1. Mumbai Building Collapse: 17 Dead; Shiv Sena’s Sunil Shitap Booked
Seventeen people were killed after a four-storey building collapsed in Ghatkopar, Mumbai on the morning of 25 July. The building collapsed at 10:45am, and as of 9pm, around 23 people had been rescued from the debris, PTI reported. Several others are feared trapped under the debris of the building on LBS Road, near Shreyas Cinema in Ghatkopar West. The building was home to around 15 families, with close to three families on every floor.
Police have booked and detained Shiv Sena leader Sunil Shitap for culpable homicide and he is being questioned in the matter.
(Source: The Quint)
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2. State Plans Online System for Changes in Properties
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday told the Legislative Assembly that a new system is being developed to grant online permission to applicants seeking to make certain changes, not structural, in their properties in the city.
“People sometimes need to make changes to their houses, but the procedure is very complicated and time consuming. As a result of which people tend to make the changes without taking any prior permission from concerned authorities, and sometimes such decisions turn into a disaster,” the chief minister said.
His statement came a day after a residential building collapsed in suburban Ghatkopar, allegedly due to alterations made in a facility located on its ground floor, killing 17 persons.
Such mechanism will not only increase the speed of clearing demands, but also reduce the waiting period for people, he said.
(Source: Mumbai Mirror)
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3. Chintan Demands 'Justice' for Hema
Artist Chintan Upadhyay, prime accused in the double murder of his former wife, artist Hema Upadhyay, and her lawyer Haresh Bhambani, approached the Bombay High Court on Wednesday, asking that the investigation be transferred to the CBI.
Chintan has alleged that in its current state, the probe being conducted by the Crime Branch is “not fair”.
The reasons for Chintan’s petition are two recent events in the Dindoshi Sessions Court. According to Chintan, three statements by his friends and an employee were supplied to the court, but these were not handed over to him. Special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam orally said the state was not relying on the statements. Chintan also alleged that a CD pertaining to his case was not given to him — even though he was told it would be handed over later.
Chintan claimed the statements support his alibi — that he was at a friend’s house, also in Chembur, when the alleged conspiracy was hatched . He also said his call data records did not tally with those of the other accused. Under law, an accused has the right to know and access all evidence that the prosecution may use against him, before a trial begins.
(Source: Mumbai Mirror)
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4. In Mumbai, TB Deaths Spark Data Dispute Between Govt and NGO
India’s richest municipal corporation has denied non-profit Praja Foundation’s assessment – made from the corporation’s own data – that 18 people die of tuberculosis everyday, even as Praja Foundation claims the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has no way of knowing if the assessment is wrong because it cannot access its own death-related data ever since it moved to a new software.
The assessment, released two weeks back, was based on data accessed through Right to Information (RTI) filings from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which refutes its conclusions saying the data has been put together “unscientifically.”
Praja Foundation alleges that the BMC switched to a new software in December 2015, whose design prevents it from accessing its own data on mortality, leaving it with no way of knowing if Praja Foundation’s estimate is incorrect.
(Source: The Quint)
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5. Youth's Facebook Post Says Four People Pushed Him to Death
After putting up a Facebook post, holding four people responsible for his death, a 24-year-old youth committed suicide by jumping before a train between Borivali and Kandivali stations on Monday evening.
According to police, the deceased has been identified as Vikesh Vishwakarma, who resided in Poisar area of Kandivali East and worked for Vodafone. Investigation has revealed that after posting the names on July 23, Vikesh went missing.
The youth had put up names of four people on Facebook, holding them responsible for his death
The youth had put up names of four people on Facebook, holding them responsible for his death
Speaking to mid-day, an officer from the Government Railway Police, Borivli, said, "The exact reason behind the suicide is still not clear. We overheard some passengers saying that a couple of days back he had a fight with some people residing nearby. We have registered an ADR and are investigating the case."
(Source: Mid-Day)
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6. Irked by Police Inaction, Ghatkopar Family Kidnaps Man
Peeved with the police allegedly dragging their feet on a complaint, a Ghatkopar family got a man abducted to produce him before them.
Two men, posing as police personnel, kidnapped an accused in a criminal case, Kamaluddin Khan, from the premises of the sessions court a month ago right before he could apply for anticipatory bail. The abductors -- Sabbir Chand Khan, 30 and Kaif Ali Bahadur Khan, 38 -- along with two others, then handed him over to the Ghatkopar police, seeking his arrest.
A complaint was filed by the Ghatkopar family two months ago following a clash with Kamaluddin's family. Both sustained injuries and filed cross-complaints against each other.
(Source: Mid-Day)
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7. AI Employee Caught Smuggling Gold
An employee of state carrier Air India was sacked after being apprehended at the Mumbai airport for allegedly trying to smuggle out four gold biscuits hidden in the battery space of a mobile phone.
A senior official in the airport security said the incident occurred at about 10 AM when a CISF jawan intercepted Khan Mohammed Arif near the lift area in the terminal-2 of the airport.
He was frisked and four gold biscuits of 100gms each were found concealed in the battery space of his mobile phone, the official said.
8. Idol Returns to His Maker
Vijay Khatu, the preeminent sculptor of larger-than-life Ganesh idols, died of heart attack at his residence near Shivaji Park at 10.30 on Wednesday morning. He was 63. He is survived by his wife, Vinaya, son Rohit and daughter Reshma.
Khatu’s demise, which comes a month before Ganesh Chaturthi on August 25, has jolted his family, friends, apprentices, fellow artists and Ganpati Mandals, who turned out in huge numbers to pay their last respects at his workshop in Parel, where his body was kept.
Never before in the city has an idolmaker been bidden a final adieu at his atelier, in the presence of a huge police contingent, deployed to manage the crowd. The cortège ended at the Shivaji Park crematorium.
(Source: Mumbai Mirror)
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