The onion prices that reached around Rs12 to Rs14 per kg in the wholesale market dropped to Rs8 to Rs10 per kg on Tuesday.

UNSEASONAL RAIN HIT 19K FARMERS IN PALGHAR

Uday Samant, seen here with CM Shinde. —FILE PHOTO

Despite his ill health, Bapat had addressed BJP workers briefly at Kesariwada.

Crucial Read

Man Assaulted And Robbed On Howrah Mail In Mumbai By Vendors

Thane: A 25-year-old passenger travelling on Howrah Mail was attacked with a stone and robbed of cash by three persons including two vendors in Mumbai, GRP officials said on Wednesday. “A vendor selling earphones accused a passenger sitting next to the victim of stealing money. When the victim tried to defend the passenger, two more vendors appeared on the scene and attacked him with a stone and robbed Rs2,500 cash he was carrying,” a Government Railway Police (GRP) official said.

Driver Seeks Bail In Mum Jogger Hit And Run Case

Mumbai: THE 23-YEAR-

OLD man arrested for allegedly running over a 58-year-old woman at Worli Sea Face last week approached the sessions court for bail on Tuesday, stating that the spot of the incident was a blind spot with a sharp turn and the jogger was running in the wrong direction. The metropolitan magistrate in Dadar rejected the bail plea of Sumer Merchant, stating that photographs of the spot submitted by the police show that there is no such blind spot. Merchant then approached the sessions court, which directed the police to file a reply.

Nmmc Holds Programmes On World Tb Day

Navi Mumbai: To observe World Tuberculosis Day on March 24, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation’s health department organized various events such as seminars, rallies, workshops, and street plays to raise awareness about tuberculosis (TB). The theme for this year’s event is “Yes!, We Can End TB”, with the aim of educating the public about the disease, which continues to be an epidemic in many parts of the world. Tuberculosis claims the lives of approximately 1.5 million people worldwide, including in numerous developing nations.

BURGLAR HELD FROM PALGHAR; STOLEN JEWELLERY AND CASH RECOVERED

Thane: A 46-year-old criminal with at least 40 cases lodged against him was arrested from Nalasopara in Palghar district in connection with the burglary of cash and gold jewellery worth more than Rs23 lakh, police said on Wednesday.

The accused and his accomplices had broken into a locked house in Kashmira locality on March 23/24 night and decamped with jewellery and cash totalling Rs23.10 lakh, a senior police officer said. The accused was nabbed after being identified by CCTV footage. Police recovered the stolen jewellery and cash from him.

Narendra Modi (@ narendramodi) His passing away is saddening. Condolences to his family and supporters. Om Shanti

An all-inclusive, generous leadership is lost. While fighting the illness, Bapat worked towards giving energy to his party, and as an MLA, MP, and minister, he always took a lead to address the issues of the common people. He had friendships across the party lines and had a great people connect.

The senior BJP leader enjoyed a good rapport with Opposition leaders as well and was looked upon as a mentor by many politicians from Pune district.

“In his long political career of four decades, Bapat always took an all-inclusive stand. The news of his demise is extremely saddening,” NCP chief Sharad Pawar tweeted.

After winning the Kasba Peth bypoll, Congress candidate Ravindra Dhangekar visited Bapat’s residence to seek his blessings.

Born on September 03, 1950, in Talegaon

Dabhade in Pune district, Bapat worked with the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh in his initial years.

During the Emergency, he was lodged in Nashik jail for 19 months. He became a corporator of PMC in 1983 and after 12 years he was elected as MLA from the Kasba Peth constituency. He served as the Minister for Food, Civil Supplies, Consumer Protection, Food and Drugs Administration, and Parliamentary Affairs in the then state government headed by Devendra Fadnavis.

Pune city last month, Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Bapat at his home. —FILE PHOTO

Tributes pour in: ‘It’s like losing a father figure’

Mumbai: Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule said Bapat’s demise is a big loss for the party.

Senior BJP leader and Maharashtra cabinet minister Chandrakant Patil said Bapat was like a guru and a father figure.

“It is like losing a father figure. His friendship across the party lines and contacts with people and party workers were unparalleled. He was dedicated to the party and its growth. His demise is a huge loss to the party,” Patil said.

Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar said Pune district has lost a leader who believed in taking everyone along.

“In Bapat’s death, a cultured face of poli- tics has been lost,” he said in a statement.

BJP Rajya Sabha member and former Union minister Prakash Javadekar, who hails from Pune, said Maharashtra has lost an honest party worker in Bapat.

“Bapat and I were together since our school days and today I am saddened after our companionship of 58 years ended today,” he said.

Javadekar said Bapat rose through the ranks in public life. He had served as the head of the standing committee in Pune municipal corporation (PMC) and went on to become an MLA and an MP.

“He always highlighted issues concerning Pune,” he said.

The good arrival has brought down its prices in both wholesale and retail markets. “The annual season for new onion has already begun and the largest wholesale market for potatoes arrived last week,” a trader said.

At present, the large onions are commanding a price of Rs9-11 per kg. However, the smaller ones are available at a lower price of around Rs7-9 per kg.

There has been a glut in the market this year, leading to shoddy prices for farmers.

Earlier this month, irate farmers had shut down an onion auction at the Lasalgaon Agriculture Produce Market

Palghar (PTI): As many as 18,869 farmers have lost their crops and agricultural produce due to unseasonal rains between March 01 and 19 in Palghar district, as per an official release. Due to the spell, winds, and dew, crops and agricultural produce across 3,502.83 hectares of land were destroyed. The destruction is more than 33% of the agricultural and horticultural produce, the release said. An assistance of Rs7,87,36,125 has been sought from the government for the farmers affected by the unseasonal rains and other calamities, it said.

Committee (APMC), Asia’s largest onion market, after per-kg price of onion came down to Rs2-4. This had prompted Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to assure farmers that National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) has purchased 18,743 quintals of the key pantry staple from the market, and would likely purchase more.

Onion prices that reached around Rs12-14 per kg have dropped to Rs8-10 per kg . —FILE PHOTO

Trouble Brewing

Stored water down to 37% from 97% in Mumbai’s seven reservoirs

Aurangabad (PTI): The process to effect a change of government in Maharashtra started on the instructions of BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, Health Minister Tanaji Sawant has claimed.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena-NCPCongress government in Maharashtra collapsed in June 2022 with the rebellion of Sena leader Eknath Shinde, who then formed the new government with BJP’s Fadnavis as deputy chief minister.

“We (Shiv Sena leaders of the Shinde camp) and Devendra ji had meetings. (Current Chief Minister) Eknath Shinde and I held 100150 meetings in two years (to bring down the Thackeray government),” Sawant told reporters in Osmanabad on Tuesday.

“On (now Deputy CM) Devendra Fadnavis’s orders, Shiv Sena and BJP came together in Osmanabad Zilla Parishad....It started from there,” Sawant said.

“Seeds of betrayal” were already there in the minds of the MLAs of the Shinde group, said Ambadas Danve

Reacting to Sawant’s statement, Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Council Ambadas Danve said it made clear that the “seeds of betrayal” were already there in the minds of the MLAs of the Shinde group.

The reasons given for the rebellion such as Thackeray not meeting party MLAs regularly or Sena ministers and MLAs not getting funds were hollow excuses, said Danve, a Thackeray loyalist.

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The metropolis could be in for a dry and thirsty summer, despite having seen excessive rainfall--which continued well into October--last monsoon season.

At the end of October, the dams had 97% water storage. Now, stored water in the seven reservoirs that supply water to Mumbai is down to 37% of the total capacity, less than the 40% from this time last year.

Udhrav Vaitrana, Modak Sagar, Tansa, Madhya Vaitrana, Bhatsa, Vihar and Tulsi supply Mumbai with 3,800 MLD (million litres a day) of water. The current stored water will have to last

Last year's excessive rainfall saw the Modak Sagar overflowing in July. —FILE PHOTO

MEANWHILE Udhrav Vaitrana, Modak Sagar, Tansa, Madhya Vaitrana, Bhatsa, Vihar and Tulsi provide Mumbai 3,800 MLD water

Mumbaikars for four months, including two months of summer.

Already, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has announced a 15% water cut across Mumbai for 30 days beginning March 31 to fix a hole in a crucial supply tunnel. With the mercury rising, more cuts could soon follow, especially if the current odd spells of rainfall affect the onset of the monsoon.

IN