Maharashtra News Archive: June 2007

Reimbursement of fees for non-aided professional courses

Saturday, June 30, 2007 | AY
The Maharashtra government decided to reimburse fees for non-aided professional courses, barring B Ed and D Ed, for the current academic year to backward class students. Like last year, the state government has decided to reimburse fees to the institutions concerned for students belonging to Scheduled castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, Vimukta Jati and Nomadic Tribes (VJNT) and economically backward classes this year also. The government would also reimburse total fees of SC/ST students in other private non-aided colleges.

1.02 billion rupees fine, 13 years of rigorous imprisonment for Telgi

Saturday, June 30, 2007 | AY
Pune, June 28 (ANI): A special court here today sentenced the kingpin in the multi-crore fake stamp paper case, Abdul Karim Telgi, to 13 years of rigorous imprisonment and also fined him a record 1.02 billion rupees. Telgi today pleaded guilty before the court, which is hearing cases relating to printing, circulation and sale of counterfeit government stamps and stamp papers.Telgi, who led an organised crime syndicate that printed and sold counterfeit stamps and stamp papers, had expressed his desire to plead guilty on Wednesday.His lawyer Harshad Nimbalkar said that his client’s ailing health led to the decision of pleading guilty, since he did not want to prolong the case."You know at this juncture he pleaded guilty and this has in fact curtailed the valuable time and money of the court also. Otherwise the case would have lingered on for ten years or more maybe. Therefore this was the right time that he should plead guilty," said Nimbalkar.Out of the 68 accused in the case, 42 have already pleaded guilty before special judge Chitra Bhedi of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court.The court today also sentenced imprisonment between one to five years to 42 other accused in the case, who had pleaded guilty.A week earlier, a special court in Bangalore had awarded seven years' of rigorous imprisonment (RI) to Telgi.Telgi has already been convicted for three other cases. Earlier on April 23 this year, he was awarded 15 years imprisonment for selling fake stamp papers in Karnataka in the 1990s, while, on March 24, he was sentenced to 10 years RI on charges of forgery and cheating the Government and a private company of rupees 4.2 million.Telgi, a native of Belgaum District in Karnataka, started off as a vendor in a small railway station before coming to Mumbai. Though no one has been able to determine the extent of Telgi's business or the loss to the exchequer, his scam is believed to run into hundreds of billions or rupees. Telgi was arrested in 2001 after the fake stamp paper case was unearthed. (ANI)

Heavy rains disrupt normal life in Mumbai

Saturday, June 30, 2007 | AY
Mumbai/ Raipur, June 30 (ANI): Heavy rains have thrown normal life out of gear in Mumbai as most of the low-lying areas have been submerged.Rail, road and air traffic has been disrupted in Mumbai. The meteorological department has recorded 108 mm of rainfall flooding localities like Bandra, Matunga in central Mumbai.Local trains are running behind schedule, particularly trains on the Central and Harbour lines.Sushma, a hapless commuter, at a suburban station in Mumbai said: "The entire area is flooded. I have been waiting here for the last three hours".Rains that lashed the city since midnight have waterlogged most streets and drains, causing traffic chaos.“The streets are flooded. Cars cannot move on the roads," said Ram Vilas, another resident of Mumbai.The meteorological department officials say there would be no respite for another 24 hours.According to some media reports, at least 50 people died in the rains in Maharashtra over the past three days.Rains have also affected other cities in Mahatrashtra, Central India and Andhra Pradesh. In Raipur, 14 hours of continuous rains due to a depression in the Bay of Bengal has hit the city hard.Most of the areas are flooded and many residents have complained of water entering their homes in low-lying areas."It has been raining continuously since last night. In the morning the water started entering our homes and now everything has submerged," said K S Joy, a resident.Meteorological department says a further depression has been forecast and more heavy rains are expected in the next 48 hours.Monsoon rains have killed at least 150 people across the country and rendered many homeless, especially in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. (ANI)

Mumbai Port Trust planning cruise terminal, bird observatory

Thursday, June 28, 2007 | AY
The Mumbai Port Trust has chalked out massive plans to further boost its capacity and put up new road and railway links to ensure the port traffic does not affect the city traffic. The port trust has also plans to set up international cruise terminal and related facilities like marina, convention centre, hotel, mall etc through a joint venture. Also listed on the agenda of the port trust is a bird observatory at Sewri Fort at a cost of Rs 1 crore. The port also has plans to improve its linkage with highways. It will build Anik Panjarpole link at a cost of Rs 152 crore which will help by pass the congested Sion-Chembur road while it will also build a 700 metre link road from Wadala to the truck terminus. In both the projects, the port would share part of the cost of construction.

MTDC issues travel advisory

Wednesday, June 27, 2007 | AY
The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has issued a travel advisory for tourists visiting beaches in coastal districts of the state with special focus on Harihareshwar, Alibaug, Ganpatipule and Bordi beaches. The corporation has erected hoardings warning tourists not to venture into the rough sea.

Overall pass percentage goes up to 70.59 pc

Wednesday, June 27, 2007 | AY
With the Maharashtra State Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (MSSHSEB) deciding to grant 30 marks in Mathematics to each student who appeared for Standard X examination in March, the overall pass percentage this year has gone up to 70.59 per cent, an increase of 6 per cent over the previous year. Around 1,400 schools out of 18,508, have got cent per cent results. However, the wards have performed poorly in English (70 per cent) overall as compared to other subjects (90 per cent). In eight divisions of the state, Latur recorded the highest pass percentage of 77.12, followed by Aurangabad 75.62, Mumbai 75.02, Pune 73.46, Kolhapur 72.84, Nashik 72.20, Amravati 67.89 and Nagpur 53.41. In all, 16,61,974 students had registered for the examination, of whom 16,43,886 students appeared and 11,60,425 students passed.

Finnair launches Flights to Mumbai

Tuesday, June 26, 2007 | AY
Finnair today launches its newest Indian route with flights to Mumbai. The city will be served non-stop from Helsinki five days a week with Airbus A340 aircraft. Moreover the airline's current three-weekly frequency for flights to the Indian capital Delhi will be increased to daily. The flights to Mumbai are part of Finnair's Asian strategy. In response to strong demand of the Asian market, the number of weekly flights to India will increase from the current three to 12. Flights to other Finnair's destinations in Asia have also been continuously increased. Altogether, Finnair now flies to ten different destinations in Asia: to Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong in China, to Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya in Japan, to Delhi and Mumbai in India and to Bangkok in Thailand.

Chinks in NDA, as Shiv Sena vouches for UPA's Patil in Presidential poll

Tuesday, June 26, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 25 (ANI): On a day when BJP-led NDA's Bhairon Singh Shekhawat filed his nomination papers for the presidential poll, its crucial ally Shiv Sena announced its support for the UPA-Left's Presidential nominee Pratibha Patil.Sena, which has always trumpeted the cause of Maratha and Marathi speaking people, has come out in support of Patil since she hails from Maharashtra's Jalgaon town."We will be proud to see a Marathi woman as President," Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray said in a statement.The move will be a big blow to Shekhawat's candidature since Sena commands 21,590 votes in the Presidential Electoral College-- the third biggest party in terms of votes in the NDA, trailing behind BJP and Janata Dal (United).The NDA, which commands 3,53,973 Presidential votes is already far behind UPA, whose vote will now swell close to 6 lakhs in the total 11 lakhs votes of the Presidential Electoral College. Though BJP leaders in Maharashtra are reportedly miffed over Shiv Sena's decision, Thackeray today said in the statement that its support to UPA's candidate would not spoil its relation with the NDA since Shekhawat is an 'independent candidate". Sena's decision to support Patil's candidature came after much deliberation, as the party was reportedly divided over supporting a Marathi, who could become India's first women President, or still cling to its old ally BJP. (ANI)

Shiv Sena parliamentarian tonsures head in support of Nagpur farmers

Tuesday, June 26, 2007 | AY
Nagpur, June 26 (ANI): A Shiv Sena parliamentarian has tonsured his head as a mark of support for farmers in Nagpur who are demanding better compensation for lands acquired by the Maharashtra Government for a cargo hub project.The State Government has acquired 14 villages for the 30 billion rupee project, spread over 2,556 hectares in Shipangaon village near the Nagpur Airport.Hundreds of farmers have tonsured their heads over the past month or so, alleging that the compensation package offered to them by the State Government is inadequate.Women too have shaved off their heads in protest. "You would have seen how women got their heads tonsured here, a first in the country. I have registered my protest with the government on resettlement issues, but it is deaf and mute. But the Shiv Sena will fully back the farmers, and take on the government if it tries messing around with farmers' lives," said Prakash Jadhav, the Shiv Sena parliamentarian. Widespread violence in March over a proposed industrial hub in Nandigram in West Bengal made the State Government shelve the project and the Central re-evaluate its acquisition policy.In April, the Central Government ended a two-month freeze on SEZ (Special Economic Zones) approvals, breathing new life into plans for large tax-free enclaves that ran into trouble over controversial purchases of farmland.A panel of ministers have already been set up to look into problems related to all aspects of SEZs. It also capped the maximum land area for the multi-product tax-free zones at 5,000 hectares. (ANI)

Death toll due to rain in southern, western India reaches 95

Monday, June 25, 2007 | AY
Hyderabad/Mumbai/Guwahati, June 24 (ANI): The death toll due to the torrential rains that have been lashing Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala, Karanataka, Goa and Assam have reached 95. At least 41 people have died alone in the state. Hundreds of trees have been uprooted, electric poles have felled and highways are flooded in low-lying villages and small towns in Kurnool and Guntur Districts. In Mumbai, four people were killed when a building collapsed today due to heavy rains. Eleven people were killed when two walls collapsed in Pune. In Karnataka, at least 14 people have died in the last 36 hours. While in Kerala, 25 lost their lives. 27 relief camps have been set up here to look after hundreds of evacuates. (ANI)

Zydus acquires Brazilian Nikkho for 26 million dollars

Monday, June 25, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 25 (ANI): The Zydus Cadila has signed an agreement to acquire 100 per cent stake in Brazil’s Quimica e Farmaceutica Nikkho do Brasil Ltda (Nikkho) for around 26 million dollars. According to a release issued by Zydus to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) today, in 2006 Nikkho had posted sales of 26 million dollars."Headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Nikkho is a growing and profitable pharmaceutical company with a manufacturing facility. In existence for over four decades, the company caters exclusively to the Brazilian prescription drugs market," the release said.Zydus Managing Director Pankaj Patel said: "With Nikkho, we gain a company with a heritage. It stands for high quality therapeutic products and has a strong equity with doctors. ""This gives us an opportunity to build our presence further in a growth-driven environment, " he added. (ANI)

Rains abates in Mumbai after two days

Monday, June 25, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 25 (ANI): Residents of Mumbai heaved a sigh of relief after two days of incessant rains abated on Monday. Rail and road services were running on schedule as water receded from streets, which were submerged due to clogged drains."It could have been a problem for office goers, because yesterday the rains did disrupt the trains traffic. And, if it happens on a working day, it will be a problem," said Ean Standan.Many said this year's rains reminded them of the 2005 floods in the city,which had brought life in the city to a standstill, killing over1,000 people."Yes, it did remind me of what happened the last time. But the way itrained yesterday, the municipal authorities and the police should have been onalert to check water-logging," said Ankush, another resident.The arrival of monsoon has killed at least 150 people across the country and rendered many homeless especially in various parts of Andhra Pradesh. Media has reported 50 deaths in Maharashtra. (ANI)

Fertiliser from high explosives waste

Sunday, June 24, 2007 | AY
Waste energetic materials generated from propellants, high explosives and pyrotechnic formulations which were generally disposed of can now be converted into fertilisers, according to a senior scientist of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), R.K. Pandey. He has developed a process for disposal of the nitrate ester class of explosives, including nitrocellulose (NC) and propellant formulation based on NV, nitroglycerine and nitroguanidine, based on alkaline hydrolysis. The main feature of his research work is that the end-products have been successfully evaluated as fertiliser for crop. Pandey said the NC hydrolysate, in particular, when prepared as per the process developed, has been evaluated as fertiliser for the ‘Trimbak’ variety of wheat.

IBM technology brings a blessing to the microfinance sector

Sunday, June 24, 2007 | AY
Leading IT solutions provider IBM is working on a technology which would largely reduce the cost of transaction carried out through biometric smart cards, the new engine of growth for the microfinance sector. A biometric card provides customer authentication through fingerprint and the card is used on hand-held devices to get the entire solution going. IBM, which has partnered with smart card provider Financial Information Network and Operations Private Ltd (FINO) to offer the complete backend support, expects that product will make the processing faster. With more banks and financial institutions giving priority to microfinance in both rural and urban areas, smart cards ar the safest way to authenticate a customer and fullfil the Know-Your-Customer (KYC) norms.

Mughal era graveyard found in Maharashtra village

Sunday, June 24, 2007 | AY
Chandrapur (Nagpur), June 22 (ANI): A historian here claims to have discovered a 350-year-old graveyard belonging to 17th century deep inside a forest in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur District. Ashok Singh Thakur, a historian and coordinator for the Indian National Trust for Art, Culture and Heritage (INTACH), a voluntary organisation, is said to have discovered the graveyard having 115 memorial tombstones near Mohogaon Rith village. According to Thakur, the images at the graveyard indicate their relation with the Bhonsle Dynasty founded in 1730 and belonging to the Maratha warrior Chatrapathi Shivaji.The pillars erected at the graveyard carry images from the war zones. There are some images of soldiers wearing Mughal and Bhonsle-style turbans.Thakur said: "This graveyard is as old as 300 or 350 years. Seeing the headgear on the head of soldiers inscribed over the stones, we can say that the work belongs to Bhonsle Dynasty. A look on the order of precedence of these graves, however, also suggests it belonged to Mughal era.”The biggest pillar in the graveyard is (over six foot in height) -- eighty inches height and thirty inches in width and the smallest (over three foot) forty inches in height and ten inches in width. The pillars bear inscription in ancient Modi and Devnagri language.“The grave of a King sitting on an elephant comes first in the row. The King's grave is followed by the commander of the army, who has been depicted riding a horse and they are followed by general soldiers."Local tribes, mainly Gonds, have turned the graveyard into a revered place and smeared it with vermillion following local custom. Some people have said that the State archaeological department should verify the claim and take care of the place. Prakash Sharma, a journalist, feels that smearing the images by vermillion by the Gonds is likely to disfigure and mutilate the work. “It may hinder the archaeologists’ work to obtain more information about the statues." (ANI)

8 die as under construction wall collapses in Pune

Sunday, June 24, 2007 | AY
Pune, June 23 (ANI): Eight labourers, including two women and a child, were killed when a wall of a building, which they were constructing, fell after heavy rains here today. "We came out of the building because it was getting filled with rainwater. But as I came out I saw the wall behind me fell," said Anil Kadam, an eyewitness. Police said they were investigating the matter. "We have got samples of the compound wall. We have also contacted the corporation to know whether it was being constructed legally. We will do further investigations after that," Chandrashekhar Daithankar, Deputy Commissioner of Police, said. (ANI)

Rain plays havoc as 75 die in southern, western India

Sunday, June 24, 2007 | AY
Hyderabad/Mumbai/Guwahati, June 24 (ANI): Torrential rains in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala, Karanataka, Goa and Assam have claimed about 75 lives, while tens of thousands of people have been displaced.Andhra Pradesh is the worst affected where rail and road traffic, and telecommunication have been badly disrupted due to the flash floods.At least 41 people have died alone in the state. Hundreds of trees have been uprooted, electric poles have felled and highways are flooded in low-lying villages and small towns in Kurnool and Guntur Districts.Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajashekhara Reddy has said that 156 Kilometres of road is damaged, 71 cross-damaged systems are not working. 152 places in the state are facing traffic problems.Yesterday, he said that the administration has opened 95 relief camps and has announced an ex-gratia of rupees two lakh each to the families of the dead.The Army and Navy have been alerted in submerged areas, particularly in Kurnool and Nandyal towns.In Mumbai, four people were killed when a building collapsed today due to heavy rains."The tenants who stay here opposed development. They appealed in the court against it and they have given guarantee in the high court that they will repair the building but they haven't done that," a local Legislator, Krishna Kant said.Eleven people were killed when two walls collapsed in Pune.In Karnataka, at least 14 people have died in the last 36 hours. While in Kerala, 25 lost their lives. 27 relief camps have been set up here to look after hundreds of evacuates. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has offered Central assistance to Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Assam. (ANI)

Star adds Marathi news channel

Saturday, June 23, 2007 | AY
Media Content and Communications Services (MCCS), the joint venture between Star and ABP Group, has decided to roll out a slew of regional news channels ahead of an English news channel launch. The company is launching the Marathi-language news channel, Star Majha (My Star), on 22 June. MCCS already operates Star News and Star Ananda in Hindi and Bengali. The news channel will initially be free to air (FTA). With 17 bureaus spread all over Maharasthra, Star Majha will leverage the strengths of Star News for national content and the Fox and Sky network for international news.

Sensex closes at 87.29 points higher

Saturday, June 23, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 21(ANI): The National Stock Exchange index closed 87.29 points higher on Thursday, much to the delight of stockbrokers and investors. Strong Asian markets helped the domestic bourse sustain the rally in an otherwise choppy trading session at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). The Sensex was up 58 points or 0.41 per cent at 14470, off the high of 14513.40, while Nifty was up at 4251, just by 3 points, having come off the high of 4269. Key indices were off highs as investors booked profits in heavyweights likeONGC, ITC and State Bank of India. Oil and gas and technology stocks however, declined even as capital goods continued their march forward. Investors seemed happy at the numbers, saying short-term investments would be beneficial. "I think the market is very good right now and short term investment is a better option," said Jeetendra Shidhwani, an investor. Attributing the volatility to approaching expiry of June derivatives, brokers said the markets were expected to remain volatile till the end of the series on June 28. "The international market also got stabilized, new buyers are emerging in the market and this is a plus point. Now we are having a broad-based rally in B2 stocks and B1 stocks in mid caps,” said Sharad Goradia, a stockbroker. “This is a very good sign. Volumes are showing an increase. Now we feel that market should try to cross the earlier highs and if it doesn't at this stage, then the market may come down around 500-600 points," he added. Engineering construction giant Larsen and Toubro, BHEL, Reliance Energy, HDFC and Hindalco Industries were among the top gainers. Satyam Computer, Maruti Udyog, ITC, Grasim Industries and Gujarat Ambuja Cements lagged behind. On the BSE, 1381 shares advanced while 1023 declined. The NSE saw 629 shares advance and 453 decline. The BSE Capital Goods Index rose 2.52 per cent or 290 points 11770 on the back of hefty gains in Larsen and Toubro (5.08 per cent). BHEL and AIA Engineering were also substantially higher. (ANI)

Allegations against Naresh Goyal of Jet Airways

Saturday, June 23, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 21 (ANI): The Bombay High Court today asked Mumbai Police Commissioner D N Jadhav to file a report within two months over the alleged links of Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal with the underworld. The Court issued this order after hearing a petition based on a secret Intelligence Bureau report, which has pointed out that Naresh Goyal has links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim’s D-company.The court has also asked the Police Commissioner whether the police need any help from the Central Bureau of Investigations or not. Last year, former Civil Aviation Minister and Janata Dal (United) president Sharad Yadav had questioned the reported security clearance given "overnight" by the United Progressive Alliance Government to Goyal. The clearance to Goyal, an NRI, was pending for several years due to unfavourable reports from intelligence agencies against him. (ANI)

PM to visit Mumbai University

Saturday, June 23, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 22 (ANI): Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh will visit Mumbai University today to conclude its 150th year celebrations. Soon after his arrival here, Dr. Singh will proceed to attend the University’s sesquicentennial celebrations function and an award ceremony. Dr. Singh will also be the chief guest at an "Emerging India Awards" for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), before leaving for Delhi in the evening. Tight security arrangements have been made in view of the Prime Minister’s visit. (ANI)

Quantum leap in approach to higher education required : Manmohan Singh

Saturday, June 23, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 22 (ANI): Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh today called for a quantum leap in approach to higher education if India was to capitalize on its "latent" human potential.Addressing faculty and students of the University of Mumbai on the occasion of the institution's 150th anniversary, Dr. Singh said: "If we need to capitalize on our latent human potential, we need a quantum leap in our approach to higher education. We need to revamp the higher education system so that it walks on the two legs of access and excellence."Describing the university as one of India's oldest and greatest academic instituions in the modern era, Dr. Singh further said there was a need for a massive expansion of higher education opportunities to all classes of society and to all regions of the country. "This is the only way that the lamp of knowledge can be taken to every door. We need to also upgrade the quality of the higher educational institutions so that they work on the frontiers of knowledge, harnessing its immense capabilities for our common societal benefit. The higher education system must grow on these two pillars if it is to fulfill its role in nation building," he added. He said Mumbai University had and continues to play an important role in the spread of knowledge and learning in the country, and had been the alma mater of some great national leaders, eminent scholars, scientists, industrialists, administrators and professionals in all walks of life. It was a matter of pride that it is rated among the top-500 universities in the world, he added. "While we do have much to be proud of, we also have a long distance to travel in the field of higher education and research in India to attain world standards. We are at an important cusp in our developmental trajectory. We are at a point when the dynamics of our population growth can catapult us into a prolonged cycle of rapid economic growth – growth which can be the basis for eradication of the ancient scourges poverty, illiteracy, ignorance and disease," Dr. Singh said.The reality at the moment is that around 10 percent of the relevant age-group is enrolled in any institute of higher education – as compared to 40-50 percent in most developed economies, Dr. Singh said.It was also a lamentable fact that higher education enrolments are abysmally low. Less than 50 percent of secondary school students continue into college education in any form. "Almost two-thirds of our universities and 90 percent of our colleges are rated as below average on quality parameters. And most importantly, there is a nagging fear that university curricula are not synchronized with employment needs," the Prime Minister said. The National Knowledge Commission had come up with many interesting ideas, giving food for thought on the steps that are necessary to propel India into the knowledge era, Dr. Singh said. "A key recommendation of the Knowledge Commission is that we must undertake a massive expansion of higher education in our country. The Commission believes that by 2015, India should attain a gross enrolment ratio of at least 15 percent if we are to be in line with most modern societies. Such a quantum jump in our university system has to be well planned and well funded," he said."We need, not just financial and physical resources, but also human resources. We have to universalize our secondary school system so that we generate enough good quality students who can then seek admission to higher education. We need more and better teachers and better facilities," he added.Dr. Singh said that he was happy to announce the intention to establish 30 new Central Universities across the country. "The work on the modalities for setting these up has begun and the Ministry of Human Resource Development, the UGC and the Planning Commission are working to operationalize this in the next 2-3 months. This expansion is going to be a landmark in expanding access to high quality education across the country," he said, adding that these universities should focus on achieving international standards of excellence and should be rated among the top institutions in the world. "Access to higher education has two dimensions of which expansion of supply is only one. If the latent demand for higher education is to be converted to a real one, we need to consider ways of improving the financial resources of aspiring students as well. While our Government has taken several steps to expand the scholarships available to students, including SCs, STs and minorities, we need a much larger national programme so that no one who wants to pursue further education is denied this opportunity for lack of resources," Dr. Singh said."Our university system is, in many parts, in a state of disrepair. We need better facilities, more and better teachers, a flexible approach to curriculum development to make it more relevant, more effective pedagogical and learning methods and more meaningful evaluation systems," he said. "The quality of governance of many state educational institutions is a cause for concern. I am concerned that in many States, university appointments, including that of Vice-Chancellors, have been politicized and have become subject to caste and communal considerations. We also need to move away from routine approaches to overcome quality bottlenecks in our university system," he concluded. (ANI)

It’s high time for SMEs to take a new leap forward: PM

Saturday, June 23, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 22 (ANI): Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh today said that it was high time for the SME (small and medium enterprise) sector to take a new leap forward, and that the sector should become globally competitive, reduce costs and improve productivity.The Prime Minister said this while speaking at the “CNBC-TV18 Emerging India Awards, 2007” for Small and Medium Enterprises here.He said: “The time has come for a new leap forward for our SME sector. You must become more globally competitive. You must reduce costs and improve productivity. You must pay greater attention to quality and to the welfare of your employees and workers. International experience shows that it is possible for SMEs to remain globally competitive even in an increasingly integrated global market. In fact, the increasing need for greater customer choice and the move away from mass production of uniform products to small batch production of differentiated products have made SMEs more relevant to the spirit of our times. Technological advances are also in favour of SMEs as smaller scale production becomes more viable.”He assured all possible help to the SME. “Our government is committed to the growth of SMEs and to the emergence of new enterprises in India. We have passed the Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises Development Act to promote the growth of SMEs. We have announced a policy package for doubling credit flow to this sector. As our economy grows, new growth opportunities are emerging for SMEs in sectors like defence, civil aviation, tourism, bio-technology and agri-business. Our government is open to new ideas on how we can spread the benefit of industrialization across the country and encourage new enterprises for the sake of more balanced, regional economic development,” said the PM.He further said: “The emergence of a new generation of Indian enterprise is one of the great success stories of our time. It shows that as new opportunities emerge, we Indians are ready to make full use of them. We are second to none when it comes to creativity and enterprise. I salute the spirit of enterprise of our people.”Dr Singh also said that the SMEs had proved to be the largest creators of employment opportunities. “They account for more than a third of our manufacturing output and more than a third of our exports. They will be the best bet for the future in creating more and more employment opportunities that we need and that are essential if we have to reduce the proportion of our population dependent on agriculture,” he added. (ANI)

Mika Singh, the first choice of Punjabi music lovers

Saturday, June 23, 2007 | AY
By SiddhiMumbai, June 23 (ANI): Starting a career as a harmonium player during Ramlila celebrations, now famous Punjabi singer Amrik Singh alias Mika Singh has come a long way in the last one decade. Mika Singh says: "The organisers of Ramlila (the enactment of Lord Rama’s life), invited me to play the harmonium. I asked for rupees 3,000 for 10 days and played the harmonium and guitar. It was very exciting and I felt happy that I could earn that much money in 10 days.”With millions of fans across the country and abroad today, Mika Singh has given Punjabi music a distinct identity beyond popular Bhangra music. He sings with a nasal twang, a style not much appreciated by purists of the musical world earlier. Be it any party, marriage or friendly get-together, if there is music then it has to have a stamp of Mika Singh’ songs. Songs like “Sawan Mein Lag Gayi Aag…,” “Gabru….”, “Something, Something Mere Yaar…” or the recent “Hai Tune Puppy Kyon Li” by Mika have literally shaken the Punjabi and non-Punjabi circles. In 1991, when Daler Mehndi, Mika's elder brother, returned from the US, he was not well-known. But, he was a good singer, and his stage shows as a singer were great hits. Mika Singh says: “Daler told me to join him and offered me a job as a guitarist. I was playing guitar in his group, but he didn't have much confidence in me. So, he made me stand next to him and I started singing, the rap”.He says: “In 1998, I made my debut with ‘Saawan Mein Lag Gayee Aag'. Daler gave me six months time, and told me that if I did not to succeed, I could join him again. And, I sang ‘Saawan Mein Lag Gayee Aag' without anyone's help. Slowly and steadily, I start gaining popularity and success.” He adds that despite not being comfortable with English, he did sing English rap. Mika Singh says: “My singing with a nasal twang attracted both intense fans and the severest critics. Now, be it today’s singers like Himesh Reshammiya or Atif Aslam, they sing with a nasal twang which has become a fashion. I take pride in the fact that I started the trend eight years ago”. The singer, who appears unperturbed with controversies touching him off and on, takes pride in the fact that people love him for his singing talent. Mika says: “It’s been almost ten years that I arrived in this field. I think my songs fascinate young at hearts. My achievement is my albums and songs that entertain without boring. They like Mika and this is what I like too”. (ANI)

State-run aviation institute coming up

Thursday, June 21, 2007 | AY
The Airport Authority of India (AAI) Tuesday signed a pact with the Canadian Aviation Electronics (CAE) to set up a Rs.1.14 billion ($27.5 million) National Flying Training Institute (NFTI) at Gondia in Maharashtra. The pact, signed in Paris in the presence of Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel in whose constituency the academy would come up, calls for 49 percent equity with the AAI and the rest with the Canadian company. The institute will have a state-of-the-art facility equipped with classrooms, a hostel, a library and workshop. The school will operate new aircraft and will use CAE's courseware and innovative training equipment.

UPA confident of Patil’s victory: Dasmunshi

Thursday, June 21, 2007 | AY
Chennai/Mumbai, June 20 (ANI): Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunshi has said that he was sure of the United Progressive Alliance-Left candidate Prathiba Patil's victory.Dasmunshi, who took the signatures of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK chief M Karunanidhi on a proposal for candidate Pratibha Patil here also said: “Our candidate is winning and it will be a UPA (United Progressive Alliance) victory”. In Mumbai, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray has said his party would decide its stand on June 25.Thackeray also said that he was disappointed at President A P Abdul Kalam's name making the rounds for a second term, as he was yet to give approval for the death sentence of Afzal Guru, convicted for the attack on Parliament in 2001."We will declare our candidate for Presidential polls on June 25. We see new names coming up everyday. I am upset at the candidature of President Kalam because of the delay he has caused in the Afzal Guru issue," Thackeray said while addressing reporters on the occasion of 41st anniversary of his party on Tuesday.Sena's choice would prove crucial for its ally and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by BJP, which is backing Vice-President Bhairon SinghShekhawat. Shekhawat will contest as an independent candidate. (ANI)

SEBI chief calls for self regulation in mutual funds sector

Thursday, June 21, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 20 (ANI): Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) chief M Damodran today stressed on the need for self-regulation in mutual funds sector.Damodran asked the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) to take up the role of a self-regulatory organisation, an idea mooted by Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram."It is needed to see that the companies are better managed than they are and that gives better value to the stakeholders," he said at a conference here. Damodaran expressed concern over the slow growth of the mutual funds sector, which is heavily relying on funds into liquid schemes by large business houses."More worry is that if large liquid funds come from corporate houses there could be indications of conflicts of interest practices that are not healthy for individuals," he said.Damodaran's comments come as there are concerns over few fund houses getting huge inflows at the end of the month from their sponsor companies, resulting in volatile movement of funds as money flows out within a short period of time. (ANI)

Pune business students rally for Taj Mahal's inclusion in new wonders' list

Thursday, June 21, 2007 | AY
Pune, June 20 (ANI): Business students in Pune today launched a campaign for inclusion of the Taj Mahal in the list of 'New Seven Wonders of the World'. Hundreds of students of ICFAI Business School, wearing stark-white t-shirts with "Vote for Taj" and a picture of the monument of love printed on it in black, marched through streets as part of the campaign. "Today, Taj stands at number 10. It will be a thing of national pride for us if Taj Mahal will be included in seven wonders. Therefore, we think that voting for Taj is necessary,” said Dhananjay Keskar, a professor at the Business School. Priyanka Rastogi, a student, said they aimed at creating awareness among the masses and encourage people to vote. "We want to create awareness among people to include Taj Mahal in (the list of) seven wonders again,” she said. From India's Taj Mahal to Mexico's Mayan ruins, suggestions for seven new Wonders of the World have flooded in from more than 60 million people in one of the biggest global polls ever conducted. With just over two weeks to go, votes have been pouring in from across the globe. The leading sites have so far included the Taj Mahal, the Coliseum in Rome, the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the mysterious stone statues of Easter Island. The organisation conducting the poll was set up by Swiss-Canadian adventurer Bernard Weber. The results will be announced in Portugal's Benfica Stadium of Light on July 7. (ANI)

Air Arabia increases flights to Mumbai

Wednesday, June 20, 2007 | AY
From June 22-September 15, Air Arabia will operate additional flights to Mumbai on Fridays and Saturdays. On those days, flights will depart from Sharjah at 9:35AM and arrive in Mumbai at 14:00PM local time. On the same days, flights will depart Mumbai at 14:45PM and arrive in Sharjah at 16:05PM local time. Regular service to Mumbai will be maintained, with daily departures from Sharjah at 16:40PM and from Mumbai at 21:45PM local time. Air Arabia currently operates 46 flights a week to seven cities in India, including Ahmedabad, Chennai, Jaipur, Kochi, Mumbai, Nagpur and Thiruvananthapuram.

IT raids on MCX office, associates

Wednesday, June 20, 2007 | AY
Mumbai/ New Delhi, June 19 (ANI): Income Tax department officials today conducted raids on the Multi-Commodity Exchange (MCX) and also conducted survey on its branches in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi and Kolkata.However, an official release of the Finance Ministry did not mention the name of the commodity exchange.The MCX has issued a notification asking its members to submit details of transactions of value over one lakh rupees.The notification said: "All the members shall submit the details of their clients (a) who executed transactions of value exceeding Rs 1 lakh and (b) who are located in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai." (ANI)

'93 Mumbai blasts: Sentencing of 16 convicts adjourned till June 21

Wednesday, June 20, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 19 (ANI): A special TADA court on Tuesday adjourned the sentencing of 16 convicts in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case till June 21.The adjournment came after the convicts produced a Supreme Court judgment, which stated that punishing TADA accused even when the Act has expired could be a violation of Article 14 (equality before law) of the Constitution.Defence counsel Farhana Shah said that TADA's Section 1 (4) stated that the Act would remain in operation till May 24, 1995 and from the next day its provisions would be inapplicable.Shah asked the court that the present case be referred to the Supreme Court or to the Bombay High Court as an alternative, and appealed to stay the proceedings till then.Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said that Justice Markandey Katju's statement was merely "expressions of opinion" and were not binding on the lower courts. (ANI)

PM signs nomination for UPA-Left presidential candidate Pratibha Patil

Wednesday, June 20, 2007 | AY
New Delhi/Amrawati (Maharastra), June19 (ANI): Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday signed the nomination form of Prathiba Patil-- the United Progressive Alliance-Left candidate for the upcoming Presidential polls.The Congress-led coalition chose the Rajasthan Governor over Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil to contest the election, which will be held on July 19.Meanwhile, Prathiba's husband Devi Singh Shekhawat said in Amravati that whatever she has achieved in her career was due to her hard work."All that she is today has been because of her hard work. I have never interfered in her work but wherever she wanted help, I was there for her," Devi Singh Shekhawat said."Even when she was a Governor, she worked humbly. She has been an inspiration for a lot of people," he added.Devi Singh, a teacher by profession, originally belongs to Rajasthan but migrated to Maharashtra.Prathiba became a councilor for the first time at the age of 26. She has also played a leading role in setting up educational institutions for the poor in her native state.She also set up an industrial training school for the visually impaired, besides organising vocational classes for poor and needy women. (ANI)

BJP protests ban on offerings at Siddhi Vinayaka temple

Wednesday, June 20, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 20 (ANI): Youth activists of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have protested against the ban on coconuts and garlands as offerings at the famous Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai.Priests on Monday asked devotees not to bring coconuts and garlands as offerings for fear that terrorists may hide bombs in them.Police say they have specific intelligence about a possible attack on the temple, which receives thousands of worshippers every day.Bollywood celebrities, sport stars and politicians often visit the temple to seek blessings from Lord Ganesh. "It is the question of every devotee's faith. Temple officials are going against our faith. We would continue to protest against the imposed ban," said Poonam Mahajan, a leader of party's youth wing.Siddhivinayak temple already has a bullet-proof wall surrounding it. (ANI)

Mukkam Post London

Tuesday, June 19, 2007 | AY
In the history of Marathi films, Mukkam Post London will be known as the first Marathi film to be shot in London. Mukkam Post London is Kedar Shinde’s fifth film. Mukkam Post London is produced by Kamal Sheth under the banner of Manmandir Productions. Mukkam Post London is the story of a young villager played by well known actor Bharat Jadhav. The actor hails from Satara. The movie takes us along his journey to London in search of his father, whom he has never seen. Well-known actors like Mohan Joshi and Mrinmayee Lagu will share the big screen with Bharat Jadhav. The story, screenplay and direction are scripted by Kedar Shinde. The dialogues and songs have been penned by Machhindra More. The music is scored by Ajit - Hrishikesh duo, who are music directors. Shivdarshan and Rohan have given the background music. Sanjay Memane is behind the camera. Mukkam Post London is slated to release on June 22, across Maharashtra.

Met forecasts heavy rains in Maharashtra, Gujarat, AP

Tuesday, June 19, 2007 | AY
The Meteorological Department has forecasted very heavy rainfall in parts of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh over the next few days. Numerical weather prediction models indicate that a low pressure area is likely to form over central Bay of Bengal around June 20 which may concentrate into a depression. As a result, increased rainfall activity is likely over Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Goa, south Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Gujarat between June 21 and June 24. The south-west monsoon set over Mumbai, eight days after the normal onset date, and covered Dahanu and Parbhani in Maharashtra, Raipur in Chhattisgarh, Sambhalpur and Keonjhargarh in Orissa, Ranchi in Jharkhand and Varanasi, Sultanpur, Bharaich and Mukteshwar in Uttar Pradesh.

Oswal Group to set up project in Maharashtra

Tuesday, June 19, 2007 | AY
The Ludhiana-based Oswal Group today signed an MoU with the government of Maharashtra for the establishment of a yarn-dyed shirting project at Kagal, near Kolhapur in Maharashtra. The project under reference would cost about Rs 295 crore, including the spinning project, and is likely to generate direct employment for about 650 persons in addition to indirect employment related to this activity. The MoU was signed by Ashok Oswal, chairman and managing director of Oswal Textiles, and V K Jairath, Principal Secretary (Industries), government of Maharashtra, in the presence of Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh.

Money lender tried to burn me alive, alleges Amravati farmer

Tuesday, June 19, 2007 | AY
Amrawati (Maharashtra), June 18 (ANI): A farmer here has alleged that the person from whom he had borrowed money tried to burn him alive since he protested against attempts to sell off his land.Mohan Bhati, the farmer, said some people, wanting to sell off his land, threatened him when he was working in the fields.“I was working in the fields when this incident happened. Seven people came and tried to burn me alive. I protested that they cannot sell away my land because we are the owners. They started threatening me,” Mohan said.Krishna, elder brother of Mohan said he was beaten by men of Kailash Chomwal, the money lender, to whom they had mortgaged their fields for rupees 50,000 in 1998. They were returning the money along with interest slowly. But when they were ready to return the entire amount with interest, Chomwal refused and began threatening them.“In 2000 when we asked for the land back, the moneylender refused and since then he has been threatening us," said Krishna.However, police said Mohan was framing Chomwal and had no evidence against him.“No one has ever come to me to file any report,” Chatur Singh Ingle, a police official said.At least 20 debt-ridden farmers have committed suicide in Amravati in the past one year.Last year, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced over 400 million dollars in one-time grants, interest waivers and debt restructuring, besides a one-year moratorium on loan repayments for farmers.But activists say the package failed to make an impact, and farmers in the State's worst-hit Vidharba region continue to commit suicide at the rate of three every day. (ANI)

Ban on offerings at Siddhi Vinayaka temple resented

Tuesday, June 19, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 18 (ANI): After Mumbai police imposed a ban on taking flowers, garlands and coconuts inside the Siddhivinayak temple in central Mumbai citing security reasons, the fate of hundreds of shops selling offerings outside the temple is in a suspense.The Mumbai police took this decision for the temple's safety which is believed to be on the terrorist's hit list.The shopkeepers said that they were caught unawares with the decision."At least 60 to 70 shops are there in this area. Families of these shopkeepers are living on earnings from these shops. If they ban coconut inside the temple then our business will be badly affected,” said Rakesh Yadav, a shopkeeper. Yadav said such a stringent decision should have been taken after discussing with local shopkeepers.“What will we do if the sale is less? At least eight to ten people are working in one shop. Their employment will be affected," said Yadav.Not only the shopkeepers but also the devotees are disturbed with the restriction."This is really shocking. There is no problem of security here. People come to a temple with a different temperament, with a hope of better lives and to pray for peace. The authorities could have taken some alterative steps instead of banning coconuts," said Sunil Ahuja, a devotee.Siddhivinayak temple already has a bullet-proof wall surrounding it. (ANI)

Shiv Sena to announce its Presidential candidate today

Tuesday, June 19, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 19 (ANI): Shiv Sena is likely to announce its candidate for the post of the next President today.A key constituent of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Shiv Sena, on Monday reserved its decision on backing Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, after the NDA announced that it will support Shekhawat. Shekhawat will contest as an independent candidate. Sena Executive President Uddhav Thackeray has already said Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and UPA-Left Presidential candidate Dr. Pratibha Patil have been calling up Sena chief Bal Thackeray and “this is good”.Keeping silent over considering Dr. Patil or not, Uddhav said “Shiv Sena chief will clear all the queries”.Uddhav also informed that Sena chief had received a fax from Bharatiya Janshakti leader Uma Bharati in which it is stated that a person who is willing to resolve the Ram Mandir issue should be elected as President.On Monday, All India Dravida Munnetra Khazgam (AIADMK) chief Jayalalithaa announced that the newly formed Third Front proposed incumbent President APJ Abdul Kalam’s name for a second term.She made an appeal to all political parties, fronts and alliances to give up their differences and support Kalam’s candidature for the top post of the country. Eight regional parties claiming themselves as ‘Third Front’ or the UNPA include, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the AIDMK, the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) of Assam Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) - have formed a common political alternative to the ruling UPA and the opposition NDA. (ANI)

Mumbai among world's top-ten commercial hubs

Monday, June 18, 2007 | AY
Mumbai is ranked tenth among the world's biggest centres of commerce in terms of the financial flow volumes by a survey compiled by Mastercard Worldwide, which takes into consideration size of financial services network besides equity, bond, derivatives and commodity contract transactions. The list, lead by London and New York on the first two slots, include two other Asian cities - Tokyo at fifth and Seoul at sixth positions, but does not have any representation from China - another emerging Asian economy. The other cities include Chicago, Frankfurt, Paris, Madrid and Milan. According to Mastercard Worldwide, the financial flow dimension is an integration of five indicators - financial services network, equity transactions, bond transactions, derivatives contracts traded and commodities contracts traded - all carrying equal weightage.

Garlands, coconuts banned in Siddhivinayak temple

Monday, June 18, 2007 | AY
Devotees visiting Siddhivinayak temple in central Mumbai will not be allowed to offer flowers, garlands and coconuts, as a precautionary measures for the temple's safety which is in the terrorist's hit list. Siddhivinayak temple, which figures on the terrorists' hit list, already has a bullet-proof wall surrounding it. According to the chief executive of the temple, Hanumanta Jagtap, the temple authorities were briefed by the police “not to accept big garlands and coconuts as offering from the devotees."

Jangli Kabootar

Monday, June 18, 2007 | AY
The muhurat of Akash Arts’and Deepak Patil presentation Jangli Kabootar was held in Mumbai recently. Written by Vasu Bhagat, the film is produced by Manisha D Patil and directed and edited by Mahesh Deshpande. Starring Dr Girish Oak, Sharad Ponkshe, Nutan Jayant, Rohan Jaywant, Akash Patil and Sameera Gujar, the film has music by Shashi-Milind, lyrics by Guru Thakur and cinematography by Jitendra Acharekar. First schedule of shooting has started in Mumbai.

Lagin Mazyaa Khandobacha

Monday, June 18, 2007 | AY
Producer Bhalchandra Pandit and director Prakash Panchal's mythological film Lagin Mazyaa Khandobacha is now 80 per cent complete. Being made under the banner of Shree Shubam Creations, it was shot at Panhala, Gaganbawada, Tahamatpur and Satara district. Alka Althale plays the role of Goddess Mhalsa and Vinod Pandit is in the title role of Lord Khandoba. Others in the cast are Teja Deokar, Mohan Joshi, Sayaji Shinde, Deepak Shirke, Kuldeep Pawar and Tejshree Bapat. Music is by Bal Palsule and costumes by Vinod Pandit.

Jagajjanani Shree Mahalaxmi

Monday, June 18, 2007 | AY
The first copy of Amba Films Pvt.Ltd.s' mythological film Jagajjanani Shree Mahalaxmi is out from Adlabs. The film has noted South superstar Suman in the role of Lord Vishnu while budding actor from Nasik, Mohini Potdar, plays the title role of Goddess Mahalakshmi. Being produced by Hyderabad-based businessman Shreenivas Chunduri and directed by Chandrakant Joshi, it has story research by Suhas Joshi, music by Umesh Nerkar and costumes by Geeta Godbole. The film also stars Sachin Khedekar, Sameer Dharmadhikari, Milind Gunaji, Nivedita Saraf, Rahul Solapurkar, Prasad Oak, Sagar Talashikar, Hrishikesh Joshi, Pravin Patil and Goutami Kalbaug.

MCCS to launch Marathi news channel, 'Star Maaza'

Sunday, June 17, 2007 | AY
The regional news channel market may just get two new players. Global Broadcast News (GBN) has recently announced the launch of a 24-hour Marathi language news and current affairs channel through a 50:50 joint venture with the Lokmat Group. The channel will be a general news channel targeted at all strata and all age groups. It will be positioned as a channel that will empower Maharashtrians with its content and programming and will represent the aspirations of the new Maharashtra. As of now, while Marathi entertainment channels abound with channels such as Mi Marathi, ETV Marathi and Zee Marathi, the Marathi news space has only one channel, Chauvees Tas, from the Zee stable. It may be noted that Zee Marathi alone garnered revenue of Rs 64 crore between April 2006 and March 2007.

Maharashtra hopes to send first lady as nation's president

Sunday, June 17, 2007 | AY
The selection of Pratibha Patil, governor of Rajasthan, as the ruling coalition's presidential candidate has gladdened the people of Maharashtra, as they are hopeful that the nation's first woman President will be a person hailing from their state. Even Shiv Sena's mouthpiece Saamna described it as "historic" that a Maharashtrian has been considered as candidate. However, the party itself will meet tonight as Sena chief Bal Thackeray along with son Uddhav, Sanjay Raut and Manohar Joshi will decide whether to support a Marathi woman for president or go along with the National Democratic Alliance, which is proposing the name of Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.

Mumbai WTC receives another threatening e-mail

Sunday, June 17, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 17 (ANI): Security officials of the twin World Trade Centre (WTC) towers of Mumbai have received an e-mail threatening to blow the centre.A person claiming himself to be a Nigerian, sent this e-mail with his contact number mentioned in it, WTC officials said. However, according to the Mumbai Police, the contact number given in the e-mail is fake.This is second such warning in less than a month. On May 23, the centre had received an anonymous letter threatening to blow it, which turned out to be hoax.The twin towers house a convention centre and a shopping arcade, besides offices of various corporate. (ANI)

India reviewing policy to let domestic carriers fly abroad

Sunday, June 17, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 16 (ANI): Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel today said that the Ministry is reviewing the existing aviation policy to allow domestic carriers, with less than five years of operation, fly abroad.Stringent aviation laws do not allow newly set up domestic carriers to fly international, until they complete five years of operation.Patel said the issue was pending with a Group of Ministers (GoM).He said: "The whole policy is under review with a Group of Ministers. The Ministry has proposed some relaxation in the five-year ban for flying international should be reviewed"."The reasons are that there are international airlines coming into India, they have much larger capacity and Indian carriers are not meeting that kind of reciprocal capacity. So a review is necessary," he added.Vijay Mallya's Kingfisher Airlines is waiting to complete the five-year stipulation to fly out.The Centre had recently refused permission to Kerala to launch an airliner to Gulf countries, without first operating on domestic routes for five years. Kerala has a sizeable expatriates working in the Gulf. (ANI)

Sevagram Ashram refuses central aid

Sunday, June 17, 2007 | AY
Wardha (Maharashtra), June 16 (ANI): Sevagram Ashram, 8 kilometres from Wardha, that is preserving memories of Mahatma Gandhi has refused to accept a Central grant of five million rupees towards its upkeep.The grant was released by the Centre after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to the place last year."Till date we have never taken money from the Government. The Centre proposed some conditions whereby we will have to incorporate one government member in our association. Then we will have to keep the money in the corpus and will have to work with the interest money we get from it, so our committee decided to refuse the money," said Madhukar Bharatchandra Nisal, Secretary of the ashram.The ashram looks for ‘selfless’ donations from Gandhian supporters, and hopes to set up an International centre for imparting Gandhian philosophy."We want to maintain the memories preserved here. Secondly, we want to develop the ashram on the lines of the model villages practised in the nearby villages and thirdly, we want to set up an International Gandhi centre here to impart his philosophy and writings,” added Madhukar Bharatchandra Nisal.(ANI)

Mumbai working women happy over Pratibha Patil’s presidential candidature

Sunday, June 17, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 17 (ANI): Working women residing in a hostel founded by Rajasthan Governor Pratibha Patil in Mumbai, are rooting for her victory in the forthcoming Presidential election, scheduled for July 19. Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chose Pratibha, 72, as its candidate for the polls, ahead of senior Congress leader and Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil. The news came as a surprise for many, including the residents of Shram Sadhana hostel for working women, which was founded by her in 1978. Thirty-five-year-old Prafullata More, a resident of the hostel who lost her ability to walk in a road accident eight years ago and abandoned by her relatives, is excited thinking that Partibha could become the country's first woman President. "I'm very happy since the time I have come across the news. I pray daily to the God that a noble lady like her, who does so much for the social good of the people, should become the President and lead the country," More said. Expressing his happiness on the UPA’s choice, Dyaneshwar Patil, the hostel manager, said: "The hostel was set up by her keeping in mind the girls who come to Mumbai from various parts of the country to pursue their careers." The hostel houses at least 250 women. It is reasonably priced to cater especially to the working class women who have come from across the country to pursue their careers in Mumbai. The election for the country’s top post will be held on July 19. The filing of nomination papers, which began yesterday, will continue till June 30, and scrutiny of the papers will take place on July 2. The last date of withdrawal will be July 4, while the counting of votes will take place on July 21. The term of office of the incumbent President A P J Abdul Kalam ends on July 24. (ANI)

Gurdas Maan, an ambassador of Punjabi culture

Saturday, June 16, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 14 (ANI): Punjab reminds one about a place full of life, exuberance and rich culture. And, the Punjabis are known for their zest for life. Not many may know it is the Punjabi music that popularised the Punjabi culture beyond geographical confines. And, today, a big credit goes to legendary singers like Gurdas Maan, who have become a synonym to Punjabi lifestyle. Be it “Baki Diyan Galaan Chaddo …..”or “Dum Mast Kalandar ….”or “Saada Punjab Hove….”, Gurdas Maan’s renditions have touched millions of hearts in every nook and corner of the world. Whether it was the time of insurgency or the festive time on occasions like Baisakhi, Maan has always been found highlighting the pain and pleasures through the magic of his songs. As a singer, actor, script writer and a music composer, Maan has always kept himself busy leaving a deep impression on everyone’s mind. Maan says: “My village, my Punjab – the land of five rivers, has a unique lifestyle where everyone loves singing. You can find just anyone singing while doing any kind of job….be it returning from a farm, while irrigating the fields or harvesting, everyone enjoys humming some song.” He says: “The life of a Punjabi begins with a song and ends with a song. When a baby is born, Lori or, lullaby is sung, on marriage special songs are sung, and even there are songs for someone’s demise, sung at the time of final rites.”Maan adds: “For the people I spoke to, their talk is musical, and they spend their entire life singing. I am not surprised because I am a singer and my neighbours live by singing. When we were in school, we played musical tunes on the school benches. I believe, it was my practice, it was our love for music which has brought us where we are today,” Maan, on his musical career, says: “I may have received very few awards but have received many rewards. I have received so much love from so many people that content.” Maan says, big success doesn’t happen overnight. One has to learn how to take everything and all kind of people in his stride. “Without a struggle, life has no meaning. If one wants to enjoy bliss, he has to bear sufferings. If one wants to enjoy the beautiful aroma, he should put up with foul odours. If you want to reach good people, you will have to respect the bad ones.” The artists in Gurdas Maan never motivated him to lead a too much planned life. He has celebrated everything whatever came his way. “I have done very little planning in my life. Whatever I have received, I am satisfied with it. I never lost my patience. Patience, trust and thanks – is my God and truth.” (ANI)

King Khan planning ‘Don 2’

Saturday, June 16, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 14 (ANI): Shah Rukh Khan does not give up easily. After the mixed response to his ‘Don’, King Khan is all set to make a sequel to the film. The film will be produced by his production company "Red Chillies" in association with Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani's "Excel Entertainment". Farhan will also direct the film, which will have an all-new star cast and will hit theatres around the country late next year. The film will take off from the point where the first movie ended - with Don surviving the final attack. SRK will go on to become a much bigger and powerful don in the sequel. The character will be completely dark and SRK will be at his evil best. Incidentally, Shah Rukh reached the height of his career with two negative roles at the start of his career in Baazighar and Darr. Also reprising her role will be Priyanka Chopra, who rumour had it was being dropped by Farhan Akhtar for Sushmitha Sen. However, the rumours aren’t true, and Priyanka is supposed to have a meaty part in the new flick. SRK and Priyanka's dates for the shoot have also been finalized. The sequel is supposed to raise new standards of special effects. (ANI)

Salman Khan getting set for Hollywood debut

Saturday, June 16, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 14 (ANI): Salman Khan will soon be following in former lady love Aishwarya Rai’s footsteps and making his Hollywood debut. The actor is all set to make his international debut with Marigold in which he stars opposite a not so known leading lady Ali Larter. The film's director Willard Carroll's is excited about the release of the film and says that a "lot of it was life imitating art." The film is about an ambitious actress Marigold played by Larter who sets off for India to work in an English film but ultimately lands up being cast in a Bollywood masala. "A lot of it was life imitating art because the movie's about an actress who comes to India and ends up being stranded there, has a small part in a Bollywood film, falls in love with a choreographer, says she can dance but can't. We picked up (actress) Ali (Larter) at the airport and two days later she's in the dance studio learning the final dance routine", she says. Salman also feels that the Indian film industry lacks in professionalism “The guys in Hollywood are like really professional and we're slightly not that professional and we work mostly with friends, with guys who we get along with. When I saw the contract (from Hollywood), it was like this thick”, says Salman. Salman’s Hollywood debut releases worldwide on August 3 this year. (ANI)

Mentally unstable man reunites with his family after 15 years

Saturday, June 16, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June14 (ANI): Bapu Avhad a mentally unstable man, who got separated from his family in 1992 at the age of 18, reunited with his loved ones after 15 years.After 15 years, Avhad family had lost all hope of finding Bapu. But an unexpected call from a relative in Allahabad helped reuniting Bapu with his family."One of our relative went to Allahabad to look for his brother. He couldn't find his own brother but he found Bapu instead. He read his name, my name and our address on his hand and realised that he was our Bapu," said Pandurang Avhad, Bapu Avhad's father. Bapu's mother, Bababai, was very happy that her son could recognise her and his family and was in a better mental state than he was 15 years back."He is not eating anything for the last two days, only one chapatti in a day, that's all he eats. No one was there to feed him in Allahabad. When he was here he used to be fit because I was looking after him," said Bababai. For the last 15 years Bapu was just wondering around in Allahabad doing small chores for people in lieu of food and slept on streets. Pandurang said that Bapu got into an Allahabad bound train 15 years back and couldn't find his way back home because he was mentally unstable.Pandurang Avhad, recalls the day when Bapu went out with his friends and never returned. Since then he has been looking for his son. (ANI)

Taps run dry in Mumbai as BMC struggles over water crisis

Saturday, June 16, 2007 | AY
Mumbai June 15 (ANI): Taps ran dry in Mumbai on Friday as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) cut water supply by 20 per cent to tide over the water shortage crisis in the city due to the late arrival of the monsoon.Thane, Chembur, Dadar and Mumbai suburban were among the worst affected areas.Housewives complained they were not informed before the BMC cut down the water supply."They should have warned us before. Without water, what will the women who are at home do?" said Shiela Shekhar, a housewife."It is very hot. The BMC should release some water. At least for half-an-hour," said another local.Long queue could be seen in front of water tankers. But locals lamented, it was inadequate and blamed the BMC for the current water crisis."There is a lot of problem. People are taking leave just to fill up water. Municipal water supply is not coming and no official has come to our rescue," said Shivraj Shinde, a local.BMC officials said regular supply would resume once the southwest monsoon hits Mumbai.Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department has said that the monsoon rains have picked up and moved into central parts of Maharashtra. (ANI)

Mumbai girl overcomes gender and economic barriers to play basketball

Saturday, June 16, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 15 (ANI): A 13-year old girl from Nagpada has overcome gender and social barriers to emerge as a budding basketball player. Afsana Mansuri has also mobilised others from the community to form an all-girls team called the 'Nagpada Basketball Association,' named after her neighbourhood.Born into a conservative Muslim family, her widowed mother found it revolting when Afsana suggested three years back that she wanted to play basketball. With constant nagging and what she calls 'emotional blackmail,' she could get her mother say yes. "In our community girls do not usually play basketball. There is a ground behind where kids would play. Afsana started sneaking into it and joining them. Finally, I let her play," said Mohammad Mustafa, Afsana’s uncle. A former player agreed to coach her for free helped. It meant that no additional financial burden on her mother who works as domestic help. Afsana has to fit in her matches and practice sessions within a hectic schedule of studies, household work and occasionally filling in for her mother as domestic help. However, she continued with her determination without a frown on her face."We were told that we needed 12 players to form a team and play among ourselves. With time, others joined in and we could form a group of our own," she said.Afsana is in the seventh grade at a local municipality school. She has played several district level tournaments for various teams. Twice, she represented Maharashtra. "She has played two state-level championships. Afsana tries emulating boys when she plays. She gets noticed as she has the ability to work hard," said Abdul Rashid, Afsana's coach. The Nagpada Basketball Association’s bench strength is increasing by the day, cutting across girls from various age-brackets and social and economic strata. (ANI)

Gangster Ejaz Pathan dies

Saturday, June 16, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 15(ANI): Gangster Ejaz Pathan, who was convicted in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case, died today reportedly due to AIDS.He died at the JJ Hospital, where he was taken today after he complained of uneasiness.The real reason of his death is not yet confirmed. Pathan was serving ten years jail term. He had been in jail for over four years. Pathan, a close associate of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, was brought to Mumbai from Dubai in 2003.A TADA court on June 7 sentenced Pathan to ten years rigorous imprisonment. He was convicted for providing his men to prime accused Tiger Memon for the landing of explosives, arms and ammunition before the blasts.He had also been involved in various extortion and murder cases. (ANI)

Taps run dry in Mumbai as BMC struggles over water crisis

HIV drugs unaffordable for common man: Kalam

Saturday, June 16, 2007 | AY
Sevagram (Maharashtra), June 15 (ANI): Urging the medical community to develop 'much cheaper' drugs to combat HIV/AIDS, President A P J Abdul Kalam today said the available first and second line treatment of the deadly disease is still out of reach of the common man in the country.Stating that the Indian companies have done formidable job in bringing down the price of first and second line HIV drugs, Kalam said: "Even this reduction does not make the drug affordable to the common man in our country."Speaking at Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (MGIMS) at Sevagram, he said: "We have Technology Vision 2020 Document prepared by TIFAC (Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council), which indicates about the typical disease pattern which will be faced by the country during the period now to the year 2020.""It is expected that HIV and TB combination, water borne diseases, cardiac diseases will be the predominant diseases and we have to find solutions for diagnosing and treatment," he added.Kalam emphasised the need for providing quality health care to our rural citizens. Commenting on the infant mortality rate, Kalam called for bringing infant mortality to less than 10 per thousand.On the menace on malaria, he said: "Italian scientists have recently found a bacteria that lived symbiotically inside the pest. They claim that such bacteria could potentially be genetically altered later to attack the Malaria parasite when it reaches the Mosquitoes." (ANI)

Country needs to work hard to host F1 race: Karthikeyan

Saturday, June 16, 2007 | AY
Pune, June 16 (ANI): India's only Formula One racer Narain Karthikeyan has said that the country would need to build the required infrastructure soon for holding a F1 race in 2009.Karthikeyan also said that the country would have to work really hard to bring the race home in 2009, adding that as of now, no infrastructure exists. "I believe they are willing to do so, but it will cost a lot of money," he said on the sidelines of a function. India on June 14 bagged the deal to host a race in New Delhi in 2009, with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) signing a contract with the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA).Bernie Ecclestone of FIA agreed to make the championship in India an annual feature after it makes a debut in 2009.Asia already hosts four F1 races in Malaysia (Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur), Bahrain (Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir), Japan (Fuji Speedway in Oyama) and China (Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai). (ANI)

Pune scientists to help ONGC increase oil supply

Thursday, June 14, 2007 | AY
Scientists at the Agharkar Research Institute (ARI) at Pune will use bacterial clusters to increase the supply of oil from oil wells. Two ARI scientists, DR Ranade and Prashant Dhakephalkar, have been working on anaerobic bacteria for the past one year and are now ready to take their project ahead. A vast amount of viscous and hard oil is present underground. Oil companies cannot pump it up because of the hardness and the depth the wells cannot reach. Companies have tried using water, gas and chemicals, but with little success. The bacterial clusters will produce gas that would make it easier to locate the oil supply and enable wells to pump it up. If the project proves to be a success, the current output from wells which that stands at 20% - 30% could go up to 50%.

TechMela 2007 in Mumbai

Thursday, June 14, 2007 | AY
Microsoft India has announced the dates for its Technology Event, TechMela 2007, in Mumbai. The event will span over four days, from June 13-16 2007 at Renaissance, Powai. TechMela is an evolution of the erstwhile TechEd, Mobile and Embedded Developers Conference (MEDC), IndiMIX and IT Professionals’ conference run by Microsoft. With the theme 'Connecting experiences through technology', TechMela will cover technologies such as Mobile, Embedded, Next Generation Web, User Experience, Security, Infrastructure Management and Unified Communication.

Sanjay Dutt to appear before TADA court today

Thursday, June 14, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 14 (ANI): Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, convicted for possessing illegal weapon in connection with the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case, will appear before a special Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) court here today. Dutt and his three friends, Kersi Adajenia, Russi Mulla and Yusuf Nullwala are among the 27 yet to be sentenced and all four of them have applied for relief under the Probation of Offenders Act. According to the Act, a person convicted of any offence other than the one punishable with death or life imprisonment, can be released on probation instead of serving the sentence in prison.Dutt has already spent nearly 15 months, as an under-trial before being released on bail in 1996.On November 28, the TADA court found him guilty under the Arms Act and not the TADA.Minimum sentence for the charges under which Dutt has been found guilty is three years. Dutt was booked for possessing an AK-56 rifle that had come in a consignment of arms and explosives meant for use in the Mumbai serial blasts that killed 257 people. Dutt had admitted to the charges in his confession made shortly after his arrest in on April 22, 1993. But later he retracted the same.He had confessed that underworld don Abu Salem visited his Pali Hill home in January 1993. Samir Hingora and Hanif Kadawala, the two close associates of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and proprietors of Magnum Video brought Salem to his home, he had said.He has confessed that he had kept an AK-56 rifle.Dutt had said that he needed the weapons to protect his family as threatening calls were received during the 1992-93 Mumbai riots. In spite of repeated complaints, he said, there was no police protection given to him or his family.But when he heard about the blasts and the arrests of Samir and Hanif, he asked his friend Yusuf Nulwalla to destroy the gun.The Court has already awarded sentences to two convicts who had supplied arms to Dutt.On June 1, Samir Hingora - the man who supplied AK-56 rifle to film Dutt - was awarded nine years' rigorous imprisonment. Dhakla, who removed the rifle from Dutt's house, was awarded 10 years imprisonment.As many as 100 persons had been found guilty in the serial blasts case, of which the judge has sentenced 73. Following are the highlights relating to the progress made in the case about Sanjay Dutt's involvement in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts:April 1993: Sameer Hingora and Hanif Kadawala arrested a month after serial blasts rock Mumbai on March 12, 1993. They tell police about film star Sanjay Dutt's possessing AK-56 rifles.April 15, 1993: CBI files chargesheet against Sanjay Dutt saying gangster Abu Salem visited Dutt in January 1993. In the chargesheet CBI stated that Salem was brought to Dutt's resident accompanied by Magnum video owner Sameer Hingora and motor-training school owner Ibrahim Musa on instructions of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's brother Annes to deliver weapons. Next morning weapons arrived and Dutt allegedly kept three AK-56 rifles. Later, he kept only one rifle and returned two rifles.Dutt confessed to the police that while he was in Mauritius for shooting he called Yusuf Nullwalla to destroy the weapons. Yusuf did so with the help of Kersi Adajania in his foundry.April 19, 1993: Police escorts Dutt on his arrival from Mauritius saying AK-56 in his house was from the consignment of arms smuggled into India before the blasts.

Maharashtra on Chikungunya alert

Wednesday, June 13, 2007 | AY
21 people from Kolhapur have been admitted to hospitals after symptoms of the deadly Chikungunya disease. Blood samples of the patients have been sent for confirmation to the National Institute of Virology at Pune. The government on Tuesday sent the state Joint Health Director B K Gaikwad to assess the situation in Kolhapur and its neighbouring Sangli and Solapur districts bordering Andra Pradesh. The district medical officers have been instructed to intensify their mosquito-control measures and to keep a close vigil on reports of fever cases in their respective districts. Chikungunya is a viral fever transmitted by the Aedis Aegypti mosquito. This year, the disease has already claimed 54 lives in Kerala.

Muslim sisters get court protection for going to college

Wednesday, June 13, 2007 | AY
Mumbai June 12 (ANI): Two Muslim sisters Samina and Zarina who had received a Mumbai court protection for going to college alleged that they were being terrorised and threatened by their neighbours from going to their college.The sister-duo alleged that on one occasion the neighbours, mostly orthodox community members manhandled the entire family, including their parents and seven other siblings.The police had refused to lodge a complaint saying it was a minor neighbourhood quarrel, that compelled them to file a petition in the court.Earlier, the court directed Mumbai police to arrest main culprit Ansari and provide protection to the girls, after they filed a petition seeking protection.The girls say they are scared though their determination to continue studies remains unscathed."It has definitely affected us. We are shocked by their behaviour. But we have to complete our studies, our graduation at least. We are frightened and that's the only reason why we moved to High Court. We don't want to discontinue our studies," said Zarina.Police officials, when approached, refused to make any comments.Ansari's father Nisar, agreeing that his son was involved in the scuffle with Zarina's family, however, said that he never asked the girls to discontinue their studies."My son is innocent. I agree that he was involved in the scuffle...there was a quarrel, which should not have happened. It was wrong. But whatever they are alleging is wrong. He never said the girls to discontinue their studies," Nisar said. (ANI)

Passengers stranded as Indian airline employees go on strike

Wednesday, June 13, 2007 | AY
Mumbai / New Delhi, June 13 (ANI): Scores of passengers were stranded at Delhi and Mumbai airports due to the ongoing strike conducted by around 13,000 employees of Indian airline from Tuesday night. A spokesman for the airline said all the 15 flights scheduled till 8.00 p.m. from Delhi had operated but flights from Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai have been disrupted. "It is so difficult for us since we have come here to receive our children. There are no announcements to inform us on the whereabouts of the passengers," said P. K. Pandey, a resident. Check-in staff, ticketing staff, baggage handlers and loaders are all on strike, and are demanding higher wages. The airline workers carried flags and banners, and raised slogans in front of Delhi and Mumbai airport. According to the striking employees, their arrear is pending for a long time. Air Corporation Employees' Union Assistant Secretary Sudhir Vagad said their meeting with the management on Tuesday proved inconclusive and the strike will continue till their demands were met. He said the management had gone back on the promise of wage revision, promotion policy and clearance of arrears. "For the last 10 years, our charter of demands has not been met with. Career progression is also one of our main demands since the merger with Air India has already taken place. In Air India, their employees got the career progression. On the contrary, when this merger happens, in the merged entity we will be deprived of that," said Vagad. However, a spokesman of the airline declared the strike as ‘illegal and unlawful’.The Civil Aviation Ministry officials had earlier said that the government had set out broad guidelines for workers' compensation after the proposed merger of Air India and Indian Airlines, expected in July this year. (ANI)

A Mumbai Court acquits Dawood’s brother in Sara-Sahara case

Wednesday, June 13, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 13 (ANI): A Special Court of Mumbai today acquitted gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s brother Iqbal Kaskar as enough evidence were not gathered against him in connection with unauthorised construction of twin-shopping malls Sara-Sahara. Special judge Mridula Bhatkar of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court has started giving the judgement from June 01. The Sara Sahara shopping complex, allegedly owned by underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, was demolished on July 29 2006 by the Brihanmumbai Corporation. The Sara Sahara Shopping Complex, which is located opposite the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Market, was spread over 20,000 square metres. The police claim that the complex has been illegally built on land owned by the Central Public Works Department. This revelation came during the tapping of a telephone conversation that Dawood was having with his brother Iqbal Kaskar. The first order to demolish the complex came in 2005, but was stayed on the orders of a court after shopkeepers said they would lose their livelihood. In May 2006, the Supreme Court ordered the structure to be brought down. (ANI)

Lagin Mazya Khandobacha

Tuesday, June 12, 2007 | AY
Producer Bhalchandra Pandit and director Prakash Panchal's mythological film Lagin Mazya Khandobacha is now 80 per cent complete. Being made under the banner of Shree Shubam Creations, it was shot at Panhala, Gaganbawada, Tahamatpur, Satara district. Alka Althale plays the role of Goddess Mhalsa and Vinod Pandit is in the title role of Lord Khandoba. Others in the cast are Teja Deokar, Mohan Joshi, Sayaji Shinde, Deepak Shirke, Kuldeep Pawar and Tejshree Bapat. Music is by Bal Palsule and costumes by Vinod Pandit.

Jangli Kabootar

Tuesday, June 12, 2007 | AY
The muhurat of Akash Arts’and Deepak Patil Presents Jangli Kabootar was held in Mumbai recently. Written by Vasu Bhagat, the film is produced by Manisha D Patil and directed and edited by Mahesh Deshpande. Starring Dr Girish Oak, Sharad Ponkshe, Nutan Jayant, Rohan Jaywant, Akash Patil and Sameera Gujar, the film has music by Shashi-Milind, lyrics by Guru Thakur and cinematography by Jitendra Acharekar. First schedule of shooting has started in Mumbai.

Biometric IDs

Tuesday, June 12, 2007 | AY
Maharashtra government is introducing biometric ID system for slum dwellers to protect them from unscrupulous land sharks. The identification system is meant for those under the state-sponsored slum redevelopment project in the city. It was proposed after the government received several complaints alleging that slum dwellers were being intimidated or lured into signing out their property by real estate developers to start construction on their plots. Initially, the identification process would be introduced in schemes approved by the state Slum Redevelopment Authority (SRA). According to government records, Mumbai has over 4.5mn slum dwellers. The move to bring in the biometric identification system comes in the wake of several cases filed by the slum dwellers who have complained that their plots were being developed without their consent.

Welspun-Gujarat grabs order worth 288 million dollars

Tuesday, June 12, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 11 (ANI): The Welspun-Gujarat Stahl Rohren Limited (WGSRL) today grabbed an order for the supply of pipelines overseas worth 288 million dollars.This order has taken the company's pending order book position to around 5, 166 crore rupees, said the Welspun release to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). According to, the Vice Chairman and Managing Director of the Welspun Group, B K Goenka, new orders would be received within a month and with this order in their bag the company envisages to be stronger and robust. WGSRL, which was established in 1995, manufactures Longitudinal Submerged Arc Welded Pipes (LSAW), Helical Submerged Arc Welded Pipes (HSAW) and Electric Resistant Welded Pipes (ERW) pipes. (ANI)

Pune garbage dumping ground creating health hazards in nearby village

Tuesday, June 12, 2007 | AY
Urali Devachi (Maharashtra), June 12 (ANI): The industrial and commercial waste generated from Pune that is dumped in Urali Devachi, about 25 kilometers from the city, is creating a host of problems for the nearby villagers.Urali Devachi village has been turned into a garbage dumping ground for tonnes of waste generated by the city’s nearly five million plus population. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) shifted the dumping ground from Kothrud to Urali Devachi, located on Pune-Saswad road, in 1999. Over 1,250 tonnes of garbage, including plastic waste, is dumped everyday at the five-acre dumping ground close to the village. Villagers complain that they are facing a host of problems, mainly relating to health, due to contamination and pollution. Villagers have been forced to abandon farmlands, which have been strewn with polythene bags and waste material brought by winds from the garbage dump. Ground water has also been contaminated. Dengue, malaria, diarrhoea are common ailments people are suffering with, besides the menace of stray dogs. “There is lot of percolation from the garbage dump. People are falling ill. The water is contaminated. Corporation officials had promised clean water. They have also laid a pipeline but there is no water,” said Dnyaneshwar Admane, the village head. Tatya Saheb Bhadale, a village youth, said: “Because of this, people from nearby areas are not giving their daughters in marriage to boys in our village. Everyone here is facing a lot of problems”. The residents have opposed Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) recent move to open new landfills around the village. The PMC is yet to undertake work at the dumping ground on the Central Government sponsored Solid Waste Management and Drainage Programme, for which the funds were recently earmarked. (ANI)

Maharashtra going to face monsoon

Monday, June 11, 2007 | AY
The south-west monsoon, due to supercyclone Gonu, is expected to progress over the next three days, over Maharashtra. A strong current had developed over the Arabian Sea but supercylone Gonu, that had formed in the region and later hit Oman, caused "major disruption" in the progress of monsoon. Monsoon has been active in the Bay of Bengal and has covered the entire north-east, sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim and some parts of Bihar. Kerala, coastal Karnataka and Lakshadweep are expected to experience more rainfall over the next two to three days. The advance of rainfall in the northeastern and eastern regions could also bring relief to Delhiites who have been bearing the brunt of the scorching sun for the past few days.

Indians return home from cyclone-hit Oman

Monday, June 11, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 11 (ANI): A number of Indians returned home from Oman after flight service resumed in the cyclone-hit county.Zaheda Iqbal, an Indian who returned home, said Oman was badly affected by the cyclone."It was dangerous. Water came up to the ground floor. We saw that big cars were simply washed away," Zaheda said.Nishant Pawani, another Indian, said: "It was very bad. The waves were going up to the fourth and fifth floor. Wind was about to break my home's window glasses. It was about 200 to 250 kilometres per hour". With deaths of two more Indian nationals confirmed due to the cyclone, the toll of Indians killed rose to four on Sunday.The bodies of Punjab's Prithvi Pal Singh and Anil Kumar of Ottapalam at Kerala's Palakkad District have been found, Indian Embassy at Muscat said.Earlier, deaths of Prakashan from Mysore in Karnataka and Pokkan Sreenu from Andhra Pradesh's East Godavari District were confirmed.Meanwhile, five others -- Sajit Kumar (Calicut, Kerala), Udayan (Mammiyoor, near Guruvayur temple, Kerala), Sami (Andhra Pradesh), Mohammed Ali (Ernakulam, Kerala) and Binu (Ernakulam, Kerala) -- are still missing.The identity of another missing Indian hailing from Punjab is not known yet.Mohammed Abdul Rahim from Hyderabad was injured in the cyclone and has been admitted to a hospital.Around 3.86 lakh Indians reside in Oman.A super cyclone 'Gonu' with high velocity winds up to 170 kilometres per hour hit Oman's eastern coast on June 6, causing high tide up to 12 metres and torrential rains in Muscat and nearby towns. Oman's weather department says Gonu is the strongest storm to reach Oman's coastline since a destructive one in 1977. (ANI)

Abu Salem brought to Mumbai

Monday, June 11, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 11 (ANI): Underworld don Abu Salem was brought to Mumbai from New Delhi on Monday morning, as he is scheduled to appear before a special TADA court in connection with the 1993 serial blasts case. Salem, who was extradited from Portugal in November 2005, was taken to Mumbai’s Arthur road jail, where he was earlier lodged. Salem is under 25-day judicial custody in a case registered in 2002 under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crimes Act (MCOCA) for his alleged involvement in an extortion case.Salem is accused of attempting to extort five crore rupees from Ashok Gupta, a businessman in Greater Kailash in New Delhi.The Delhi Police also needed Salem for interrogation over his role in trying to extort Rs 10 million via his henchmen from south Delhi businessman Rajat Nagrath in July 2002. Nagrath owns a firm Allied Communications in East of Kailash.The second one pertains to a conspiracy to eliminate rival don Babloo Shrivastava.Salem was arrested in India after his extradition from Portugal in November 2005 for his alleged role in the 1993 Mumbai blasts and several other cases. (ANI)

MCGM to start chain of malls across Mumbai

Sunday, June 10, 2007 | AY
The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai is planning to start a chain of malls across the city. The MCGM has decided to start at least ten such malls in the next year and has decided to call the chain as `M-CUBE' or Municipal Mall for Masses and would soon be coming out with a logo for the same. Existing municipal markets will be reconstructed to build the malls and the MCGM has already earmarked a sum of Rs 15 crore for the malls in this year's budget estimates.

Manoj Bajpai-starrer Bollywood film ‘Swami’ hits big screen

Sunday, June 10, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 8 (ANI): Bollyood choreographer Ganesh Acharya’s directorial debut, ‘Swami’, a film about a common man’s life and family’s importance for him, was released today in cinema halls across the country.The film promises to take the audience to revisit a common man’s world and how he attends to his family responsibility. The film has been shot in a village in South India. The film revolves around Swami, the protagonist played by Manoj Bajpai, known for his hard-hitting acting in films like Satya, Shool, Road, Pinjar. Bollywood actor Juhi Chawala, who won accolades for her role in “My Brother Nikhi” is playing Bajpai’s wife Radha.Attending the film premier, Manoj Bajpai said: “This film depicts the journey of 'Swami'. His journey is very new and unique, something which has never been told or seen before, hence, the name 'Swami' because it's all about his journey. The name 'Swami' itself depicts a certain innocence involved with the character." In the film, Swami has a penchant for collecting five rupee coins, which he never spends. He also has a long cherished dream of owning a rocking chair, which he cannot afford.Swami’s wife Radha (Juhi Chawla) comes to know about his hobby and asks him to use some money from his coin collection, which he refuses. The real story begins when the family moves to Mumbai for higher studies of their son. But soon tragedy strikes the family, when the Radha dies and Swami is left all alone to deal with the trauma and the responsibility to bring up his son.Director Ganesh Acharya said: "I am very happy today. Everything that I thought of and dreamt about has finally realised. It took me five years to script the whole story and it is finally releasing on big screen. This story is close to my heart and I am very happy having worked on it.”Ganesha said: "I want everybody who laughs, cries and listens to his heart to watch my film. You will love watching ‘Swami’.” Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, who attended the film’s premier show, said: "I have seen the film. It has a very brilliant technique. It's a common man's film and with that kind of subject, he has done a good job."A touching subject, mixed with power packed performances by the actors, the film depicts a gamut of emotions on screen. (ANI)

Leopard safari coming soon

Saturday, June 9, 2007 | AY
Maharashtra will have a 'leopard safari' at four different places soon, Minister for Forests Babanrao Pachpute announced here today. The 'leopard safaris' would be established at Nashik, Pune, Ahmednagar and Jalgaon. Tourists would be taken into the forest along a track covered by a hood to give them a look of the beasts up close. This would not only provide an added attraction to tourists and wildlife enthusiasts, but would also help in solving the problem of frequent leopard intrusions into human habitation since the jungles at the four places would be treated as 'leopard reserves' into which wayward beasts.

Top brass of Maharashtra police feel the pulse of lower ranks

Saturday, June 9, 2007 | AY
Nagpur, June 7 (ANI): Alarmed at the rise in cases of suicide among its lower ranks, the Maharashtra Police has asked its top brass to open their doors and allow their subordinates to come forward and discuss their problems.In the last three months, some constables ended their lives due to work stress. Two other police officers also died of stress-related ailments.“We have conducted a study on increasing suicide rates in Maharashtra. We found out that disease and family tension are the two main causes of suicide," said Dr. Bhushan Kumar, Additional Commissioner of Police, Nagpur.He also said a dominance of stress amongst working police officers is frequently felt."The service and living conditions of a police man are Spartan. Their salaries are not sufficient to support the expenses of their families. There are no duty timings. Hence, the job causes stress and tension,” Kumar said.To keep the men in Khaki stress-free, yoga classes, recreation facilities and psychiatrist consultation are being provided.In addition, more interactive sessions with seniors have been recommended."In our crime branch, for two days in a month, we sit and discuss the personal lives of our policemen. We talk about their troubles, their physical and mental health. Sometimes, we arrange festival celebrations to de-stress them," claimed Kumar. Constable Ganpat Mahoorkar observed that socio-economic disparities and violent protests in the name of democracy have a direct bearing in the life of policemen leading to stress. He also observed that if the society grows a bit apathetic towards the hostilities, which a police officer at work has to bear, things might improve. "If the public provides little human support to the policemen who have been on their toes to ensure the public security, the stress level of a police may get lower down," said Mahoorkar.The Government had set up three commissions to address reforms in police service. Probably, many of the recommendations are yet to be implemented. Under the Home Ministry, an exclusive wing named Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) has also been instituted. The (BPR&D) is assigned the responsibility of promoting a speedy and systematic study of police problems in changed society. (ANI)

Monsoon brings back fear of floods in Mumbai

Saturday, June 9, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 7 (ANI): With monsoon on the verge of hitting Mumbai, slum dwellers fear a repeat of the 2005 floods, which killed over 70 people.In 2005, two days of heavy rain in July showed up the pathetic infrastructure and dismal emergency response in Mumbai.Around 72 people were buried alive and several hundred injured in a landslide in Saki Naka, a crowded slum dwelling in the Mumbai suburb, on July 28, 2005.People of Saki Naka still have the memories of the horrific incident fresh in their minds."When we recall the day, we feel very sad. The rains and the falling of the hill -- all are still fresh in our minds," said Mohammad Aftan Khan.It has become a routine for slum dwellers to migrate to safer locations when monsoon hits the city till the end of September--when rain subsides.Locals complain authorities’ apathy towards them. They say repeated request for allotment of safer places have fallen on deaf ear.“The government does not send us to safe places. We approached them with a request for some other place. But no one paid heed to our words," said Shaheen Bibi.Officials, however, said they are geared up to relocate people living in high-risk areas in the city.“We are going to shift them. We have made people aware that they are on high-risk area. We have asked them to shift by themselves or we would shift them,” said Mumbai Mayor Shubha Raul.With a population density of around 29,000 people per square kilometre, Mumbai is one of the most crowded cities in the world. More than half of its residents live in shanty colonies and on pavements. (ANI)

1993 Mumbai blasts: Conspirator gets life term

Saturday, June 9, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 7 (ANI): A special TADA court here today sentenced to life imprisonment Shaikh Ali Shaikh Umar, who was convicted for his involvement in the conspiracy behind the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts.Special Judge P D Kode also sentenced Gangster Ejaz Pathan to rigorous imprisonment for 10 years and directed to a pay a fine of Rs 2.25 lakh. He was found guilty for his involvement in the conspiracy behind the blasts.He was also convicted for providing his men to prime accused Tiger Memon for the landing of explosives, arms and ammunition before the blasts.The court asked Umar, who was also found guilty of aiding in the landing of arms and ammunition before the blasts, to pay a fine of Rs 1.5 lakh.Umar was also held guilty of conducting an inspection at the MCGM headquarters and leaving a Maruti van with seven assault rifles and grenades near the Siemens factory in central Mumbai on the day of the blasts.He was also convicted for taking part in a conspiracy meeting in Mumbai and for initiating another accused Gul Mohammed into the conspiracy. (ANI)

Shiv Sena leader forces former bar girls out of their homes in Mumbai

Saturday, June 9, 2007 | AY
Mumbai June 7 (ANI): Ram Repale, a member of the Thane Municipal Corporation, belonging to the Shiv Sena has forcefully evicted hundreds of bar girls from their homes in Mumbai's Kisan Nagar locality.Repale took this step as several residents of the locality were complaining to him and asking him to help in "clearing their neighbourhood of unwanted elements".The residents alleged that the bar girls had turned to flesh trade after Maharashtra Government banned bar dancing in August 2005.Repale had given a deadline of June 11 to these former bar girls to sell their homes and move out of the place."Now they are threatening to kill my brothers and they are forcing us to vacate our house. Where will we go? The bad elements that lived here have already left and gone. Then why are we being asked to go? What will happen to my children? I am 35 or 40 years old. What will I do?" said Anita, a former bar girl.Anita alleged that Repale has threatened to kill her brothers, if she did not move out of her house. Already, over 1,000 bar girls and their families have fled the locality to take refuge in safer places."The ones who are left with no other option are involved in flesh trade to feed themselves and their families. So if they are being named 'Call Girls', there is nothing they can do about it. Girls like us have no other option since we are not educated," said Julie, another former bar girl."I have a 13-year-old daughter. Today if they evict me from my home, where will I take my children and how will I educate them? I am not objecting to them spoiling my life, but why spoil the life of my children?" Julie added.On his part, Ram Repale said that it is the residents who are forcing him to take such a step. But the former bar girls claim that it is an act of moral policing with the real cops shying away from taking a stand on the issue and helping those in power."Population of bar girls in the locality had gone up in the last three-four months becoming a big nuisance for rest of the residents. They would walk around half-dressed at odd hours in the night and knock on the doors of other residents. Their customers and pimps would fight regularly and wake up other residents. This had angered other women in the neighbourhood," said Repale.The State Government had banned bar dancing on the plea it corrupted young men and bred crime and prostitution.But the dancers and their sympathizers say bars are the only way the women, many of them single mothers, can earn a living. (ANI)

Sensex plunges by 279 points

Thursday, June 7, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 6 (ANI): The Sensex of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) today fell by 279 points, as it closed at 14, 256 points. The BSE Bankex and Oil and Gas indices dropped 3 per cent each to 7595 and 7469, respectively. While the Auto and Metal indices dropped around 2 per cent each to 4868 and 10,414, respectively. The top gainers were Hindalco, Reliance Comm, Satyam and Grasim, while the top losers were Tata Steel, HDFC, Tata Motors, and SBI. European markets did not perform well with most of the Asian markets ending flat. Nitin Fire topped the value chart followed by Wipro, Reliance, MIC Electronics and Reliance Communications. (ANI)

After DJ Aqueel, Percept MD detained for possessing ecstasy in Dubai

Thursday, June 7, 2007 | AY
Dubai/Mumbai, June 7 (ANI): The Managing Director of Percept Holdings, Harindra Singh, and two of his associates have been booked on the charges of carrying ecstasy pills in Dubai.Singh’s detention comes after the arrest of DJ Aqueel, who was arrested for possessing 0.4 grams of ecstasy.However, Aqueel’s counsel maintained that his urine test has revealed that the former is not a drug user.Some of the Bollywood films produced by the Percept include Corporate, Pyar Mein Twist, Pyar Mein Kabhi Kabhi, Traffic Signal, MP3 and Dor.In February 2005, Vijay Raaz, popularly known for his role in Bollywood flick Monsoon Wedding, was detained for carrying six grams of marijuana in Dubai.Prasad Bidappa, a well-known figure in the fashion world, was detained in June 2005 on the charges of carrying two grams of marijuana. His urine test reportedly was positive.The United Arab Emirates has a zero tolerance drug policy. (ANI)

Dengue-threat looms large over Mumbai

Wednesday, June 6, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 5 (ANI): Outbreak of mosquito-borne disease Dengue is looming large over Mumbai, as the city has recorded a spurt in the number of dengue cases ahead of the monsoon season.Hospitals in the suburbs of the metropolis have reported a large number of fever cases; many of them diagnosed dengue hemorrhagic fever.There is an alarming rise in the number of fever cases suspected to be dengue in Mira-Bhayandar municipality area of Mumbai, blaming on poor sanitation."Mosquitoes breed because of stagnant water and garbage that has piled up everywhere and this leads to the onset of diseases like dengue," said Dr. Ravi Patil of Sai Ashirwad Hospital."First of all, water is polluted, the surroundings are dirty, you can see that there is no hygiene and on top of it the monsoons are going to set in," said Vine, a dengue patient.People living in shanties were mainly susceptible to the disease, because of poor sanitation."Because there is a lot of garbage around, all kinds of diseases are spreading," said Santosh Yadav, a water supply tanker assistant.The city had been reporting dengue and other water-borne diseases every year during the post-monsoon period.Dengue fever is an acute febrile disease, found in the tropical region. It spreads by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.Open storm, drains and water-logging were the major factors contributing to breeding of mosquitoes, the cause of dengue. The disease spreads during the rainy season and is manifested by a sudden fever, with severe headache, muscle and joint pains. (ANI)

Mumbai Police arrest two Nigerians with drugs

Wednesday, June 6, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 6 (ANI): Mumbai Police have arrested two Nigerians after they were caught with drugs. "Senior Police Inspector of Narcotics Cell Sanjay Jadhav and his staff carried out a raid on a tip-off and accosted four Nigerians in the Santa Cruz (East) area. A scuffle broke out and some constables were injured. Only two Nigerians could be caught at the spot," said police inspector Anil Kharate of the Vakola Police Station.The Nigerians have been identified as Isabel Goodwil Onyekachi (30) and Sunday Isabelum (29). The absconding Nigerians are Ananukem Samuel Obina (26) and Megdoruquay Sopulam Samuel (22). According to the police, Megdoruquay is the kingpin of the narcotics racket. Six grams of heroin was recovered from those arrested on the spot. Seven other Nigerians were later detained for assaulting the policemen. The police have registered a case of assault and causing hurt to a public servant on duty. (ANI)

Zee TV producing marathi films

Tuesday, June 5, 2007 | AY
The Zee Entertainment has forayed into Marathi film production. This is the first ever regional movie channel on the Indian screen. The Marathi community is spread wide across the country. The Indian diaspora also consists of a good Marathi populace. Hence, Marathi movies always held a special place in their heart. Nitin Vaidya, Executive Vice President, Zee regional said that, they have already signed an MoU with director Mahesh Kothare who will direct three films for them.

1993 Mumbai blasts- Two more jailed

Tuesday, June 5, 2007 | AY
An Indian court sentenced two more people to life imprisonment on Tuesday for their role in the country's worst bombings in 1993 which killed 257 people. The court also handed jail terms for between 5 and 14 years to another three people convicted in the case. Those sentenced so far include smugglers, petty criminals, a Bollywood producer and also policemen and customs officials who took bribes to let the explosives through. An 83-year-old man is among those jailed for life for planning the blasts.

Aevdhese Aahbhaal

Monday, June 4, 2007 | AY
Bipin Nadkarni and Opticus picture company, brings a Marathi film, "Aevdhese Aahbhaal" (a little bit of sky) based on a novel, "Aapka Bunty" by Mannu Bhandari. "Aevdhese Aahbhaal" is the story of an eleven year old boy Bunty, who lives with his mother Shakun. Without dwelling too much on the reason for the marital discord ( we see there is another woman, certainly), Bipin focuses more on the trauma of the child and the mother. Pratiksha Lonkar as Shakun is charming and portrays her helplessness and turmoil quite well. Ashok Shinde is perfect as the selfish estranged husband, Ajay. Bipin Nadkarni had earlier given us an award winning film "Uttarayan" based on Jayant Dalvi's play 'Durgi'.

Now, Paramount Airways seeks merger with GoAir

Monday, June 4, 2007 | AY
Mumbai,June 4 (ANI): The aviation industry is heating up like anything, as after the Jet-Sahara, Air India-Indian Airline merger and a nod for the Kingfisher-Deccan merger, Paramount is reported to talking to GoAir for a merger.Talks are doing the rounds that the Madurai-based Paramount Airways has sent feelers to Wadia-promoted GoAir.In recent past, GoAir had indicated that it might sell off 26 to 40 per cent of its equity.The Wadia group, however, has reportedly expressed no desire to move ahead.But one should keep in mind that a few days before the Kingfisher-Deccan merger; Deccan to had denied all reports of their merger. Kingfisher will take up 26 per cent stake of Air Deccan at Rs 150 per share. About two months ago, Jet took over Air Sahara and decided to run it as a separate airline under the Jet Lite brand.The Paramount Airways is reportedly eyeing a stake in GoAir with the aim of foraying into the western part of the country.Thiagarajan who is a pilot, promotes the Paramount Airways. Paramount Airways is the first airline in India to launch the New Generation Embraer 170/190 family series aircrafts. GoAir operates Airbus A320 aircraft with 180 seats, while Paramount operates Brazil’s Embraer aircraft with 60 to 90 seats. (ANI)

Showman Raj Kapoor remembered on his 19th death anniversary

Sunday, June 3, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 2 (ANI): A cross-section of the Indian entertainment industry today remembered showman Raj Kapoor on his 19th death anniversary. Kapoor, who died at New Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on June 2, 1988 from renal failure, was remembered by members of his extended family. Prayers and relevant solemn functions were organised to mark the event.Kapoor entered the film industry as a clapper boy in the late 1930s and went on to become an Indian silver screen icon. Known as Showman of Hindi cinema, Kapoor was born on December 14, 1924, in Peshawar, Pakistan.He started his acting career at the age of 11 with the film Inquilab and made it to the big league with his lead role in Neel Kamal in 1947. At the age of 24 in 1948, Raj Kapoor established his own studio, RK Films, with his first directorial venture, "Aag". Raj Kapoor directed several films and acted in most of them. He became immensely popular in Russia after "Awaara" and "Shri 420" as the movies achieved unprecedented success in that country.Kapoor was the Indian version of American comic artist Charlie Chaplin. That image remained with him for over two decades.Kapoor depicted the story of common man in his films and they appealed to every section of the society.Music was the soul of Raj Kapoor's films, and they became popular not only in India, but abroad too. He won many awards during his career in Hindi movies. In 1985, his "Ram Teri Ganga Maili" won him the best movie and best director awards. He was nominated for the 1953 Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival for "Awaara". In 1971, he got the Padma Bhushan, and in 1987, he won the coveted Dadasaheb Phalke Award for his invaluable lifetime contribution to Indian cinema.At the time of his death, Kapoor was about to begin the making of the film "Heena". The script was ready but he was not there to direct it. His son Randhir Kapoor took over the task, and the film, was a major hit with the masses. (ANI)

Mumbaikars gear up to tackle floods this monsoon

Sunday, June 3, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 3 (ANI): The people of Mumbai are all geared up to take on the monsoon this year by arranging disaster management kits to better equip themselves to tackle floods in the city. With memories still fresh in their minds of the 2005 floods that hit the western metropolis in which more than 1,000 people were killed across Maharashtra, Mumbaikars are bracing themselves for the June-September rains, which have already hit Kerala four days ahead of the normal date. Residents of several colonies in the city have taken steps to ensure that they are not caught off guard this year. In Chembur locality, residents society of Pestorm Sagar, a locality consisting of 120 buildings, have set up a forum for advanced locality management and to reach help to people immediately in the instance of a flood. The forum has put together a disaster management kit, which comprises of lifejackets, lifebuoys, oxygen tanks, fogging machines, stretchers and first aid. There is also a dedicated jeep that will be used for rescue missions. The forum, which has doctors on panel and people trained in rescue operations and first aid, says it is not entirely dependant on municipal authorities. "We thought that why not we equip ourselves and be ready for any kind of disaster. We feel that we (the residents societies) should help the authorities so that together we really bring some relief to the people,” said Jyoti Basu, president of the residents’ society. In neighbouring Air India Colony, one of the worst hit localities of the 2005 deluge, residents have taken upon themselves to deal with a crisis in the absence of an initiative from the housing society. For the Kawale family, who live on the ground floor, traumatic memories haunt even now. Unable to move to a higher ground, they are leaving nothing to chance, and have packed some of their belongings in case of an emergency. "We have packed our goods clothes, certificates, important documents, school and college books of our children, uniforms, everything, so that in case anything happens we will just pick it up and go on the top," said Veena Kawale. In 2005, two days of heavy rain in July showed up the pathetic infrastructure and dismal emergency response in Mumbai. The floods killed hundreds of people, mostly by drowning or landslides, and caused widespread damage, closing down the city for nearly a week. (ANI)

National conference on 'Affordable Housing for All' in Mumbai today

Saturday, June 2, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 1 (ANI): A two-day national conference on "Affordable Housing for All" will begin here today. The conference will provide an opportunity to the delegates to suggests measures and recommend suitable financing interventions consistent with the objective of affordable housing. This will also provide a platform to the financing institutions, to come together and share their knowledge, experience and views. They will review the status of housing finance extended by the banks and the housing finance institutions in the country. The conference is being organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Maharashtra Government. Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Kumari Selja will address the inaugural session, Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh will be the Chief Guest and the Minister of State for Finance Pawan Kumar Bansal will be the Guest of Honour. A plenary session on 'Legislation and Policy Reforms' will be chaired by Kumari Selja. There will be four parallel sessions on land availability and use, finance, innovative technologies and social housing. Selja and Deshmukh will also address the valedictory session.The conference will be attended by over 800 delegates from real estate developers, builders, NGOs, civil society, financial institutions, and government representatives both from the Centre and States. (ANI)

Sanjay Dutt to appear in TADA court today

Saturday, June 2, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 1 (ANI): Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, convicted for possessing illegal weapon in connection with the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case, will appear before a special TADA court here today.Dutt was on Thursday summoned by the court to appear today. The court has already sentenced some of the convicts in the case. In total, 100 people have been found guilty in the blast case.It is not clear whether court will take Dutt's probation plea or will give quantum of punishment.Dutt had filed an application under the Probation of Offenders Act (POA), 1958.According to the Act, a person convicted of any offence other than the one punishable with death or life imprisonment, can be released on probation instead of serving the sentence in prison.The prosecution, through Ujjwal Nikam, had argued that Dutt could not be granted leniency for being a "youthful" offender, when the crime was committed. He said the POA was meant for young and immature offenders. Nikam had said that Dutt, who was 34 years old in 1993, when he accepted an AK-56 rifle and a Chinese 9mm pistol from Samir Hingora, was "mature and adult". He contended that Dutt could then distinguish between a hunting rifle and an AK-56, "a weapon of mass destruction". Dutt's lawyers had urged that he be set free for his good behaviour during the bail, citing a 1958 law, which allows certain convicts to be given probation.Dutt, 48, has been consistently granted bail and has also been cleared of conspiracy charges against him. Dutt has been out on bail since 1995 after spending over a year in prison during initial investigations into the blasts. (ANI)

1993 Mumbai blasts: Former film producer Hingora gets nine-year RI

Saturday, June 2, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 1 (ANI): A TADA court here on Friday sentenced Samir Hingora, a former film producer, to nine years’ rigorous imprisonment for supplying arms and ammunition to Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt.Special TADA Judge P D Kode also imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh on Hingora.Hingora along with his associate Hanif Kadawala and underworld don Abu Salem, then a small-timer, had delivered arms, which included an AK-47 rifle, to Dutt’s house in Bandra.Kadawala was Hingora’s partner in a video rentals shop in south Mumbai’s Manish Market. Underworld don Dawood Ibrahim’s brother Anees was among their clients.Kadawala was also an accused, but was shot dead by the Chhota Rajan gang.Dutt has also been summoned by the TADA court today. He is convicted for possessing illegal weapons in connection with the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case.He had filed an application under the Probation of Offenders Act (POA), 1958.According to the Act, a person convicted of any offence other than the one punishable with death or life imprisonment, can be released on probation instead of serving the sentence in prison.Dutt, 48, has been consistently granted bail and has also been cleared of conspiracy charges against him. He has been out on bail since 1995 after spending over a year in prison during initial investigations into the blasts. The court has already sentenced some of the convicts in the case. In total, 100 people have been found guilty in the serial blasts case. (ANI)

Bids for redevelopment of Dharavi slum published

Saturday, June 2, 2007 | AY
Mumbai, June 1 (ANI): Asia's largest slum in Mumbai's Dharavi area is all set to have gleaming new apartments for its thousands of poor residents, as bids for the project has been published in 16 countries. "Redesign the township and rehabilitating the families is a challenge. But rewards outweigh the Herculean task," wrote the bid to be advertised by the Slum Rehabilitation Authority. The 2.3 billion dollar project envisages replacing 57,000 "slum structures" with cost effective small apartments for the slum dwellers. Considered a real estate eyesore, Dharavi stands on two square kilometers of land - estimated to be worth over 10 billion US dollars -and houses about 600,000 people in ramshackle, tarp-strewn roofed buildings."Rather than raising the standards of the slum, we have thought of rehabilitating it," said I. S. Chahal, vice-president of Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority. Standing in stark contrast to Mumbai's highrise buildings, the slum would be turned into a residential cum commercial sections for the dwellers. .However, dwellers suspect that the redevelopment project may trick them out of their homes."This project has not been undertaken taking our concerns into account. Foreign and big local developers are collaborating to sell off Dharavi. We do not know anything about this project because it is not meant for us," said Vasant Chauhan, an activist of Dharavi Bachao Andolan. Mohammad Arif, a resident and worker in one of the small units in the slum said he had hoped to be involved in the planning of Dharavi's redevelopment but they are now planning protests to force their point. "This is a big cheating with the people of Dharavi. We have done a lot of hard work to establish this place. It was a totally damaged area earlier where no one wanted to come. This place has given us a lot of employment," said Arif. Dharavi sits between two major suburban railway tracks and one end of the slum runs right up to the boundary of the city's airport. The residents also say they are worried how they would run their businesses after the redevelopment as no space had been earmarked. (ANI)

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