News Analysis India

Tag: Palghar

  • Five injured in blast at firecracker factory in Maharashtra’s Palghar

    By PTI
    PALGHAR: At least five persons were injured, some of them seriously, in an explosion in a firecracker factory at Dahanu in Maharashtra’s Palghar district on Thursday morning, an official said.

    The incident took place at Dehne village around 11 am, said chief of the District Disaster Cell Vivekanand Kadam.

    The explosion was followed by a fire, he said.

    The area is over 125 km away from Mumbai.

    Fire engines from Dahanu and surrounding industrial areas were rushed to the spot, Kadam said.

    Four of the injured were admitted to a hospital in Dahanu and another at a hospital in Vapi.

    Local MLA Vinod Nikole claimed that more persons have been injured as around 100 workers were inside the factory at the time of the incident.

    Sparks from welding work might have triggered the blast, he said.

    Tehesildar Rahul Sarang along with senior police officers reached the spot after learning about the incident to supervise the rescue operation.

  • Chemical laden tanker catches fire in Maharashtra’s Palghar

    By PTI
    PALGHAR: A tanker carrying chemicals caught fire in Boisar MIDC area in Maharashtra’s Palghar district on Thursday, and no casualties were reported in the incident, an official said.

    The blaze erupted around 1.30 pm when the tanker was parked on an open plot in the industrial estate, the official said.

    STP pipes stored by the MIDC in the open ground were also destroyed in the fire, he said, adding that a foul smell emanated in the area following the blaze.

    Four fire engines were pressed into service and the blaze was brought under control after four hours, the official said.

    No casualties were reported in the incident, he added.

  • Committed to welfare of Palghar district, says Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray

    By PTI
    PALGHAR: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday visited Palghar and said his government was committed to the welfare of the tribal-dominated district.

    He, however, parried a query on the controversy over the state governor’s flight on Thursday, and took a swipe at the BJP with a “closed door” jibe.

    Talking to reporters in Jawhar, he said the focus would be on developing the health, education, communication, water, industrial and tourism sectors in the district.

    The district has a long coastline and Jawhar can be developed as a hill station, the CM told reporters.

    He sidestepped a query on the Maharashtra governor being denied permission on Thursday to fly to Dehradun in Uttarakhand in a state plane.

    However, tongue in cheek, he said airstrip facilities will be set up Palghar “now that you (media) have reminded me about flights”.

    In reply to another query on the review meeting he chaired with district officials, the CM said “I will tell you what I discussed behind closed doors”, a possible humour-laced swipe at the BJP and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

    Shah, during a visit to the state’s Konkan region recently, had spoken about the Shiv Sena’s claim that the BJP had broken its promise of sharing the CM’s post after the October 2019 Assembly polls.

    Shah had, at the time, said “whatever I do, I do it in the open and not behind closed doors”.

    During his visit to Jamsar PHC in Jawhar, Thackeray appreciated the rangolis and traditional art works created by tribals.

    He said Warli paintings from the region should be promoted so that people from far and wide are aware of its beauty.

  • Navy official burned alive in Palghar for refusing to pay Rs 10 lakh ransom

    Express News Service
    MUMBAI: A Navy official from Ranchi was abducted and charred to death in Maharashtra’s Palghar when he refused to pay Rs 10 lakh ransom. He succumbed to injuries on Saturday.

    The Navy official identified as 27-year-old Suraj Kumar Dubey was a resident of Ranchi in Jharkhand. “A case has been registered against three unidentified persons and a probe has been initiated,” said Palghar SP Dattatray Shinde.

    Shinde added that he succumbed to his injuries on Saturday after being shifted to a Mumbai hospital for further treatment.

    “Navy officer refused to pay a ransom of Rs 10 lakhs. The locals informed police, then brought in the district civil hospital, later in Mumbai. He was abducted near the Chennai airport,” said Shinde.

    The car of this Navy officer was hijacked by three men from Chennai airport on January 31. He was detained at an undisclosed location in Chennai for three days. Later, he was brought to the forest in the western ghats of Vevji village in Talasari taluka near the Maharashtra-Gujarat border around 9 am on February 5. 

    After seeing a naked man in the forest around noon, the locals informed the Vevji police station under Gholwad police station. A case under Sections 302, 364, 392 and 34 has been registered against the three unidentified kidnappers at Gholwad police station.

  • MPCB issues closure notice to chemical unit in Palghar

    By PTI
    PALGHAR: The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has issued a closure notice to a chemical unit in Palghar for allegedly violating various pollution prevention norms.

    The notice, dated January 25 and issued by the MPCB’s regional office at Thane, has asked Seya Industries Limited, located at Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), Tarapur, to close down all manufacturing activities within 72 hours.

    It has listed several lapses by the unit, including coal fuel consumption more than the consented limits, usage of furnace oil as fuel which is banned as per a Supreme Court order, and non-disposal of any hazardous waste to the Common Hazardous Waste treatment, Storage & Disposal Facility (CHWTSDF) from April to October last year.

    Besides, the unit allowed substandard quality effluent into the MIDC chamber through storm water drain, it said.

    As per the MPCB, all units of the Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) were found to be corroded and its operation and maintenance was poor.

    The MPCB in its closure notice directed authorities concerned to disconnect the unit’s power and water supply.

    If the company fails to comply with these directions, further suitable action will be initiated at per environmental laws, it said.

  • Court grants bail to 89 accused in Palghar mob lynching case

    By PTI
    THANE: A special court in Maharashtra’s Thane district on Saturday granted bail to 89 accused in the Palghar mob lynching case, in which two sadhus and their driver were killed.

    District judge S B Bahalkar in his order granted bail to 89 accused and fixed the next date of hearing in the case to February 15.

    Appearing for the accused, advocates Amrut Adhikari and Atul Patil submitted in the court that the applicants had no role to play in the attack and the police had arrested them on mere suspicion.

    The accused also questioned the validity of three FIRs registered for the same incident.

    A total of 201 persons have been arrested in the case, of which 75 main accused are in jail.

    Special public prosecutor Satish Maneshinde appeared for the prosecution, while advocate P N Ojha appeared for the family of the sadhus.

    On April 16, 2020, a mob lynched two sadhus Chikne Maharaj Kalpavrukshagiri (70) and Sushilgiri Maharaj (35) – and their driver Nilesh Telgade (30) at Gadchinchale in Palghar district, 140 km north of Mumbai.

    The brutal attack took place amid rumours that child- lifters were roaming in the area during the lockdown.

  • Man held for bludgeoning woman to death in Palghar

    By PTI
    PALGHAR: The owner of a coaching class has been arrested for allegedly bludgeoning to death a 57- year-old woman from his neighbourhood in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, police said on Wednesday.

    The Palghar police on Tuesday arrested the 37-year-old accused for allegedly killing Sadhana Chowdhary, an employee of a credit society, at her office on January 9, Palghar superintendent of police Dattatreya Shinde said.

    According to the police, the victim’s family had sought the accused’s help when she failed to return home from work.

    The accused had allegedly informed the victim’s family about finding her dead and later misled the police during the probe, the official said.

    When the police found something suspicious about the accused’s movements, they interrogated him and found out that he had allegedly bludgeoned the victim to death with a hammer, he said.

    The accused, who ran a coaching class, visited the credit society frequently and stole some money from the office, it was stated.

    On learning about this, the victim reprimanded him and fearing that she might go to the police, the accused killed her when she was alone at the office, he said.

    The accused has been arrested under section 302 (murder) of the IPC and further probe is underway, he added.