1. BJP to go Solo in 2022 Mumbai Civic Body Polls Against Sena
Days after the Shiv Sena snapped ties with the BJP, the latter on Sunday decided to contest the 2022 Mumbai civic body elections on its own.
The Sena has been controlling the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the country’s richest civic body, since the last 30 years.
“The BJP has decided to contest the upcoming BMC elections on its own and come to power. We will have our own Mayor for sure. By January 1 next year, the BJP will complete most of its party-level appointments including the state president,” state BJP president Chandrakant Patil said.
Source: The Indian Express
2. Compensatory Afforestation for GMLR Near Chandrapur
Despite cutting no trees for the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road Project (GMLR), the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will carry out compensatory afforestation of a 19.43-ha plot parcel near Chandrapur, as a pre-requisite for permission from the Maharashtra forest department for constructing a tunnel under the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) as part of GMLR.
BMC has identified land from compensatory afforestation at villages near Tadoba in Chandrapur, and is now looking for a consultant to carry out the transaction and purchase of the land.
Source: Hindustan Times
3. Shivaji University in Kolhapur Should be Renamed to Include ‘Maharaj’: Uddhav
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said Shivaji University in Kolhapur should be renamed Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vidyapeeth. Thackeray said all institutions should use the full name of the warrior king to show their highest reverence while hinting that Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport may also be renamed to include ‘Maharaj’.
“The Shivaji University in Kolhapur should be renamed Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vidyapeeth… We have to show proper respect towards Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, who is highly revered and worshipped in Maharashtra… It is improper to address the university by just the first name of Shivaji. We have to give it his full name. Similarly, Mumbai International Airport, named after Chhatrapati Shivaji, should also incorporate the word Maharaj,” the chief minister said.
Source: The Indian Express
4. Metro-3 Cuts Its Path Towards Smoother Travel
The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) is set to complete 100% tunnelling work between Marol Naka and Seepz — as part of the 33.5-km Metro-3 corridor — by December 12. Around 2,500 workers and more than 350 equipment are at work on the 7.09-km Marol Naka-Seepz stretch, which will be the first of the seven packages of the underground Metro corridor to be completed.
MMRC, which is executing the Colaba-Bandra-Seepz line, has completed 70% of the tunnelling on the entire stretch with 23 tunnel breakthroughs. The 24th tunnel breakthrough is expected next week at Seepz.
Source: Hindustan Times
5. Central Railway To Track Relief Vans Via GPS
The Central Railway (CR) on Friday announced that the Accident Relief Medical Vans (ARMV) in their fleet have been equipped with satellite tracking Global Positioning System (GPS) to ensure speedier aid in case of major accidents.
The ARMVs and accident relief trains (tool van, cranes, and self-propelled accident relief vehicles) are vital for rescue and restoration work during rail emergencies. Presently, the CR has a fleet of 31 accident relief trains spread over five divisions of Mumbai, Pune, Solapur, Bhusawal and Nagpur. They can now be live-tracked on Google Maps and on mobile app in real time. The technology has been developed internally by CR's mechanical department.
Source: Midday
