The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) informed the Bombay High Court that potholes repair and maintenance work of roads in the city and suburbs would be completed by May 20.

A report was submitted by the additional municipal commissioner before a division bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice M S Sanklecha which was hearing a public interest litigation filed by Bombay Bar Association seeking strict implementation of traffic rules and regulations and proper maintenance of roads.

The court had on the last hearing sought for a report to be submitted by BMC indicating the progress made by them towards maintenance of roads.

“Tenders and work orders for preventive maintenance work have been issued for Rs. six crore for major roads and Rs. two crore for minor and arterial roads. 156 locations in western suburbs, 63 in eastern suburbs and 179 locations in the city have been identified for pre-monsoon repair. The work has started and will be completed by May 20,” the report of additional municipal commissioner S V R Srinivas said.

It added that the civic body has taken up work orders worth Rs. 2,700 crore for concretisation of roads.

The bench accepted the report and posted the petition for further hearing in June.

The Bombay High Court has asked Maharashtra Government to constitute a Special Investigative Team (SIT) to probe the murder of Navi Mumbai builder Sunil Loharia, observing that it was a serious crime.

A bench headed by Justice P V Hardas ordered SIT to probe the murder while admitting a PIL which alleged improper investigations by police.

The SIT would be headed by an officer not less than the rank of an Assistant Commissioner of Police who will be assisted by the investigating officer in this case; the bench ruled and said that the SIT probe would be monitored by the Joint Commissioner of Police (crime).

The SIT would submit reports periodically to the court and the first such report would be tendered on April 30, the Judges further ruled.

The PIL filed by activist Ketan Tirodkar alleged that the accused were being shielded by police and sought a CBI probe into the murder.

Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan intervened to resolve the “differences” between Congress MLAs Mohammed Arif Naseem Khan and Kripashankar Singh and party’s nominee from Mumbai North Central Priya Dutt.

Chavan presided over a joint meeting and reportedly hammered out a “much-needed truce” between Dutt and the two MLAs who are reportedly sulking for being “sidelined” by the sitting MP during her campaign.

City unit Congress president Janardan Chandurkar told that everyone present at the meeting resolved to work for the party and to ensure victory of the party candidate.

Sources close to Naseem Khan, who is also textile minister in the state government, said the issues have been resolved in presence of the chief minister.

Both Singh and Khan have been maintaining distance from Dutt’s campaigning from the North Central, considered as the safest seat for Congress, adding to worries of the party leadership.

Dutt, who is seeking a fresh term, is facing BJP leader (late) Pramod Mahajan’s daughter Poonam and state unit SP chief Abu Asim Azmi’s son Farhan Azmi.

Singh and Khan are legislators from Chandivali and Kalina Assembly seats, respectively, which are among six assembly segments that constitute the North Central constituency.

According to sources, apart from Khan and Singh, Dutt and other MLAs, corporators and office-bearers from the constituency also attended the meeting held at a suburban hotel this morning.

Among those present were legislator Baba Siddique, Chandurkar, Health Minister Suresh Shetty.

According to sources, Khan and Singh did not join Dutt when she filed her nominations papers on April 1.

Both leaders were also conspicuous by their absence as Dutt has hit the campaign trail through padyatras and street corner meetings.

Congress is banking on five lakh-strong North Indian and Muslim vote which is likely to get divided between Poonam and Farhan.

Chavan had even called Farhan’s Abu Asim Azmi asking him to withdraw his son from the race.

Dentist couple Nupur and Rajesh Talwar, serving life sentence for murdering their teenage daughter Aarushi, on Thursday refuted claims of the Censor Board that the soon to be released film ‘Rahasya’ has no similarity to her murder and sought stay on its release till their appeal is heard and decided by the Allahabad High Court.

The Talwars had approached the Bombay High Court against release of the movie, directed by Manish Gupta and produced by UVI Films Production Ltd, on the ground that the film is based on “distorted facts surrounding the gruesome death” of their daughter Aarushi.

After the Censor Board filed an affidavit stating that there are no similarities between the movie and the murder incident, the couple sought the producer and director to arrange for a family member to see the movie. The movie was screened last month for a family member.

Talwars’ advocate Anushak Davar today told a division bench of Justices V M Kanade and A K Menon that there are glaring similarities between the movie’s story and the Aarushi case.

“The censor board has only spoken about the dissimilarities between the two. But there are over 100 similarities which they have not bothered to put on affidavit. Except for a few scenes in the end of the movie the story is the same as the murder incident of Aarushi,” Davar said.

He sought a stay on the release of the movie pending hearing of the Talwars’ appeal before the Allahabad High Court. “The appeal and their bail plea is posted for hearing on April 17. We are not seeking complete ban on the movie’s release but only till the appeal is heard and decided,” Davar said.

The bench has now posted the petition for hearing on April 17.