QMumbai: Call for “Peaceful” Bandh; Fire in Mahul Oil Refinery
State employees’ protest in Maharashtra hits health, revenue services; refuse to talk with govt, and other stories.
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1. Maratha Protests: One Faction Calls for Mumbai Bandh, Some Groups Say They Are Not Part of It
Organisers of Maratha protests in Maharashtra could not reach a consensus on Wednesday over the way to take their agitation forward for reservation to the community in government jobs.
A group from the community has declared a one-day shutdown in Mumbai on August 9, after Sakal Maratha Samaj, an umbrella body of all the Maratha outfits, announced peaceful protests in the Maharashtra capital on the same day.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
2. 43 Hurt as Fire Erupts in Mahul Oil Refinery
At least 43 persons were injured in a massive fire that erupted in Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd’s (BPCL) refinery at Mahul, Chembur, on Wednesday.
The fire, which broke out around 2.45 pm, was visible several kilometres away, while the blast was heard as far as Powai and Sion. Nearly two dozen fire tenders and five jumbo tankers were rushed to the site. Fire tenders were also sent by the BMC, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers and Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited. Naval officers helped BPCL evacuate the premises.
(Source: Mumbai Mirror)
3. State Employees’ Protest in Maharashtra Hits Health, Revenue Services; Refuse to Talk With Govt
After most of the state government employees had joined the three-day strike on Tuesday, the revenue, health services in the state, especially in the rural parts, were badly affected on the first day of the stir.
Since there was no dialogue between the stirring employees and the government on the first day, the strike is expected to continue on Wednesday.
The employees’ unions have given the strike call for immediate implementation of the seventh pay commission pay hike, reintroduction of the pension scheme, extension of the retiring age to 60 years and implementation of the five-day working week.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
4. Here’s Why Sion-Panvel Highway May Be Mumbai’s Worst Road
Potholed surface and incomplete repairs have made Sion-Panvel Highway arguably the worst road in the city. And there’s no one to take responsibility for it. The contractor, Sion Panvel Tollways Pvt Ltd (SPTPL), abandoned its task of maintaining the highway from January this year after the government decided to waive toll for light vehicles and school buses. The state Public Works Department is now set to black list the contractor.
“We have called for reports and will initiate the process to blacklist the old contractor. We will recommend it to the government,” said SW Wandekar, chief engineer (Mumbai Division), PWD. With no contractor to repair the potholes for over eight months, the PWD finally appointed a new contractor to repair the highway just a few weeks ago.
(Source: Mumbai Mirror)
5. CR Commuters, Get Ready for Chaos
The railway workers’ union has written to the Central Railway administration demanding that 227 vacant posts for motormen be filled immediately, or else they will perform only “scheduled duties” from August 10. This means that from tomorrow the existing 671 CR motormen will not work to compensate for the vacant posts. According to sources in the union, this could lead to several services being cancelled.
(Source: Mumbai Mirror)
6. SIT Names 65, Including 4 BMC Engineers, in Rs 35-Cr Road Scam Case
The Mumbai Police on Wednesday filed a supplementary chargesheet in the Rs 350-crore road scamcase. The case was registered in 2016 by the BMC with the Azad Maidan police and has to do with inferior roads in the city, and external auditors allegedly being hand-in-glove with contractors to pass them.
The Special Investigating Team named 65 people, including four BMC engineers, in the supplementary chargesheet. “These people are contractors, engineers and third-party auditors. Earlier, 14 people had been arrested in the matter,” a police official said.
(Source: Mumbai Mirror)
7. Beware Bluebottle Stings, Mumbaiites Advised Against Walking Barefoot on Beach
The Maharashtra fisheries department on Monday issued an advisory alerting the people to a surge in venomous bluebottles along the Mumbai coastline. By early the next morning, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had put up banners warning people against walking barefoot along the city’s beaches.
While there is no official record to buttress their claim, lifeguards and marine experts have reported over 100 bluebottle stings on the Girgaum Chowpatty, Aksa, Juhu, and Versova beaches since last Friday.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
8. Mumbai: Cost of Civic Body's Legal Wrangles Is Over Rs 100 Crore and Counting
A whole Rs 100 crore is what the BMC needs to keep its law department running, and the civic chief is not amused. Alarmed by the amount pumped in to fight legal cases and for administrative expenses of the department, the civic body now wants to curtail expenses and cut down on cases by at least 25% by next year.
Last week, in a meeting with senior officials, Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta expressed concern over the amount the corporation has been spending for court cases and functioning of its law department, instructing Deputy Municipal Commissioner (DMC) Nidhi Choudhari to chalk out a strategy to reduce expenses and number of litigations.
(Source: Mid-Day)
9. Mumbai: 32,000 Students Without Seats to Get a Chance in Fifth Round
The fourth and final round of junior college admissions are now over, but as many as 32,001 candidates are left without a seat. Several Std XI applicants, along with their parents, protested at the office of the deputy director of education on Tuesday after the merit list was declared.
However, there is no need to panic. "We will hold a special round of admissions in order to accommodate these remaining students. Details of the special round will be declared by August 10," said Rajendra Ahire, deputy director of education, Mumbai.
(Source: Mid-Day)
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