Week-old baby is 11th to die in Mumbai hospital fire

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December 21, 2018

A week-old baby died early this morning, becoming the eleventh victim in the fire that broke out at a hospital in Mumbai on Monday.

“A week-old baby girl, Lalita, succumbed to her smoke inhalation injuries around 12.20 am today at the Seven Hills Hospital. With her death, the toll in the fire incident has now gone up to 11,” said a senior official of the Disaster Management Unit of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

“Of the total number of people injured in the incident, 91 are still undergoing treatment in different hospitals in the city. Of them, eight patients are in a critical condition. They are on ventilators and battling for life,” he said.

The fire broke out in the government-run ESIC Kamgar Hospital at Marol in suburban Andheri on Monday, killing six people that day. Four others died in the last three days. About 175 people were injured in the incident.

According to officials, the 325-bed hospital did not have the fire department’s no-objection certificate (NOC), mandatory for such facilities to operate.

Nearly 375 people, including patients and visitors, were in the five-floor hospital when the fire broke out, an official had earlier said.

Chavan slams govt for giving snooping powers to central

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December 21, 2018

Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan on Friday condemned the Centre’s decision to authorise 10 central agencies to intercept data on any computer, calling it an attack on democratic values.

The former chief minister said the order amounts to authorising snooping in the name of security.

“This draconian political use of government machinery is also interference in the domain of the states. The repercussions are alarming,” he said.

This is a “self-declared emergency” which has come in the wake of BJP’s defeat in Assembly elections, Chavan alleged.

“It is an attack on people’s privacy and also on democratic values,” he said.

The Congress leader also claimed that the saffron party was a “sinking ship” and many of its leaders in Maharashtra were about to quit.

On the acquittal of all the accused in the Sohrabuddin Shaikh encounter killing case, Chavan said in a sarcastic tone, “The question to be asked is whether Sohrabuddin existed or not, did he murder himself or did he commit suicide.

“The witnesses had turned hostile long ago. The question is who influenced them. It is a matter of concern,” the Congress leader said.

WR develops solution to track exact location of relief trains

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December 21, 2018

The Western Railway (WR) has developed a GPS-based solution to determine the precise location and speed of disaster management trains, a senior official said on Friday.

The system has been implemented in all Accident Relief Trains (ARTs), Accident Relief Medical Equipment (ARME) and Self Propelled Accident Relief Trains (SPARTs) of the Mumbai division of the WR, he said.

“Earlier, it was a challenge to know the actual location of relief trains heading to accident or disaster sites,” the official added.

Ravinder Bhakar, chief PRO of WR, said that the system provides an automated solution with real-time location of relief trains, speed tracking, their recording and traceability.

“Important information that can be derived from this system is speed and location of relief trains on a real-time basis,” he said.

“The installation of the system is very simple. It uses a mobile charging point provided in the rolling stock (engine or carriage).

“The mobile-based app is universally accessible and the tracker should be switched on all times,” Bhakar said.

He said the installation is not only easy, but cost effective, too, with one-time expense of the equipment coming at just Rs 7,900.

Mithali, Harmanpreet remain ODI and T20 Captains; Veda Krishnamurthy dropped

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December 21, 2018

Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur were on Friday retained as captains for the Indian women’s ODI and T20 team respectively while out-of-form Veda Krishnamurthy was dropped from both the squads picked for the New Zealand tour beginning next month.

India will play three ODIs in New Zealand beginning January 24 as part of the ICC Women’s Championship before playing three T20 Internationals. The New Zealand tour will be the team’s first assignment after its controversial exit from the World T20 last month when it lost to England in the semi-finals.

The 15-member squad for ODIs and T20s was announced a day after WV Raman was appointed as the head coach. Gary Kirsten was ahead of Raman in the pecking order but the former India men’s coach was not ready to give up on his role with Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL.

The BCCI had invited fresh applications after Ramesh Powar’s term ended on November 30, following the World T20 loss in which he and Harmanpreet had collectively decided to drop senior player Mithali for the all-important semifinal, triggering a massive controversy.

The women’s team stood divided with Harmanpreet and her T20 deputy Smriti Mandhana backing Powar for an extension while Mithali was against such a move. However, both Harmanpreet and Mithali had agreed on sorting out their differences going forward.

While Mithali turned up for the selection committee meeting on Friday, Harmanpreet, who is playing the Women’s Big Bash in Australia, joined via Skype. Selection panel chief Hemlata Kala announced the squads in the presence of BCCI CEO Rahul Johri and acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary.

Veda was dropped from both the teams following her lean run, Hemlata told PTI. Mona Meshram replaced Veda in the ODI squad while two changes were made in the squad that went to the West Indies for the World T20. Shikha Pandey replaced injured pacer Pooja Vastrakar in the T20 squad while uncapped Priya Punia was picked in place of Veda.

Laxman’s 281 is the greatest innings played by an Indian cricketer: Dravid

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December 21, 2018

Rahul Dravid had the “best seat” in the house when VVS Laxman scored his epic 281 against Australia at the Eden Gardens, an innings that the former captain termed as the “greatest innings by an Indian”.

“Without a doubt, I think, the 281 was probably one of the most significant and greatest innings played by an Indian cricketer, in terms of the context, the consequence, the innings was played in, Dravid said at the launch of Laxman’s autobiography “281 and Beyond” late Thursday evening.

“I really had the best seat in the house for the greatest Indian innings ever played,” he added.

Dravid also lavished praise at his stroke-making capabilities during the epic knock.

“I was still imagining him and visualising him, stepping outside the leg-stump and hitting Shane Warne through the covers, for a ball that is pitched yards outside the legs-stump. Or to be able to flick a ball on the middle and off-stump on a turning track in Kolkata, across the line, against a great bowler like Shane Warne,” he said.

Dravid also said that he does not like watching lot of cricket but when he enjoyed Laxman’s 281 runs innings, sitting in his house.

“It was absolutely phenomenal to watch. Sometimes, I don’t like watching a lot of cricket. I really hate watching myself bat again when sometimes they show these old matches. If I am playing in that, I actually change the channel,” he said.

Dravid, who smashed 180 and stitched 376-run partnership for fifth wicket with Laxman, said he was not in greatest of form, but he gained confidence after watching Laxman bat, who was already in the 90s.

“To be honest, I was not in the greatest of form leading into that particular innings. By the time, I went into bat (at No 6), Laxman was batting at 90-odd. I was not playing well in that series and watching him play gave me a lot of confidence. It was a magical day,” he said.

“I am truly grateful and blessed to have had that opportunity and to have experienced that, with someone who I knew when I was a kid. In lot of ways, it (281) defines Laxman more than me.”

Laxman said that both he and Dravid played according to the merit of the balls and hardly conversed, but punched each others gloves to stay on the wicket.

Saina says playing in end-of-year PBL sometimes affects body

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December 21, 2018

The Premier Badminton League (PBL), starting on Saturday, is being held at the end of the year after a hectic season and at times it does affect the players’ bodies, feels star Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal.

“Everyone gives their 100 per cent, that’s for sure, and wants to win. But it’s the end of the year and sometimes it gets to the body. It’s not easy for all the players. It’s one of the toughest tournaments, but everyone gives their best,” said Saina at a PBL pre-season 4 media conference.

Saina, who would be leading North Eastern Warriors in the nine-team League, was responding to a query whether the players could replicate in the PBL the intensity with which they normally play in the Super Series events.

“It’s not the same as a tournament. It is a team event. You enjoy playing a team event. For us it’s sometimes like a festival. We see so many matches. Youngsters also benefit. Badminton is growing now because of the performances (of the top shuttlers) and because of the league,” insisted the 2012 London Olympic Games women’s singles bronze medallist.

Reigning Olympic and world women’s singles champion Carolina Marin agreed with Saina.

“The pressure is much different. For us, we have to think about team not ourselves,” said Marin who is to captain league debutantes Pune 7 Aces.

National badminton coach Pullela Gopichand said that the league has helped someone like Kidambi Srikanth over the last three years to improve his game at the international level.

“In Super Series events they (players) have to play a match every day but here it’s usually once every third day. It’s easier on the body,” he explained.

He conceded that the franchises were yet to make a profit.

“Generally speaking, no. Without prize money no, they are not making money. It’s like so many other leagues. At this point of time the central revenue pool is not enough for the franchises to break even. It takes time to increase the pool,” he said.

Sohrabuddin outcome pre-decided, acquittals not shocking: NCP

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December 21, 2018

The NCP Friday said that the acquittal of all 22 accused in the alleged fake encounter killings of gangster Sohrabuddin Shaikh and two others was “not shocking” as the outcome of the case was “pre-decided”.

The NCP also alleged that several witnesses in the case turned hostile “under pressure” and “cases were taken away from certain judges”.

NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said that the CBI, which investigated the case, should immediately appeal in a higher court.

“Acquittal of all 22 accused in the Sohrabuddin case is not shocking, because the outcome of the case was pre-decided. A situation was created and 85 witnesses turned hostile under pressure. Cases were taken away from certain judges too. CBI must now approach higher courts,” he said.

“The judgement is not surprising. There are clear indications that under pressure, a system was created and the judgement delivered,” Malik added, without naming anyone.

A special CBI court here on Friday acquitted all the 22 accused in the alleged fake encounter killings of gangster Sohrabuddin Shaikh, his wife Kausar Bi and his aide Tulsi Prajapati, citing ‘insufficient evidence’.

Special CBI Judge S J Sharma in his ruling said the court felt sorry for the families of Shaikh and Prajapati as “three lives were lost”. But the system demands that the court go solely by evidence, he added.

All the accused were out on bail during the year-long trial.

Koregaon-Bhima case: HC rejects activist’s plea seeking quashing of FIR

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December 21, 2018

The Bombay High Court on Friday dismissed a petition filed by civil rights activist Anand Teltumbde seeking the quashing of an FIR lodged against him by the Pune Police for his alleged role in the Elgar Parishad-Koregaon Bhima violence and for his alleged Maoist links.

In his plea, Teltumbde denied all the charges against him even as the police opposed the same and claimed that they have ample evidence which implicated the activist in the case.

A division bench of Justices B P Dharmadhikari and S V Kotwal dismissed the petition.

However, the court granted Teltumbde interim protection from arrest for a period of three weeks, during which he can approach the Supreme Court.

Earlier, Teltumbde’s lawyer, senior advocate Mihir Desai, had told the bench that on December 30 and 31 last year, his client was in Goa and not in Pune, or anywhere close to the site of the violence near Koregaon-Bhima.

Desai sought that an FIR registered by the Pune Police, in which the activist has been named as a co-accused in the Elgar Parishad-Koregaon-Bhima case, be quashed.

Additional government pleader Aruna Pai, who appeared for the Pune Police, however, objected to Teltumbde’s plea saying there was adequate incriminating evidence against the activist, but he was yet to be arrested as the police were “busy” probing other accused.

At the Elgar Parishad event at Shaniwarwada in Pune, held a day before the January 1 caste clashes at Koregaon-Bhima, located near Pune, several activists allegedly made inflammatory speeches and provocative statements that contributed to the violence, the police said.

Several activists were named in an FIR lodged on January 8.

Eight more activists, including Teltumbde, were named in another FIR filed in October.

Some of the activists like Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Sudha Bharadwaj, P Varavara Rao and Gautam Navlakha have already been arrested by the police.

According to police, the Elgar Parishad event was funded and supported by Maoists.

Three retired cops to get ‘Police Jivan Gaurav Award’

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December 21, 2018

Former Maharashtra DGP Vasant Saraf is among the three former police officials who will be honoured with ‘Police Jivan Gaurav Award- 2018’ here next week, organisers said.

Former ACP Madhav Pradhan and retired PSI Shyamrao Raut will also be given this award instituted by Arvind Inamdar Foundation.

“The award presentation ceremony will be held on December 26 in the presence of Infosys co-founder and Chairman Emeritus Narayan Murthy,” said Arvind Inamdar, former DGP of Maharashtra, said.

The event will be held at Savarkar Smarak hall, Shivaji Park at Dadar in central Mumbai, he added.

This is the third year of the award, Inamdar said, adding that in the past, former DGPs Suryakant Jog and Julio Ribeiro, ACPs Sam Patel and Ramesh Mehta were honoured with this award.

Maha govt has woken up too late: Sena on aid to onion growers

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December 21, 2018

A day after the Maharashtra government announced Rs 150 crore relief to onion farmers, BJP’s ruling ally Shiv Sena on Friday took a dig at the Devendra Fadnavis-led dispensation saying it has “woken up from slumber too late”.

The party said that although the decision to provide relief to onion farmers was good, the government needed to ensure that its implementation was done in a speedy manner.

It also alleged that the onion farmers were yet to get the financial aid that was promised to them under a similar scheme announced by the government in 2016.

The government on Thursday announced Rs 150 crore as relief to onion farmers. The decision by the state cabinet came amid reports about farmers selling freshly harvested onions at as low as Rs 1.50 a kg in Maharashtra, the top producer of the bulb in the country.

The financial relief consists of an ex-gratia payment at the rate of Rs 200 per quintal (with an upper limit of 200 quintal per onion farmer) for the kitchen staple sold between November 1 and December 15, 2018.

“Despite spending Rs 1,000 per quintal as input costs to grow onions, the farmers had to sell the kitchen staple at Rs 500 per quintal in the market. The prices further came down to Rs 100-105 per quintal, which is Rs 1-1.50 per kg,” the Sena said in an editorial in its mouthpiece ‘Saamana’.

In September, the farmers had urged the government to take immediate steps to control the decline in onion prices. But their demands went unheeded, it alleged.

“Prices of onions had similarly dipped in 2016 and the government had then announced a relief of Rs 100 per quintal. However, there are allegations that the onion growers have not received the money so far. If that is true, the question that arises now is when will the farmers receive the aid of Rs 200,” it said.

“The government has woken up from slumber very late. Although the decision to provide relief to onion farmers is good, it sould ensure that money is disbursed on time,” the Uddhav Thackeray-led party said.

Last month, a farmer from Nashik, Sanjay Sathe, had sent Rs 1,064, which he earned after selling 750 kg of his onion crop in a wholesale market, to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) as a protest.

The farmer had said that his intention was to prompt the government to take some steps to ease the financial stress that farmers were suffering because of the low prices.

The PMO had later returned the farmer’s money order.

Another farmer from Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar district, Shreyas Abhale, had sent a money order of Rs 6 to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis as a mark of protest against the crashing prices of onion and the paltry returns.

Abhale had said that after selling 2,657 kg onions at the rate of Rs 1 per kg at the Sangamner wholesale market in the district and adjusting market expenses, he was left with only Rs 6.