Dinesh Kamath's column on film 'Bloody Isshq' under the title 'New movie-releases in Navi Mumbai' that was published in Newsband

Bloody Isshq

Bloddy Isshq is a 2013 Bollywood Romantic Suspense Drama film directed by Arup Dutta of Morning Walk fame. The film stars Akash, Shilpa Anand and Tripta Parashar. The film has Cinematography by Arvind K and editing done by Sanjay Sankla.

The film has an interesting plot. Natasha is the Hotel Heiress of Eagle Group of Hotels, brash, defiant and a Man-eater. While travelling to a party, she meets with an accident and had it not been for the presence of Nirvaan Shroff she could have lost her life. Nirvaan saves Natasha from the accident but his attitude and the rough around the edges persona attracts her to him, but Nirvaan is not the one to be taken in easily. A wager from her friend starts the game of seduction between Natasha and Nirvaan. But what unfolds is something that even Natasha had not thought of. She actually falls for him, not knowing the fact that Nirvaan is married to Radhika who is staying in Pattaya. What happens next and what Nirvaan does is what forms the finale of Bloody Isshq.

The film has Akash as Nirvaan Shroff, Shilpa Anand as Radhika, Tripta Pareshar as Natasha Kapoor, Mukesh Tiwari as Officer Vikram Rathod, Simran Sachdeva as Sonia, Karan Mehra as Rahul, Vikram Sahu as Mr. Oberoi, Manoj Tiger as VIP Singh, Shubham as Jatin Grewal and Daisy Shah (Item Number).

The album is composed by Ashok Bhadra and has renowned singers like Sonu Nigam, KK, Sunidhi Chauhan, Shreya Goshal, Javed Ali and June Banerjee. The songs are written by Kumaar choreographed by Raju Khan and Ganesh Acharya.

The film has songs like Falsafa sung by KK, Danger hai Laila by Sunidhi Chauhan, Ajab hai ye zindagi by KK, Baadalon ki hai saazish by Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghosal, Jaanam by Sunidhi Chauhan, Hawa lagi hai by Javed Ali, June Banerjee, Kill me by Usha Uthup, Zubeen Garg and Baadalon ki hai saazish by Sonu Nigam.

Dinesh Kamath's column on film 'Jack the Giant Slayer' under the title 'New movie-releases in Navi Mumbai' that was published in Newsband

Jack the Giant Slayer

Jack the Giant Slayer (previously titled Jack the Giant Killer) is an upcoming fantasy—adventure film based on the Jack the Giant Killer and Jack and the Beanstalk fairy tales. The film is directed by Bryan Singer and stars Nicholas Hoult, Eleanor Tomlinson, Stanley Tucci, Ian McShane, Bill Nighy and Ewan McGregor with a screenplay written by Darren Lemke, Christopher McQuarrie and Dan Studney. The film tells the story of Jack, a young farmhand who must rescue a princess from a race of giants after inadvertently opening a gateway to their world.

When Jack, a young farmhand, accidentally opens a gateway to the world of Giants an ancient war restarts as the giants, thought only of as legend, try to reclaim the world they lost centuries ago. Jack is forced into a fight to not only save his own life, but that of those in the kingdom and that of the princess.

The film has Nicholas Hoult as Jack, a young farmer who leads the expedition to rescue the princess, Eleanor Tomlinson as Isabelle, the princess who is kidnapped by giants, Stanley Tucci as Lord Roderick, an adviser to the king with designs on usurping power, Ian McShane as King Brahmwell, the princess' father, who is none too thrilled about a union between his daughter and a farmer boy, Bill Nighy and John Kassir as Fallon, the two-headed leader of the giants; Nighy plays the big head and Kassir plays the smaller head, Ewan McGregor as Elmont, the leader of the king’s elite guard, who helps fight giants and Eddie Marsan

The film narrates a very traditional fairytale. 

Dinesh Kamath's column on film 'The Attacks of 26/11' under the title 'New movie-releases in Navi Mumbai' that was published in Newsband

The Attacks of 26/11

The Attacks of 26/11 is a Hindi crime-thriller film, based on the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The film is directed by Ram Gopal Varma. The film stars Sanjeev Jaiswal who plays the role of terrorist Ajmal Kasab, with art direction by Uday Singh. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) passed the film, uncut, with an 'Adults Only' certificate.

The film has Nana Patekar as Rakesh Maria, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), Sanjeev Jaiswal as Ajmal Kasab, Atul Kulkarni, Ganesh Yadav as Amar Singh Solanki, captain of trawler MV Kuber and Farzad Jehani as himself, owner of Leopold Cafe.

Under the art direction of Uday Singh a replica of Taj Hotel was created with a cost of 2.5 crore. Varma auditioned 500 applicants and selected Sanjeev Jaiswal to play Ajmal Kasab, the prime accused terrorist in the 26/11 attack on Mumbai. Varma had also asked policemen to watch 15-minute trailer of The Attacks of 26/11. The film is restricted to the night of the incident and has focused on the happenings between 9 pm to 1 am when Kasab was caught. The shooting of the film was completed on December 10, 2012 with last shot of the massacre at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus station. The owner of Leopold Cafe plays himself in the film. The actors in the film have met the victims and research on the subject including the eyewitnesses, police statements, judgment, charge sheets and author Romil Saxena.

The Attacks of 26/11 has been selected for Berlin International Film Festival, 2013 in the Panorama as well as the Competition section.

The first song from The Attacks Of 26/11 was released at the Leopold Cafe on February 11, 2013 at exactly the time when the terror attacks began on the cafe and Mumbai city. There's one song in The Attacks of 26/11, a background song sung by Sukhwinder Singh composed by Rushin. There are total four songs in the film. The lyrics of the songs are written by Irshad Kamil, Jaspreet Jasz and Liaqat Jafri. The songs are Maula Maula sung by Sukhwinder Singh, Rooshin Dalal, Aatanki Aaye by Shreya Ghoshal, Shabab Sabri, Aman Trikha, Khoon Kharaba Tabaahi by Kamil Chaitra Ambadipudi, Raghupati Raghav and Nazam track 26/11 by Chorus. 

Joginder Tuteja of Bollywood Hungama gave it 2 out of 5 and stated that except Maula Maula the rest of the songs are average to hear and may just enhance the film's narrative to some extent.

Dinesh Kamath's column on film 'I, Me Aur Main' under the title 'New movie-releases in Navi Mumbai' that was published in Newsband

I, Me Aur Main

I, Me aur Main (English: I, Me and Myself) is a Bollywood romance drama film directed by debutant Kapil Sharma. The film features John Abraham, Prachi Desai and Chitrangda Singh in lead roles.

The film has an interesting plot. I Me Aur Main is a film starring John Abraham who plays the role of Ishaan - a charismatic, good-looking music producer from Mumbai. He lives a sheltered existence. He is the apple of his mother's (Zarina Wahab) eye, always protected by his elder sister Shivani (Mini Mathur) and stays at his girlfriend Anushka's (Chitrangda Singh's) house. He takes them all for granted! One day his life falls apart like a house of cards. At this point, his new neighbour Gauri (Prachi Desai) comes into his life and from her he learns the importance of relationships. He starts taking initiatives towards mending and maintaining his past relationships. Ishaan begins to truly fall in love with Gauri. There comes a point when he has to make a choice between his love that made him a better person or being a better person by taking responsibility of the actions he has done in the past.

Thus the film has John Abraham as Ishaan Sabharwal, Prachi Desai as Gauri Dandekar, Chitrangada Singh as Anushka Lal, Zarina Wahab as Nisha Sabharwal, Errol Peter Marks as Tarun Mehra, Raima Sen as Beena Chandok, Sameer Soni in a special appearance, Sheena Shahabadi as Amala, Deepti Gujral as Mrinalini, Mini Mathur as Shivani, Sai Gundewar as Rafiq, Amar Talwar as Mr. Sabharwal, Micky Makhija as Mr. Narayan, Mukul Chadda as Adil, Arlette Evita Grao as Shona, Prianca Sharma as Taruni and Sainath Dukkipati.

The film has seven tracks which have been composed by four different musicians - Sachin-Jigar, Gourov Dasgupta, Pakistani artist: Falak Shabir and Raghav Sachar. The music of the title song Capuchino was copied from an American rock band, Dropkick Murphys' song: I'm shipping up to Boston, which also was the main theme of Hollywood movie The departed (2006), directed by Martin Scorsese. Musicperk.com rated the album 7.5/10 quoting “Saajna, Naa Jaane, Darbadar, Meri Jaaniye are the picks of the album.”

The film has songs like Saajna (Unplugged) sung by Falak Shabir, Capuchino by Abhishek Nehwal, Naa Jaane (Remixed by DJ Sushi) by Neeraj Shridhar, Anushka Manchanda, Saajna by Falak Shabir, Meri Jaaniye by Shaan, Monali Thakur, Nasha Nasha by Neha Bhasin and Darbadar by Monali Thakur, Divya Kumar, Harshit Chouhan, Altamash, Shaadab.

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Do justice to the disabled' that was published in Newsband

Do justice to the disabled

Tamil Nadu government should be lauded for making rules to create special facilities for the disabled in urban local bodies. As per the rule, all multi-storeyed buildings with more than two floors should be equipped with ramps, lifts and other appropriate provisions for the disabled. This rule is applicable to all educational institutions, health care and banking services, leisure and recreation facilities, shopping malls, industries and much else as falling within their purview. The measure will make a material difference in the lives of large numbers of people with locomotor impairments, who deserve to enjoy constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of mobility. This rule will benefit the population aged 60 years and above and the disabled. In other words the elderly, too, will benefit from the convenience of ramps and not just wheel-chair users.

Previously, no action was taken along this direction because it was felt that the cost of providing special provisions for the disabled was too much and far outweighed the gains. Such an argument was at best a convenient cloak for inaction. But Tamil Nadu government has set an example by ensuring equality of opportunities for the disabled.

Commensurate measures ought to be initiated in the arenas of education and employment. Training skilled personnel for sign-language interpretation for the hearing impaired, developing technologies for people with low-vision and the introduction of reasonable accommodation in the workplace are important among them. In their absence, the right to free and compulsory education would remain a distant dream for children with impairments and the wider objective of an inclusive society.

The Tamil Nadu rules stipulate a 180-day deadline for implementation. Other States in the country should follow this lead.

Much more is required to be done for the disabled. Preferential treatment should be given to them. Instead of treating them as persons with 'disability' we need to regard them as persons with 'Special ability.' All the able people should not leave any stone unturned to make the lives of the disabled absolutely pleasant.  

Dinesh Kamath's news item 'Will CM solve PAPs’ problems?' that was published in Newsband

Will CM solve PAPs’ problems?

By Dinesh Kamath

PANVEL: When the project affected persons (PAPs) of infrastructural projects in JNPT and other areas in Raigad district had agitated against the state government for not resolving their long-pending demands, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan has assured them that he would soon solve their problems soonest.

The problems faced by PAPs are regarding regularization of their houses, allotment of development plots and other issues. The government is discussing this issue with various people to arrive at a right solution.

The chief minister also holds the urban development portfolio. This can make it possible for him to figure out a rehabilitation formula on the basis of schemes implemented by the central government.

Chavan had made this promise when he had attended the function at Navi Mumbai which was organized by the Maharashtra Koli Mahasangh, a body of fishermen. The event was arranged to thank Chavan for solving fishermen’s major problem relating to diesel. Now what remains to be seen is whether Chavan will manage to solve the problems faced by PAPs too? 

Dinesh Kamath's news item 'Hoarding policy will give a new look to the city' that was published in Newsband

Hoarding policy will give a new look to the city

By Dinesh Kamath

BELAPUR: The administration of he Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) is waiting for the hoarding policy to get cleared by the urban development department of the state.

In NMMC’s 2013-14 budget, it is proposed that Rs 35 crore would be allocated for obtaining of license to put up hoardings in the city. 

NMMC officials have come up with a hoarding policy which is expected to get approved by the state government this year. The NMMC was able to identify the places where banners and hoardings could be put up during 2011. Now if the hoarding policy is cleared, the banners and hoardings in the city will stop coming up at the unwanted places. This will give a new look to the city. 

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Learn from the US to tackle the terrorists' that was published in Newsband

Learn from the US to tackle the terrorists 

So another bomb blasted at a crowded marketplace in Hyderabad. This gave an opportunity to opposition parties to blame the ruling government of indifference to national security, incompetence and worse. Thus a major tragedy is once again being politicized. This is exactly what the terrorists must have wanted. They wanted to sharpen social and political divisions. And our politicians play into their hands like this.

Every terrorist attack is owing to an intelligence failure. But is it possible for anyone to devise intelligence capabilities that can ensure that an attack will never take place? The 26/11 terror strike in Mumbai did alert the government which did strengthen our intelligence departments. But in spite of this, a blast took place at Hyderabad.

But it was known that Hyderabad was a sensitive place, hence it is strange that the potential target area was not subjected to more intensive policing and surveillance. The city police ought to have stepped up patrolling, strengthened its network of informants and contacts, and increased the number of CCTV cameras in Hyderabad at least which was a logical target for terrorist groups. Such a place requires standard policing which can match the threats it faces.

The terrorist attack in Hyderabad is an example of how despite having the city put on alert through intelligence input beforehand, our country has been allowed to be placed as a soft target to the terrorists. Instead of rising to the occasion in taking immediate measures in coping the bloody aftermath, what was witnessed in the parliament was the same old blame-game by the opposition.

What is required is stricter policing and installing of counter terrorism mechanism in a more effective way. There should be perfect coordination among the multiple agencies working in this direction. Further our intelligence needs to be sharpened in such a manner that there can be a mechanism to pinpoint the geo-spot of suspected terrorist attack.

The need of the hour for the leaders in power is to set an example by throwing-off their gun-touting guards and use them for effective internal security and not make a mockery of tax-payers money. Most of these leaders do not need any such protection. It is in fact their own doings that has made them need such security arrangements.

It is a shame that our government has failed to do something worthwhile to effectively deal with our enemies, even after so many blasts and deaths.

The best thing for the government to do is to take a leaf from the United States of America in providing security and preventing terrorist attacks. 

Dinesh Kamath's news item 'CIDCO not happy with central tax notice' that was published in Newsband

CIDCO not happy with central tax notice

By Dinesh Kamath

NAVI MUMBAI: City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) is not at all happy with the Central Service Tax notice that is served to them. They are asked to pay Rs 135 crore as service tax dues on the sales of plots and properties since 2006. This notice has been issued by the Directorate of Service Tax, Mumbai. CIDCO has decided to go for legal advice from experts and then file a reply to the notice.  

CIDCO has been asked to pay Rs 135 crore as service tax dues on account of the sales of plots and properties since 2006. But according to CIDCO authorities, their organization is not a profit making body. Hence their question is why they should pay service taxes? CIDCO is a government undertaking. It’s duty is to collect the revenue which it uses for the benefit of public. CIDCO needs money for all round development purpose and hence it needs to utilize this tax money for that purpose.

CIDCO authorities feel that serving notice to them is obviously not a logical thing to do. They are bent on giving a fitting reply to the notice after seeking advise from legal experts. If necessary they might even knock the doors of High Court for justice.

“This service tax is collected by CIDCO against the sales of lands and plots in Navi Mumbai. It does earn huge amount in the sales, lease, and transfer of properties. But this amount should not be considered as a profit but just the means to carry out the overall development works in Navi Mumbai. This amount is used for public welfare and nothing else. One should not be under the wrong impression that CIDCO is a profit earning body. So how can service tax be applied to CIDCO?” questioned a CIDCO official.

Even a top official of CIDCO maintained that CIDCO is just a government agency and uses the taxes collected for development of infrastructure for the purpose of housing, roads, transportation, public health, education and social welfare. “There is nothing wrong if such notices are served to private organizations. But CIDCO is certainly not one of those institutions and hence it is wrong to serve such notices to it,” he said. 

What is left to be seen is how CIDCO will tackle the service tax department and whether CIDCO can get that department to withdraw the notice and thus get exempted from paying service tax.

Dinesh Kamath's news item 'Elevated road between Vashi and Airoli?' that was published in Newsband

Elevated road between Vashi and Airoli?

By Dinesh Kamath

NAVI MUMBAI: NMMC is thinking of having an elevated road between Vashi and Airoli to control the traffic on Thane-Belapur road. It has almost finished the project report. The city engineering department will go through the report before submitting it to Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority for approval.

There is a mangrove stretch from Vashi to Airoli along which the elevated road is proposed to be constructed. At present only Thane-Belapur road can be utilized to travel between Vashi and Airoli. This travel takes around 45 minutes when there is heavy traffic. In fact, most of the time the Thane Belapur road is found having traffic jams. Hence NMMC found it necessary to have another road to control the traffic along Thane-Belapur road.

This elevated road, which if constructed, will do wonders. The vehicles will then be able to travel from Vashi to Airoli in just 20 minutes. As per the plan the road will have eight lanes, and the entry and exit will be at Koparkhairane, Ghansoli, Rabale and Airoli.

This elevated road will connect Sion Panvel highway at Vashi creek side, while connecting to the Airoli-Mulund road near Airoli bridge. In fact, NMMC is planning to get this road connected with the proposed Vikroli bridge at Koparkhairane. This will make it easy for vehicles moving towards Mumbai to reach Vikroli in a few minutes from Navi Mumbai. Similarly, the elevated road connected with Mahape flyover at Koparkhairane will make it easy for vehicles moving towards Kalyan reach Shil Patta with utmost ease.

The elevated road will help manage traffic in the future which will prove to be extremely helpful after the proposed international airport comes up at Panvel.

NMMC is planning to develop more such roads to decongest traffic jam in the city. This elevated road which is likely to be constructed between Vashi and Airoli will be considered as a major infrastructure project if one keeps the future of the city in mind. NMMC is planning to have five flyovers on Palm Beach road. The Vashi and Airoli elevated road will control the traffic on Thane-Belapur road and the arterial roads as well.

But hurdles that are coming in the way of clearing this proposal for elevated road are the mangrove stretch on the creek and the existing coastal zone regulations which does not permit development works on the creek side.

Once the NMMC gets the approval to go ahead with the proposal from the right authorities, the question that will arise is who will bear the cost of the construction of this elevated road? NMMC will certainly require the cooperation of other government agencies like MMRDA, MIDC and MSRDC only after which it will be in a position to bear the construction cost.   

Dinesh Kamath's cartoons on 'Alooramji' that were published in Newsband

Dinesh Kamath about Raveena Tandon who will be doing another item song

Raveena Tandon is best known for her item songs Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast in Mohra and the one in Buddha Hoga Tera Baap. She will now be doing another item song for Sudipto Chattopadhyay’s Shobhana 7 Nights where she plays a rich bored socialite.

The film’s team has decided to add a special sensuous song to be shot in complete secrecy. The number sung by Shibani Kashyap has the following words Iss Jism Se Mujhe Azaad Karo.

When Raveena heard the lyrics, she had reservations about dancing to it. But Sudipto assured her it would be done aesthetically and with no suggestion of eroticism. Only then did Raveena agree.

In her entire career Raveena has done only three-four item songs. Of these Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast is the most well-known.

For the number in Shobhana 7 Nights, Raveena will be dancing without a trace of a suggestive gesture or movement. In fact, Raveena made the director change steps to suit her comfort level. Raveena realizes that sometimes the most innocent dance movements obtain a vulgar connotation. She has to maintain a decorum for the sake of her husband and children. In her entire career, she never did anything even remotely vulgar.

For Raveena, winning awards at film festivals is a different high. She is currently basking in the glory of winning her third award for Shobhana 7 Nights at the Jaipur International Film Festival (JIFF). Raveena bagged the award in the 'Special Recognition' category. In this film, Raveena has played a dark and intense role, unlike anything she has done before. Her character is the complete contrast of a conventional heroine.

Raveena has also won awards at the Chicago South Asian film Festival, 7 Island International Film Festival and Houston Bollywood Film Festival

Well, Raveena comes from a commercial background and she has come from an era where she has seen platinum jubilees, which one doesn't see anymore. Mohra (1994) ran for 75 weeks. Her part in Bbuddah... Hoga Terra Baap (2011), in which she was seen on the big screen after a long time, got her accolades but was not something she hadn't tasted before.

In the past, Raveena has won a National Award and other awards too.

The festival journey is something Raveena cherishes because of the people she met. She interacted with people who came from different parts of the world. Seeing them and watching their kind of cinema was amazing for her.

Congrats, Raveena!

Dinesh Kamath about Akshay Kumar who has earned Rs 2000 cr from his films

Akshay Kumar has been roped in Karan's forthcoming production, to be helmed by Punit Malhotra, and the latest development is that the film has been titled as Gutka. This title was in fact with Madhur Bhandarkar earlier. It was only after Karan requested for it that Bhandarkar quite willingly agreed to part with it.

Currently the I Hate Luv Storys famed director is busy with Gori Tere Pyaar Mein, after wrapping which he will start on with Gutka.

The Hindi remake of Thuppakki will have Akshay Kumar in the lead and AR Murugadoss helming it too.

Akshay Kumar's heist film Special 26 has not received accolades from the critics but the film is minting moolah at the box office. Within two weeks of its release, the film had collected Rs 61 crore.

Akshay Kumar has a new record to his name. The actor has reportedly become the first Bollywood star to earn Rs. 2,000 cr from his films so far. The 45-year-old has hit the figure after working in 105 films since his debut film, Saugandh, in 1991.

It is indeed a good milestone. Akshay does 5-6 films per year and that is why he has an advantage in terms of quantity. Congrats, Akshay!

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Good bye to ‘Wrestling’?' that was published in Newsband

Good bye to ‘Wrestling’?

It is recommended that wrestling be pushed off the Olympic mat in 2020. It is an unexpected, cruel blow to a sport that was part of the ancient Olympics. If this sport goes out of the 2020 programme, it will be the biggest sport yet to be axed from the Games.

The International Olympic Committee goes through an elaborate assessment before deleting or including a sport in the Olympic programme. Several critics, besides the International Wrestling Federation, have pointed out that a “clash of interests” among the IOC board members voting to pick the 25 ‘core sports’ for the 2020 Games could have contributed to the outcome.

Wrestling is a sport that is easy to follow, and, alongside running, is an elemental discipline that embodies the spirit of the Olympics. The fact that wrestling had medal winners from 29 countries, more than the number of participating nations (26) in modern pentathlon at the last Olympics, should clinch the argument about ‘universality,’ something the IOC seriously advocates.

The IOC Board does not have a member from any of the dominant ‘wrestling powers’ including the U.S. and Russia. India, which won two of its six medals in the London Olympics in wrestling — and has four in all from the sport — is justifiably upset at a time when its National Olympic Committee stands suspended. Our Sports Ministry should contribute to the rescue of the sport.

Wrestling lies at the very root of Olympic sports. From the time of the ancient Greeks, wrestling has always been a part of the Olympics.

According to one of the fan of wrestling, if IOC has to reduce the number of games, then it should exclude swimming and diving since every year only one person wins six, seven or even eight gold medals in one meet – then repeats this over three Olympic Meets.

It will be sad if wrestling is dropped from the Olympics. It is the only game where India has best chance to win a medal and if wrestling is dropped then it would become difficult for us to increase our medal tally.  

This also shows the poor state of sports in India. We cannot win medal in most of the games that are part of Olympics. What we need is to develop our talents in other sports too and provide infrastructure and other financial aid to the emerging athletes. We cannot depend on one or two events to increase our medal tally; instead we should aim high and compete with USA, China and Russia for the top position.

Dinesh Kamath's news item 'Dashrath Bhagat strongly supports PAPs' that was published in Newsband

Dashrath Bhagat strongly supports PAPs

By Dinesh Kamath

NAVI MUMBAI: Congress leader Dashrath Bhagat has once again come out in strong support of project affected persons (PAPs). His protest during the general body of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), led the mayor to withdraw its proposal for appointing only two contractors for sanitation work in the satellite city. Instead, the proposal for appointment of Project Affected Persons (PAPs) and locals from the city to carry out sanitation work in 118 units was supported and cleared.

Dashrath Bhagat minced no words while totally opposing the original proposal to appoint only two contractors (for zone 1 and 2). This is not the first time that he was opposing the ruling party’s tendency to deprive locals and PAPs of their right to employment and livelihood. He said that if only two contractors were appointed for carrying out sanitary work, the PAPs who were doing the cleaning work earlier would be rendered jobless.

Dashrath Bhagat referred to PAPs as the sons-of-the-soil and he said that NMMC should be thankful to PAPs for winning so many prestigious awards like the Sant Gadge Baba sanitation prize at the national level. He questioned as to why now these PAPs should be rendered jobless when they have been doing an excellent job?

Bhagat spoke against the contractors appointed by NMMC in the past. He also condemned the functioning of present contractor. He said that these contractors had failed to perform their duties up to the satisfaction of the residents in Zone 1 of NMMC extending from Belapur to Vashi and zone II extending from Koperkhairane to Digha. Hence, he said, these works should be given to the locals or PAPs.

Mayor Sagar Naik was totally convinced with Dashrath Bhagat’s argument and he without hesitation amended the proposal for appointment of two contractors and cleared the proposal for appointing contractors in 118 units. The proposal will cost NMMC Rs 54.35 crore. He asked the NMMC authorities to call for the Tenders for zones 1 and 2 for a period of five years. Thus it was a victory for Dahsrath Bhagat. 

Dinesh Kamath's news item 'AAP versus railway authorities' that was published in Newsband

AAP versus railway authorities

By Dinesh Kamath

NAVI MUMBAI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of Navi Mumbai, under its convener Ravi Srivastava, displayed its opposition to the surcharge of Rs 5 imposed by suburban sector of Central Railway (CR). They expressed their anger and frustration at the Vashi railway station few days back. They had the backing of many railway commuters. AAP is determined to organize similar protests at other railway stations of Navi Mumbai in the near future.

The railway authorities have given their reason for hiking the price of the rail ticket. According to them, CIDCO and Railways had constructed the Vashi creek bridge in 1995. This construction had cost them around Rs 100 crore.  CR now intends to recover that amount with interest and hence it first imposed a surcharge of Rs 2 per ticket. A few days later, the cost of the ticket was again raised by Rs 1 more. This surcharge was still again increased to Rs 5.

The result was that the cost of second class railway ticket from Vashi to CST is now Rs 15. On the other routes it is only Rs 10 for the same distance. When a Navi Mumbaikar wants a return ticket, he has to pay Rs 10 extra.

It is alleged that Central Railway (CR) has already recovered hundreds of crores from the public in last 18 years from sale of tickets. The question asked is why are they still continuing to collect surcharge? Even the first class passengers have to pay the surcharge.

Srivastava had even corresponded with Minister of Railways, Pawan Kumar Bansal and also to Railway Board chairman, protesting against the surcharge, but in vain. He at last took resort to Right To Information Act and asked CR to hand him the details relating to this matter.

AAP has now planned to collect a huge number of signatures from railway commuters all over Navi Mumbai who oppose the surcharge imposed by the railways.

Dinesh Kamath about Sunny Leone who is the most searched Bollywood celebrity

Sunny Leone was searched online on Google 3.5 crore times in December 2012, making her the most searched Bollywood celebrity in the world.

Ever since shifting base to India and Bollywood, Sunny Leone has consistently found a place in most popularity polls.

Sunny Leone, whose popularity is growing with leaps and bounds, started her career with Pooja Bhatt’s Jism 2 and is currently busy shooting for Ekta Kapoor’s Ragini MMS 2.

Sunny will feature in her first ever Bollywood item number in Sanjay Gupta's Shootout At Wadala.

The rehearsals of the dance sequence are already underway and the item number is being choreographed by Ahmed Khan.

Sunny will be seen in a typical Indian costume for the first time on screen surrounded by over 50 male dancers.

This item number will only add few more million fans to the already existing ones.  

Dinesh Kamath's news item 'Transfer of cases embarrasses Navi Mumbai police?' that was published in Newsband

Transfer of cases embarrasses Navi Mumbai police?

By Dinesh Kamath

NAVI MUMBAI: Two high-profile murder cases, those of builder Sunil Kumar Lahoria and Sandhya Singh, were transferred from the Navi Mumbai police to the Mumbai crime branch. This has hurt the ego of many policemen of Navi Mumbai. These policemen feel that this development has affected the image of Navi Mumbai police.

Since the murder victims were influential persons, their respective families could get this transfer of cases done by wielding political influence. It would be wrong to say that this transfer of cases were due to inability of Navi Mumbai police to carry out an in-depth investigation and go into the root of these cases.

In fact before the transfer of the cases, Navi Mumbai police had done a remarkable job and had come up with some interesting clues and leads that are helping the Mumbai Crime Branch to get a firm grip on both the cases.

One cannot underestimate the investigating powers of Navi Mumbai police since had they been so bad in the matter of investigating, then how could they detect the murder case of the CIDCO clerk, Atul Mhatre, in Panvel recently and also mastermind the arrest of Dattatray Rokade (53), who had raped and killed a five-year-old girl? So, it is not that the Navi Mumbai police are unable to conduct probes properly.

That is the reason why the top police in Navi Mumbai are feeling embarrassed about the fact that the two high-profile cases were snatched from their hands and handed to their Mumbai counterparts. Navi Mumbai police are criticized for its poor informer network and also lack of modern technological tools for better investigations. They are also accused of their casual attitude towards local crimes. If they have to win the confidence of the public they will have to cultivate a clean image and have effective local police stations. It is not that they are incompetent but they should admit that there are many important criminal cases that have gone unsolved by them. Another thing is Navi Mumbai police tend to bow down to political pressures. On the other hand, their Mumbai counterparts are too tough and cannot be easily bought by top politicians.

Navi Mumbai police were instrumental in arresting three persons in the Lahoria case, including retired encounter specialist Emmanuel Amolik. Even in the Sandhya Singh case, the Navi Mumbai police did plenty of ground work which their Mumbai counterparts are finding extremely beneficial.

But this setback caused by the transfer of cases has made the Navi Mumbai police absolutely determined to do something drastic to give tremendous boost to their image. 

Dinesh Kamath's news item 'Many banks duped by a gang of scamsters, a developer badly cheated' that was published in Newsband

Many banks duped by a gang of scamsters, a developer badly cheated

By Dinesh Kamath

NAVI MUMBAI: Scamsters have created havoc in Navi Mumbai. Banks are mostly targeted by these scamsters and hence all the banks in Navi Mumbai have found the necessity to be extremely alert every moment. But here is a unique case. A group of scamsters targeted a Navi Mumbai based developer and a number of banks and by taking fake housing loans duped them to the tune of at least Rs 5 crore.

These members of the gangs first paid the initial booking amounts and bought houses in Lilavati building in Kharghar. They then made the duplicates of the original agreements with the developer, after which they applied at around 15 banks for loans. The loans were sanctioned after which these scamsters opened fake accounts in developer’s name and withdrew the money.

It took some time for the officials of these banks to realize that the account opened by these individuals were fake. They immediately contacted the police and lodged complaints against the scamsters. An in-depth investigation was carried out. Four FIRS have been registered in different Navi Mumbai police stations.

The builder who was victim of the scam is Rohit Zaveri He is the partner in Sweet Home Builders and Developers. He is a civil engineer and has been in the construction business for 37 years. It was his identity which was faked to open bank accounts.

He was approached by five persons at different times and they booked one flat each. They paid the booking amount after which the registration of the agreement was done. All that was left for them to do was they had to pay the balance amount for which they were to apply for home loans. But they disappeared after that.

Zaveri came to know from one of the banks that he was being cheated by a buyer whose name was Anil Pande. It seems that Pande had stopped paying the EMIs. It was found that Pande had made the duplicate of the registration document with government stamps and faked Zaveri’s signature. With the help of this fake document, he obtained loans from at least five banks. The cheques were issued in the name of the developer. He opened fake accounts in Zaveri’s name. He also made bogus PAN cards in Zaveri’s name, but with someone else’s photograph.

The home loan cheques were deposited in the fake bank accounts and the scamsters cleared out the accounts in the next few days.

These scamsters had targeted at least 15 banks and duped them to the tune of above Rs 5 crore.

Pande and four other customers, who booked houses in Zaveri’s building have indulged in similar scams.

Two FIRs are registered at Kharghar Police station. It is become clear that a big gang is involved in this major scam. The police are trying to trace as to who is Pande. Zaveri had to record his statement in many police stations. He personally lodged a complaint against the scamsters at NRI Seawoods Police Station. The police registered criminal cases of impersonating and forgery.  

The police are trying to go to the root of this case and other builders are become very cautious while selling houses to the customers. They are now insisting that the buyers give maximum details about themselves before making any kind of agreement with them.

Dinesh Kamath's news item 'Common man cannot afford Alphonso mangoes' that was published in Newsband

Common man cannot afford Alphonso mangoes

By Dinesh Kamath

APMC: Alphonso mangoes are entering the market in big number but the common man finds them too costly and can’t purchase them. The minimum cost of these mangoes is found to be more than Rs 2500 a dozen. Hence for a common man there is no point in even bargaining. The price of these mangoes do show promise of coming down after half a month or so. But if these mangoes have to be within the reach of common man then he will  have to wait for the season to come almost to an end.

These mangoes are arriving from Ratnagiri. The scent coming out from these mangoes makes one’s mouth water. This fruit is not exactly round. It is kind of oval in shape. It is yellowish and sometimes orange in colour. The reason for these fruits arriving on time was that the rainfall did not occur at the wrong time and the fruits got enough time to bloom.

The mango-sellers at APMC Market have a hectic time. They have to clean, sort, pack and dispatch the mangoes. There has been no problem in the matter of obtaining these fruits on time. But the fruit merchants feel sorry for the buyers who find the price of these mangoes too high and hence unable to afford them.

The buyers are waiting for cheaper mangoes to enter the market. Alphonso is not within their reach. So they are waiting for the entry of kesar, mankurad, mulgoa and pairi. The fruit sellers have assured them that cheaper and affordable mangoes will start pouring into the market within few weeks. Sometimes the mangoes come in small shape and this is when their prices become less and they become affordable for common man to buy and relish. The buyers who try to purchase mangoes directly from APMC market many a time feel discouraged when they find the whole stock having been purchased by the retailers. These buyers then have no choice but to buy these mangoes from retailers at extra price. It is also found that the Navi Mumbai retailers have to compete with their Mumbai counterparts while buying the stock from the wholesalers in APMC market. Navi Mumbai merchants then make an issue of it by saying that local sellers should get preference over the outsiders while buying the mangoes in wholesale from APMC Market.  

However, the business at APMC market is not bad as compared to last year and before that when it comes to mangoes. Other fruits are never a problem since most of them are available all the year round.

There are many fruit sellers who prefer to sell other fruits rather then sell Alphonso mangoes which, according to them, have no takers owing to their high rate. They find it risky to buy Alphonso since if the people don’t buy them they get rotten and it is the sellers who suffer a loss.

Dinesh Kamath's news item 'Some buyers of houses near proposed airport feel cheated' that was published in Newsband

Some buyers of houses near proposed airport feel cheated

By Dinesh Kamath

PANVEL: The very moment the public got the news that an international airport was to come up in Navi Mumbai, many of them booked their houses in complexes or high-rises around the area where airport was proposed to come up. The authorities had marked this area as Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) intensified zone. But these buyers of flats have not yet got the possession of their flats for the simple reason that the developers have not yet obtained occupancy certificate (OC) from the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

When the AAI authorities were queried about this they pointed to the guidelines which prevents them from issuing an OC to any building falling within the radius of the traffic route of the NMIA and that too if the structure is not more than ground-plus-seven floors.

Now the problem is that some high-rise are failing to meet this guideline and hence people who have put in their life savings are still waiting to get possession of their homes. They fear that they may lose their hard-earned money.

Also a certain area near the proposed airport falls within the traffic route of the NMIA. So the people who have purchased the flat over here are also in trouble. The developers in this region had played a trick with the buyers. They lowered the rates of the houses in this region. This attracted the buyers to these spot. They purchased the houses here and now they find it difficult to get possession of the houses they have booked. The developers blame the Airport authorities for the delay in handing over the possession.

There are some residents who have booked the houses more than a year ago and they have not yet got possession of the flats in spite of the fact that their buildings adhere to AAI’s guidelines. In certain cases, the developer has not even started the construction work and hence people who have booked these houses cannot even think of getting possession. The developers just give the lame excuse that they have not yet got clearance from the AAI and the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO).

The buyers of the flats over here have now realized that it’s extremely difficult to get possession of the flats which doesn’t stick to AAI’s prescribed standards.

Some buyers were of the opinion that CIDCO has the power to issue OC but when they clarified they realized that CIDCO was only a planning authority and that AAI was the controlling authority of all the airports and hence the buildings would have to stick to AAI’s guidelines for AAI to issue the OC.     

But the strange thing is that in spite of the fact that many buyers of the flats here are feeling cheated, there are other developers who go about promoting their new projects in the vicinity of airport.