Often at receiving end, state dept gets pat on back from SC

For the public works department, headed by veteran bureaucrat Manisha Mhaiskar, it was a pleasant surprise when an SC bench led by Justice Bhushan Gavai appreciated its proactive role in ensuring that construction of the new HC building in Bandra starts at the earliest and be completed in a time-bound manner.
Advocate general Birendra Saraf informed SC that 4.39 acres had been handed over to HC in Oct 2024 under the first phase. He said possession of the remaining 5.25 acres was to be given by Dec 31, 2024, but owing to certain difficulties, the deadline was pushed to Jan 2025-end. Saraf explained at length the steps taken by the state govt to clear the land of encroachments, including slum pockets, on a top priority. In addition, there was a dispute over many employees staying in the govt colony there.
SC was told that the entire land parcel has been cleared in accordance with provisions of law, aggrieved people have been given alternative accommodation, and as such, it will be a smooth affair now. Saraf was very articulate in explaining the steps taken by the department in providing land, particularly when it is difficult to remove encroachments and slums from govt land in Mumbai.
A senior bureaucrat says it was for the first time in the recent past that SC appreciated the state govt’s pro-active role, that otherwise, govt is always at the receiving end.
Ending manja menace
Nashik police commissioner Sandeep Karnik has embarked on a new mission to ban nylon string, used for flying kites. A few months after taking over the reins of Nashik police, Karnik, a 1998 batch IPS officer, found that despite stern warnings, there was no end to the use of nylon string. Apparently, Karnik was agitated after finding out that a nine-year-old and a 19-year-old had died following serious wounds caused by nylon strings. Several meetings were called at different levels. Shops selling manja were raided and owners fined, but even then, there was no end to the sale of manja.
Karnik felt slapping provisions of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on traders would serve as a deterrent. It was also decided to invoke BNS charge of negligence against the parents of children using manja. Following Karnik’s directives, 118 offences have been lodged so far, while 74 persons, including fathers, have been booked. Police are ensuring that all cases are pursued vigorously, chargesheets filed by the prescribed deadlines and cases taken to their logical ends.