Maharashtra police reports 153 new Covid-19 cases; five more cops die

 At least 153 personnel of

Maharashtra police tested positive for coronavirus, while five died of the infection in the last 24 hours, an official said on Saturday.

With the addition of the latest infections, the police force's COVID-19 tally has reached 20,954, the official said.

The fresh casualties have taken the toll in the department to 217, which includes 22 officers, he said.

As many as 17,006 personnel have recovered from the infection so far, while 3,731 are currently undergoing treatment at various hospitals, the official said.

Meanwhile, the police have registered 2,60,174 offences and arrested 35,086 people for violating prohibitory orders imposed to contain the viral spread, the official said.

Nearly 358 incidents of assault on police have been reported in the state, in which 86 personnel were injured, he said, adding that 76 health professionals were also attacked.

The police have collected fines to the tune of Rs 25.33 crore from people who violated prohibitory orders, the official said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Hotel stocks gain as Maharashtra govt eases lockdown restrictions

Shares of companies engaged in hotels and restaurants business rallied by up to 20 per cent on the BSE on Tuesday after the Maharashtra government allowed hotels to reopen from Wednesday.
Kamat Hotels (India) shares were locked in upper circuit of 20 per cent at Rs 35.03 on the BSE while Royal Orchid Hotels, Speciality Restaurants, Chalet Hotels, EIH Associated Hotels, and Indian Hotels were up by more than 6 per cent on the BSE.
Westlife Development rose 6 per cent to Rs 340 on the BSE. The Company is engaged in developing the country's QSR or a Quick Service Restaurant industry through its wholly-owned subsidiary HRPL (Hardcastle Restaurants Private Limited) which operates McDonald's restaurants in Western and Southern India through a master franchisee arrangement with McDonald's Corporation.

Jubilant FoodWorks was up 4 per cent to Rs 1,809 on the back of two-fold jump in trading volumes. The stock is 9 per cent away from its 52-week high of Rs 1,973, touched on February 3, 2020. The company has the exclusive rights to develop and operate Domino's Pizza brand in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal.
According to PTI reports, the Maharashtra government on Monday allowed hotels and other entities providing accommodation services outside containment zones to resume operations at 33 per cent of their capacity from July 8. CLICK HERE TO READ FULL REPORT
It is to be noted here that the fixed costs for any restaurant such as labour, power, raw materials, and rentals remains quite high and getting the desired footfalls to maximise cost benefit from operations currently looks unlikely.
“In case of Hotels, with limited domestic airlines operating, demand is expected to remain low. Also, people are expected to avoid travel without purpose. Demand in Q1 and Q2 FY21 is expected to continue remain negligible despite services being operational while some traction can be expected post September-October 2020,” analysts at CARE Rating said in recent note.

Maharashtra puts on hold Rs 5,000-cr Chinese projects citing border row

The Maharashtra government has put on hold three major agreements signed with Chinese companies at the recently concluded Magnetic Maharashtra 2.0 investor meet, officials said.
The proposed projects entail investments of around Rs 5,000 crore in the state.

"We have taken this decision in consultation with the Central government. These agreements were signed prior to the development on the Indo-China border and killing of 20 Indian soldiers," Industry Minister Subhash Desai said.
He added that the Ministry of External Affairs has advised the state government against signing any further agreements with Chinese companies.
It may be recalled that at the online Magnetic Maharashtra 2.0 meet, the state government signed agreements worth over Rs 16,000 crore with global companies including Chinese groups.
They include a Rs 3,770-crore MoU with the Great Wall Motors to set up an automobile manufacturing unit in Pune' Talegaon and a Rs 1,000-crore in partnership with Foton (China) and PMI Electro Mobility.
Besides, Henglu Engineering made a commitment of Rs 250-crore for the expansion plans at its unit Phase II in Pune.
Apart from China, the state signed around nine other MoUs with companies from the US, South Korea, Singapore and various domestic entities, with huge employment generation potential.

Maharashtra coronavirus curfew starts midnight; 'won't tolerate crowds'

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday put Maharashtra under curfew Monday midnight, saying state's attempts to contain the coronavirus had reached a "turning point".
"We will be enforcing curfew in the entire state from Monday midnight. The next few days would be extremely important. We are also sealing borders of all districts to check the spread of coronavirus. Supply of food, grains, cereals, milk and medicines will continue from one district to another. No other movement will be allowed," Thackeray said.

ALSO READ: Coronavirus LIVE: Curfew in Maharashtra; domestic flights shut from Wed
He also appealed to citizens to stay at home for their own safety in the wake of coronavirus outbreak in the state. "The way we clapped yesterday, it was, in fact, a siren of warning. We need to observe complete restraint at this moment, or we will regret forever. This is the turning point in our fight against coronavirus," Thackeray said.
"We will not tolerate crowd in public places at any cost. Except in case of an emergency, no one will be allowed to roam on streets. If these guidelines are violated, people will face legal action," Thackeray said.
ALSO READ: Coronavirus: UP defers Rs 150 cr plan to buy 160,000 tablet computers
He, however, assured that all essential services will remain open during the time of curfew. All the essential services, medical stores, veterinary doctors and their shops will continue to operate during the curfew.
"We will allow only essential services. If we cannot check the coronavirus outbreak at this moment, we may face the fate of some European countries," he said.
He also said home quarantine is mandatory as it is the advisory from health experts and government. He said all types of religious centres will remain closed as well.
ALSO READ: War on Covid-19: RIL to make face masks and other gear; import test kits
"We need to win the battle against coronavirus. The state government is also training anganwadi (state-run women and child care centres) and ASHA (accredited social health activist) workers and home guards as the state would need extra manpower in the fight against COVID-19, he said.
The chief minister said he has also written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting him to suspend domestic flight services.

Maharashtra cabinet expansion likely on December 30, say media reports

The much-awaited expansion of the Maharashtracouncil of ministers will take place on December 30, Congress sources said on Thursday.
As many as 36 ministers could take oath on that day, sources added.

Currently the Uddhav Thackeray-led cabinet has six ministers besides chief minister Thackeray.
The swearing-in is likely to take place at the Vidhan Bhavan (state legislature complex) here.
Meanwhile, state Congress chief Balasaheb Thorat told reporters here that his party's list of the leaders who would take oath as ministers was ready.
When asked if the Congress was seeking the post of deputy Chief Minister, Thorat said, cryptically, "Media can run this story."
As to why the cabinet expansion which was likely to take place earlier this week was delayed, he said the entire state administration was in Nagpur for the winter session of the legislature till last week.
"It takes time to make preparations for the swearing- in of so many ministers," he said.
Thorat and Nitin Raut of the Congress, Eknath Shinde and Subhash Desai of the Shiv Sena and Jayant Patil and Chhagan Bhujbal of the NCP took oath alongwith Thackeray on November 28.
According to the power-sharing formula agreed on by the three parties, the Shiv Sena would have 16 ministers (apart from chief minister), NCP 14 and the Congress 12.
When asked if NCP chief Sharad Pawar -- seen as the architect of this unlikely alliance -- was the 'remote control' of the state government, Thorat said the three parties have framed a common minimum program, which guides the government.
The Shiv Sena joined hands with the Congress and NCP, its traditional adversaries, after its alliance with the BJP collapsed.

Maharashtra ACB closes irrigation cases, says not related to Ajit Pawar

The Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday said it has closed probe into alleged irregularities in nine irrigation projects in Maharashtra, adding none of these cases was linked to deputy CM Ajit Pawar.
The ACB's clarification came after opposition Congress claimed Ajit Pawar was "exonerated" in lieu of his support to the BJP in forming a government two days ago.

"None of the cases pertaining to Ajit Pawar in the 2013 irrigation scam investigation have been closed," a senior ACB official told PTI.

26 Maharashtra reservoirs hit 'zero water' storage level as on May 18

In a far cry from last year's situation, 26 reservoirs in Maharashtra have reached "zero storage" as on May 18, according to statistics put out by the Water Conservation department of the state government.
The department's website informed that water storage in Aurangabad Division, which comprises Aurangabad, Beed, Hingoli, Parbhani and Osmanabad districts, was 0.43 per cent as against 23.44 per cent at the same time last year.

The dams in these division are Paithan, Manjara, Majalgaon, Yeldari, Siddeshwar, Lower Terna, Sina Kolegaon and Lower Dhudna, all of which have zero storage at the moment, the department informed.
The storage in these dams in May last year was 34.95 per cent in Paithan, 21.24 per cent in Manjara, 17.5 per cent in Majalgaon and 52.03 per cent in Lower Terna.
Other dams that have hit the zero storage level as on May 18 are Kadakpurna and Pentakli in Buldhana, Gosikhurd, Dina and Nand in Nagpur Division, Upper Tapi Hathnur in Jalgaon, Waki, Bham, Bhavli and Punegaon in Nashik Division, Dibhe, Ghod, Pimpalgaon Joge, Wadaj and Temghar in Pune, Bhima, Kundali Tata and Lonavala Tata in Solapur, it informed.
Meanwhile, Tisgaon dam in Nashik and Totladoh in Nagpur have 0.01 and 0.08 per cent water respectively.
It said water storage in the state's 103 large, medium and small reservoirs stood at 11.84 per cent, against 23.73 per cent last year.
Sanjay Lakhe Patil, a social activist, alleged that the state government's distribution of fodder camps for cattle in the drought-affected regions was not proper.
Terming it an "animal farm" situation where only the fittest survive, Patil said, "Only the strong political leaders got cattle camps, fodder, water in their districts in large numbers, whereas drought relief should have been distributed equitably."
He added that drawing dead water stock would impact the safety of the dams.
Dead water storage refers to the water in a reservoir that cannot be drained using the dams outlets and can only be pumped out.
"There is no surface and ground water in most parts of the state. The water quality supplied through tankers is of very poor quality. This is affecting the health of children and pregnant women in the rural areas. The government was in election mode and ignored drought-relief measures. It is monitoring such work from AC offices," he alleged.
"The Central Water Commission has issued an advisory to the Maharashtra government stating that water storage is the lowest in reservoirs here in a decade. Monsoon prediction of the IMD and Skymet is about a delayed one. It will be disastrous if there are no rains in June," he claimed.
Patil had petitioned the Bombay High Court on drought management under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
The state government is already under fire from the opposition Congress and Nationalist Congress Party which have claimed that it is monitoring drought from air-conditioned offices on mobile phones rather than through on-ground assessment.
Both NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Congress state unit president Ashok Chavan have been routinely attacking the Devendra Fadnavis government on the drought situation in the state.
The BJP, however, has rejected this criticism and has said that it has been putting technology to effective use to monitor the drought situation in the state.
The state government had declared drought in 151 talukas and 260 mandals in October last year.

Maharashtra puts land purchase for Saudi Aramco's $44-bn refinery on hold

Maharashtra has put on hold the process to buy land for the country's biggest oil refinery that state-run oil companies are building with Saudi Aramco, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, after strong opposition from farmers.
The $44 billion refinery was seen as a game changer for both parties - offering India steady fuel supplies and meeting Saudi Arabia's need to secure regular buyers for its oil.

But thousands of farmers are refusing to surrender land, fearing it could damage a region famed for its Alphonso mangoes, vast cashew plantations and fishing hamlets that boast bountiful catches of seafood.
"The entire (land acquisition) process has been stayed. We haven't acquired any land," Fadnavis told state assembly on Wednesday as opposition parties and a coalition partner Shiv Sena were opposing the refinery.
The Ratnagiri Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd (RRPL), which is running the project, says the 1.2 million barrel-per-day (bpd) refinery, and an integrated petrochemical site with a capacity of 18 million tonnes per year, will help create direct and indirect employment for up to 150,000 people, with jobs that pay better than agriculture or fishing.
RRPL, a joint venture between Indian Oil Corp (IOC), Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum, has said suggestions the refinery would damage the environment were baseless.
Issues related to the land for the refinery will be sorted out by the state government soon given the importance of the project, RRPL Chief Executive officer B. Ashok told Reuters.
Land acquisition has always been a contentious issue in rural India, where a majority of the population depends on farming for their livelihood.
In 2008, for example, Tata Motors had to shelve plans for a car factory in Singur, West Bengal after facing widespread protests from farmers.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

India's first cloud-based system to drive 8 mn varsity students' admission

In a move that will see creation of a single-window system for university students in Maharashtra, US-based edtech company Campus Management Corporation has partnered with the state government to roll out a cloud-based centralised structure to manage and track admission process.
The project, reportedly the first of its kind initiative in India, will digitalise the administrative and academic processes of all the 14 non-technical universities in the state.
The University Management System (UMS), which will be kicked off next week, will drive the admission process of about 8 million students for non-technical courses in Maharashtra from next year. US-based IT services provider UST Global is also a part of the project.
“We will track the students for the entire college cycle beginning from allotment of college to career services," said Raj Mruthyunjayappa, managing director, Campus Management Corporation.
UMS will look at all the criteria, including academic scores and reservation category of the candidates, before assigning them colleges. It will then track the academic performance, grades and attendance of the students through its cloud-based software. As the academic cycle gets over, UMS will connect the industry with the students' base for employment opportunities.
The whole system has been built by the Bengaluru team of the company on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform, which is one of the oldest partners of the US-based edtech firm.
Campus Management Corporation has started the process of hiring for the new Mumbai office, which will have about 100 engineers by the end of the year to track the system.
At 440, the company has the highest employee base in India around the globe. The Indian team also manages its sales and services outside America.
Among its major clients in India, the National Skill Development Corporation is already using Campus Management Corporation's platform. Last year, Maharashtra's Directorate of Vocational Education and Training project came on the Campus Management Corporation platform.
The company also provides software across the full student life cycle to 30 colleges in India, including IIM Udaipur.
ALSO READ: College entrance system needs an overhaul of the exam, not just the agency
Even though India is the second biggest market for the firm, the company does not see it surpassing the mature US market in the foreseeable future, the company's chief executive officer, Jim Milton, said.
With clients in over 35 countries, Milton said the company will be expanding its footprint to newer geographies in Latin America.
Campus Management Corporation has already set up operations in five new countries in the past two months, including South Africa, Nigeria, Spain, Portugal, and Denmark.

Plastic ban in Maharashtra from today; fines up to Rs 5,000 in Mumbai

As the Maharashtra government is set to enforce the ban on a variety of plastic items, announced in March, from tomorrow, Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam said errant manufacturers will face a strong action, but common people and small traders will not be harassed.
He was speaking to reporters after a review meeting with the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board officials.
On March 23, the state government imposed a ban on manufacturing, use, sale, distribution and storage of plastic materials such as one-time-use bags, spoons, plates, PET and PETE bottles and thermocol items. The government gave three months for the disposal of existing stocks.
An extensive awareness campaign will be carried out in the next eight days to inform about banned items, Kadam said.
"We will ensure that common people and small traders are not harassed. But strict action will be taken again plastic manufacturers (if they break the law)," the senior Shiv Sena minister said.
There will be no relaxation in fine, he said.
The fine for the first-time and second-time offenders will be Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000, respectively. A third violation will attract a fine of Rs 25,000 and a jail term for three months.
Kadam reiterated that 80 per cent of banned plastic items are manufactured in Gujarat and smuggled to Maharashtra.
"Anybody caught bringing in banned plastic goods will be imprisoned for three months," he said.
The ban will mostly hit jobs in the plastic sector in Gujarat, he said, adding "we will find alternative jobs for those who are affected in Maharashtra."
On the demand to exempt thermocol used for decorations during Ganesh Festival, Kadam said, "Some Maharashtrian youths met me and requested that they be allowed to use thermocol items in the festival this year as they had already purchased these items."

The empowered committee of the government, dealing with the ban, will discuss this issue and an exemption might be given if Ganesh Mandals give an undertaking that these items will be later handed over to the municipal corporation for disposal, he said.
Retail packaging companies have been given an extension of three months to submit an undertaking over recycling of plastic materials, he said.
"Once they give the affidavit, their proposals will be forwarded to the empowered committee which will consider exempting them from the ban," the minister said.
Yuva Sena (Shiv Sena youth wing) chief Aaditya Thackeray, who called on Kadam today, took a jibe at the ruling alliance partner BJP while speaking to reporters.
The plastic ban was not announced overnight, unlike demonetisation. The decision was in discussion for nine months, Thackeray said.
"There has been a lot of awareness about the ban. Only wilful offenders would be worried about fines," he added.
Kadam said that 1,200 tonnes of plastic waste is generated in Maharashtra everyday.
"Fish and other marine life is threatened by plastic. Plastic is found in nullahs. The city was flooded in the past due to plastic (which chokes nullahs). Plastic is also responsible for emission of sulphur gas, which is carcinogenic.
"If the next generation is to be saved, plastic has to be banned. Seventeen states have already banned it and we are the 18th," the minister said.

Maharashtra: Most industrialised state is also home to most polluted rivers

One of India’s most industrialised states, Maharashtra, was the worst at keeping its rivers clean, accounting for 16% of the country’s polluted river stretches in five years to 2012, show government data.
With 49 of India’s 302 polluted sites, the state recorded the highest number of river stretches where industrial effluents were dumped between 2008 and 2012, according to the country’s Central Pollution Control Board, minister of state for environment Mahesh Sharma told the Lok Sabha (lower house of Parliament) on April 6, 2018.

Effluents reduce the oxygen content of water bodies because it is used up by chemicals in the decomposition process. This fall in oxygen levels kills fish and other creatures.
Maharashtra had two to three times the number of polluted stretches than the next four worst states: Assam (28), Madhya Pradesh (21), Gujarat (20) and West Bengal (17). Together, the top five polluting states accounted for 45% of India’s polluted river stretches between 2008 and 2012.
Toxic waste has been choking Maharashtra’s rivers, and fishing communities complain that their daily catch is only 10% of what it used to be, the Hindustan Times reported on August 13, 2016.
Lax monitoring of and prosecution for water pollution in the state means that common effluent treatment plants routinely flout environmental guidelines on discharging untreated effluents into rivers, IndiaSpend reported on May 10, 2017.

Source: Lok Sabha
(Vivek is an analyst with IndiaSpend.)
Reprinted with permission from IndiaSpend.org, a data-driven, public-interest journalism non-profit organisation

Maharashtra farmers stir: Govt bows to demands, protest ends; 10 highlights

Tens of thousands of farmers gathered in India’s financial capital called off their agitation late on Monday after the Maharashtra government accepted their main demands, including widening the scope of a crop loan waiver program. "The state government assured us that they will form a panel to resolve the land rights issues," said Kishore Tiwari, president of the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti, one of the organizers. Farmers who were left out of the earlier loan waiver program will be considered, the norms for compensation for pest attacks on cotton will be eased and the state government will seek higher support prices for crops from the central government, he said.
Rising discontent among the farming community is the latest challenge for Prime Minster Narendra Modi who promised to double farm incomes by 2022. Farmers are a key support base for political parties as 800 million of India’s 1.3 billion population depend directly or indirectly on agriculture for their livelihood. Bumper harvests, boosted by good rain in 2016 and 2017 after back-to-back droughts, have hurt incomes and left them with huge debts.
Furthermore, Devendra Fadnavis said earlier on Monday that his government was "sensitive and positive" towards the demands of farmers and tribals, who have marched from Nashik to Mumbai to draw the administration's attention towards their problems.
Fadnavis was responding to a discussion in the Assembly, initiated by Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil. He also said that the demands of protestors were very important, in the session.
The agitators, presently camped at Azad Maidan, have toiled their way walking from Maharashtra's Nashik district. The agitating farmers, joined by tribals, had halted at the KJ Somaiya Ground before making their way to Azad Maidan.
ALSO READ: Crop crisis: Over 30,000 farmers to protest outside Maharashtra Assembly Here are the top 10 developments around the Maharashtra farmers' protest at Azad Maidan:
1. We have accepted most of their demands and have given them a written letter: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis on Maharashtra Farmers' agitation.
2. Farmers can uproot governments, warns Yechury
Warning the ruling BJP, Communist Party of India-Marxist General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Monday said that farmers can "uproot governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra" if they failed to concede their just demands.
Reaching Mumbai to address a rally of farmers' after their six-day Long March, he said the farmers were the "new soldiers of India" and like the jawans who protect the country's borders the peasantry produces food for the people.
"Any party which ignores the cause of farmers will not survive. Last year, for the first time in the country, Maharashtra farmers had gone on 'strike' which resulted in the announcement of a farm loan waiver package. But after 10 months, it remains unimplemented," Yechury said.
3. Farmers' Long March: Sharad Pawar, Anna Hazare flay BJP
Former union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar and social crusader Anna Hazare on Monday strongly criticized the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre and in Maharashtra for letting down the farmers.
Speaking to the media in Mumbai and Ralegan-Siddhi (Ahmednagar), the two senior leaders asked why over 30,000 farmers were compelled to march nearly 200 km from Nashik to Mumbai for six days if the government was serious about accepting their demands.
"Why could the state government not depute a team to Nashik to discuss the grievances of the farmers and resolve it? Its four years since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power, but the promises of minimum support price for farm produce has not been implemented," Pawar said.
4. Dabbawals, Mumbaikars provide food to protesting farmers
The famed 'dabbawalas' of Mumbai and the city residents came out to help the thousands of farmers, who walked for six days to reach here from Nashik to raise their various demands, by providing them food and water.
The farmers walked upto the Azad Maidan in South Mumbai early this morning as a part of their 'long march' for raising demands, including implementation of the Maharashtra government's loan waiver scheme.
Subhash Talekar, the spokesperson of Mumbai Dabbawala Association, said, "We thought about helping the farmers with food as they are our food-providers and have come from remote parts of the state."
"We asked our men working between Dadar (in Central Mumbai) and Colaba (South Mumnbai) to collect food and deliver it to our farmer brothers at the Azad Maidan," he said.
Dabbawalas, the tiffin-carriers known for their efficient delivery service, provided food to the protesters as a part of their 'roti-bank' initiative.
5. AIKS delegations at Maharashtra Assembly: The All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) leaders reached Maharashtra Assembly at 1pm to voice the demands of the protestors.
We've had a positive meeting with farmers in which all their demands were discussed. They had around 12-13 demands out of which we've accepted some & will be giving them a written draft of it.
I think they're satisfied with our decisions: Girish Mahajan, Maharashtra Minister
View image on TwitterView image on Twitter

ANI
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Farmers delegation reached #Maharashtra Assembly for the meeting with the State Govt formed committee to discuss their demands.
12:58 PM - Mar 12, 2018
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6. Rahul Gandhi extends support, says the issue is faced by farmers all over India: Rahul Gandhi stepped forward in support of the farmers agitating in Mumbai. Speaking to ANI, Congress President said,"This is not an issue of Maharashtra farmers alone but of farmers all over India."
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This is not an issue of Maharashtra farmers alone but of farmers all over India: Congress President Rahul Gandhi on All India Kisan Sabha protest in #Maharashtra (file pic)
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7. Security beefed up around Azad Maidan: Security has been tightened around Azad Maidan in Maharashtra State Assembly before farmers set to protest there, according to media reports. As earlier mentioned by Mumbai Police, the traffic is normalised but Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Amitesh Kumar added that police force has been increased around the vicinity as well as all over the city to avoid traffic chaos for students appearing for SSC examination.
8. AAP steps up in support of protesters: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) extended support to the ongoing protest. The party voiced its concern of the farmers as well as urged Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis to meet all the demands of the agitators.


AAP
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.@AAPMaharashtra stands in support of #KisanLongMarch by thousands of farmers who are marching towards Mumbai with their demands.
Maharashtra unit of AAP also urged CM @Dev_Fadnavis to meet all the demands of the farmers.
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9. Food distributed among farmers halted at Azad Maidan; several suffering from dehydration: According to media reports, food is being distributed among farmers camped at Azad Maidan before they embark on to their march towards State Assembly later in the day.
Several farmers in the process are reportedly dehydrated after marching for more than 30 km on Sunday in Mumbai. There is also medical dispensary set up at Azad Maidan. Doctors who spoke to CNN-News18, said farmers were suffering from blood pressure and diarrhea.
10. No roads closure or diversion yet: Speakinng to ANI, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Amitesh Kumar, said that no road closure or diversions has been implemented due to the ongoing farmer's protest.
Contrary to the worries of the people of a possible traffic chaos, the Mumbai Police also tweeted that the traffic movements will remain normal just "like any other day" during the long march.
Today, Traffic mvmt will be normal like any other day. Tr R no diversions proposed on any road in limits of Mumbai 4 the proposed ‘Long March’. We will be posting updates as and when required. Don’t believe in rumours. Contact @MumbaiPolice & Dial 100 for any such verification.
— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) March 11, 2018
Fadnavis forms six-member committee to look into demands: Maharasthra CM Devendra Fadnavis has formed a six-member committee to look into the demands of the agitated farmers as they plan to march to the Vidhan Sabha later today.
The decision was taken during a meeting held at Fadnavis' residence, informed a Chief Ministers Officers source.
The committee will comprise of Maharashtra Minister Chandrakant Patil, Agriculture Minister Pandurang Fundkar, Irrigation Minister Girish Mahajan, Tribal Development Minister Vishnu Savara, state cooperatives minister Subhash Deshmukh and Shiv Sena leader and PWD Minister Eknath Shinde.
ALSO READ: 34k farmers to gherao Maha assembly Monday, students may face traffic chaos

Maharashtra bandh called off; govt to probe incidents of violence, says CM

Angry Dalits staged rail and road blockades and took out processions in Mumbai and carried out agitations in different parts of Maharashtra on Tuesday to protest against violence in Pune a day ago which left one youth dead.
The day-long 'Maharashtra bandh' called by various Dalit and other organisations to protest the violence against commemoration of Bhima-Koregaon battle has been withdrawn, Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh leader Prakash Ambedkar said today.
He told reporters that nearly 50% of the state's population took part in the shut-down.
Road blockades, arson and stone-pelting incidents were reported in Mumbai and elsewhere during the day.
However, Ambedkar, claimed that the bandh was peaceful.
On Tuesday afternoon, thousands of Dalits took to the streets in Chembur, Mankhurd, Ghatkopar, Bhandup and other strongholds in north-eastern parts of the city demanding action against the perpetrators of the Pune riots.
Scores of Dalit youth blocked the Harbor Line of Central Railway near Chembur on Tuesday afternoon, leading to stoppage of the local train services for hours.
Several lakhs of commuters were stranded on stations or in stationary trains and many preferred to walk on the railway tracks to their destinations.

Similarly, hundreds of youths swooped onto the roads in eastern suburbs asking shops, restaurants and commercial establishments with down shutters and staged roadblocks.
However, police intervened and traffic movement resumed, though it resulted in massive vehicular snarls all over the city, some several kilometres long.
Protests and violent incidents were witnessed in other parts of the state, including Ahmednagar, Jalgaon, Dhule, Beed, Nashik, Pune, Solapur, Thane and Palghar as Dalits expressed their ire over Monday's incidents in Koregaon-Bhima in Pune district.
Maharshtra bandh, Pune violence A street wears a deserted look following Dalit prostests over Bhima Koregaon violence, in Pune | PTI Photo
At least 25 buses of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation, besides private luxury buses and other vehicles, were damaged in stone pelting by riotous mobs.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a judicial probe by a sitting High Court judge and a CID investigation into Monday's violence in Koregaon-Bhima.
The disturbances erupted in the village of Koregaon-Bhima on January 1 during the 200th-anniversary celebrations of the Anglo-Maratha War between the army of Peshwa Bajirao II with a small force of the East India Company that comprised a large number of Dalits.
Several lakhs of Dalits had congregated around the Victory Pillar (Vijay Stambh) erected by the British in Sanaswadi village when suddenly stone pelting started, allegedly by some right-wing groups carrying saffron flags.
In the clashes that ensued between the two groups, more than 30 vehicles, including buses, police vans and private vehicles, were torched or damaged and one youth, Rahul Fatangale, 28 of Nanded lost his life.
The police fired tear gas to control the mobs and prohibitory orders were imposed in the entire Pune district, with the situation reported tense but calm on Tuesday.
On Tuesday in most districts, protesters staged road blockades stopping traffic and enforced shutdown of shops and commercial establishments even as additional police forces were deployed.
Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar blamed the state government for "lapses" that resulted in the Monday violence.
"Why did the administration not take adequate precautions for this event which has been celebrated peacefully for 200 years? Due to its lapses, there was confusion and rumour-mongering, resulting in the violence," Pawar demanded.
Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday hinted at a "big conspiracy" in the recent spurt in sporadic caste-related violence that has been erupting in the state, which needs to be thoroughly investigated and "the hidden hand" must be exposed.
On his part, Ambedkar appealed to his supporters to ensure that Wednesday's shutdown call in the state passes off peacefully without inconveniencing the public and demanded action against those responsible for the Koregaon-Bhima incident.