Maharashtra Governor Is Front-Runner To Be Vice-President
The Bharatiya Janata Party is in all likelihood set to pick Maharashtra governor C Vidyasagar Rao as the vice-presidential candidate of the National Democratic Alliance. While the coalition will not release the name today for tactical reasons, this paper has learnt from politicians clued up on the selection that it is going to read C Vidyasagar Rao, the governor of Maharashtra.
Sources from the party said the choice dovetails with the BJP's ambition to entrench itself in the South, what with BJP president Amit Shah aiming to capture power in Telangana. Rao, who belongs to the upper-caste Vellama community, hails from the country's 29th state, carved three years ago after the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.
(Source: Mumbai Mirror)
Chintan Upadhyay Wants to Gift CM a Painting
Jail authorities in the Thane prison are in a fix over a special request. Chintan Upadhyay, a prisoner, has sought permission to meet the chief minister to gift him a painting. Prison officials say such a request has never been made before. Upadhyay, a noted painter, sculptor and installation artist, is in jail in connection with the murder of his wife Hema and her lawyer. He has been painting in the prison to overcome depression.
(Source: Indian Express)
State Approves 150 Pc Pay Hike For Corporators
The government on Saturday approved a 150 per cent hike in pay for elected representatives in municipal corporations in the state.
The revision, which comes after a gap of nine years, will see monthly honorariums given to corporators in Mumbai and other A plus category municipal corporations rise from Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000.
For those falling under A class, like Thane municipal corporation, the figure has been set at Rs 20,000. The revised amount is Rs 15,000 for B-class corporations and Rs 10,000 for those elected to C and D class municipal bodies.
(Source: Mumbai Mirror)
Did Indrani Mukerjea Use Kids Of Other Inmates As Human Shields?
The Maharashtra Commission for Protection of Child rights (MCPCR) visited the Byculla jail yesterday to probe the allegation of children of inmates being used as human shields during the riot that broke out there last month.
Sheena Bora murder accused Indrani Mukerjea allegedly used kids of other inmates as human shields when jail officials had lathi-charged the prisoners. Investigating the charges, the commission officials found out that there are 285 female inmates and 17 kids in the 0-6-year age group. In the hour-long visit, they also spoke to the prisoners about their views on safety in the jail and made inquiries on whether the children and any women were harmed during the riot.
The officials checked where the kids are kept in the jail — with their mothers or in a separate area. They also suggested that a separate cell be made for the young ones, so that such incidents don't affect them mentally and turn them violent.
(Source: Mid-Day)
Farmers Protest Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway: Accused Of Flipflop, Sena Chief Pacifies Upset Farmers
Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray was forced to clarify the party's stand on the Mumbai-Nagpur super highway after farmers' groups accused the party of double-crossing them and taking away fertile land for the project. This comes after the first sale of land for the project by farmers in Hingana, near Nagpur on Thursday.
Thackeray said on Saturday that taking away fertile land for the construction of the highway was unfair to the farmers. "We are not against development but at the same time, there can't be development at the cost of farmers. The government must not take way fertile lands and must find an alternate route for the highway. Even those farmers who have come forward to give their land must be adequately compensated. The Shiv Sena is firmly behind farmers," he said.
While Uddhav had opposed the highway initially, Sena minister and MSRDC minister Eknath Shinde had witnessed the first sale of land on Thursday. Shinde's support for the project, which is Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's pet project, was seen as a step back for the Sena.
(Source: Mumbai Mirror)
Watch Royal Opera House's First Full-Length All-Indian Opera This Month
Excitement and nervousness mingle in equal parts on the stage of Charni Road's Royal Opera House. A sound check is in progress for Il Matrimonio Segreto, with the cast trying out their arias while director Rehaan Engineer looks on. There is some concern from the cast and Engineer on whether the acoustics of the recently-restored opera house will cooperate — a full house, the hum of the AC units, the modest orchestra pit — all have to be taken into account to make sure that the lilting voices are not drowned out. We don't think of logistics enough when we think of opera though. And, why should we? For, as the hall fills up with the voices of the sopranos and the baritones, we are effortlessly transported to a time gone by. A scene from Pretty Woman — Vivian tearing up over La Traviata — flashes briefly before our eyes.
This month-end will be a momentous one for Royal Opera House owned by the royal family of Gondal. Il Matrimonio Segreto will be the first full-length opera to be performed at the venue since it closed down to the public in 1993. Of course, opera was long-forgotten here — at India's only opera theatre — as celluloid claimed its followers. Adding to this occasion is the choice of the opera itself. Il Matrimonio Segreto, or The Secret Marriage, has been a popular piece right since it was first-performed in 1792 at the Imperial Hofburg Theatre in Vienna. With music by Domenico Cimarosa and a libretto by Giovanni Bertati, Il Matrimonio Segreto rivalled with Mozart's pieces successfully across theatres in Europe. And, lastly, the upcoming performance has a an all-Indian cast.
(Source: Mid-Day)
Man ‘Stabs Girl To Death’, Held
The police Saturday arrested Akash Pandey (26), who allegedly stabbed a girl in Bhandup on June 27 and later tried to kill himself. According to the police, Pandey was upset that the girl was refusing his proposals of marriage.
Pandey, employed with a private firm, had come to the gilr’s Bhandup residence on June 27.
When she did not agree to marry him, he attacked her with a kitchen knife and later tried to commit suicide by stabbing himself, said the police. While the girl later succumbed to the injuries, Pandey survived.
After the police got the go-ahead from hospital that he had recuperated, Pandey was placed under arrest Saturday.
(Source: Indian Express)
Family Plants 5,500 Saplings In Mumbai’S Aarey In 17 Years, Creates Flutter With Butterfly Garden
For more than 17 years, a family of five from Goregaon (East) has been planting saplings across Aarey Milk Colony during the monsoon and caring for them till they become full-grown trees.
They have so far planted 5,500 saplings. Last year, they started a butterfly garden near Aarey dairy, and it is already buzzing with 15-20 species of butterflies. There are 86 species in Aarey, according to researchers.
Sandeep Athalye, 37, his wife Vardayeeni, their four-year-old son Malhar and mother Aarti have been carrying the baton passed onto them by his father Vinay, who passed away in 2015. “It all started with my father in 2000. He began planting trees with support from a club of walkers. People joined the group and helped him. My father would tell me that nature has its startling beauty and presents us with many gifts. It is our duty to return the favour,” said Sandeep. The senior Athalye first planted 100 sapling at unit 16 in Aarey. They were protected by the walkers’ club. Over the next 15 years, he planted more than 3,500 saplings at Panchavati, New Zealand hostel, VIP guest house, Gaondevi Road and MHADA Road.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
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