Mumbai this week: SC refuses to stay EC order on Sena name, symbol; water tanker strike leaves city high and dry

Tug of war over Sena name, symbol stretches on

• As the war of the Shiv Sena name and symbol reached the Supreme Court, here are the arguments, counters and outcome of the apex court’s hearing of Thackeray group’s petition against ECI order.
• The Shinde faction took control of the party office in the Maharashtra legislative building, which was till now in the control of Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray.
• The official Twitter account of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena camp lost its blue tick verification as the party renamed its handle as @ShivsenaUBT_, as did the party’s official media handle for communication @ShivsenaComms, which was rechristened as @ShivsenaUBTComm.
• The newest battleground in the Sena tussle are the 227-plus Shiv Sena’s shakhas or local offices — the ubiquitous, fortress-like structures spread across Mumbai that play a key role in the party’s day-to-day functioning on the ground.
• The seating arrangement in the legislative Assembly is also set to undergo changes and the 16 MLAs from the Uddhav Thackeray faction will now have to shift to the treasury benches.
• In a bid to keep the morale of Shiv Sainiks high and keep the flock together, president of Shiv Sena (UBT) will set out on a tour of Maharashtra beginning March 5.
• Meanwhile, the Thackerays are ideological opponents, but not enemies, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said amid the bitterness between the Shiv Sena factions led by Shinde and Shiv Sena (UBT).
• Read a special analysis by Shubhangi Khapre on how a weaker Shiv Sena (UBT) dents the collective strength of MVA in Maharashtra.
• Standing in support of Uddhav, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann held a press conference with the Sena (UBT) chief in Mumbai. Kejriwal hit out at the BJP and said that even thought the party name and symbol have been stolen, Thackeray will sweep all the upcoming polls.

Editor’s Picks

• The Shiv Sena (UBT) praised writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar for his comments on the perpetrators of the 26/11 terror attack during a cultural event in Pakistan’s Lahore. In an editorial in its mouthpiece, Saamana, the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray said Akhtar’s comments were equivalent to the ‘ghar mein ghus ke marenge’ threats that the BJP keeps talking about.
• In a major move towards decongesting traffic in Mumbai, the BMC is set to construct a 5.6-km-long elevated road, which will connect the southernmost end of the Eastern Freeway with Grant Road. Civic officials said the aim is to connect entire South Mumbai through a network of arterial roads to prevent snarls and bumper-to-bumper traffic. The tender for the same has been floated by the BMC.

Sanjay Raut faces defamation cases

Two FIRs for defamation against Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut for alleging that there was a threat to his life from Eknath Shinde’s son Shrikant Shinde. Another such FIR was filed based on a complaint lodged by Shiv Sena’s Beed district unit chief.

Flamingos dot the creek in Navi Mumbai’s Belapur. (Express photo by Narendra Vaskar)

Taps run dry in Mumbai

The city – its people, housing societies and commercial establishments – were left in a lurch when the association of water tankers went on a strike. The strike to protest against the latest guidelines of the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) for withdrawal of groundwater was called off on February 14.

BEST CNG buses taken off the road

BEST’s decision to take 400 CNG run buses off Mumbai’s roads starting Wednesday caused much grief to the 35 lakh commuters who use the city’s transport service everyday. Passengers are having to endure longer queues and extended waiting time at bus stops.

BEST decided to take all its 400 wet-leased CNG buses off Mumbai roads with immediate effect after three such buses caught fire within a month.

Errors mar HSC exams

Even as the HSC exams began amid a staff strike, another hurdle faced by students appearing for the exams were mistakes in questions papers. Read more here

Other important news this week:

1. Posters of NCP leaders projected as ‘future CMs’ make party uneasy
2. Yet another aspirant dies after taking part in Mumbai police recruitment drive
3. Plot to harm me, I am being followed everywhere: Ashok Chavan
4. Madh-Versova cable bridge gets coastal authority nod
5. Iconic double-decker bus makes a comeback in Mumbai
6. BEST to introduce 15 EV charging stations by March first week
7. 200-seater Gateway of India-Belapur water taxi not off to a thumping start
8. The AQI in Mulund reached ‘hazardous’ levels, prompting BMC to initiate dust-mitigation measures
9. Nawazuddin Siddiqui moves HC seeking whereabouts of children in custody of ex-wife

Photo of the week

A man reads a Marathi newspaper and solves a crossword puzzle at a community circulating library for newspapers on the roadside commonly called the Vachanalaya; in Chembur (east). Most of such free reading facilities were installed as a community service for the masses from the lower income groups by local politicians where people used to read popular regional newspapers and discuss news. These facilities used to be a familiar sight in most neighbourhoods. Currently most of them remain empty with a dwindling existence as news is readily available on mobile phones. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

News to watch out for next week

1. Budget session of Maharashtra legislature to begin from Monday.
2. BMC and railway officials to meet on Wednesday regarding setting a deadlines for the Gokhale and Delisle Bridge works.
3. Mumbai’s daily temperature may see a significant rise in the week to come and the AQI may also improve.

News from Mumbai: February 13 – 19

News from Mumbai: February 6 – 12

News from Mumbai: January 30 – February 5