Arvind Kejriwal sacks minister over corruption, wants PM to act on Raje, Chouhan

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October 9, 2015

Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal, known for his tough anti-corruption stance, on Friday sacked a minister in the Delhi government over corruption charges.

Kejriwal sacked Food and Civil Supplies Minister Asim Ahmed Khan over corruption charges while addressing a live press conference here. Speaking to reporters, the AAP chief said, “We had received a complaint, assessed it and have decided to remove Asim Ahmed from the Cabinet.”

The complainant has sent us a one hour long audio clip, I and Manish Sisodia listened to that audio clip, we did preliminary assessment of that and prima facie found it to be of serious nature, Kejriwal told reporters.

The Delhi CM, while maintaining that whosoever indulges in corruption will not be spared, said, “I will not spare even my son if he is found guilty of corruption.”

He may be a minister, officer or any one, no one found guilty of corruption will be spared, he added.

Ballimaran MLA Imran Hussain will now replace sacked minister Asim Ahmad Khan in the Delhi cabinet, he said.

Khan was sacked for allegedly demanding money from a builder. Interestingly, before announcing the sacking, Kejriwal also played a recorded tape of the conversation purportedly between Khan and the builder.

The case has been referred to CBI, Kejriwal said further.

Kejriwal, meanwhile, also attacked the BJP government at the Centre and dared it to sack its tainted ministers in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Don’t deviate from core issues

By

Mahendra Singh

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October 9, 2015

We need to choose a vocation of our choice (what you love to do), learn it properly and start doing it sincerely. That is the secret of success. If you like to be a plumber, learn this work or if you like to be a heavy vehicle driver gain mastery over it and start driving. Don’t ask the government to fetch you black money and share with you as it is unlikely to happen. The government must seek assistance from German, Japanese work men to teach impart para-medical and automation skills to youth. Training must be imparted to youth so that they can acquire skills which will enable them to find employment and set up their own workshops. India is facing shortage of electricians therefore training must be offered to youth for addressing this issue. In our country, we must focus on the work of enhancing electric power generation and distribution.

People must be allowed to eat what they want and the government must not dictate what people should eat. Let people decide whether they want to have vegetarian or non-vegetarian food as per their food habits. The government must not create a mountain out of molehill.

Politicians are trying to create a division in the society by bringing the beaf issue to the forefront. They are already earning good money and draw pension but the common man has to struggle hard for earning his livelihood. Why should the beef issue get too much mileage when there are so many other issues which need urgent attention?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi finally broke his silence over the Dadri incident and urged people to fight against poverty and not against each other. Modi also added that the country has to stay united. According to him only communal harmony and brotherhood will take the nation forward. The remarks came a day after President Pranab Mukherjee raised concerns over the incidents of communal tensions in the country. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said law and order is the prime responsibility of the state and the Constitution does not permit the Centre to directly intervene in such matters. Singh said BJP neitherbelieved or indulged in politics of caste or religion. Singh also said that some persons might be trying to take mileage by creating communal tension but in a healthy democracy this should not be done. He said that efforts should be taken to maintain communal amity and brotherhood.

A Dance Festival that celebrates Birthday of Guru

By

Afternoon Voice

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October 9, 2015

After years and years of practise, hard work, criticism and appreciation a dancer finally reaches and becomes a teacher and mentor for others. If such a guru finds a student who is as dedicated or may be even more determined than himself then it is the best gift this blessed guru can ever ask for. I have known of this extremely blessed mentor for many years, he is not only a fantastic dancer but a person we all look up to for advice in all possible ways, be it professional or personal. I am talking about the extremely talented Bharatnatyum exponent Guru Deepak Majumdar, he is the dance teacher and guru of the dancing diva of India Hema Malini, Esha Deol and Ahana Deol. Whenever I have seen Hemaji dance I would wonder how can she look like a Goddess herself in each of her performances. The answer to it was simple when I met this dynamic man, it is all his years of training her that makes her look this way.

But Deepak ji’s story does not end here, all these years of zindagi ki poonji of any teacher are his students and Deepak ji is the richest man I must say in that aspect. This year being his 60th birth year his most dedicated student Rupak Mehta introduced a show ‘Brahma Varsha Utsava’ through his dance academy ‘Brahmnaad’ and also launched a magazine of art and culture ‘Brahmabodhi’ dedicated to his Guru. I was lucky to witness the opening show of ‘Brahmnaad’ last week. The inaugural lamp was lit by Sangeet Natak Akademi Chairman Shekhar Sen and the show was attended by accomplished dancers like Uma Dogra, Uma Rele, Revathi Srinivas Raghavan, Padmini Radhakrishnan, Sucheta Chapekar Bhide and many more.

The two days festival had performers from all over India showcasing their talent and wishing Deepka ji a life filled with loads of dancing, happiness and good health. Day one had Solo performances by Divya Ravi from Bangalore performing Bharatnatyum, Dr. Rekha Raju also from Bangalore performing Mohiniattam, Vaidehi Kulkarni from Nasik performing Kuchipudi, Preeti Valuskar from Mumbai performing Kathak. Duet Performance was by Indrayanee Mukherjee and Sarita Kalale from Mumbai performing Kathak. Group dance of Bharatnatyum was by Arundhati Patwardhan and her group from Pune.

The day two had Solo performances by Mumbai dancers Apurva Dani performing the Odissi, Sujatha Nair and Megha Ahire performing Mohiniattam and Soumya Bose from Bhubaneswar performing the Odissi. Duet was performed by Nithash and Biaca Radhakrishna from Bangalore performing Bharatnatyum, there was also Eshani Sathe and Neeraj Solanki from Akola performing Kathak and Richa Srivastava and Sunil Sunkara from Mumbai performing Kathak.

The two days of dance celebration and madness was well received by the Mumbai audience all pouring in to wish Deepak ji a very Happy Birthday and a super year ahead. The Brahmnaad advisory board too has a long list of dance lovers on it, from MP Hema Malini to dance critic Sunil Kothari, from Music Director Ravindra Jain to dancer Darshana Zaveri all are a part of this dynamic dance festival that celebrates the love of a student for his Guru.

The beauty of the festival was that each artist who performed or attended the event was given respect with a shawl and a momento. This kind of appreciation is long forgotten by many and seeing this years old Indian tradition coming back to life was refreshing, each person present at the utsav went back with memories that would last a long time.

It is rare to see such love, respect and warmth from a student towards his guru in today’s world. And all the credit of this goes to Rupak Mehta who even today has maintained the dignity of a dedicated student towards his mentor and guide. I admire Deepak Majumdar for having such a devoted student like Rupak, surely it is all the blessing of Lord Natraj that is pouring on to him on his 60th birthday making it super special forever.

Artscape By Sandip Soparrkar

Doomsday in realty leads to top builders’ suicide?

By

Afternoon Voice

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October 8, 2015

The current policies are not developer friendly and it takes several months to obtain permission for commencing work on a new project.

The suicide of builder Suraj Parmar, director of Cosmos Group and president of Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry (MCHI) Thane has revealed the problems faced by the realty sector. The realty sector has been witnessing a sluggish growth after the economic slowdown of 2008. As per reports there is close to 53,000 unsold apartments priced over Rs 1 crore in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) alone. Since developers have been focussing on premium projects costing more than 1 crore hence middle class buyers stayed away from the market.

Buyers were waiting for the prices to fall whereas developers were holding on to inventories there by resulting into piling up of unsold flats in the city. The builders association has been asking the government to frame policies to kickstart growth in the realty sector. They also wanted the government to review the various clearances and permissions required for constructing new projects in the city. The current policies are not developer friendly and it takes several months to get permission for commencing work on a new project. All these factors are severely impacting the realty projects as the sector is witnessing a slowdown. Property developers warned that more builders may commit suicide if policy paralysis and political interference continues in the real estate sector.

“The developers kept on launching spacious units. This is why price-sensitive people, the lower end of spectrum, are not buying. There is mismatch in what the market wants and what they are developing,” said Ashutosh Limaye, head, research, Jones Lang LaSalle.

A suicide note was recovered from Suraj’s laptop in which he said that he was fed up with government rules and regulations on the housing sector because of which his business was not going on smoothly. He was facing financial problems due to slow progress in his projects. Officials said the income tax department had raided his projects, which had caused him a lot of stress.

Thane police PRO Gajanan Kabdule said, “Parmar shot himself in the neck with his licensed revolver. Our officers went to the spot for investigation and found a suicide note in his laptop. It is more than 15 pages. We are investigating the authenticity of the suicide note.”

Jitendra Mehta, who has been Parmar’s friend since 1999, said, “We all were shocked after we heard about the news. He was facing problems in business, but it was going on well. He had tremendous fighting spirit in him to tackle problems. He was a very enthusiastic and hardworking person. We were both part of MCHI.”

“Parmar used to fight politicians and officers over corruption but most of us settle the matter and close it, (but) those kind of margins are no more left in real estate to pay politicians and officers,” said the managing director of Mumbai based developer.

“Politicians and officers are exploiting and squeezing developers. It has become difficult to run the business. Most of the developers are under distress and balance sheets of developers are under stress due to delay in approvals,” said another developer on the condition of anonymity.

Who will free Punjab from drugs menace?

By

Vaidehi Taman

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October 8, 2015

Recently, I saw a movie promo of Udta Punjab. The movie revolves around the increasing problem of drug abuse in Punjab. It is a story of four different people merged together. There are four different stories and four different perspectives. It is set in Punjab and talks about the drug scenario. It is the first Hindi film to deal with the issue. I am happy that Bollywood directors are taking such sensitive issues to address. Once Punjab was heaven on earth, but it is cursed by its politics. Sikhs turned to be rebellious and some even left nation for better prospects.

Punjab is suffering with Drugs, Babas and sadhus; people are misguided from all fronts. A recent study by Dr. Ravinder Sandhu of Guru Nanak Dev University shows that the incidence of such crimes in Punjab is nine times the national average. Between 1999 and 2008 the years when Punjab was recovering from the aftermath of terrorism, such crimes registered a staggering 245 per cent increase. Punjab became the state with the highest number of narcotics-related crimes, surpassing Mizoram which earlier held this dubious distinction. It is difficult to assume how many of the state’s youngsters are addicted to drugs. Youth of Punjab have given up everything; they are not in their senses to ask for their own rights.

Punjab is leading to a dark era. Recently, even western media has shown their interest in covering Punjab drug epidemic. This is not a new problem in Punjab, but it has become worse than ever and almost every youth is coming in its shackles. If effective action will not be taken to deal with the problem, then it will definitely hit the youth in this part of the world.

The drug addiction in Punjab is alarming. Near border areas the rate of heroin abuse among 15 to 25 year old is as high as 75 per cent whereas in rural areas it is 73 per cent. A Department of Social Security Development of Women and Children suggested that as many as 67 per cent of rural households in Punjab will have at least one drug addict in the family. There is at least one death due to drug overdose each week in the region.
Bhuki is another similar type of wild grass which can be found throughout Punjab. It is possible to get a mild intoxicating effect from Bhuki, and it is considered a gateway drug because it encourages young people to begin experimenting.

Heroin addiction is getting the most attention in the media. It is believed that this narcotic is flooding in from Afghanistan via Pakistan.
Opium and morphine are other types of opiate that are commonly abused.

Many brands of toothpaste in the region contain nicotine. There are reports that people are consuming excessive amounts of toothpaste because of high nicotine content. Heroin is the drug that is causing most concern in the region. Though autho-rities are taking a tough stance on borderline security, despite this the drug continues to flood in to the area. There are high margin of profits, and due to this, corruption is also on its peak. Most of the heroin are consumed in Punjab, so drug dealers are not moving to the other parts of India.

Drug addiction is destroying youth future. Addiction means that the individual becomes unemployed. Some commentators in Punjab are blaming the green revolution, which has led to a food surplus. Young people have been overindulging in farming that they had not looked at other things in Punjab. So, their skills have been affected.

Drugs, human rights politics and even nature are not very kind to Punjab. This state is undergoing an ecological disa-ster due to heavy agriculture supported by heavy use of chemicals and pesti-cides and overuse of ground water. These are the major issues that lead to climate change. Thousands of acres of crops are burned to make room for next season’s crops, adding to a health crisis. Farmers are committing suicide, they are overburdened with loans and in such crises survival is another challenge.

The need of the hour is that, the Sikh Panth (Sikh community) should create awareness among its people through various channels in Punjab on crucial issues. They help seeking justice to people of the soil. They need to educate youth and prevent them from consuming drugs, else one day whole Punjab will be hit by this menace and state would be ruined by the political morons.

Radhe Maa gets anticipatory bail in dowry harassment case

By

Afternoon Voice

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October 8, 2015

In a relief for controversial self-styled godwoman Radhe Maa, the Bombay High Court on Thursday granted her pre-arrest bail in a dowry harassment case.

The bail was granted by Justice Revati Mohite Dere after hearing arguments from the lawyers of Radhe Maa, Mumbai Police and the housewife who had filed complaint against the godwoman.

The court has asked Radhe Maa to appear as and when required by Kandivali Police, which is probing the complaint against her.

On August 14, the court had granted Radhe Maa alias Sukhvinder Kaur interim protection from arrest while hearing her plea.

Radhe Maa, who apprehended arrest in the case, had moved the High Court after a sessions court had rejected her anticipatory bail petition on August 13.

Mumbai Police had filed a case against her on August 5 for allegedly instigating the in-laws of a 32-year-old housewife to harass her for dowry.

The case was filed after a Borivali Magistrate had ordered a probe by police under section 156(3) of CrPC into allegations of dowry harassment against her on the complaint filed by the housewife.

The housewife’s counsel Girish Kulkarni had earlier argued that the in-laws of the complainant were disciples of Radhe Maa. The godwoman had complete control over the family and at her instance they had allegedly taken dowry from the housewife.

Radhe Maa’s counsel Abad Ponda had argued in the HC that all the six accused in the dowry case, including the husband of the complainant (housewife), had been given protection by the trial court, except Radhe Maa.

He had also argued that the allegation against Radhe Maa of instigating the family to extract dowry from the complainant was an ‘afterthought’ and an improvement in the case, because such an accusation was not made during the proceedings filed in the family court two years ago.

In her petition, Radhe Maa had denied all the allegations, saying she had never instigated the family members and that she was being dragged into the case only because the complainant’s in-laws were her devotees.

The self-styled godwoman had further alleged that the complainant had levelled allegations against her only to secure a favourable order from the family court in the dowry case filed by her against in-laws. She alleged that she was being “framed up” by the complainant.

‘Maha govt involved in Rs. 106 cr portraits purchase scam’

By

Afternoon Voice

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October 8, 2015

The NCP accused the BJP-led Maharashtra government of indulging in irregularities worth Rs. 106 crore in the purchase of portraits of national icons to be put up in schools and demanded a judicial probe into the matter.

“In government printing press, portraits of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Jijabai, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, Mahatma Phule, Shahu Maharaj are available at just Rs 11,” NCP spokesman Nawab Malik said.

“But the purchases were made by Maharashtra government from the National Co-operative Consumer Federation at Rs 1,395 per portrait. Similarly, books worth Rs 94 crore were purchased from a Gujarat-based company,” he said.

According to him, Education Minister Vinod Tawde has said that he issued the orders based on the directives given by the Union HRD ministry.

“We demand that along with Tawde, HRD Minister Smriti Irani be also brought within the ambit of inquiry,” he added.

Malik said the party has no faith in the ACB because despite complaints, it has not investigated the ‘chikki scam’.

“We want the judicial probe in the fresh case to be instituted under the Commission of Inquiry Act,” he added.

Cops seek Headley’s production via video conference

By

Afternoon Voice

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October 8, 2015

Mumbai police moved an application in the sessions court seeking issuance of a Letter of Request (LR) against Pakistani-American LeT terrorist David Headley for his production through video conference from the US in the 26/11 terror attack case.

The court is trying Lashkar-e-Taiba operative and key plotter of 26/11 terror strikes Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal for his alleged role in the Mumbai attacks.

“This court may kindly issue a Letter of Request to the US district court of Illinois to produce Headley before this court on the next date through video conferencing,” the application moved by the Mumbai police reads.

The application further reads that Headley deserves to be tried by this (Mumbai) court together with Jundal as both of them are conspirators and abettors behind the 26/11 terror attack.

“The offences with which Headley is likely to be charged by this court are distinct and separate than the offences with which he had been charged and punished in USA”, the application reads.

Association threatens to stall Metro ceremony on Oct 11

By

Afternoon Voice

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October 8, 2015

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.

HC seeks implementation of 2011 resolution on illegal shrines

By

Afternoon Voice

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October 8, 2015

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.