Tuesday, July 1, 2025 | 31 Pages | `5 & for State (+4 pages) `6 Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL Vol. 68 No. 230 | Leader in E-paper circulation l www.freepressjournal.in ● EDITIONS: ● MUMBAI ● INDORE ● PUNE ● BHOPAL ● NASHIK ● KONKAN ● E-paper ● Member: Audit Bureau of Circulation (July to December 2024) GAMES MONEY Gross GST collections double in 5 years to ` 22.08 lakh crore in FY 2025 Cinema Naseeruddin Shah comes out in support of Diljit India will be hoping for Smriti Mandhana to fire again in the second WT20I against England Edit Democracy loses as EC loses all credibility among people HC slams BMC over 34-storey illegal building in Tardeo Urvi Mahajani MUMBAI The Bombay High Court has pulled up the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and sharply criticised a developer, Satellite Holdings, for “blatant illegalities” in constructing a 34-storey building in Tardeo without the required approvals, including mandatory fire safety clearances. The court made it clear that flat purchasers occupying floors without an Occupation Certificate (OC) - floors 17 to 34 - were doing so at their own peril. “There are a lot of illegal- 15 killed in Telangana pharma plant blast ities,” observed a bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Arif Doctor, while hearing a petition filed by Sunil B. Jhaveri (HUF), a member of the Willingdon View Co-operative Housing Society near Tardeo RTO. The court noted that Satellite Holdings, the developer (Respondent No. 9), has carried out unauthorised constructions since 2020 and that the building was allowed to come up with “impunity” despite serious violations. The construction of this building commenced in year 1990 and was completed in The BMC was asked to explain why water and electricity supply to the illegal floors has not been cut, and the municipal commissioner was directed to vet all affidavits before submission. The court also sought an explanation from the inspector of lifts on how permissions for elevators were granted for the structure 2010, and the occupation of all the flats is from 2011. Among the most alarming irregularities pointed out was the complete absence of a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the chief fire officer of the Mumbai fire brigade for the 34storey structure. “Blatant illegality is of a building which has 34 floors, not having any approval from chief fire officer of BMC without which no person can occupy the building,” the court observed. “What is further glaring and shocks our conscience is that floors 17 to 34 have no OC. Nonetheless, even with regard to these floors, which also have illegal construction, the same is being occupied,” the bench observed. The court was scathing in its criticism of both the developer and the civic authorities: “We are at complete loss to understand how such illegality, and that too with impunity, can be tolerated by the municipal corporation… FPJ News Service NOT A SINGLE RUPEE FOR SHAKTIPEETH HIGHWAY HYDERABAD MUMBAI A deadly explosion at Sigachi Industries Pvt Ltd, situated in the Pashamylaram industrial estate near Patancheru on the outskirts of Hyderabad, resulted in the deaths of 15 workers and left at least 34 others injured on Monday morning. A chemical reaction in the reactor is suspected to be the cause of the blast. This led to a massive fire and the collapse of parts of the manufacturing plant. The explosion took place around 9:30 am, throwing workers several metres away from the site. Eyewitnesses described a terrifying scene where a loud blast was followed by thick black smoke and fire rapidly spreading across the facility. The force of the explosion reportedly flung some workers nearly 100 metres, while others were caught under the debris as the structure gave way. Despite a clear directive from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the Finance Department (FD) has not made provision for the ambitious Shaktipeeth Highway while introducing Rs 57,509 crores supplementary demands in the State Assembly on Monday. Significantly, the supplementaries, according to gov- 4Contd on | nation Transporters threaten stir Kamal Mishra MUMBAI Patradevi (Dist Sindhudurg) near the Goa border. The project has been facing stiff opposition from farmers from various districts, which led to altercations with government officials during surveys in the districts of Solapur, Latur, Dharashiv and Parbhani. Despite that, the state cabinet in a recent meeting approved the design and Rs 20,787 Cr for planning and land acquisition for the project. Pak, China eyeing SAARC-like bloc? PTI ISLAMABAD Pakistan and China are said to be working on a proposal to establish a new regional organisation that could potentially replace the nearly-defunct South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) that hasn't had a summit for over a decade. Quoting diplomatic sources familiar with the development, the Express Tribune newspaper reported that talks between Islamabad and Beijing are now at an “advanced stage” as both sides are convinced that a new organisation is essential for regional integration and connectivity. ‘K’taka CM change high command call’ Vinay Madhava Gowda Goods transport and school bus operators in Maharashtra have announced an indefinite strike from July 1 and July 2, respectively, over grievances related to e-challan and operational issues. The Maharashtra State Vehicle Drivers-Owners and Representatives Federation said government's failure to address their concerns will lead to intensified actions, disrupting movement of essential goods. The School Bus Owners Association is protesting against fines over usage of monitoring equipment such as CCTV cameras, GPS, and web readers. In view of the stir, schools may consider switching temporarily to online classes. ernment sources, will put an additional Rs 40,000 Cr burden on the state kitty, which is already overburdened with debt of over Rs 9 lakh Cr. The Chief Minister had in a recent meeting on infrastructure projects, asked the Public Works Department (PWD) to set aside Rs 20,000 Cr for the land acquisition of Shaktipeeth Highway, 802 KM greenfield, access control six-lane express highway connecting Nagpur to BENGALURU Fuelling speculation about change in Karnataka government leadership, AICC President M Mallikarjun Kharge declared the Congress high command would take a call on the Chief Minister and not based on the statements of any state leaders. Kharge was on a three-day visit to Bengaluru where the reporters asked him about the visit of AICC General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, who is meeting MLAs individually amid talk about a leadership change in the State. Kharge said that Surjewala was in charge of Karnataka and free to meet legislators individually and elicit information about the government functioning and the problems in their individual constituencies. Based on his findings, he would send report and based on the report, the party will take a decision on what should be done, he said. When asked about possible change in leadership, Kharge said that he could not tell what was in the minds of party leaders. ``Likewise, I can not give clarifications for the statements made by either minister or legislators in the State. I have a different job to do,'' he said. 4Contd on | nation A recent trilateral meeting between Pakistan, China and Bangladesh in Kunming, China, was part of those diplomatic manoeuvres, they said, adding that its goal was to invite other South Asian countries, which were part of SAARC, to join the new grouping. 4Contd on | nation Dalai Lama set to reveal plan to pick heir The HC deserves to be applauded for taking a strong stance against illegal construction. It is high time strict action is taken against those who violate the law. As for those occupying flats without OC, they must be asked to vacate and re-enter only after OC is received. 4Contd on | city ROAD TO NOWHERE | `57,509 crore supplementary demands introduced in Assembly, to put extra 40,000 crore burden Ravikiran Deshmukh FPJ SAYS Usually, if total provision is not possible, the Finance Department makes a token provision to indicate that a particular project or plan is very much on the cards, and the provision can be made down the line. But this does not seem to be the case with the Shaktipeeth Highway, which is estimated to cost over Rs 86,000 Cr. 4Contd on | nation Agencies Soon after US President Donald Trump announced that he is not planning to extend a 90 day pause on tariffs beyond July 9 when the negotiating period he set would end, it is being reported that the Indian delegation negotiating the trade pact is extending its stay in Washington. On Sunday Trump said his administration will notify countries that the trade pe- Ravikiran Deshmukh MUMBAI nalties will take effect unless there are deals with the United States. Letters will start going out “pretty soon" before the approaching deadline, he said. “We'll look at how a country treats us — are they good, are they not so good — some countries we don't care, we'll just send a high number out,” Mr. Trump told Fox News Channel's "Sunday Morning Futures" during a wide-ranging interview taped Friday and broadcast Sunday. Ravindra Chavan, known as a trusted lieutenant of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, will take over as BJP's state unit president on Tuesday. The incumbent, Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, will hand over charge at a party conclave in Mumbai. The mantle is being handed to Chavan, whose grassroots planning ensured BJP's impressive electoral performance in Thane and the Konkan belt, with an eye on the coming elections to the local bodies, according to party sources. Chavan was the only candidate who filed his nomination papers on Monday at BJP state headquarters in the presence of Fadnavis, Bawankule and the party's Maharashtra incharge Arun Singh. Union minister Kiren Rijiju was present as the central observer. 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation Trump not to stretch tariffs pause deadline WASHINGTON Ravindra Chavan set to be new Maha BJP chief An Investor Education and Awareness Initiative Get the advantage of a 3-in-1 Fund Agencies DHARAMSHALA The Dalai Lama will address a major three-day gathering of Buddhist religious figures this week ahead of his 90th birthday on July 6, as his followers wait for the Tibetan spiritual leader to share details about his succession in a move that could irk China. The Dalai Lama said he would consult senior monks and others at this time to share possible clues on where his successor, a boy or a girl, could be found following his death. Tibetan Buddhists hold that enlightened monks are reborn to carry forward their spiritual legacy. 4Contd on | nation MULTI ASSET ALLOCATION FUNDS offgrid PM Modi posts FPJ story on X FPJ News Services PUNE On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi endorsed a story by The Free Press Journal, reposting it via the PMO’s official handle on X, along with the handles of his personal website and Mann Ki Baat Updates. In the 123rd episode of Mann Ki Baat aired on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the remarkable efforts of Ramesh Kharmale, a 49-year- old forest guard from Pune, for his dedication to reviving the hills of Junnar. The FPJ followed by fea- turing Kharmale a former army soldier, now serves as a forest guard and has been instrumental in transforming the landscape through tree plantation drives and environmental conservation. Originally from Khodad village in Junnar taluka, Kharmale served in the Indian Army and retired in 2012. After a short stint in banking and then running an academy to train young people for Army recruitment, he finally found his calling as a Forest Guard after passing the Forest Department exam. 4Contd on | nation * Multi Asset Allocation Funds may invest in Gold or such other asset classes as maybe decided by the To know more, Visit: www.iciciprumf.com Visit www.icicipruamc.com/note to know more about the process to complete a one-time Know Your Customer (KYC) requirement to invest in Mutual Funds. Investors should only deal with registered Mutual Funds, details of which can be Mutual Fund investments are subject to market risks, read all scheme related documents carefully.