Mumbai is rapidly gaining fame as a cruise tourism hub. In the past four years, there has been a 78% rise in cruise traffic in India.

Mumbai is rapidly gaining fame as a cruise tourism hub. In the past four years, there has been a 78% rise in cruise traffic in India. According to the Mumbai Port Trust, from 128 cruise callings in 2015-16 that catered to 1.25 lakh passengers, India’s five major ports are now looking at 593 cruise callings in 2019-20, catering to 4.18 lakh passengers. In Mumbai, 40 cruise ships catered to 37,820 passengers in 2015-16 and the number has now increased to 259 cruise ships catering to 1.8 lakh passengers. The other major ports are Chennai, Cochin, New Mangalore . Monday turned out to be a unique day as six cruise liners with over 4,000 passengers aboard were at the Mumbai port. It is the first time when around 6,000 passengers transited through the port in a day.
 While there are forgetful Mumbaikars, as lost and found data from the railways shows, there are others who care for others and Mumbaikars are grateful for such gentle souls. Last week, a young pharma management professional from Thane had written about her experience on social media. A few years ago, she had just joined a new job and would commute by local train. It was almost the end of the monsoon season and she had forgotten her umbrella in the train. She assumed that she had lost it. However, a few days later when she got on to a train a lady approached her and asked her about her destination station. When she named the station, the lady took out the umbrella from her bag and gave it to the girl. “I still go speechless when I think of that moment. I mean who does it? How is it that this fast-paced city has so much heart! This is just one such example that has happened to me. God bless our Mumbai and our country,” she  wrote.
The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation had come up with a reward scheme for citizens who point out potholes, which the administration couldn’t fix within 24 hours. While Prathamesh Chavan, a Dadar resident got `5,000 reward for pointing out such potholes, there were at least 36 others who refused to accept the reward amount and said that they participated in the scheme to point out the attitude of the contractors and officials. Rather than getting a reward, they preferred that the municipal authorities fixed these unattended potholes.

Within just 10 months between January and October 2019, 1,687 commuters on the Western line of suburban local services have forgotten valuables worth `3.61 crore while travelling by train. The data was revealed by the Western Railways as these owners of valuables were traced and the items returned to them last week. Most of these things were forgotten on the racks during morning peak hour rush. Of the 1,687 railway commuters, only 876 registered complaints, railways data has revealed, while officials said over 43 such valuable items are still lying unclaimed at the railways’ headquarters and their collective value is around `2.2 crore. 

Political sources in Mumbai indicate that despite speculation and impatience in some circles, most issues have been finalized among the Sena, NCP and Congress.

NEW DELHI: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said here on Wednesday that the clouds over the government formation efforts in Maharashtra shall clear within a couple of days or so.

“There are certain internal processes of the different parties — Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party and Congress — which are currently on. A Sena-Chief Minister-led government will assume office by the first week of December.

Replying to a question that attempts are being made to lure legislators on different sides, Raut dismissed the contentions saying such theories are a conspiracy of those who don’t want to see a Shiv Sena government.

“In the Sena, the decision making is faster as it comes from the top to bottom, in NCP, the chief sounds out the party on taking a certain decision democratically and takes a little longer. The Congress has its own century-plus old traditions of arriving at any decision. The picture will start clearing from tomorrow,” Raut assured.

To a question whether Sena President Uddhav Thackeray will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Sena MP said “for the cause of the farmers, he will go and meet anybody” to ensure that the state’s disaster-hit peasantry gets maximum help and relief.

Political sources in Mumbai indicate that despite speculation and impatience in some circles, most issues have been finalized among the three parties, and it is only a matter of time before they announce their alliance and complete the government formation process.

The agitation comes on the first day of the Parliament’s Winter Session, which will end on December 13.

NEW DELHI: In the wake of a protest march to Parliament by the JNU Students’ Union against hostel fee hike, heavy police deployment was made outside the university’s campus on Monday.

The agitation comes on the first day of the Parliament’s Winter Session, which will end on December 13.

The students’ protest against the increase in hostel fee is going on for the past three weeks, even as the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration on Wednesday announced a partial rollback of the hike.

The union had termed the decision an “eyewash”.

Ten companies are deployed outside JNU, police said.

One company comprises 70 to 80 personnel.

The JNU Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) expressed concern over the deployment of police outside the varsity.

“The massive police deployment and barricading at the gates of the JNU campus, which on the face of it appears to be only for the purpose of preventing the students from taking out their planned march to Parliament,” it said.

“Such measures or use of force to thwart the exercise of constitutionally guaranteed democratic rights and to impede the students from peacefully taking their voice beyond the campus would be extremely unfortunate and the JNUTA hopes that no such situation will eventually arise,” the association said.

Police officials said adequate security arrangements have also been made along the route of the march.

Police personnel have been deployed at all entry points leading to Parliament, a senior police official said.

A five-judge bench headed by him on November 9 brought the curtains down on the Ayodhya land dispute, which dates back to even before the Supreme Court came into existence in 1950.

NEW DELHI: Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi, who presided over the Supreme Court bench for the last time on Friday, etched his name in the annals of history this week by giving some of the most important verdicts on politically sensitive issues in recent times — primarily, the Ayodhya land dispute case.

A five-judge bench headed by him on November 9 brought the curtains down on the Ayodhya land dispute, which dates back to even before the Supreme Court came into existence in 1950.

Justice Gogoi is also known for being part of a presser by the ‘gang of four’ senior-most judges in January last year which questioned the then CJI’s way of functioning.

Set to demit office on Sunday, Justice Gogoi’s tenure as CJI was not free of controversy as he faced allegations of sexual harassment, of which he was cleared.

However, he is more likely to be remembered for the Ayodhya verdict that gave Hindus the 2.77 acres disputed land for construction of Ram Temple and ordered that Muslims be given a 5-acre land at a prominent location to build a mosque in the holy city.

The CJI also headed a bench which, by a majority 3:2 verdict, referred to a larger 7-judge bench the pleas seeking review of the apex court’s historic 2018 judgement allowing women and girls of all ages to enter Kerala’s Sabarimala temple.

The majority verdict included in the ambit of the review petitions raising issues of alleged religious discrimination against Muslim and Parsi women as well.

Justice Gogoi’s name will also be remembered for heading a bench which gave clean chit to the Modi government twice — first on the writ petition and then on Thursday on the pleas seeking review of the December 14, 2018 verdict — in the sensitive Rafale fighter jet deal with the French aviation firm Dassault Aviation.

The bench warned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for wrongly attributing certain remarks to the apex court in the Rafale case to be more careful in future.

Besides, Justice Gogoi headed a bench which in a landmark verdict held that the office of the CJI is a public authority under the Right to Information Act, but “judicial independence has to be kept in mind” while disclosing information in “public interest”.

On the same day, a 5-judge Constitution bench headed by him struck down in entirety the rules formulated by the Centre on appointment and service conditions for members of various tribunals and referred to a larger bench the issue of examining the validity of the passage of the Finance Act 2017 as Money Bill.

These important decisions apart, Justice Gogoi, known for his no-nonsense approach, boldness and fearlessness, also led a bench which monitored and ensured that NRC exercise in Assam, his native state, is completed within the set timeframe.

A lot of controversies plagued the NRC but he stood his ground and came out in public recently to defend the decision to hold the exercise to identify illegal immigrants.

As the day’s work began on Friday, he sat in the Supreme Court’s number one court for just about four minutes during which the apex court’s lawyers body expressed gratitude to him.

Later, a message from the outgoing CJI came expressing his inability to have a one-to-one interview with scribes and lauded the press for its “maturity” and “character” in preventing “canards and falsehood” in “trying times” of the judiciary.

After that he went to Raj Ghat and paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi, reminding his October 3, 2018 visit to the samadhi of the father of nation after taking oath as the CJI.

Justice Gogoi, who was sworn on October 3, 2018 as the 46th CJI, is the first person from the Northeast to reach the top position of judiciary and his tenure of a little over 13 months comes to ends on November 17, 2019.

Since taking up the leadership of Indian judiciary, and also as the judge of the apex before that, Justice Gogoi faced several ups and downs but that did not affect his approach to take on issues head on.

While Justice Gogoi is known for taking hard and sometimes surprising decisions, the Ayodhya matter reflected both as he not only ensured that arguments were not allowed to be dragged, but wrapped up the hearing two days ahead of the scheduled deadline of October 18, saying ‘enough is enough’.

True to his style when speculation was that the Ayodhya verdict will be delivered on the last three working days of his tenure as CJI, he sprang a surprise on November 8 evening by deciding to deliver judgement on next day (Saturday) when judges keep themselves away from courtroom cases.

There was a moment of personal controversy when a women staff member of the apex court levelled allegation of sexual harassment against the CJI in which he was given a clean chit by an in-house three-member inquiry committee headed by Justice S A Bobde.

Two women judges — justices Indu Malhotra and Indira Banerjee — were the other members of the Committee.

As a judge he had courted controversy by joining three other senior most judges of apex court in holding a press conference on January 12, 2018 in which they virtually revolted against his predecessor Justice Dipak Misra.

He later remarked at a public function that “independent judges and noisy journalists are democracy’s first line of defence”.

A “revolution, not reform” was needed to keep the institution of judiciary serviceable for the common man, Justice Gogoi had said at the same function.

As the CJI, he took tough decisions against erring judges and recommended their transfers and a woman high court judge was virtually forced to resign.

Senior leaders of the Congress said that the party was apparently in favour of ‘NCP-Congress plus Shiv Sena’ option and not ‘NCP, Congress, Shiv Sena’ option.

NEW DELHI: The Congress party will first sort-out modalities with its alliance partner Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) only after which it will initiate talks with Shiv Sena for the government formation in Maharashtra, told party sources. As per sources, the party is in favour of “NCP-Congress plus Shiv Sena” option and not “NCP, Congress, Shiv Sena” option.

Senior leaders of the party met Sonia Gandhi here on Friday and discussed the developments in Maharashtra. They said the party will first talk to the NCP and was apparently in favour of “NCP-Congress plus Shiv Sena” option and not “NCP, Congress, Shiv Sena” option.

The Congress and the NCP, which fought the assembly polls together, and the Shiv Sena have prepared a draft common minimum programme (CMP), which will be discussed by senior leaders of three parties.

Amid discussions over formation of government in Maharashtra, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and NCP chief Sharad Pawar would meet on Sunday to discuss their next course of action.

Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, who is Congress’ in-charge for Maharashtra, said on Friday that his party alone cannot take decisions and the two leaders will meet on Sunday.

“Congress alone can’t decide things. NCP chief Sharad Pawar and AICC president Sonia Gandhi will sit together on November 17 and discuss the next course of action. They will decide how to solve this problem. Only after that, the other actions will follow,” Kharge told ANI.

He said once they both sit and discuss, only then will the political strategy be prepared. “That will be followed and implemented,” he said.

The three parties are having talks for the formation of the non-BJP government in the state where the President’s Rule was imposed earlier this week.

The Shiv Sena and the BJP, who had fought the polls together, could not form the government due to differences over power-sharing.

The BJP emerged as the single-largest party in the state with 105 seats in 288-member assembly followed by Shiv Sena 56, NCP 54 and Congress 44.

Meanwhile a joint delegation of Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress leaders has sought time from Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari for a meeting on Saturday to discuss farmers’ issues.

Passenger buses, mini-buses and cabs plied on most routes in uptown Srinagar. The buses were running overcrowded.

SRI NAGAR: After observing spontaneous shutdown for 100 days against scrapping of Article 370 and bifurcation of J&K State into two Union Territories, life has started limping back to normalcy in the militancy-hit Valley. For the first time since August 5, passenger buses were back on roads, leading to traffic jams in Srinagar on Wednesday. Shops and business establishments also remained open for the whole day in some areas of Kashmir.

Passenger buses, mini-buses and cabs plied on most routes in uptown Srinagar. The buses were running overcrowded.

There were traffic snarls in some areas of Srinagar and it took commuters longer than usual to reach their destinations. Many roads in city including Lal Chowk, Rajbagh and Natipora witnessed heavy rush of vehicles and the traffic policemen faced a tough time regulating the traffic in the city centre.

However, the passenger buses did no ply on routes in downtown Srinagar.

The electronic buses of J&KSRTC also plied on four different routes in Srinagar.  

The inter-district cabs also plied normally in all the district routes from Srinagar.

“I had been facing a tough time from reaching Baramulla to Srinagar daily due to non-availability of public transport. Today, I boarded a cab and reached my office in the city centre on time,” said Zahoor Ahmad of Baramulla.

The return of buses and cabs on roads had an impact on the business in the Valley.

The shops in most parts of uptown Srinagar including city centre Lal Chowk remained opened throughout the day today.

A shopkeeper was shot dead by militants in Tral area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Wednesday. Police sources said militants fired three rounds from a pistol at Mehraj-ud-Din Zargar from point-blank range.

Zargar succumbed to injuries while being taken to a nearby hospital.

He had a readymade garment shop.

Police and paramilitary personnel rushed to the area and launched a search but no arrest was reported.

The President said that India and the UK are partners bound by historical ties and shared values of democracy, rule of law and respect for a multicultural society.

NEW DELHI: President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday welcomed Britain’s Prince Charles to India, who is on a two-day visit to the country and congratulated him on his election as the head of the Commonwealth.  Kovind said India considers the Commonwealth as an important grouping that voices the concerns of a large number of countries, including the Small Island Developing States.

The President said that India and the UK are partners bound by historical ties and shared values of democracy, rule of law and respect for a multicultural society. “As the world’s pre-eminent democracies, our two countries have much to contribute together to effectively address the many challenges faced by the world today,” said an official statement quoting the President.

President Kovind also thanked the Prince of Wales for his support in the field of Ayurveda research. The Prince of Wales Charitable Foundation and the All India Institute of Ayurveda signed an MOU during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the UK in April 2018. Under the MOU, the All India Institute of Ayurveda and the College of Medicine, UK will be conducting clinical research on Depression, Anxiety and Fibromyalgia.

They will also be undertaking a training programme for the development of Standard Operating Protocol on ‘AYURYOGA’ for UK Health professionals. This is the royal’s 10th official visit to India. The Prince also visited Gurudwara Bangla Sahib and the Indian Meteorological Department.

Nehru, the first prime minister of India, held office between August 1947 and May 1964.

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday paid tributes to Jawaharlal Nehru on his 130th birth anniversary.

Nehru, the first prime minister of India, held office between August 1947 and May 1964.

“Tributes to our former PM Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on his birth anniversary,” Modi tweeted.

Nehru was born on this day in 1889 in Allahabad.

The cyclone made the landfall between West Bengal and Bangladesh coasts on the midnight of Saturday and claimed 14 lives.

KOLKATA: Cyclone Bulbul that battered the coastal districts of West Bengal before hurtling towards Bangladesh has caused a loss which could be between Rs 15,000 crore and Rs 19,000 crore in the state, a senior official said on Tuesday.

The cyclone made the landfall between West Bengal and Bangladesh coasts on the midnight of Saturday and claimed 14 lives.

“An interim estimation has been prepared from the preliminary report submitted by different departments after surveying the cyclone-hit areas. The final estimation will be reached only after departments submit their reports,” the IAS officer said.

According to initial estimates, the losses could reach Rs 15,000 crore to Rs 19,000 crore, he said.

Complete reports on damages in the districts of North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas and East Midnapore are yet to reach the secretariat.

Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha has sought the reports on Tuesday, official sources said.

At least 14 departments including irrigation, forest, agriculture, power, public health and engineering and panchayat were asked to submit their report on Wednesday.

After the final report is prepared, it would be sent to the Centre, he said.

A central government team is scheduled to reach the cyclone-affected areas of West Bengal later this week and prepare a report on the devastation.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday conducted an aerial survey of cyclone Bulbul-ravaged areas of South 24 Parganas district and had announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the families of each of those killed in the storm.