Latest news with #Chembur-based
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
BMC plans hawker-free zones across all wards
Mumbai: A year after submitting a list of 20 hawker-free zones to Bombay HC, BMC is now planning to replicate the model across all civic wards. At a recent meeting, municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani directed ward officials to coordinate with local police and identify specific stretches that can be strictly monitored and kept free of illegal hawkers. These areas will be jointly supervised by civic and police staff to ensure consistent enforcement and pedestrian safety. A BMC official said, "Complaints about hawkers occupying footpaths and narrowing walking space have been increasing, especially in high traffic areas. We have been asked to address this through targeted enforcement. The commissioner has also instructed that additional manpower and machinery be provided to wards on demand. Consistent enforcement will send a strong message to hawkers and discourage them from returning. " In May, a dozen housing societies from Thakur village in Kandivli East had approached Mumbai North MP and minister Piyush Goyal, seeking his urgent intervention to address growing encroachment by illegal hawkers in their locality. They said hawkers had taken over roads and footpaths, and claimed that no action had been taken despite repeated complaints and peaceful protests. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Treatment That Might Help You Against Back Pain! Back Pain Treatment | Search Ads Undo You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai In a similar move, traders' body Dadar Vyapari Sangh alleged in a letter to BMC and police chiefs in Feb that the menace of illegal hawkers in Dadar had reached alarming levels. It said it had to discontinue a valet parking initiative it had launched due to lack of official support. Citizen activist Nikhil Desai said effective action is possible if BMC and police work in coordination. "Dadar TT, which is on the list of proposed hawker-free zones, continues to be overrun by hundreds of hawkers at any given time. The only sustainable solution is to relocate them to designated hawking zones." He also recalled how in March a ward officer who took action against illegal flower vendors outside Matunga station was abruptly transferred after facing political pressure. Rajkumar Sharma, president of the Chembur-based advanced locality management and networking action committee, felt authorities keep passing the buck. "Ideally, BMC officials should act against such encroachments before residents are made to take matters in their own hands and go to court."
Time of India
06-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
BMC's spl care waste collection yet to take off in some wards
Mumbai: While a large number of housing societies and other establishments have registered for the Domestic Sanitary Waste and Special Care Waste Service, housing societies in some wards have complained that the BMC is yet to offer proper sanitary waste collection services in their areas. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now More than four wards, which have registered societies and establishments, are facing problems in offering proper collection services. However, the civic body attributed this to vehicle shortages and logistic issues at the ward level, which they said would be resolved soon. "An office bearer of our society in the M-East ward approached the local ward office twice in the last two months to enquire about the special collection service. However, ward officials said they are yet to start the services and would inform the society once it starts," said a member of a housing society in Govandi. A senior civic official said, "The service is registration-based as of now. A few BMC wards are facing vehicle shortages and other logistic issues, which are currently being resolved." "The BMC should send a circular to the housing societies about the service. People should be made aware of what kind of waste falls into these categories," said Rajkumar Sharma from Chembur-based advanced locality management and networking action committee (ALMANAC). Dhaval Shah, director of Andheri Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizens' Association, said, "The civic body could have called a meeting of all ALMs and area residents' associations in various wards and informed them about the initiative. All we know about the initiative is through newspapers." The BMC started a dedicated domestic sanitary and special care waste collection and management service on April 22, and as of June 30, the civic body collected 61.5 tonnes of domestic sanitary and special care waste. As many as 1,919 establishments, including 1,140 housing societies, 677 beauty parlours, 27 hostels, and 75 educational institutions, registered for the collection service as of July 1. Currently, an average of 1.7 tonnes of such waste is collected daily and transported to six plasma incineration facilities within BMC jurisdiction.
Hindustan Times
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Failed MU law students discover that answer sheets were not fully evaluated
MUMBAI: In yet another serious systemic lapse, this time in the examination department, the University of Mumbai's (MU) law faculty failed several students, who later found that their detailed answers in their taxation law and Bharatiya Sakhshya Adhiniyam papers had not been assessed at all. After the results, announced nearly a month and a half after the exam, showed these unexpectedly low marks, the students requested photocopies of their answer sheets. They were shocked to find that responses worth nearly 50 out of 75 marks were marked as 'NA' (Not Assessed) during the online evaluation process. Altaf Detha, a student from a Chembur-based college, was among those who failed. 'When I saw my result, I was taken aback,' he said. 'I come from a commerce background and have also done a Company Secretary course. Taxation law is my favourite subject, and I have always scored well in it during college exams.' Following the disappointing result, Detha applied for a copy of his answer sheet and a re-evaluation. 'Even though I had written detailed answers to all the questions covering 50 out of 75 marks, those questions were not checked,' he said. 'At the end of the answer sheet, the evaluator simply wrote 'NA' against more than half the questions.' Another final-year student, who did not want to be named, faced a similar issue. His Bhartiya Sakhshya Adhiniyam (formerly the Indian Evidence Act) paper also had multiple answers left unchecked. 'We have complained to the university administration but no concrete action has been taken yet,' he said. 'Our entire careers are at stake. I pursued law with the aim of beginning legal practice. But with the Bar Council exam around the corner, we won't be able to register or apply for further education because of these errors.' When Detha and the other student visited MU's examination department, they found several other students there with similar complaints. Student organisations have stepped in, demanding urgent action. Advocate Sachin Pawar, a student activist, called the issue 'extremely serious'. 'This is nothing short of playing with the future of students,' he said. 'These repeated blunders, be they during online exams, in marksheets, or now in evaluation, show a serious flaw in the system. The university must act against those responsible or we will be forced to launch a strong protest.' Senate member Pradeep Sawant has also taken the matter seriously and demanded strict action against the culprits. Pooja Roundale, director, Board of Examination and Evaluation, said 'MU adopted the OSM (On-Screen Marking) computer-based answer sheet evaluation system from May 2017. With this system, examiners can check answer sheets online by sitting in the computer lab of their college. During evaluation, if some questions in the answer sheet are not solved by the students, or some pages are blank, the examiner records a remark like NA (Not Attempted) in the system.' Roundale further stated that the law faculty had very few evaluators. 'After reviewing the answer sheets of the students concerned, we found that it was on account of a human error, and action has been initiated against the evaluator concerned,' she said. 'The university will make necessary improvements in the computer system to prevent such human errors from happening again.'
Hindustan Times
18-06-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Raj Kapoor studio redevelopment project: MahaRERA directs Godrej Properties to refund homebuyers without interest
The Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) has directed Godrej Properties to refund, without interest, the amounts paid by six homebuyers for seven flats in its Chembur-based project, Godrej RKS, in Mumbai. Godrej Properties acquired the project from the Kapoor family for residential development, redeveloping the former film studio owned by the late Bollywood actor and filmmaker Raj Kapoor. The homebuyers had cited financial difficulties following the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason for seeking a refund. MahaRERA instructed that the agreements be terminated once the refund is processed. While ordering the refund, the authority clarified that it cannot alter the terms of the agreement at this stage and directed the developer to refund the amounts as per the original contract, without any additional interest. In its order dated May 29, MahaRERA noted that the developer had issued termination letters to all complainants between August 2021 and July 2023. It clarified that there was no delay in handing over possession; rather, the complainants had defaulted on the agreed payment schedules As per the agreements, payments were to be made in stages linked to construction milestones. All homebuyers had signed application forms or sale agreements that clearly outlined the terms of default. The Authority ruled that it could not alter these contractual terms and found that five homebuyers, each associated with one flat, were not entitled to the refunds they had claimed. Also Read: Godrej buys Raj Kapoor's iconic bungalow in Chembur for ₹100 crore Regarding the sixth homebuyer, who had purchased two flats, MahaRERA observed that the developer had issued a termination notice due to payment default. The Authority found the termination to be valid and stated that the developer is at liberty to proceed under Section 11(5) of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, to execute the cancellation deed. It also directed the complainants/allottees to cooperate and execute the cancellation deed. Additionally, MahaRERA instructed the developer to refund all amounts received from the homebuyer towards the consideration of the flats within 60 days from the date of the order, in accordance with the terms of the agreement. Upon receipt of the refund, MahaRERA directed the homebuyers to execute the cancellation deed within 30 days, on a date mutually convenient to both parties. The Authority also clarified that the homebuyers are not entitled to any interest on the refunded amount. Meanwhile, an email query has been sent to Godrej Properties. If a response is received, the story will be updated. Six homebuyers purchased seven apartments in the Godrej RKS project located in Chembur, Mumbai. Of these, five apartments were transferred to buyers through registered agreements for sale, while one was allotted via an allotment letter in 2020. According to the MahaRERA order, the total consideration value for the seven units was ₹28.80 crore, of which the homebuyers had paid ₹6.21 crore. Out of the six homebuyers, five approached MahaRERA seeking to withdraw from the project and requested a refund. They submitted that they had received termination letters from the developer stating that the entire amount paid had been forfeited. The complainants were also directed to return all documents related to their respective units. The homebuyers cited financial and personal hardships arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of which, they claimed, continues to affect them. Also Read: Over 29,000 complaints filed by homebuyers against 5,500 real estate projects in Maharashtra: MahaRERA data One of the six homebuyers stated that the developer had not executed a sale agreement and, after receiving a termination notice prior to the issuance of the Occupancy Certificate, was pressured via email to book another flat in a different project despite there being no such clause in the original application. The buyer also alleged that no clear calculation was provided regarding the non-refundable amount. The other four homebuyers claimed they had attempted to transfer their bookings to new buyers, but delays and a lack of response from the developer eventually led to cancellations. The sixth homebuyer, who had purchased two apartments, cited financial difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason for non-payment and expressed a desire to continue with the purchase. In response to the complaints, the developer stated that one of the homebuyers had accepted the termination letter and subsequently booked a flat in another project, Godrej Urban Park. Therefore, the developer argued, the complaint related to the Godrej RKS project was no longer valid. They also contended that there was no valid contract as no sale agreement had been executed. Since the homebuyer had defaulted on payments, the developer maintained it was within its rights to terminate the booking and forfeit a portion of the amount as per the agreed terms. Regarding the other four homebuyers, the developer said that there was no delay in possession. The Occupation Certificate (OC) for the project was issued in December 2023, well before the scheduled deadline of June 2024. As a result, the refund claims were not applicable under Section 18 of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016. The developer further noted that one of the complainants had filed duplicate complaints seeking the same refund, which it termed as a misuse of the legal process. In the case of the sixth homebuyer, who had booked two flats, the developer said the buyer failed to clear outstanding dues despite being given multiple opportunities. The developer argued that the homebuyer could not now seek an extension or request changes to the contract terms. It also said that the reliefs being sought were beyond the jurisdiction of RERA and that the developer had incurred financial losses due to the delays, for which it should be compensated. Also Read: MahaRERA update: Maharashtra regulator surpasses 50,000 project registrations in 8 years RK Films & Studios, the iconic film studio established by legendary actor and filmmaker Raj Kapoor in 1948, was located in Chembur, Mumbai. Set up just a year after India gained Independence, the studio became a significant part of Indian cinema history and was associated with several classic films over the decades. In May 2019, the Kapoor family sold the 2.2-acre property to Godrej Properties for real estate development. According to registration documents accessed by the land parcel measuring 9,655.10 sq. m was acquired for approximately ₹250 crore. Godrej Properties announced plans to develop a premium mixed-use project on the site, named Godrej RKS. The project was registered with MahaRERA in January 2020, with a scheduled completion date of December 2024. In January 2020, the company launched a luxury residential offering at the site, featuring 'Collector's Edition' three- and four-bedroom residences. The project's architecture draws inspiration from Bombay Art Deco, paying homage to the legacy and cultural significance of the original RK Studios.
Time of India
15-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Amid plan to shrink legacy waste, Deonar dump ‘grapples with' energy and bio-CNG projects
Mumbai: Even as the BMC floated a tender to clear up 185 lakh metric tonne of legacy waste at the Deonar landfill , two other major projects are underway at the same site spread across 311 acres. These are a waste-to-energy (WTE) plant set to process 600 MT daily and generate 7MW of electricity, and a bio-CNG plant designed for 1,000MT of waste. Experts caution the scale and overlap of these projects present serious execution challenges. Rajkumar Sharma, chairman of Chembur-based advanced locality management and networking action committee (ALMANAC), who is also on a six-member court-appointed committee to monitor and improve conditions at the Deonar dumping ground, said next month a committee meeting is planned where he will raise the issue. "How do they plan to distinguish between various projects on the landfill—whether it's the recent bioremediation, waste-to-energy (WTE) or bio-CNG projects ? Even after bioremediation is complete, the site will remain toxic for years due to the sheer volume of legacy waste. We continue to see fires erupt at the dump during summers because of the methane trapped underneath," Sharma said. Deonar landfill has been operational since 1927. On an average, the height of municipal solid waste at the dumping ground is 20 metre, and at some spots like near Rafiq Nagar it goes up to 40 metre too. The bioremediation tender mandates the contractor to clear 23,000 metric tonne of legacy waste every day—a target over three times Mumbai's daily waste generation of around 8,000 metric tonne. Activist Rishi Agarwal, though, said for the authorities, the first focus should be on reducing the incoming mixed waste at dump sites. "On one hand they are proposing to clear up legacy waste and on the other mixed waste continues to be brought in," said Agarwal, adding Rs 2368 crore is a lot of valuable public money and can be used for responsible waste measures to reduce the need for dumping grounds. While some say the targets are achievable if the BMC partners with the right technical experts, past delays aren't encouraging. Birju Mundra, a Mulund resident who through his company Vini-Agro Pvt Ltd in 2004 worked towards treating 61,229 tonne of waste in Gorai successfully, said, "We brought the mountain of waste to ground level through bioremediation. If the BMC ropes in the right partners, this legacy waste can be cleared," he said. However, if that doesn't happen, he said, it could see the fate like that of the Mulund dumping ground, which up to now has only 25 acres out of 59 acres reclaimed over seven years since the bioremediation work was initiated.
