Maharashtra government to open Pune’s Yerawada prison for jail tourism
School students will be charged Rs5, while college students will have to pay Rs10. For the general public, the fare will be Rs50
By Swapnil Rawal, Mumbai
UPDATED ON JAN 24, 2021 12:38 AM IST
Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh announced that the state will start jail tourism by throwing open Pune’s Yerawada prison to public, including students and researchers. Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar will inaugurate the facility on Republic Day.
Subsequently, other prisons will be taken up for jail tourism, the minister added.
Spread on over 500 acres, Yerawada jail is historic, as several freedom fighters, including Mahatma Gandhi and Subhash Chandra Bose, have been jailed there, Deshmukh said. Terrorist Ajmal Kasab, who was captured and tried for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, was hanged in the jail in November 2012.
“In the first phase, we will start jail tourism with Yerawada jail. It has historic importance. Cells where Mahatma Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose, Motilal Nehru were lodged will be opened to visitors. Information will be given to visitors about their time in prison. Besides that, the place where the Pune Pact was singed between Gandhiji and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, will also be made open,” the minister said.
The visitors will be charged nominal fees, the minister added. School students will be charged ₹5, while college students will have to pay Rs10. For the general public, the fare will be Rs50.
Deshmukh added that the state has ensured that there is no contact between visitors and current inmates during the visits.
Maharashtra sees 10K new Covid cases for the first time in 2021
By Naresh Kamath, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON MAR 06, 2021 01:21 AM IST
Maharashtra on Friday saw 10,216 new Covid cases in a day, crossing the 10,000-mark for the first time this year
‘70 species of waterfowl found at 99 sites along Maharashtra coast’
By Prayag Arora-Desai, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON MAR 06, 2021 01:14 AM IST
A two-year study by researchers at the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) wit the state angrove cell has recorded a total 70 species of waterfowl, including nine threatened species, at 99 monitoring sites, spread over Maharashtra’s 702-kilometre coastline.
Mumbai: Bank staff dupes 73-year-old, flees with ₹1.3 crore
By Megha Sood, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON MAR 06, 2021 01:07 AM IST
Andheri police launched a manhunt for a female employee of a private bank for allegedly cheating a 73-year-old man to the tune of ₹1.3 crore by befriending him after she realised that he had substantial amount invested in fixed deposits with her bank.
After IndiGo, SpiceJet opts for electric taxiing to save fuel
By Neha LM Tripathi, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON MAR 06, 2021 01:05 AM IST
Experts say the electric taxiing system helps reduce emissions, save fuel and improve efficiency of ground operations.
Elgar Parishad 2021: Sharjeel Usmani moves Bombay HC to quash FIR
By KAY Dodhiya, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON MAR 06, 2021 01:02 AM IST
In his petition Usmani claimed the FIR was a political gimmick by advocate Pradeep Gawade, regional secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), youth wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Maharashtra: Sanjay Raut refutes allegations by Kalina woman
By KAY Dodhiya, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON MAR 06, 2021 12:59 AM IST
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Friday refuted the allegations of stalking and harassment made against him by a Kalina-based psychologist and informed the Bombay high court (HC) that the petitioner was like a daughter to him.
From September 2020 to February 2021, 1,480 tested positive for Covid-19 at Mumbai airport
By HT Correspondent, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON MAR 06, 2021 12:53 AM IST
In February, CSMIA registered over 80,923 tests in February. Altogether, in six months, over 2,20,000 tests have been conducted at the city airport.
Raj Thackeray travels without mask to Nashik amid Covid-19 surge
By Naresh Kamath, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON MAR 06, 2021 12:48 AM IST
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray travelled without wearing a mask and even asked former Nashik mayor Ashok Murtadak to remove his mask when he came to greet him.
Mumbai civic body shuts restaurant after 10 of 35 staff test positive for Covid-19
By HT Correspondent, Mumbai
UPDATED ON MAR 06, 2021 12:45 AM IST
The infected 10 staff members were shifted to Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) jumbo facility and high-risk contacts of the positive patients were traced and quarantined in an slum rehabilitation authority (SRA) building in Jogeshwari.
Phase 3 of vaccination: Mumbai crosses 50,000-mark in 5 days
By Mehul R Thakkar, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON MAR 06, 2021 12:41 AM IST
22,158 citizens got the vaccine on Friday, taking count to 58,104 citizens — 52,777 aged above 60 years and 5,327 aged 45 years and above.
Mumbai: Panel gets more time to submit report on privilege motions filed against Goswami, Ranaut
By Surendra Gangan, Mumbai
UPDATED ON MAR 06, 2021 12:36 AM IST
The Legislative Assembly and Council on Friday extended the time given to the breach of privilege committee to complete the proceedings and submit its report in the breach of privilege motions filed against Republic TV’s editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami and actress Kangana Ranaut
Mumbai: Cricket academy using Oval Maidan despite ban, claim residents
By Eeshanpriya M S, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON MAR 06, 2021 12:34 AM IST
The Churchgate residents have complained that a sports academy has been continuing its operations at Oval Maidan, despite a letter from the deputy-director of sports, on Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) orders, to discontinue all sporting activities on all maidans
Maharashtra economic survey: Agriculture sector sees 11.7% growth
By Surendra P Gangan, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON MAR 06, 2021 12:20 AM IST
While all other sectors faced a massive hit owing to the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown, agriculture sector is expected to report a whopping 11
Economic survey: Maharashtra slips to third position in FDI investment
By Faisal Malik, Mumbai
UPDATED ON MAR 06, 2021 01:25 AM IST
The state slipped to third position in the first six months of this financial year in terms of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow, according to the economic survey report 2020-21
Maharashtra economic survey: Growth sees a Maha dip amid Covid-19 pandemic
By Surendra P Gangan, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON MAR 06, 2021 12:15 AM IST
Amid the Covid-19 pandemic that forced months-long lockdown, the state’s growth has slipped in the negative, -8%, in 2020-21, the lowest in history, according to the economic survey report presented in the Assembly by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Friday