The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) has advised people not to venture into the sea, as the city would witness high tides measuring about 4.70 metres till June 17.

The MeT department has forecast heavy rainfall, accompanied with thundershowers in the next couple of days.

Meanwhile, the BMC has decided to implement a two-tier safety and security system at the city''s seafront.

The corporation will use services of 150 firefighters, while adding to its team of lifeguards at the seafront.

On Monday, Mumbai received over 20 mm of rainfall that led to water clogging in various parts.

With most parts of the city including Dadar, Goregaon, Malad and Borivli already facing water logging, residents questioned as to what would happen in the days to come.

"We fear that when full monsoon will be on its peak we don''t know what''s going to happen. We really fear for our life and property," said Tasleem Shukul, housing society secretary.

"Without the rains when the water level is rising, then if the rain falls then water level will rise very high. The administration should keep an eye over it," Vivek Chowdhary.
 

(malathi)

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seems to be in a mood to let bygones be bygones. Inside sources from the party have confirmed that Jaswant Singh is going to return to the party and party president Nitin Gadkari is expected to make the formal announcement soon.

MiD DAY had first reported the news of re-inducting Jaswant Singh, ('Jaswant back in BJP?' May 22), which has now been confirmed. Sources say that the final talks between top officials and Jaswant Singh have been completed and Singh has been forgiven for his earlier remarks.

"For the last one month, the issue was being discussed and it was decided yesterday that he would be re-inducted to strengthen the party structure in Rajasthan," said a senior BJP leader.
 
Initially, BJP leaders like Advani and Arun Jaitley were opposed to the notion of allowing him into the party, but a large section of the party including some RSS top officials were in favour of Singh's return.

"Singh was in touch with BJP party head Nitin Gadkari who discussed the matter with other senior leaders such as Venkaiah Naidu," added the senior leader.
 

(malathi)

Can two officers keep a tab on all orphanages in the city? That's the question officials of the Women and Child Development (WCD) Department pose when asked  how illegal orphanages manage to operate in the city.

The matter assumes significance in light of the adoption scandal that surfaced at the Gurukul Godavari Balak Ashram in Yerawada. The orphanage lacked a licence, and the police unearthed shocking details of a 'babies for money' adoption racket virtually everyday since the arrest of its director, an employee, a couple of doctors, and a school principal.

Faced with the mushrooming of orphanages in the city, officials find it difficult to cope with the workload. They say keeping an eye on 47 orphanages in the city in times of a severe staff crunch is tough.

"With one probation officer on medical leave and only two on duty, it is difficult to keep a tab on the illegal institutions, which are said to be mushrooming," District Women and Child Welfare Officer P B Shirke said.

Combing operations
Anuradha Sahastrabuddhe, member of Juvenile Justice Board and director of Dnyanadevi Childline, said combing operations to unearth illegal activities were the need of the hour.

"We had received a tip-off about such a fake orphanage four years ago, but nothing happened. Now after four years and all this noise, CWC (Child Welfare Committee) officials visited the ashram and said they shut it down. How can such laxness be allowed at such a time?" she said.

Anjali Pawar, director of NGO Sakhi, said WCD Department officials can not shy away from their responsibility by citing staff shortage.

Orphanages raided
On Monday, after protests from child rights activists that the WCD Department was doing nothing about the sale of children happening from orphanages, two Dapodi-based orphanages operating without a licence for 10 years were made to shut down on Monday.

"When the case of an HIV positive child being sold by Gurukul Godavari Balak Ashram was brought to light, a Dapodi-based CWC member received information about two such orphanages illegally running in the town area," said a person with inside knowledge of the committee's working. "The members of CWC visited two such institutions and after scrutinising their papers, realised that they were lacking necessary licences."

A CWC member, who requested anonymity, said at Niradhar Balsangopan Balakashram run by Malan Tulwe, 32 children from seven to 11 years of age were kept in a community hall with no proper provisions for eating, drinking water and toilets.

"The orphanage was running on charity and no state government funds were made available to them," the CWC member said. "On inspection of their files, it was revealed that most of the charity money was used by the caretakers."

She said the second orphanage, Saraswati Ananthashram run by Saraswati Surwase, was in a much better condition, but lacked the necessary licence.

Sahastrabuddhe alleged that one of the Dapodi orphanages that CWC claims to have shut was still running.

"We have kept surveillance on them for four years. After CWC claimed they had shut the orphanage, we visited the place," said Sahastrabuddhe. "Our person befriended the caretaker and was told that the kids had been shifted to another location hours before the CWC raid."
 

(malathi)

Cops track phone records of Sydney resident, who fell to death from Navi Mumbai hotel

 
"At first, I thought someone had flung a parcel from an upper floor of the hotel," a passerby told the police.

A few seconds and a loud thud later, he realised it was a woman who had fallen off the sixth floor of Hotel Celebration in Vashi.

On hearing the commotion, hotel employees scurried outside to find their Australian guest, Shelhot Karima (45) lying dead. Karima had checked into the hotel on June 11.

"Investigations reveal that before she fell, Karima was standing on a chair by the window in her room," said Senior Police Inspector Dilip Kadam. "It's too early to say whether she committed suicide or fell to her death."

The Sydney resident arrived in the city in January. The police are probing whether Karima knew someone in Navi Mumbai, as she chose to put up in a hotel there, something unusual for foreigners who prefer Mumbai. "Though she stayed put in her hotel room most of the time, when she did step out, she used to return within a couple of hours. We are tracking her phone records to find out whom she visited," said Assistant Police Inspector Shirish Pawar.

A case of accidental death has been registered at APMC police station.
 

(malathi)

Public lavatories allotted to refugees lie in ruins with no cleaners or attendants

The ghosts of the Partition have been exorcised by most. For the residents of the former resettlement colony of Kalkaji, however, it still raises a stink.

Public toilet complexes that stand as an epitaph to the sad memories of the great exodus are causing trouble to the people living in the south Delhi colony. The erstwhile Ministry of Rehabilitation allotted houses to refugees in the area in 1952 and constructed public toilets for them, as most of the houses did not have attached loos.

More than 58 years after the rehabilitation drive, the toilet complexes still stand, though most of them are in ruins. Some of them are used by the local cleaners to store their goods, others are used by nearby slum dwellers.

Without any maintenance, these toilets are making life difficult for the residents of Kalkaji. An area resident who shifted to Delhi from Pakistan after the Partition is running from pillar to post to get rid of these lavatories, as the colony does not want them any more as they are causing health problems.

"We live in A-Block, Double Storey, Kalkaji, which was allotted to us by the Ministry of Rehabilitation in 1952.  Since these allotted quarters did not have toilets, the MCD had constructed public toilets for the convenience of the residents.  Subsequently, all owners constructed toilets in their houses and the public toilets were rendered useless. 

These toilets, however, are still being used by nearby slum dwellers. Without any maintenance by the MCD employees, they are now posing serious problems to us. They have become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other bacteria, causing serious health hazard to residents," said CP Malhotra, a government employee.

Lying in ruins, the toilet buildings have developed huge cracks and can fall down any time. The locals tried to clean the toilets by themselves but it was not possible for them to regularly maintain them.

"These toilets stand in front of our houses. The matter was brought to the notice of Chairman, Standing Committee vide our letters dated November 25,1988 and dated April 5, 1999. I have also informed the local MLA along with the Ministry of Urban Development in the year 2000. Since then I have been writing letters to all the departments concerned but no action has been taken during the last 10 years," Malhotra added.

Another resident pointed out that the toilets which were built for their convenience have now become a hazard to them.

The residents have also registered their complaint with App Ki Sunwai, the Delhi government's grievance registration system. App Ki Sunwai marked a letter to DEMS of MCD to take immediate action. An executive from the department took photographs of the toilet complexes and talked to the residents. He will submit a report in this regard to the MCD.

The public grievances commission has also market a latter to the commissioner, MCD, to look into the petitions and dispose the case by intimating the action taken to the petitioner directly under intimation of
the panel.

12.5 million Estimated number of people displaced due to the Partition in 1947

'He can't do it'

On Tuesday, Renukacharya was at a loss for words in a meeting with representatives of five-star hotels, seeking an explanation, with the home minister's unfavourable statement and the uncertainty surrounding the issue.

"We must get the extension before the world cup fever reaches its crescendo," said Ashish Kothare, president, The Association of Bar & Restaurant, Pub & Hotels.

"But with this indecision, we see no hope." He added, "I see there is lot of politics into it, and I believe Renukacharya cannot keep his word."

Renukacharya is understood to have given his assurance to pub and hotel owners after coming to an understanding with them, but the CM decided to discourage the move.

"Yes, I am under pressure," confirmed Renukacharya. "I met hoteliers, and they gave me reasons on why the deadline should be extended until 2 am.

Now I have to convince the government, and have to try to extend it at least for the five-star hotels."

"I don't know why the government is backtracking after the excise minister has gone on record for the extension," said a representative.

"Even Renukacharya is not convincing and the whole thing appears to be a farce," he added.

(malathi)

Unhappy with the uncertainty surrounding the issue over the extension of the deadline, hoteliers pin their hopes on the all-powerful Reddy clan for a solution

With the excise minister MP Renukacharya not gaining any ground on extending the city's nightlife deadline, the now-anxious hoteliers seem to have given up on him, and want to expedite the process by taking the Reddy route.

Speaking to MiD DAY, GM, Leela Palace, said, "There is no point in expecting anything from Renukacharya, because he cannot seem to take a stand.

We plan to approach Janardhan Reddy, the tourism minister. We believe that he would be able to persuade the chief minister over the deadline issue.
 The extension is important for expatriates who want to have a good time after really long working hours."

It is a well-known fact that the Reddy brothers (Janardhan and Karunakara) are mining magnates and have a stronghold over the government.
 

(malathi)

The tweeting community seems to be in no mood to welcome state BJP chief KS Eshwarappa, who has been on the site for 15 days, but has not managed to get a single follower

It seems like state BJP chief KS Eshwarappa's wish to go all high-tech will remain just that a wish.
 
The reason? Even after 15 days of opening a Twitter account, he still does not have a single follower on the popular micro-blogging website.

It could be a setback for Eshwarappa, who is all set to launch his website in a bid to add to his popularity among the online community.

Eshwarappa, seems to have taken a cue from Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa, who already has his own website, for making up for the deficiency of not having an online presence.

But his Twitter page bears a deserted look '0' tweets, '0' followers and 'following none' that's the tweet stats of the former minister and the state BJP chief.

"The website is for better connectivity and visibility," said S Prakash, BJP city spokesperson.
 
"It will be launched very shortly. It will be a social platform, where he can connect with the online community, besides the aam aadmi."

However, the tweeting community seems to be in no mood to welcome the leader.

A makeover

Undaunted, this has set creators of his website, the city-based Dhyeya Tech, on a new goal.

The firm, which has carried out a similar exercise by helping former minister Shobha Karandlaje to get comfortable on similar aspects that include blogging, hopes to repeat the success with Eshwarappa too.

 
They believe that this will help him shun the tag of being 'non tech-savvy' and help get closer to the online community, who normally flock to other popular leaders' entry to the social networking platform.
 
"We'll try to make him comfortable on these aspects in the coming days," said Harsha Perla, founder, Dhyeya Tech.
 
"We hope he'll get acquainted with the networking platforms, by the time the website is launched," he added. "I haven't seen my website yet," said Eshwarappa to MiD DAY.
 
"I can only comment later on how effectively I can use websites like Twitter or Facebook." He offered no further comments.
 

(malathi)

Aamir Khan advises students not to look upon the SSC Boards as a milestone, it's just another stone with many miles on it!

The SSC results are about to be announced and this takes me back to my school days. I remember being petrified of exams, even more petrified of the results. The red lines on my report card were demeaning, disheartening, and most discouraging. How could I face my friends and family? Shame! Broken self-esteem.

I remember I used to have nightmares. In fact, after having put in a distance of more than 20 years between myself and my last exam, I still haven't managed to escape the cold fear of exams and results. I still wake up with the shivers after a nightmare about going blank in front of a question paper with time running out.
I am sure there are many children out there who go through similar emotions and are currently in a state of panic about the impending SSC results. Kids, don't be afraid. Just chill. All izzz well!

Don't look upon the SSC Boards as a milestone in your life, it's just another stone with many miles on it! You have a long way to go and many more important exams to face. Not the school or college exams, but the exams of life. And those are the ones to be prepared for. The marksheets to look out for are not the ones printed on some paper, but the ones on the faces of the people you love. Those are the marksheets that matter. Bring a smile on the face of your mother, father, brother, sister, son, daughter, friend, and you have done well in the exam of life.

I remember that the one person who always gave me strong support and encouragement even after bad results was my father. My mom would complain and tell him that I had failed in Marathi or History or something and he would laugh it off and say "What? You failed in only 2 subjects? I always failed in at least 4!" "Don't worry about exams," he always said, "just have a good time in school and be honest." Honesty was always a big one for him. It genuinely never bothered him that I had done badly. And when I look back now I realise that it was probably because of his utter and absolute belief in me, and his strong support, that I grew up with confidence in myself. Had he lost faith in me I would NEVER have been able to reach where I have in life, and achieve what I have.

Parents, there is a strong lesson here for all of us. Tomorrow the SSC results will be out. I want each of you to remember that we need to accept our children as they are. Your child might fail, or get average marks, or might miss by half a per cent the result that you may desire, either way, I want you to accept him/her as he/she is. Is the marksheet more important or is your child more important?

Do not be disappointed with one exam. Life has so much to offer. Each one of us is special. And for each one of us to do well in life we need the encouragement and support of the people who love us, especially our parents. Remember the marksheet of life. And this marksheet has only 3 subjects -- love, caring and happiness.
Fame, success and money are calculated on some other marksheet, and they cannot compete with the value of love, caring and happiness. Let us, as parents, not fail in the exam of life. Remember our face is also a marksheet, as is the face of our beloved child. Let us see really high scores on each and every face this time!

This exam, no matter what the marks of the child, I want every parent to hug his/her child when they come home with their results. Try it, and see the power of love. See what it did to me when I came home to my father.

This exam I would like teachers and principals to click photos NOT WITH THE TOPPERS but with the students who have not done as well. Reach out not to the toppers but to the ones at the other end. Give them your encouragement and support, they need it much more.

Kids, any problems with your parents, show them TZP and 3i. You have the power to change the world no matter how much you have scored in your exams. The whole wide world is ahead of you to enjoy and contribute to in small and big ways.

By the way, did any of you know what Gandhiji scored in his Matriculation Exams (which is equivalent to our SSC boards today)? 40%.

Now do you believe me?

SSC results tomorrow
The most awaited SSC results will be declared on June 17 according to the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education. The results will be available online through several websites at 11 am. It can be made available even through SMSes on BSNL mobiles and on rediff.com.
To know your results go
on the following sites:

http://mahresult.nic.in/
www.rediff.com/exams
http://www.studyssconline.com/
http://www.msbshse.ac.in/
http://www.mh-ssc.ac.in/
www.sscresult.mkcl.org

(malathi)

All the 116 Indian nationals, who were stranded in riot-hit southern Kyrgyzstan, have been safely evacuated and will return to India over the next few days, the government said here Tuesday.

The Indians stranded in the southern Kyrgyz towns of Osh and Jalal-Abad were safely evacuated last night by air to Bishkek, the external affairs ministry said here.

"They are expected to return to India over the next few days. Flights out of Bishkek are operating normally," the ministry said.

The airlift of the Indian citizens was arranged by the Indian embassy in Bishkek with the active cooperation and support of the Kyrgyz authorities.

Around 116 Indians were feared trapped in the riot-hit former Soviet republic. The stranded Indians included 15 students in Jalalabad and 99 students, a professor and a businessman in Osh.

In the worst ethnic violence in decades, at least 124 people have been killed and more than 1,685 wounded in southern Kyrgyzstan
 

(malathi)

A MiG-21 fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force today crashed near Halwara air base in Punjab, but the pilot bailed out safely.

The crash took place at around 11.15 hours just outside the Sidwan Khas Range in Halwara, 33 km from here. "A MiG-21 Type-96 aircraft crashed around 11.15 hours near S K Range near Halwara air base.

The pilot ejected from the cockpit safely," an IAF spokesperson said in New Delhi. "The pilot had flown the plane from Pathankot air base for a routine armament training sortie at the range in Halwara when the mishap occurred," he said.

With today's crash, the IAF has lost three fighter jet planes this year. It had lost a MiG-27 warplane on February 16 this year in a crash near Hashimara and a MiG-21 Type-77 fighter aircraft on February 19 at Bagdogra, both in West Bengal.

In the Hashimara crash, the pilot, Wing Commander Oswald, was killed, while in the Bagdogra mishap, the pilot ejected out of the cockpit safely. Last year, the IAF was hit by 11 crashes and five of them involved variants of the MiG-21 fighter planes
 

(malathi)