*Jind:* A child marriage was stopped by a women's group, child marriage prohibition department and the police in Safidon city in the district, an official said.The bride was found to be of 16 years of age and the groom was 19-years-old, the official said.
Police was informed about the marriage in Geeta colony of the district after the bridegroom's family had reached the venue.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/apr/Begum-Parveen-Sultana-s.jpg
**
*Pics/Bipin Kokate*
(Above) Hindustani Classical music icon Begum Parveen Sultana had something to chuckle about with santoor exponent Pandit Satish Vyas before her performance at Nehru Centre last weekend; (below) the legend tunes her sitar on stage.**
*
*
*A salaam for these songs*
**
*A band from Cathedral and John Connon at a Lower Parel club. Pic/Atul Kamble*
Over the weekend, students of Cathedral and John Connon School let their music do all the talking. The school's musical group WE performed at a Lower Parel club to raise funds for underprivileged children from Salaam Bombay Foundation. The event, in its fourth consecutive year, witnessed gigs ranging from Pop and Jazz to Contemporary. The funds raised at the musical gala will be directed to aid children with lesser opportunities to receive advanced training in their chosen vocation of art, music and theatre. We like.
*A porky affair*
**Mumbai's foodies, especially those who have a soft spot for pork, would have tasted the culinary magic of chef Gresham Fernandes' (in pic) creations. For long, Fernandes has been hosting community dinners called Swine Dine, where he makes over a dozen dishes using every part of a pig. The first week of May will see the event return to the city, where it will be held at a Bandra café. While the dates haven't been fixed, we'll keep you posted on how it turned out; after all, this is one dinner where seats get filled up quickly. On your marks, get set, oink!
*Mumbai kicks off its sundowner*
**
*A frame from an earlier sport-themed event at the same venue*
In a city where the need to stand out in a crowd extends to party themes all the time, this one might catch the attention of the party-hopping junta. Recently, this diarist learnt that Copa, a popular nightclub in the 'burbs, has decided to embrace being healthy by tying up with a few big gyms and fitness platforms. They have planned a sundown fitness party unlike any this city has ever seen, they claim. This, we were told, will include fitness routines and dances such as Zumba, Bokwa and Masala Bhangra. Bollywood and TV celebrities are expected to attend this one-day event. We are supportive, but a tad confused. Although fitness enthusiasts may rejoice, what guilt prompted our nightclubs to take such a one-off measure? The verdict is still out on the coolness quotient of this one. Watch this space.
*April joy for the RBI*
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/apr/Amol-Patil-s.jpg
*Also read: Two students killed as cop's rifle misfires*
*The incident occurred when Amol Patil returned home after a party. Cops say he was possibly intoxicated.*
Amol Pandarinath Patil (38), is a businessman and a resident of Pandari Bhavan bungalow, Sarkar Residence in Dombivli (East). The licensed revolver he had in his possession has an issuing date of 2010 and will expire in 2017. He was issued the revolver for his personal safety according to the Thane Commissionerate.
Sources from Tilak Nagar claimed that Patil had a party with his friends on Thursday night and was under the influence of alcohol. "Patil returned home at around 2 am on Friday. He had kept the revolver near his stomach. It was loaded and it seems he was not aware about it. Incidentally, while he was climbing the stairs, a round was fired from the gun, which injured his stomach. His family then took him to a private hospital," said a police officer.
*Yet to arrest him*
Shivaji Dhumal, senior inspector, Tilak Nagar police station, said, "We have registered a case of negligence against him and found that he was using a licensed revolver, which misfired. He has suffered injuries in his stomach. He is presently admitted in a private hospital and undergoing treatment. We are yet to arrest him. We are investigating whether he was drunk."
*Also read: Passenger's gun misfires at domestic airport*
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/apr/25Arun-Jaitley-s.jpg
The broader indices saw the BSE100, BSE200 and BSE500 gain 0.83 per cent, 0.80 per cent and 0.83 per cent respectively. BSEMIDCAP gained 0.94 per cent while BSESMALLCAP was up 1.24 per cent.In sectors, the top gainer was BSEMETAL up 4.76 per cent followed by BSEPSU 2.70 per cent, BSEBANKEX 2.66 per cent and BSEREALTY 2.08 per cent.
*Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley with RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan, at IMF 2016 Spring Summit in Washington DC last week. The governor has promised more rate cuts if the monsoon is on track this year. Pic/PTI*
The losers were led by BSEFMCG down 0.68 per cent followed by BSEAUTO 0.26 per cent. In individual stocks, the top gainer was Vedanta up 11.72 per cent followed by Axis Bank 7.69 per cent and Tata Steel 6.37 per cent. The losers were led by Hero Motocorp, down 4.79 per cent, Wipro 4.60 per cent and TCS 4.20 per cent.
Dow Jones gained 106.29 points or 0.59 per cent to close at 18,003.75 points. The Indian rupee gained 0.23 per cent to the US Dollar.
*Listings galore*
Shares of Equitas listed and as expected, made huge gains. Shares, which were issued at R 110, closed at R 137.65, a gain of 25.13 per cent. The buoyancy in the primary market continues with the secondary offering from Thyrocare Technologies Limited, which is having a secondary sale of 1.07 crore shares in a price band of R 420-446. The size of the offering is between R 451 and R 479 crore. The issue opens on Wednesday, April 27, and closes on Friday, April 29. There is another issue from Ujjivan Financial services, which is also into microfinance. The issue opens on Thursday, April 28 and closes on May 2.
Parliament begins its second leg of the budget session from Tuesday, April 25. The session is expected to be stormy with many issues like Uttarakhand, affidavits by the former home minister in the Ishrat Jahan case and also the issue of GST in Rajya Sabha. While the two issues will see the opposition and the ruling party at loggerheads, it appears the GST issue will be a quieter affair this time, and may see the light of day before the session ends.
Result season is on and Reliance Industries announced a good set of numbers. Whether the market would accept them as an indicator of future or not, is another question. India Inc. is still struggling and the turnaround is yet to happen.
*Rate cut*
RBI governor, Raghuram Rajan has assured of more rate cuts, only if the monsoon is on track. News from Parliament could be another driver and global cues, if any. Currently there is nothing on the global front, which is expected to drive markets.
On the negative side, China continues to be a mystery and one is not sure what news could hit the markets at what time. One needs to be cautious and careful about China as it struggles to cope with the significant slowdown that is it is currently witnessing.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/apr/Manas-Jyoti-Deka-s.jpg
*Also read: Kanhaiya Kumar claims BJP supporter tried to strangle him on flight**Manas Jyoti Deka said he had nothing to do with the BJP. Pic/Suresh KK *
However, the alleged assaulter — Manas Jyoti Deka — denied all of this and said he had no connections with the BJP and was merely a software engineer on his way to Pune for a work assignment.
"Am I mad to strangle a person onboard a flight in front of everybody?" he exclaimed.*Kanhaiya's tweets about the incident yesterday*
The altercation between the two took place on the Jet Airways flight to Pune, where Kanhaiya was headed to address another student gathering at Balgandharva Rangmandir last evening. They had all boarded the flight when an argument broke out between them, and Manas allegedly assaulted Kanhaiya.
*Also read: Under Modi, India has become 'lab of communalism': Kanhaiya Kumar*
According to a senior police official from Vile Parle police station, where cross-complaints were filed, there was an argument between Manas and Kanhaiya. "The person accused of assaulting Kanhaiya was travelling on the same flight from Kolkata to Pune. The flight had a stopover in Mumbai where Kanhaiya boarded it. Deka, who had a window seat, was trying to get into the aisle and that is when he happened to touch Kanhaiya. This sparked the argument," said the official, adding that statements from both parties had been recorded.
The student leader from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) immediately tweeted about it, saying: Yet again, this time inside the aircraft, a man tries to strangulate me."
Jet Airways decided to ask everybody involved in the argument to deplane. They were all taken to the CISF control room at the international airport and the matter was then handed over to the Vile Parle police. Kanhaiya was forced to travel to Pune by road.
A non-cognisable offence (NC) was filed against Manas on the charge of assault, but he kept repeating to the media outside that there had been no assault. The 33-year-old later lodged a cross-complaint against a group of eight people, alleging that they misbehaved with him and threatened him inside the plane, said a senior IPS officer, adding that Manas did not mention Kanhaiya's name in his NC.
"There was no assault. All this is being dragged out for publicity. I have an injury in my right leg. While coming out from my seat to the aisle, I happened to touch Kanhaiya for support. At that very moment we smiled at each other. Suddenly, a person from his group wearing a white shirt started shouting that I am assaulting him. Then even Kanhaiya joined his friend's cries. They started demanding that I should get off the airplane. I just insisted that if I am made to get off the airplane, all of them should do the same," said Manas, who works at TCS as a software developer.
"I was on that flight because our company was sending my team to Pune from Kolkata. Why would I indulge in any such act when I am travelling on a flight paid for by my company? There were many others from my company on the flight for same purpose," he added.
*Video: From Mumbai, Kanhaiya Kumar hopes to flag off student resistance*
When asked about connections to the BJP, Manas reiterated, "I am a software developer. None of my family members have any connection with BJP."
But national president of the All India Students Federation (AISF), Vali Ullah Khadri insisted, "He is lying. We had noticed that he was looking for Kanhaiya and was simultaneously talking on the phone about finding him. There is no doubt that he tried to kill Kanhaiya."AirlinespeakFollowing the incident, Jet Airways had issued a statement which reads, 'Some guests on board Jet Airways flight 9W618 Mumbai to Pune have been offloaded at Mumbai airport in the interest of operational safety. At Jet Airways, the safety and security of our guests and crew is always of prime importance.'
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/apr/25Unrecognised-Schools-Asso.jpg*The schools have formed an organisation called ‘Unrecognised Schools Association’ to persuade the government to reconsider its decision.*
A Government Resolution (GR) in 2013 decreed that all schools in urban areas must be sized at 1 acre, while schools in rural areas possess 2 acres. After a review, the schools were given notice in 2015, by way of newspaper adverts. They were sent the final notice on April 4, and were given a week to shut down or face action, which can range from a lumpsum fine of R1 lakh, to R10,000 per day of violation or even criminal action for running an educational institution without approval.
However, the school managements argued that they are small-sized operations — with about 100 students each — providing quality education at an affordable rate to mostly underprivileged children. Most of them are English medium schools, so if the schools are not allowed to reopen, the kids will be forced to move to civic schools and lose out on English medium education. Furthermore, they also complain that several teachers working at these schools will be out of jobs because of this decision.
The schools have now come together, with support from teachers and parents, and formed an organisation called ‘Unrecognised Schools Association’ to persuade the government to reconsider its decision. They have also written to the state education minister, Vinod Tawde with their arguments.
Leena Girap, a teacher at the Star English High School in Diva, said, "It is very difficult to acquire 1 acre of land in this city. Moreover, these are not profit-making institutions. All are very small schools catering to a niche section of the society in the slum areas or children coming from the lower strata of society. We are providing English medium schooling at an affordable rate. Considering the work that we are doing, we should be exempted from the land requirement parameter."
The schools are currently hanging in uncertainty — although they have shut down, this has coincided with the summer break, so students have not lost any time in class. However, if the situation continues till June, the students will have to scramble to find a functioning school for the upcoming academic year.
Principal of Ren Xavier school, Geeta Gautam said, "My school was formed in 2010, following my father’s dream to provide good education to underprivileged children. I have been working on acquiring approval from the government since then. But each time, it has delayed for some or the other reason. Since 2013, the new land requirement has brought more obstacles. When we ask the authorities to take the children into consideration, we are told to shift them to nearby schools. Why should we? If our teaching quality is bad, the government has all the right to take action, but land is not such an important factor for the children are studying in our school."
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/apr/water-train-s.jpg*A policeman stand guards a Central Railway train loading water to transport to drought affected Latur District from Miraj station near Sangli on Sunday. Pic/PTI*
*Also read: Mumbai's lifeline Western, Central Railways respond to water crisis*
The plants will be equipped with an effluent treatment system and water softening plant for recycling water used for cleaning trains and platforms. There are 23 railway depots out of which we will set up modern washing plants with added facilities for treatment of water for reuse at 10 at an estimated cost of Rs 20 crore, said a senior Railway Ministry official involved in execution of green initiatives of the national transporter.
According to the official, the National Green Tribunal has taken note of excessive extraction of ground water by railways for cleaning coaches and platforms. About 12,000 litres to 14,000 litres of water is being used for cleaning one rake consisting of 22-24 coaches.
Automatic washing plant is eco-friendly and uses minimum quantity of water, soap and disinfectants. Further, water used for washing can be treated at the ETP plant and recycled.
*Also read: One more 'water' train reaches Latur*
The automatic plant will require only 6,000 litres to clean a rake out of which 4,000 litres will be recycled water. The cumulative saving of fresh water will be 450 million litres per annum for 10 depots, the official said.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/apr/Mallikarjun-Kharge-s.jpg
*Also read: Congress compromised national security in Ishrat case: Arun Jaitley**Congress leaders (L-R) Mallikarjun Kharge, Kapil Sibal and Anand Sharma at the press conference Pic/PTI*
“Simple truth is that this web of deceit and deception is being woven by government and certain sections of media to save the skin of Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi and BJP President, Shri Amit Shah,” said senior party leaders including Mallikarjun Kharge and Anand Sharma said.
Addressing a joint press conference along with them, party leaders Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Singhvi and Shaktisinh Gohil released copy of a four-page statement of a Gujarat police officer D H Goswami before a Magistrate, which speaks about “kali dadhi” (black beard) and “safed dadhi” (white beard).
*Also read: PM, Amit Shah trying to derail trial in Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case: Congress*
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/apr/25bmc-open-spaces-s.jpg*Civic officials said the new DCR clause has been introduced to enable the BMC to get the remaining 70 per cent for free. **File Pic/Bipin Kokate*
The contentious clause states that in case of a plot reserved for recreational grounds and playgrounds (RG/PG), the builder can keep 30% for construction and give BMC the remaining 70%. The builder will be allowed to build on his area with the FSI of the full plot — leading to vertical development — while the BMC will get a free open space in return.*The city stands to lose nearly a third of proposed open spaces, thanks to the new rule in the draft DCR 2034. File pic for Representation*
In the past, the BMC would often find it tough to acquire land for a recreation ground or playground. Since it is mandatory to reserve a certain amount of area under the open spaces policy, the plot owners would take advantage of this and often demand more money.
"It was observed in the previous Development Plans that when a private plot would be reserved for a recreation ground or a playground, the owner would ask the BMC for a higher price and go to court. The litigation would go on for years. And with the new land acquisition laws in place, owners have to be compensated several times. In order to find a solution to this lengthy process, we have come up with this provision," informed a highly placed civic official.
It’s not hard to see the advantage for the BMC in this arrangement, but open space activists are fuming, since this will chop down on 30% of all new open spaces, even though the BMC had promised to go green this time. The civic body has already gone back on its promise of no construction inside RG/PG by allowing 15% construction on private open spaces. It had also faced flak in the last DCR for reserving less open space per capita.
The DCR are the guidelines that regulate construction in the city. A lot rides on these rules since they decide the direction of the real estate market in the upcoming years. The BMC is coming out with its draft of the DCR 2034 in parts, with nine chapters and a road survey already released. The objective is to allow people time to submit their suggestions and objections to each of them.
Three more chapters on FSI, open space and parking are yet to be released.
*Activists upset*
Pankaj Joshi, executive director of the Urban Design Research Institute (UDRI), criticised this provision. "If the BMC could not implement the previous DCRs, that is not the citizens’ fault. Why should we compromise on open space? If they are so concerned about the implementation of the DCR, they should reserve more amenity plots. As it is, the open space per capita is low in Mumbai. Why only 70%? Citizens should get access to the entire plot and other accommodation reservations can be kept separate."
Civic activist Shyama Kulkarni said, "If they allow a builder to construct on 30% of the plot, what if he constructs a gymkhana on it? Then even the remaining open space will be used exclusively by members of that gymkhana. The whole point of it will be lost."*The clause*
Section 17 of chapter 3 (land uses and manner of development) of the DCR: An RG, PG can either be developed by a ‘corporation or appropriate authority’ or ‘the owner will be allowed to develop the reservation on accommodation reservation basis’. In the case of the latter, maximum percentage of reserved plot to be set aside for amenity (garden) developed under accommodation reservation is 70 per cent.
*How it will work*
Say a 1,000-sq-m plot gets reserved as an open space, under the new clause, the plot owner can keep 300 sq m and construct vertically on it, using the FSI of all 1,000 sq m. Meanwhile, the BMC gets 700 sq m as an open space without having to pay any charge. According to the official, this provision is profitable for owners and developers, since they get to retain a part of the plot and consume full FSI. Besides, the BMC gets an open space for free and without litigation. "In case the plot is small, the owner can consume the FSI by merging neighbouring plots. If there is a height restriction in the area, he can use the remaining development rights elsewhere in the city," informed an official from the DP department.
*Developerspeak*
Shirish Sukhatme, ex-president of PEATA (Practising Engineering Architect Town Planners Association) said, "It might be a good provision for the city’s open spaces, but then the BMC should not charge open space premium to builders. Because that, coupled with fungible FSI, parking charges, etc, will increase the cost of flats, thereby burdening the buyers."
Sukhatme added that the BMC should also not make other open spaces within the building premises compulsory.
--------------------
*Related stories...*
*Open and shut spaces: Gates open at this South Mumbai garden after 15 years*
*Mumbai: BMC takes back 34 open plots from private players*
*Mumbai: BMC may call the cops to take back open spaces*
*Mumbai's open space warriors win! CM asks BMC to take back open plots*
*Mumbai: Private players claim BMC can't maintain open spaces on its own* Reported by Mid-Day 4 hours ago.