Mumbai, Maharashtra News Highlights (September 3):  Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has written to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari requesting him to cancel the 12 names former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had proposed for vacant Members of Legislative Council seats, a source said Saturday. According to sources, the governor is likely to accept Shinde’s request, dealing a major blow to Thackeray and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). The Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government will submit a list of 12 people to be appointed by the governor as MLCs.

Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar Saturday advised Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde to avoid confrontation and instead ensure an accommodating nature. The seasoned politician’s remarks came in response to the ongoing conflict between the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and the Shinde-led faction of the party over the annual Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park in Dadar.

The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking will operate Hop On-Hop Off (HO-HO) overnight air-conditioned bus services from Saturday for devotees visiting Ganesh pandals in Mumbai. The buses would operate from September 3 to September 8 between 10pm and 6am at an interval of 25 minutes. According to a source in BEST, the bus services will start from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and terminate at Wadala Bus Depot via Metro, Girgaon Church, Prarthana Samaj, Tardeo, Nagpada, Byculla Station (E), Jijamata Udyan, Lalbaug, Hindmata, Dadar Station (E), and Wadala Depot.

The motorman of a Central Railway suburban train averted an untoward incident by applying emergency brakes on noticing a drum lying on the tracks, an official said on Saturday.

The KP-7 fast suburban train had departed from CSMT at 3:10 pm on Thursday and was heading to Khopoli in Raigad district when motorman Ashok Sharma noticed a drum lying at kilometre 2/435 on the stretch towards Byculla in the southern part of the metropolis, he said.

"Despite applying brakes, the train dashed into the drum, which held stones and ballast. Sharma secured the train and removed the drum with the help of passengers, His alertness averted an accident. If he had not applied brakes, the impact would have been higher and could have damaged parts of the train," the official informed. (PTI)

The traffic police in Mumbai Saturday issued a notification informing commuters and motorists that traffic regulations will be in force in south Mumbai, western suburbs and some parts in central Mumbai on September 4 (Sunday) and 5 (Monday) on account of the visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

They said restrictions on traffic movement will be in force in areas like Sahar in Andheri (East), Bandra (East), Worli Sea Link in western suburbs and Haji Ali, Kemps Corner, Malabar Hill and Babulnath in south Mumbai Sunday, from 9pm to 10.30pm. Read more

A four-year-old boy was killed in a road accident after a speeding BEST bus ran him over in Mumbai’s Powai area on Thursday evening. The accident took place around 6.45 pm near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Garden in Hiranandani.

The child, Abrar Khan, was returning home with his mother and aunt after visiting the garden. Abrar was walking on the side of the road when the bus hit him from behind. Read more

The Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) in a joint operation with the West Bengal Special Task Force on Saturday arrested a man with alleged links with a terrorist organization in suburban Bandra here, an official said.

Saddam Hossain Khan, the accused, was apprehended from Nirmalnagar area, the ATS official said.

He allegedly had links with a banned "Jihadi" outfit, the official added. Khan was handed over to the West Bengal STF which is investigating the case, he said. (PTI)

Mumbai on Saturday reported 394 COVID-19 cases and two deaths, which took the metropolis' tally to 11,45,891 and the toll to 19,707, a civic official said.

A day before, Mumbai had reported 402 new cases and three fatalities, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation official pointed out.

The recovery count increased by 623 in the last 24 hours and reached 11,23,001, which left the city with 3,183 active cases, he said. Of the new cases, only 29 are symptomatic, the official said. (PTI)

Maharashtra on Saturday reported 1,272 COVID-19 cases and four deaths, which took the state's tally to 81,03,649 and the toll to 1,48,261, an official said. This was a slight rise from the 1,258 cases reported on Friday, which also saw six deaths, he pointed out.

Of the new cases, 713 were from Mumbai circle, followed by Pune circle (328) Kolhapur (64), Nagpur circle (59), Nashik circle (47), Latur circle (39), Akola circle (13) and Aurangabad circle (9), he said.

The four deaths comprised three in Mumbai circle and one in Akola circle, the official added. State health department data revealed the recovery rate was 98.06 per cent and the fatality rate stood at 1.82 per cent. (PTI)

The ridership on air-conditioned suburban trains has witnessed a seven-fold rise in the last six months, with the most robust figures coming from Thane, Dombivali and Kalyan stations, a Central Railway official said on Saturday.

Ridership has increased from 5,939 per day in February this year to 41,333 in August, a CR release said, adding that AC locals account for 56 of its 1,819 suburban trips every day.

"Between February and August, the highest number of 10,50,511 passengers travelled on AC locals from Thane, followed by Dombivali with 9,39,431 passengers and Kalyan with 9,01,859 passengers," the release informed. (PTI)

Every year, the 10-day Ganesh festival in Maharashtra sets the stage for political leaders meeting each other, setting aside ideological differences. This year, however, one such meeting between Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan has left state political circles abuzz.

This week, both Fadnavis and Chavan arrived at BJP strategist Ashish Kulkarni’s residence at the same time on Thursday. While the official reason cited by the leaders was that it was a courtesy visit during Ganesh Utsav, the meeting fuelled rumours of political defections and power games. Read more

Two people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in a house-breaking theft in Thane's Vartak Nagar area in July, a police official said on Saturday.

On July 22, a house was broken into and cash and gold totalling Rs 5 lakh were stolen, Assistant Commissioner of Police Nilesh Sonawane told reporters.

"We have arrested Moses Argan and Salma Chowdhary from Govandi in Mumbai. Both are unemployed. We have recovered 150 grams of gold from them," he added. (PTI)

Pointing out that a Chief Minister does not belong to a particular political party and has to work for all, NCP chief Sharad Pawar Saturday said: “Eknath Shinde should take an inclusive stand on the Dussehra rally controversy. This matter should be solved with mutual agreement." This comes a day after the Shinde camp applied for permission to organise its own Dussehra rally at the Shivaji Park on October 5.

Pawar is likely to meet Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in New Delhi on September 8.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has written to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari requesting him to cancel the 12 names former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had proposed for vacant Members of Legislative Council seats, a source said Saturday.

According to sources, the governor is likely to accept Shinde’s request, dealing a major blow to Thackeray and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). The Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government will submit a list of 12 people to be appointed by the governor as MLCs. Read more

Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar Saturday advised Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde to avoid confrontation and instead ensure an accommodating nature.

The seasoned politician’s remarks came in response to the ongoing conflict between the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and the Shinde-led faction of the party over the annual Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park in Dadar. Read more

The number of passengers travelling by air-conditioned (AC) locals on the Central Railway’s Mumbai suburban network has increased seven-fold in the past six months.

The traffic has increased almost seven times from a daily average of 5,939 passengers in February to that of 41,333 passengers in August this year.

Presently, the Central Railway runs a total of 1,810 local train services, including 56 AC locals, in Mumbai. Read more

Till the end of August, the total area covered under kharif crops in Maharashtra stands at 145.95 lakh hectare. The kharif sowing this year has shown marginal increase by 2.02 lakh hectare in comparison to last year for the same period when it was 143.93 lakh hectare, said officials on Saturday.

Despite incessant rain and floods in some parts of Maharashtra, the sowing of kharif crops has not been affected. But what has set the 1.52 crore farmers of the state worried is the quality and quantity of harvest. Read more

The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has cleared a proposal for the usage of 1.56 hectares of forest land at Jayakwadi Bird Sanctuary in Maharashtra for the water supply scheme in Aurangabad, which is facing a huge water crisis.

Jayakwadi is the largest earthen dam in Asia and the bird sanctuary is spread over 341 sq km. The meeting of the NBWL was held on July 29 and the minutes were uploaded on August 30. Read more

Senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan on Saturday dismissed reports that he was set to join the BJP as “baseless rumours”, saying that he was committed to Congress ideology.

Chavan left Mumbai on Saturday to attend a Congress meeting in Delhi and said there was no question of his leaving the party. “I am leaving for Delhi. I have to attend a party meeting to prepare for the Bharat Jodo Andolan. All these speculations about my joining BJP are baseless. I am not leaving Congress,” he said, addressing the media, adding that the “rumours being spread” were false. Read more

The Mumbai Customs department has arrested a passenger from Ghana at the international airport here for trying to smuggle cocaine into India by hiding it in 87 capsules which he had swallowed.

The value of the 1,300-gram cocaine recovered from the passenger is Rs 13 crore, the Customs said. The passenger was intercepted at the Mumbai international airport on suspicion on August 28 and was taken to a state-run hospital.

"The pax, who is from Ghana landed at the Mumbai Airport, where he was intercepted by the Customs officials on suspicion. During the search, officials did not find anything in his luggage, but during the investigation, the officials found that he had swallowed 87 capsules containing Cocaine," said a tweet posted from Mumbai Customs-III handle. He was admitted to a state-run hospital, where he ejected those capsules over three days. (PTI)

A school principal was allegedly kidnapped by unidentified persons in Maharashtra's Nagpur city who have demanded Rs 30 lakh ransom for his release, police said on Saturday.

Police have formed several teams to trace Pradeep Motiramani, the principal of the Mahatma Gandhi Primary School situated in the Jaripatka area, and his kidnappers, an officer said.

Motiramani, 50, had left his house on Friday night on his two-wheeler. When he did not return home till late at night, his daughter contacted him on his mobile phone, said the officer. (PTI)

National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on Saturday visited the official residence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in Mumbai.

Doval was welcomed by Shinde with a bouquet and a shawl after he offered prayers at Lord Ganesh's idol at the chief minister's residence, Shinde's office said in a statement.

The idol of Lord Ganesh was installed at the CM's residence 'Varsha' on the first day of the ten-day festival on August 31. (PTI)

A two-year-old girl was killed and her parents and a minor sister were injured when a water tanker hit their motorcycle in Bhiwandi city in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Saturday.

Police have registered a case of culpable homicide among other charges under the Indian Penal Code against the tanker owner Pramnath Bagal and the driver Jairam Jaiswal, who was at the wheel at the time of the accident on September 1.

The two-year-old girl, Khatija Khan, succumbed to her injuries while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Mumbai on Friday, police said. Prima facie, the truck didn't have a valid permit but Bagal allowed Jaiswal to drive. (PTI)

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will likely meet Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray during his two-day Mumbai visit from September 5, according to sources in the BJP and the MNS. The BJP’s state leaders have already been meeting the MNS chief ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls.

While the BMC is yet to give permission to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena to hold the party’s Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park in Dadar, the Sena faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday also submitted an application to the civic body, seeking to book Shivaji Park to hold a rally on Dussehra, which falls on October 5. The BMC on Friday confirmed that it has received applications from both the factions. “We have received two applications seeking permission to hold the rally on Dussehra. One of the applications came from MLA Sada Sarvankar (a member of the Shinde faction). The corporation has not given a nod to anyone yet and a decision will be taken after the Ganpati festival,” said Prashant Sapkale, Assistant Commissioner of G North ward, where the park is located.

The Bombay High Court, in a special hearing on Friday, disposed a plea filed by a Ganesh mandal in Kalyan against notices issued by the police, directing the removal of certain audio-visual clips played at the pandal based on the theme of the recent the split in the Shiv Sena and allegedly against Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The decorations put up by the mandal, run by the Vijay Tarun Mandal Trust, included audio and video clips narrating the theme. Vijay Salvi, a Shiv Sena leader from Kalyan, is a member of the trust.

The Thackeray versus Shinde rivalry in Maharashtra has found its way into the Ganesh Chaturthi festival as well. A public Ganesh mandal in Kalyan neighbouring Mumbai refused to install the idol and perform puja after the police removed pandal decorations designed on the theme of the ‘split’ in the Shiv Sena, said a local Shiv Sena leader.

“Our Vijay Tarun Mandal has been celebrating Ganesh festival for 59 years. We chose a theme based on the burning topic of the year. This year, we had chosen the political theme where we had shown Shiv Sena as an age-old tree which cannot be uprooted even if few branches are cut or fruits are snatched,” said Shiv Sena leader Vijay Salvi, who is known to be a loyalist of Uddhav Thackeray.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde visited the house of Uddhav Thackeray's PA Milind Narvekar for Ganesh Chaturthi festival. (Express Photo)

Hundreds of police personnel removed the pandal set in the wee hours of August 31 and registered a case against Salvi under Section 505(2) of the Indian Penal Code.

Thereafter, the mandal in Kalyan’s Rambaug area decided that it will not install the Ganesh idol and has now approached the Bombay High Court against the police action. Notably, Kalyan is one of the strongholds of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his son Shrikant Shinde, who is a member of Lok Sabha from Kalyan Lok Sabha constituency.