1. IMA Wakes up, Sends Help to Stranded Docs in China
The Indian Medical Association has finally gotten its act together and stepped in to help its 40 members and their family who have been stranded in Shenzhen, China since landing there on Saturday. The doctors are on trip to attend a medical conference in Hong Kong. They were left helpless after their tour operator failed to make stay arrangements for the group. Now, with IMA taking charge, help is on the way and they are now set to enjoy the remaining leg of their trip as planned.
On Tuesday, Mirror managed to establish contact with Dr Ganesh Shenoy, who is traveling with his wife Nancy, over voice calls. “It was a very humiliating experience for us. We were not received at the airport and after much waiting, the Chinese counterpart - Freedom Tours finally sent their personnel. We were told that since our tour operator refused to pay, the hotel was refusing to let us stay,” recounted a distressed Nancy. The group was then taken to the Freedom tours office and given shelter for a few hours.
(Source: Mumbai Mirror)
2. Fashion Disaster
The iconic Fashion Street on MG Road may bear a forlorn look soon as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has decided to terminate the licences of 49 hawkers in the area who violate norms. The move is part of a crackdown by the civic body on hawkers across the city. The stalls will be demolished from today onwards.
Similar termination notices will be issued to 41 hawkers in Nariman Point on Wednesday. Of the 41, 21 hawkers sell street food, clothes and beverages even though they have a license to only sell paan-beedi.
(Source: Mumbai Mirror)
3. TV Producer, Accused of Sexual Harassment, Files Case Against Shilpa Shinde
In the ongoing controversy between the producers and actress of a popular TV serial, Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hai, the producer, Sanjay Kohli, has now filed a case against Shilpa Shinde, the actress who had earlier played Angoori Bhabhi in the serial. The case has been filed in the Bandra court with an appeal to prosecute the actress under stringent sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The case against Shinde comes two months after she had alleged sexual harassment by Kohli, which had forced her to quit the serial.
(Source: Mid-Day)
4. Major Fire Breaks out at Complex Near Evershine Mall in Malad
A major fire broke out on Tuesday at a commercial complex at the Chavda commercial centre, behind Evershine Mall in Malad on Link Road.
Eight fire engines rushed to the spot to douse the fire. There is no death or injury reported as yet.
The fire cause a traffic snarl and traffic was diverted near Evershine Mall and commuters were advised to use the S V Road till the fire was brought under control.
According to the fire control room, fire fighting is in the process and only later on can an accurate picture of what caused the blaze can be provided.
(Source: Mid-Day)
5. 4 Yrs on, HC Directs Police to Trace Activist's Missing Son
There seems to be hope for whistleblower Shaukat Shaikh of the Golibar slum redevelopment scam, whose 15-year-old son was allegedly kidnapped in late 2012. The Bombay High Court has directed the police to “take all possible efforts to trace the child during the month of May, 2017.”
A division bench of Justices VM Kanade and CV Bhadang passed the order earlier this month after it was told that the child was “seen on four occasions by four persons in the city of Mumbai.”
Shaikh’s son, Sajid, had gone missing from his Santa Cruz East locality in August 2012 and Shaikh says this was because of an expose he had done on a slum redevelopment project in his area.
Shaikh’s lawyer Wesley Menezes pointed out to the bench that in an earlier petition, the HC had directed that even if an FIR for kidnapping was registered and the accused arrested, the police had to continue to trace the child. Based on this order, the Bandra Metropolitan Magistrate RN Ambatkar passed an order in May 2015 that the police submit periodic reports on the progress made. Shaikh and Menezes allege that this never happened.
(Source: Mumbai Mirror)
6. 95 Open Spaces Pending Acquisition; Mumbai Chokes
Despite spending a whopping Rs 432.58 crore, 95 open plots acquisition proposals in the city are gathering dust. These plots include playgrounds, gardens, recreation grounds and parks that are reserved in the DP, but are privately owned. Ideally, it should take two years for the city collector to acquire these reserved plots but the proposals have been pending since 20 years. The procedural delays and lapses have led to loss of precious green space, in a city already starved of open spaces.
For every plot it wants to acquire, the BMC submits a proposal and 50% of the cost of the land to the city collector’s office. The rest is paid after the acquisition.
This information came to light after Anil Galgali, an RTI activist, filed an RTI query and sought replies on all the open space reserved plots that needed to be acquired by the collector.
(Source: Mumbai Mirror)
7. Animal Lover Says Spanish Woman and a Senior Citizen Hit Her for Feeding Cats
A Bandra resident, who’s been feeding stray animals in her locality for the last seven years, has filed a police complaint saying she was accosted and thrashed on two occasions for feeding cats in her lane.
Animal lover Purnima Hoon, 38, who resides on St Leo’s Road, has named a Spanish national, Esther Mendes, and a 75-year-old man, Godfrey Rodrigues, in her complaint, saying they accused her of littering, pinched and hit her, and grabbed her shirt.
Hoon, who says feeding stray animals was a “way of life” for her family, has alleged she was assaulted by Mendes in April, and again on May 3, when Mendes was accompanied by Rodrigues and others.
(Source: Mumbai Mirror)
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