Union Minister and BJP leader Nitin Gadkari on Sunday said that some opposition parties and a section of the media have “twisted” his statements, an assertion that comes in the backdrop of his reported “leadership should own up defeat” remarks.
The BJP stalwart was on Saturday reported as saying that nobody is willing to own up to failure unlike success and maintained “leadership should have the ‘vrutti’ (tendency) to own up defeat and failures”.
The minister, who was speaking at an event in Pune, did not elaborate, but his comments assumed significance in wake of the BJP’s defeat in just-held assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.
However, Gadkari, known for speaking his mind, said on Sunday that his statements have been twisted.
“In the last few days, I have noticed a sinister campaign by some opposition parties and a section of the media to twist my statements and use them out of context and draw politically motivated inferences to malign my party and me,” he wrote on the micro-blogging site Twitter.
Gadkari claimed there was a “conspiracy” to create a wedge between him and the BJP leadership.
“I have time and again strongly refuted such insinuations and once again condemn all these malafide and mischievous out of context reports attributed to me.
“Let me make it clear once and for all that conspiracies to create a wedge between the BJP leadership and me will never succeed,” he tweeted.
“I have been clarifying my position at various forums and shall continue to do so and expose these nefarious designs of our detractors,” he said.
Despite all the fun and laughter, Christmas has a much deeper meaning for me. I have always felt that it is a good time for forgiveness because it is the birthday of Jesus Christ, who was born to forgive us and save us from all our sins. Jesus Christ came to the earth because He loves us. He came to the earth to forgive us and make us free from the burden of sins. Christians believe that we are all sinners and without the blood of Jesus, we are all doomed and Satan can dominate us. But God loves us so much that he sent his only Son Jesus Christ to the earth so that we could have an eternal life.
John 3:16-17 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
God forgives us and our sins every day, every hour, every minute and every second. God never sets a time or a period for forgiveness. He is always ready to forgive us if we pray and ask for His forgiveness. Just like we have been forgiven, we should also forgive those who have hurt us. Jesus said that unless we forgive others, God wouldn’t forgive us (Matthew 6:15). As a human being and especially when we’ve been hurt badly, forgiving may not be that easy. But remembering the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses us from all unrighteousness and sets us free from the power of sin and death, we should forgive others. Refusing to forgive will make our hearts a place for Satan’s seed of bitterness. Forgiving will unlock the chains in our life for God to work in our hearts.
Living with an unforgiving nature can also be harmful for our health, because many diseases, including depression and arthritis, have been associated with bitterness and the tendency to not let go. So, if there’s anyone who you need to forgive — be it friends, family members or enemies; this Christmas start with them and make peace with your past. Most importantly make peace with your own self. If there ever was a time to do so, then this is it!
Jubel D’Cruz
Govt must punish those degrading Lord Hanuman
People are talking impertinently by calling Lord Hanuman a Muslim or Jat. Government must punish them. What moral degradation is this? O Deplorable! Lord Hanuman is a powerful and sensitive ” Vanar”. He is a unique personality with engrained sense of service and discipline. Our youth must pray and emulate his sterling qualities. The sensitivity, “Samvedansheelta” of Lord Hanuman is missed by many.
Mahendra Singh
Loan waiver not a good idea
The agenda of loan waivers that the Congress party is pursuing is in no way beneficial to the economy as a whole. Rahul Gandhi said, “We will not let Modi sleep till he waives farmer’s loans”. Increasing loan waivers will mean a greater fiscal burden on the economy and the government which in return may slow down and may face a lot of problems in future. Thus, the Govt. should find out such a process which can make strong the economic system. Otherwise, GDP growth will take a long period. In the pursuit of power, the country’s economic development should not be sacrificed.
Najmul Halimee
Coastal project a waste of money and resources!
Mumbai’s Coastal Road Project is a waste of money and resources now that the entire city of Mumbai and its outskirts towns including Bhiwandi is being connected through metro lines. Unplanned infrastructure development can prove disastrous on not just the environment but other aspects of life also. Wild animals ventured into the open killing of innocent citizens when we invaded and wiped out the forests and jungles in the name of development.
The sea should be left untouched as invading the sea would mean killing marine life and depriving livelihood to fishermen folks. Also, it could have an adverse effect on environment and ecology when weeds and tides are challenged by mankind. Let’s not play with nature and respect God’s beautiful creation!
SN Kabra
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hit out at the Mahagatbandhan for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, saying it was an “unholy alliance” of various political parties for “personal survival”.
People will see through the “incoherent alliance of rich dynasties,” Modi said during his interaction with booth workers from Chennai Central, Chennai North, Madurai, Tiruchirappally and Tiruvallur constituencies in Tamil Nadu through video conference.
The prime minister recalled that the key constituent of the mega alliance – the Telugu Desam Party– was formed against the very “high-handedness” of the Congress by the veteran, late chief minister N T Rama Rao but said the party was now keen to join hands with the Congress.
Some parties in the Mahagatbandhan claimed to be inspired by socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia, but the veteran himself opposed the Congress and its ideologies, Modi said.
“Today several leaders are talking about a grand alliance or Mahagathbandhan. This alliance is for personal survival, and is not ideology-based support. This alliance is for power, not for the people. This alliance for personal ambitions, not people’s aspirations,” he said.
While several parties and leaders in the coalition claimed to be deeply inspired by Lohia, he said “was deeply opposed to the Congress,” Modi said.
Many leaders in the coalition were “arrested and tortured” during the Emergency, he said without referring to anyone.
The Congress “ecosytem” spared none, he said and pointed out at the dismissal of the AIADMK government of late chief minister MG Ramachandran in 1980 though he had people’s support.
Mahagathbandhan is a grand alliance of opposition parties against the BJP for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
The ruling BJP comfortably won the bypoll from Jasdan Assembly seat in Gujarat Sunday, taking its tally in the House to 100.
BJP candidate Kunvarji Bavaliya defeated his nearest rival, Congress nominee Avsar Nakiya, by a margin of 19,979 votes, officials said.
Bavaliya retained the Assembly seat in Rajkot which he had won as Congress candidate in 2017.
With this, the BJP now has 100 MLAs in the 182-member Gujarat Legislative Assembly, while the Congress tally has come down to 76. The saffron outfit had won 99 seats in the 2017 assembly polls and the Congress 77.
At the end of the counting of votes, Bavaliya secured a total 90,262 votes as against Nakiya’s 70,283, the officials said.
A total 2,146 votes were cast as NOTA, they said.
Polling for the Jasdan Assembly seat was held on December 20 and a voter turnout of 71.27 per cent was recorded.
The by-poll became a battle of prestige between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress in the wake of the latter winning the just held assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.
The by-election was necessitated after Bavaliya, an influential Koli community leader who had won the seat on a Congress ticket in 2017, resigned from the party and also the assembly, and joined the BJP.
Bavaliya, who quit as an assembly member on July 2, was made a Cabinet minister in the BJP government the same day.
As the Congress candidate in 2017, Bavaliya had won over BJP’s Bharat Boghara by a margin of 9,277 votes.
Public sector bank employees had gone on strike on December 21 to protest against the proposed merger of associate banks and banking reforms announced by the government. Bank officers called the strike on December 21 to demand full and unconditional mandate for the 11th bipartite wage revision talks based on a Charter of Demands submitted on May, 2017. No headway has been made in the process so far even after 19 months since the discussion on wage revision began. Around 3.2 lakh officers participated in the strike. The demands of bank officers include implementation of the 11th bipartite settlement relating to salary and perks, giving effect to wage revision at the earliest, striking a balance in the duties and work of officers, giving effect to five day week in banks, upward revision of pension of retired bank officials, giving preference to basic banking transactions, banning marketing of non-banking products, cancellation of New Pension Scheme and give effect to specific pension etc.
The banking industry in India witnessed sea-change through nationalisation of banks in the years 1969 and 1980 with the sole aim of promoting small savings for self-sufficiency and for utilising the banks as catalytic agents for the economic growth.
AIBOA opposes the move to merge nationalised banks as the merger would result in reducing staff size and number of branches of associate banks in the name of rationalisation of operations. The strike also aimed at registering protest against merger of Bank of Baroda, Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank, and hike in health insurance premium of retired employees. Trade unions in all state run banks, in the past, have acted as a powerful corrective force against the excesses by bank managements. One cannot ignore the fact that the trade unions continue to be a formidable force in nationalised banks. During last seven decades, bank employees have fought many battles without losing in a single one. They have won in each and every battle. Their strength is their unity among rank and file. No doubt, the merger exercise has already been set in motion and it is reckoned to be a matter of time before the process is completed; the employees are making a last ditch effort to stall it. PSBs have an important role in the development. The current management of most PSBs are as good as that of private banks. In fact, it is the level of NPAs which to a great extent differentiate between a good and a bad bank. High level of NPAs in Indian banks is nothing but a reflection of the state of health of the industry and trade. Comparing the performance of PSBs and private sector banks at a time when PSBs are weighed down by the problems of the economy at large is not fair. It would be more appropriate to compare the performance over a longer period. Privatisation of banks will worsen the banking scenario in the country. It is terrible that the Indian banking industry, considered to be one of the strongest in the world has now to face the problem of NPA because of wilful defaulters and political pressure. It is certainly not fair to blame banks for lending huge amounts to Vijay Mallya despite his failing business. Political interference in decision making in public sector banks is the root cause of the NPA mess. As far as publishing the list of defaulters is concerned, bringing such details under the purview of the Right to Information Act is a more viable option. A wide range of academic studies points to a trend towards convergence in performance of PSBs and private banks since banking sector reforms were set in motion in 1993-‘94.
The functioning of PSB has been criticised by those who want complete privatisation of PSB. No doubt privatisation of banks will lead to the profit driven approach for a short time but on that path, would it be possible to implement financial inclusion and other Government schemes which is one of the top agenda of RBI?
Vinod C. Dixit
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
Close to 1 million employees of various banks, including private lenders, have called for a one-day strike on December 26 to protest against the proposed amalgamation of Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank with Bank of Baroda.
The strike call comes on the heels of an officers union of state-run banks observing a day-long strike last Friday on similar grounds along with demand for immediate settlement of their wage negotiations.
In September, government had announced merger of state -owned Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank, both under the prompt corrective action (PCA) framework of the RBI, with larger peer Bank of Baroda, creating the third largest lender.
“This amalgamation is not in the interest of banks or bank customers. It is rather detrimental to both,” the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) said.
The UFBU is an umbrella organisation of nine unions, including the All-India Bank Officers Confederation, the All- India Bank Employees Association and the National Organisation of Bank Workers, among others.
The unions claim that government wants banks to grow in size by this amalgamation but even if all public sector banks are bundled into one, the merged entity cannot find a place among the top 10 globally.
The unions say post-merger, a large number of branches will be closed and customers will be have to face hardships as already banks are burdened with various government schemes such as Jan Dhan Yojana, Mudra, social security insurance, and PM’s housing scheme, among others.
On December 26, the unions will take out a rally and hold a demonstration at the Azad Maidan in South Mumbai.
Around 3.20 lakh officers from various state-run banks were on a one-day strike on December 21, seeking immediate wage revision and opposing the proposed merger.
The nation-wide strike had partially impacted banking operations affecting services like deposits and withdrawal at branches, cheque clearances and issuance of demand drafts, among others.
Bank managements have mandated the industry lobby Indian Bank Association (IBA) to negotiate for scale 1-3 but unions want this to be raised up to scale 7.
The wage talks are on for the past 13 months between the unions and IBA, the latter has offered a wage revision of 8 just per cent.
In the past wage settlement, which was for the period November 1, 2012 to October 31, 2017, the employees got a 15 per cent hike.
BJP leader Pankaj Singh on Sunday accused the Samajwadi Party and the BSP of “doing little” for the development of Uttar Pradesh and exuded confidence that his party will register a bigger win in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls compared to the 2014 elections.
The Uttar Pradesh BJP general secretary also said opposition parties coming together to form a grand alliance to take on the BJP will also have no impact on his party’s electoral prospects.
“There have been news (about the maha gathbandhan) and the opposition parties have in their own ways denied it. But, regardless of Mahagathbandhan eventually taking shape or not, BJP’s prospects in 2019 will be intact,” Singh told PTI.
On a question about the Akhilesh Yadav-led SP and Mayawati’s BSP possibly joining hands, the Noida MLA said, “People of the state now want development. They have seen the governments of SP and BSP. They have seen the niyat (intention) of these parties and they have seen our niyat as well. The voters will make an informed choice.”
On BJP losses in bye-elections in Uttar Pradesh (for Gorakhpur, Phulpur, and Kairana seats), Singh said these results will have no impact on the Lok Sabha polls. “General elections are different from the bye-elections and they are held under different circumstances. The issues are different.”
“I am confident that we will register a bigger win in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls than we had in the 2014 general elections,” the UP BJP general secretary said.
He said a number of programmes to spread awareness among the masses about various policies of the BJP have been organised and several more are lined up over the next two months.
One such programme was ‘Kamal Sandesh Yatra’, organised recently to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, he said. Through it, the party sought to spread the teachings and values of the Father of the Nation, along with the achievements of the BJP governments, Singh said.
Asked if the party workers were feeling down after the losses in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajastan assembly polls, Singh said, “There is no sense of dejection among the party workers. Both the organisation and government are working in close coordination.”
“It has been the culture of the party to take care of its workers, and whatever heights have been attained by the party is due to their sheer hardwork,” he said.
Though it may seem aberrant but even on the Day 55 (Friday) of the ‘Jeevan Bachao Andolan’ by the Mahul residents, the Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government has failed to comply with the August 8 Bombay High Court order to provide alternative housing to the residents of Mahul who are facing life threats due to toxic atmosphere in that area. However, amid continuing protests, with recent development, the MHADA has allotted 300 transit houses (temporary accommodations) in areas like Gorai, Borivali, Powai, Goregaon, and Dharavi for relocating some of the residents. While over 30,000 people are affected by the toxic environmental conditions in Mahul, the relocation would be done on an urgent need basis and the housing authority has asked the residents to provide a list of the most affected people.
President of MHADA Uday Samant is an MLA of Shiv Sena and he has confirmed the allotment of houses. This decision disapproves the Maharashtra government’s stand in the Court about non-availability of alternative houses. He also said that although the housing authority has 433 unused transit homes at their disposal, 133 have been kept reserved for the emergency situation.
Shiv Sena spokesperson Neelam Gorhe said, “The government has assured that everybody will be rehabilitated soon. The second issue is that the high toxicity levels in the environment surrounding the industries need to be reviewed urgently. The MPs and the MLAs of Mahul have tried their level best but failed to resolve the issue. The Government of India, the Central Pollution Control Board, and the Industrial pollution control agencies should immediately look into this matter as the industries there are not reacting to any of the complaints.”
Away from the hustle and bustle of Mumbai, Mahul is a neighbourhood in the Trombay area which is reported to be one of the worst polluted parts of the city that is causing rapid health deterioration for the populace who are forced to live there endangering their livelihood. Over the past few years, the BMC has shifted over 5,500 families (around 30,000 people) to Mahul from their previous settlements (illegal housing) in Ghatkopar, Chembur, Powai, Vakola, and Bandra (East) along the Tansa water pipeline; the eviction drive got intensified with the Bombay HC order of keeping a ten metre corridor along the length of the pipeline to secure it from encroachment and “damage”.
In an exclusive chat with AV, Social worker Medha Patkar stated, “Though MHADA offered 300 homes, the State Government is yet to take any action. People are protesting all these days and living on the footpaths. Prakash Mehta assured us that around 18,000 houses built by HDIL for the airport expansion affected people are lying vacant since the last 10 years. While denying to allot the HDIL houses to the Mahul residents, the CM stated legal barriers as the reason; we ensure nothing such barrier exists.”
While talking about the insensitivity of the government towards the plight of the Mahul residents, Patkar added, “Undoubtedly, the builders and their pressure play a big role. The affected people don’t want to involve and get cheated in the conflict of assurances given both by the CM and the Housing Minister. How can both the public representatives from the same ruling party deliver counterstatements? Whom should we believe? CM Fadnavis should have coordinated with the affected residents at least once after the August 8 Bombay HC order. We want the complete implementation of all the assurances. Until then, the movement will continue.”
Framing how the grievances of the Mahul residents are real and frightful, BJP Maharashtra spokesperson Madhav Bhandari expressed, “Environmental issues in that area have not been addressed by the concerned industries in Mahul. The demand for rehabilitation is the only key. If hell-like pollution levels are not addressed, there’s no choice left other than rehabilitation.”
The grim pollution problems become worse with every passing day in Mahul. Residents there live in 72-storey buildings jammed together in the shadow of fertiliser plants, power stations, and refineries where the air contains the strong smell of chemicals, sewage overflows into narrow streets, and basic treatment facilities are miles away.
Mahul, infamously called as ‘Mumbai’s Toxic Hell’, has several chemical and fertiliser factories and industrial waste generated from those have been a major source of pollution. Air and water have shown very high toxicity levels which make it ill-suited for human consumption affecting the health of the residents and multiple skin diseases have been reported from the area.
In 2015, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) graded Mahul “unfit for human habitation” and blamed the civic administration for failing to plan and maintain the minimum buffer area between the industrial and the residential areas. Adding to the distressing chronicle, a recent RTI report reveals 88 Mahul residents have lost their lives in the past two years (40 died in 2016, 21 in 2017, and so far 26 in 2018) although the locals claim the count to be near 100; whereas, cancer, bronchitis, lung and skin infection are most reported causes of the death.
When AV Editor spoke to AAP’s Maharashtra committee member Dhananjay Shinde, he explained, “Mahul village, which is in Chembur, has two oil refineries of HPCL and BPCL each and 16 chemical factories. Gas released during the chemical processing or crude oil purification is poisonous. The NGT declared the area unfit for human health. The courts had already said that people should not be shifted there. Yet, the authorities made them shift to Mahul, despite there being unoccupied accommodations in Kurla. The pipeline project-affected persons (PAPs) need to be shifted to better living conditions immediately.”
Voicing for a quick respite for the thousands of ‘dying’ Mahul residents, a member of the Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Aandolan on the condition of anonymity expressed, “It seems that the government has sent these people in Mahul to die. There are many political parties in Mahul. Mumbaikars have been voting various party candidates in the elections. But despite agitation for so many days and even after so many deaths, the CM is not ready to pay attention to the residents’ demand for rehabilitation as per the High Court order.”
She further added, “We need 5,500 houses to relocate the PAPs. Supporting them on social media is not enough to save their lives. I feel that the Mumbaikars, the social and political activists should communicate and request the CM to save more than 30,000 lives.” Besides, the urban planners of the city feel that the development in and around the island city is only crushing the poorest citizens!
Mahul is a neighbourhood in Mumbai in the Trombay area, infamously referred as a place “where the unfortunate are sent to perish”. Mahul is known as a fishing village away from the hustle and bustle of Mumbai. The state municipal authorities here have rehabilitated low-income residents. Recent reports suggest that high content of toxic elements in air and water of the area, has led to severe ailments, even death in some cases, of the rehabilitated people just within a year. The population majorly consists of Koli (fishermen) community who were the first populaces of Mumbai. There is a village market where fresh fish is available in abundance. But soon these markets have started facing various challenges due to the industrial establishments operated by BPCL and Tata in the proximity of Mahul. People used to visit this place to see flamingos on Mahul’s coast. Now, the heavy industries and sewage treatment plants like RCF, Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum, Tata Power, Indian Oil, and Aegis Logistics surround Mahul and flamingo to fish came to hazard. In 2009, 30 people fell ill after a gas leak from a chemical plant of Aegis Logistics Ltd. However, the company denied any leaks claiming this was a false complaint created by the villagers.
A study done on the Mahul creek found that the annual average Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) level was 362.09 ppm, with the maximum tolerable level being 250 ppm set for inland surface water as well as marine coastal water. The annual average conductivity was found to be 6122.81 µS cm-1, whereas the conductivity limit for inland surface water is 1000 µS cm-1, set by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for the propagation of fisheries. The water was also found to be strongly alkaline. The annual average hardness level of the creek water was found to be 2488.65 ppm: the limit set by ISI is 300 ppm. In 2013, a leak from a pipeline carrying crude oil was reported. This leak started in the third week of October 2013 and went unnoticed till the first week of November 2013. CSIR – National Institute of Oceanography, Mumbai conducted a study and reported that around 12 acres of mangroves had been affected. The study also concluded that the damage done impacted the breathing roots of the mangroves and since it occurred on the surface, the damage done would affect for a long time to come. The damage affected local fishermen and fisherwomen’s income, cutting them down by 50 per cent.
Around 30,000 people were relocated to the MMRDA Government colony from Powai, Ghatkopar, Chembur, Vakola, and Bandra (East) due to various projects like road-widening, metro construction and moving settlements within 10 metres of major water pipelines. People are suffering from various issues, like breathing difficulties, skin irritations, etc. due to the massive pollution issues seen around the chemical industrial complex. A BMC health official said that seven out of 20 patients who come to the clinic complained about skin diseases and 70 per cent of these were contracted after the residents had shifted to Mahul. Residents have lost their family members within years or months of moving to Mahul. There have been at least 88 deaths that have occurred in this area due to the toxic environment. Authorities play the usual blame game where the BMC blames the Government of Maharashtra and the State Government blames the previous State Government that was in power. Mahul Prakalpgrast Samiti, a group of local resident activists, has been organising people to demand remedies from the government. The Jeevan Bachao Andolan was also born out of the subsequent protests. On November 11, 2018, more than 1,000 people marched forming a human chain of approximately 3 km from Sindhuwadi Signal, Ghatkopar, which ended at Housing Minister Prakash Mehta’s home, demanding action for rehabilitation. The Minister did not come out to meet the protesters but after the protesters refused to move, he spoke to activist Medha Patkar on the phone and fixed a meeting for Nov 12, 2018. At this meeting, it was announced that a meeting with the Chief Minister will be fixed and also announced that temporary shelter will be provided at HDIL Kurla. After over a month of the ‘sit-in’ protests, on November 27, 2018, the Mahul residents organised a bike rally from Vidyavihar to Vidhan Bhavan. They stopped at the Mantralaya to put up large postcards addressed to the government, demanding rehabilitation. A day before, the residents had sent more than 500 postcards to the Chief Minister. On the same day, in the afternoon, a meeting was held with the Chief Minister to discuss the promises made earlier. The rally was held to remind and send a strong message to the government about the continued delay in concrete action by them. However, since there has been no real movement from the state, Mahul residents and Medha Patkar announced on the 35th Day of the protest (December 1, 2018) that if the Chief Minister does not shift the residents within 10 days then they will be marching in large numbers and protesting outside the State Secretariat Building.
Today (Friday) is the 55th day of the protest of Mahul people, fighting for Right to Live as per Section 21 of the Indian Constitution. On Saturday, December 15, around 7,000+ people rallied from Carnac Bunder to Azad Maidan. This involved more than 60 per cent women and children. Around 10+ slum dwellers’ groups and organisations from Colaba, Andheri, Kandivali, Mankhurd, Jogeshwari, Wadala, Sion, Chembur, etc. had participated in the rally. These slum dwellers have been protesting against the Injustice of MCGM (Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai), MHADA, SRA, and MMRDA on the issues like clean drinking water, housing, health, education, electricity, etc. Earlier, the government allowed the protestors to sleep on Day 1 and Day 3 in the Azad Maidan; later on, they were pushed out of Azad Maidan and made to sleep on the platforms of Mumbai CST during this severe cold season. These poor people are physically weak because of the toxic environment of Mahul.
On August 8 this year, the Bombay High Court directed the Maharashtra Government to provide alternative housing to the residents of Mahul who are facing life threats due to the toxic atmosphere in that area. Instead of coming up with some solution, the Maharashtra Government shamefully submitted in the Court that there are no houses available that can be allotted to Mahul residents. Agitated by this stand of the government, the residents of Mahul are staging an indefinite dharna since October 28. On the third day of the protest, the Shiv Sena party intervened and held a meeting with the MHADA. The president of MHADA is an MLA of Shiv Sena. Since the party is sensitive on the issue, which involves the lives of 30,000 residents, decided to handover as many houses as possible to the residents of Mahul. The MHADA president decided to allot 300 houses in the first meeting only. While two other major housing agencies — MMRDA and SRA — are under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and everyone is eagerly waiting for his decision on the same.
(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)
The Bombay High Court on Friday quashed an order of the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) issued to 69 Chinese nationals directing them to immediately leave India.
While quashing the notices, the court also directed the authorities to record fresh statements within two weeks before taking any decision.
On December 19, a Maharashtra based mobile phone manufacturing firm had knocked the doors of the Bombay High Court challenging the validity of ‘Leave India’ notices issued to Chinese experts visiting its plants in Silvassa and Daman.
According to media reports, FRRO had rolled out the notification on December 15 for an alleged breach of business visa conditions following a plant inspection earlier this month.
In its plea, Pacific Cyber Technology Private Limited has stated that the notices served by the FRRO are not drastic but unjustifiable and arbitrary.
The petitioner had stated that the FRRO action violates its right to equality and trade as such visits by foreign experts for technical guidance have been an essential industry norm for the past couple of years.
Union Minister and BJP leader Nitin Gadkari on Sunday said that some opposition parties and a section of the media have “twisted” his statements, an assertion that comes in the backdrop of his reported “leadership should own up defeat” remarks.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hit out at the Mahagatbandhan for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, saying it was an “unholy alliance” of various political parties for “personal survival”.
Though it may seem aberrant but even on the Day 55 (Friday) of the ‘Jeevan Bachao Andolan’ by the Mahul residents, the Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government has failed to comply with the August 8 Bombay High Court order to provide alternative housing to the residents of Mahul who are facing life threats due to toxic atmosphere in that area. However, amid continuing protests, with recent development, the MHADA has allotted 300 transit houses (temporary accommodations) in areas like Gorai, Borivali, Powai, Goregaon, and Dharavi for relocating some of the residents. While over 30,000 people are affected by the toxic environmental conditions in Mahul, the relocation would be done on an urgent need basis and the housing authority has asked the residents to provide a list of the most affected people.
The Bombay High Court on Friday quashed an order of the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) issued to 69 Chinese nationals directing them to immediately leave India.