live india: December 2011

Saturday, 31 December 2011

Take bus or train if cabs, autos don't ply

BEST, railways to run special services tonight; expecting harassment, some autos, taxis may stay off road Here's some good and bad news for the revellers wanting to enjoy New Year's Eve to the fullest. On one hand, where the BEST and the railways have decided to run extra services for the convenience of partygoers, on the other, some auto and taxi drivers have decided to stay off the road.The latter fear that unruly crowd

100 Sherlocks on the prowl in Goa

Concerned parents and spouses have hired private investigators to snoop on the activities of their kith and kin in the party capital of the nation With Goa taking the honours of being the hedonistic capital of the country during the year-end festivities, it will also this year have the unique distinction of having 100-odd private detectives snooping on pleasure seekers.Many worried parents and spouses from Mumbai have hired the services of private detective agencies to keep a bird's eye view

Even performers will be frisked

After MiD DAY reported how drug dealers were planning to use performers at hotel New Year bashes to transport drugs, cops up the ante Two days after model Rozyln Khan lodged a complaint with the Oshiwara police about the new modus operandi adopted by the drug dealers for transporting drugs via celebrities, the West region police have directed all the party organisers to frisk celebrities invited to perform at their respective New Year's bashes. Model Rozyln Khan and the MiD DAY report yesterday In yesterday's report ('Item girls being

Perverts beware!

The woman you 'accidentally' touch or hit on at a New Year's bash may just turn out to be one of 300 women from civil vigilance squad team formed by cops to keep molesters in check tonight Grabbers, gropers, gawker, molesters and eve-teasers would do well to keep their eyes and hands to themselves. The Mumbai police has hired a civil vigilance squad of around 300 women, who will be posted undercover at clubs on Dec 31, to keep a check on crimes against women, officials said.Taking a lesson from past

Friday, 30 December 2011

Cyclone Thane makes landfall in Tamil Nadu

Cyclone Thane, packing wind speed of 140 kmph, made landfall on the coast between Cuddalore in Tamil and Puducherry Friday morning, officials of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) here said. "The cyclone is in the process of crossing between Cuddalore and Puducherry coast. The wind speed is around 140 kmph at Puducherry and Cuddalore. Waves measuring 1.5 metres height are hitting the shoreline," an IMD official told IANS. At 2 a.m. the cyclone moved closer to about 90 km east of Puducherry, 125 km south-southeast of Chennai, IMD said. "The storm is more of wind centric

Victim's phone leads cops to accomplice

Rajpati Baburam Nishat, who aided the auto driver commit the crime, was nabbed from Goregaon (East) when cops started tracking the number to the cell she had left behind in the auto in which she was violated A 22-year-old auto rickshaw driver has been arrested by the Vanrai police for allegedly raping an 18-year-old Dutch national in the wee hours of December 26. The accused, identified as Rajpati Baburam Nishat, is a resident of Nalasopara. He was picked up by the police

Box Office: Don 2 Week 1 Collections - Rs 75 Cr Hit for SRK

Box Office | Don 2 | Hit or Flop | Week 1 | Figures | Collections | Don 2 Box Office

Box Office: Don 2 - Rs 75 Cr in Week 1

The much needed clean hit for SRK has arrived with Don 2. The movie which took a Rs 15 Cr nett opening and made Rs 48 Cr nett in weekend sustained magnificently over the weekdays to add another Rs 27 Cr.

The total nett collections of Don 2 (All Languages) is a mammoth Rs 75 Cr nett for week 1. Though the single screens weren't great due to absence of a Chammak Chhalo number yet the multiplex audience flocked the movie in this

Thursday, 29 December 2011

Brit PM to get 'personalised' iPad application

Software will allow David Cameron to stay on top of Government businessDavid Cameron is to receive a personalised iPad app to help him stay on top of Government business, it has been reported. Programmers inside the Cabinet Office are designing a new app that will bring together all the latest information from across Whitehall. The software will allow the Prime Minister to see the latest NHS waiting-list figures, crime statistics, unemployment numbers and a wide variety of other data at a glance.The idea

13-yr-old fasts to end 'humiliation' at school

Pratik Wankhede (13) is tired of continuously standing outside his classroom at a Marathi-medium municipal school in Dahisar. Reason, his parents are unable to pay the school fees. As a mark of protest, he along with his father had joined Anna Hazare in his fast against corruption. An aspiring engineer, who wishes to serve his country by joining the armed forces, Pratik hopes that even his fast gets noticed.'It's embarrassing'Questioning the implementation and the efficacy of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, Pratik stated, "I want to put

IAC's ground bharo andolan

After Tuesday's poor turnout, Mumbai Coordinator Mayank Gandhi made a late-night appeal to volunteers, asking them to bring in friends and family for the protest After the sparse turnout for Anna Hazare's fast on day one, day two saw the activist break fast unceremoniously, with speculation gaining among his supporters that he ended the fast a day early because of the lukewarm response. Though organisers of the event peg the number of supporters on the ground yesterday at 30,000,

Brave Kunal nabs burglar at girlfriend Soha's flat

Swinging into action after hearing a sound from the balcony, the actor caught hold of the intruder and turned him over to the cops In February last year, Kunal Khemu had tweeted 'As soon as fear approaches near, attack and destroy it'. Fear did approach. He attacked and helped destroy it. The Bollywood actor helped nab a thief who had entered his girlfriend Soha Ali Khan's flat while they were lounging in her first floor apartment in Khar on Friday night. Courageous: Kunal Khemu had gone to have

Wednesday, 28 December 2011

Documentary on Anna Hazare likely to release next month

Social activist Anna Hazare and his campaign against corruption has inspired a budding director to make a documentary film, which is likely to be released next month. Ankit Narayan has made 'Jai Bharat', a 26-minute film that focuses on the Jan Lokpal bill. Through the documentary, he intends to spread the cause taken up by Hazare. "I was so much inspired by this movement of corruption that I thought of making a film and educate people about it. We are not encashing Anna Hazare's popularity. We are trying

Lokpal bill passed amid Anna fast, but Congress stumped

Trillions of bacteria with a taste for turkey fat and cooking oil are released in sewers to eat the annual onslaught of Christmas dinner grease that risks blocking pipesYorkshire Water said it was deploying the "biological weapon" of bacillus bacteria -- commonly found in the human gut -- in its sewer network in an attempt to prevent blockages, which typically increase by 25pc over the festive season. The company began pouring vats of water mixed with the bacteria down sewers at known trouble spots last week and is

Cop under probe for fake FIR against runaway girl

After she eloped with her boyfriend to UP, cops registered a case of theft against her to seek custody, as the UP police refused to cooperate The state home minister has initiated an inquiry against a police official of JJ Marg police station for allegedly registering a fake case of theft against a 23-year-old girl who had fled with her boyfriend from Grant Road to Uttar Pradesh. False cse? The shop at Grant Road where the girl worked as an accountant. Pic/Milind KarekarWhen the UP police did not hand the girl over to

X'mas banners: 198 legal, 437 illegal: BMC

With all eyes on the upcoming civic elections, political parties are leaving no stone unturned in reaching out to the electorate. So what if the means to that end are hideous eyesores, in the form of illegal hoardings? According to the official count, 437 illegal hoardings were removed from 17 municipal wards, a day after Christmas. Officials from the civic body told MiD DAY that they had granted permission for a mere 198 hoardings, but 437 were removed just

Tuesday, 27 December 2011

Love for speed kills 32-yr-old

Vakola resident Amit Bhosle was driving at 120 kmph, when car hit the divider and skidded, killing him; had been warned by his friend against speeding minutes before crash A 32-year-old man's happy hopes of moving into his dream flat with his family in the new year turned tragic on Christmas day, when his speeding vehicle crashed at Vile Parle (East), claiming his life. The deceased, Amit Bhosle, is survived by his wife and two-year-old son.Death on the highway: Amit Bhosle lost control of the car and crashed into a divider killing him and causing serious injury to his

Killer Palm Beach road claims yet another teenager

Accident occurred after his bike collided head-on with a car; while the driver died on the spot, his friend, who was riding pillion, sustained grievous injuries It has just been two weeks, since four teenagers lost their lives in a horrific car crash on the Palm Beach Road, yet another fatal road mishap occurred on the same stretch on Sunday night. According to NRI coastal police, one person was killed, while another was seriously injured when a bike

4 months on, in-laws nabbed for murder

Crime Branch arrested brother- and parents-in-law of 24-year-old woman strangled in Silvassa and driven to UP to be disposed of in August; husband had been arrested earlier After four months of tracing the in-laws of Silvassa resident Nilam Singh, who was allegedly strangled by them, stashed in a car and driven till UP so the accused could dump her body, the Unit V of the Mumbai Crime Branch yesterday arrested her brother-in-law Nilesh and his parents from a Matunga guesthouse where they were hiding. Nilam's husband Priyesh,

Trio arrested with Rs 5 lakh party drugs for New Year

Cops from Dahisar police station have nabbed three people for possessing drugs worth Rs 5 lakh, which was allegedly to be sold at New Year's Eve parties. Cops say the three -- Shammo Badilal Khan urf Munni, Sajid Abdul Qureshi and Vivek Ram Asre -- were nabbed at Dahisar check naka as they were making their way into city limits. In the net: After receiving a tip-off, cops arrested the trio from Dahisar check naka after they tried to make their way into city limits. Pic/Khan Samiullah According to

Monday, 26 December 2011

Netas woo voters with festive bonanza

With an eye on civic polls, political parties are busy organising festivals and mahotsavs to woo the aam aadmi With the civic elections around the corner, local netas are trying all the tricks in the book to flatter susceptible voters. Claiming to realise the social responsibility towards the people who have elected them, about a dozen politicians from major political parties have organised festivals and mahotsavs in their respective areas. Big catch: MNS MLA Nitin Sardesai chats with a fisherwoman during the Koli food festival organised

No Christmas spirit here!

Bandra auto rickshaw drivers cash in on the festivities; refuse to travel by meter, fleece commuters trying to get to Mount Mary Church When the cat's away, the mice will play. In the absence of the traffic police and RTO officials at Bandra West, yesterday, errant auto drivers took undue advantage of the Christmas festivities. Fleecing, soliciting and coldshouldering commuters, was the order of the day, set by the drivers for passengers heading to Mount Mary Church. 'Held to ransom' Joe Fernandes, who was left stranded

Hospital hands over body after 11 days

Six days after MiD DAY had published a report ('Hospital keeps dead body as kin fail to pay for surgery', on Dec 19), the authorities of the Mulund-based Platinum Hospital, finally released the body of a patient, which they had held back claiming non-payment of fees worth Rs 4 lakh. Lalchand Prasad performed last rites on his elder brother Dularchand's body on Saturday at Bhiwandi.Dularchand, a labourer at a Bhiwandi-based factory had breathed his last at the hospital on December 13. He was admitted to the hospital after he

A friend in need is a fool indeed

Aspiring constable gets a full score in his running test, agrees to help his mate lift his scores by running for him as a proxy candidate; both booked for cheating Aspiring cop Rohan Hanumant Baikhe may have thought of himself as a model friend when he decided to run the proverbial extra mile for his childhood friend Mangesh Balkrishna Satpute, but the long arm of the law caught up with him soon enough. Mulund police arrested Baikhe on Saturday for appearing as a proxy candidate for a physical exam that was scheduled to

Sunday, 25 December 2011

Booze from Goa seized on X'mas eve

Bootleggers smuggle cheap alcohol from neighbouring states to sell at Mumbai's X'mas and New Year's Excise officials seized illegal liquor being smuggled into the city in a luxury bus on Saturday. The bus (MH-27 A-9822) was carrying liquor bottles worth Rs 18 lakh under the passenger seats. Bottles of Royal Stag, Mc Dowells and Signature whiskey, and Goan port wine and brandy were recovered.Excise officials seized illegal liquor worth Rs 18 lakh being smuggled into the city in a luxury bus on Saturday. pic/Vijay BateOn December 22, MiD DAY had carried a report (Bringing in liquor from Goa on a bus?)

Drink and drive your way to jail this New Year's Eve

As Navi Mumbai cops prep themselves to send drunk drivers to jail, Mumbai traffic police start a week-long campaign by roping in club and bar owners to prevent revellers from causing trouble. Clearly, the authorities are in no mood to let trouble-makers get away this festive seasonThe Mumbai traffic police is going to take its attempt to curb cases of drunk driving on December 31 this year very seriously indeed. On Friday evening, the traffic police started a week-long Safe Celebration Campaign to keep instances of drunk driving under control. Police will conduct rigorous checks at various points

BMC cracks down on quacks

Concerned about the rising number of quacks in the city, civic body will pay clinics a visit to check doctors' qualifications, degrees According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, one of the most pressing health issues in the city is not the number of diseases that have been doing the rounds, but the doctor you have been visiting. Last Thursday, officials from BMC's health department held a meeting to look at

Lost in the shuffle

The seductive world of gambling rears its ugly head every festive season. With New Year's Eve around the corner, Rocky Thongam loaded the dice to test the country's gambling itch. Read on for some startling confessions Come New Year's Eve and people in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai will bet on anything from shares, cricket and horses to two rats running inside a sewing pipe. It's an itch which takes us over as the festive season arrives," says a source we meet on day one of our quest to uncover

Saturday, 24 December 2011

Mumbai gets fastest local, but it'll still go slo-mo

The Austria-made train can hit 140 kmph, but the only suburban stretch in which it can reach such speeds is between Virar and Dahanu It's no bullet train, but the metropolitan's fastest train on the suburban rail network, successfully test run recently, is still four times quicker than your slow local, with a velocity of 140 kmph, as opposed to a slow train's 35 kmph. However, a cluster of riders ensures that only a few get to ride on this fast machine. First, it

37,000 register for the jail trip

Team Anna's 'Jail Bharo' campaign garners tremendous response; soon after the website went live, people from across the country started registering their participationThe 'Jail Bharo' campaign initiated by NGO India Against Corruption (IAC) received a positive response, with over 37,000 people expressing their willingness online to go to jail for a strong Jan Lokpal bill. The website, www.jailchalo.com, went live on Thursday, and within 24 hours, people from across the country started registering their participation.Count me in: Registration for the campaign began on Thursday. Volunteers

CAG tears into government over Adarsh scam

The Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society scam is sub judice in the Bombay High Court, but a strongly-worded report from the national watchdog has torn apart the defence of the state administration and termed the irregularities in the Colaba society as 'a glaring example of dereliction of duty and severe lack of probity and accountability which needs to be very seriously investigated.'The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report, tabled in the State Legislature yesterday, is based on scrutiny of documents pertaining to revenue, urban

Rs 8,000 crore in 3 months?

The Stamp Duty authorities have fallen short of their target for 2011 by a whopping Rs 8,000 crore. While the Stamp Duty and Registration offices were given a target of Rs 16,000 crore for the current year (for the entire state), till November 2011 the officials managed to collect just Rs 8,000 crore. According to the officials, there are numerous reasons for this shortfall, but the prime one is the thinning out of documentation itself.A senior revenue official revealed that between January and November 2010, approximately

Friday, 23 December 2011

Digest this!

In two separate incidents in Samta Nagar in Kandivli and Gokul Dham in Goregaon, two thieves swallowed the chains they fled with; while one was made to throw up the object, the other was given laxatives to pass it out In two different incidents which took place over two days, two chain snatchers gulped down the gold chains they had appropriated in a bid to elude the long arm of

Digest this!

In two separate incidents in Samta Nagar in Kandivli and Gokul Dham in Goregaon, two thieves swallowed the chains they fled with; while one was made to throw up the object, the other was given laxatives to pass it out In two different incidents which took place over two days, two chain snatchers gulped down the gold chains they had appropriated in a bid to elude the long arm of

94 towing vans gather dust

Officials explain that vehicles lay unused at Tardeo police station, as the traffic department prefers to use private vans The traffic police department in the last three years has purchased almost 94 vans to use as towing vehicles. However, MiD DAY has found that the towing vans have been lying unused at Tardeo police station and Kalbadevi Chowkie. Turning to rust: An official said that the government towing vans were not being used, as traffic personnel did not want to

94 towing vans gather dust

Officials explain that vehicles lay unused at Tardeo police station, as the traffic department prefers to use private vans The traffic police department in the last three years has purchased almost 94 vans to use as towing vehicles. However, MiD DAY has found that the towing vans have been lying unused at Tardeo police station and Kalbadevi Chowkie. Turning to rust: An official said that the government towing vans were not being used, as traffic personnel did not want to

Sunil Shetty constructed shop without BMC approval

RTI response reveals the actor's furniture showroom in Worli was constructed despite a BMC stop work notice; Shetty demolished portions of the building without NOC Bollywood actor Sunil Shetty may have taken a stance against corruption on celluloid, but his recent real-life venture of a furniture shop captures a different take. A right to information (RTI) application reveals that he has constructed a furniture showroom by renovating a building on Dr E Moses Road, Worli without obtaining any permissions from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Despite a stop work notice, the renovation allegedly carried on

Sunil Shetty constructed shop without BMC approval

RTI response reveals the actor's furniture showroom in Worli was constructed despite a BMC stop work notice; Shetty demolished portions of the building without NOC Bollywood actor Sunil Shetty may have taken a stance against corruption on celluloid, but his recent real-life venture of a furniture shop captures a different take. A right to information (RTI) application reveals that he has constructed a furniture showroom by renovating a building on Dr E Moses Road, Worli without obtaining any permissions from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Despite a stop work notice, the renovation allegedly carried on

Flying to London is cheaper than to Goa!

Travel portal lists Air India's Mumbai-Goa return fare between X'mas and New Year's at Rs 70,000; fare for Dubai, Bangkok, Singapore is half that price If you are planning to fly to party capital Goa and back for New Year's, it's not just the hangover that will make your head spin. Riding on the back of the high festive spirit, airfares on the national carrier have soared to touch the sky, and the spontaneous among you -- too cool to make advance bookings -- may

Flying to London is cheaper than to Goa!

Travel portal lists Air India's Mumbai-Goa return fare between X'mas and New Year's at Rs 70,000; fare for Dubai, Bangkok, Singapore is half that price If you are planning to fly to party capital Goa and back for New Year's, it's not just the hangover that will make your head spin. Riding on the back of the high festive spirit, airfares on the national carrier have soared to touch the sky, and the spontaneous among you -- too cool to make advance bookings -- may

Thursday, 22 December 2011

Send an SMS, lodge your complaint

Here's a piece of news that is surely going to be well received by Navi Mumbaikars. All those commuters who have been subjected to rudeness at the hands of errant auto drivers in the region can now register their complaints with the Navi Mumbai RTO via SMSes. The initiative is a part of the campaign started by the local wing of India Against Corruption (IAC). Besides using the Siti Bajao portal to facilitate commuters in the satellite city to lodge

'Call me at night, I'll make you a cop'

22-yr-old female candidate lodges complaint against Senior Inspector after he winked at her and gave her his mobile number, with the promise of easing her entry into the force A senior police inspector on police recruitment duty allegedly misbehaved with a female candidate on Monday. After the young woman registered a complaint against the officer with a senior, the errant cop was sent for a medical examination to evaluate if he had reported to work under the influence of alcohol. According to the police, the incident

Derailed local throws train services off track

A Kalyan-bound local train was derailed from its tracks as it rolled out of CST station at 8.42 am yesterday, wreaking havoc on railway schedules A Kalyan-bound local train derailed from its tracks at 8.42 am yesterday, throwing train services awry and inconveniencing thousands of passengers. While some had to undertake hazardous treks on the tracks back to stations, others were stranded in halted trains, or at stations waiting for delayed trains. Back on track: The tracks were cleared at 7 pm, after nearly 50 workers pushed the derailed coach towards the platform. New

Congress-NCP MLAs unhappy with Chavan

It was an embarrassing situation for the Democratic Front government in the State Assembly yesterday when its MLAs accused the government of indecisiveness and a sloppy approach towards developmental works.The MLAs, who expressed their displeasure over the slow pace of decision-making by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan-led Housing department, were NCP's Jitendra Avhad and Congress' Ashok Jadhav. Later, another Congress MLA Virendra Jagtap joined the bandwagon and condemned the government for developmental backlog in irrigation projects. Participating in a brief discussion over

Wednesday, 21 December 2011

Local derails at Masjid Bunder; no casualties reported

A local train on the way to Kalyan derailed at Masjid Bunder station on Wednesday morning during office hours One compartment of the train derailed minutes after it took off from CST station. No casualties have been reported so far. According to unconfirmed reports, trains on Central line are running late by 30 minutes. (More details

Fisticuffs and Feni

When it is Christmas and New Year, it must be Goa. Even as Mumbaikars get ready to hit the party destination, a look at why the gawking Indian male tourist ogling at white female flesh, just won't go away In early November, four Indian tourists were arrested at Goa's popular Colva beach for trying to grab a Western woman tourist in Colva. When the woman screamed, locals rushed to her rescue and handed over the four Indian tourists to the police. Two months earlier, a group of domestic tourists beat up a white man who

'Sorry, I don't know the route'

On day 62 of MiD DAY's Meter Down campaign, errant auto drivers gave silly excuses to justify their refusals for plying short distance passengersPlace: Borivli (E)Time: 10 am-11.30 amOffenders caught: 5Commuters speakShivram S said, "I have just reached Mumbai after a 14-hour-long journey and have been waiting at the station for the past 15 minutes. Despite observing that I have heavy luggage on me, none of the drivers are interested in plying me." Parth Mehta said, "I'm with my grandparents and want to take them

Elderly women attacked for conducting prayer meetings

In another instance of violence against senior citizens, MIDC police arrested two people for assaulting 61-year-old Victoria Shiri for conducting prayer meetings in her house in Marol, Andheri (East). The two persons arrested -- Shashikant Shinde (47) and Gangadhar Khaire (40) -- reside next door to Shiri and are alleged to have assaulted Shiri and Sushila Singh while they were in a prayer meeting. The two accused were irate at the frequent prayer meetings conducted at Shiri's house.Shiri has been conducting prayer meetings at her residence

Tuesday, 20 December 2011

President Patil presides over 10th President''s Fleet Review in Mumbai

President Pratibha Devisingh Patil presided over 10th President''s Fleet Review (PFR) in Mumbai on Tuesday amidst tight security. President reviewed the fleet from the INS Saubhadra, a Sukanya class patrol vessel. The fleet review began with the INS Agray, an anti-submarine corvette, offering the first salute to the Commander-in-Chief. Along with 60 plus naval warships which have come from various naval commands, including Andaman and Nicobar, a total of 81 ships are participating in the event which includes fly past by 44 aircraft from Navy and Coast Guard.

Turning 150

The Magen David synagogue celebrates its 150th anniversary today. The milestone also brings back a flood of memories for the city's Jewish community The Magen David synagogue in Byculla marks 150 glorious years today. The sky-blue colour building with its imposing structure has been an important part of the city's rich history. For the Jewish community in the city, the Magen David synagogue has been an integral part of their life. Since the state of Israel was proclaimed in 1948, Jews from Mumbai as well as

Govt racing against time for Lokpal bill

Law Minister Salman Khurshid said several top government officials have not slept since last three days and have been working on the bill round the clock As the winter session of the Parliament is about to end soon, the government is racing against time to introduce the Lokpal Bill in the House. Law Minister Salman Khurshid said that several top government officials have not slept since last three days and have

Cost of middle Vaitarna Dam goes up by Rs 150 crore

The reservoir of the dam will now be dug two metres deeper than was originally planned, so as to stockpile larger amounts of water for droughts; officials hopeful of completing work by next monsoon The estimated expenditure to be incurred for building the ambitious Middle Vaitarna dam on the Vaitarna river -- the tallest dam in Maharashtra -- has risen by Rs 150 crore. The revised budget was cleared at the BMC's standing committee meeting on Saturday. The increased cost was sanctioned to make way for an altered design,

Monday, 19 December 2011

'How did the club get permission?'

After receiving complaints from residents living near Royalty club, members of H-west ALM express disbelief that the club was reopened in spite of protests For a relationship that has oscillated in the past between anger and frustration, residents of Waterfield Road in Bandra (W) are aggrieved again. Few days after Royalty, the swanky nightclub reopened, residents are at war again with the new owners of the club.Disturbing the peace: Residents living near the newly-reopened Royalty club say the loud music makes it difficult for them to

Duo arrested for selling fake demand drafts

Cops recover drafts of several international banks, four mobiles and two pen drives from the accused A South African and an Indian were arrested on Saturday by the Crime Branch for allegedly making fake demand drafts and selling them to businessmen at discounted prices. Officials from the Crime Branch (Unit VIII) acting on a tip-off nabbed Emmanuel Augustin, a resident of Johannesburg, and Ravinder Singh Harban Singh Vaccher, a resident of Mulund. According to the police, they received a tip-off that two people were carrying demand

Mourning kin, friends denied spot for protest

Relatives and well-wishers of the 21-year-old girl who allegedly died of a wrong blood transfusion were forced to carry out a vigil at KC College, when police shunted them away from Jaslok Hospital, where the incident occurred Family and friends of Deepti Makhijani, who allegedly died after she was given a wrong blood transfusion, received a rude shock when the police denied them permission to carry out a protest against the authorities of Jaslok Hospital, where the incident took place.

CST entry point to get Rs 10L makeover

Parcel depot near second access point on P D'mello Road to be shifted; food court, waiting rooms and other facilities to be added At a time when UNESCO has declared Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) as a world heritage site, the Central Railway (CR) authorities are taking baby steps towards converting it into a world-class station and making it commuter-friendly. However, if the officials are to be believed, then they had been requesting amendments in the rule (heritage structure) that would allow

Sunday, 18 December 2011

'I don't think Shah Rukh and I can ever be backslapping buddies'

As Priyanka Chopra awaits the back-to-back (December and January) release of two ambitious remakes -- Don 2 and Agneepath -- the actress is also busy shooting for Barfee, Kunal Kohli's next and Krrish 3. Sunday MiD DAY catches up with her for a t te- -t te on famous co-stars and the latest entrant in her life Your character in Don 2 character is being labelled a jungli billi's. Are you a 'jungli billi' off-screen as well?Yes, I am quite a 'jungli billi'. I stand up for myself and I won't tolerate being treated badly. That's jungli

RGV eyes the Taj

Director Ram Gopal Varma to shoot a film on 26/11 terror attack, seeks government permission to shoot at original sites of attack For 26/11 -- director Ram Gopal Varma's first international film on the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai -- realism is set to take on a whole new meaning. Varma has sought permission from the Maharashtra government and the hotel property owners to shoot the film at the Taj Hotel in Apollo Bunder, one of the sites of the attack. Though it's not clear if he will finally

Murder (almost) at Juhu Beach

While lifeguards claim they saw a woman being pushed into the water by her husband and have recorded the incident as per protocol, police chowky feigns ignorance about the incident On Saturday afternoon, lifeguards at Juhu Beach not only rescued a 19 year-old girl (name withheld) from drowning, but also probably foiled a murder attempt. Rescued under mysterious circumstances, the girl was allegedly being beaten up and drowned by her husband. (From left to right) Lifeguards Sagar

One lakh fake notes at ICICI

Bank lodged an FIR after it detected Rs 1,38,200 in fake currency notes during a routine check On December 16, the Manpada police station registered a case of a bank receiving fake currency notes by an unknown depositor. ICICI Bank, Dombivli Branch lodged a complaint after it detected Rs 1,38,200 in fake currency that was deposited to the bank. A bank manager at ICICI-MIDC branch in Dombivli confirmed the news, on the condition of anonymity. "We have received fake notes earlier also but not such a big amount," he said.When contacted, Kalpesh Kunt, in charge

Saturday, 17 December 2011

Sort of a honeymoon for Mr and Mrs A

India's No 1 spinner R Ashwin and his wife, Preethi were spotted entering a cab near the Patrick Street area on Thursday evening. Ashwin did not play the first warm-up tie but is expected to play the second game starting Monday. R Ashwin's wife PreethiA friend of Ashwin's revealed that the newly-wed were keen on spending some quality time together since the off-spinner dived into a Test match against the West Indies at Kolkata less than 24 hours after tying the knot

Sachin, Laxman, Sharma help India draw warm-up tie against CA Chairman's XI

Sachin (92), Laxman (57), Sharma (56) help India draw their warm-up match against CA Chairman's XI in CanberraOvercast conditions and the pace duo of Peter George and Jake Haberfield threatened to make life difficult for India's batsmen on the second and final day of the first-warm-up match here at the Manuka Oval yesterday. After opener Ajinkya Rahane was dismissed in the second over of the morning session, acting captain Rahul Dravid nearly registered a golden duck when he poked at a wide ball from Jake Haberfield. At the stage, head coach Duncan Fletcher must

Bharat Ratna: What about Vishy Anand?

The Bharat Ratna was originally meant to honour achievement in politics, literature, the arts and social service. Sachin Tendulkar deserves consideration for the honour, his alleged failure as a captain notwithstanding. However, has anyone spared a thought for Viswanathan Anand, a four-time world chess champion?It had to happen at some time. Desperate to win brownie points from the junta, as has been their habit from the time NKP Salve was a Union Minister and also top honcho of the Board of Control for Cricket

Rs 800 crore hangs in balance

An ambitious redevelopment project in Girgaum is on shaky ground as the state government is engaged in a fracas with the residents and developer, who want the original project to be recategorised under a 2009 scheme that will give them higher FSI and bigger homesAn ambitious redevelopment project worth a staggering Rs 800 crore in the Pimpalwadi area of Girgaum now stands suspended, having become the centre of a slugfest between the state Housing Department, led by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on one side,

Friday, 16 December 2011

Cops to lure wanted criminals with cash

Adopting a novel 'carrot-and-stick' method, the Mumbai police will send money orders to the residences of criminals on the run, and nab them the moment they emerge to receive the amount from the postman The Mumbai police have now come up with an ingenious, if not a tad bit expensive, new modus operandi to nab criminals who are skulking around in the underbelly of the city, having evaded the long arm of the law the lure of

Come visit this garden. It's worth Rs 142 crore!

Under renovation for the last four years, BMC has already spent Rs 105 crore & says it needs another Rs 37 crore to restore the 100-year-old S K Patil Udyan to its old glory In a city where breathing space is fast shrinking 1.95 sq m per of open space for every Mumbaikar as per a recent survey the civic body has deprived a section of the populace of a garden that was, once, all the rage with its patrons, but now only evokes rage by dint of having been made messy

Booie, the smoking chimpanzee, dies

A chimpanzee that kicked a smoking habit and used sign language to beg for candy has died at a California animal refuge.Martine Colette, founder of the Wildlife WayStation, said Booie was being treated for a heart condition when he died, at the age of 44.The chimp had been living at the animal sanctuary near Los Angeles since 1995, after he retired from a research lab.Colette said she successfully turned Booie away from his smoking habit but could not make a dent

No respite in sight

On day 57 of MiD DAY's Meter Down campaign, passengers found no abatement from the errant drivers who kept snubbing short distance fares, either by giving silly reasons or speeding awayPlace: Borivli (E)Time: 10.15 am-11.45 amOffenders caught: 3Commuter speaksYogesh Verma, who was refused a fare to Jogeshwari, said, "He (driver) told me that the auto didn't have enough gas. However, he readily ferried another passenger wanting to travel long distance."At loggerheads: An auto driver argues with a traffic cop over his apprehension. Pic/ Sameer MarkandeAuto driver speaksRam Pandey: "I wanted

Thursday, 15 December 2011

RPI demands land for Ambedkar memorial, blocks highway

Republican Party of India (RPI) activists staged a road blockade on the Eastern Express highway here Thursday to press their demand for 12.5 acres of a mill land in Dadar, central Mumbai, for a proposed memorial to Dalit icon Babasaheb Ambedkar. The protest came in the wake of the central government announcing that it will allot four acres of the Indu Mill land at Dadar instead of the entire 12.5-acre plot for the proposed Dr Ambedkar memorial. "We will strike with fresh protests if we are not allotted the

Six held for cheating people Mumbai

Six persons, including four of a family, have been arrested for allegedly cheating people on the pretext of ensuring friendship with high profile women, police said today. The accused were identified as Babu Shaikh (48), his wife Suzan Shaikh (45), daughter Nazma (23), son Izaz (20) and their two aides Sanjay Chhabria (30) and Abrar Shaikh (27), they said. According to police, the accused published a number of friendship club advertisements in English newspapers stating that those who become members of the club would get to meet high

He's got a ticket to Guide

Mehboob Studios in Mumbai will play host to a memorial service for Dev Anand tomorrow. His son, Suneil, who arrived from London with his father's ashes talks about his father's movies and keeping the legacy alive Dev Anand's 1965 movie, Guide, probably his most popular, is to be re-released in a technically superior version, according to his son, Suneil. The 88-year-old actor, who died in London on December 3, was cremated locally at Putney Vale cemetery and crematorium last Saturday. There will be a memorial service at Mehboob Studios in Mumbai, tomorrow

13-yr-old demands gifts or says 'Santa will die'

It is part of the sweet Christmas tradition for children across the world, penning a festive wish list to Santa, hoping they are not on the naughty list.While most youngsters do everything to keep on Santa's good side, one schoolgirl has torn up tradition and used her festive wish list to issue Father Christmas with an ultimatum: gifts or he gets it.Demanding Mekeeda Austin (13) warned Father Christmas that he will be "killed" if he fails to deliver at least two of

Wednesday, 14 December 2011

Replica of Shirdi Sai Baba temple in Mumbai

A replica of the Sai Baba temple in Maharashtra's Shirdi town will be recreated here as part of a four-day festival starting Dec 15, an organiser said Tuesday. The replica of the temple will have a 24-feet-tall idol of Sai Baba, the biggest ever created so far in Mumbai, which will be put up at the sprawling Bandra-Kurla Complex grounds for the Shri Sai Satcharitra Mahaparayan festival. Shridi Sai Baba idol that has been recreated in Mumbai. (Photo: IANS) The creative genius behind the effort is

Blood in the newsroom

With the arrest of a journalist in the J Dey murder case, the media is under the scanner. The recent launch of a novel, The Newsroom Mafia, probing the nexus between the media, underworld, the police and politicians, is particularly timelyAs J Dey's murder probe goes on, the arrest of Mumbai journalist Jigna Vora has raised uncomfortable questions about journalistic credibility. Writer and former journalist Oswald Pereira, who has seen it all as he says, in his fictional book, 'The Newsroom Mafia' exposes the ugly underbelly of the profession. Excerpts from the book

Duo raped 15-yr-old, circulated her MMS

An anonymous letter sent to the police about the circulating MMS clip lead to the arrest of the accused a year after the crime officials of the Meghwadi police station have arrested two people for allegedly raping a 15-year-old girl. The minor was lured by the accused into their home and then raped repeatedly, about a year back. The duo -- identified as Paresh Pure (22) and Avinash Sawant (24) -- also recorded their crime on a phone camera and circulated the footage as

'Sorry, no gas'

On day 55 of MiD DAY's Meter Down campaign, arrogant drivers kept on refusing short distance fares; some even asked proof for their refusalsPlace: Borivli Station (E)Time: 9.30 am-11.30 am Offenders caught: 7Commuters speakSwati Panigrahi said, "This is for the first time that I have come to Mumbai. I had never imagined that finding an auto in a big city like this would be a Herculean task."Mangilala Chaudhary said, "These auto drivers are no less than goons. I was on the lookout for

Tuesday, 13 December 2011

'Accidents are caused by drivers, not roads'

In the wake of the macabre accident on Palm Beach road that claimed four young lives on Sunday, NMMC officials blamed speed devils and an advertising blitzkrieg for the frequent accidents bloodying the stretch "Blame the drivers for speeding, not the corporation," insisted Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation Commissioner Bhaskar Wankhede yesterday, speaking to MiD DAY from Delhi. The commissioner was reacting to the brutal deaths met by four youngsters on Sunday morning, when their car hit a tree at high velocity in the Nerul section of the Palm Beach road. Crash

Rs 32,000 liquor seized at wedding party in Bandra

In one of the raids organised by the Excise Department on Sunday, to curb the use of illicit/spurious alcohol, the officials seized Goan liquor (imported from Goa) from a party hall in Bandra that was being served to the guests attending a wedding party.Requesting anonymity, a senior excise official, who was a part of the raiding team, said, "It was a random check and during our raid, we discovered cases of Goan liquor stacked up at the party. Apart from the legal liquor,

CR commuters have to wait and watch!

Although a system -- informing commuters the expected arrival time of the train at the platform -- was inaugurated eight months ago, the authorities haven't yet implemented it The wait seems to be getting boundless for the 37-lakh people on the Central line that use local trains for their daily commute. The Central Railway (CR) authorities haven't implemented the Train Management System (TMS), which they had inaugurated several months ago. About eight months ago, the then Railway Board Chairman Vivek Sahai inaugurated the

Dabbawalas to ride on Shiv Sena ticket

Financial constraints have forced the dabbawalas to turn to the saffron party for tickets to contest upcoming civic polls; many Sainiks disgruntled about dwindling number of seats left for themThey are unmatched in terms of punctuality, efficiency and managerial skills. But the city's dabbawalas, who are all set to give the city's corporators a run for their money when they contest the upcoming civic elections, have already met their fair share of hurdles, the

Monday, 12 December 2011

Mario: Wall to wall

Legendary artist Mario Miranda's 'Miss Nimbupani and Miss Fonseca' adorn the walls of some of the oldest and most preferred eating joints in South Mumbai Caf � Mondegar, ColabaKnown for creating characters like Miss Nimbupani and Miss Fonseca, Mario Miranda's paintings also adorn the walls of one of Mumbai's most famous hotspots in Colaba -- Cafe Mondegar. The Great wall of Miranda: Mario's cartoons on the walls of Caf � Mondegar have become an integral part of the caf �. Pic/Shadab KhanHoshang Yazdegardi, who runs the restaurant now

4 dead in Palm Beach mishap

In a freak accident, four youth lost their lives after their car rammed into a tree at Palm Beach road yesterday morning. The accident took place around 6 am, while they were returning home from a party at a bar in CBD Belapur.Collision course: The mangled remains of the car after it rammed into a tree at Palm Beach road yesterday morning. Cops say the driver of the vehicle lost control causing the accident. Pics/Gopal ShahAccording to Senior PI Rajkumar Chapekar of Nerul police station,

Cop lost Dawood dossiers, let off with a warning!

RTI query reveals ACP held accountable for misplacing crucial information related to India's Most Wanted was excused after a mere scolding; he has a track record that includes a graft case and custodial death of an accused.What do you think the Mumbai police -- compared to the best in the world for solving high-profile cases -- would do to an officer found responsible for misplacing 12 police files related to global terrorist and India's most wanted, Dawood Ibrahim? Jail? Vigorous interrogation? An inquiry, at least? What's

30-yr-old runs Rs 43 lakh phone bill in 20 days

VSNL customer arrested for providing fake address while registering for a wireless connection that he used to make international calls Worried about your high telephone bills? There is one telephone bill that got service providers worried. Last week, VSNL officials were taken aback to find that one of their customers made calls worth almost Rs 43 lakh in 20 days on a wireless landline connection he had recently signed up for. Further, in order to evade bill payment, the accused

Sunday, 11 December 2011

Cop with vet shop steals dog, sells it

Vakola police on the lookout for a suspended asst police inspector who has been absconding since a customer of his vet shop filed a case against him for stealing her canine A suspended assistant police inspector, who was earlier posted at Vakola police station, has been charged with stealing a woman's dog. In the doghouse: The suspended API, Tushar Kadam who runs a vet shop called Paws and Furs at CST, has been on the run, while his assistant Mangesh Sakpal was arrested by the police for stealing Tyson (below)The incident

Nigerian 'hubby' rapes, blackmails 23-yr-old woman

Dongri cops arrest 28-yr-old Nigerian for conning Dongri resident into believing they were married, takes obscene photographs and blackmails her A 28-year-old Nigerian has been arrested by the Dongri police for allegedly cheating a 23-year-old woman residing in Dongri. Cops said that the accused had taken obscene pictures of the woman and was blackmailing her with them. They also added that he had conned her into believing that they were legally wed.Representation picAccording to the

Cabinet meeting cancelled due to no show of ministers

Prithviraj Chavan had to cancel the pre-session cabinet meetings as just six ministers were present A pre-legislative session cabinet meeting, scheduled by CM Prithviraj Chavan, was cancelled due to no show of ministers, a day before the start of the winter session of the State legislature in Nagpur. Many ruling party ministers' asserted that a busy campaigning schedule for the forthcoming elections to over 150 civic bodies was the key reason that they were not in attendance. Opposition parties, however, alluded that

Kolkata fire: Congress workers dance to item numbers after tragedy

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's decision of not celebrating her birthday after the tragedy in Kolkata was not relayed to party workers in Mumbai. The Goregaon wing of the state party organised a celebration at a bar on Film City road, where party workers danced to raunchy Bollywood item numbers. Former Mumbai Congress chief, Union Home Minister Gurudas Kamat and Congress MLA Raj Hans Singh were at the party. Mumbai Congress spokesperson Nizamuddin Rayeen told Sunday MiD DAY that he heard about the incident and will initiate an enquiry after looking at

Saturday, 10 December 2011

Worried patients, relatives hound hospital staff on safety measures

The fire at AMRI hospital in Kolkata has instilled fear and uncertainty among patients and staff, even as hospitals are busy assuring patients that they are following safety norms. Radhika Shrivastava, whose 24 year-old sister is admitted at Aastha Health Care in Mulund for weight loss surgery, panicked after seeing the Kolkata fire news on television and immediately approached the authorities demanding to know about the hospital's fire security arrangements. Shrivastava was one among several patients and their relatives,

City's hospitals wake up to fire alarm

BMC to hold fire safety audits in civic and private hospitals starting Monday, even as patients and relatives express deep concern over fire equipment and preparedness of hospitals in Mumbai Learning a lesson from last Friday's disaster at South Kolkata's AMRI hospital that killed 90 people, including 85 patients, the Brihanmumbai Mahanagar Corporation (BMC) has started making detailed plans for inspection of fire safety conditions of city hospitals. Rescue workers evacuate a woman after a fire engulfed AMRI hospital in Kolkata on December 9. More than 90 people were killed, 85 of whom

Stress is killing the state's tribals

Lifestyle diseases are no longer the preserve of white-collar corporates. The acutely poor tribals of Melghat, a hamlet 850 kilometres from Mumbai, are suffering from hypertension caused by anxiety over their one square meal it's neither enough, nor nutritious While city slickers associate the term 'lifestyle disease' with white-collar affluence and an urban preoccupation with sedentary careers, 850 kilometres from Mumbai poverty-stricken tribals are discovering that their sorry lives are not immune to such diseases either. A Melghat infant eats a meal

India, or Rs 35 lakh?

It's a quandary no sportsperson should ever find himself in. India striker and Asian Champions Trophy hero Yuvraj Valmiki, who shares a 10x10 shanty with his family, can make Rs 35 lakh by playing in the World Series Hockey tournament at the risk of forfeiting his India jersey. Caught between the needs of an impoverished family and the threat of losing his place in the national team, the striker is in a situation that reflects the sad state of Indian hockey At 21, while most others his age

Friday, 9 December 2011

The shocking story of human zoos

Every year, countless people flock to Champ de Mars in front of the Eiffel Tower. However, about 100 years ago, the same sprawling garden used to be visited by hundreds of thousands of people to not only marvel at the creation of Gustave Eiffel but also to get amused and entertained by the 'exotic' people from faraway lands like Asia, Africa and Oceania, who were exhibited primarily because of their different size, ethnicity, culture

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