Mumbai Underground: Following suit

As part of enhanced safety measures following the gangrape of a medical student in Delhi in December last year, 350 new police control room vans are being pressed into service for patrolling in the national capital region.

Following suit, Maharashtra Police are planning to acquire 350 modified Toyota Innovas to patrol important cities. The swanky white Innovas with Maharashtra Police logo will be deployed to tackle law and order disruptions.

The cars have been modified with special brackets for riot control gear such as shields and tear gas grenades. Officers also said the cars can give faster chase.

Freedom from disparity

It was celebration time for prison staff across the state Monday as a new government resolution (GR) hiked pay. For years, Maharashtra prisons department has decried disparity between salaries of police constables and jail sepoys. While a police constable draws a basic salary of Rs 6,460, a sepoy gets Rs 5,830. Besides, there is a grade pay difference of Rs 100. Police constables also receive a special pay of Rs 500. The new GR removes the disparity.

Not the BEST book

At a recent BEST meeting, committee member Ravi Raja of Congress started presenting grim statistics related to the transport department of the public undertaking. He claimed 900 BEST buses had gone off roads within a year without the knowledge of the committee.

Raja was quoting from a book BEST had circulated internally. Reporters present at the meeting became excited sensing a story. However, Raja talk ended in an anti-climax. BEST general manager OP Gupta abruptly stopped him saying the stats were way off mark and there were several printing errors in the book. At a loss for words, Raja shrugged and shut the book.

Thespian Raj

Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee spokesperson Sachin Sawant recently called Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray a thespian.

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