1. 91% ‘Bad Patches’ Fixed in 50 Days, Claims BMC
While potholes still remain an eyesore in the city, the BMC claims to have fixed over 91 percent of “bad patches” on roads following complaints.
In a brief report placed before the Bombay High Court on Tuesday, the chief civic engineer (roads and traffic) said that from June 10-July 30, the department received 1,642 complaints of “bad patches” online, of which 1,497 have been addressed.
A division bench of Justices Abhay Oka and Riyaz Chagla directed the BMC as well as the state governmen t to submit within two weeks a detailed compliance report of various directions issued by the court on the issue of potholes. The court was hearing a PIL initiated by the HC itself, based on a representation sent to the then chief justice by a sitting judge of the Bombay HC in 2013.
Source: Mumbai Mirror
2. Maharashtra Govt Takes Steps for Better Implementation of Welfare Schemes for Maratha Community
The Maharashtra government’s various welfare schemes to help the economically backward within the Maratha community to pursue higher education and entrepreneurship may have received good response in 2017-18. But there are concerns over implementation. Officials claimed the government was taking corrective measures.
According to government data, students eligible for 50 per cent fee concession to pursue 605 professional courses were 2,53,899. In 2017-18, the benefit was given to 2,05,064 students. Against the sanctioned Rs 645.53 crore, expenditure was Rs 493.92 crore. The scheme is called Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Shikshan Shulk Sishyavrutti. To ensure more students get the benefit, the government has enhanced the allocation to Rs 985 crore for 2018-19.
Source: The Indian Express
3. Brouhaha Over Loss of Jogeshwari Plot: Congress Cries Land Scam, Seeks Criminal Action Against BMC Chief
Days after the BMC lost a court case over a 13,000-sq mt plot in Jogeshwari, the Congress on Wednesday alleged a land scam and demanded that Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta be booked for it. The party also sought an investigation into the “mysterious” death of a BMC worker associated with the case.
A delegation of Congress corporators, led by city Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam, met Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 1) Abhishek Trimukhe to submit a complaint against Mehta. They insisted that the names of Mehta and other civic officials should be included in the FIR that was lodged after the civic chief’s remarks on a file pertaining to the Jogeshwari land was allegedly tampered with.
Source: Mumbai Mirror
4. 15 Years After Parliament Sting, Shotgun Lookalike Still in Firing Line
In 2003, a Shatrughan Sinhalookalike imitated the actor and long-time MP’s famous mannerisms and laugh to gain entry to the Parliament complex, embarrassing Delhi’s security establishment. Fifteen years after the stunt, for a newschannel sting on safety gaps, the Shotgun double, Balbir Singh Rajput, broke down as he spoke of the court case he still faces and the toll it has exacted.
Rajput, 84, who lives in Bhandup, regrets playing the starring role in the sting, whose TV crew, including a news anchor, reportedly got off the hook a year after the August 2003 broadcast.
Source: Mumbai Mirror
5. 600 in Malwani Can’t Get Rid of Their Itch
Mohammad Bashir Sheikh is at his wits’ end. The 35-year-old’s family of six has been repeatedly plagued by fungal infections over the last six months despite treatment.
“One by one, my wife, our four children and I ended up with skin infections on different parts of the body. We are tired of popping pills. The infection is staying on stubbornly. We have already spent over Rs 50,000 in treatments, but have not yet got any relief,” says the resident of MHB Colony in Malwani, Malad.
Source: Mumbai Mirror
6. Fed Up, Vasai Residents Repair 1.8 Km Of Potholed Roads
The potholes in Naigaon East were so bad that residents couldn't even walk properly, let alone drive their vehicles. For a month, they complained and followed up with the civic authorities, to no avail. Fed up, the locals decided to just do the job themselves. Remarkably, it took them all of 24 hours and Rs 40,000 to do what the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation could not do in four weeks.
Interestingly, the roads at Pareira Nagar and Citizen Colony had been repaired less than a month ago, after extensive damage caused by thundershowers and flooding between July 9 and 12. But a few more bouts of rain were all it took for the potholes to reappear. The stretch in front of Don Bosco school was the worst, said resident Amar Gupte, adding, "Traffic had slowed down terribly. We wrote several complaints to the VVMC, but no action was taken."
Source: Mid-day
7. Safety Takes a Back Seat: Only 1% Pillion Riders Wear Helmets in Mumbai
Only 20,000 or 1% of the total 20 lakh pillion riders in Mumbai wear helmets, according to a study by Johns Hopkins University and IIT-Bombay under the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety.
The traffic police have attributed the dismal figure to staff crunch and lack of awareness among people.
After a Bombay high court order in 2016, the transport department made it mandatory for not only bikers but also pillion riders to wear helmets under section 129 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. But the traffic police have started penalising pillion riders because of staff crunch.
Source: Hindustan Times
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