1. Exclusive Hostels For Maratha Students
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a slew of sops for the Maratha community, including educational concessions that are currently given to OBCs. A delegation of 40 people met him at the Vidhan Bhawan. Congress leader Narayan Rane, BJP’s associate member and Rajya Sabha member Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje, NCP leaders Ajit Pawar, Shashikant Shinde and Sunil Tatkare were present.
The chief minister said the Annasaheb Patil Development Corporation of Maharashtra would provide skill development training to three lakh Maratha students, and the government will also offer some relief on the interest on educational loan up to Rs 10 lakh. “The government will provide Rs 5 crore for every district to construct a hostel for Maratha students. It will be operated by NGOs,” Fadnavis said.
(Source: Mumbai Mirror)
2. Ola Driver Held For Lewd Gestures At Up Woman
The Shivaji Park police arrested a 40-year-old Ola driver for allegedly making lewd gestures at a 31-year old woman who had booked his cab to go for an interview in Lower Parel. In her complaint, the woman, who hails from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, has claimed that the driver, identified as Arun Tiwari, even started masturbating while she was seated in the passenger seat next to him on Tuesday afternoon. He was picked up by the police later in the evening and charged under IPC section 354 (A) (sexual harassment) after she approached them.
Police sources said the woman, who was put up at Marol, had booked the cab under the ride sharing option to reach the interview venue at Lower Parel around 1pm. The victim chose the empty passenger seat in front since there was already a woman occupying the backseat. While things were fine at first, the driver started trying to strike up a conversation after they dropped off her fellow passenger at Prabhadevi.
(Source: Mumbai Mirror)
3. Met Predicts Low Rainfall For A Week
Mumbaikars have only intermittent rainfall to look forward to over the next few days. After heavy rains lashed the city in July, the monsoon took a backseat recently.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted similarly less rainfall across the Konkan region for the next week at least.
Mumbai received better-than-average rainfall in the June and early July. Mumbaikars had to deal with waterlogging, falling trees and short circuits, all associated with the onset of the monsoons. But the black clouds slowly disappeared, and Mumbaikars have been complaining of the excess heat and humidity over the last week.
Source: Mumbai Mirror
4. Volunteers Of A Clean-up Team In Vasai Find Oil Patches Across Local Beaches
Four injured Olive Ridley turtles and a dead Green sea turtle were washed ashore on the west coast of Mumbai in June. Over half a dozen similar incidents were reported in July. Now, volunteers of a group, which has been working tirelessly every weekend to clean the Vasai beaches, have found traces of oil in several parts of the coastline, which points at a probable oil spill.
The weekly Clean Vasai beaches initiative, modeled on a similar activity at Versova beach, has over 50 volunteers collecting and segregating garbage strewn across the coastline. A brainchild of Hungarian environmentalist Zsuzsanna Ferrao and her husband, Lisbon Ferrao, the campaign began in April. According to members of this group, the beaches at Bhuigain and Rangaon are two of their primary focus areas as these spots attract a lot of tourists.
(Source: Mid-day)
5. Court Acquits Builder In Late Actor’s Property Dispute Case
Seven years after veteran Bollywood actress Sadhana Nayyar accused builder Yusuf Lakdawala and his wife of threatening to kill her, a magistrate court has acquitted the builder due to inconsistencies in the witnesses’ statements.
Metropolitan Magistrate from Bandra, Vishwas Mane, acquitted the Lakdawalas of charges of house trespass, insult and criminal intimidation by observing that Sadhana’s statement in court was not consistent with her statement to the police and that there was a delay of three days in registering the FIR.
Soure: Mumbai Mirror
6. Malad School Peon Held For Raping 4-year-old Girl
A peon from a Malad school has been arrested for sexually assaulting a four-year-old girl. The incident came to light on Tuesday, when angry parents from the school and locals gathered at the school after learning of his arrest, to protest the school's inaction over the incident. The Dindoshi police arrested the accused on August 6, a day after the child's mother filed an FIR.
Medical report awaited
Rajaram Vhanmane, senior police inspector of the Dindoshi police station told mid-day, "We registered the FIR on Saturday and the accused was arrested on Sunday. He has been booked under Section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code and sections 6 and 8 of the POCSO Act. The accused has been remanded in police custody till August 11. Further investigation will continue after the report of the child's medical examination comes in."
(Source: Mid-day)
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