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NDTV
15-07-2025
- Business
- NDTV
'Not Irrational, Arbitrary': Jetty Near Gateway Of India Cleared By High Court
Mumbai: In a major boost for Mumbai's coastal infrastructure, the Bombay High Court on Tuesday dismissed a series of public interest litigations challenging the construction of a passenger jetty and terminal near the iconic Gateway of India. Affirming its legality and public necessity, the court gave its nod for the ambitious waterfront project, being carried out by the Maharashtra government and Mumbai Maritime Board (MMB), but also issued directives to ensure that public interest and statutory safeguards remain paramount. The verdict came after months of heated arguments between local residents' associations, environmentalists, and the State. The petitioners, including the Clean Heritage Colaba Residents Association and prominent citizens raised concerns about environmental degradation, flawed site selection, heritage violations, and a lack of public consultation. Project In Public Interest, Not Arbitrary: Court Delivering the judgment, Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sandeep V Marne held that the project was a considered policy decision made in public interest and fell within the permissible framework of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) 2019 Notification. "The decision to locate the project near Radio Club, despite historical preference for Ferry Wharf, does not render it irrational or arbitrary," the court observed, adding, "Policy decisions cannot be interfered with unless they are manifestly arbitrary, which is not the case here." The court also noted that all relevant regulatory approvals, including CRZ clearance from the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA), heritage no-objection certificate (NOC) from Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee (MHCC), and permissions from the Archaeological Department and Mumbai Traffic Police had been duly obtained. Judicial Review Limited In Technical, Policy Matters Emphasising judicial restraint, the court cited past Supreme Court judgments that said courts must defer to expert bodies on infrastructure and environmental matters unless decisions are mala fide or ultra vires. The judges rejected the petitioners' argument that the proposed jetty could not be treated as a "standalone" facility. The project includes a 570-metre-long racquet-shaped jetty with 10 boarding platforms, a terminal with a VIP lounge, parking for 150 cars, cafes, a food court, and an amphitheatre. Despite these facilities, the court accepted the state's argument that these were ancillary to a passenger jetty, thus qualifying it for clearance by the state-level MCZMA rather than the central Ministry of Environment. Concerns Addressed A central plank of the petitioners' argument was a report submitted in 2000 by consulting engineers recommending Ferry Wharf as the most environmentally and operationally suitable site. However, the court found that the MMB was not bound by the two-decade-old report, especially in light of changing urban dynamics and expert inputs from subsequent Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) studies. "Even assuming Ferry Wharf was once preferable, the MMB's departure from it is not unjustified," the court ruled. "There is no obligation to follow prior expert recommendations in perpetuity, especially when alternate expert assessments have validated the current site." Critically Vulnerable Coastal Area? On the argument that the project falls within a "critically vulnerable coastal area," the bench held that the CRZ 2019 notification and subsequent amendments permitted construction of standalone passenger jetties in such zones, subject to safeguards. The petitioners' fear that the development would damage heritage views and marine ecology were also dismissed as speculative. The court also noted the extensive mitigation measures and the fact that similar projects in the vicinity had previously received clearances. Decongestion Benefits The court took note of the public benefit the project seeks to bring. It would "decongest the traffic and tourism load" at the Gateway of India and modernise the long-standing but outdated jetty infrastructure. The judgment emphasised that more than 3.5 million passengers currently use the makeshift jetties annually, often in unsafe and unsanitary conditions. The new terminal aims to provide secure boarding, emergency facilities, accessibility for the disabled, and structured traffic management. Safeguards While dismissing the petitions against the Colaba passenger jetty project, the court also issued a series of directions to ensure that the development does not violate environmental or heritage norms and remains within the regulatory framework. The directions are as follows: Mandatory compliance with approvals: The Mumbai Maritime Board and executing authorities must strictly adhere to all conditions imposed by the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority, Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee, the Archaeological Department, and the Mumbai Traffic Police. Any violation will be treated as non-compliance with statutory approvals. Ancillary facilities to remain secondary: Facilities such as the amphitheatre, food court, cafe, and VIP lounge proposed as part of the terminal are to remain incidental to the jetty's primary purpose as a passenger terminal. They cannot be expanded or operated in a way that changes the nature of the project into a commercial or recreational venture. Periodic monitoring by MCZMA: The MCZMA is directed to carry out regular monitoring of the project's construction and operational phases to ensure there are no unauthorised modifications or breaches of the Coastal Regulation Zone clearance. Environmental safeguards for marine health: The disposal of sewage, effluents, and grey/black water from terminal facilities and berthed vessels must be managed through approved systems as per the EIA plan. No untreated discharge will be permitted into the sea. Preservation of Gateway of India: The court directed that the jetty project must not obstruct the visibility, physical access, or structural integrity of the Gateway of India. The heritage precinct must remain undisturbed in both construction and operational stages. Construction impact reporting: The project proponents must assess and report the ecological impact of piling and marine construction activities, especially during monsoon and marine breeding seasons. These reports must be submitted to the MCZMA for oversight. No precedent for other CRZ projects: The court clarified that its approval for this project is case-specific. It cannot be cited as a precedent or justification for similar developments in other ecologically sensitive CRZ-I or CRZ-IV areas without a full and independent regulatory assessment.
Time of India
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Other Tongue: The Quiet Revival of EI Marathi
A year ago, when Chef Freny Fernandes opened Freny's in Bandra, she had no greater goal than to run a stellar East Indian restaurant in the city. Today, she's considered a cultural evangelist, thanks in part to the morsels she dishes out—on Instagram. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Her reels serve up a crash course in EI culture, with her 'word of the day'—bite-sized East Indian Marathi lessons that describe menu dishes and dining customs—a particular hit. Her followers, newly schooled in words such as tope (a poha-and-meat dish) and itroz (a pre-Lenten feast) tend to follow up lessons with a taste test. "I started storytelling to spread more information about who we are and what our language is about," she says, pointing out that East Indian Marathi is different from regular Marathi, with regional and ethnic variations within the dialect. Even as rabblerousers have brandished Marathi yet again as a yardstick, a linguistic Lakshman Rekha, its kindred East Indian Marathi, has been witnessing a dignified, inclusive and clever campaign for relevance. And at its vanguard are East Indians like 30-year-old Fernandes, whose promotion of the dialect on social media has kindled a new interest among people, especially young people, in their mai boli. East Indian Marathi is a dialect composed predominantly of North Konkan Marathi—with a mix of Portuguese and a sprinkling of English and Hindi words—that uses the Devanagari and Roman script. Spoken by Bombay East Indians (native Christians of the North Konkan) in Mumbai, Dharavi island, Thane, Uran and Vasai, the dialect varies in pronunciation, and sometimes meaning, across regions and ethnic subgroups. Over the years, its circle of influence started to shrink as urbanisation, education and social mobility privileged English. However in the past decade, EI Marathi has regained prominence thanks to organisations like the Mobai Gaothan Panchayat (MGP) that published the first EI dictionary in 2019 as part of its broader cultural revival project, and individuals like Mogan Rodrigues, who has been researching and writing about the language and culture. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Millennials and Gen-Z have joined their ranks, taking the message to a medium many consider their native place—social media. Candida Remedios, 34, gamified language learning through her Sunday quizzes on Instagram. She invited people to guess the original English title of a popular song or Hollywood movie that she translated into EI Marathi. Sutera Manus? Spider-Man. Navricha Bapus? Father of the Bride. "I started with the alphabet—a basic A-Z series of East Indian words to familiarise people with the language," she says. This was no linguistic lark; Remedios was chief project coordinator of the East Indian Dictionary. The EI dictionary, which sold 1,000 copies, will launch a second, expanded edition next year, says Gleason Barretto, its founder-editor. "Earlier, people bought it as a collectible; now they actually want to learn the dialect," he says. The best way to learn it, insists Mogan Rodrigues, is to speak it at home like he does. "My 8-year-old son is fluent in it," says the researcher, who has been compiling his own inventory of EI words. A convenient source of these is his mother, whose recent contribution to his lexicon was the word benja—the space between two fingers. "Nobody writes books or articles in this dialect," Rodrigues continues. But a sizeable body of literature has emerged in song. "Every year about 25-30 East Indian singing competitions are held throughout Bombay, for which people compose original songs on a range of themes, from news events to marital and housing problems. The songs are a record of our times," he states. Interestingly, it's the youth who are actively contributing to this social documentary. Triston Gonsalves, a 23-year-old resort manager in Uttan, is a rising star in the EI firmament, having participated in over 50 singing competitions and won over 30 prizes. His song Bapus (Father) scored 174K views on YouTube. "More young people are participating in singing competitions these days," observes Gonsalves, "And they make up about 60-70% of the audience," he adds, attributing their interest in community events to the cachet that cultural identity commands today on social media. Remedios believes people today want to talk about their roots, stories and folk songs. "And because reels are the most consumed format of content these days, many East Indian content creators have appeared on the scene," she says. They're designers, bodybuilders and amateur comedians, creating bilingual content in EI Marathi and English. And though they may not speak out as campaigners, they're nevertheless preserving the dialect—if only by speaking it.
Global News
10-07-2025
- Business
- Global News
Ottawa will extend temporary trade war employment insurance measures
The federal government is extending changes it made in March to the employment insurance program in response to the trade war with the U.S. The changes were meant to help businesses retain workers by reducing their hours and compensating them through employment insurance for lost wages. The changes to EI came into effect in April and were set to end on Saturday. Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu's office says the changes will apply until Oct. 11 and are expected to help 290,000 workers. The changes cap the threshold to qualify for regular EI benefits at 630 hours and allow claimants to qualify for an extra four weeks of benefits. The temporary EI changes were announced in early March, along with a $6.5-billion aid package to help businesses cope with the trade war. Story continues below advertisement 2:15 Ottawa expanding work-sharing program amid Trump tariff fight Steven MacKinnon, who was the labour minister at that time, said the measures were meant to help businesses avoid layoffs by allowing them to reduce hours and spread those hours among the same number of employees, with EI making up the difference in workers' compensation. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy On March 23, the government announced it was also temporarily waiving the one-week waiting period to receive EI benefits and allowing workers to start claiming EI while still receiving severance. Those changes are also set to be in effect until Oct. 11. At last month's G7 meeting in Alberta, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that he had set a 30-day deadline to come up with an agreement with the U.S. to put an end to the tariffs. Carney has been in regular discussions with U.S. President Donald Trump in recent weeks. The deadline for the deal is July 21. Story continues below advertisement Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand told reporters on Thursday she is 'hopeful that an agreement can be achieved,' but hinted it may not happen by the deadline. The tariffs targeting Canadian goods include a 25 per cent levy on imports that don't comply with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade, along with tariffs on steel, aluminum and vehicles.
Toronto Sun
10-07-2025
- Business
- Toronto Sun
Government extends temporary trade war relief measures for employment insurance
Published Jul 10, 2025 • 2 minute read A help wanted sign is pictured in a business window in Ottawa on Tuesday, July 12, 2022. Photo by Sean Kilpatrick / The Canadian Press OTTAWA — The federal government is extending changes it made in March to the employment insurance program in response to the trade war with the U.S. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The changes were meant to help businesses retain workers by reducing their hours and compensating them through employment insurance for lost wages. The changes to EI came into effect in April and were set to end on Saturday. Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu's office says the changes will apply until Oct. 11 and are expected to help 290,000 workers. The changes cap the threshold to qualify for regular EI benefits at 630 hours and allow claimants to qualify for an extra four weeks of benefits. The temporary EI changes were announced in early March, along with a $6.5-billion aid package to help businesses cope with the trade war. Steven MacKinnon, who was the labour minister at that time, said the measures were meant to help businesses avoid layoffs by allowing them to reduce hours and spread those hours among the same number of employees, with EI making up the difference in workers' compensation. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. On March 23, the government announced it was also temporarily waiving the one-week waiting period to receive EI benefits and allowing workers to start claiming EI while still receiving severance. Those changes are also set to be in effect until Oct. 11. At last month's G7 meeting in Alberta, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that he had set a 30-day deadline to come up with an agreement with the U.S. to put an end to the tariffs. Carney has been in regular discussions with U.S. President Donald Trump in recent weeks. The deadline for the deal is July 21. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand told reporters on Thursday she is 'hopeful that an agreement can be achieved,' but hinted it may not happen by the deadline. The tariffs targeting Canadian goods include a 25 per cent levy on imports that don't comply with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade, along with tariffs on steel, aluminum and vehicles. — With files from Dylan Robertson Toronto & GTA Toronto & GTA Toronto Blue Jays World Canada
Cision Canada
10-07-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
Federal government extends Employment Insurance temporary measure to help workers impacted by U.S. tariffs
GATINEAU, QC, July 10, 2025 /CNW/ - Tariffs imposed on Canadian goods by the United States and other trading partners continue to hurt Canadian workers and employers. In response, the federal government introduced measures to support workers with timely and reliable access to Employment Insurance (EI) benefits, particularly those in sectors and regions heavily impacted by US tariffs. Today, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario, and the Honourable John Zerucelli, Secretary of State (Labour), announced the extension of the temporary adjustment to EI regional unemployment rates until October 11, 2025. This decision continues to reduce the hours required to qualify for regular benefits to no higher than 630 hours and increases the weeks of entitlement by up to four additional weeks. The Government continues to be engaged in negotiations on a broader trading arrangement with the United States with a primary focus on getting the best deal for Canadian workers and businesses. At the same time, it is equally important to help affected Canadian workers access the income support they need during this difficult and uncertain time. Quotes "Workers are the backbone of the economy, and in the face of tariffs, we are putting forward measures that make a meaningful difference to their lives. These measures will help workers access the income support they need in the current economic uncertainty. Along with our efforts to create one Canadian economy, with more opportunities for Canadian businesses and workers, we are building the foundations for a Canada strong." – The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario "Unjustified tariffs are hurting Canadians, but we're standing with workers. This extension ensures continued income support as we push to end harmful trade barriers and protect good jobs across the country." – The Honourable John Zerucelli, Secretary of State (Labour) Quick facts On March 23, 2025, the federal government introduced new temporary EI measures to support Canadian workers whose jobs are impacted by the current economic uncertainty caused by these tariffs. These measures include: adjusting the EI regional unemployment rates upward by one percentage point in all EI regions, up to a maximum of 13.1%, with no region seeing an unemployment rate below 7.1%; temporarily waiving the one-week EI waiting period so that workers are able to receive benefits for the first week of unemployment, helping unemployed workers more easily adjust to a drop in income. All claimant types (regular, special, fishing) are eligible for this measure; and suspending the treatment of monies paid on separation (e.g. severance pay), so that these do not need to be used up before claimants are able to start receiving EI benefits. The measure extended today was set to expire on July 12, while the other two are in effect until October 11, 2025. Over 290,000 workers are expected to benefit from this extension. In addition to the three EI temporary measures, additional flexibilities to the Work-Sharing Program were also introduced in March 2025 to allow more businesses and employees to participate in the Program. The Work-Sharing Program provides EI benefits to eligible employees who agree with their employer to work reduced hours due to a decrease in business activity beyond their employer's control. This helps employers retain experienced workers and avoid layoffs and helps workers maintain their employment and skills while supplementing the reduced wages with EI benefits. As of June 28, 2025, Service Canada has signed more than 700 Work-Sharing Agreements with businesses and workers impacted by tariffs. These agreements cover almost 27,200 workers and are helping to avert almost 10,200 layoffs. Associated links The Government of Canada introduces new employment insurance measures to support Canadian workers impacted by foreign tariffs Follow us on X (Twitter) SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada
