To boost economic growth, the government will soon come out with a policy for awarding land to port-based industries at 12 major ports, which among them have an estimated 2.64 lakh acres.

The development follows directions from Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari to the major ports asking them to come up with a project shelf and land database on the premise that leveraging land for commercial advantage would generate additional revenue for ports.

“The policy envisages grant of concession to port dependent industries (PDIs) for setting up dedicated facilities in major ports for import and/or export of cargo and their storage before despatch to their destinations for a period not exceeding 30 years,” the Shipping Ministry said.

The ministry has invited comments on the land allocation draft policy from stakeholders by September 29.

“The government is committed to improving the level and quality of physical and social infrastructure in the country… Allocation of waterfront and associated land to port-based industries on a PPP/captive basis is one of the areas which have been identified for participation/investment by the private sector in major ports,” it said.

The port-based industry is one which requires 100 per cent captive berths/back-up area for import of raw material or export of finished goods.

The government said that though some berths and facilities have been set up at some major ports under the existing guidelines, “the potential for development of such facilities is not yet fully realised”.

“This is attributable mainly to the absence of clearly defined benchmarks for price discovery for the proposed allotment and lack of clarity in the existing guidelines about the processes to be followed,” it said.

Of late, there has been demand for putting in place a structured policy to facilitate land allotment for development and operation of port facilities by any industry dependent on it.

“The objective of this policy is to generate committed business for major ports on a long-term basis by facilitating development and operation of dedicated facilities by industries which are substantially dependent on it for import and/or export of their cargo and thus play a catalytic role for the Sagarmala project, it said.

The Mumbai Port Trust alone has about 753 hectares with it valued at about Rs 46,000 crore.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is expected to sign Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) with the Japanese government for big ticket projects in the state during his five-day visit to the country starting tomorrow.

According to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), Maharashtra will make “all possible efforts” for improving the business environment and accelerating infrastructure development of the state.

Under the proposed MoC, Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) is likely to support investment activities in or around the 1,000 acres reserved for an industrial park at Supa-Parner Industrial Estate near Pune.

The Maharashtra government would improve business environment of this park to meet global standards by utilising incentives.

A ‘Project Facilitation Committee (PFC)’ comprising of JETRO officials, Japanese companies and Maharashtra government is also likely to be launched to strengthen cooperation between the two governments and resolve the difficulties that Japanese companies may be facing in their projects as soon as possible under the leadership of Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC).

As part of its infrastructure development, the state may ask the Japanese government to develop infrastructure with a view to utilise Japan’s public funds.

“Both sides are likely to seek cooperation in future metro projects such as Mumbai metro Phase 2, Nagpur metro and Pune metro in a mutually beneficial manner, and in the important infrastructure projects such as Mumbai Trans-Harbor Link (MTHL),” the official said.

A day before police custody of all three accused ends in the Sheena Bora murder case, investigators are looking at all possible angles to unravel the “filmi” plot and said they wanted to determine why the alleged conspirators had chosen the particular spot in Raigad district to dump the body.

A local court had extended till September 7 the police custody of former television executive Indrani Mukerjea, wife of media baron Peter Mukerjea, and two other accused — her former husband Sanjeev Khanna and former driver Shayamvar Rai.

Indrani, Khanna and Rai have been arrested in the case pertaining to the murder of her daughter Sheena and the disposal of the body in a Raigad forest in April 2012.

Requesting the court to grant extension of the custody of the accused, Special Public Prosecutor Vaibhav Bagade had said, “It may appear ‘filmi’ but we need to find out why this particular place was chosen to dump the body.”

Indrani was not cooperating with the investigators and was a “hard nut to crack”, police had told the court even as forensic results of the samples of skeletal remains found in Raigad forest are awaited.

Police had claimed on Thursday that Indrani had confessed to murdering Sheena.

Investigators are also probing if someone else too was involved in the alleged murder conspiracy.

Indrani, who was produced in the court on Saturday, remained calm and composed through the hearing. Policemen formed barricades inside the court room to keep the crowd in check.

“The scope of the probe is large and the accused is a hard nut to crack. They have used modern tools like email and Internet to plan the murder. The progress shown in investigation is already on record and the police have not wasted a single day,” Bagade had said.

“Her custody is for a short period considering the vastness of the investigation. We need to know who else helped her and her emails need to be studied,” he had added.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has blamed the previous Congress-NCP government in the state for the Maharashtra Home department’s controversial circular regarding sedition charges.

The circular had recently drawn flak from the Opposition parties. Congress and NCP leaders had lashed out at the Fadnavis government, terming the guidelines as regressive and alleging that these would be used to stifle criticism of the BJP-led government.

“The circular draws from a submission by the state’s Advocate General in the Bombay High Court during the Congress-NCP reign,” Fadnavis told reporters yesterday.

“They (the Congress and the NCP) have no right to criticise the guidelines,” said the Chief Minister, who heads the Home department.
Distancing his government from the row, Fadnavis said, “One thing that must be understood is that it is not a government decision.”

Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde of NCP had earlier said the move indicated an “Emergency-like” situation, while Congress leader Narayan Rane said his party was seeking legal opinion to proceed against the government’s decision.

Rane said the circular has been issued to prevent the media from doing its duty of taking the government to task on its failures and also to stop Opposition from highlighting inept handling of drought situation in parts of the state.

However, a Home Department official had said the circular clearly mentions that “criticism or expressing dissent through legal means” will not attract sedition charge.

The circular containing guidelines to police by the Maharashtra government with regard to invocation of IPC Section (124-A), says sedition clause can be invoked against “whoever, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs or by visible representation, is critical of politicians, elected representatives belonging to the government.”

However, the section will not be invoked against those trying to bring change in government through legal means without hatred and contempt, it said.

Two groups of Sadhus allegedly clashed after a seer took out a procession to Ram Kund through the royal procession route in Tapovan here during the ongoing Kumbh Mela to which another group objected and attacked them and damaged two vehicles, a senior police official said.

The situation was immediately brought under control soon following intervention by the police, who diverted the procession to another route.

The incident occurred yesterday when seer Janglidas Maharaj of Atma Malik Dhyanpeeth of Kopargaon organised a procession of his followers towards the Ram Kund through the royal procession route, and Sadhus of the akhadas objected to it, Deputy Police Commissioner Avinash Bargal said.

The Sadhus, who claimed that no permission was obtained from the akhadas for the procession, came out wielding swords, spears and lathis and damaged two of the vehicles, he said.

Police rushed to the clash site and brought the situation under control. They also diverted the procession to another route, thus averting an untoward incident, Bargal said.

No complaint was lodged by either side in this regard, hence no case was registered, he said, adding the police would probe the incident.

Meanwhile, thousands of ‘mahants’, sadhus and devotees today took a holy dip at Kapildhara Teerth at Kawnai in Igatpuri taluka in the district, which was once a main venue of the Kumbh Mela, a seer said.

Mahant Gyandas Maharaj, president of the All India Akhada Parishad, and mahants of the three akhadas of Nashik, namely Nirmohi, Nirvani and Digambar, participated in the royal bath at the Teerth, mahant of Kawnai, Ramnarayandas Phalhari Maharaj said.

Maharashtra Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan, who is also the guardian minister of Nashik, met the Kawnai mahant and others.

Nashik Collector Dipendrasinh Kushwah, district Superintendent of Police Sanjay Mohite, Sub-Divisional Officer Balasaheb Wakchaure, Zila Parishad president Madhushree Chumbhale, Yeola MLA Chhagan Bhujbal and Igatpuri MLA Nirmala Gavit also visited Kawnai to attend ‘Parvani’ (a joyous occasion).

The district administration and the police have made all the necessary arrangements, including beefing up the security, parking lots among others. The Nashik division of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation has also arranged 200 additional buses for the pilgrims’ commute, police said.

A 29-year-old woman traffic police constable was allegedly manhandled at a traffic signal here by an unidentified man who was taking his wife to a hospital in an ambulance and lost his cool as they were slowed down by a heavy flow of vehicles.

The woman constable was on traffic duty at Cadbury Junction in the city on Saturday evening when the ambulance reached the signal on its way to hospital.

The accused, who is yet to be identified, called the traffic constable to the vehicle and started shouting at her. He said that his wife was suffering from swine flu but the traffic was not allowing the ambulance to move ahead, said Vartak Nagar police sub-inspector, Deepak Kumbhar.

He also allegedly pulled the traffic cop by her collar and tore her uniform, Kumbhar said citing the complaint lodged by the woman constable late last night against the unidentified man.

As per the complaint, after shouting at her at the traffic signal, he pulled the woman constable inside the ambulance and took her to the hospital where he was taking his wife. He also allegedly manhandled the woman constable.

A case under relevant sections of IPC, including 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of duty), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 363 (kidnapping), has been registered in the matter, the SI said, adding that inquiries are on into the matter.