BMC seeks heritage church land to widen road

18th Sep 2012

The St Anthony's Church in Malwani , Malad (W), which caters to 14,000 parishioners , has been served a notice to hand over its open plot as set back land for road widening .Incidentally , the name of this church—built in 1872—figures in the recently proposed heritage list, as a Grade II (A) heritage structure. 

The notice , dated September 1, under Section 299 of the MCGM Act, 1888 has asked the church to hand over the land , which includes the grotto , a compound wall and the Presbytery building where the priests reside . Father Austen Norris has sent a letter to the BMC, stating that the notice stands null and void as the church figures in the BMC's proposed heritage list . 

The BMC notice to the church has upset the Christian community . "I feel pained that such a huge part of church land is being asked as setback for road widening . It may appear as open land to the BMC, but people congregate there for mass . The main structure , Presbytery ,which are the living and dining quarters for the priests ,will be mainly affected . We appeal to the ward office to give us justice," said Fr Austen . 

Advocate R Fernandes , a parishioner , said this land has immense value to the church . "There is a government policy in this regardwherein if a property is declared as heritage , then no structure should be demolished and the road alignment should be changed . If the BMC doesn't agree , we will have to take legal course of action ," said Fernandes . 

Anil Joseph , a Bandra resident who was part of the 2006 protest against the BMC's acquisition notices for churches , said , "The ward officer should visit the site. The BMC should not hurt the religious sentiments of the people and give respect to their own heritage tag ." 

When contacted , D Jain , assistant commissioner , P(north ) ward , said , "In 1980 , the church had signed an agreement stating that it will hand over land for road widening .It's an open spacethat has been extended . My engineers have told me that the part of land doesn't fall under the purview of heritage norms ." 

On November 14, 2006, BMC sent notices to St Peter's Church, St Andrew's Church and Parsi Agiary in Bandra. The churches would have lost family graves, grotto and the Holy Cross, which were in existence for hundreds of years. Bandra residents formed a human chain around the agiary when the demolition squad arrived. After political intervention, the BMC realigned the road.

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28-storey project cut to size by HC; builders need members' nod

16th Sep 2012 

 

The Bombay high court last week restrained two developers from constructing a 28-storey building on open space of a cooperative housing society at Malad (West) for commencing construction without consent of members of the society. In 2010, the Supreme Court had held that a developer is 

bound to make complete disclosure of the entire scheme or layout while executing the agreement of sale with purchasers.

Justice BR Gavai found that in the case of Malad Kokil Co-operative Housing Society, the proposed 28-storey structure was not shown in plans annexed to many of the agreements of sale. The judge, however, the firms jointly constructing the structure to build a five-storey building as plans for this structure were annexed to some other agreements.

Last year, Malad Kokil society and Sundervan S-4 society, which share the plot, approached the court after some persons entered the premises and started damaging the garden, the common passage and other amenities. RTI queries revealed that in October 2010, the civic body had issued a commencement certificate for the proposed construction.

The judge ruled in favour of the housing societies. "At the time of execution of the agreement, the promoter is statutorily obliged to place before the flat-takers the entire project/scheme," the judge noted, referring to provisions of the Maharashtra Ownership of Flats Act (MOFA).

"As the construction which is sought to be made is not in accordance with layout plan presented to the flat-takers, the same cannot be permitted unless there is consent of the members of the plaintiffs and the appellant-society," justice Gavai said.

The builders argued that their layout showed ground-plus-one structure and it hardly mattered how many floors were built above that. "If such an argument is accepted, it would frustrate the very purpose of beneficial legislation like MOFA," the judge said.

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Woman arrested for burning orphaned niece with candle

14th Sep 2012

Malwani police arrested a 23-year-old woman from Malad (West) on Wednesday night for allegedly torturing her four-year-old niece.

Police said Puja Chatterjee of Kolkata was in the care of her maternal grandfather after she lost her parents three years ago. The grandfather later handed over her custody to his daughter Anita Tharal, who lives with her husband and two children.

“Puja had been staying with Tharal in Mumbai for the past three years. Since Tharal’s financial condition was not good she had spoken to neighbours about giving the girl to an NGO or an orphanage for adoption,” said Abdul Rauf Shaikh, senior inspector at Malwani police station.

Navyog Samajseva Sanstha, an NGO in Malad (East), approached Tharal with the proposal to hand over Puja to a children’s home.

After the NGO took Puja’s custody on Wednesday, she narrated her horror to one of its worker, Mohammed Kapadia. She said Tharal would beat her up and burn her with a candle.

Kapadia then took the girl to Malwani police station and filed a complaint. “Tharal’s neighbours told us the girl did not go out to play. Puja told us Tharal would assault her regularly,” said Kapadia.

“She (Tharal) was arrested under IPC sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and presented before court on Thursday. She has been granted bail. Medical examination confirmed Puja’s body bore candle burn and other injury marks,” Shaikh said.

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Six chain-snatching cases reported in 24 hours

14th Sep 2012

Six cases of chain-snatchings were reported in the city on Thursday. While two of the cases have been solved, the rest remain undetected. 

The first incident was reported around 1.45 am when a 23-year-old singer, Geeta Shelke, was travelling in an autorickshaw at Malad East. Three men on a bike blocked her way. They threatened Shelke and the auto driver with a knife, fleeing with two cellphones, a Pan card, cash and Shelke's documents. As soon as the men left, Shelke dialled the police emergency number '100.' The trio was caught at Marve Road and the stolen belongings were recovered from them. They were identified as Ravi Sharma, 19, Majid Shaikh, 29 and Sonu Vishwakarma, 19. In the past, Vishwakarma has been booked in a separate case of burglary, the police said. 

The second case was reported at Khar West outside the railway station around 6.15 am. Shubhangi Warang, 45, was walking towards the station when two bike-borne men snatched her gold chain. The bikers also pushed Warang to the ground. But the Khar police managed to nab one of them_ Aalim Shaikh, 20. His accomplice, Ajju, 22, is on the run. 

Around 7.40 am, two separate instances of snatching were reported at Vile Parle and Borivali. A 33-year-old nurse, Jayashree Sankhe, was waiting with two of her friends at Sant Dnyaneshwar Marg in Vile Parle. Suddenly, two men snatched her gold necklace worth Rs 1.25 lakh and fled. They couldn't be caught. At Borivali West, Shobhana Nene, 4, was walking down Baburao Paranjape Road when two bike-borne men snatched her gold chain and pendant worth Rs 1.05 lakh and escaped. 

The fifth case of snatching was reported at Versova around 8.15 am. Kusum Gauda, 35, was at Joseph Patelwadi when two snatchers on a bike made off with gold chain worth Rs 1.8 lakh. The last case was reported at Andheri West when 53-year-old Sunanda Nandgaokar was walking down Matad Pada. Two men snatched her gold mangalsutra worth Rs 1.25 lakh and escaped. She later lodged an FIR with the Amboli police.

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I'm traumatised after lathicharge: Choreographer Salman

11th Sep 2012

Choreographer Salman Yusuf Khan, who was allegedly assaulted by a police constable when the auto rickshaw he was travelling in did not stop at a check post here, says he is in a state of shock and trying to return to normal.

Salman has become a known face on the small screen after his fabulous choreography and dance performances with his celebrity partner Esha Sharvani on the ongoing dance reality show "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa". The incident took place in Goregaon Monday while he was returning home after wrapping up his rehearsals for the show.

"I was traumatised and was in a state of shock post the incident. In fact, yesterday I was running all around and met a few cops to sort the issue out. I am still in a state of shock trying to get back to normal life," said Salman alleging that the cop was drunk.

"I have nothing against the cop. My only issue was that the cop on duty was drunk. But I owe a big thank you to Mr. Himanshu Roy, joint commissioner of police (crime), who helped us a lot and took it to the next level," he said.

Around 2.30 a.m. Salman along with his assistant Shubo Das and help Mukesh Agarwal was going from Filmistan Studio to his place in Malad in an auto as his car has gone for servicing. A policeman at the Ratna Hotel check-post stopped the auto rickshaw.

"My auto rickshaw guy didn't have a licence, so he didn't stop when he saw the 'nakabandi' and speeded up the rickshaw, so the cop hit the windshield with a 'lathi'. When the constable hit the windshield, the driver jumped out and started running."

"I waited outside the auto till the constable caught hold of the driver and brought him back. I was appalled to see the constable thrashing the auto driver. When I protested, the cop and the biker then proceeded to attack me, claiming that the auto driver had speeded up on my instructions," he added.

Salman went to the Goregaon police station and filed a written complaint against the constable.

Confirming the same, Arun Jadhav, senior inspector of police, told IANS: "Mr. Salman Yusuf Khan has filed a complaint against a constable named Suresh Gurav on Monday evening. We have recorded his statement and sent the reports to the superior to take action against him. We are waiting for the reply."

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Mishap nips actor in the bud

8th Sep 2012

An 18-year-old girl, a small-time actor, died after a Honda City hit the autorickshaw she was travelling in at Juhu Circle on Friday. 
Nilam Bharadwaj was taken to Cooper Hospital but she had died by then. She has worked in the TV serial Mata Ki Chowki. She is the daughter of former personal secretary of a senior BJP leader.

The police arrested the car driver, Purvesh Ramchandra Patkar, 25, a resident of Malad (West). Patkar works in a bank and was going towards Malad.

The police said the girl was from Bhopal and had come to Mumbai three years ago and was working in the film Industry. Bharadwaj stayed as paying guest at Shashtri Nagar, Lokhandwala area in Andheri (West).

Around 7.30am, Bharadwaj was going to Juhu to meet her sister-in-law, Preeti.A senior pilot, Preeti came to Mumbai a few days ago and was staying in a hotel in Juhu. “Bharadwaj was going towards Juhu in an autorickshaw. When it reached Juhu Circle, a speeding Honda city rammed into the auto,” said Jatin Bhatia, Bharadwaj’s cousin.

Bharadwaj was thrown out of the auto. The car driver tried to run away but passersby nabbed him. The auto driver was not injured andhe fled the spot. Bharadwaj was taken to Cooper Hospital where she was declared dead on arrival.Bharadwaj’s family from Bhopal will reach Mumbai on Friday night.

“We arrested the car driver for causing death due to rash and negligence driving.Patkar’s report says he was not drunk,” said Vijay Bhoite, senior police inspector of DN Nagar police station. “We will check the CCTV footage,” he added.

Patkar told the police that the car was his friend’s. “I was returning from Seven Bungalaws. When I was taking a left turn from Juhu Circle, a Xylo came in front of me and my car hit a lamp post,” he said.“I don’t know how the auto accident happened.”

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Automen's rally cripples Mumbai commuters

3rd Sep 2012

More than 6,000 autorickshaw drivers went on a rally against police and RTO action in the western suburbs on Monday. While it was a successful show of strength for the Sharad Rao-led Mumbai Autorickshawmen Union, the rally crippled commuting options on a day of heavy rains.

The timing of the rally was benign for office-goers, sparing them inconvenience during the morning peak hour. But after 11am, commuters had a tough time finding conveyance in places like Kandivli, Goregaon, Malad, Jogeshwari and Andheri. "There were few autos in my area. The stands were mostly empty," said Ajay Samant, a suburban commuter.

Auto drivers began assembling with their vehicles near Malad's Inorbit Mall from 10am for the rally, which began around 11.30 am. They drove past the MTNL office in Goregaon, taking the Savarkar flyover for the Western Express Highway, causing snarl-ups along the way. Traffic came to a standstill on roads in Malad, Goregaon, Andheri and on the highway.

"We were protesting against police harassment. Some of our members (drivers) were recently assaulted by cops from the Vanrai police station in Goregaon (East). We also raised our voice against rampant corruption in the Andheri RTO," said Shashank Rao, the union's assistant general secretary and Sharad Rao's son.

He said the rally was a success, obtaining an assurance from deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar that the drivers' demands would be looked into. "We had initially planned to meet the senior inspector at Vanrai police station and give him our memorandum. But the deputy CM called us for discussions in the morning. He spoke to the police and the BMC commissioners, asking them to resolve issues with us. Finally, we submitted the memorandum to police commissioner Satya Pal Singh, seeking action against cops who harass our drivers," Rao said. "We regret autos were not available in some areas because of the rally. But we ensured that peak-hour traffic was not hit by holding the rally from 11.30am to 4 pm."

He stated that the morcha went past Vanrai police station on Western Express highway before taking a turn at Gold Spot junction and heading towards Juhu Gully and then to Andheri RTO. At RTO, Rao submitted a memorandum to senior officials and demanded action against clerks and other staffers who regularly harass drivers for bribes. "Our licences are not renewed for three months and officials demand money for every small paperwork,'' Rao alleged.

The morcha winded up around 4 pm and autos were back on the roads in the evening.

A delegation led by Sharad Rao also met BMC chief in the evening, protesting against the bad road conditions.

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Two bookies arrested for Sri Lanka Premier League betting

29th Aug 2012

Two bookies who were accepting bets on the Sri Lanka Premier League were arrested from a flat in Malad on Monday.

The police seized laptops, 14 cellphones and a TV.

Shailesh Soni and Hardik Sanghvi used to place bets ranging from Rs 5,000 to 25,000.

"We have checked the laptops of the duo and found a list of people they used to deal with," the police said. They will be produced in court on Wednesday. "A probe is on to find out more about their modus operandi," the police added.

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Flat demand for U-19 cricket star

30th Aug 2012

MUMBAI: A flat for Harmeet Singh or Rs 1 crore is the demand being made for the victorious cricketer, a resident of Evershine Nagar in Malad. He was part of the under-19 cricket team that won the World Cup in Australia.

On Wednesday, local Congress MLA Aslam Sheikh took Singh and his father to meet chief minister Prithviraj Chavan. The legislator has demanded that Harmeet, who lives with his parents and grandparents in a tiny flat, be given an apartment under the CM's discretionary quota or a sum of Rs 1 crore. Sheikh said when the India seniors won the World Cup, CMs announced rewards of Rs 2 crore for cricketers from their state. "For the under-19 players, it should be at least Rs 1 crore."

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