Mumbai: The Maharashtra govt has decided to allow the introduction of new social work courses and additional batches in colleges from the academic year 2027-28, ending a long-standing policy restricting the expansion of social work education in the state. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.Under the new policy, existing traditional colleges will be permitted to start a separate faculty of social work, while existing social work colleges can introduce new courses or additional batches on a permanent unaided basis. The move is expected to increase the number of seats available for social work education from the next academic year.Department of Social Justice and Special Assistance had earlier restricted the establishment of new social work colleges, citing the rise in the number of institutions and limited employment opportunities for graduates. The subject was transferred to the higher education department in Feb 2024. The govt said there is a growing need for trained social workers to support SC/ST, women, children, persons with disabilities and other disadvantaged sections of society. The shortage of trained professionals was attributed, among other things, to restrictions on opening new colleges and adding batches in existing institutions.There are currently 69 recognised social work colleges in Maharashtra.

Mumbai: BMC on Tuesday said it will now issue newly registered birth, death and marriage certificates within three working days, while applications for corrections to birth and death certificates will be processed in 25 working days at its civic facilitation centres (CFCs).The new system will also allow parents to get their child’s name added to a birth certificate in three working days, provided the application is submitted by age 15. Corrections in marriage certificates will also be processed within three days, while those for birth and death certificates will have a stipulated processing period of 25 working days. These can be sought through CFCs. Applications for corrections should have parents’ names, permanent or temporary addresses, date of birth and gender in birth certificates, among other details. TOI had on Aug 2 highlighted the inconvenience many citizens were facing in obtaining birth certificates. BMC said applicants will be given a unique ID on their acknowledgement receipt, which can be used to track the status of their applications. Information boards detailing the application process and required documents are also being installed at CFCs. BMC has made a separate window available at CFCs for converting old birth and death certificates into QR code-enabled certificates. These will be issued after the original certificates are submitted and the relevant records are verified at the ward level. BMC said the conversion will take up to 25 working days but could take longer if old records are not available or cannot be traced in the municipal registry. The civic administration said the prescribed timeframes could be affected by factors including availability of the civil registration system portal, internet connectivity, availability of physical records, department workload, and approvals required for older certificates under the Centre’s decentralisation process. BMC said all corrections will be carried out under Section 15 of Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, the amended law of 2023 and the Maharashtra chief registrar’s circular issued on June 18 this year.

Mumbai: Bombay High Court on Tuesday questioned whether Hindu scriptures mention immersion of Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols in water.Justices Ajey Gadkari and Kamal Khata were hearing a PIL by two activists and nine clay artisans seeking implementation of the Central Pollution Control Board’s May 2020 revised guidelines that ban PoP idols and also challenging the state’s Aug 1, 2025, immersion guidelines/policy.Senior advocate S M Gorwadkar, who represents PoP artisans, had earlier suggested symbolic immersion of big idols. In his rejoinder, he said he made the suggestion in order to prevent further pollution. “Under Article 51 A (g) it is a fundamental duty. The suggestion is only a step ahead,” he added. He pointed out that a “separate small idol for immersion is already there” in the state’s immersion policy.Gorwadkar said his clients have challenged the ban on PoP idols. But with CPCB clarifying the amended guidelines are advisory, “there is nothing left for us to challenge.” Gorwadkar also said out of the total production of PoP, “idol-making is only a fraction, minuscule.” He said a policy is required to take care of PoP waste which is created through various uses including construction and for medical purposes.Advocate Uday Warunjikar for Akhil Sarvajanik Utsav Samiti Maharashtra, which represents mandals, said if symbolic visarjan of PoP idols is to be introduced, then he would have to argue further. “Dharma Shastra does not permit symbolic visarjan,” he said. The judges asked him to show one of the scriptures which says that a PoP idol has to be immersed. Warunjikar replied that 3,000 years back when the scriptures were written, PoP was not there and idols were immersed. The hearing will continue on Wednesday.

Thane: A 27-year-old railway commuter from Ambernath died after allegedly jumping from a moving local train into Mumbra Creek between Diva and Mumbra stations in the early hours of Tuesday, civic rescue officials said.The deceased, identified as a resident of Krishna Nagar, was travelling in a slow Karjat-bound local train. According to the police, preliminary inquiries revealed that when the train was crossing the railway bridge at around 2 a.m., the man suddenly moved towards the door and jumped from the coach into the creek.Fellow passengers, who were reportedly shocked by the incident, alerted the police at Diva station, following which rescue teams were called to the spot.Hemant Divate, station officer at the Mumbra fire station, said the search operation was initially suspended due to darkness and high tide. The rescue operation resumed later, and the man was found unconscious and trapped in a section of the creek, said Yasin Tadvi of the Thane Disaster Management Cell.Rescuers pulled him out and rushed him to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead.Family friends who reached the spot during the rescue operation on Tuesday morning reportedly told authorities that the man was possibly disturbed due to certain professional reasons.“We are registering an accidental death report now and are in the process of recording statements from the victim’s friends and family,” a police officer said on Tuesday evening. Police said further investigation is underway to ascertain the circumstances leading to the incident.

Thane: The Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC), on Tuesday, constituted a committee to probe allegations by the family of a minor girl that three pregnancy tests conducted at the Shastri Nagar Hospital in Dombivli without their consent tested positive, while subsequent tests outside the hospital were negative, thereby pushing them and their daughter to immense trauma.The girl was admitted to the hospital last month after being diagnosed with low haemoglobin. According to her family, doctors conducted a random urine pregnancy test without informing them. The test reportedly returned positive. When the family questioned the result, a repeat test was conducted, followed by a sonography, which they claimed also indicated pregnancy.The family was shocked by the reports while the doctors who disclosed the findings in front of the girl also left her visibly distressed, alleged BJP corporator Dipesh Mhatre, who intervened in the matter.“The family decided to privately conduct two urine tests using different pregnancy kits and a blood test reportedly which tested negative, bringing relief to the family but leaving the teenager emotionally distressed, he said.“The girl has suffered considerable emotional distress. How can such a sensitive test be conducted on a minor without informing her parents and the results announced in front of her? There must be a thorough inquiry into the tests, reports, doctors involved and also to verify if the protocol while dealing with minors was followed or not,” Mhatre said.Chief Medical Officer Dr Deepa Shukla said the KDMC Commissioner Abhinav Goel has ordered an inquiry committee.

Mumbai: Minister Ashish Shelar’s assertion that a land’s original reservation cannot be altered to only suit a particular use appears to be at odds with BMC’s actions. Proposals for changes in land use have been made for multiple sites in the city and a 1,005sm plot housing the now defunct century-old Alexandra Theatre in Byculla and a 3,439sqm plot in Versova meant for a fire station and a civic post are set to be the latest casualties.BMC will move a proposal on Wednesday before its improvements committee seeking to remove the Byculla plot’s cinema/entertainment reservation and rezone it for residential use. Opposing the plan, the Kamathipura development committee on Tuesday urged BMC to retain the existing reservation and protect one of the few remaining recreational amenities in the locality. In a letter to BMC chief Ashwini Bhide, the committee said the state govt, through Mhada, is undertaking a group redevelopment project spread across around 34 acres in Kamathipura. It said the redevelopment will substantially alter the neighbourhood and have a significant impact on available recreational and public amenities. It said it is, therefore, important to preserve land reserved for such amenities. The committee urged the civic administration not to alter the reservation “under any circumstances”. According to BMC’s proposal, the theatre has been closed since 2007 and owing to the current condition of the premises and changing trends in the entertainment sector, running it is no longer economically viable. Besides, it said, the building is in a very dilapidated condition. The proposal said an application seeking cancellation of the cinema reservation and inclusion of the plot for residential use was submitted by Sameer Qazi of the state waqf board to deputy CM Eknath Shinde on Feb 25. The state urban development department subsequently sought BMC’s opinion on the proposed change. The plot’s occupant, Rafiq Patel, also submitted an application to the civic development planning department. Following scrutiny and verification by the civic departments concerned, a proposal to delete the cinema reservation is now being placed before the improvements committee. Approval of the civic House of corporators will also be required for the change.

A government press release stated the interest rate will be 1% higher than the interest rate at which the Reserve Bank of India provides loans to commercial banks.

Mumbai: In a major decision, the state cabinet on Tuesday approved a proposal to pay an additional 1% interest if there is a delay in payment of compensation for land acquired by the government.A government press release stated the interest rate will be 1% higher than the interest rate at which the Reserve Bank of India provides loans to commercial banks.An official said often considering the urgency of a project, it becomes necessary to take advance possession of land being acquired for various development projects and schemes. Since the land is handed over to the government before the award is decided under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (LARR) Act-2013, interest is paid to the affected person on the compensation amount for the period payment has been delayed. “Since there is a difference between this interest rate and the prevailing interest rate on bank loans, the state cabinet approved an amendment to Section 72 of the LARR Act, 2013. Accordingly, interest will now be paid at a rate 1% higher than the rate at which the RBI lends to commercial banks,” the official said.The state government is in the process of acquiring land for Mumbai 3.0 to be spread over 323.44 sq km across 124 villages in Uran, Panvel and Pen tehsils. The government is also preparing to acquire around 15,000 hectares for the Eastern Vidarbha Industrial Corridor. It is also acquiring land for the Vasai-Virar multimodal corridor, Vadhvan Port, Shaktipeeth Expressway and other infrastructure projects.Often the delay in awarding compensation is because of bureaucratic red tape, lack of coordination between the local revenue department and other departments as also delay in allocation of funds for land acquisition, said officials.