QMumbai: Drones for Ganpati Protection; OC for Buildings in 8 Days

The latest newsflashes from Mumbai city.

1. Drones, Face-Detection Cameras, Iron Sheets to Protect Ganeshotsav

As Mumbaikars celebrate the first day of Ganeshotsav today, Mumbai police have laid out elaborate traffic management and security plans for the city. As many as 53 stretches of road will be closed to vehicular traffic from noon to 6 am for the four days of immersion, and 54 roads will become one-ways. In a first for the city, as an anti-terror measure, police will use high-tech face-detection and identification cameras during all 12 days.

The high-tech cameras will alert the police to the presence of any known suspects listed in their database at immersion points such as Girgaum Chowpatty. Anti-ramming barricades will be set up at immersion points to prevent a Barcelona- type terror attack.

(Source: DNA)

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2. Now, Obtain Your Building's Occupation Certificate Within 8 Days

The urban development department led by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday made it mandatory to grant occupation certificate (OC) within eight days, building commencement certificate within 30 days and plinth-checking certificate within seven days. The decision will bring huge relief to people who are waiting for months to secure.

According to an official order under the Maharashtra Right to Public Services Act, 2015, permission for tree- felling, as per the provision of the Maharashtrta (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975, will have to be granted within 45 days and online submission of inspection report in case of building permission, plinth-checking, occupation and tree-felling will have to be delivered within 48 hours from actual inspection of site.

(Source: Times of India)

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3. Metro Work Ruining South Bombay Water Supply

The BMC’s annual survey on water contamination 2016-17 has given credence to claims by south Mumbai residents that the ongoing metro work is polluting their water supply. At nine per cent water contamination, the report, which is yet to be released, has put the A-ward – covering Colaba-Churchgate area – among the places with the most contaminated water supply in the city. In addition to mud, sewage and chemicals, the municipal laboratory also found coliform and E. coli bacterias in the water supply.

“One of the reasons South Mumbai is getting dirty water is because of metro work. Sometimes, when the piling work is done, pipelines burst. But this is a temporary problem,” said Ashokumar Tawadia, BMC’s hydraulic engineer. Residents, however, claim the problem isn’t limited to muddy water but that of chemicals mixing with the water supply. “Plastering work for the metro project uses some sort of polymer which has made its way into our water tank. The water had to be drained out before it was refilled,” said Mahabanoo Mody Kotwal, a resident of Lotus Court in Churchgate. Kotwal said the case is the same in other areas..

(Source: Mumbai Mirror)

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4. HC Unplugs Silence Zones In Mumbai Till Monday

With Ganesh Chaturthi beginning today, organisers will be able to play music in silence zones that spread in a 100-metre radius around hospitals, educational institutes and courts. On Thursday, Justice Abhay Oka of the Bombay High Court, who was hearing a bunch of petitions highlighting the problem of noise pollution in the state, refused to recuse himself from the matter after the state government accused him of bias against it. The matter has been transferred to another Bench, and the next hearing has been posted for Monday.

Meanwhile, there will be no silence zones in the state, as the state government is yet to re-notify silence zones following an amendment to the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Amendment rules, 2017 by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The state has already informed the Bombay High Court that the earlier silence zones would only be considered as a guiding factor in the re-notification. State government had earlier told Bombay High Court that it was not binding on it to follow the court order passed last year, which directed it to refuse any permission for use of loudspeakers in deemed silence zones. It contended that by the amendment of August 10 to the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Amendment rules, 2017, it had powers to re-notify all silence zones.

(Source: DNA)

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5. Mumbai Double Murder Accused Chintan Upadhyay Paints His Pain On Canvas

Freedom may be out of reach for celebrated artist Chintan Upadhyay while he faces trial for the murder of his ex-wife Hema and her lawyer, but ironically, his painting on the theme of incarceration and freedom could soon escape the prison and make its way to the walls of the chief minister's office.

Chintan, who is lodged in Thane Central Jail, has impressed the authorities with his Painting, which captures what it means to pine for freedom behind bars. The 6x5 ft painting, made by joining two canvas frames together, depicts an incarcerated zebra, bleeding from its hoof.

(Source: Mid-Day)

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6. Gaining Permission For Tree Felling Made Easier

Real estate development is expected to be faster now with the state urban development ministry making some concessions and easing the process of granting of permission for tree cutting. A directive issued by the urban development department yesterday said that the same inspector will not inspect an establishment consecutively twice.

The Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act provides for seeking permission for tree felling from the Tree Authority of the respective local authority. The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion has issued directives for facilitating the permission for tree felling. A senior urban development officer said the easing of norms would speed up the process of development of plots where trees come in the way of construction.

(Source: Mumbai Mirror)

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7. Cash-for-Transfer: Cops Among 21 Who Sought Plum Postings

Twenty one Maharashtra government officials, police personnel and BMC staffers were in touch with the gang involved in the cash-for-transfers scam to secure favourable postings, a probe by the city crime branch has revealed. The fraudsters had also told the owner of a sugar factory in Solapur that they could obtain environment clearance certificate from the Union government through Ravindra Yadav, an accused in the case who posed as member of the censor board.

A charitable trust had also approached the main accused, Kishore Mali, to get a sum of Rs 20 crore released from a bank. The money was stuck with the financial institution. Two cheques for Rs 5 crore issued by the trust were recovered from the accused. "There was no money in the trust's account. Hence, why these cheques were given to accused is being probed," said joint commissioner of police (crime) Sanjay Saxena. The city crime branch on Thursday filed a charge sheet in the case before metropolitan magistrate RS Aradhye. The 3,500-page document contains the details of the raid at a hotel, the arrest of senior Mahanand Dairy official Vidyasagar Hirmukh and six others, papers seized from the accused, statements of witnesses.

(Source: Times of India)

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8. Biker Dead After Truck Hits Cars Causing Major Pile-Up at JVLR

A speeding truck that lost control on JVLR in Andheri on August 23, rammed into several vehicles ahead of it, causing a major car pile-up and killing a biker. The biker, identified as Pankaj Shantaram Thorat, 30, died during treatment on August 24. According to eyewitness Kiran Kargutkar, the incident took place around 11.30 pm the previous night. "The truck first hit Thorat's bike, causing it to skid. The biker came under the car of a vehicle ahead of him. Due to the impact of the truck's knock, that car too throttled ahead, crushing the biker under its wheels, and dashing into other cars," said Kargutkar.

According to Hanumant Shinde, a police officer at MIDC, all the vehicles were waiting at the signal when the truck, which was coming from Virar, rammed into them. The truck was carrying heaps of sand, and due to the weight, the driver was unable to control the heavy vehicle, when it reached the signal. "We detained one man (Maniram Kumar) who was sitting in the truck, but the driver ran away from the spot. We are looking for him," said Shinde. The truck driver has been identified as Jitendra Kumar.

(Source: Mid-Day)

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9. Tabu To Play Sushma Swaraj In Biopic On Woman Rescued From Pakistan?

At a time when non-fiction grips Bollywood, here comes another film based on a true incident. Director Dhiraj Kumar is preparing to tell the story of Uzma Ahmed, an Indian national who was made to marry Pakistani national Tahir Ali at gunpoint in Pakistan. However, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj took it upon herself to bring 'Hindustan ki beti' back home in a legal battle that lasted almost a fortnight. And return she did, on May 25.

Kumar has approached senior actor Tabu to play the all-important role of Swaraj in the drama, while Parineeti Chopra is the frontrunner for the lead. "Parineeti is definitely one of the names we are considering. You need a solid performer for the part. But it's too early to discuss the cast." Taapsee Pannu is another forerunner for the role. Rumours suggest that Anil Kapoor may play Indian Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh who aided Ahmed.

(Source: Mid-Day)

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