If all goes as per plan, commuters on the Harbour line will soon be able to avail of plush and swanky trains, following the exit of old, retrofitted locals in a phased manner. According to sources in the railways, 24 new trains are likely to be introduced on this route.Apparently, the Harbour line was the last to move to AC power traction. A fleet of old retrofitted trains of the DC era, however, continue to ply commuters, much to their dismay. The swanky new fleet manufactured in Chennai, which reached Nashik this week, is likely to cheer commuters because Harbour line trains were in desperate need for an upgrade.
But now that these new trains are being introduced on the route, commuters must ensure no damage to public property. Given the fact that our trains serve as Mumbai's lifeline, commuters should keep an eye out for offenders to who tarnish the trains and report them to railway cops, no matter if it's Western, Central or Harbour Railway.
While rail authorities are, obviously, responsible for maintenance of the trains, it's also the commuters' responsibility to ensure that people don't carve their names or phone numbers on the train's walls. The seats should be treated delicately so that they don't tear from use. Also, discourage people from putting their feet up on the seats, as it leaves shoe marks behind. If CCTV cameras are installed in the train, no one should tamper with them. Citizens should realise that such practices are best described as acts of vandalism.
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"Nobody buys female condoms. Take the male condoms, instead," suggested a staffer at a 24/7 medical store, when a mid-day reporter posed as a customer to buy a packet of condoms. Said to be the most effective means of protection against HIV among women, the internal condom, also known as the female condom, is considered both empowering and liberating.
*Grand Medical Store, Byculla**mid-day's reporter seen making pit stops across 24/7 medical stores in the city in the wee hours, on Tuesday. Pics/Sameer Markande*
However, this is clearly not the case in the megalopolis of Mumbai, which, according to the 2011 census, boasts of a population of over 60 lakh women. During a test drive at 12 medical stores across South Mumbai and the suburbs, this reporter's unusual requirement was either met with awkward stares or outright refusal, enough to make any woman in the city think twice before contemplating to use one, let alone buy it. The stigma aside, finding a female condom at any of these stores, was like looking for a needle in a haystack.*Parel Medical Store, Parel*
*Subject of speculation*
If you ask for a female condom at any crowded medical store at night, you might become the subject of speculation with the staff either sizing you up or throwing awkward stares. A few staff were also taken aback by the brazenness of this reporter to ask for a female condom.
*Also read: We don't use condoms, says woman who mothered nine children**Wellness Forever, Sion*
One shopkeeper at Royal Chemist at Byculla, said, "We don't keep such products." When this reporter asked for a reason, he agitatedly said, "I don't know the reason, we have never kept it. Please go and check with some other store." The reporter had similar experiences at several other stores.*Sion Medico, Sion*
According to women's right activist Archana Mehra "shopkeepers need to be sensitised when dealing with female customers". "No one takes offence or speculates if a man comes to buy condoms. But, the same people raise their eyebrows when a woman asks for it. If women are made to feel uncomfortable, they will never go and buy it," said Mehra.
*Duping female customers*
The staff at Grand Medical Store, near JJ Hospital, claimed they had only two packets of female condoms. The MRP on the box was Rs 55. However, when this reporter asked for a packet, the shopkeeper tried selling it for R110 each. The staff was alerted when the reporter threatened to file a complaint.
*Also read - Not just the West, sexual act of stealthing common in India too: Experts*
At Metro Medical Store in Bandra tried, the staff tried to palm off a local female condom-brand as an imported product. It was being sold for Rs 200.
Commenting on the issue of 'overcharging' Anand Patwardhan, an expert in medical ethics and treasurer of Council For Fair Business Practices said, "Even if the supply is less, no one can charge over and above the MRP. This is exploitation. In such cases, one can file a complaint with the Legal Metrology department."
Another reason why women choose against buying condoms is the marked difference in pricing. While a packet of male condoms vary anywhere between Rs 8- Rs 12, female condom packets are being sold for anything above Rs 60, almost three times higher. "The lack of demand has also affected the supply," says Ravishankar Joshi, who has been working at a medical store in Worli for five years. "We only order one or two boxes of female condoms every week. Compared to that, we sell 10-15 male condoms daily," said Joshi.
"Young unemployed women can't afford such expensive condoms," said Dr Rekha Daver, former head of gynaecology department at JJ Hospital. "Female condoms are bigger in size and hence, women think twice before using it. These issues need to be addressed."
*Also read - Married women subjected to forced, condomless sex by husbands: Study*
Also, unlike male condoms that are provided free of cost at government and BMC-run hospitals, female condoms are given at a discounted rate, and is mostly targeted at sex workers. National Aids Control Organisation too doesn't have any provision for female condoms. "As far as I know that there is no provision for female condoms under NACO as it's difficult to use and needs training. It may be distributed at a few areas only," said Dr Shrikala Acharya, project director of Mumbai Aids Control Society.
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*Representational Pic*
The committee, comprising justices K R Sriram and G S Kulkarni of the Bombay High Court, will conduct special hearings, pass necessary directions for road repair, and also monitor the implementation of such orders, the bench led by Chief Justice Chellur said.
Despite several benches of the HC having passed detailed orders on improving the condition of roads in the city and elsewhere in the state, and on the urgent need to repair potholes ahead of each monsoon season, the civic bodies had done little to ensure their implementation, it noted.
The common man continued to suffer and each monsoon season brought along tales of civic apathy and public distress in the city, Chief Justice Chellur observed. She also referred to the death of Dr Deepak Amrapurkar of Bombay Hospital in August this year, after he fell into an open manhole while wading through waterlogged roads to get
back home from hospital.
"You (litigants and lawyers) ask for wonderful orders and we pass them too but what is the use if none of our orders
are ever implemented. "Despite one such detailed order (directing authorities to urgently repair potholes and improve the condition of roads in the city) the doctor still died," Chief Justice Chellur said.
"Try to imagine the state of mind of the common man who is trying to reach home, or to take a loved one to the hospital in heavy rains. You can't expect him to remember to be careful of potholes in such a situation, it is not easy. So the best thing is to avoid such circumstances and keep the roads in good condition," she said.
The problem of potholes and bad roads was not limited to Mumbai but was common across the state, the bench said.
The Chief Justice said the local ward officers in each district of the state must identify all roads in need of repair and inform the secretary of the Maharashtra Legal Services Authority (MLSA) of the same.
The MLSA's secretary in-turn will prepare a report on the condition of roads, the need for repair, steps taken by civic bodies concerned and submit the same before the two-member committee. On the last hearing on August 3 this year, the high court had appointed the MLSA secretary as the nodal officer to receive grievances related to bad roads and potholes from the public and ward officers across the state.
The court was informed today that since the last hearing, the MLSA has only received 180 complaints from citizens. The bench directed MLSA to publicise the formation of such a nodal authority and to encourage citizens to share
their grievances and complaints of bad roads.
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Four of a family were severely injured, following a cylinder blast inside their house in Radhabai Chawl in Thane West, early this morning. According to the disaster management cell in Thane, primary investigations have suggested that there was a leak in the gas pipe.*Due to the impact of the blast, part of a wall in the house developed huge cracks*
The incident took place around 7 am, inside the Jadhav family's home located in Patil Wadi. One of the victims had gone to light the kitchen stove, when there was a cylinder blast. The entire home caught fire, injuring other members in the house.
*Also Read: Navi Mumbai: Major Fire Breaks Out In Vashi Building*
Those injured have been identified as Dagadu Ramaji Jadhav, 60, Darshana Jadhav, 50, Priti Jadhav, 24 and Trupti Jadhav, 40. All the victims were rushed to Thane Civil Hospital, and have sustained over 30 per cent burns. According to a source, there were two gas cylinders inside the house.
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For actors, fans are their raison d'etre. But, trouble starts when the fan becomes a 'jabra' fan, as actor *Varun Dhawan* learnt. On November 2, the actor was forced to file a complaint with the Santacruz police urging immediate action against a woman who has been giving him sleepless nights. In his complaint to the police, the actor claimed that he had been bombarded by messages from a female fan through WhatsApp. When the messages turned annoying, the actor blocked her number.*Varun Dhawan*
Days later, however, Varun got a phone call from an unidentified person who threatened him and said the woman would commit suicide if he did not respond to her messages over WhatsApp, a senior police officer told mid-day.
*Also Read: Varun Dhawan Posts A 'Smog' Selfies, Urges People To Go Green**Varun Dhawan*
Scared by the development, the actor consulted his legal advisors and finally complained to the Mumbai police. He had first approached the Juhu police, but was directed to Santacruz police station as his residence falls under their jurisdiction, a Juhu police station officer said. Varun has also sent a complaint to the cyber police station at BKC.
*Also Read: Varun Dhawan Can Wait! Mumbai Teen Chooses To Help Cancer-Afflicted Toddler Over Actor*
An officer from Santacruz police station, on condition of anonymity, said, "We have received a complaint from Varun Dhawan and are in the process of finding out details about the person who had called him. The number has been switched off ever since the call was made." mid-day tried to get in touch with the actor for his comment, but he remained unavailable.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2017/sep/rape-filming-a-s.jpg*Representational Image*
As per the police, the man also told his estranged wife that he had already sent the video to the people he knows. The Bandra-Kurla Complex police said that the man and his 20-year-old wife met in 2015 and got married the next year. The woman accused her husband of marital rape and she told the police that the man forced himself on her several times. She also said that he secretly shot nude videos of her on his mobile phone, few of which she managed to delete.
She added that her husband and in laws used to abused her and suspected that she was having an extramarital affair. As per the woman, since they lived in a joint family the other family members would harass her over petty issues as well.
The woman said that she left her husband’s home the same year after the relationship turned sour. The woman allegedly tried to reconcile but since her husband didn’t respond, she filed for divorce in 2017. When the man found out about the fact that she had filed for divorce, he showed the 20-year-old’s nude video to her mother, who confronted him. He then told her that he wanted them to withdraw the divorce petition or else he would make the video public.
The police have, as of now, seized his mobile phone and sent it to a forensic lab for analysis. The woman has now filed an FIR against him under sections 354 (sexual harassment), 354 C (voyeurism), 500 (defamation), 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC and 66 C (identity theft) and 67 A (transmitting or publishing obscene materials) of the Indian Penal Code.
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The Maximum City is home to 4,980 litter bins. But, a walk down any street of the city is enough to prove that Mumbaikars treat the entire metropolis as their own personal dustbin. A little over a month after the country celebrated three years of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the civic body is planning to purchase 1,550 stainless steel pole-mounted bins, to be installed at prominent locations, to curb the menace of littering. According to sources in the BMC, Rs 1.39 crore will be spent on purchasing these bins.*While litter bins dot the entire city, most people choose to litter the roads. Representation pic*
*Previous plans failed*
Significantly, over 4,500 pole-mounted bins were installed in 2013 as part of an initiative by the government to make Mumbai a zero litter city. In a bid to check the menace, the civic body had conducted a survey and identified key locations across the city, where littering is most prevalent.
An official from the Solid Waste Management Department (SWM) said, "People are prone to throwing things out of the window while moving around the city in vehicles. However, maximum littering can be seen at station premises and near bus stops. Over the years, we have installed 4,980 bins at key locations across the city, as suggested by local corporators. These bins are installed at public places such as bus stops, railway station premises, colleges, shopping malls, markets, tourist places as well as near zebra crossings, but few people avail of the facility."
According to BMC sources, the proposal to purchase more bins will be tabled for approval in the Standing Committee today. "If the proposal is cleared, contractors are expected to finish installing the bins in the next six months," a source said.
*Bin theft*
Incidentally, besides damage to litter bins, the BMC has also received several reports of bin thefts in the past several months. A senior civic official said, "Initially, we had installed plastic pins, to reduce cost of implementation of the project. But, anti-social elements around the city were quick to damage or steal them."
*The BMC bins*
A litter bin unit includes two small garbage holders – for dry and wet waste – with a capacity of 20 litres each. Sources said that the civic body is likely to pay Rs 8,999 for a single litter bin unit.
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*Representational picture*
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2017/nov/Dead-body-abc-s.jpg*Rustamjee Evershine Global City Avenue Society at Virar where she was found. Pics/Hanif Patel*
The deceased Kirtinidhi Vidyadhar Sharma resided with her family. According to the police, the flat where her body was found belongs to a 49-year-old woman, Pushpa Vasumdani, a real estate agent who has been living with her two kids there since past two years.*Kirtinidhi Vidyadhar Sharma who was murdered*
Police said Vasumdani and Sharma met in a beauty parlour 15 days back and became friends. They said Sharma went to Vasumdani's house on Sunday but did not return. Her mobile phone was switched off and her family began to look for her. They even went to Vasumdani's house, but it was locked. They then registered a missing person complaint with Arnala police station.
It is learnt that Sharma went to sell an insurance policy to Vasumdani. Police suspect that she was killed with the intention of robbery, as all her jewellery was missing, said a police official from Arnala police station.
Police said that Vasumdani claimed she was out on work. When she came back on Monday night, she saw Sharma's body. However, the Arnala police consider Vasumdani the prime suspect and have detained her. She is likely to be arrested the official added.
*Police speak*
"We have registered a case against an unknown accused and detained a woman as the prime suspect," said Jayant Bajbale, SDPO (Sub-divisional police officer) Virar division.
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*Representational Image*
The woman had hidden the narcotics in a false cavity in her handbaggage. As per police sources, preliminary investigations revealed that the drugs were meant to be delivered to drug peddlers in Goa for sale during New year’s parties.
The NCB was acting on a tip-off about the woman carrying cocaine and the woman was intercepted by NCB officials. The woman had reached Mumbai from Sao Paulo via Addis Ababa by Ethiopian Airlines. When her hand baggage was inspected the officials found 1.84kg of while crystalline powder that on being tested was identified as high quality cocaine.
During interrogations, the woman said that she was only a carrier and that she was required to deliver the cocaine to a contact in Goa. An NCB officer said, "Drug peddlers in Goa are all set for new year celebrations when foreign tourists throng the state. Peddlers usually adulterate pure drug to double the quantity to make huge profits."
--------------------
*Also view - Jilted Lovers: 10 killer love stories that will leave you shocked!*
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The MIDC police arrested the 57-year-old trustee and co-founder of a reputed Andheri school yesterday for allegedly sexually assaulting a three-year-old student. The arrest comes days after the cops were pulled up by the Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights and six months after they had filed a case of rape.*Representation pic*
DCP (zone X) Navinchandra Reddy told mid-day, "The accused was arrested on Tuesday morning and produced before a court, which sent him to police custody till November 14." Sources said the accused had moved a petition in HC for being allowed home-cooked food behind bars.
"New evidence found during the investigation led to his arrest," said Reddy, replying in the negative when asked if the teacher accused of being his accomplice was held as well. The teacher has been booked in the case.
*Also read - Mumbai Crime: 57-year-old man who raped a minor in Andheri school roams scot-free*
As part of the investigation, the police recorded statements of at least 75 people, including students, teachers, members of the school management and employees. Officers had recorded the statement of the accused, a foreign national, after he'd returned from abroad.
*Case status*
A senior officer said, "We also made him take a polygraph last month to see if he would contradict his earlier statements. The report from the Kalina forensic laboratory is awaited. The questions asked in the test were related to the sequence of events as mentioned in the complaint by the victim's parents."
The family's lawyer, S Balakrishnan told mid-day, "It is a matter of shame that the police could arrest the accused only after so long, and that too, after the victim had to bring the matter to the notice of the child rights commission."
*Also read - Mumbai: Cops stare at dead end in 3-year-old's rape at Andheri school*
"The family had filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court after the police had failed to arrest the accused. The court, last week, had transferred the case to an ACP-level officer," said a source.
"Meghwadi division ACP Milind Khetle took charge on November 1 and arrested the accused from his Malad home."
*Unrest among parents*
The arrest has left parents of other students worried and confused, with anxious discussions on what would happen to the school now.
After the case was filed in May, the school had continued to function as usual, but now, said parents, they didn't know what the situation would be. "The school hasn't hidden anything from us with respect to the issue. Authorities had been reiterating that the police were carrying out an investigation and they were cooperating with it. Now, the arrest does add to concerns. We are hopeful that the school issues a statement, so that we know what's going to happen," said a parent.
*Also read - Mumbai school toddler rape: A month in, co-founder still a no-go*
Authorities from the school were not available for comment.
*A recap*
The victim's mother had told the police that the incident had taken place earlier this year. On May 15, she had noticed her daughter behaving unusually, touching her private parts, after which she had asked her what the matter was and the girl had narrated the ordeal - how her teacher had taken her and a classmate out to play, a man had joined them and touched both of them inappropriately, while the teacher stood watching. The girl had said it had started in Diwali 2016 and gone on till March 2017.
The girl's mother had then opened the school's website and shown her photos of all staff members till she identified the man.
*Also read - Mumbai: MIDC police book Andheri school co-founder for toddler's rape*
The mother had first tried to speak to the school administration about it; on being rebuffed, she had lodged a complaint on May 18 under IPC section 376 (2) (I) read with sections 4, 6 and 10 of the POSCO Act.
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*Representational Picture*
It has asked the staff in the offices of cabinet ministers and ministers of state to use the costly photocopy machines carefully and laid down six guidelines for their use. It has also said that the cost of repair will be recovered from the monthly salaries of the staff, if the machines are found to be broken down due to negligence on their part.
After repeated requests for repairs of the out-of-order machines, the GAD conducted a survey and found that most of these equipment were not being used carefully. Also, left-over eatables, plates and dishes, cups, water glasses, wrappers, tetra-packs were found lying on the machines or near them, the GR said.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2017/nov/Manoj-Tiwari-a-s.jpg*Manoj Tiwari, Bhojpuri singer, lyricist and composer*
With music composers coming forward to support her, directly and indirectly, some music labels too have agreed to part with copyright royalty to composers and lyricists, especially after Singh's complaint was taken up by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which has been questioning top bosses of music companies since last Saturday.
ED is probing the companies under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, on the suspicion that the money collected from stakeholders in the name of royalty was used for other purposes.
Singh had filed an FIR with the ED last December, and last Friday she had told mid-day that her fight was for all co-workers who had not been paid royalty by the companies.
*Yash Raj takes the first step*
Sources in ED said the agency was told by YRF Music that it had started clearing pending dues as per artistes' demands. Aaditya Chopra was summoned to ED's Mumbai office yesterday. Other than Chopra, vice president of Sony Music India, Shridhar Subramanium, and MD-CEO of Universal Music Devraj Sanyal also recorded their statements.
On Saturday, Bhushan Kumar (T-Series) and Vikram Mehra (Saregama) were interrogated by the ED team that included joint director Dinesh Bhoyar.
Last week, the ED had searched offices of all the companies involved and seized documents. The companies are accused of not paying 50 per cent of the royalty amount to eligible artistes or their legal heirs. Primary assessment states the fraud could be to the tune of Rs 1,500-2,000 crore.
After reading mid-day's report on Singh's struggle, Bhojpuri singer, lyricist and composer Manoj Tiwari said from New Delhi that he had taken up the matter as a professional and an MP (BJP) to ensure that it reached its logical end.
Tiwari said he had petitioned the Delhi High Court, Economic Offences Wing (of Mumbai and Delhi Police) and also informed the ED about the raw deal that he and many others had been getting from music companies.
"The companies have recovered the money from all sorts of sources, be it digital, stage shows/concerts or others who are liable to pay such an amount, 50 per cent of which should go to the artistes. My songs are played everywhere, but I haven't got a single paisa from the companies in the past seven years," he said. Tiwari, who is president of Delhi BJP, had expected things to change after the copyright act was amended in 2012. "These companies think we are small people, but it's people like us who earn them a lot of money," he added.
"I know about Chitraji's fight, and I had approached the Delhi HC last year. Some composers backtracked after reaching a settlement with the companies. But I'm going to ensure the law takes its course. I will also raise the issue in Parliament."
*'No royalty in India'*
An artiste who is a part of a hit Bollywood composer pair told mid-day that they didn't get any royalty from India. "But that's an issue every musician has. Despite the law changing in 2012, the effective position has not changed," he said. "I'm just one of the many composers/writers/stakeholders who is affected. I hope the ED investigation brings clarity to the process. I'm glad that there has been some sort of action in the process. It's much needed, simply because the entire thing is a blur."
He added that the Indian Performing Right Society Limited wasn't collecting royalties on artistes' behalf, because of which many were losing their earnings. "We don't know whether that loss will ever be addressed. The composers and writers for whom their back-catalogue is their only source of revenue, the current situation is nothing short of disastrous. For their sake, I hope there is a favourable new system that allows producers, record labels and the authors/creators of music to benefit equally as per the law."
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If NCP chief Sharad Pawar is to be believed, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray is mentally prepared to quit the BJP government.*NCP chief Sharad Pawar revealed the secret meeting to media persons on the sidelines of a NCP workers' conclave. File pic*
Pawar told mediapersons on Tuesday that Uddhav had called on him 10 days ago in Mumbai. "Uddhav asked me what my stand was. So I asked him to declare his political position first. I told him I would declare my stand only after him," said Pawar.
"I think Uddhav doesn't want to remain a ruling partner of BJP," he said, while speaking to media persons on the sidelines of a NCP workers' conclave.
Unlike his meeting with West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Uddhav had kept his interaction with Pawar at the latter's Mumbai residence a top secret. Sources said Uddhav couldn't afford to make it public, because he has been accusing NCP of extending a helping hand to the BJP in the state to stabilise the government, in case the Sena pulled out.
But Pawar being an unpredictable maverick, chose to blow the lid off on Tuesday, in an apparent bid to send signals to BJP.
Pawar said Uddhav wants to expand his party in Maharashtra by keeping BJP at a distance. He said the atmosphere in the country was changing with Rahul Gandhi getting traction on social media and public rallies.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2017/nov/Mangesh-Desale-s.jpg*Constable Nitin Korde even pushed him out*
*'Is this a new rule?'*
The police had asked me to go in the evening with the original documents. But when my sister and I went inside the cabin, a constable started to tell him off for his sartorial choice. "The constable said 'Is this the way to dress up and come to the police station? Do you go to office in these clothes? Don't you have the manners to wear proper clothes? Women come to the police station too, don't you have any consideration for them?' I asked whether there was a rule against shorts, and the cop got angry and began screaming at me," Desale recalled.*Mangesh Desale was told off for wearing shorts by two constables*
When the brother-sister came duo came out, more cops had gathered there. "All of them started saying the same thing. I was embarrassed. I started recording a video and then asked the officials to say that shorts are not allowed at the police station. The cop threatened to register a case against me and pushed me out of the police station," alleged Desale, who later uploaded the video to Facebook and Twitter.
Desale, a software engineer, added, "I tagged Mumbai Police and Thane Police on Twitter. I received a reply from Mumbai Police that a complaint had been forwarded to the concerned department."
Stating that his passport is still pending , Desal further said, "My only reason to upload the video on social media to inform people about the new rule against shorts, so that others are not embarrassed like me."
*Cop speak*
Bala Saheb Kadam, senior police inspector, Khadakpada police station, said, "Our officials merely asked him to wear proper clothes while visiting the police station. Women come to the police station too, and shorts don't look good. He is an engineer; he should have better manners and know how to present himself at a police station."
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2017/oct/Waste-management-s.jpg*Representation pic*
Following the central government's new rule of Solid Waste Management, 2016, the BMC had asked bulk generators - societies and other establishments that generate 100kg waste daily or have an area of more than 20,000 sqm - to start managing waste on their premises by composting or vermiculture, and segregate dry and wet waste. The decision was crucial, as the city's three dumping grounds reached their saturation level long back. The in-house waste management would help the BMC to reduce dependency on dumping grounds.
In September, the civic body had first sent notices to bulk generators. However, there was no written response from the Public Works Department (PWD), which looks after Mantralaya's administration. An official said, "We have communicated with the administration of Mantralaya to start composting and provide details of their plan. But officials only verbally informed us about it."
The official added that Mantralaya generates over 150 kg waste daily and is spread across about 4 lakh sq ft.
*The other side*
PWD secretary Ajeet Sagane said, "We will soon start waste management on Mantralaya premises. I will have to check whether BMC has sent us any notice regarding segregation and composting. It will take time, as we have to appoint a contractor to operate the waste management units."
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Nearly a year after this paper's expose on how Mumbai Police had allowed 1993 blasts accused Mustafa Dossa to enjoy an overnight train journey with his alleged wife Sabina Khatri, the judiciary has now ordered that action be taken against the erring cops.*Mustafa Dossa and Sabina Khatri*
The team of seven cops were supposed to be escorting him to Porbandar, where Dossa was being tried for smuggling deadly explosives meant to be used in the blasts that killed 257 Mumbaikars.
*Flashback*
It was this paper that had broken the story on January 2, highlighting how Dossa's police escort team looked the other way, even as the accused terrorist enjoyed date night with Khatri while aboard the Saurashtra express on December 25.
A day after mid-day's report, a red-faced Mumbai Police ordered an inquiry into the incident, and the day after that, the Special Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) court also ordered an immediate probe.
Yesterday, the court observed: "The material based on the record and report by the investigating officer are self explanatory. It is pertinent that incident reported by journalist was very serious.
The journalist has done commendable job; without the publication of the report the incident wouldn't have come to light."
"The accused Mustafa Dossa was facing charges in serious 1993 bomb blast case which was at the fag end, and the report submitted states that anything could have happened. What if Mustafa Dossa had absconded? In such cases, officers are expected to be extra cautious, but they were extra lenient."
*Current status*
As per the court's order, Joint Commissioner of Police Deven Bharti had ordered Pravin Padwal, the then DCP of Zone 3, to conduct an inquiry. However, the court was not satisfied with the first report submitted by the police, calling it "vague". Further inquiry was conducted and a second report was filed in court on June 6. After this, the officer in charge of the escort team, Assistant Police Inspector Ayaz Patel, was found guilty and suspended. The matter was investigated by Inspector Nandkumar Gopale under the guidance of Padwal.
TADA court Judge G A Sanap yesterday passed a final order on the matter, directing Jt CP Bharti to initiate appropriate action against the seven escort officers found guilty in the police report.
While the police is still conducting a departmental inquiry, Special Public Prosecutor Deepak Salvi also recommended that charges be pressed against the errant cops under Sections 166 (public servant disobeying law), 177 (furnishing false information), 218 (public servant framing incorrect record or writing with intent to save person from punishment), 219 (public servant in judicial proceeding corruptly making report), 116 (abetment of offence punishable with imprisonment), 119 (public servant concealing design to commit offence which it is his duty to prevent) of the IPC, along with relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The court further observed, "If the officers are dealt strictly, in the future, it will act as a deterrent for escort officers accompanying criminals, and they will not dare to indulge in such activities."
The report also revealed corruption charges against Dossa's aide Naeem, who was had escorted Khatri to the train. The court further held that Khatri is liable for forgery charges, since she had forged a marriage certificate to meet Dossa in jail.
Dossa died due to a cardiac arrest on June 28. A day before his death, the prosecution had sought the death sentence for him. After his death, the case against him was closed.
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