The total infection tally rose up to 78,44,915 up to Sunday evening.Mumbai News: Maharashtra recorded 1,966 fresh Covid-19 cases and 12 deaths on Monday, whereas the state had reported 3,502 Covid-19 cases on Sunday. The total infection tally rose up to 78,44,915 up to Sunday evening.
In the Elgaar Parishad case, bail applications of Delhi University associate professor Hany Babu, Kabir Kala Manch members Sagar Gorkhe, Ramesh Gaichor and Jyoti Jagtap were rejected by a special court.
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Mumbai on Monday witnessed huge traffic jams on Pedder Road and Girgaon Chowpatty towards South Mumbai due to gathering of protesters at Girgaon Band Stand. The Congress protest march to Devendra Fadnavis residence and the counter mobilisation by the BJP has led to severe jams in parts of South Mumbai.
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Beneficiaries take the booster vaccine dose at the Rajawadi Hospital in Mumbai's Ghatkopar on Monday. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
In a first, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will conduct a nine-month-long sero survey among frontliners in three stages to reach to a clinical explanation if antibodies produced against Covid-19 are waning off and if there is a need for booster shots.
Unlike the previously conducted sero surveys, this sixth survey will be done only among 3,000 healthcare workers (HCWs) and frontline workers over a period of nine months. After collecting the first blood samples for sero sequencing, the second and third samples from the same individuals will be taken after a gap of three and nine months. This is expected to help in understanding the prevalence of antibodies among beneficiaries after taking the jabs. (Read More)
Maharashtra recorded 1,966 fresh Covid-19 cases and 12 deaths on Monday, whereas the state had reported 3,502 Covid-19 cases on Sunday. The total infection tally rose up to 78,44,915 up to Sunday evening.
At least 200 people can take part in the 'Shiv Jyoti' run and 500 people can attend a ceremony to mark 'Shiv Jayanti' - the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj - on February 19 in Maharashtra, the state government said on Monday.
As per the guidelines, the state Home Department has asked people against taking out bike rallies or processions in view of the prevailing COVID-19 situation and organising cultural programmes on a big scale.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray approved a proposal of the Home Department in this regard, an official statement said. (PTI)
The new trend of staging protests outside opposition leaders' residences or offices of rival parties “is not right” and can be “detrimental” to democracy, the NCP warned on Monday in the wake of announcement of such demonstrations in Maharashtra by its ally Congress.
NCP spokesperson and Maharashtra cabinet minister Nawab Malik said such protests can lead to law and order problems and are “not acceptable” in a democratic set up.
The Congress had recently declared Maharashtra-wide protests outside the residences of BJP leaders from the state as it demanded an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly insulting Maharashtra with his remarks made in context of the migrant crisis during the first phase of the coronavirus pandemic. (PTI)
The Bombay High Court on Monday sought a response from the State Election Commission to BJP and MNS members’ petition that challenged a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) notification for changing the boundaries of 236 wards for the coming civic elections.
Though the petitioners submitted that rules stipulated such an exercise could be undertaken only six months before an election, the court did not stay the delimitation notification but sought to know the commission’s position, after observing that the decision could have been taken under the “special circumstances” of the pandemic.
A division bench of Justice A A Sayed and Justice Abhay Ahuja was hearing a public-interest petition, filed by Nitesh Rajhans Singh of the BJP and Sagar Kantilal Devre of the MNS, challenging the “legality and propriety” of the notification published in the official gazette on February 1. The petition claimed that the notification was arbitrary, arguing that the election commission had not delegated such powers to the corporation. (Read Omkar Gokhale's full story here)
Rajya Sabha MP Chhatrapati Sambhajiraje on Monday said he will sit on "fast unto death" from February 26 over the issue of Maratha quota.
Sambhajiraje, a direct descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, said he was taking this step to give justice to the Maratha community.
The Supreme Court had last May struck down the Maharashtra law granting reservation to the Maratha community in admissions and government jobs in the state.
Sambhajiraje alleged that there is no clarity on the status of the review petition filed by the Maharashtra government after the Supreme Court rejected the quota. (PTI)
The Bombay High Court on Monday said the COVID-19 pandemic could be considered as a special circumstance and concession could be given in the mandatory six-month period for issuance of a notification for the delimitation of municipal wards.
A division bench of Justices Amjad Sayed and Abhay Ahuja made the observation orally while hearing a public interest litigation, challenging the February 1 notification issued by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner I S Chahal proposing delimitation or changing of the boundaries of 236 electoral wards for the forthcoming civic elections. (PTI)
Traffic jam in South Mumbai on Monday Morning.
Around 9 am about 500 Indian National Congress workers led by Maharashtra state chief Nana Patole and Mumbai chief Bhai Jagtap got down on the streets of Mumbai and started walking towards south Mumbai to protest at the residential bungalow of former chief minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis at Malabar Hill. As the workers clogged the thin roads of south Mumbai, it led to a huge traffic jam causing inconvenience to Mumbaikars. (Read the Explained by Jayprakash S Naidu and Sagar Rajput here)
The Maharashtra Congress on Monday temporarily put off its planned agitation outside BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis's official residence here citing inconvenience caused to motorists, but not before BJP functionaries took to streets to confront supporters of the ruling party.
The proposed agitation was part of demonstrations that the Congress has planned across the state to demand an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly 'insulting' Maharashtra by some his comments made in the Lok Sabha recently in connection with COVID-19 pandemic. The Mumbai Police stopped Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole, who was to lead the protest, outside his residence here and detained other workers of the party.
The officials on Monday said that the agitators have been moved off the road and gradually traffic on Pedder Road and Girgaon Chowpatty towards South Mumbai is being restored.Joint Commissioner of police Rajwardan (traffic) said, "Now agitation taken back. Traffic gradually being restrained."
The traffic police authorities revealed that the protest started at around 9.30 am on Monday when the workers from the Congress party started gathering at the Girgaon Band Stand.
"The agitators gathered and sat on the main junction at Girgaon which caused traffic on the Pedder and the backlog went up to Haji Ali. Initially we tried using a diversion, but due to heavy traffic movement on a Monday morning, congestion happened at alternative routes as well," said an officer.
The Maharashtra Pradesh Congress is claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi insulted Maharashtra by blaming Congress for the migrant crisis during Covid-19 lockdown and for this they are planning to march to Devendra Fadnavis's offical residence.
State Congress President Nana Patole has been stopped by the Mumbai Police from taking a protest march to Devendra Fadnavis's offical residence. The protest in South Mumbai by the Congress and the counter mobilisation by the BJP has led to severe traffic jams in parts of South Mumbai.
Due to heavy police deployment for the Congress protest march to Devendra Fadnavi's residence, traffic on Pedder Road and Girgaon Chowpatty towards South Mumbai has been heavily affected.
Heavy police deployed outside BJP Vice president Prasad Lad's office at Sion in Mumbai as party workers congregate to thwart Congress' protest march outside the residence of Opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis.
Families of 10 martyrs who laid down their lives during 2020-21 and 15 wounded warriors were recently felicitated by the Sri Shanmukhananda Sabha. Lt. General H S Kahlon, General Officer commanding for Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa area honoured the soldiers and the families of the martyrs. He also presented the Sri Shanmukha Shaurya Ratna award to Silu Nayak from Odisha who started the Mahaguru battalion to train men for defence services when he was disqualified from joining the armed forces.
NEARLY TWO weeks after IAS officer Sushil Khodwekar was arrested in the paper leak scam by the Pune police, the official is yet to be suspended by the Maharashtra government. According to the All-India Civil Services rules, an officer must be suspended if he is in custody for more than 48 hours.
Pune Police Commissioner Amitabh Gupta had sent a report to the state government on the same day of Khodwekar’s arrest and the official is now lodged in Yerwada jail.
Chief Secretary Debashish Chakrabarty told The Indian Express, “The suspension will happen anytime now. Some more information was sought.” While Additional Chief Secretary In-Charge of General Administration Department Sujata Saunik said that the proposal was awaiting government approval. (With Yogesh Naik)
Maharashtra this week will remain free from cold conditions as night temperatures are set to rise, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said.
For a week now, minimum temperatures have not only risen over 10 degrees Celsius but have started to remain on the higher side of normal for this time of year.“There is no major weather system affecting the state or even most parts of the country. There may be easterly or southeasterly winds coming in over Maharashtra from time to time but the week ahead will not see much of cold northerly winds over Maharashtra,” said Anupam Kashyapi, head, weather forecasting division at IMD, Pune.
The tripartite Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra will complete the full five-year term despite the opposition BJP's attempts to destabilise it, state Congress president Nana Patole said on Sunday. Patole's remarks came days after BJP leader Chandrakant Patil predicted a "political earthquake" in Maharashtra after results of Assembly polls in five states, including crucial Uttar Pradesh, will be declared on March 10.
"The BJP dreams of toppling the MVA government every day, but for the last two years, this dream has not been fulfilled. This is the reason behind BJP's frustration. Every few days a new date for the government's fall is being announced, but the fact is that the MVA government is intact and will complete its full five-year term," Patole told reporters.
Social activist Anna Hazare has decided to suspend his proposed hunger strike from Monday against the Maharashtra government's decision permitting sale of wine in supermarkets and grocery shops, saying the state government has assured it will take into consideration the views of citizens before going ahead with the policy.
A 'gram sabha' was held on Sunday in Hazare's native Ralegan Siddhi village in Ahmednagar district. "I told the villagers that now the state government has decided to put up the cabinet's decision before citizens for their suggestions and objections and only after their nod, a final decision will be taken by the government. Hence, I have decided to suspend tomorrow's hunger strike," Hazare later said.
The director-general of Maharashtra Police has posted on Facebook plugging the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and invited officers who would like a posting to meet him. The ATS chief has written to the state government seeking more manpower for the squad.
The extraordinary push from the two officers last week attest to a crippling shortage of senior personnel at the ATS — among the most high-profile units of the state police at one time, but where a posting no longer seems attractive.
Sources told The Indian Express that ATS chief Vineet Agarwal told Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Manu Kumar Shrivastava that several positions, including four key ones, had been lying vacant at his unit for quite some time, and asked for them to be filled at the earliest. (Read more here)
Maharashtra logged 3,502 fresh Covid-19 cases and 17 deaths on Sunday. With a total of 9,815 patients discharged from the hospitals, the active case count as of Sunday evening stood at 45,905 in the state. Maharashtra recorded 218 cases on the Omicron variant, out of which 172 were reported in Mumbai.
Prathama, the first Olive Ridley sea turtle to be satellite tagged from the coast of Maharashtra, has travelled 75 kilometres south of Velas beach in Ratnagiri district.
Researchers from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun and the Mangrove Foundation, an autonomous body under the state government, tagged two female adult Olive Ridley turtles with a satellite device to monitor their path on January 25.
The other sea turtle ‘Saavani’, who was tagged and released from Anjarle beach, also in Ratnagiri district, continued to remain in the nearshore waters of the beach. (Read More)
A 22-year-old man was arrested on Sunday for allegedly murdering his 21-year-old school friend in Andheri (east) in a sudden fit of rage because the latter abused the former’s mother after the duo got drunk. Incidentally, the accused had given the victim a treat after getting his month’s salary.
The deceased Rahul Gaikwad, 21, and the accused Sushant Ghotkar, 22, were school friends. Gaikwad was unemployed while Ghotkar had a housekeeping job.
On February 11, Gaikwad and Ghotkar decided to have a party as Ghotkar had received his salary. The duo got drunk at three places in Andheri and later got into an argument while walking on the Marol Maroshi road when Gaikwad abused Ghotkar’s mother and in a fit of rage, the latter assaulted him with a paver block. On seeing Gaikwad bleeding from his head, Ghotkar panicked and fled from the spot. (Read More)
A hawker was killed and three members of a family received minor injuries after a dumper overturned on the Eastern Express Highway in Mumbai on Sunday morning, police said.
The dumper first hit Lallu Jaiswal, who was selling bananas, killing him instantly, and then dashed into a stationary car in which two women and one man were present, all three receiving minor injuries, an official said.
"The driver fled from the spot and efforts were on to nab him," the Nehru Nagar police station official said. (PTI)
A minor fire broke out at the set of reality television show Bigg Boss located at film city in suburban Goregaon on Sunday, a Fire Brigade official said. Nobody was injured in the incident.
The blaze, classified as level one (minor), broke out in the afternoon, the official said.
"The fire mainly affected the electric duct, wiring, plywood, false ceiling, furniture etc in the wooden studio spread in the area of 5,000 square feet," he said. (PTI)
A Zimbabwean woman was held at the Mumbai international airport allegedly with heroin and methamphetamine worth Rs 60 crore, an official of the Customs' Air Intelligence Unit said on Sunday.
The 40-year-old woman was arrested on Saturday after arriving here on a medical visa from Harare in the southern African nation via Kigali on a RwandAir flight, he said.
"A search of her baggage revealed 7.006 kilograms of a yellowish powder, identified as heroin after tests, and 1.480 kg white crystal methamphetamine granules. The contraband, cumulatively worth Rs 60 crore, was hidden in two bags and two file folders," he informed.
She will be produced in court later in the day, he added. (PTI)
Maharashtra Food and Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal on Sunday said that the state government would not tolerate any irregularities in the Shiv Bhojan thali scheme. Any centre found indulging in irregularities will be subjected to permanent blacklisting, he said.
At a review meeting held on Sunday, Bhujbal issued directives to the department officers to ensure strict monitoring of the scheme.
“If a Shiv Bhojan centre is found violating the norms it should be served notice. If the centre commits irregularities a second time, heavy penalty should be slapped. If the same centre commits irregularities a third time it should be blacklisted and shut down permanently, ” Bhujbal said. (Read More)
Social activist Anna Hazare puts off indefinite fast against Maharashtra government's wine policy.
At first glance, it is difficult to grasp the grandeur of KL Walawalkar Udyan, located in the bustling Andheri West. Spread across 21,545 sq m, it is baffling to note that a park of this size has found a home in the concrete jungles of Mumbai.
Given its expanse, the park – planned in a concentric pattern – caters to everyone from leisurely walkers and running enthusiasts to children playing a myriad of games. The space boasts of several distinct features, including a ground for human activity and, most importantly, an abundance of fresh air.
Developed by the Walawalkar group in Oshiwara, the park was handed over to the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) in 2016. (Read More)
Sometime in 2010, the Vidarbha Police found a 13-year-old girl by the roadside. Severely undernourished, the girl was diagnosed with mental developmental disorder and later admitted to Nagpur Regional Mental Hospital, which was to be home ever since. Under the column for ‘name’ in the official records, the hospital staff wrote: ‘Unknown’. She stayed that way for 11 years until last year, she got a name — ‘Chakuli’.
Chakuli, now 25, is among 239 mental health patients who have been given new names since 2021, when the Nagpur hospital decided to start enrolling their patients for Aadhaar. After living for years as ‘unknown’, the 109 men and 130 women patients now have identities of their own — Aboli, Soni, Anand, Gauri. (Read Rupsa Chakraborty's full report here)
A worker was injured in a fire at a scrap godown here in Maharashtra on Sunday, officials said. The fire broke out around 12.30 am in the godown located at Dhamankar naka in Bhiwandi town and completely destroyed the premises, a fire official from the Bhiwandi Nizampur Municipal Corporation said. A worker, aged 22, received severe burn injuries and was taken to a hospital in neighbouring Mumbai for treatment, he said.
CHIEF MINISTER Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday attacked the Opposition, saying he has been called a popular CM for the work done during Covid but some people can’t digest it and talk of unearthing corruption.
“I am referred to as a popular CM of Maharashtra for the work done during Covid. Some people don’t like my appreciation. So they talk about unearthing corruption. Let them dig out what they want but we were able to give maximum services to people that saved so many lives. The number of survivors is higher than that of those levelling allegations. So, there is no need to take cognizance of them,” said Thackeray, without naming any leader.
He was speaking during the virtual inauguration of the office of the charity commissioner in the Jalna. Thackeray’s remarks come in the wake of BJP leader Kirit Somaiya alleging irregularities and corruption at the jumbo Covid centres and levelling allegations against the leaders of the ruling parties.
After nearly a week of below-normal temperatures in Mumbai, both minimum and maximum temperatures recorded a rise starting on Friday. On Sunday the minimum temperature was 19 degrees Celsius, nearly two degrees above normal.
Maharashrtra governor B S Koshyari condoled the demise of the veteran industrialist saying his contribution in the field of industrial development in the country was unparalleled.
"The contribution of the Bajaj family in the nation's freedom movement and its industrial and social development is very high. During his tenure as chairman of Bajaj group, Rahul Bajaj expanded the business empire of the group in India and outside," the Governor said."Rahul Bajaj introduced many modern management practices and made Bajaj a popular brand name. He was very vocal about expressing his views on issues concerning the business world in the country," Koshyari added.
Veteran industrialist Rahul Bajaj will be accorded a state funeral, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said on Saturday.According to a Bajaj group official, Rahul Bajaj's last rites will be held on Sunday. Bajaj died at a hospital in Pune on Saturday afternoon. He was 83.
Maharashtra in the last 24 hours reported 237 cases of the Omicron variant. Barring 11 cases from Pune city, all these cases were reported from Mumbai.
Maharashtra reported 4,359 new Covid-19 cases, over 1,000 less than a day before, and 32 deaths on Saturday. With the positivity rate being recorded to be 10.27 per cent, the active cases in the state fell down to 52,238. There were 237 new Omicron cases too.
A day after presiding officers of the Maharashtra Assembly and the legislative council met President Ramnath Kovind to ask for a presidential reference on the Supreme Court order revoking 12 MLAs’ suspension, BJP MLA Ashish Shelar said their request did not make sense and sought to “clarify” that it was the apex court, not the Assembly, that gave the suspended lawmakers the relief.
“I thank the Assembly’s deputy speaker, Narhari Zhirwal, and the legislative council’s chairman, Ramraje Nimbalkar, and deputy chairman Neelam Gorhe for accepting the court verdict and announcing the cancellation of the suspension of 12 MLAs on Friday,” the former minister said on Saturday.
Stating that the developments had “badly bruised the Maha Vikas Aghadi government’s ego”, Shelar said the Opposition “would like to humbly and politely clarify” that the court had ruled the suspension as “irrational, illegal and unconstitutional”.
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Maharashtra reported 4,359 new Covid-19 cases and 32 deaths on Saturday. With the positivity rate on Saturday being recorded to be 10.27 per cent, the active cases in the state fell down to 52,238.
The Anti Narcotics Cell (ANC) of Mumbai Police has seized banned drug Mephedrone valued at Rs 16 lakh and arrested a man, an official said.
Zakir Murtaza Shaikh (37), a resident of Nagpada, was apprehended by Azad Maidan unit of the ANC in Kamathipura on Friday evening on suspicion.
He was allegedly found to be in possession of 160 grams of Mephedrone, a narcotic substance, the official said. Shaikh was arrested and further probe was on. (PTI)
In a multi-agency operation at sea, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), with the active support of the Indian Navy, seized 800 kgs of narcotics substances. The catch is estimated to be worth Rs 2000 crores, the Indian Navy spokesperson tweeted on Saturday adding that, "Indian Navy remains committed to tackling the scourge of narcotics proliferation."
Union Minister Raosaheb Danve on Saturday said the detailed project report (DPR) of the proposed Mumbai-Nagpur high speed rail corridor, commonly called bullet train, will be completed by the end of this month or the first week of March.
He also said the Centre has run 1,900 'Kisan Rail' services to help farmers and the agriculture sector, wherein 50 per cent subsidy is given, and an amount of Rs 90 crore has already been allotted by the railways in this regard.
He said bullet train DPRs for seven corridors are underway. (PTI)
An unidentified man opened fire at an autorickshaw driver and injured him in the Dharavi area of central Mumbai on Saturday, police said.
The incident took place around 11.15 am at the Pila Bungalow area near Mithi river, an official said.
Autorickshaw driver Amir Anis Khan was answering nature's call when two men accosted him and one of them shot at him and fled the scene, he said. (PTI)
Rahul Bajaj will be accorded a state funeral, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said on Saturday as he and state governor B S Koshyari condoled the demise of the veteran industrialist saying his contribution in the field of industrial development in the country was unparalleled.
Thackeray said he has instructed that Bajaj be given a state funeral.
According to a Bajaj group official, Rahul Bajaj's last rites will be held on Sunday. (PTI)
Veteran industrialist and head of the Bajaj group, Rahul Bajaj, passed away on Saturday.
Bajaj, 83, who had pneumonia and also a heart problem, was admitted to the Ruby Hall Clinic a month ago and breathed his last at 2.30 pm on Saturday.
“It is with deep sorrow that I inform you about the passing away of Rahul Bajaj, husband of the late Rupa Bajaj and father of Rajiv and Deepa, Sanjiv and Shefali and Sunaina and Manish. He passed away on the afternoon of February 12, 2022 in the presence of his closest family members,” said a statement from Bajaj group.
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The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) Friday wrote to the top bureaucrats of Maharashtra government asking them to appear before it on March 7 with an “up-to-date action taken report” on an FIR under The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 in the complaint filed by former Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) zonal director Sameer Wankhede.
Wankhede is currently serving as an officer with the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).
“The petitioner (Wankhede) belongs to the SC Community as per the available documents so far. Inquiry of the case is being done by lower rank police officers and the constitution of SIT is not in accordance with the Act. The investigating officers are harassing the petitioner and his family members. This violation has been viewed by the Commission,” the panel had recorded in the minutes of its meeting held on January 31.
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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is conducting searches on Saturday at 12 locations in Nagpur linked to the chartered accountants (CAs) of former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh in connection with a money laundering case registered against him, officials said.
The CBI teams from Delhi and Mumbai arrived in Nagpur on Friday night and began the searches on Saturday morning, they said.
“These 12 locations are either residences or office premises of the chartered accountants of Deshmukh,” an official said. (PTI)
One of the earliest watchtowers in the city with a dial in all four directions, the Bomonjee Hormarjee Wadia fountain and watchtower in south Mumbai is an imposing structure. Located on Bazaar Gate Street in Mumbai’s Fort area, it was erected in honour of philanthropist BH Wadia who passed away in the 19th century.
In her book ‘Exploring the Water Heritage in Mumbai’, Dr Varsha Shirgaonkar says, “It is a commemorative fountain that was erected in honour of Bomonjee Hormarjee Wadia who had contributed largely towards the service of the city. He died on 3rd July 1862. His friends and admirers decided to perpetuate his memory by suggesting two things- a Scholarship and a Drinking Fountain ‘to be erected in some conspicuous place where the want of a near and ready supply of this useful and necessary part of life is felt.’”
Constructed in 1880 and erected in 1882, the structure catered directly to the needs of the surrounding community and to the travellers who would often visit this part of the city for business purposes.
People travelling in Mumbai's suburban local trains can now watch movies, TV shows and educational programmes for free during their commute with the launch of a new "content on demand" infotainment service by the Central Railway (CR) on Friday.
As per a release, the Central Railway has joined hands with M/s Margo Network Pvt Ltd to provide this "content on demand" infotainment service through SugarBox Network's mobile application. The CR enabled the service in the presence of general manager Anil Kumar Lahoti on 10 out of 165 suburban local trains, it was stated.
Maharashtra on Friday reported 5,455 new coronavirus infections, about 700 less than the day before, the state health department said. The virus also claimed 63 lives since Thursday evening.
On the other hand, 14,635 patients recovered in the state during this period. The caseload increased to 78,35,088, while the death toll rose to 1,43,355. The overall recovery count increased to 76,26,868. There are now 60,902 active COVID-19 patients in the state.
Mumbai on Friday reported 367 COVID-19 cases, the fifth consecutive day when the addition to the overall count was less than 500, and one death, which took the tally to 10,53,413 and the toll to 16,679, a civic official said. In signs that the pandemic may be ebbing here, civic data also showed that the caseload doubling time had increased from 949 days on Thursday to 1,055 days on Friday, while the city, where the positivity rate was 1.06 per cent, was clear of containment zones and sealed building for the second consecutive day.
A public interest litigation filed in the Bombay High Court on Friday has sought an order against the use of the famous Shivaji Park ground here for funerals. Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, who died on February 6, was cremated at the ground situated in Dadar. Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray too had been cremated at the same venue years ago.
Prakash Belwade, a resident of the area, said in the petition that the ground was meant for sports, but a memorial for Bal Thackeray was built there and now there is demand that there should be one for Mangeshkar too.
A 31-year-old Nigerian national was held in Andheri East in Mumbai allegedly with cocaine worth Rs 1.22 crore, an Anti Narcotics Cell official said on Friday. Paul Ebe Enjoku, who had come to the country on a business visa, was held by the Bandra unit of Mumbai Crime Branch's ANC on Thursday evening near Sahar village bus stop, he said. (With PTI)
Police in Nashik in Maharashtra on Friday registered a case in connection with a 'hijab' protest by over 5,000 women a day earlier in Malegaon, some 270 kilometres from here, an official said. The women wearing hijab (Islamic head scarves) in support of students being denied this right in some colleges in Karnataka had gathered on Thursday at Kallu stadium in Pawarwadi on the call of the Jamiat-e-Ulema, he said.
The Bombay High Court on Friday directed the Maharashtra government to produce original files and relevant records pertaining to the issuance of SOPs that permitted only “fully vaccinated” people in state to board local trains and visit malls and workplaces.
After the court perused the state government’s affidavit, it questioned why the then Chief Secretary (CS) Sitaram Kunte took the decision without consulting the members of State Executive Committee (SEC).
“What was an emergency for which fundamental rights of citizens were curtailed and that you (CS) could not wait for the SEC to meet and discuss (the issue). We need to look into records,” the bench orally remarked. (With Omkar Gokhale)
President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday said the word 'durbar' was linked to royalty in the pre-Independence era, but its modern concept promotes transparency, which is the most important aspect of good governance in democracy. He was addressing a gathering after inaugurating the newly-reconstructed Durbar Hall at the Raj Bhavan here.
The president said that just like the Rashtrapati Bhavan in the national capital, the Raj Bhavan in Mumbai has become a constitutional symbol of hopes and aspirations of people in the world's largest democracy. "Before Independence, the word durbar was connected to royalty, while in the present times, it is associated with democracy. The modern concept of durbar promotes transparency, which is the most important aspect of good governance in a democratic system," he said.