Mumbai NGO to hold march to oppose Kurla Dairy land handover for Dharavi redevelopment
Local residents opposed the relocation of Dharavi residents to this plot, pointing out that former CM Eknath Shinde had promised the plot would be developed as an open space.
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Hindustan Times
44 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Maha education officers threaten indefinite strike from August 8 over Shalarth fraud arrests
Pune: A massive protest erupted across Maharashtra's education department on Friday as hundreds of officers and employees observed a mass leave in protest against the arrests of officials in the alleged Nagpur Shalarth ID fraud. Senior officials, including directors and gazetted officers, participated in a protest held outside the Central Building in Pune. The protesters warned of an indefinite mass leave agitation starting August 8 if their demands are not addressed. Maha education officers threaten indefinite strike from August 8 over Shalarth fraud arrests A Shalarth ID serves as a unique digital identifier assigned to teachers and staff working in government and aided schools across Maharashtra. It is essential for managing salary disbursements, accessing service records, and availing employment-related benefits through the state's centralised payroll system. In Nagpur, several teachers and staff members allegedly obtained bogus Shalarth IDs by paying bribes to school managements and education officers. Investigations suggest that some of them actively colluded with officials to create fake identities and open fraudulent bank accounts, receiving a cut from the misappropriated government funds. On July 18, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis informed the state assembly that the estimated scale of the fraud could range between ₹1,000 and ₹ 3,000 crore. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe the matter. In the wake of the revelations, School Education Minister Dada Bhuse has suspended Mumbai's deputy director Sandeep Sangave, while Ulhas Narad, the deputy director of education in Nagpur, has been arrested. The protest was triggered by ongoing police action in the Shalarth ID fraud case, where, till now, 17 officers from the education department have been arrested. The case involves allegations of creating 547 fake Shalarth IDs to embezzle around 100 crore. Among those who joined the protest were primary education director Sharad Gosavi, secondary education director Mahesh Palkar, and planning director Krishnakumar Patil, along with several other senior gazetted officers. The protest was organised by the All Maharashtra Gazetted Education Officers' Association. During the protest, education commissioner Sachindra Pratap Singh held discussions with association leaders, but no resolution was reached. The association reiterated that unless the government provides clear assurances and meets its demands, a full-scale indefinite strike would begin on August 8. Sheshrao Bade, president of the Akhil Maharashtra Rajya Shikshan Seva Rajpatrit Adhikari Sangh, said, 'We are not against inquiries, but justice cannot be sacrificed for the sake of urgency. Our demand is simply to ensure a fair and transparent process before taking punitive action.' The agitation has received strong backing from several other bodies, including the extension officers' Union, the Headmaster's Federation, the Non-Gazetted officers' Association, and various teachers' unions. L
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Tech-driven reforms to make revenue dept efficient and people-oriented: CM
Nagpur: The revenue department is the backbone of the state's economic development and must become more dynamic, transparent and people-oriented through the adoption of modern tools, said chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday. Fadnavis was speaking at the concluding seminar of two-day revenue conference held at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Nagpur on August 2 and 3. During the two-day event, small groups of 8-9 collectors and officials held direct discussions with the CM, revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, chief secretary Rajesh Kumar, and other top officials. A range of topics were discussed focusing on ease of doing business, ease of living, land management, service delivery and administrative bottlenecks. The state brass asked collectors to share suggestions, reforms, and feedback that could be implemented at the state-level. Based on these inputs, practical, feasible, and high-impact best practices are likely to be adopted in the coming months. Resolutions outlining the accepted reforms and their implementation strategies will also be released, said sources. "The recommendations submitted by various study groups at this conference will act as a guideline for upcoming policy decisions," Fadnavis said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Is this legal? Access all TV channels without a subscription! Techno Mag Learn More Undo He emphasised that the state is determined to use technology to strengthen the revenue system and ensure that no citizen is deprived of benefits due to outdated procedures or lack of transparency. Sources said suggestions made by collectors and divisional commissioners now lay the groundwork for reforms, which are expected to be fully functional in the coming months. The aim is to integrate many of the field-level innovations and feedback into state-level policy, especially in digitising records, simplifying procedures and speeding up approvals. The conference, part of the ongoing Revenue Week (August 1–7), was attended by all collectors of all 36 districts, six divisional commissioners, and additional chief secretary (revenue) Vikas Kharge. It marked a first-of-its-kind effort to hold in-depth policy discussions inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's model of segmented group meetings. The committees, led by divisional commissioners, presented detailed reports and PowerPoint presentations outlining the challenges and reforms needed in land documentation, online service delivery, encroachment regularisation, and subsidy disbursal. Officers also pointed out the pressing need to enhance coordination between departments and standardise systems at the taluka and sub-divisional levels. Officials expressed confidence that the brainstorming sessions and exchange of ideas would serve as a roadmap for structural reforms in the department. Several officers described the experience as a "guide for future progress," noting that this was the first time such a wide-ranging interaction had taken place directly with the state's top leadership. While Revenue Week continues with public-facing initiatives like lease distribution, encroachment removal, and DBT disbursals, the IIM conference marked a decisive shift toward institutional reform, with senior ministers and bureaucrats agreeing on the urgency of system-level improvements. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Time of India
PCMC to post draft DP in Marathi for wider reach deadline to send views long over
Pune: The state govt has told Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) to translate its draft Development Plan (DP) into Marathi and republish it online for better public understanding. The original draft, published in English this May, was open for public suggestions and objections until July 14. The demand for a Marathi version came from Maval's Shiv Sena MP Shrirang Barne who wrote to the state govt last month stating that many residents were unable to submit their objections to the proposed reservations mentioned in the draft due to lack of understanding of English. In response to his letter on July 6, the state govt, on July 30, instructed PCMC to act on the request, citing instructions from the office of deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde. You Can Also Check: Pune AQI | Weather in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune PCMC's commissioner Shekhar Singh told TOI, "As soon as the demand was brought to our notice last month, we reached out to the Directorate of Marathi Language to initiate the translation of the draft Development Plan." He clarified that the statutory timeline will remain unaffected and the draft will not be reopened for additional suggestions or objections. Barne, in his letter to Shinde, said, "As per section 4(2) of Maharashtra Official Languages Act 2021, all municipal corporations and councils in the state should do their administrative works in Marathi. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buying a Luxury Villa in Dubai: Step-by-Step Guide Villa for sale in Dubai | Search Ads Learn More Undo by Taboola by Taboola Similarly, as per section 3(1) of the Maharashtra Local Authorities (Official Languages) Act 2022, it is mandatory for local bodies to use Marathi for all administrative purposes." The Shiv Sena MP added that govt should intervene to publish the draft in Marathi. The municipal corporation received over 49,500 suggestions and objections from citizens. The civic body has already initiated the process of segregating them to prepare for final hearings which will be conducted by the state govt-appointed committee. As per the standard procedure, the committee will prepare a final version of the draft after hearings, which will be sent to the state govt for final approval. Dhanaji Yelkar, convenor of Swabhimani Ghar Bachao Movement, formed to oppose the proposed HCMTR project in the draft, said there is no point in translating the draft when people cannot object to it. Sanjeevan Sangle, chairman of Chikhali Moshi Pimpri Chinchwad Cooperative Housing Society Federation, said the municipal corporation should allow citizens to file their objections after the translated draft is published. A senior civic official said that DP drafts are prepared in English due to the content's technical nature, and no previous attempts were made to publish them in Marathi. Several municipal corporations in the state recently published their drafts, and all of them were in English, he said. The officer further clarified that there are no legal mandates to prepare these drafts in Marathi. MLAs and MLCs from Pimpri Chinchwad voiced strong objections to the reservations listed in the draft Development Plan (DP), demanding its cancellation. They also raised the issue during the recently concluded assembly session, alleging that the committee responsible for drafting the plan imposed reservations on many residential structures. BJP MLA from Chinchwad Shankar Jagtap said, "The whole draft was prepared using wrong methods as reservations were also proposed on properties where building permissions were granted by the municipal corporation." Another BJP MLA Mahesh Landge said at least 850 reservations from the old DP were again mentioned in the draft. "The civic body has put reservations on many religious temples, which must be cancelled, and the hearings of all the objections must happen in an unbiased manner," he said. Several religious groups also expressed concerns over the proposed reservation for a slaughterhouse in Moshi, located about 4 km from Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj temple in Alandi. In response to the public outcry, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, during a public event last month, announced that this reservation would be withdrawn. Minister of state for urban development, Madhuri Misal assured the legislators that the draft could be cancelled by the CM if it was found beyond rectification. However, she said that it would be wrong to cancel it before conducting hearings on the objections. "Govt will ensure that there is no injustice to anyone when the final draft is approved," she added. Head: Area covers 173.24 sqkm Draft DP for PCMC was published online for citizens on May 16 Citizens had time until July 14 to file their suggestions and objections Over 49,500 suggestions and objections were received from citizens on the draft The draft DP covers a 173.24 sqkm area and was prepared keeping in mind the projected population (Pimpri Chinchwad) of 42 lakh in 2031 and 61 lakh by 2041 What Next? PCMC will segregate the suggestions and objections to avoid duplication Similar demands will be clubbed, and the final list will be kept for hearings A state govt-appointed committee will conduct public hearings on these matters The final draft will be sent to the chief minister for approval Instead of raising the language issue, the MP should have demanded cancellation of the draft. He realised it very late, and it is just an attempt to show that he is doing something for people. If he wanted to, he would have approached his party chief Eknath Shinde, who leads the urban development ministry, and got the draft cancelled Dhanaji Yelkar I Convenor, Swabhimani Ghar Bachao Movement Many people who were unable to understand Marathi failed to file their objections, and they should be given the opportunity as civic bodies are run for them. Abrupt decisions are taken by civic administration in the absence of an elected govt Sanjeevan Sangle I Chairman of Chikhali, Moshi, Pimpri Chinchwad Cooperative Housing Society Federation Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !
