1. Hailstorm Kills 2, Damages Crops In Parts Of State
Hailstorm over central parts of Maharashtra, Marathwada and parts of Vidarbha region claimed two lives and caused extensive damage to crops on Sunday.
“The victims – identified as Namdev Shinde, 65, and Asaran Jagtap – were out in the open during the hailstorm. Two others were seriously injured. Five cattle have also died,” said Jalna district collector Shivaji Jondhale. He added that the government plans to give compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the kin of the deceased.
“There was a massive hailstorm in Jalna and its outskirts. I went to some villages and found farmers weeping as their crops – grape, sweet lime, gram, wheat and onion seed – were damaged,” said former minister Rajesh Tope.
Source: Mumbai Mirror
2. Fed Up, Residents End Redevelopment Deal
Another redevelopment project undertaken by Shree Sai Developers has run into rough weather, with 40 families terminating its development agreement with the builder, after having waited in vain for their homes for eight years.
On Sunday, members of the Niwara Cooperative Housing Society in DN Nagar, Andheri, met at an Extraordinary General Body Meeting and reaffirmed their decision taken on December 24 last year to terminate the redevelopment agreement with Sai Siddhant Developers, which is managed by Jayesh Tanna of Shree Sai Developers. The developer had left their building half constructed at nine storeys and stopped paying rent for almost two and a half years.
Source: Mumbai Mirror
3. ‘Non-veg Food Will Send You To Hell'
The tranquillity of a lazy Sunday morning was shattered by the loudspeaker cries in the lanes of Kandivali (E), where a group advocating vegetarianism condemned meat eaters to the worst-possible fate. Around breakfast time yesterday, nearly a hundred people, including women and elderly, took out a procession in the lanes of Thakur Village and nearby localities urging people to shun meat.
Calling themselves disciples of a Meerut-based godman called Paramsant Baba Jaygurudev Maharaj, who according to them is over a century old, participants of the procession screamed over loudspeakers that "eating non-veg was a sin", such food habits were "destroying humanity", and not embracing vegetarianism was a "sure shot path towards destruction".
Source: Mumbai Mirror
4. Air India, Vistara Flights Avoid Mid-Air Crash By Mere Seconds
In a shocking incident, a Vistara flight and an Air India flight missed a mid air collission by seconds on February 7 around 8pm. The incident happened over the Mumbai skies and is one of the closest shaves that the country has witnessed in years.
With nearly 200 passengers' lives having been put at stake, a serious note is being taken of the incident. The Vistara flight, UK 997 was on its way from Delhi to Pune, while Air India's AI 631 was flying from Mumbai to Bhopal.
Source: Mid-day
5. The Dark Side Of Bollywood
Some years ago, when Bollywood stars Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif were dating, and had moved into their love nest in Bandra, they are rumoured to have conducted a spiritual ‘cleanse’ of the place. Both actors had had a string of flops: He had the big-budget Bombay Velvet and then Tamasha, and she had the utterly-forgettable Baar Baar Dekho. Their collaboration, Jagga Jasoos, was, at the time, taking forever to get made. That’s when the couple is said to have sort a little other-worldly help. They supposedly hired a ‘healer’ who told them that a “jealous friend” had ‘cursed’ the house and the couple, which left both their careers in the doldrums. The healer advised them to organise the cleanse, and they apparently took it a step further by putting crystals and other positive vibe objects all over the house.
Source: Mumbai Mirror
6. A Havan In Memory Of Their ‘Home’ That Was Once Heavenly
Militancy and violence drove them out of their homes in Kashmir around three decades ago, but till this day, they have remained true to their traditions, culture and rituals. And most importantly, stay united.
Over 700 families of Kashmiri Pandits staying in and around Mumbai came together in the February 3-4 weekend to take part in an annual 24- hour havan and puja to revive old traditions, recall memories of their lost homes and remind the youngsters of their roots.
Source: Mumbai Mirror
7. Nagpur: Transgender Activist Becomes Member Of Lok Adalat Panel
A transgender activist, who has become a member of the judicial panel at a National Lok Adalat conducted, says the society should not discriminate against the LGBT community and rather support such people. Vidya Kamble (29), who has been working as a social activist for around 10 years, is the first transgender to be a panel member of the Lok Adalat in the state, district legal aid committee secretary Kunal Jadhav claimed. The activist was on the panel of the Lok Adalat held in the Nagpur district court yesterday.
Source: Mid-day
8. Traffic Police Boss Traps Corrupt Cops With Decoy Biker
Three traffic constables were suspended on Saturday after a sting ordered by their boss exposed their practice of demanding bribes from offenders.
Joint police commissioner (traffic) Amitesh Kumar roped in an everyday Mumbaikar and instructed him to zoom around on a motorcycle in the western suburbs without a licence or a helmet on Monday.
Source: Mumbai Mirror
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