The Railway Zopadpatti Punarvasan Samiti, an association of displaced, homeless and project affected people (PAPs) of metro, monorail projects here today threatened to stall the foundation laying ceremony of two metro lines on October 11 by PM Narendra Modi if the Maharashtra government does not facilitate immediate possession of flats alloted to them.

The Samiti claims that despite being eligible under the rehabilitation norms and having been given possession letters, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and Maharashtra government has failed to provide them with the actual possession since last five to seven years.

The association, which has held a series of protests across the city demanding immediate possession of homes, said that if their demands are not met, then they would disrupt the foundation laying ceremony.

Samiti President and Samajwadi Party leader Changdev Wankhede said we have asked Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to look into the matter immediately as he is the chairman of MMRDA.

“He (Fadnavis) must ask MMRDA officials to allot flats to us immediately, otherwise we would obstruct the laying off ceremony on October 11,” he said.

Also, in the coming days thousands of homeless persons across Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai have decided to come down on the Express Highway and would stop the operations of traffic on road along with Central Railway, Western Railway and Metro rail as well, Wankhede said in a statement.

Modi, during his Mumbai visit, on October 11, will lay the foundation stone of two important elevated Metro corridors Dahisar-D N Nagar and Dahisar-Andheri (east) route in a ceremony at BKC.

“If Fadnavis immediately takes corrective measures then we would call off our protest and rather extend our support,” added Wankhede.

Earlier, in a press conference last month Samiti had said that at least 561 hutments in various areas including Ghatkopar and Andheri, had been removed for these projects and flats for their rehabilitation have been constructed at Nahur.

The Bombay High Court directed Maharashtra government to ensure that it implements a May 2011 resolution for appropriate action against illegal religious structures in terms of regularization, relocation and removal.

A division bench of Justices A S Oka and V L Achiliya sought a time-bound schedule from the government for demolition of such shrines that have been constructed without requisite permission.

The government had on May 5, 2011 issued a GR following an order passed by the Supreme Court in 2009 directing all state governments to initiate steps towards illegal shrines.

The GR had prescribed a “well-defined” scheme for appropriate action against unauthorized religious structures in terms of regularization, relocation and removal. It also suggested a three-tier committee be set up state-wise, district level and in corporations, including in Mumbai, Thane and Pune for relevant action.

Anil Sakhre, advocate for the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, told the court that it has completed the process of identification of all illegal shrines in the city and placed a report before the committee for further action.

Government pleader D N Nalavade told the court that a meeting was recently convened on the issue and sought two weeks’ time to inform the court of the steps it has taken.

The court has posted the matter for hearing on October 17.

A youth and his woman friend have been arrested by city police for allegedly assaulting and abusing an on-duty traffic constable.

The duo was arrested last night for the alleged attack that had taken place on Tuesday.

The accused identified as Umang Shah and his friend Lavina Amisar, both residents of Mulund (W), were arrested by Mulund police around 10.30 pm, DCP (Detection) Dhananjay Kulkarni said.

According to Kulkarni, the accused attacked the traffic police in Mulund after getting into an argument with him. “The duo disobeyed the instructions of the traffic policeman and subsequently abused and assaulted him before fleeing from the spot,” he said.

The accused were arrested under relevant sections of the IPC and Motor Vehicles Act, said police.

Both of them were produced in a local court that remanded them in police custody.

An ‘administrator’ of a WhatsApp group in Latur district has been arrested for objectionable content posted on the group.

Police in Chakur tehsil of Latur district in Marathwada arrested the admin and three other members of the WhatsApp group after noticing objectionable content, including video clips posted on the group.

A police officer from Chakur police station told that those arrested – Shivaji Barche, Rajkumar Telange, Amol Somwanshi and Manoj Lavhrale – will be produced before a court.

The four have been arrested and cases under sections 153, 34 and section 67 of IT Act, 2000 have been registered, he said.

The medical fraternity in Maharashtra is mulling to move the State Human Rights Commission over the reports that doctors at J J hospital here were allegedly made to taste the food before serving it to Indrani Mukerjea, prime accused in Sheena Bora murder case, during her recent hospitalisation.

According to Dr. Lalit Kapoor, a medico-legal expert of the Association of Medical Consultants, the medical fraternity has taken a serious note of such practices, which it considers as “inhuman and insulting.”

“It is very inhuman and insulting…such practices should be stopped not only with regard to doctors but no human being should be told to carry out such acts. In this regard, a complaint will be filed in a day or two with the State Human Rights Commission,” said Kapoor.

The issue came to light after a section of media reported about the “humiliating” practice the doctors allegedly underwent while Indrani was hospitalised at the state-run hospital for suspected drug overdose about a week back.

According to reports, before Indrani had her first morsel, a resident medical officer tasted the food. Indrani was then allowed to eat after a gap of 10 minutes, when there was no adverse reaction.

Generally, food-tasters are appointed when heads of state are travelling, given the threat perception and the watertight security cover that has to be provided to them.

Indrani and the two other accused — her former husband Sanjeev Khanna and driver Shyamvar Rai — were arrested in August-end on the charge of murdering her 24-year-old daughter Sheena in April 2012 and disposing of the body in a forest in Raigad district, about 84 kms from here.

The case is now being investigated by the CBI.

When asked about the response, J J Hospital Dean Dr T P Lahane said he had three times in the past asked the government that the food tasting should be entrusted with Food and Drug Administration and it is not the job of doctors.

Congress Rajya Sabha MP Bhalchandra Mungekar demanded a CBI probe supervised by a Supreme Court judge into the Dadri lynching where a man was killed over rumours that he ate beef.

He also demanded sacking of BJP leader and Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma for his “dubious” role in the incident.

Mungekar, a former Vice Chancellor of Mumbai University, told reporters here, “PM (Narendra) Modi must sack Sharma for his dubious and suspicious role in the entire episode.”

“I demand a probe by CBI to be supervised by a Supreme Court judge for a fair and impartial inquiry into the incident,” he said.

“BJP local leaders are making provocative statements to prove that the lynching of Mohammed Akhalaq was an accident.

Modi must warn his colleague ministers and MPs to see reason and refrain from spreading communal venom,” the Congress MP said.

He questioned silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the case.

“Silence of the Prime Minister in this case is deafening and calculated. Modi is otherwise enthusiastic to talk to the people of the country through ‘Maan ki Baat’. Fast decline in his personal popularity due to failure to fulfil election promises to bring ‘acche din’ (good days) may be prompting him to remain silent towards such communally polarising tactics,” Mungekar said.