MAHARASHTRA

Chief ministerUddhav Thackeray, while chairing a meeting on flood relief measures, told the Irrigation department to draft a proposal in this regard.

The residents of Vadgaon, Satara Road, Pune-Mumbai highway, and central parts of Pune face flooding after heavy rainfall and have asked for retaining walls to be built.

Those affected by the September 2019 floods have also pushed for better river and nullah cleaning work.
Residents said floodwater enters the parking lots after heavy rainfall, damaging vehicles. Houses on the ground floor in societies face more problems, residents said, wondering why the issue of flood lines was never considered at the time of issuing building permissions.

Buoyed with the success inMaharashtra, crop protection majorUPLis planning to sign memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with 15 sugar mills across Karnataka, , Madhya Pradesh, UP, Maharashtra, and Gujarat in FY24 for sustainable Farming practices.

In the past, the company had collaborated with Shreenath Mhaskoba Sugar Mill near Pune for providing its water saving products Zeba and Pronutiva to farmers within the catchment area of the mill, which consists of 70 villages. The farmers have reported a significant increase in their yield and reduction in water usage. The company expects that the use of such products will improve the sugarcane yield by 15% benefitting around 1,200 farmers in Pune.

Zeba is a superabsorbent made out of corn starch which absorbs water 400 times of its body weight, along with the fertiliser and releases moisture when the crop is under Stress. The goal is to save 6 lakh litres of water per acre and reduce fertiliser consumption by 50kgan acre. Over the next three years, company aims to collaborate with 100 sugar mills covering10 lakh acres

In the first phase, six forts have been chosen for conservation by the government which include—Shivneri, Rajgad,Vijaydurg,Sindhudurg, Sudhagad and Torna.
Besides having government officials as members, the committee also has avid mountaineers and fort lovers as members.

Apart from conservation, the committee will also look into development of tourism related around these forts and also ensure that locals are taken into confidence and the greenery and plantation around these forts are enhanced.

Maharashtracooperation ministerAtul Savehas said his department will issue deemed conveyance certificates to cooperative housing societies within one month from the date of application.

Maharashtra has about 1.15 lakh registered cooperative housing societies. About 40% of these societies have conveyance or complete land ownership. For a flat owner and a housing Society, a conveyance deed is crucial because the share certificate, and not the land on which a building exists, is the only evidence of an apartments ownership. Till the time the conveyance deed is issued, the plot remains the property of the developer or the housing body that owned the land at the construction stage. Land ownership also has to be transferred to the society at the time of redevelopment.

Member of ParliamentSambhajirajeChhatrapati, who is currently touring different parts of the state to interact with community leaders associated with the Maratha reservation movement, said the state and central governments have the responsibility to provide a solution to the reservation-related demand of the community.

He also clarified that he is not interested in making political statements by blaming the ruling or opposition parties for failing to get the reservation.

After announcing eight new and other corporations for various communities, sects, social groups and workers from the unorganised sector and taxi/auto rickshaw owners and drivers, the state is now planning to set up corporations for the Brahmin, Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu (CKP) and open category communities, and one for the welfare of the state’s artists too.

The information was revealed by MLA Prakash Solankhe and minister Sudhir Munganthiwar while replying to a question raised by minister Atul Save and some MLCs.

A committee formed under the state town planning department will start visiting the 30 proposed integrated townships inMaharashtrafrom month-end to check upon their progress and submit a report to the in six months.

Most of the 30 proposed townships are coming up in Pune, Konkan and Nagpur divisions. Twelve of them are in the construction stage, the department said.

“No other language or script is prohibited or banned. The requirement of display of name in Marathi in Devanagri is reasonable in Maharashtra,” said Gautam Pateland JusticeMadhav Jamdarwhile rejecting a petition by Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association that challenging Rule 35 of Maharashtra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of EMPLOYMENT and Conditions of Service) Rules, 2018 that the name board of every establishment shall be in Marathi language in Devanagri script.”

The petition said it ultra vires Fundamental Rights including freedom of expression and to carry on trade as it mandates every establishment with more than 10 employees to have a name board in Marathi in Devanagri script.