QMumbai: Kamala Mills Fire Chargesheet; Rane Offered RS Seat

All the Mumbai news you should read today.

1. Kamala Mills Fire: Owners, Managers and Waiters Were the First to Escape

The owners of the 1Above restaurant, where 14 people lost their lives and 31 were injured in a massive fire on December 29 last year, left the victims to fend for themselves and ran away from the place to save their own lives, the victims have stated in unison to the police.

The NM Joshi Marg Police, as a part of the over 2,700-page charge sheet filed on Wednesday against 12 accused on the Kamala Mills fire incident, have recorded statements of more than 25 victims. All the victims, who were dining at the 1Above restaurant, have stated that the owners and the hotel staff did not help them in any way. A few of them have gone ahead and said, “They ran away to save their lives, leaving us in the lurch.”

A businessman from Dadar, Kedar Gantha, and his wife Chandni said, "At the time of the incident, neither the owners of 1Above nor the employees helped us get out of the place. We could not spot any sign indicating towards any fire exit which made it difficult to locate the exit point, but the owners had left the place before us."

Source: Mumbai Mirror

2. BJP Offers Narayan Rane Rajya Sabha Seat

Having conveyed the party’s inability to accommodate him in the Devendra Fadnavis cabinet, the BJP has offered former Maharashtra chief minister Narayan Rane a Rajya Sabha seat.

The decision was taken in Delhi late Wednesday night following a meeting between BJP president Amit Shah, Chief Minister Fadnavis and Rane. The offer was made to Rane after eliciting his support to BJP and his political stand in the NDA for 2019 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, it is learnt.

Rane, who leads the Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksha, confirmed, “I have been offered (a) Rajya Sabha seat. I have sought some time from them to convey my decision.”

Source: The Indian Express

3. Bullet-proof SUV for Netas on Tour to Naxal-hit Areas

The Maharashtra government has decided to buy 225 vehicles for VIPs, including a bullet-proof SUV costing Rs 56 lakh to be used by Union ministers while touring Naxal-infested areas.

Officials said that Union ministers, who enjoy Z-plus category security cover, would be entitled to use the bullet-proof vehicle.

According to a government resolution (GR) issued by the general administration department on February 27, the bullet-proof Toyota Fortuner will be stationed with the protocol department at Nagpur.

Source: Mumbai Mirror

4. In Mumbai, 15-year-old Boy Dies Days Before SSC Examinations

A 15-year-old boy from Worli died on Thursday, days before his SSC examinations were scheduled to begin. While the family of Hritik Ghadsi initially suspected that he died of a heart attack, doctors said the cause of his death was difficult to ascertain until forensic tests are conducted.

According to family members, Ghadsi played Holi on Wednesday night before going to sleep. After midnight, he felt uneasy. His uncle Prakash Javale said that he collapsed at around 1 am. He was rushed to KEM hospital where doctors declared him dead.

According to the dean of KEM hospital, Dr Avinash Supe, the opinion of death has been kept reserved. Forensic experts who conducted autopsy on Ghadsi said that “there was no evidence to the naked eye of a muscular heart attack.”

Source: The Indian Express

5. L&T Bags Rs 2,500-crore Shivaji Statue Contract

The Maharasthra government’s ambitious plan to build a 210-metre tall statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj off the Mumbai coast moved a step closer to reality, as engineering giant Larsen & Toubro bagged the contract for its construction.

The state on Thursday awarded the Letter of Acceptance (LoA) to the firm to build the memorial along the lines of the Statue of Liberty in New York, at an estimated cost of Rs2,500 crore.

In January, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had directed the High Power Committee under chief secretary Sumit Mullick to expedite the work on the project and negotiate cost of the project with the company on the . L&T, during the tendering process, had quoted Rs3,826 crore for the contract, exceeding the cost estaimated by the state government by Rs1,326 crores.

Source: Hindustan Times

6. Leopard, Cub Found Dead in Maharashtra’s Nagpur District, Officials Suspect Poisoning

A female leopard and its cub were found dead in the forest of Khapri village near Maharashtra’s Nagpur district on Thursday. Preliminary reports indicate that the big cats could have been poisoned.

Forest department personnel, however, said they were still trying to ascertain the exact cause of death. Officials said the carcasses were found near a nullah, which led them to suspect that the leopards may have died after drinking the contaminated water.

Shree Bhagwan, principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF), Maharashtra , confirmed the deaths. “We are investigating to ascertain the cause of death,” he said. He added that a team of veterinarians conducted the post mortem of both big cats on Thursday evening.

Source: Hindustan Times

7. Docs File Complaint Against Seven Hills

Fifteen doctors from the ailing Seven Hills Hospital, in Marol, filed a complaint against the hospital on Wednesday for disconnecting power and water supply to the doctors' quarters.

The doctors, who have been striking work since December, have not been paid for the last nine months. They said that the hospital management was mounting pressure on them to force them to quit, and that they had also asked them to vacate the quarters.

According to the complaint filed at the MIDC police station, the doctors said that the management had served them a notice last month asking them to vacate their quarters, and they had shut off the water and power connections since the doctors refused to budge. "We have not been paid since July. Where will we go? Instead cooperating with us, the management wants to throw us out," said a senior doctor on the condition of anonymity.

Source: Mumbai Mirror