CM to review BMC’s development work today

Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray will conduct a review meeting of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) development and administrative work on Friday, with civic commissioner Praveen Pardeshi and other top officials. Some of the work which will be reviewed by CM includes initiatives for pedestrian safety such as footpath repairs and beautification, road repair work, maintenance and upgradation of public spaces such as open spaces, parks, and BMC’s policy on display of hoardings, posters and banners in the city.
“CM will review all the existing development work in Mumbai, and conduct a status check of big projects. Some issues from last meeting’s agenda are also planned for discussion,” a senior civic official said.
This is the second such review meeting by Thackeray with the civic body, since he took charge on November 29. On December 5, CM had visited the disaster management room at BMC headquarters. In a four-hour meeting, he had discussed the civic works related to infrastructure such as the Coastal Road, the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road, the drinking water project of Gargai dam, BMC’s finances, revival of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) and affordable housing for a slum-free city.
Siddhivinayak Temple Trust to donate ₹10 crore for vaccines
The Siddhivinayak Temple Trust has decided to donate ₹10 crore towards the pneumococcal vaccine programmes for infants in five tribal-dominated districts of the state. In a decision taken on Thursday, the trust announced that this fund will be utilised toward vaccinating 1.41 lakh infants up to 1 year, from tribal families in the Nandurbar, Palghar, Gadchiroli, Amravati and Nashik districts.
Pneumococcal vaccines are given to infants in three parts. Each vaccine costs about ₹800.
Aadesh Bandekar, the trust’s chairman said, “Pneumonia is one of the chief causes of infant deaths and is most prevalent among children from tribal families. Siddhivinayak Temple Trust wants to finance these vaccines for infants in the five tribal-dominant districts. The money will be donated to the state government, which can organise medical camps to administer these vaccines. If the state wants the trust to help with the medical camps, we can get experts and doctors on board for it.”
-
4 kids ‘test HIV positive’ after blood transfusion, NHRC notice to Maha govt
The National Human Rights Commission on Friday said it had taken suo motu cognizance of media reports about four children in Maharashtra's Nagpur testing positive for HIV with of them even dying following blood transfusion for treatment of Thalassemia. The rights panel said it had sought a report from the government of Maharashtra within six weeks. The NHRC said if the media reports were true, the incident amounted to violation of human rights.
-
Ex-Maha home minister Anil Deshmukh complains of chest pain, hospitalised
Former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh was admitted to KEM Hospital in Mumbai on Friday after he complained of chest pain. He is currently in jail in connection with a money laundering case. Notably, the Former Maharashtra Home Minister was arrested by ED in November, last year in connection with the alleged ₹100-crore extortion and money laundering case.
-
3 pilgrims on their way to Yamunotri shrines killed, 9 hurt as vehicle falls into gorge
Mussoorie: Three pilgrims including a driver from Maharashtra died while 10 others were seriously injured when the vehicle they were travelling in plunged into a deep gorge at Dabarkot between Orji and Sayana Chatti on the Yamunotri highway night on Thursday night, police said. The pilgrims from Maharashtra were on their way to Yamunotri shrines when the incident occurred, officials said.
-
Bengaluru: Bodies of 2 of 3 boys who drowned while swimming in lake found
An afternoon swim went awry after two boys drowned in the Dodda Gubbi lake in the Kothnur area of Bengaluru on Thursday. Search operations have recovered two bodies so far. A third body is still missing. The other two shouted for help when they couldn't spot the trio. An extensive search followed but failed to recover their bodies and had to be suspended after bad light on Thursday evening.
-
7 candidates elected 'unopposed' to Karnataka Legislative Council
All the seven candidates in the fray for the biennial election to Karnataka Legislative Council, slated to be elected by the Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs), were on Friday declared as elected "unopposed". The declaration paved the way for the BJP to gain a majority in the Upper House as four out of the seven new members are from the ruling party, two from Congress and JD(S) one.