News Analysis India

Tag: Uddhav Thackarey

  • Supreme Court greenlight to relocate metro car depot back to Aarey Colony

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  Nothing that a substantial number of trees have already been cut for the construction of car depot for Metro Line III located at Aarey colony, the Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to stay the Maharashtra government’s July 21, 2022 decision to relocate the car depot back to Aarey Colony from Kanjurmarg.

    Hours after coming to power, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis had overturned the Uddhav Thackarey government’s decision to shift the proposed car shed project from Aarey Colony. The Thackarey government had in November 2019 announced a stay on the construction of the proposed project and later ordered that the car shed be shifted to Kanjurmarg. The bench said that the court cannot be oblivious to the serious dislocation which will be caused if public investment that has gone into the project is disregarded. 

    “We are of the conclusion that the original decision to allow the metro car depot for Metro Line 3 to be located at Aarey to be restored could not be possible at the interim stage to stay the decision… It must be also noted that substantial number of trees pertaining to the area which falls within the segment of car depot and the ramp have already been fell and no further trees were required to be fell,” a bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha said. 

    The court also let Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation pursue its application before BMCs Tree Authority for permission to cut 84 trees for construction of Aarey Metro Depot. It asked the authority to consider the plea independently. 

    NEW DELHI:  Nothing that a substantial number of trees have already been cut for the construction of car depot for Metro Line III located at Aarey colony, the Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to stay the Maharashtra government’s July 21, 2022 decision to relocate the car depot back to Aarey Colony from Kanjurmarg.

    Hours after coming to power, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis had overturned the Uddhav Thackarey government’s decision to shift the proposed car shed project from Aarey Colony. The Thackarey government had in November 2019 announced a stay on the construction of the proposed project and later ordered that the car shed be shifted to Kanjurmarg. 
    The bench said that the court cannot be oblivious to the serious dislocation which will be caused if public investment that has gone into the project is disregarded. 

    “We are of the conclusion that the original decision to allow the metro car depot for Metro Line 3 to be located at Aarey to be restored could not be possible at the interim stage to stay the decision… It must be also noted that substantial number of trees pertaining to the area which falls within the segment of car depot and the ramp have already been fell and no further trees were required to be fell,” a bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha said. 

    The court also let Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation pursue its application before BMCs Tree Authority for permission to cut 84 trees for construction of Aarey Metro Depot. It asked the authority to consider the plea independently. 

  • Religious places reopen in Maharashtra; CM visits Mumbai temple on first day of Navratri

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: After remaining closed for nearly six months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, religious places reopened in Maharashtra on Thursday, with devotees seen visiting various temples and mosques in Mumbai and other places since early morning.

    Chief Minister Uddhav Thackarey along with his wife Rashmi Thackeray and two sons Aaditya and Tejas visited the Mumba Devi temple here around 8.45 am and offered prayer to the Goddess, as the reopening of religious places coincided with the beginning of the nine-day Navratri festival.

    Since early morning, devotees were seen visiting various temples in the state capital Mumbai while adhering to the mask and social distancing norms.

    Mosques in the city also witnessed a steady stream of the faithful since morning.

    The CM and his family members, all wearing masks and following the social distancing rule, were there in the Mumba Devi temple premises for about half-an-hour.

    Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar was also present there along with the CM.

    After offering prayers, the chief minister extended greetings to citizens on the occasion of the Navratri festival.

    “It is the responsibility of all to observe health protocols at the places of worship in view of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.

    The CM said he prayed to Goddess Mumba Devi to eradicate the coronavirus completely.

    He said the trustees and priests of all places of worship should ensure that devotees follow discipline while offering prayers, and the shrine premises are cleaned and sanitised frequently and proper social distancing is followed.

    “We can set an example in this regard,” he said.

    He also praised places of worship like the famous Siddhivinayak temple here for using QR code and other technologies to facilitate online darshan for devotees.

    After the first coronavirus wave waned, places of religious worship were reopened in Maharashtra in November last year, but they were closed again for people after the second wave started in the state in March 2021.

    For long, the opposition BJP had been demanding reopening of temples and other places of worship in Maharashtra.

    The party staged protests in August in several cities of Maharashtra in support of its demand.

    The Maharashtra government last month announced reopening of all religious places from October 7 in the state with COVID-19 protocols, a move that comes amid indication that the second wave of the pandemic is ebbing.

    Besides Mumbai, religious places in other parts of the state also reopened on Thursday.

    In neighbouring Thane city, BJP MLC Niranjan Davkhare visited the famous Ghantali Devi temple and offered prayers to the Goddess.

    A number of devotees, mostly women, dressed in traditional attire, were seen visiting the temple.

    The Kopineshwar temple in the main market area of Thane city and the Lord Shiva temple in Ambernath town also reopened their doors for devotees early in the morning.

    The temple managements provided sanitisers to visitors and ensured that social distancing was followed.

    In adjoining Palghar district, the reopening of the Mahalaxmi temple at Dahanu and the Vajreshwari temple in Vasai were marked by musical performances arranged by temple managements.

    Flower vendors and those selling other items for prayers expressed happiness at the reopening of religious places.

    Sapna Mali, whose family earned a living by selling flowers outside a Ganesh temple in Thane city, said, “It is good that the temples have reopened, otherwise it would have been difficult for us to survive in these times.”

    Last month, while announcing the reopening of religious places, Chief Minister Thackeray had urged people not to drop guard and continue COVID-19-appropriate behaviour in view of a possible third wave of the pandemic.

    The government had issued standard operating procedures (SOPs) for devotees and officials managing places of worship to ensure strict implement of coronavirus-related protocols and curb spread of the infection.

    These strict measures include non-distribution of ‘prasad’ (offerings), no sprinkling of holy water, no touching of statues, idols or holy books and staggering the number of visitors to maintain social distancing, a government order earlier said.

    Face mask or covering of the face is mandatory while visiting religious places, it said, adding the minimum distance between two persons should be six feet.

    The state government advised senior citizens, pregnant women and children below 10 years of age to remain at home.

    The management of shrines should provide separate entry and exit points for devotees, if possible, to avoid crowding, said the order.

    People should avoid physical contact while greeting each other, it added.

    The Mumbai civic body issued an order last week capping the number of visitors to places of worship to 50 per cent of total capacity.

  • Political war of words over COVID crisis, supply of medical oxygen to worst affected Maharashtra

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI/AURANGABAD: As India recorded the highest single-day COVID-19 cases and deaths, a political feud broke out on Saturday over the Centre’s handling of the grave health crisis and on the issue of supply of medical oxygen and antiviral drug Remdesivir to the worst affected state of Maharashtra.

    The BJP and the Shiv Sena traded charges of playing politics over the COVID situation even as the Congress Working Committee(CWC), the highest decision making body of the party, accused the Centre of “colossal mismanagement” in the war against pandemic and warned of an “unprecedented catastrophe” unless urgent corrective measures are taken.

    The country added 2,34,692 new coonavirus cases and 1,341 fatalities due to the disease pushing its COVID-19 tally to 1,45,26,609 and the death toll to 1,75,649, the Union Health Ministry said.

    The Congress also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “shocking callousness” for addressing rallies in poll-bound West Bengal “instead of staying in Delhi” to handle the COVID pandemic situation.

    Congress’ senior spokesperson P Chidambaram said the prime minister should be at his job, sitting at his desk and coordinating with chief ministers in handling the pandemic.

    Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said he had tried to contact Prime Minister Narendra Modi on phone regarding the supply of medical oxygen for the state but was told the PM was not available since he was busy campaigning for the West Bengal elections.

    He was speaking to industrialists and representatives of trade bodies like FICCI and CII via video conferencing.

    On Saturday, Maharashtra reported 67,123 new COVID-19 cases, its highest single-day rise so far, besides 419 deaths.

    Earlier in the day, Union minister Piyush Goyal attacked Uddhav Thackeray on the issue of availability of oxygen in the state, saying Maharashtra has so far received the highest quantity of oxygen in India and the Centre is in regular touch with state governments to assess their needs.

    “Maharashtra is suffering from an inept and corrupt government and the Centre is doing its best for the people. People of Maharashtra are following ‘Majha Kutumb, Majhi Javabadari’ dutifully. It is time the CM (chief minister) also follows his duties in the spirit of ‘Majha Rajya, Majhi Javabadari’,” the commerce and industry minister said.

    In a series of tweets, Goyal said he was shocked and saddened to see petty politics being played by the chief minister.

    “He needs to stop his daily dose of shameless politics and take responsibility. Saddened to see @OfficeOfUT’s gimmicks on oxygen. GoI (government of India), with all stakeholders, is ensuring maximum oxygen production in India.”

    Medical-grade oxygen is used for the treatment of critical COVID-19 patients and in other cases of respiratory diseases.

    “Maharashtra needs oxygen supply and all oxygen produced is being used for medical purpose. I contacted Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the need for oxygen supply, but he wasn’t available on phone yesterday since he was busy with the West Bengal poll campaign. But the Centre is cooperating with the state,” Thackeray is quoted as saying in a release issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).

    Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan spoke to Chief Minister Thackeray and reassured him of adequate and uninterrupted supply of medical oxygen and all possible support related to healthcare infrastructure, medicines and therapeutics.

    In a tweet, Vardhan said additional 1,121 ventilators are being rushed to the state considering the surge in coronavirus cases.

    Holding the Centre and the Election Commission (EC) responsible for the second COVID wave in India, the Shiv Sena said the virus spread across the country more rapidly from those states, where polls were either held recently or are still underway.

    Had the Centre reduced its “dose of politics” and focused on tackling the pandemic, the situation would been under control, it said.

    “China might have been responsible for the outbreak of the pandemic in India, but for the second wave of coronavirus, the Election Commission and the Centre are responsible.

    The virus spread at 500 times more speed to the rest of the country from the states where polls were either held recently or are still underway,” the Sena said in an editorial in party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’.

    “For the sake of elections and their political interests, the rulers in Delhi created a wave of pandemic. There is a shortage of oxygen, Remdesivir medicine, hospital beds and ventilators in the country at present. Crematoriums are overflowing. But the central government is busy in electioneering in West Bengal. Had the Centre reduced its dose of politics and instead focused on the war against coronavirus, then the situation would have been under control,” it added.

    The Centre should keep aside ego and the “political profit-loss calculations” and talk to all with an open mind, the Sena said.

    A war of words also erupted between Union Minister Mansukh L Mandaviya and NCP leader Nawab Malik on the availability of Remdesivir.

    Malik, in a series of tweets, alleged that the central government  is not giving permission to various export oriented units (EoUs) in the country to sell the drug in the domestic market.

    The allegations were strongly refuted by Mandaviya, the Minister of State of Chemicals and Fertilisers, who said the government is making every effort to double the production of the drug in the country.

    “Tweets by @nawabmalikncp are shocking. It is full of half truths and lies and the threats issued are unacceptable. He is unaware of the ground situation. GoI has been in active contact with officers of GoM and is assisting with supply of Remdesivir in every manner,” Mandaviya tweeted.

    “Ensuring adequate supply of Remdesivir to the people of Maharashtra remains our priority,” he said on Twitter.

    Earlier, Malik, a minister in the Maharashtra government, alleged that there were 16 EoUs in the country that have 20 lakh vials of Remdesivir available with them.

    “Since exports are now banned by the government, these units are seeking permission to sell this medicine in our country but central government is denying the same,” he tweeted.

    Speaking to reporters later, Malik said, “Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was trying to speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over phone (on the issue), but was told that he (PM) is on a tour of West Bengal. This shows that the BJP is more interested in winning elections than tackling this crisis.”

    When contacted, state BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhaye reacted sharply saying, “Instead of making such wild and baseless allegations, Nawab Malik should provide proof or else he should apologise. It is high time that Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) stops the blame game and does its job of handling the pandemic.”

    The Maharashtra Congress also accused the Centre of stopping the supply of Remdesivir to the state due to a “lust for power”.

    The accusation was made by the party’s state unit spokesperson Sachin Sawant.

    “Such brutal politics is a disgrace to humanity,” he said in a press release, and apparently targeting Prime Minister Modi claimed history would note that “modern day Nero” was busy with electioneering in West Bengal “while the country was burning”.

    A CWC statement accused the central government of failing on 14 different fronts in handling the pandemic.

    “We have indicted the government on the way it has handled the pandemic,” Congress leader Chidambaram told reporters in Delhi.

    Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra flagged the “deteriorating” COVID-19 situation in Uttar Pradesh and said the state government should try to solve the problems being faced by the people instead of “exacerbating” them and “hiding” statistics.

    Uttar Pradesh’s daily COVID-19 cases surged to a record high of 27,426 on Friday, taking its cumulative tally to 7,93,720.

  • ‘Let’s work together to improve Maharashtra’s COVID situation’: Pawar a day after Harsh Vardhan’s outburst

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: NCP president Sharad Pawar on Thursday said the Centre has assured to help Maharashtra where the COVID-19 situation is currently “grim”.

    In a live address on Facebook, Pawar, whose party shares power in Maharashtra with the Shiv Sena and Congress, said he spoke to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday and the latter assured to support Maharashtra and other states to tackle the situation.

    Pawar said the rapid spread of the viral infection and the rising number of active cases was a cause of concern, and the state government had no option but to impose curbs as the gravity of the situation cannot be ignored.

    “The situation in Maharashtra is grim. I appeal to all stakeholders to cooperate by realising the seriousness of the situation. To protect the lives of citizens, some stringent measures are required,” the NCP chief said.

    “The Centre is also helping. I spoke to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan yesterday regarding the situation in Maharashtra,” the NCP chief said.

    Pawar said Vardhan assured that the Centre will stand by the Maharashtra government and all other states to tackle the situation.

    On Wednesday, Vardhan lashed out at Maharashtra and some other states, accusing them of trying to cover their “failures” in containing the pandemic by making “deplorable” attempts through “irresponsible” statements to distract attention and spreading panic among people.

    Pawar said health workers in Maharashtra were doing their best to control the spread of the viral infection.

    He said the state government has taken some steps, like imposing strict curbs to break the virus chain, on the advice of experts.

    The 80-year-old leader’s comments came in the wake of protests from traders and small businessmen against restrictions imposed by the state government.

    As per the state government’s ‘Break the Chain’ order, all shops under the non-essential category will remain closed till April 30.

    The opposition BJP in Maharashtra has criticised the curbs after initially supporting the government’s efforts.

    Thackeray will also attend a meeting on the Covid-19 situation in the state with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 6.30 pm on Thursday via video conferring.

    Maharashtra reported 55,469 new COVID-19 cases and 297 deaths on Wednesday– the highest by any state in India. The active number of cases in the state stands at 4,72,283. The death toll in the state has gone up to 56,330.

    To curb the intensity of the rising cases in the state, the Maharashtra government on Wednesday announced new Covid-19 guidelines for Mumbai to restrict the movement of people in public areas and transport while exempting those involved in essential services.

    Meanwhile, Mumbai Police the updated lockdown guidelines which restrict the movement of people in public areas and transport while exempting those involved in essential services.

    In a series of tweets, Mumbai Police announced the updated lockdown guidelines, which stated: “Public Places: Weekdays (7 am-8 pm) – the movement of no more than 5 people allowed Weekdays (8 pm-7 am) and 8 pm Friday to 7 am Monday – no movement except essential services Beaches- Closed till 30 April.”

    While private offices will remain closed, government offices have been allowed to run with 50 per cent occupancy whereas government offices required for response to COVID-19, electricity, water, banking and financial services are allowed to function with 100 per cent capacity.

    Moreover, only 50 guests are allowed in wedding ceremonies while not more than 20 people can attend funerals.

    On Monday, Chief Minister Thackeray also wrote a letter to PM Modi urging to lower the age group eligible for vaccination to 25 years old to curb the intensity of the rising cases in the state.

  • Maharashtra lockdown: Uddhav meets industrialists, movie producers to discuss mitigation plan

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday met a group of business leaders from the state to discuss the way forward to restrict the rise in COVID-19 cases.

    The virtual meeting, held early in the afternoon between the CM and the industrialists, was led by banker Uday Kotak, who is the national president of industry lobby CII, officials said.

    In face of the rising infections the state had recorded over 49,000 new infections on Saturday, contributing more than half to the national tally – Thackeray had on Friday said that he will consult all the stakeholders and announce the mitigation strategy in a couple of days.

    Industry leaders had warned of immense hardships to the people if a lockdown is imposed again in Maharashtra.

    Business leaders who participated in the meeting included Baba Kalyani, Reliance Industries’ Nikhil Meswani, Ajay Piramal, Sajjan Jindal, Sanjeev Bajaj, and realtors Boman Irani and Niranjan Hiranandani, among others, officials said.

    The state government on Sunday announced a weekend lockdown in the state from 8 pm on Friday to 7 am on Monday in a bid to curb the growing numbers of COVID-19 cases.

    In the run-up to the CM’s speech on Friday, Anand Mahindra of the diversified Mahindra Group had tweeted concerns about imposing a lockdown and insisted on improving the health apparatus in the state.

    Without naming Mahindra in his address, Thackeray had said that efforts have been underway to improve the health infrastructure, but added that we need doctors and staff to deliver healthcare as well.

    Industrialists should rather focus on ways to get at least 50 doctors, nurses and health workers into the fold daily, Thackeray had said.

    Maharashtra is among the most industrialised states in the country and attracts both people and capital from across the world for businesses.

    Meanwhile, film and television producers met Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday and offered full support for measures being taken to control the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in the state.

    Interacting with Hindi and Marathi film and TV producers online, Thackeray sought suggestions and cooperation, a statement from the chief minister’s office (CMO) said.

    On Saturday, the CM had interacted with drama producers, multiplex and single screen owners as well as gym owners to ascertain their views on the spike in COVID-19 cases.

    Nitin Datar, president of Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India told PTI he had suggested that, if the government so wished, he could speak to single screen owners, whose properties are closed due to the pandemic and various other reasons, to see if they can be used as COVID care centres.

  • Maharashtra COVID-19 vaccination drive will resume on Tuesday: Uddhav

    The Maharashtra government on Saturday evening announced suspension of the COVID-19 vaccination drive till Monday owing to problems in the software application.