Residents of Pali Village are voicing their apprehensions over the construction of a sports facility on a cherished open playground (Representative image generated using AI)

MUMBAI: Even as Bandraites have been demonstrating against the proposed conversion of Neville D’Souza sports ground at Reclamation into a convention centre, a similar fear has gripped residents of Pali Village in the same suburb.Citizens have questioned ongoing construction work on a large plot owned by the Collectorate, which has been an open playground since decades.A private NGO is building a sports facility on the site.As per documents available in the Suburban Collector’s office, the Collectorate has allocated a sum of Rs 6 crore for the construction of a “welfare centre and healthcare utility” under the Annual District Development Plan.The work is being undertaken by an NGO named I Love Mumbai Foundation (unrelated to Nana Chudasama’s NGO bearing a similar name).Shiv Sena politician Rahool Kanal, who is president of this foundation as well as the Pickleball Association of Maharashtra, said he is building a multi-sport cricket turf and pickleball court on this ground.“It will be open for local players. The land ownership will remain with the state. There is no change of user or ownership. There will be no construction beyond permissible limits. We will levy a nominal fee of Rs 10 or so just to cover maintenance costs, like public toilets charge,” he said.City and Suburban Collectors are empowered to distribute funds for projects under the Annual District Development Plan, including those recommended by MLAs and MPs.Rahool Kanal had made a representation to local MLA Ashish Shelar requesting allocation of funds for welfare activity through this plan, which was forwarded to the Suburban Collectorate and approved.The work order issued by Mhada wrongly designates Rahool Kanal as corporator.However Bandra activists resent the move. They say in the 1950s, this ground was leased to St Anthony High School, which closed in 2011 but had remained open to all.In 2012, local activists Colman Pereira and Daphne Warapen were among four people who had campaigned against alleged encroachment of this plot, CTS F-513A and B, by a private club.“It was an open playground where local boys played since the 1950s. We won appeals to various authorities against this club which had built its own tennis court. We succeeded in getting the tennis court demolished,” said Pereira.Their later appeals were upheld by the then Collector, followed by the additional commissioner Konkan Division court as well as the Bombay High Court.This has made them question the legal and moral propriety of the current initiative.“How can the present Collector overturn the order of his own predecessor, and the high court, which declares the site as a free open playground for the public? It can only be done after going in appeal against the HC order,” Pereira said.“This is the place where local boys have been playing since decades. They cannot afford to spend thousands of rupees to join private clubs in Bandra.”Warapen added that the project appears massive given that its completion date is 2027.The Annual District Development Plan is a routine exercise by District Planning Committee and district Collectors.Funds are directed towards upgrading primary health centres into “smart” centres, converting civic schools into “smart schools,” and constructing public halls and social welfare centres across Mumbai.

Mumbai: On Tuesday, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar visited the protesters at Jantar Mantar in Delhi and advised the Centre to give them a hearing, in sync with the opposition front against the Modi govt on the CJP agitation. However, on Wednesday, Pawar was photographed meeting with PM Modi in Parliament, further raising speculation over whether his party was discussing its likely support for the Centre’s delimitation bill.The party’s position, as spelt out by MP Supriya Sule, who was also present at Wednesday’s meeting, is that the NCP (SP) was open to supporting the bill if it led to a 50% rise in the parliamentary seats in all states. It is possible that the Centre may introduce the bill in the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament, which has currently been overtaken by the protests. The bill had been defeated in April.After the exit of six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs in June to join the NDA, there has been rising pressure within the NCP (SP) to retain its flock. With the delimitation bill a likely trigger for another split, there has been increasing speculation about the NCP (SP) legislators supporting the bill while remaining in the party or merging with the NCP.While both the NCP and NCP (SP) have said there is no proposal regarding a merger on the cards, the BJP has made it clear that no new party from the state will be taken into the NDA. This suggests that a merger is the only option available for the NCP (SP). However, BJP sources said that if the NCP (SP) MPs support the delimitation bill, it will not even need the party to merge with the NCP.However, the NCP (SP)’s state chief Shashikant Shinde said that there was no political motive to Pawar’s meeting with Modi and he only went to present the views of the protesting students. “He had visited the protesters at Jantar Mantar and he wanted the government to have a dialogue with them. He went to convey their issues to the Prime Minister. Our stand on the delimitation bill is already clear,” Shinde said.

Cooperation minister Balasaheb Patil said that after the scheme was expanded during the recent state assembly session, the total amount for the loan waiver has gone up from Rs 36,585 crore to Rs 40,980 crore.

Mumbai: The state government announced its first list of 553 beneficiaries from the total of 56 lakh farmers earmarked for the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Shetkari Karjmukti Yojana loan waiver scheme to coincide with the 67th birth anniversary of late deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Wednesday.Cooperation minister Balasaheb Patil stated that after the scheme was expanded during the recent state assembly session, the total amount for the loan waiver has gone up from Rs 36,585 crore to Rs 40,980 crore.“The implementation of the scheme has begun. We will announce the list in phases after receiving details from the income-tax department since farmers who can pay tax are excluded from the scheme,” said Patil. The beneficiaries are from seven districts including Thane (182), Amravati (58), Latur (133), Nagpur (16) and Pune (85).The total beneficiaries earmarked for the scheme are 56 lakh. The original budget for the scheme was Rs 36, 585 crore. However, during the recent session of the state assembly, the government increased the loan limit for beneficiaries of the 2019 waiver who qualified to the current waiver, from Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh. As a result, the budget for the scheme rose by Rs 4,395 crore. Hence, the total amount for the loan waiver has gone up from Rs 36,585 crores to Rs 40,980 crores, Patil said.Each beneficiary will be given a unique number and will have to authenticate their Aadhaar number based on that number. The facility has been made available through about 32,00 Aaple Sarkar Seva Kendras in the state. However , before that, the farmers will have to register on Agristack. After the Aadhaar authentication is completed, the benefit amount will be directly deposited in the loan account of the eligible beneficiaries through DBT.The state had declared the loan waiver on June 2, and it was among the key promises on Mahayuti’s manifesto before the 2024 assembly polls. It covers short term crop loans taken between April 1, 2019, and March 31, 2025. It has three components: a debt waiver, one-time settlement and incentive benefits for those who regularly service their loans.In the recent monsoon session of the state assembly, the state cabinet had expanded the scope of the scheme. It raised the cap of Rs 50,000 for farmers who had benefited from the 2019 loan waiver to Rs 2 lakh. It also decided to permit incentive payments for farmers even if they had not repaid loans regularly in 2026-27, if they had made regular payments in two out of three previous years.

The Bombay high court held that BMC’s May 7 suspension order was passed without following mandatory procedure under Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Service Rules, 2015

Mumbai: Bombay high court has quashed and set aside BMC’s suspension of a medical officer over alleged irregularities in birth certificates, observing that he was hastily suspended.Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad, in the July 14 verdict, also stated that Dr Shailendra Gujar’s advocate Uday Warunjikar “could be well-placed in his submissions that because a former Parliamentarian proclaimed the suspension of the petitioner on May 2, the Corporation was driven to act in undue haste”. The bench was referring to former MP Kirit Somaiya.The bench held that BMC’s May 7 suspension order was passed without following mandatory procedure under Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Service Rules, 2015. They directed Dr Gujar’s reinstatement in service with full salary during the suspension period.Dr Gujar’s petition said he was posted in L ward upto April 4, 2025, and thereafter transferred to H-East ward dispensary. While Somaiya had alleged irregularities in 87,000 birth certificates, in the Jan 10 FIR by Kurla police, there were neither any allegations against him nor was he named an accused. On May 2, Somaiya wrote to Azad Maidan police mentioning that Dr Gujar has been suspended. On May 7, BMC suspended him with retrospective effect from May 4 “in the backdrop” of Somaiya’s claim.BMC’s advocate Pooja Khandeparkar said the May 7 order was issued under Rule 4 A (suspension) and that Rule 4 (B) (preliminary enquiry) was not applicable. Refusing to accept that Rule 4 (A) is a stand-alone provision, the judges said while it gives power to suspend an employee pending disciplinary proceedings, Rule 4 (B) defines the manner in which such suspension could be effected. Both rules are “binding” on the BMC.The judges said “it is apparent from the sequence of events that an undue haste has driven” the BMC to suspend Dr Gujar on May 7. Referring to Warunjikar’s submission on Somaiya, they noted that Dr Gujar was suspended after a first chargesheet and preliminary enquiry (PE) for minor punishment was dropped on March 9, and approval was given for imposing major punishment requiring a full-fledged departmental enquiry. Dr Gujar was issued a fresh chargesheet on April 28. However, the record revealed no PE was conducted. While partly allowing Dr Gujar’s petition, the judges said the BMC can commence PE, “if the new chargesheet is to be taken to a logical end.”

Unlike a conventional hearing aid, the Osia 3 system transmits sound through bone vibrations directly to the inner ear, bypassing damaged portions of the outer and middle ear.

Mumbai: Family holidays have never been a part of the Pareeks’ lives. Every year or so, plans would instead revolve around hospital admissions, surgery dates and recovery.Since he was a month old, 18-year-old Gaurav Pareek from Kalyan has undergone 10 operations to treat a series of congenital anomalies. His first surgery for a hernia was followed by repairs of a cleft lip and palate, repeated operations on both ears and years of living with hearing loss. On Sunday came a milestone — one his family hopes will change his future.Doctors at BMC-run KEM Hospital in Parel implanted an advanced bone-conduction hearing device in Gaurav’s right ear, a procedure expected to improve his hearing when it’s switched on three weeks from now.“We have never been able to take a family vacation because every 12 to 18 months, Gaurav would have another surgery scheduled,” said his mother, Anju Pareek.Despite spending much of his childhood in hospitals, Gaurav has excelled academically; he is pursuing a course in finance at a Matunga college. “He has been good at sports too, and makes friends easily,” said his mother.The implant, which costs over Rs 8 lakh for one ear, was funded through donations mobilised by KEM Hospital. His nine other operations were done at a subsidised cost at Wadia Hospital, Parel. “He is now an adult, so we came to KEM Hospital where, hopefully, the last operation to fix his chin will be taken up next,” said his mother.For KEM Hospital, Sunday’s surgery was significant not only because of the technology involved but also because it was broadcast live to ENT specialists across the country as part of a teaching programme.ENT department head Dr Hetal Marfatia said the implant is particularly beneficial for patients like Gaurav, whose congenital abnormalities affected the Eustachian tubes. Unlike a conventional hearing aid, the Osia 3 system transmits sound through bone vibrations directly to the inner ear, bypassing damaged portions of the outer and middle ear.KEM dean Dr Harish Pathak said, “It’s a matter of immense satisfaction that such cutting-edge technology is now available at KEM Hospital, making advanced hearing rehabilitation accessible within the municipal healthcare system.”

Thane: A domestic dispute over a saree allegedly ended in a murder in Badlapur East, where a 30-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly killing her husband with a pressure cooker lid before strangling him to death and attempting to pass off the crime as a heart attack.The accused, Sunita Hariram Singh, 30, was arrested after police uncovered contradictions in her statement during the investigation. The victim, Hariram Kishunji Singh, 35, died at the couple’s rented house on July 19.Police said the couple, natives of Rohtas district in Bihar, had been living in Badlapur for the past nine years with their seven-year-old son.According to investigators, the couple frequently argued over domestic issues. On the day of the incident, an argument broke out after Hariram allegedly failed to bring sarees for his wife. The verbal altercation soon escalated into a violent confrontation.During the quarrel, the couple’s seven-year-old son ran to the house owner seeking help after witnessing the fight. However, before anyone could intervene, Sunita allegedly struck her husband on the head with the lid of a pressure cooker and then strangled him, police said.To cover up the crime, she allegedly told the house owner that Hariram suffered a heart attack following the argument. Based on her claim, police initially registered an accidental death report (ADR).However, a post-mortem examination revealed multiple injuries that were inconsistent with a natural death, prompting investigators to probe further.“Initially, the accused claimed that her husband died of a heart attack after a domestic quarrel. The autopsy, however, confirmed homicidal death. We subsequently registered a murder case, and during interrogation, she confessed to the crime,” said Nitin Patil, senior police inspector of Badlapur East police station.Police have booked Sunita under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, while the couple’s seven-year-old son is currently in the care of relatives. Further investigation is underway. — Pradeep Gupta