Expressway crash kills 7 in Kalamboli

Muznabin,Chandrashekhar,Chand,Zubair and Suresh lived in Indira Nagar in Thane’s Wagle Industrial Estate. The first four were vegetable vendors. Sachin Bengde lived in Khoparkhairane.

“They had picked up three passengers at Karad — Sachin Dhotre of Govandi,Arjun Ghadge,a hardware engineer from Chembur,and Tulshiram Chorge,a stockbroker from Satara,” Inspector D G Mane of Kalamboli police station said.

“They were approaching the end of the expressway at Kalamboli when the driver of the vehicle,Dhanaji Lodle,attempted to overtake a truck. But he was driving at such speed that he lost control and crashed into it,” Mane said.

The six friends and Tulshiram Chorge were declared dead at Kalamboli’s MGM Hospital. “Sachin Dhotre and Arjun Ghatge were seated on the right of the vehicle along with the driver Lodle,and were saved. The left side of the vehicle was completely destroyed,” the officer said.

The bodies had been handed over to the families,he said. Dhotre,Ghatge and Lodle suffered injuries on their head,abdomen and arms,but were discharged after treatment.

Mane said Lodle was sober at the time of the crash. “We sent him for a medical examination and the report said he was not drunk. It could have been worse because the vehicle could have fallen off the bridge.”

Mane said Lodle had been charged under Sections 304A (causing death by negligence) and other IPC sections,and sections of the Motor Vehicles Act.

Exam duty boycott: Practicals held at only 40 centres

Following the exam duty boycott by the Maharashtra Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisations (MFUCTO),only 40 of total 70 exam centres could conduct practical exams of TYBSc on Monday. Mumbai University has decided to conduct a re-exam for the students of the remaining centres.

The exam for seven subjects — Biology,Chemistry,Zoology,Botany,Microbiology,Biochemistry and Computer Science — were scheduled on Monday.

However over 80 per cent teachers did not report for exam duty.

Tapati Mukhopadhyay,general secretary MFUCTO,said,“We had requested the officials to re-schedule the exam. We had even met the pro-VC of Mumbai University. By not doing so,they not only created chaos for students but will have to conduct a re-exam.”

On Saturday,the state had issued notices to universities across the state,asking them to initiate action against teachers who are not participating in the examination process.

Under various clauses of the University Act,they have also said that conducting exams is part of the teacher’s duty.

MU’s examination controller Deepak Vasave said,“We had informed MFUCTO members that practicals will be conducted on the scheduled day and appealed them to cooperate for the benefit of students. We had also told them that their demands were pending with the government and not with the university,and that the university too has written to the government seeking speedy decision on these demands.”

“We will now conduct a re-exam for those students who missed Monday’s exam. The date for the same will be declared soon. The practicals on Tuesday will be held as per schedule. We appeal to teachers to co-operate with us,” Vasave said.