A man was killed and three others were injured after the parapet fell on a passing auto and a car

Mumbai: The police chargesheet filed over the Feb 14 fatal parapet slab crash at an under-construction Metro-4 site in Mulund said a welder’s warning before the tragedy was ignored. The welder had warned that the parapet should not be detached before being permanently secured but it was carried out to avoid delaying a related work being handled by another contractor, it said.A man was killed and three others were injured after the parapet fell on a passing auto and a car.According to the chargesheet, the collapse was a result of a series of failures in planning, supervision and safety management, rather than a design or material defect. It said the contractor carried out hazardous work above one of the busiest arterial roads in the city without informing police, traffic police, BMC or any other authorities. No traffic diversion, barricading or creation of an exclusion zone was undertaken beneath the worksite despite the risk of concrete falling onto vehicles and pedestrians below, it said.The investigation showed that locals had repeatedly complained about inadequate safety precautions at the construction site before the accident. During interrogation, the welder told police that he had warned his supervisors against removing the turnbuckles supporting the parapet before it was permanently secured. He said he was instructed to complete the work quickly as another contractor was scheduled to begin work at the site.Seven officials and employees of the contractor and consultant firms have been named in the chargesheet filed by Mulund police—welder Ramashish Ramnagina Yadav, Milan Road Buildtech’s project director Harish Tej Singh Chauhan, project manager Kuldeep Jaywant Sankpal, project engineer Saurabh Satyaprakash Singh, supervisor Prashant Haribhau Bhoir, DB Hill-LBG senior engineer Saisuresh Kumar Rama Rao Tutta, and project manager Avadhut Balram Inamdar. They have been booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, causing grievous hurt and common intention under BNS.Police have relied on an inquiry report submitted by MMRDA after the accident. According to the report, the collapse was not caused by any design defect, construction material failure or structural deficiency. Instead, it concluded that the parapet fell after its temporary supports were removed without adequate supervision. The inquiry attributed the incident to non-compliance by the contractor and inadequate supervision by the general consultant. It recommended replacing the entire supervisory team responsible for the project package and strengthening safety protocols, including stricter monitoring of temporary supports and work over public roads, to prevent similar incidents.

Navi Mumbai: The Ransai Dam in Uran, operated by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), began overflowing, and the water cut for Uran township residents was withdrawn with immediate effect.The dam catered around 35 million litres per day (MLD) of water to Uran town, ONGC, defence facilities, JNPT, Nhava Sheva, and 22 gram panchayats in Uran taluka, and it resumed regular water distribution after the overflow.MIDC implemented thrice-weekly water restrictions on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday since the advent of summer due to reduced levels. The dam achieved its complete storage capacity of 10 million cubic metres (MCM) following substantial rainfall in the last six days, bringing relief to residents who endured scarcity for several months.The water level reached 10.018 MLD, necessitating the opening of dam gates. Following consistent rainfall in the catchment area over the past one week, MIDC cancelled the water cuts, although the routine Friday maintenance shutdown remained in effect.The catchment area recorded over 800 mm of rainfall to date, with overflow occurring much later compared to last year’s June 20 occurrence. MIDC authorities confirmed sufficient water reserves for continuous supply henceforth.During the summer shortage, MIDC supplemented with 5 MLD from Cidco and implemented bi-weekly and later thrice a week restrictions. The water level exceeded the dam’s 116-feet overflow mark due to sustained rainfall.“This year, the dam overflowed much later than usual time due to delayed monsoon, as heavy rain was witnessed for the last few days. It’s a positive sign for good storage for the entire season to bolster consistent supply. We have restored the full supply now,” said an official.“We are happy that the water supply has been restored now with the first rain of the season which brought great relief,” said Haresh Gharat, a Uran resident.

Charity hospitals across Maharashtra are required to implement public dashboards within a month (AI-generated image used for representational purposes)

MUMBAI: Charity hospitals across Maharashtra have been given one month to install public dashboards displaying information on free treatment and reserved beds, as the state government signalled a tougher enforcement regime against institutions accused of failing to meet obligations attached to the public concessions they receive.The warning came in the legislative council on Tuesday after members raised concerns that several hospitals were denying benefits meant for economically weaker patients despite enjoying statutory exemptions and incentives.Minister Shambhuraj Desai said district authorities would begin special inspections from August and hospitals found violating the rules would face action.The inspections, to be led by additional district collectors, will examine whether hospitals have installed the mandatory dashboards, are reserving beds for eligible patients, have implemented government-funded health schemes and are complying with other conditions prescribed under the charity hospital framework.Desai acknowledged that compliance remained uneven, telling the House that enforcement had often been delayed because hospitals obtained interim relief from courts after action was initiated against them.He said all eligible charity hospitals would be required to implement government health insurance schemes, including the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, and warned that complaints of overcharging would also be pursued.The government, he said, was prepared to appoint special government counsels in cases requiring stronger legal intervention.Minister of state Madhuri Misal said the dashboard requirement would be monitored through the government’s appointed Arogya Doots, who would track whether hospitals were displaying information on free treatment and complying with the rules.The debate also focused on Global Hospital in Parel, with MLC Anil Parab alleging that the hospital had failed to provide a single bed to government-referred patients over the past 15 years despite receiving additional Floor Space Index (FSI) benefits during its development.Under Maharashtra’s charity hospital rules, institutions that avail themselves of specified government concessions are required to reserve 15% of their beds for poor patients.Misal said proceedings against the hospital were currently before the court, with the next hearing scheduled for 21 July. Notices proposing cancellation of its nursing registration and occupancy certificate had been issued, but further action was stayed by the court.The government would decide on initiating the process to withdraw the additional FSI granted to the hospital after the court proceedings and consultations with the concerned departments.

opposition legislators claimed forged identity documents had been used to create bogus beneficiaries, including profiles in the names of chief minister (L) and deputy chief minister (R).

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government on Tuesday ordered a closer examination of alleged irregularities in the implementation of the Ramai Awas Yojana in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar after opposition legislators claimed forged identity documents had been used to create bogus beneficiaries, including profiles in the names of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde.Raising the issue in the legislative council, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve alleged that fabricated caste certificates, ration cards and municipal tax records had been prepared to enrol ineligible applicants under the housing scheme, which is intended to provide financial assistance for permanent homes to Scheduled Caste and Neo-Buddhist families.Danve claimed that forged records were created in the name of “Devendra Gangadharrao Fadnavis”, showing him as a resident of Rahul Nagar in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.According to the allegation, fake ration cards, caste certificates and property tax records were generated, with one record even showing municipal tax dues of Rs 185.He also alleged that fabricated documents had been prepared in the name of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The purported ration card, Danve said, included the names of Shinde’s wife, son and MP Shrikant Shinde, daughter-in-law and grandson. He further claimed that a forged caste certificate had also been created in Shinde’s name.The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader alleged that the irregularities extended beyond forged documents, claiming that the son of a BJP corporator figured among the beneficiaries despite allegedly operating 33 bank accounts.He also accused officials of the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation and the project management consultant associated with the scheme of being involved in the alleged fraud.Responding in the House, social justice minister Sanjay Shirsat described the allegations as serious and said no money had been disbursed under the disputed applications.Shirsat said the Ramai Awas Yojana is funded by the social justice department to support the construction of permanent houses for eligible Scheduled Caste and Neo-Buddhist families in municipal corporation and zilla parishad areas.He told the council that applications received by the then Aurangabad Municipal Corporation between 2010-11 and 2022-23 had ultimately been rejected because no houses were constructed under those proposals.Fresh applications were invited in May this year, drawing 8,442 submissions.During physical verification, however, only 2,913 applicants appeared before officials. Subsequent scrutiny found that several applications had been filed using documents linked to people from other states, Shirsat said.After verification, only 221 applicants out of a final pool of 330 were found eligible for assistance under the scheme, he added.