MMRDA asked to revisit forest clearance conditions for MTHL

MUMBAI: The ministry of environment and forest (MOEF) asked Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to revisit and meet certain conditions before forest clearance for the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) is issued.

Earlier this week, the ministry assured MMRDA of coastal regulation zone (CRZ) clearance for the project. The MMRDA had approached the ministry for diversion of 47 hectares of land in Uran, where a part of the sea link has been planned. In a meeting on Thursday, the forest advisory committee (FAC) of the ministry expressed concerns over non-consideration of issues in relation to Forest Rights Act.

“In the report submitted to the FAC, the district collector, who carried out survey in the forest area, mentioned that there were no tribals in the area. However, the FAC wanted us to revisit,” said a MMRDA official. Moreover, FAC sought clarification on one more technical issue.

The sea link, which is planned between Sewri in Mumbai to Nhava in Navi Mumbai, has been stuck for over two decades. It will provide faster, shorter and comfortable connectivity to upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport, JNPT along with the highways going to Pune and Goa. Prime Minister Modi led a mass yoga session on the first international yoga day in 2015 at Rajpath in Delhi, setting a record for the largest gathering of people — 35,985 — performing yogic exercises together at one place. “Looking at the government’s renewed push to promote yoga, it was time we made an effort at institutionalising it,” an UGC official said.

Welcoming the move, educationists said, it would not only help promote yoga in a big way but also open job avenues. “We have enough people preaching yoga but need qualified practitioners of the discipline. The way yoga has become popular these days, there are ample job opportunities for qualified yoga experts,” said Professor TV Kattimani, vice-chancellor of Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, a central institution in Madhya Pradesh.

The opposition Congress too praised the move but sought to know the benefits and how it would be implemented. “The idea sounds good and we appreciate the move but it smacks of ad hocism and should not be done in haste. A lot many factors should be taken into account before yoga is introduced as BSC and MSC programme in universities. For example, will students find employment after doing the course? Can they become teachers without getting a BED degree?” party spokesperson Tom Vadakkan asked.

The UGC proposal states that each university will set up a department of yogic art and science.

The regulatory body will soon form a panel of experts to develop a curriculum and syllabus for the subject to be taught as three-year BSC and two-year MSC programmes as well as draw up a set of qualifications for hiring faculty.

The experts will be drawn from some universities that are already offering yoga as an optional subject. In June 2015, human resource development minister Smriti Irani introduced yoga as part of the curriculum in government-run schools. He added that the immunity developed against the infection this year may protect people from it in the coming years.

Mumbai recorded 70 H1N1 deaths last year. Doctors said while the city witnessed a drop in the number of cases in December, Nagpur, Nashik and Pune have reported a higher incidence of cases and deaths in the month. Such was the response that #Chatwithcp was trending (became the most talked about) on Twitter for a while.

The questions ranged from women safety and traffic to moral policing, drug abuse and status of their complaints, among others. “The basic idea behind #Chatwithcp initiative was to create a platform for citizens to connect with the commissioner of police on a virtual medium. Commissioner Javed, too, felt chatting Live on Twitter could assure citizens that they can fearlessly contact the police,” said Dhananjay Kulkarni, DCP and Mumbai police spokesperson.

Some NSEL investors questioned the interrogation in the scam. One of the respondents termed the initiative “a promotional activity, which ignored core issues”.

As Javed maintained silence on the issue, one of the respondents tweeted, “The commissioner has the time to tweet on nakabandi, but not on NSEL.”

In response, Javed tweeted, “Investigations are actively underway & being monitored. It is time-consuming, as it involves mandated procedures and processes, involving multiple agencies & geographies. The police are working on completing the investigation and to bring the culprits to book.”

“Many people appreciated the first edition of #Chatwithcp. A few criticised us, but we cannot satisfy everyone,” said Kulkarni. “Society, dynamic and rules made 10 years ago may not be suitable now. Personally, I don’t favour cutting films with a pair of scissors,” said Benegal, a national award winning director while reacting to the announcement.

PTI quoted Nihalani as saying, “There are good people in the committee and I am confident that they will bring new reforms.” He, however, refused to comment on whether he will be asked to resign.

Ashok Pandit, a filmmaker and censor board member, said it was a much needed development.

“Shyam Babu is a veteran, he is a respected filmmaker and this move suggests that issues that we filmmakers had been raising are being addressed. Censor board and its chairman cannot act like a dictator, there should be freedom of expression,” he said.

The censor board had invited negative publicity after Nihalan revealed that he snipped many kissing scenes in the latest James Bond Movie Spectre without watching the film. Fellow mem bers of the board had charged him with running it as his “per sonal fiefdom”.

The censor board chief also earned the ire of filmmakers and other board members after he prepared a list of cuss words that could not be used in films.

The Bjp-led government had replaced the Upa-appointed board in January last year when then chairperson Leela Samson quit along with 13 board members while accusing the government of treating them in a “cavalier and dismissive manner”.

The Nihalani-led censor board had raised eyebrows as critics pointed out it was packed with those with links to the saffron party. Apart from being the producer of the 1990s blockbust ers Shola aur Shabnam and Aankhen, Nihalani was in news in 2014 for his ‘Har Ghar Modi The Power House of India’, a song eulogising Modi.

Others in board included RSS ideologue and editor of Marath weekly Vivek’, Ramesh Patange and BJP general secretary Van Tripathi.

The other members of the Benegal committee include Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra Piyush Pandey, Bhawana Somaaya, Nina Lath Gupta and joint secretary (films) as member convener.