*New Delhi*: In a sudden move, Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb Jung resigned today, ending a nearly three-and-half- year-long eventful tenure, mostly marked by bitter confrontation with AAP government on a range of issues that virtually brought governance to a halt on many occasions.
Without citing reasons for the decision, 65-year-old Jung, who had taken charge in July 2013, thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his help and cooperation and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for his "association".
In a brief statement, Jung's office said he has submitted his resignation to the Government of India and that he would be returning back to academics, "his first love".
Sources close to him told PTI that his resignation has nothing to do with his acrimonious relationship with the AAP government and he was contemplating to quit for last few months.
"His decision to quit was not at all related to his relationship with the AAP government. It was purely a personal decision which he was mulling over for quite some time," they said.
Reacting to Jung's resignation, Kejriwal said the decision surprised him. "Sh Jung's resignation is a surprise to me. My best wishes in all his future endeavours," he tweeted.
While BJP was guarded in its reaction, Congress said the Centre must explain why Jung was "unceremoniously removed and whether it was done to bring someone to the top administrative post who is ideologically close to the RSS."
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said despite several "bitter-sweet experiences, I can say that we have worked very well for Delhi with Jung. Good wishes for his future."
A 1973-batch IAS officer, Jung had assumed charge as 19th Lt Governor of Delhi on July 9, 2013, five months before the Delhi Assembly elections.
The then Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had played a role in appointing Jung, who was serving as Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia University, to the top post in the city administration. He had run the city for nearly one year after the AAP government had quit on February 14, 2014 after a short stint of 49 days.
In the statement, his office also said "Jung also thanks the people of Delhi for all their support and affection, especially during the one year of President's Rule in Delhi, when he got unstinted support from them and which in turn helped run the administration in Delhi smoothly and effortlessly."
Normally governors are appointed for a five-year term but there is no fixed tenure for the Lt Governors. Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi said he came to know about Jung's resignation from the media.
"The LG met me day before yesterday but he did not give any indication of submitting his resignation. Another meeting of mine with the LG is scheduled for tomorrow...I have come to know about his resignation only from the media," he said.
Born on January 18, 1951 Jung has done his post graduation in History from Delhi University and later did MA in Social Policy and Planning from London School of Economics, UK. He had joined Indian Administrative Services (IAS) in 1973 and served in Madhya Pradesh government and at several key positions, including as joint secretary in the ministry of petroleum and natural gas, in the central government.
A literary enthusiast, Jung had also worked with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies of Oxford University on Energy related issues.
BJP leader RPN Singh said, "He did a good job and was performing on ground. He must have thought of something." Delhi Congress Chief Ajay Maken alleged that Jung was unceremoniously removed and demanded that the Centre make public reasons behind the decision.
"Was he removed to bring someone who is close to RSS? Was it done considering the upcoming municipal polls? Jung is an able administrator," he said.
Congress leader P C Chacko said BJP's attitude towards Governors and LGs may be the reason behind Jung's decision. "BJP never takes independent stand as per as the offices of Governors and LGs are concerned. BJP wants the Governors and LGs to act as per their political thinking. This is putting many Governors and LGs in difficulties. May be this is behind the resignation," he said.
The AAP alleged Jung worked under the "influence" of Modi dispensation and questioned whether the power tussle between the Centre and Delhi government will continue even after the appointment of a new LG.
"Modi government promotes its people. We hope he gets a better posting after this. I am unhappy that his tenure was disgraceful. Now that he has gone, good luck to him.
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Cash worth Rs 28 lakh in new Rs 2,000 denomination notes, was seized from a Dubai-bound passenger at the city international airport on Thursday, an official said.
The passenger, identified as Ashraf Veetil (30), was about to board a Jet Airways flight to Dubai this afternoon when he was found carrying the notes in his bag.
"When his bags were checked, Veetil was found carrying Rs 2,000 notes worth Rs 28 lakh," an official of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport said.
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*Panaji*: The proposed four laning of highway connecting Goa and Mumbai will have around 1,300 roadside amenities including helipads and outlets selling local produce, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said today. The Minister for Road Transport and Highways laid the foundation stone for four/six laning of National Highway 4A and National Highway 17 in Goa.
"While constructing the road with international standard, we have tried to ensure that it is accident-free. We have also decided to construct roadside amenities on this (Mumbai-Goa) highway," said Gadkari.
"These amenities can be created considering the tourism potential. Hotels, restaurants and outlets selling local produce can be promoted as a part of these amenities.
The local food can be made available along the road," he added.
According to the Minister, there will also be a provision for helipads so that if there is any accident, the helicopter can be moved in swiftly.
"We have planned 1,300 roadside amenities along the entire (Mumbai-Goa) highway," said Gadkari. He also said the highway connecting Goa to Mumbai is one of the most important road in the country. "This road is significant for the development of in Konkan and Goa area. But the only negative side of this highway is that it has highest number of accidents in the country killing several people," the Minister added.
"To make this road accident free and to reduce the distance between Goa and Mumbai, we have decided to construct four lane concrete road," he said adding this work will be divided in four packages in Goa, while in eleven packages in Maharashtra.
"Today we are laying foundation stone for the two packages in Goa of which tendering would be done shortly. At the same time, there are two more packages covering South Goa, which are pending, the tender of which would be out by 2-3 months," he said.
Gadkari further said the Centre would be spending Rs 5,000 crore on all the four packages in Goa.
"Similarly in Maharashtra there are eleven packages of which the work on seven packages is going on, the tender for two more packages would be released in a month and rest two by another three months.
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*Panaji*: Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said the government is contemplating the possibility of developing a coastal highway connecting Goa to Mumbai on the lines of one on the Las Vegas-St Francisco Pacific Coast.
"I have been to the USA recently. I had an opportunity to travel on the St Francisco-Las Vegas road Pacific Coast highway. I travelled for almost 12 hours by road," Gadkari said after laying the foundation stone for 4/6 laning of NH 4-A and 17 in the coastal state today.
Gadkari said during his visit to the Pacific Coast highway, the concept of developing Goa-Mumbai coastal highway on similar lines struck his mind.
"I thought that we could similarly develop a Mumbai-Goa coastal highway for tourism purpose. An international agency has been assigned work of preparing a detailed project report on Mumbai-Goa coastal highway," the minister said. Gadkari said the coastal highway requires construction of 22 fly-overs.
"During my tenure as PWD minister in Maharashtra government, I completed 18 flyovers. We have to construct four more fly overs. One of the important bridges has to be constructed connecting Revas to Alibag which will be a sea link costing Rs 500-600 crore. The work on coastal highway will begin from next year,' the minister said.
Gadkari said during his visit to the USA, he saw a road which between a bridge and the sea which houses hotels and restaurants. "We want to develop Mumbai-Goa coastal highway on similar lines," he commented.
Talking about Goa, Gadkari said in 2014, only 260 kms of national highway existed in Goa. "I am happy to inform you that during our tenure we constructed new national highways of 330 kms for which Rs 3,500 crore was spent," he added. The minister said the new bridge over Zuari bridge would be a world attraction which is being constructed at the cost Rs 2,500 crore.
There will be towers at the both the sides of the bridge and there will be a road via river to reach to these towers. 'All the works which are taken up in Goa would be completed by 2018,' he added.
Meanwhile, Gadkari, who is also the Shipping Minister, claimed that the logistic cost to ferry goods in India can be brought down from 18 to 12 per cent with the usage of waterways.
"There are so many containers that travel by road. We want to shift them on the waterways so as to reduce accidents on the roads. I appeal the business community in Goa to use the waterways to transport your goods. That will save you much expenditure," said the Minister.
He said in China, 47 per cent of the goods and passenger traffic is through waterways.
"Similarly in Japan and Korea it is 44 per cent, in European countries 40 per cent but in India it is mere 5-6 per cent. It is cheaper to send the goods from Mumbai to London compared to sending it to Delhi from Mumbai. Our logistic cost is 18 per cent. We need to reduce the logistic cost," Gadkari added.
"We have 7,500 km long shore line and 111 rivers covering 20,000 kms. We want to use this waterways. We have already started working on river Ganga," Gadkari informed. He said similar to that of airport and bus stations, the Centre wants to have water ports.
"We are planning to construct 2,000 water ports across the country. If we reduce the logistic cost from 18 per cent to 12 per cent we will be able to reduce the expense by maximum," he said.
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The 37th station -- Ram Mandir -- on Western Railway (WR) will be inaugurated by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu this evening. Its first train, running from Churchgate to towards Borivli, arrived at 6 pm, while another bound for Churchgate pulled up at 6.10 pm.
The station has four platforms, two each for slow trains and the yet-to-be-ready Harbour line section. Senior WR officials said the two slow line platforms will accommodate 476 services every day. WR operates 1,323 train services in a day on both fast and slow lines.
“The trains will make a halt of 15-30 seconds, depending on the time of the day. During peak hours, the halt will be longer,” said a WR official.
Ravindra Bhakar, chief public relations officer, WR, said, “Semi-fast and fast trains on Churchgate-Andheri and Churchgate-Borivali will not halt there.”
The station’s naming has been embroiled in controversy. The saffron brigade pushed for its naming after a popular temple in the locality, breaking away from the tradition of christening stations after the areas they were in.
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*BMC changed the alignment after heritage committee shot it down fearing seaside spots like Marine Drive promenade may be ruined*
The ambitious coastal road is likely to break the bank even before it begins. The project’s estimate has shot up by Rs 4,904 from Rs 11,000. Civic officials are now blaming this cost escalation for the delay in beginning work.
Owing to the change in alignment of the coastal road — after the heritage committee shot down the plan in September on grounds that it could destroy iconic seaside spots — and the subsequent delay, the civic body has drawn up a fresh estimate of Rs 15,094 crore for the project.
mid-day had in September reported that the civic body planned to shift the Marine Drive promenade into the sea, with the coastal road beginning at the stretch close to the Princess Street flyover. We also reported a month later that BMC had buckled and rejigged the plan to leave the Queen’s Necklace untouched. It decided to construct a cantilever next to the flyover and into the sea.
*Deadline missed*
The project has been split into two phases — from the Princess Street flyover to the Worli-end of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link (9.98 km), and the Bandra-Kandivli stretch — to ease construction.
The project estimate alone isn’t to blame for the delay in beginning work; BMC also missed the October deadline to get necessary environmental clearances. It has now set a fresh deadline of October 2017 to begin work on the 29.20 km coastal road.
*mid-day’s October 10 report on the BMC rejigging its plan*
*Pending approvals*
Dr Sanjay Mukherjee, additional municipal commissioner (projects), said, “As of now, our priority is to begin work on the first phase of the project. We have got NOCs from eight agencies. Permissions from a few more agencies like the Coastal Regulation Zone clearance from the ministry of environment and forests are pending. We hope to get them soon.”
Asked about the delay and the cost escalation, he said, “After a peer review of the detailed project report, we have made certain changes in alignment and accordingly, the estimate has changed. Once we start work, the cost may go down.”
Senior civic officials said the first phase of the project is likely to cost Rs 5,303 crore and the second on 19.22 km Rs 9,791 crore.
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Talk about mixed signals. The Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) has said categorically that the Thane-Diva fifth and sixth lines will not be ready before December 2017, but MP Rajan Vichare has claimed that by March next year, they’ll be good to go.
On December 18, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu had announced extension of Thane station, but there is still no clarity on the fate of the two additional lines needed for it. The MRVC, the implementing agency for the project, has been working on the two lines for the last seven years under the R5,300-crore Mumbai Urban Transport Project-2.
*Persisting issues: MRVC*
“There are a few issues with these two lines. There is a need for cut and connect of rail tracks. So, we don’t expect it to be ready before December 2017,” said Prabhat Sahai, chairman and managing director, MRVC.
Railway tracks need a ‘cut and connect’ when the alignment and need to be joined abruptly. This occurs when there are illegal structures along the proposed lines that need to be removed. This process of land acquisition is delaying the project.
*Most work over: MP*
MP Vichare, however, was optimistic that the Thane-Diva lines will be ready soon. “We expect them to be ready by March 2017 as most of the work is over. Tenders will be called for the new Thane terminus by January,” he said. This terminus is expected to come on land owned by the Thane Mental Hospital.
The fifth and sixth lines are for long-distance trains and will be segregated from the suburban train section. Currently, long-distance trains beginning at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus go on two separate lines all the way till Thane and then merge with the fast line at Kalyan, causing a bottleneck ahead. Trains starting at CST go on the fast line till Kalyan, affecting local trains.
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In some good news for motorists travelling between Andheri and Ghatkopar via the Andheri-Ghatkopar Link Road (AGLR), the MMRDA has decided to speed-up work of constructing a bridge on the stretch, which will ease bottlenecks in the area.
The bridge will connect the Jagruti Nagar Metro station with LBS Marg.
The stretch has been closed for traffic since 2013, forcing motorists to ply on a dangerous accident-prone slope on Link Road.
The shutting down of the road has also led to huge traffic jams between Ghatkopar and Jagruti Nagar during peak hours.
Vishal Shah, a resident of the area, said, “The construction of the Metro has been a boon for residents, but the ones who travel via the AGLR have to face a lot of problems because of the relentless traffic jams.”
At present, traffic from Jagruti Nagar Metro Station up to LBS Road has to go via the other side of the road, which only has three lanes and a slope. Owing to the slope, several cases of road accidents have also been reported in the area.
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A fire broke out on the ground floor of a building in Pydhonie just before midnight where four people trapped in the higher floors had to be rescued. There were no casualties.
The fire broke out in a shop on the ground floor of Zuber Mansion in Pydhonie’s Doodh Bazaar lane. The flames soon started spreading up the two-storey building, where people stay. A total of four fire engines were sent to the spot to tackle the fire, which was doused within an hour.
According to locals, the shop on the ground floor where the fire started was an imitation jewellery shop containing artificial hair, necklaces and earrings, among others.*The two-storey building at Pydhonie that was burnt in the blaze around midnight. Pics/Sameer Markande*
“We are still investigating the cause of the fire,” said assistant divisional fire officer AV Bangar. “Once the flames reached the higher floors, people there were trapped inside their houses. We rescued four people — three women and a man — from inside the building.”
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An argument on a Facebook post took an ugly turn when Shreyas Chaurasia (25), Padma Vibhushan flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia’s grandson, allegedly sent sexually abusive messages to a woman on December 19. “The victim has shown us screenshots where the accused used abusive language with her. Also, after checking his Facebook profile, we found that he had put a picture with Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia; so, we have a feeling that it’s him (the accused). But investigations are on. We will soon take action,” said a police officer.
On December 19, the conversation started on a post that said ‘Saudi Arabia holding a women’s rights conference, without a single women attendee’ posted by one Indrajeet Keer, who is Shreyas's friend and the victim’s ex-colleague’s friend.
She commented on the post, mentioning a similar situation, saying, ‘It’s just like the day when muslims protested against triple talaaq, saying women are against it, but the march didn’t have a single woman, they were all men, ha ha ha’ (sic). Disagreeing with her, Shreyas said she was spreading hatred; slowly, the argument escalated and Shreyas started sending the victim personal messages.
*Raising a voice*
“I don’t know this guy, we are not even friends, he is a friend’s friend’s friend, because of which the post appeared on my wall. In the personal chats, he not only threatened me of abduction through his political connections, but also said that I’m a girl and should know my limits and ‘aukaad’,” said the victim.
“Till when will girls sit and be victims of cyber bullying? Every time a girl raises her voice, a man’s ego gets bruised. I’m not a celebrity or struggling actress/model, I’m a working professional. I don’t need cheap publicity, but I’m raising my voice only so that other girls are motivated to come out with their abuse. I didn’t use any kind of threat, I just said don’t talk to me, to which he is talking about rape, abduction and sending goons to my house who can ‘calm me down’ from my ‘garmi’ among several other abusive messages. It’s time we stop taking all this lightly.”
*A string of abuses*
Shreyas, who is in Kenya at the moment, told mid-day, “I had no business with her, but her anti-Muslim behaviour and wrong comments and judgments on things pissed me off. I had dropped her a decent message saying she should accept, but she started abusing me first. I wrote things to her which I shouldn’t have, but it was to pull her down.”
The victim said that though Shreyas started by saying that he has nothing against her, in the personal chat, he got angry when she asked him to ‘F***k off’.
“After the argument, he sent a personal message saying I’m spreading hatred. He was not even in the conversation on the post. He came in between and started — why should I not voice my opinion? Everyone else is, why should only I lower my voice? There are several other men, who aren’t,” she added.
“I agree with my mistake, I was too harsh, but I didn’t mean it,” said Shreyas.
Shreyas’s sister Shruti Chaurasia Nag, a doctor, said, “My brother has done something very wrong, I accept it, but at the same time, he is also somebody who respects women a lot. It’s all in the heat of the moment, and frustration talking.”
“It was a casual post regarding Muslims that I had shared. Because it was a public post, a lot of people commented. It was a healthy debate but soon turned aggressive, so I asked everyone to calm down and I deleted all the negative comments. Regarding Shreyas’s abuses, I think all that just came out in anger. He is not the kind of guy who would fight unnecessarily. I spoke to him, he apologised and is regretting his words,” said Keer.
*Family tree*
Shreyas is the son of Vinay Chaurasia, Pandit Chaurasia’s son from his first wife Kamla Devi. Reports say that the celebrated flautist is now married to Anuradha ‘Angurbala’ Roy.
An FIR under sections 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 506 (criminal intimidation) was registered on Tuesday at JB Nagar police station.*The messages*
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Police seized 8.86 kilograms of depleted uranium worth around Rs 24 crore and detained two persons in the adjoining Thane district.
The depleted uranium was brought from abroad and was to be sold in India, police said.
Anti-chain snatching squad of Thane Crime Branch laid a trap near a hotel on Ghodbundar Road on receiving specific information that two persons were coming there to sell the radioactive element.
Police detained two people moving with a blue hand bag which contained two blocks of the sensitive material wrapped in velvet cloth. The bag also had a laboratory report which indicated the said metal was uranium, they said.
The metal is banned for sale in the open market as it is used in the atomic energy plants.
"We have detained two persons with the metal. As its sale is banned in the open market, we can't ascertain its value. But, it may be worth around Rs 24 crore," police officials said.
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*Varanasi:* A day after Rahul Gandhi hurled corruption allegations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday made fun of him, asking where was the "earthquake" the Congress leader had threatened.
"There is a youth leader in the Congress who has just learnt to speak. I am glad that he (Gandhi) has started to speak now.
"In 2009, it was very difficult to find out what was inside this packet. Good he has started speaking. And there was no possibility of any earthquake.
"Had he not spoken, the county would have faced a big earthquake. And the country could not have recovered for 10 years," Modi said sarcastically at an event at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in Varanasi, his Lok Sabha constituency.
Gandhi had threatened to make damning disclosures against Modi. On Wednesday, he said in Gujarat that Income Tax documents showed Modi had taken kickbacks from corporate houses when he was the Chief Minister.
Modi is on a day-long trip to Varanasi where he is to lay foundation stones of several projects and address Bharatiya Janata Party activists.
Modi did not spare former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram either. Like Gandhi, both have denounced the demonetisation of high value currency.
Modi said he never thought that a few political leaders and political parties would stand with the corrupt when the government tried to clean up black money through the note ban.
About Manmohan Singh, Modi said: "When I spoke about cashless economy, he said how can this technology function where 50 per cent people are poor.
"Now, tell me whether he is giving his own report card or mine? Whose legacy am I bearing now?"
In similar vein, Modi attacked Chidambaram: "He said in a country where there is no electricity in 50 per cent of the villages, how can you implement cashless economy.
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*New Delhi:* Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached his parliamentary constituency Varanasi on Thursday morning where he will lay the foundation stones of various projects.
In the wake of allegations levelled by Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, all eyes will be on Modi as how he responds to the charges.
During his visit, the Prime Minister will inaugurate several projects and will also address the party workers.
"Will inaugurate a Trade Facilitation Centre and Crafts Museum and launch schemes and programmes of Ministry of Textiles during the Varanasi visit," Modi tweeted.
"There will also be an interaction with booth level BJP Karyakartas (workers) working in the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat," PM said in another tweet.
Modi will also lay the foundation stone for Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya Cancer Hospital and a Centenary Super Specialty Hospital at the Banaras Hindu University campus.
"Foundation stone for a ESI super speciality hospital will also be laid. All these development works will greatly benefit the people of Varanasi," Modi said in another tweet.
Earleir on Wednesday, Gandhi while addressing a rally in Mehsana in Gujarat had alleged that Modi took huge bribes from two corporate houses when he was the Chief Minister of the state. He demanded an independent probe into the matter.
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*New Delhi:* The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday said that it arrested hawala trader Paras Mal Lodha here for converting over Rs 25 crore in old notes linked to businessman J. Shekhar Reddy and lawyer Rohit Tandon into new currency.
The Kolkata-based businessman was arrested on Wednesday night after hours of questioning by the ED officials.
"We had called Lodha on Wednesday for questioning him over the conversion of more than Rs 25 crores of old notes to new currency in Shekhar Reddy and Rohit Tandon cases. He was arrested late Wednesday night," an ED official said.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday arrested former Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams (TTD) Board Member and industrialist J. Sekhar Reddy and two others from Chennai for money laundering.
The Income Tax (IT) department recently seized 177 kg of gold and cash totalling Rs 96 crore in old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes and Rs 34 crore in new currency from Reddy and two others.
Reddy, a contractor, had reportedly executed a lot of work for the Tamil Nadu government.
In connection with the case, IT officials raided at 12 locations on Wednesday and ended it on Thursday at the house of Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary P. Rama Mohana Rao. The raids began on Wednesday morning and continued all night with the recovery of cash in new currency.
Rao's office in the state secretariat and other places connected to him, his son and others were raided.
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As much as 40% of Mumbai may be under water in the next 100 years if sea levels continue to rise, a study on Mumbai’s susceptibility to climate change concluded.
According to a report in *Hindustan Times*, the findings from the unpublished research paper were discussed during the National Symposium on Tropical Meteorology; Climate Change and Coastal Vulnerability (Tropmet 2016) held in Odisha recently.
“As the population is increasing exponentially and the city is expanding fast, it is necessary to understand if our surroundings are safe,” R Mani Murali, a scientist from National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) was quoted as saying by *Hindustan Times*. Murali has co-authored the paper along with Riyas MJ, Reshma KN and Santhosh Kumar.
“Going by previous studies by NIO researchers, we considered a 3mm rise (annually) in sea levels along Mumbai’s coast. That, coupled with factors such as natural calamities and tidal changes, will result in an approximate increase of 3m,” Murali was further quoted as saying by *HT*.
The study is being reviewed by the scientific community and will be published soon. The area of study included the western coast from Colaba in the south till Mira Bhayander and along the Thane creek on the eastern coast of the city, the *HT* report informed.
“While a major part of the south Mumbai coastline has been protected using measures such as building walls and placing boulders, low lying creek areas are vulnerable as some are at the sea level (Gorai) while others are a mere 1.5m to 3m above sea level such as Mira Bhayander and areas around Andheri, Versova at Mumbai suburbs,” Murali further told *Hindustan Times*.
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*Lucknow:* The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to spent Rs 15 crore to beautify the Jawaharbagh Park in Mathura, where 28 persons, including two police officers, were killed in a gun battle in June.
An official said that the Akhilesh Yadav government decided to revamp the park on the lines of the famous Ram Manohar Lohia Park here.
"To erase bad memories, officials have prepared a road map that includes massive plantation, a nursery, indoor sporting activities, recreation facilities and a kids park," the official told IANS.
Members of the Swadhin Bharat Vidhik Viacharik Satyagrah Sanstha led by Ram Briksha Yadav, a self-styled godman, owing allegiance to the Jai Gurudev sect, had encroached upon the park illegally for nearly two years.
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The government's recent demonetisation drive, which encourages Mumbaikars to go cashless has adversely affected the city's 'Kaali-Peelis'. According to a report by *The Times of India*, black-and-yellow taxi and auto rickshaw drivers are finding it extremely difficult to adapt to the cashless method.
While electronic methods of payment are slowly gaining ground with many vegetable vendors, pani puriwalas, the traffic police and even cobblers utilising it, taxi and auto rickshaw drivers aren't joining the bandwagon entirely as of yet.
Since the demonetisation drive began, taxi and auto rickshaw drivers in Mumbai faced an immediate cash crunch as citizens were opting for app-based cab aggregators, where payment could be made through the e-wallet system. This resulted in a 60 per cent loss in business for them.
Furthermore, auto and taxi unions are finding it difficult to educate the entire population of drivers to use these new methods. Also, most auto, taxi drivers explain that they find the new system to be a hassle, because even if they managed to adopt the new cashless system, they would not be getting a lump sum at the end of the day as the money would be transferred into their account and most find the banking process like withdrawing money to be tedious.
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*New Delhi:* Tata Steel today said its independent director Nusli Wadia has been removed from the company's board, with 90.8 per cent of shareholders present at yesterday's EGM voting in favour of his ouster.
In a regulatory filing, the company said out of its total shares of 97.12 crore, 62.54 crore votes were polled, which translate into 64.4 per cent.
"Total vote in favour of the resolution was 56.79 crore, i.e. 90.80 per cent, and total vote against the motion was 5.75 crore, i.e. 9.20 per cent," it said.
"The motion (was) carried in favour of the resolution with overwhelming majority way beyond a special resolution hurdle of 75 per cent, even though this motion was an ordinary resolution requiring simple majority," the company added.
The promoter and promoter firms held 30.45 crore shares in the company, of which 29.59 crore voted.
It further said the total number of votes polled by non-promoter shareholders was 32.95 crore, of which 27.20 crore, that is 82.5 per cent, was in favour of the resolution.
The total number of votes polled against the proposal was 5.75 crore, accounting for 17.5 per cent of non-promoters.
The company claimed that even if the promoter votes were excluded, the voting result showed an overwhelming majority (3/4th) in favour of the resolution. Institutional investors held a total of 42.64 crore shares out of which 31.99 crore, which is 75 per cent, were polled. As much as 26.39 crore of institutional shares, which is 82.5 per cent, voted in favour of Wadia's removal, Tata Steel said. The share of institutional shares which polled against the resolution was 5.60 crore, that is 17.5 per cent.
As for retail shareholders, the company said that out of a total of 24.02 crore shares, 96.14 lakh voted, with 81.21 lakh (84.4 per cent) in favour and 15 lakh (15.6 per cent) against.
"Both institutional and retail voted on a similar pattern with significant majority well beyond the 3/4th majority mark in all categories," the company said.
Wadia had stayed away from yesterday's EGM, saying it was stage-managed.
Last week, he filed a Rs 3,000-crore defamation suit against Ratan Tata, Tata Sons and some of its directors.
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Bad news! BMC will cut water supply in A, B, E, F/north and F/south wards on December 23. According to a report by *DNA*, the civic body plans to install two major pipelines at Sion and Matunga, which will cause water cuts in Central and South Mumbai.
Apart from citizens, several private and public hospitals including, Sion Hospital, K.E.M. Hospital, M G M Hospital, Tata Hospital, Wadia Hospital, T. B. Hospital, J. J. Hospital, St. Georges Hospital, will face water cuts. Also, CST railway station won't be getting water supply for 12 hours, between 10 am to 10 pm.
BMC officials have requested citizens to store water ahead of time. The water department has laid 900 mm diameter new pipeline near Sion Hospital. This will be connected to a 1800 mm diameter main pipeline near Aurora Theatre, Matunga.
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*A fashion ace from Sania Mirza*
Social media is a dynamic space, constantly evolving to meet millennial needs, or creating them in the first place.
One such player in the field can rightly be called the Instagram of fashionistas, where those interested can post pictures of themselves sporting latest trends in fashion, and pick up a few tips themselves.
The newest entrant to the network is tennis player Sania Mirza, who posted a picture of herself in designer wear for a recent event in Mumbai. Looks like, sister Anam’s fashion leanings are rubbing off on to Sania too.
*A sound resting place**Pic/Nimesh Dave*
Dancers get some shut-eye during a break at the shoot of a song in choreographer-filmmaker Ganesh Acharya’s new film in Goregaon yesterday.
*All roads lead to the RBI*
Amidst GIFs of a panda munching on popcorn while waiting for a new monetary announcement and a cartoon depicting the tiger on the Reserve Bank seal turning into a chameleon, the RBI declared its 60th regulation regarding demonetisation yesterday.*Vishal Dadlani and Nikhil Chinapa*
The announcement was a roll back of its 59th regulation that required bank officials to question any person depositing more than `5000 in old currency notes. Confused? Don’t bother. Sit back and enjoy these Twitter reactions.
While Nikhil Chinapa likened the chaos to an exciting new episode of a Saas-bahu saga, Vishal Dadlani had this to say: “Simon, go back! No, no, come back! Wait…just kidding, go back! No, no, come back, but only on Thurs, & on one leg." Then there were those who had interesting ideas for renaming the RBI.
“Reverse Bank of India,” said Prashant Bhushan, while Rajdeep Sardesai preferred to call it the Rollback Bank. Comedians had their share of reactions, too, and Sahil Shah called the situation a giant game of truth or dare. And how could Raghuram Rajan not be missed? “Now we know why Raghuram Rajan mattered. And why he was removed!” is how Yogendra Yadav summed it up. Well, we see a silver lining here — baby Taimur has been cut some much-needed slack finally.
*Christmas with a twist*
This Christmas, if you’re keen to try food prepared by the hands that have trained with celebrated chefs like Gordon Ramsay and Christian Faure, drop in at Sanjana Patel’s La Folie lab over the weekend.*Lotus Stem Greens Salad*
Patel has roped in Le Cordon Bleu-trained patissier Neha Lakhani (where she was mentored by Faure, the chef to obtain the prestigious title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France) and chef Ashay Dhopatkar, who has worked at Ramsay’s Savoy Grill, to curate a two-day limited-edition menu.*Chefs Neha Lakhani and Ashay Dhopatkar*
It includes Dhopatkar’s Twisted Eggs Benedict, Lakhani’s Dark Chocolate Granola and savouries like Turkey Roulade with Pomme Mousseline (braised red cabbage with brussel sprouts) and Paprika Prawns with Saffron Rouille.
*Kashmir connect at the turf*
Christmas Day racing at Mahalaxmi is all set to get a bit of a twist. On Sunday, the family of the late ruler of Jammu & Kashmir, Maharaja Hari Singh, will not only come down all the way from Kashmir, but will also be sponsoring a race in his memory at the race course.
MK Ajatshatru Singh, grandson of the late Maharaja, and son of noted Congress parliamentarian, Dr Karan Singh, his wife Kunwari Ritu Singh and their two children will be the guests of the Royal Western India Turf Club and for the trophy presentation.
Maharaja Hari Singh was passionate about horses and at one time also bred horses near Pune till he passed away in 1961. He won several big races and encouraged racehorse breeding in India. Though this race is being run since 1953, it is for the first time the family is supporting it.
*Nilekani is on Gates’ list*
In his 20s and early 30s Bill Gates was ‘fanatical’ about software, which, in his dictionary, means he was so focussed on putting a computer on every desk and in every home that he gave up a normal existence. Now, as Gates recently wrote in his blog, much of his work involves learning from other fanatics.*Billl Gates and Nandan Nilekani*
Looking back at 2016, Gates has picked his five favourite fanatics of the year, and Nandan Nilekani is one of them. Calling him “one of India’s best-known entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and thinkers,” Gates wrote about how Nilekani impressed him 20 years ago when he was busy with Infosys and how he amazes him with his entrepreneurial spirit now dedicated to public service.
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As the case of 5-year-old Manavi Ingle’s fall from the 15th floor gets more curious, KEM Hospital with Byculla police on Wednesday carried out a drill to reconstruct the events of the fateful day. To that end, forensic experts threw 3 dummy dolls — of the exact weight and height as Manavi’s — to draw some primary conclusions. And analysis has reportedly revealed that the murderer must have thrown Manavi with “all their strength”. Meanwhile, even as the cops have finished grilling the two suspect women, they have questioned their family members too.
*Also Read: Mumbai: Mystery shrouds death of 5-year-old who fell from 15th floor*
*The experiment*
The forensic team from KEM Hospital, under Professor Dr Rajesh Dere’s supervision, carried out the reconstruction in the presence of DCP (Zone 3) Pravin Padwal and a team of Byculla police. The tests began at 2 pm and went on till 4.30 pm, which was also videographed and photographed. The basic premise was simple: Three dummies, made from cotton and cloth pieces and bamboo sticks, and of Manavi’s exact build, were flung under different situations and results observed.
*Breakdown of result*
The first dummy was flung on the assumption of an accidental fall. However, it just dashed against the walls of the building and didn’t stick a landing at all. “If it was an accidental fall, it wouldn’t have landed on parked vehicles,” said a member of the forensic team. The second doll was pushed with moderate strength and that came all the way down, but still hit a few walls of the building. Only the third dummy, which was thrown with strength, landed only 3 feet away from the spot where Manavi had been found. “Primary observation indicates that the girl had been thrown with strength as she was found 12 feet away from the building in the parking area. Today’s reconstruction of events also concluded the same thing. However, we still need some time to evaluate the tests,” added the forensic officer.
*Read Story: Mumbai: 5-year-old's post mortem reveals bruises as cops question two neighbours*
*Cops say*
Meanwhile, on day 3, questioning of suspects was still underway. After questioning two suspected women, the cops started grilling their family members too. Sources said that families, which had ongoing disputes with the Ingle family, was brought face-to-face with them and questioned. DCP Pravin Padwal told mid-day, “We are still investigating as interrogation of suspects is going on and we haven’t reached any conclusion as of now.” Crime branch unit 3 is also carrying out a parallel investigation.
*Flashback*
5-year-old Manavi Ingle was thrown by unknown persons from the 15th floor of her 22-storey highrise on Monday afternoon and died before she could be taken to KEM Hospital. A detailed post-mortem was later carried out by KEM Hospital, which revealed that she had fractured her skull and leg, and had some bruises on her body. Doctors have also taken vaginal swabs to check if there was sexual assault.
Reported by Mid-Day 7 hours ago.