1. BMC Sends Legal Notices to Lilavati and Kokilaben Ambani Hospitals for Illegal Construction
Not wanting to take any chances following the Kamala Mills fire, in which 14 people were killed last December, the BMC has trained its guns on two prestigious private hospitals -- Lilavati and Dhirubhai Ambani hospitals -- for illegal development and flouting of construction norms. Earlier last week, the municipal body served notices to the two hospitals under 53(1) of the Maharashtra Regional Town Planning (MRTP) Act, 1966, and has given them a month's time to take corrective action, following which they will be prosecuted under the Act.
Source: Mid-day
2. Plan to Turn Ground Into BMC Gymkhana Passed
The BMC has managed to push through a plan to convert a playground in Mahalaxmi into a gymkhana for civic officials. The proposal was passed by the majority Shiv Sena in the Standing Committee on Wednesday, even as the BJP and the Samajwadi Party opposed it. The BJP even staged a walkout after the proposal was passed.
The civic body has proposed constructing a gymkhana exclusively for its officials on a plot near Lala Lajpatrai College in Mahalaxmi. The gymkhana will have a cafeteria, swimming pool, and sporting facilities for senior officials only. The BMC had even appointed a private consultant to design the gymkhana, to ensure it had all the facilities available at private clubs. The club will cost the BMC Rs 45 crore, and the BMC has made a provision of Rs 5 crore for it in this year’s budget.
Source: Mumbai Mirror
3. NB Moves CBI Over Rs 11,400-Cr Scam; More Trouble for Nirav Modi
The Punjab National Bank (PNB) yesterday reported a scam of around Rs 11,400 crore ($1.77 billion) where city based billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi allegedly acquired fraudulent letters of undertaking from the bank’s one of the branches in Mumbai to secure overseas credit from other Indian banks. The PNB has suspended 10 officers and referred the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Source: Mumbai Mirror
4. Evicted Hawkers Face Survival Issue
For the last 100 days, Azam Sheikh has not been able to work. The 51-yearold used to sell clothes on NG Acharya Marg outside Chembur station, alongside roughly 400 other street vendors. He began working there in 1981 and remembers selling children’s T-shirts for Rs 4. But since the BMC cleared them out in November, 2017, following the Bombay High Court’s order that no street vendors should be permitted within 150m of railways stations, his business has come to a shuddering halt and he has not been able to earn anything since then.
“The day after the order, we were removed without any notice,” he says. “They should at least have given us a notice. We can’t go on like this [without work] for much longer.”
Source: Mumbai Mirror
5. Woman Dies After Being Knocked Down by Water Tanker
A 32-year-old woman died after being struck by a speeding water tanker in Santacruz East on Wednesday. Chandani Vishwakarma, who lived in Mahalaxmi, was crossing the road around 3:15 pm when the accident took place. She was rushed to nearby VN Desai Hospital, but there was nothing doctors could do to save her.
The Vakola police have arrested the 24-year-old driver, Maheshkumar Gautam. “He has been booked for rash driving and negligence,” said senior inspector Kailash Awhad.
Source: Mumbai Mirror
6. Woman Accuses Pilot Husband of Rape, Wife-Swapping
The Mumbai police have booked a pilot working with a commercial airline on charges of rape and unnatural offences, after a complaint by his wife. The accused and his family were earlier booked on charges of domestic violence and criminal breach of trust, and the new charges were added to the FIR.
The Oshiwara police had registered an FIR against the 35-year-old captain, on January 4. His wife alleged in it that he and his parents had taken her jewellery worth Rs 1 crore.
Source: Mid-day
7. CM Devendra Fadnavis' Picture With Ponzi Scam Mastermind On Bail Alarms Duped Investors
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis sure seems to be keeping strange company of late. The CM set tongues wagging recently by tweeting pictures of him sharing the stage with Zahir Rana, a notorious Ponzi scheme operator who duped people of hundreds of crores in a series of scams. Fadnavis even unveiled the offer document of Rana's latest venture, a cricket talent hunt programme, which, past victims of the fraudster said, is likely yet another con.
On Sunday, citizens were shocked when Fadnavis tweeted several pictures of him unveiling Zahir Rana's new project at a BJP medical camp in Malwani. Rana claims his latest offering is not a Ponzi scheme, but a genuine proposal for the country's first ever cricket talent hunt and reality show. His past victims warn, however, that he might just be playing everybody, including the CM. Rana told mid-day, "I don't want to discuss my past. I served jail time in one of the cases. I wish to start a new life and have no intention to cheat anyone."
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