Govt stays contract for 12cr aspirational toilets, orders probe
Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar ruled that the state govt must direct municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani to conduct a probe against additional municipal commissioner (City) Ashwini Joshi, who is pushing the aspirational toilet project and take action against her if any irregularities are found in the probe.
The BMC has claimed that three tenders were floated for 13 toilets worth around Rs 21 crore. Each toilet costs around Rs 1.65 crore.
However, 3 aspirational toilets were on open spaces so they were dropped. One toilet was in Dharavi which was dropped since the area is now part of the Dharavi Redevelopment Project. For the toilet near Sion Fort, BMC couldn't get permission from the Archaeological Survey of India and it was dropped.
The toilet at VB Worlikar Marg in Worli was cancelled after orders from municipal commissioner. At the moment, work is going on for seven toilets only that cost around Rs 12 crore.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Virginia: Gov Will Cover Cost To Install Solar For Eligible Homeowners In These Zips
Energy Bill Cruncher
Learn More
Undo
You Can Also Check:
Mumbai AQI
|
Weather in Mumbai
|
Bank Holidays in Mumbai
|
Public Holidays in Mumbai
The issue was raised in the Legislative Assembly by BJP MLA Ameet Satam through a calling attention motion. Satam said that the BMC has approved tenders for 14 'Aspirational Toilets' worth Rs 20 crore, and work has already commenced at five locations in A Ward.
"Despite the BMC's own Pedestrian First policy and the fact that these areas are surrounded by heritage buildings and precincts, these structures are not just toilets but effectively amount to BMC-sponsored encroachments on public footpaths. The local elected representative had opposed the construction of these toilets on footpaths. Was this opposition taken into account by the BMC?"asked Satam.
Aspirational toilets have a European-style design with smart features like automatic flushing, sensor-based lighting and ventilation, and even voice assistance.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
21 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Best of BS Opinion: FTA with UK a clear shift in India's stance on trade
India and the UK last week signed on to free trade agreement that promises to be the most expansive the former has had in a few years. But more importantly, says our first editorial, it marks a shift in India's thinking on trade. How far that will carry remains to be seen, especially in the ongoing talks with the European Union, where India might have to concede some more ground in return for the outsize opportunities it can get from the European bloc. India hasn't raised any hackles domestically with the UK FTA, but the real challenge will come when it's time to finalise a similar deal with the US, with which it runs a significant surplus, where both sides are seemingly locked in a staring contest. Our second editorial welcomes the Reserve Bank of India's financial inclusion index, which shows the country is doing better in providing access to financial services. However, more needs to be done in terms of transparency of the diverse data points, which would help make better policy easier. Since the central bank hasn't released a sub-indice-wise score, it is hard to tell where it is lagging, making it harder to target specific areas of concern. It also does not offer much by way of regional disparity, masking continuing financial exclusion of those in underserved regions. More granular data, our editorial says, would go a long way in formulating meaningful policy interventions. It is clear that US President Donald Trump truly believes that high tariffs are a must if America is to succeed, whatever that might mean. Meanwhile, the Yale Budget Lab estimates that US buyers will have to pay at least 20 per cent more at the till - the highest tariff rate in more than a hundred years. While developing nations are likely to face the brunt of these trade deals (Exhibit A: Philippines @ 19% export tariffs, zero on US imports), they are hedging that they will be better off than their peers, notes Mihir S Sharma. But does the US really want to bring some of these low-end manufacturing jobs back home again? Sharma points out that young Americans likely do not want the same jobs that the Greatest Generation or even the Boomers did; it certainly would not bode well either for their weekly cheques or for the US' productivity. L'affaire Jane Street lays bare structural flaws in India's derivatives market, writes Debashis Basu, as he identifies two key issues. The first, he argues, is that the indices used for the futures and options (F&O) markets themselves are flawed. The second is that the claim that derivatives markets enable efficient price discovery and helps investors manage risk is incorrect because the large volumes are limited to just two indices - the Nifty50 and the Bank Nifty (and a bit to FinNifty). To elaborate on his proposition, he considers index construction and the efficiency of the F&O market. The former, Basu writes, is lopsided because of skewed weightages, while the latter has nothing to do with the cash market, making price discovery illusory, liquidity superficial, and hedging merely theoretical, all because the F&O market is limited to two indices, despite the NSE having launched over a dozen other indices. In her review of Sugata Srinivasaraju's The Conscience Network: A Chronicle of Resistance to a Dictatorship, Aditi Phadnis is struck by the author's meticulous research, nuance, and restrained elegance. The book, as she notes, approaches one of the most seminal moments of Indian democracy - the imposition of Emergency - from an angle not many are aware of: the resistance provided by Indians/Indian-Americans living in the United States. These men and women fought against the curtailment of democratic norms and civil rights, inspired by both American values as well as by Mahatma Gandhi and Jayaprakash Narayan, better known as 'JP'. Coincidentally, American democracy had just gone through its own wrenching democratic upheavals - the Vietnam War and Watergate - which helped Indians there find space to voice their protests.
Economic Times
21 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Stock futures rise as Trump, EU reach tariff deal
Stock-index futures climbed after the European Union struck a deal with President Donald Trump that will see the bloc face 15% tariffs on most exports, averting a potentially damaging trade war. ADVERTISEMENT S&P 500 contracts rose 0.4% and those for European stocks jumped 1%. The euro was slightly stronger against the dollar after the US-EU deal. Asian shares fluctuated at the open as Japanese equities declined 0.4%. Treasuries dipped slightly with yields on the 10-year gaining one basis point to 4.4%. Gold edged lower and oil was marginally higher. Investors are bracing for a busy week of data - including meetings of the Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan - and earnings from megacap companies that could set the tone for the rest of the year in markets and the economy. Stocks have risen from their slump in April as investors speculate the US will strike trade deals with countries and that will help avoid significant damage to company earnings and the global economy. 'A US trade deal with the EU sets the markets up for a positive start to the week, although market participants also confront one of the busiest weeks on the economic calendar for the year,' wrote Kyle Rodda, a senior market analyst at in and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the EU deal on Sunday at his golf club in Turnberry, Scotland, although they didn't disclose the full details of the pact or release any written hard-fought deal will see the bloc face 15% tariffs on most of its exports, including automobiles, staving off a trade war that could have delivered a hammer blow to the global economy. ADVERTISEMENT Meanwhile, the US and China are expected to extend their tariff truce by another three months, the South China Morning Post reported. The report comes ahead of trade talks between US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in Stockholm on in Asia, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba signaled he intended to stay in office despite a growing number of calls within the ruling party for him to step down. Later in the week, the Bank of Japan is set to keep interest rates unchanged with traders on alert for any signs of future guidance by the central bank. ADVERTISEMENT This week will also bring a US jobs report, while Magnificent Seven members Apple Inc., Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Meta Platforms Inc. are all due to report numbers. Robust corporate earnings have bolstered investor confidence in US stocks, as companies head for their highest share of beats since the second quarter of in trade deals, positive economic data and corporate resilience have offset worries that stocks are overheating. More than 80% of S&P 500 companies have exceeded profit estimates, according to data compiled by Bloomberg Intelligence. ADVERTISEMENT However, the risk of a bubble in stock markets is rising as monetary policy loosens alongside an easing in financial regulation, according to Bank of America Corp.'s Michael geopolitical news, Thailand and Cambodia are set to hold talks Monday to discuss an end to their deadly border clashes after US President Donald Trump warned Washington wouldn't make a trade deal with either country while the conflict continued. ADVERTISEMENT (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel)
Time of India
39 minutes ago
- Time of India
Setback to lenders: NCLT replaces RP in Anil Ambani's loan guarantee case
NEW DELHI: In a setback to lenders, the National Company Law Tribunal has removed Jitender Kothari as the resolution professional (RP) in an insolvency case related to Anil Ambani 's personal guarantee to SBI for a loan to Reliance Communications . NCLT appointed Prashant Jain as the new RP. In Sept 2016, Ambani had given a personal guarantee for a Rs 1,385-crore loan, which was retrospectively classified as an NPA effective late Aug 2016. Kothari was appointed RP in Aug 2020. A few days after his appointment, the RP sought multiple details from Ambani, including details of a case in a British court. The insolvency action had been challenged in Delhi HC and the SC. In May 2021, the RP filed his report in NCLT, recommending admission of company petition for insolvency resolution despite Ambani's lawyer seeking more time, citing restricted mobility due to Covid. A few days later, Ambani's lawyer wrote that the RP can only seek information from SBI. Meanwhile, the businessman's writ petition in SC was tagged along with one Surendra Jiwarajka, which was finally decided in Nov 2023. Ambani has accused the RP of "acting in undue haste and denying him fair and proper opportunity" to provide information. Besides, the RP is accused of exceeding the mandate under IBC in seeking "unrelated information". The RP denied the charges and SBI supported it, while arguing that the matter had been pending with NCLT for a long time and the case was being delayed. In its order on July 15, the benchsaid that in light of Covid-related disruptions, Ambani should have been given "a fair opportunity" to provide information to the resolution professional. "Instead, we note that the RP didn't even wait for adjudication of his application pending before this Tribunal seeking relaxation of 10 days' timeline and a cross application of the applicant before this Tribunal requiring more time in view of Covid restrictions. " "Though, we do not find any negligence or explicit bias on part of the RP in this case, however, we are of considered view since the insolvency resolution process after commencement has to be run in close coordination of debtor and RP," it said. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
