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Bal Thackeray makeshift memorial still stands

Shiv Sena warns against State and BMC decision to remove the memorial from Shivaji Park; several Sainiks ‘guarding’ the site.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

It seems that the time for the removal of the makeshift Bal Thackeray memorial at Shivaji Park is drawing close. The Park is witnessing heavy police presence, and the numbers of Shiv Sainiks pouring in to ‘guard’ the memorial from demolition are also on the rise. Reports say that a few BMC vehicles used in razing structures were damaged at the BMC’s Worli garage, after a rumour spread that a demolition squad was arriving at Shivaji Park soon.

Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray passed away last month. After his demise, a tussle between the Shiv Sena and the State, followed by the Shiv Sena and other parties, including the MNS, started over, of all things, a memorial to the late leader.

A makeshift memorial was erected at Shivaji Park for Thackeray’s followers to pay respects to him before he was cremated at the Park itself. The State had given permission for the memorial on the understanding that the Shiv Sena would have it removed just days after it had served its purpose.

However, the days passed by and the Sena made no move to remove the memorial. Senior Sena leaders such as party spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut expressed the opinion that the memorial be allowed to stay, in fact, a permanent memorial to Thackeray be built at the spotThe State then gave Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) chief Sitaram Kunte orders to have the memorial removed. That only riled the Sena more – the party threatened that if the memorial was touched, there would be a law and order problem in the city.

The Sena-led BMC has also decided to pass a resolution to rename Shivaji Park as ‘Shivtirth’ in memory of Thackeray. However, the State will have the final say in this matter. Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan is not amused by the Sena’s antics, and has declared that “nobody can take the law in their hands” in the matter.

(Picture courtesy ibnlive.com)

 

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1,374 Bangladeshis caught in Mumbai this year

They crossed over into the country and later, Mumbai, without valid papers. 250 Bangladeshis were deported in 2012 by cops.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

The numbers of illegal migrants to India show no sign of dwindling. Bangladesh, especially, is guilty of sending the most numbers of migrants to India every year, as police records show, and many of these make their way to Mumbai. This year alone, the Mumbai police have apprehended 1,374 Bangladeshis, of which 250 have been deported.

Last month, too, the I Unit of the Special Branch of the Mumbai Police had rounded up close to 250 Bangladeshi workers employed on major infrastructure project sites in the city. The workers were caught after a series of surprise raids were conducted on these sites, one of which was an MMRDA project, and none of those caught had valid work permits in their possession.

What’s more, illegal Bangladeshi migrants have been found to reside in across the length and breadth of the city. Last week, in a series of raids conducted by the I Unit in such locations as Mankhurd, Ashok Nagar (Borivli east), Thane rural, Navi Mumbai (Kharghar, Kamothe village and Ghansoli), Vasai, Turbhe (Indira Nagar slums), Mira Road, Naigaon, Bhayander and Nalasopara, among others, 328 migrants were apprehended for staying in the city. These comprise over 70 children as well. The raids were conducted by special teams on December 6 and 8, 2012.

Mumbai alone accounts for 1,374 arrests of Bangladeshi migrants this year. We wonder what the numbers add up to in the rest of the State and the country.

(Picture courtesy flapsblog.com. Picture used for representational purpose only)

 

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Lowest numbers of drunk driving punishments this year

Mumbai Traffic Police records 10,521 cases of drunk driving till yesterday; has awarded simple imprisonment for over 4,000 this year.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

The time to go ‘Hic!’ is fast approaching, with Christmas and New Year celebrations at the end of this month. But driving under the influence (DUI) has been an ongoing feature in Mumbai – the Mumbai Traffic Police has caught 10,251 drunk drivers from the start of 2012 to December 7. Though that’s a steep number, and a worrying one, considering that the rate of people driving when drunk and causing accidents has not reduced this year, at least a bit of good news is that the numbers of drunk drivers caught this year has been lower than those caught from year 2007 onward.

Traffic cops sent 4,263 drunk drivers to jail for simple imprisonment this year, while 3,642 people had their driving licenses suspended. Both these numbers are also lower than the earlier years, starting from year 2007.

Till date, ever since the traffic police started conducting special drives against drunk driving in the city since 2007, there have been 85,682 cases of drunk drivers caught, 46,203 cases of simple imprisonments awarded and 40,320 licenses suspended.

(Picture courtesy betterphotography.in)

 

 

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He’s back

Ajit Pawar assumes office as Deputy Chief Minister today. Stage is set for a stormy Winter Session of the Legislature.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

As political exiles go, this one was curiously short-lived. Ajit Pawar, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, had quit his post in September this year, amid allegations of corruption in irrigation projects. Today, a little over two months later, he returns to his former post, just in time for the Winter Session of the State Legislature, which begins in Nagpur on December 11.

However, Pawar has made it clear that he will not handle any portfolio at the moment. A letter from the NCP asking that Pawar be reinstated to his former office was sent to Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan this week, following which, the date and the time for the swearing-in was fixed. Pawar will take oath at Raj Bhavan.

The stage was set for Pawar’s return the moment the State Government received the white paper on irrigation a few days ago, and which did not speak of the spate of irregularities in irrigation, or the alleged rampant politician-contractor nexus. Without naming Pawar anywhere, the Government succeeded in indirectly absolving him of all blame, though Chavan kept clarifying that a ‘clean chit’ had not been given to anybody.

Yet, the white paper presented the perfect opportunity for the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), to which Pawar belongs – he is the nephew of NCP chief Sharad Pawar – to clamour for his return. Yesterday, party spokesperson Nawab Malik reiterated that the party had been demanding that Ajit Pawar return to the Government, and that this demand had been conveyed to the party leadership. It may be remembered that the NCP had not replaced Pawar with another NCP leader; it was almost as if the Deputy CM’s chair had been kept vacant for him, with his return imminent.

Opposition parties in attack mode

However, the Opposition parties in the State – led by the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have not taken kindly to Pawar’s return. The Winter Session of the State Legislature begins on December 11, and all political action will then move to Nagpur. However, on hearing of Pawar’s return to the State Cabinet today, the Shiv Sena threatened to move a No Confidence motion against the Government. “We oppose his return to power till his role (in the irrigation scams) is investigated thoroughly,” said Sena leader Subhash Desai, while the BJP reiterated its demand for an SIT-level probe into Pawar’s and Water Resources Minister Sunil Tatkare’s roles in the controversy.

(Picture courtesy pardaphash.com)

 

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Rs 22 lakh worth of drugs seized in three days

10 Nigerian nationals were nabbed at various spots in Mumbai; a roaring trade in amphetamine and cocaine continues in city.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Mumbai is truly Maximum City. Even the drug peddling happening here assumes mammoth proportions. In five raids conducted by the Mumbai Police’s Anti Narcotics Division on three days recently, over Rs 22 lakh worth of drugs were seized from 10 Nigerian nationals, who were all caught after confirmed tip-offs. In one of the raids, the accused was found to be carrying cocaine, while amphetamine was seized from the other raids.

Interestingly, all the 10 accused had come to bus stops to meet prospective clients.

On November 28, three separate raids were conducted at Reay Road, Masjid Bunder and Worli, in which the police nabbed seven Nigerian nationals after a chase. In all, 625 gram of amphetamine, worth an estimated Rs 12,90,000 were found in their possession. On December 3, the police had arrived at Wadi Bunder on a confirmed tip that drug selling activity was to take place there. Accordingly, one Nigerian arrived at a bus stop and waited for his customer to show up. He was found to carry 105 gm of cocaine, worth an estimated Rs 6,30,000.

Yesterday, the Ghatkopar Unit of the Anti-Narcotics Cell caught two Nigerians at Masjid Bunder; 200 gm of amphetamine, worth Rs 3,00,000 was seized from them.

(Picture courtesy thetelegraph.co.uk)

 

 

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Indu Mills decision today

After a decade of demands that Indu Mill land be handed over for Ambedkar memorial, Centre to announce decision today.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

At last, and a day before the followers of Dr BR Ambedkar congregate on Chaityabhoomi, Dadar, to pay their respects on the late leader’s death anniversary, the Centre will announce the handover of the 12.5 hectares of Indu Mill land in Parliament today.

Yesterday, Union Minister for Textiles and Industry Anand Sharma met a delegation of Congress MPs from Maharashtra and assured them that an annoucement on the transfer would be made on the floor of Parliament today. National Textile Corporation (NTC) is expected to hand over all of the land – last year, activists of the Republican Sena, an outfit headed by Dr Ambedkar’s grandson Anandraj, had camped inside the Mill land premises for over a week after reports of the NTC handing over only four hectares of land.

The handover is significant, and the Centre’s hand has also been forced by the impending December 6 event at Mumbai. Dalits comprise an estimated 12 per cent of Maharashtra State’s population, and this group can swing things against or for the Congress in the 2012 general elections.

 

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