OFF THE RECORD review on some of today’s headlines/Vikrant Joshi /www.vikrantjoshi.com
1. Team OFF THE RECORD wishes you, your family, your near & dear ones a very Happy Dasara!! We all love to read the gossips, between the lines messages, tongue-in-cheek gossip I provide, but you know when will our Maharashtra progress? When I will have nothing to write, OFF THE RECORD! When there is not a single rally to demand rights, when the entire Maharashtra sleeps secured, when all my bureaucrat friends get recognised for the efforts they put in day in & day out & when all my political leaders give us Maharashtra what our ancestors & martyrs had dreamt! That’s when we will be free from all the evil….But till then, let’s burn this bloody Ravan, inside us!!
NOW TO THE GOSSIP…
2. High Court slams civic chief after illegal structure in Vile Parle gets regularised-The Times of India
No 1 there is no criminal and civil contempt against MC Ajoy Mehta. It is just a show-cause notice. The media has over-hyped it. Also this matter is nothing but a tussle war between Shivsena’s Jitendra Janavale & Congress current corporator form Parle-Binita Vora. Vora had defeated Jitendra’s wife Arti in 2012 elections & sheer out of rivalry this has started. But how does a MC is responsible for actions of this corrupt Building Proposal department? What was the Additional MC doing all this while? Like CM Fadnavis does for his staff, there is nothing like “putting up” of file on his desk, either you “recommend or reject it”. He will see the comment & the file will get it signed accordingly. As per books of business, the Minister is not responsible & the onus is on the IAS bureaucrat or Secretary of the department. I think MC should do something of this sort to save the embarrassment.
3. Sena disowns action to oust Nawazuddin-The Times of India
Anything new for Shivsena? The people who play mediators change & not the ways of it. Earlier this year when a Shiv-Sainik had rained punches & blows to a female traffic cop, the party had disowned him. Similar to this case, wherever Sena feels that the party name or image is at stake & when the issue will spread like wild fire, it will always backtrack. Question is who was the mediator between Sena & Nawazuddin?
4. U-Turn: MNS men held for engineer’s insult seek bail-The Times of India
“We will never seek bail” two daring corporators had said. But the non-ac jail without mobile phones & luxuries preceded the “andolan”.
5. I can beat any batsman in the world-R.Ashwin-The Times of India
Dear, Ashwin what happens to you on bouncy tracks? July 16, 2015 in India Today interview he has agreed his performance on foreign pitches was far from satisfactory. He will start taking wickets soon, is what he had said. Anyone means anyone, even Venkatapathy Raju, was able to spin the ball on spin-friendly India pitches and take wickets.
6, State ACB yet to probe 217 cases of graft-Hindustan Times
Pravin Dixit sir, we really miss you! Earlier as journalists we use to get daily 2 to 3 emails of traps laid, even if they all were lower ranked officers, but the performance of ACB had sent shivers in the spine of bureaucracy when Dixit Sir was the DG. Now hardly 2 emails per week. Forget the probing!!
7. Netas fall back on the backroom boys-Mumbai Mirror
The backroom boys as per this report are Anil parab from Shivsena, Shweta Shalini from the BJP, Rais Sheikh from the Samajwadi party, Nitin Sardesai from the MNS. But i was surprised when Congress had pitched in Baba Siddique. He is the same guy who has in fact responsible for Congress to lose out majorly in the suburbs of Mumbai & maximum people from his constituency have jumped to other parties including the charming Rahul Kanal (to SS). My vote for chief strategist for BMC elections-Kripashnakar Singh.
8. पंकजांच्या गडाला मुख्यमंत्रयांचा सुरुंग–लोकसत्ता
Just as Ravan’s ego was bruised & crushed by Lord Rama and we celebrate Dasara today, it was the same victory of Dr. Namdeo Shashtri of Bhagvangad. Collector Anil Kawade’s stand & backing of CM has led this mission successful. Now Pankaja will hold her rally on the foothills of Bhagvangad. How many times the wings of dashing leader are going to be clipped, remains my question for Pankaja Munde?
9. भ्रष्टचाराच्या चौकशीवर ३ कोटींची उधळण-लोकसत्ता
A judicial bench was inquiring into the implementation of policies under the Tribal Deparment. But till today Rs. 3 crore have been spent on the commission but no results have been out. IAS Rajgopal Deora has given an ultimatum of last 6 months extension to this commission for the report to be prepared. But sir, again I will tell you the next move of your Minister & associates to bag another tender in November 2016? Guides which will be provided to the tribal students, only Navneet will get it.
10. कोठडी मृत्यू रोखण्यात सरकार अपयशी-लोकसता
How is it possible to stop this. The facilities are poor, where the space is for 3 inmates, 20 inmates are in the jail. In a 500 sq. feet house maximum 5 people can stay. What will happen if 50 people cramp up the space & use the same infrastructure. It’s bound to collapse.
11. तिकीट कलेक्टर ते कलेक्टर-जी. श्रीकांत यांच्या बद्दल जरूर वाचा–लोकमत (मुंबई एडिशन-पान ९)
What a man! A must read!! G Shrikant is another Mahesh Zagade in the making. Days are not far, when he will take an important assignment in Mumbai. But sir, also one suggestion, don’t be another Dr. Joshi, another brilliant & non-corrupt lady IAS officer. She suffered because she was not willing to mend her ways. Mending is not bending, mind you!!
12. मीरा रोड टू अमेरिका–परमबीर सिंह –सामना
Hmm…The man who brought the call centre fraud in Mumbai to the light. But the veteran, shaukeen IPS officer is also known to be friends with a lot of people from Juhu….mostly businessmen. Reason…haha…
