FSI Abuse By Mill Land Owners: BMC Points Finger at IT Dept For Failing To Stop Misuse
The BMC will likely point fingers at the State’s Information Technology (IT) department for allowing the commercial misuse of Floor Space Index (FSI) in former mill lands which were supposed to be converted into IT parks.
A senior civic official, who is familiar with the probe headed by BMC chief Ajoy Mehta into the December 29 fire at Kamala Mills, said they “have no clue about what comprises IT activity”. “It is the responsibility of the IT department to list out the exact space that has been given out for IT purposes. Our officials are not in a position to decide activities come under the IT banner,” said a senior civic official.
Officials said that the report, which will be submitted by Mehta to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis next week, would recommend a joint inspection by BMC and IT department officials of mill lands where owners had gained extra FSI under the scheme.
(Source: Mumbai Mirror)
Leave Us Alone, Pleads Late Judge Loya’s Son
Anuj Loya, the 21-year-old son of late CBI judge BH Loya, insisted in a press conference yesterday that he and his family have no suspicions any more about his father’s death in 2014 and pleaded to be left alone. “I was 17 years old when my father died. I was going through an emotional turmoil. I had a suspicion at that point, but now we are all clear,” he said, at the press meet at the office of his lawyer Ameet Naik at Nariman Point.
When Mumbai Mirror asked him about a letter cited in various news reports where Anuj had written about his fears and suspicions after his father’s death in 2014, Anuj accepted that he did write that letter. But his lawyer Naik immediately interrupted, saying, “If you want to go by what has happened historically, it is not fair. So let’s close it.”
Judge Loya allegedly died of a heart attack on December 1, 2014, after attending a wedding of a colleague’s kin. A controversy arose in November 2017 when a publication carried articles, quoting close family members, raising suspicions on his death. At the time of his death in Nagpur, Judge Loya was handling the politically sensitive Sohrabuddin Sheikh alleged encounter case, in which now Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah was an accused at one point in time - though later discharged. The case once again came into prominence after the press conference by four justices of the Supreme Court on Friday, in which they aired their grievances about the way the judiciary functioned.
(Source: Mumbai Mirror)
Kites Injure Over Seventy Birds On Makar Sankranti
It rained pigeons, parrots and herons when Mumbaikars took to the skies with high-flying kites to celebrate Makar Sankranti on Sunday. The Bombay Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA) in Parel rescued over 70 birds which dropped to the ground after being injured by the virtually invisible manjas attached to the kites flown by residents. Most of the cases were recorded in South Mumbai, near Dadar and Girgaum areas.
“The birds can suffer serious injuries to the wings, necks and legs when they get cut midflight. Both the Chinese manja – synthetic threads coated with glass/metal to make them sharper – and Indian manja – thread coated with glass powder and wax – are dangerous to birds. That it’s deadly is clear from the fact that the person flying the kite bandages three fingers to ensure his/her fingers don’t get injured,” said Lt Col Dr J C Khanna, secretary and officer-in-charge of the BSPCA hospital.
The hospital responded to 73 distress calls – 62 pigeons, seven kites, three parrots and one heron –on Sunday. Atul Kamble, who belongs to Manav Abhyas Sangha, an NGO dedicated to animal resuce, said he was called in to save a crow and an eagle in Chembur.
BSPCA officials said that the figure averaged around 150 in the previous years.
(Source: Mumbai Mirror)
4 BMC Officials To Face Probe For Lapses At Park
Four BMC officials from A ward and the Garden department will face a fullfledged departmental enquiry after a high-level probe held them responsible for lapses that led to the death of Janhavi Sharma while riding a horse in Colaba’s Cooperage garden in November last year. The probe report has also found the contractor guilty of negligence and recommended that he be blacklisted.
While the probe report doesn’t hold officials directly responsible for Janhavi's death, it says “administrative lapses” on the part of the BMC officials allowed horse owners to operate rides in the park despite a 2015 High Court order banning such rides in the city. Officials from A ward’s maintenance department also failed to repair the walking track inside the park despite written complaints by NCP legislator Rahul Narwekar. The report states that negligence on the part of the officials created circumstances that led to Janhavi’s death. The enquiry report, prepared by Additional Municipal Commissioner AL Jarad, also recommends a comprehensive policy on maintenance of parks and gardens in the city, and recommends a departmental enquiry (DE) against the four officials.
(Source: Mumbai Mirror)
Two Kill Leopard In ‘Self-Defence’ In Nagpur
Two cousins allegedly killed a leopard in self-defence when the animal attacked them in their field at Lohara village in North Umred forest range in Nagpur on Sunday morning. “The cousins, Ravindra and Rajendra Thakre, had gone to their farm around 8 am when a leopard attacked Ravindra(50). On hearing the cries of Ravindra, Rajendra (48) rushed to help. To defend themselves, the two apparently hit the leopard with an axe and a stick leading to his death,” Assistant Conservator of Forest Mangesh Thengdi said.
The two brothers were grievously hurt and have been admitted in hospital. Their condition is stable. The leopard was a male about five years old. No charges will be brought as it is apparently a case of self-defence, he said.
(Source: Indian Express)
From 20.3 Lakh To 32 Lakh, City’s Vehicle Count Up 56% In Just 5 Years
From 3.2 lakh registered vehicles in Mumbai in 1980-81, it took two decades for the vehicular population to cross the 10 lakh mark—spanning the 1980s and 1990s—while it took just a single decade to cross the 20 lakh mark in 2011-12.
WIth easy EMIs for cars and a boom in production of new vehicles/two-wheelers, it took merely five years to add a million more vehicles on Mumbai's roads. The city had nearly 32 lakh vehicles as of last November.
Experts now fear that the gap between every extra 10 lakh vehicles on road is narrowing. Soon, it could take a mere two to three years to add another million vehicles in Mumbai and this could sound alarm bells for the city—where the road length has remained at 2,000km for years, they pointed out.
(Source: Times of India)
Surrogate Baby For Milind Deora, Pooja Shetty
Former Union minister and Congress leader Milind Deora and his wife Pooja Shetty announced on Sunday that they had become parents of a girl, born through surrogacy.
Deora, 45, tweeted: “My wife Pooja and I are thrilled to share that we have been blessed with a healthy baby girl. We are finally able to fulfil our dream thanks to our surrogate mother, who is in good health. We are profoundly grateful to her. We seek your blessings and love and ask you to respect our privacy.” Deora told Mumbai Mirror yesterday that he didn’t want to say anything more on the matter.
Deora joins several famous Mumbaikars in becoming a parent via surrogacy.
(Source: Mumbai Mirror)
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