The move to change Bandra’s Neville D’Souza Football Ground’s reservation from a playground to a convention and exhibition centre has triggered an uproar

Mumbai: A proposal to change the reservation of Neville D’Souza Football Ground at Bandra Reclamation from a playground to a convention and exhibition centre triggered a political row ahead of its scheduled discussion in the BMC House next week. Opposition parties accused the governing dispensation of encroaching upon Mumbai’s shrinking open spaces and said they will strongly oppose the administration’s move.Congress MLA Amin Patel said the administration’s proposal undermines the need to preserve open spaces in a city already grappling with a severe shortage of playgrounds and recreational spaces. “Converting such spaces for built infrastructure, even if for public purposes, goes against the larger objective of preserving the city’s green and recreational areas.”

The 3-month deadline ended on July 30

Mumbai: Bombay HC recently frowned at the state govt after noticing that only nine grievance redressal committees for hawkers were set up within the three-month deadline set by the urban development department (UDD) for civic bodies, which ended on July 30.“We did not ask the state govt to do some favour,” said Justices Bharati Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande on July 27, adding that Street Vendors Act contemplates the constitution of grievance committees.HC was hearing petitions by hawkers from Navi Mumbai. The UDD on April 28 issued a GR directing municipal commissioners/collectors to constitute such committees within three months. As a chart showed only nine committees were constituted, the judges said the figure “reflects as to how seriously the officers” take the UDD’s directions. They were “surprised” that the state is finding it difficult to appoint members when the rules prescribed qualifications for members. Granting 30 more days, they left it to the UDD to take “appropriate steps against those who failed to ensure compliance of the directives”.

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has designated 23 additional special fast-track courts across Maharashtra to ensure speedy trials in examination paper leak and related malpractice cases. Among the newly designated courts is one in Bhiwandi, where the Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) paper leak case surfaced last month.The move follows the High Court’s earlier decision to designate two such courts in Nagpur and Aurangabad. The 2024 legislation mandates that trials under the Act be completed within three months, aiming to ensure swift prosecution and stricter action against those involved in examination malpractices across the state.According to a notification issued by the High Court, the special courts will exclusively hear cases registered under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and the Maharashtra Prevention of Malpractices at University, Board and Other Specified Examinations Act, 1982.

Newly appointed ward committee chairpersons at the Thane Municipal Corporation after Tuesday’s election process

Thane: Nearly six months after the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) elections, the chairpersons to its nine ward committees were appointed on Tuesday, ending a prolonged delay that had apparently impacted administrative decision-making at the micro level.Eight of the nine ward committee chairperson posts were filled unopposed. The dominance of DY CM Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena was highlighted as party corporators secured seven chairmanships—Ekta Bhoir (Wagle Estate), Nirmala Kanse (Lokmanya Savarkarnagar), Minal Sankhe (Naupada-Kopri), Jayshree David (Vartaknagar), Siddharth Ovalekar (Majiwada-Manpada), Vijaya Lase (Kalwa) and Deepak Jadhav (Diva)—while its state Mahayuti alliance partner BJP was restricted to Uthalsar where corporator Narayan Pawar was elected unopposed.The only contest was in Mumbra, where the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction)’s Dipali Bhagat defeated AIMIM’s Ansari Nafis Ahmed Mohammad Anis, securing 10 of the 14 votes cast.Meanwhile, the appointments come amid speculation within Thane political circles that the Sena, which enjoys a majority in the House, deliberately delayed the process to deny ally BJP a share of key posts. The elections, originally scheduled for March, were then deferred citing oncoming festival season.“Ward committees play a critical role in overseeing local administration, civic works and area-specific development. The delay in their constitution is likely to have impacted several ward-level decisions for last several months. The delay can probably also be due to the ongoing power-sharing tussle between the partners in the district especially Navi Mumbai where the Sena has got an apparent raw deal,” observers said.

Mumbai: The Election Commission of India has asked for details from the NCP regarding amendments made to the party constitution by its national president, deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar.This comes less than a month after the party’s former national secretary Sachidanand Singh had sent her a legal notice questioning the validity of her election as national NCP chief and demanding a re-election.The ECI letter refers to Pawar’s communications on March 10 and April 7. In these letters, she had asked for communication made on behalf of the party between January 28 and the current date and the ECI to be treated as null and void. One of the provisions during this period stated that in the event of the party president’s resignation, removal or death, the working president could automatically exercise their powers. The ECI appears to have sought documents to support a change in this provision.Also, in her letter to the ECI, Pawar had omitted referring to the designations of senior party politician Praful Patel as national working president and Sunil Tatkare as state president.There is growing discontent within the party leadership after the death of former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar. A section of the party is uncomfortable with the manner in which the organisation is being run, with Parth Pawar exerting control on party affairs.

TISS had cancelled the convocation two days before the scheduled ceremony on Aug 2

Mumbai: After cancelling its convocation just two days before the scheduled ceremony last weekend, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) now plans to hold it on Aug 22. It also asked students to submit their reimbursement claims for travel between July 31 and Aug 3.While CJI Surya Kant was to be the chief guest for the Aug 2 ceremony, the rescheduled event’s chief guest has not yet been finalised. “The institute is awaiting confirmation from the prospective chief guest. The final decision is expected in the next few days,” said a TISS official.The official said a date was finalised to ease graduating students’ anxiety.In an email, TISS directed the administrative secretariat to collect all original bills, receipts, tickets and boarding passes for reimbursement claims and submit them by Aug 10. “For air/train travel, original tickets and boarding passes (both sides) must be submitted. In case of cancellation, the original cancelled tickets must be submitted too,” it said. A no-dues certificate clearance and a covering note indicating the student’s name must be part of the documents submitted.While students were unsure whether the benefit will be extended to all, the administration clarified that every genuine claim will be reimbursed. Another official said TISS has already extended all relief possible to the students. “For students and parents using the guesthouse, costs were waived. Provisional degree certificates have been made available to those who need it.”TISS had attributed the cancellation to “unforeseen circumstances”, but some students had claimed that it was probably concerned over protest fears linked to Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). Hundreds of students who had travelled to Mumbai or were on their way to the city with their parents and relatives were upset about the financial losses they had incurred on travel and accommodation in Mumbai owing to the abrupt cancellation.

Mumbai: The 17-year-old boy accused of fatally ramming his SUV into a scooter in Ghatkopar, killing a man and seriously injuring his wife, has gone missing days after a sessions court directed the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) to secure his custody.Police sources said a team went to the boy’s residence to serve the JJB’s notice, but he was not found at home. The notice was subsequently served on his father, who has been asked to surrender the boy before the Dongri reformative centre.The sessions court had last week cancelled the bail granted to the juvenile in the Ghatkopar hit-and-run case after the victim’s wife challenged his release, nearly a month after the accident. The court directed the JJB in Dongri to secure the juvenile’s presence and pass appropriate orders for sending him to a child reformative centre, subject to conditions deemed necessary for his welfare and in the interest of justice.The accident occurred on Feb 5, near Somaiya College in Vidyavihar when the minor, the son of a businessman, was allegedly driving an SUV that collided with a scooter. The scooter rider, Dhrumil Patel, died in the crash, while his wife, Meenal, suffered grievous injuries.On March 7, the JJB granted bail to the minor. The deceased’s wife subsequently approached the sessions court in April, challenging the JJB’s decision.