbai on January 24, sources with the central agency confirmed on Friday.

The officials wish to question Rohit over the affairs of his company Baramati Agro, which is allegedly linked to the MSCB scam.

Earlier this month, the agency had raided premises linked to Baramati Agro. Searches were also carried out on the premises of Kannad Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana in Aurangabad, two offices of Baramati Agro in Pimpali in Baramati, the premises of Hitech Engineering Corporation, and places belonging to Rajesh Ingavle and Sanjay Avan (both linked to Hitech Engineering) and premises of another firm Samruddhi Sugar Mill.

Read Vijay Kumar Yadav's complete report here...

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is all set to host light and sound shows at Girgaon’s Lokmanya Tilak Udyan. The project is part of BMC’s six-step beautification plan to upgrade the existing infrastructure of Girgaon Beach.

The Tilak Udyan, also known as Swarajyabhoomi, is the place where freedom fighter Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak was cremated. To preserve the heritage of this place, the BMC will project light and shadow shows as part of a unique initiative known as ‘speaking tree’.

As part of this project, moving images will be projected on the trees in the manner of light and shadow shows. The officials said the images will be like a show-reel that will give insight about the history of Maharashtra and Mumbai.

“The projected show reel will include chapters from Ramayana, life and struggles of Lokmanya Tilak along with significant chapters of India’s history. In the long run, similar projects will be implemented in key historical locations of this city,” said an official.

The light and sound show was inaugurated by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday afternoon. Overall, the BMC has proposed a six-package plan for beautifying the Swarajyabhoomi and Girgaon Chowpatty.

As part of this plan, the civic body has pitched to create a glow garden which will include illuminated tetra pods. The BMC also plans to install colourful glow lamps and make LED seating arrangements in a bid to cater to the tourists and citizens who visit the spot daily.

Mumbai woke up to its second coldest day this season on Friday as the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD’s) Santacruz observatory recorded a minimum temperature of 16.9 degrees Celsius. As per the weather bureau, the city is slated to enjoy pleasant weather for the next 2-3 days, at least, before it gets warm again.

Maximum temperatures also dipped two degrees below normal, with Santacruz and Colaba stations registering 29 and 28.6 degrees Celsius respectively.

Earlier this week, bringing respite from hot and humid weather which Mumbai had been reeling under for a while, minimum temperatures had dropped to 16.2 degrees Celsius in the city, which was the coldest day of the season, so far. (Read more about the weather here)

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating the RAY Nagar Housing Society in Maharashtra’s Solapur on Friday, it was a “dream come true” moment for the nearly 30,000 families who struggle daily to earn two square meals.

The beneficiaries, mostly beedi workers, construction labourers, rickshaw-pullers and daily wage earners, constitute a sizeable component of the unorganised sectors and have much reasons to heave a sigh of relief — At last, they will have a house of their own.

The housing project has come up in the same area where the workers lived for several decades. The colony was once a hub of textile workers. After the closure of the textile mills, thousands of people lost their jobs and looked for alternative work in beedi factories. (Read further)

The Maharashtra government on Thursday signed an agreement with Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) in Davos promising an investment worth Rs 6,000 crore as the company has completed acquisition and assignment of identified assets at General Motors India’s Talegaon plant in Maharashtra.

The company aims to start manufacturing operations from the year 2025.

The acquisition has been completed after the fulfilment of certain conditions and receipt of regulatory approvals from relevant government authorities and relevant stakeholders. (Read more)

The ongoing construction of Thane Creek Bridge-3 is designed to accommodate the increasing vehicular traffic expected once the Navi Mumbai International Airport becomes operational. This project involves expanding the current Thane Creek Bridge-2 to add six more lanes. With significant progress achieved on the South Mumbai to Vashi carriage – comprising over 85 per cent of the project – the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is hoping to open one side of the road, potentially by April 2024.

Sweety Adimulam writes...

A Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) in Thane district has directed the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) to pay Rs 13.6 lakh to the parents of an 18-year-old brick kiln worker who was killed in a road accident four years ago.

Advocate Satish Tiwari, who represented the parents of the victim Sachin Suresh Waghe, told the tribunal that the teenager was riding pillion on a two-wheeler when an MSRTC bus hit the vehicle on the Mumbai-Goa Highway and killed him on January 20, 2019.

The victim's parents filed a petition under section 166 of the Motor Vehicles Act, seeking compensation for the loss of their son.

After examining police reports and witness testimonies, the MACT chairman found the respondent, MSRTC, liable for the accident due to the bus driver's negligence.

The tribunal awarded Rs 13.6 lakh to the petitioners, which included conventional compensation for loss of estate, funeral expenses, and loss of filial consortium.

The petitioners were granted interest of 7.5 per cent per annum on the awarded amount. (PTI)

The tribunal directed that a portion of the compensation be kept in fixed deposits for the petitioners, while the rest would be disbursed through account payee cheques.

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Friday urged Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to wholeheartedly address the issue of reservation for the community.

Speaking to reporters, the activist said he would leave his native Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna at 9 am on Saturday to embark on a protest march for Mumbai to press for the demand to provide reservation to his community.

'The resolution of the Maratha reservation issue rests with Fadnavis, and he should come forward and resolve the matter with his heart and mind,' he said.

(PTI)

Ghatkopar residents gather and carry out Chipko Andolan at the BMC's Manoranjan Maidan to protest a civic plan which is eyeing build a cemetery and a hospital within the garden premises. Locals of the area, who frequent the park for morning walks, yoga as well as games, have raised hue and cry over the civic plan which will lead to axing of the garden's thick, green cover. According to the BMC, the garden is home to a Miyawaki Plantation comprising 10,500 trees. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said his government is inspired by Lord Ram's principles of governance with honesty and urged people to light Ram Jyoti on January 22, stressing that it will be an inspiration to remove poverty from their lives.

“Modi's guarantee means ‘guarantee puri hone ki guarantee'. Lord Ram taught us to honour commitments made and we are fulfilling all goals we set for the welfare of the poor and their empowerment,” he said.

Urging people, who got the houses, to light Ram Jyoti on January 22, when the consecration of the Ayodhya Ram temple will be held, Modi said it will be an inspiration to eradicate poverty from their lives.

“Lord Ram did the work that made his people happy. My government is dedicated to the welfare and empowerment of the poor. We launched schemes to mitigate their hardships,” he said, adding that the role of middlemen has been completely eradicated in his government's welfare schemes.

(PTI)

Key development initiatives are being launched from Solapur today, which will benefit the citizens. https://t.co/J82WbVNoYu

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 19, 2024

The Maharashtra government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) worth Rs 10,000 crore with Web Werks for investment in a mega IT/ITES data centre in the state in the next five years, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's office has said.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Shinde in Davos, the CM's office said on X on Thursday night.

The investment proposal has the potential to create direct employment for 1,500 people, it said.

Earlier, CM Shinde had said that the state had inked MoUs worth Rs 3,53,675 crore at the World Economic Forum in Davos. 

(PTI)

#WATCH | PM Narendra Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects in Maharashtra's Solapur, today

CM Eknath Shinde felicitates the PM, Governor Ramesh Bais and Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar also present pic.twitter.com/gSXfY0zFYQ

— ANI (@ANI) January 19, 2024

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut contends that the Prime Minister's recurrent presence in Maharashtra is not driven solely by an affection for the state but is strategically motivated by the state's significant role in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Emphasizing the political importance of Maharashtra, Raut criticizes the current government's performance and questions its ability to garner support for the BJP. Raut's assertion underscores the complex interplay of regional politics and electoral strategy, suggesting that the Prime Minister's repeated visits are aimed at securing crucial Lok Sabha seats in anticipation of the forthcoming elections.

#WATCH | Mumbai: On Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut says, 'He (PM Modi) is coming to Maharashtra again and again. It is not that he loves Maharashtra that much, or he is going to Uttar Pradesh not because he loves UP. The Lok Sabha seats… pic.twitter.com/4KY08CohHt

— ANI (@ANI) January 19, 2024

rime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the largest low-cost housing project today in Solapur, Maharashtra. The RAY Nagar project, a part of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna, is poised to construct a total of 30,000 houses, with 15,000 units already completed. These affordable accommodations will be allocated to individuals working in various unorganized sectors, including Beedi workers, construction laborers, and other unorganized workforce.

Additionally, PM Modi is scheduled to visit the Akkalkot temple in the vicinity, adding a cultural aspect to his visit.

Concurrently, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar is engaged in programs in Solapur district, with scheduled appearances in Sangola and Mangalvedha, underlining the political and developmental activities in the region.

#WATCH | Maharashtra: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate more than 90,000 houses completed under PMAY-Urban in Maharashtra. He will also dedicate 15,000 houses of Raynagar Housing Society in Solapur, whose beneficiaries comprise thousands of handloom workers and vendors,… pic.twitter.com/1xMBNwD2wk

— ANI (@ANI) January 19, 2024

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