Tag: prithviraj chavan

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Deal with it

State bats for responsible Holi this year

Government wants the State to celebrate an environment-friendly Holi this year. You can buy natural colours at the Mantralaya, too.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

There’s a severe drought on in the State, the likes of which has not been seen for several years. The situation is set to spiral totally out of control, with farmers letting livestock go, and people looking for water to drink far and wide.

Meanwhile, the rest of the State is gearing up for Holi.

It is indeed a worrying dichotomy that while one of Maharashtra grapples with even small quantities of drinking water, cities like ours have water in plenty, and which we will use to the maximum limits when Holi arrives. Anticipating the unprecedented wastage of water that is soon to take place as the Holi celebrations get underway, State Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan wants us all to celebrate responsibly.

What Chavan wants

“Please avoid the use of water to celebrate Holi this year,” Chavan said via a statement released earlier this evening. “Opt for natural colours and celebrate a water-less Holi if possible. The cities tend to celebrate also with plastic balloons and synthetic colours, which damage the environment and which are dangerous for health as well.”

So committed is the State to a responsible and environmentally-conscious Holi this year, that a stall selling natural colours will be set up for the public at the Mantralaya on March 21 and 22. Apart from this, public service announcements will be made through all radio and TV channels (private and government-controlled), as well as in 205 cinema theatres across the city and State. The Government will also flash these announcements on local trains and BEST buses.

Plans are also afoot to have Chavan and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar will communicate, via voice calls, with about one crore mobile subscribers and talk about using non-chemical based colours during Holi, apart from considering a water-less celebration. A letter bearing the public service message will also reach Government offices, editors of newspapers and channels, schools, colleges, courts, etc.

(Picture courtesy handmaidliset.blogspot.com)

Categories
Deal with it

8-year-old donates Rs 5,000 to CM Relief Fund

Kanishk Dongre gave up the money earmarked for his birthday celebrations, plus some personal savings, to CM’s drought relief fund.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Who says the youth is totally self-centered? An eight-year-old boy, Kanishk Dongre, today did something so sweet, that even the Chief Minister of the State, Prithviraj Chavan, was all smiles.

Today, Kanishk handed over a cheque of Rs 5,000 to Chavan, towards the CM’s Relief Fund for drought-affected villages in the State.

Kanishk’s father, Raju, works with the State Government’s Director General of Information and Public Relations (DGIPR) department. Kanishk, a resident of Badlapur and a class two student of Carmel School, went with his parents to visit the CM at the Vidhan Bhavan this afternoon to hand over the money; the State Legislature is currently in Session and the CM was present there at the time. It turns out that the Rs 5,000 was actually earmarked for the boy’s birthday celebrations this year. However, the boy decided to donate the money, along with some prior personal savings, towards the drought relief fund.

Who says you need to make a grand gesture to make a difference?

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Big story

New metro systems for Mumbai, courtesy Britian

London firm specialising in metro infrastructure signs MoU with MMRDA for 150 km metro network in Mumbai and surrounding areas.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

It is the run-up to the General Elections in 2014, and Chief Minister of Maharashtra Prithviraj Chavan is seemingly playing several cards right. This is the year to get big business investment into Maharashtra, and Chavan has just pulled in a big player for Mumbai and the State.

Capitalising on Britain PM David Cameron’s visit to Mumbai yesterday, Chavan pushed for investment in Maharashtra, and what’s more, got the Britain-based Transport For London firm to ink and MoU with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), for a 150 kilometre metro rail network for Mumbai and surrounding areas.

As per a study conducted by a transport body, Mumbai needs a 300 km metro rail network to serve its burgeoning population. Of this, it is possible for the State to construct a 146 km-long metro line comprising nine lines; again, three lines admeasuring 33 km will be underground. The MMRDA does not possess the know-how to construct an underground line, but Transport For London does. In all, the MoU will help MMRDA execute its plans for the setting up of a 150 km metro rail network for Mumbai, plus a 300 km network in the MMR region.

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Trends

Fishermen can go fish

Maharashtra CM adjusts diesel rates for fishermen; the latter had been striking work since they were identified as ‘bulk consumers’.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

If you’re a fish eater, you probably know by now that your local fish market was very low on supply of fresh fish because fishermen had literally hung up their nets, refusing to go out to the seas. The reason behind this striking of work was that the State had recently identified them as bulk consumers of diesel – this meant that they would have to purchase diesel at an increase of Rs 11 over the previous Rs 52.

But this year being the precursor to the General Elections in 2014, naturally, the State Government would not want to appear as anything but populist. After lengthy wrangling with the Union Petroleum Minister Veerappa Moily, Maharashtra State Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan today managed to get the State’s fishermen reclassified as ‘private consumers’.

With this, the striking fishermen are assured of being able to buy diesel for their fishing dinghies and motorised boats at the rates they have been paying as private consumers. Their strike, called since January 18 this year, has severely impacted their business, but they can now go back to work.

(Picture courtesy Akshathkumar Shetty)

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Big story

Dhoble transfer issue hots up

Public support for recently-transferred cop increases daily; if probe absolves Dhoble of wrongdoing, he might be reinstated as ACP, Vakola.
by the Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Vasant Dhoble is one lucky man. Transferred by the Chief Minister following the death of a hawker during a hawker eviction drive last week in the suburbs, the controversial cop is receiving tremendous support from all quarters – most recently from the Congress’ ally in the State, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Yesterday, NCP leader and State Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had jokingly agreed to support CM Prithviraj Chavan’s decision to transfer Dhoble from Vakola to the police control room following the hawker’s death – the post mortem report reveals he died of a brain haemorrhage, and not of cardiac arrest, as originally surmised – but today, Pawar took a different line altogether. “We should not transfer a person wrongly,” he said. “If the probe (initiated into the incident by the Home Department) does not show that Dhoble was responsible (for the hawker’s death), he will be reinstated with immediate effect,” he added.

Interestingly, Home Department chief RR Patil, who also belongs to the NCP, had said yesterday that the decision to transfer Dhoble was a welcome one, since it would “help in an impartial probe’.

Meanwhile, the rabble-rousing cop himself has chosen to keep a low profile since his transfer, refusing to comment even on the support from such parties as the Shiv Sena and the MNS, which surprised all by actually uniting over the issue of his transfer.

‘Bring him back’

Residents and local corporators of the area under Dhoble’s purview as ACP have reacted strongly to the cop’s transfer. This morning, two separate ALMs in Vile Parle had initiated signature campaigns in support of Dhoble. The signatures are to submitted to the Chief Minister. “We are extremely pleased with his performance as a cop in our area,” said Vile Parle resident Rohini Gupte (53). “I have lived in Vile Parle all my life, and after Dhoble came here and started cracking down on illegal hawkers, we saw the footpaths on our streets for the first time. It is wrong to transfer a police officer who is doing his job for the betterment of an area.”

Senior citizens, especially, profess to be more than satisfied with Dhoble’s stint as ACP. “Even before, when he was posted at Goregaon, he was very popular with the local residents because he came down very heavily on wrong activities,” said MS Prakash (69). “If a police officer is carrying out his duties and he gets punished for it, then why should the police do any work at all? I strongly feel that the Government should reconsider and bring him back, instead of deputing him to some ordinary post.”

(Picture courtesy intoday.in)

 

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Big story

Say hello to Magnetic Maharashtra

State Government launches a counter-tagline to ‘Vibrant Gujarat’. New industrial policy to focus on making Maharashtra a premier investment destination.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

It’s a bit strange-sounding, but we can make do with it if it brings results: like ‘Vibrant Gujarat’, the catchphrase that signifies all things Gujarat, from investment to tourism, we will soon have our own catchphrase. It is ‘Magnetic Maharashtra’.

The State Government unveiled its new industrial policy yesterday. Aimed at maximising the State’s investment potential by attracting investors and promoting overall growth, the policy provides for incentive packages that will attract major industrial investments, and also accounts for provision of fiscal and land incentives to medium, small and micro industries. Further, there are incentives for those wishing to invest in less-developed and Naxal-infested areas in the State.

All of this will collectively be ‘sold’ under the catchphrase ‘Magnetic Maharashtra, Attractions Unlimited’.

The last industrial policy for the State was announced in 2006, and it mainly focussed on investment from major industrial houses. The new policy aims at an investment of Rs. 5 lakh crores and an employment generation potential for 20 lakh people. 60,000 acres of land will be set aside for setting up industries. Additionally, the Government will offer special rebates, waivers in electricity and stamp duty, and relaxation in VAT for units planning to set up shops in under-developed areas of Marathwada, Vidarbha and tribal districts.

The State plans to boost these plans further with increased intracity and interstate connectivity. The policy mentions the  development of the Mumbai-Pune-Solapur, Mumbai-Nashik- Aurangabad-Amravati-Nagpur, and Mumbai-Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg corridors, in addition to the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial corridor.

Other initiatives include providing for a single window clearance portal to build an investor-friendly climate. The policy’s mission is to “place the State amongst the most preferred investment destinations in Asia for global investors,” says Chief Minister Ashok Chavan.

If you want to read up on the new industrial policy:

The Times of India…CII welcomes Maharashtra’s new industrial policy

The Business Standard…Maharashtra’s new industrial policy to be announced today

MSN.com…Maharashtra’s new industrial policy on Thursday

 (Picture courtesy hindubusinessline.com)

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