Mumbai: Mumbai's bustling markets on Thursday wore an empty, deserted look. Since Monday, over one lakh traders in the city have shut shop to protest against the Local Body Tax (LBT) that the Maharashtra government has introduced to replace octroi. Traders say that the protest has caused a loss of Rs 75,000 crore so far. But they are not backing down yet. With talks with the government failing, they have taken to the streets.
Mohan Gurnani, a representative of the traders' association, said, "We will not stop till the Chief Minister gives in."
Traders say the LBT will increase paperwork and corruption. Government sources say there is time to adjust to the new tax regime, given that the paperwork is only due by the year-end. Meanwhile, the opposition Shiv Sena, the BJP and even the ally, the NCP have asked the government to reconsider the tax. But what do Mumbaikars, many of whom have been affected, have to say?
A resident said, "Not even a biscuit is available and if he does sell it to me, he sells it as if it is a smuggled good." Another, however, said that the strike did not affect him. "Frankly it's not affecting me personally, but I have heard my friends complaining."...
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07:37 PM, May 09, 2013
Senior journalist Neena Vyas joined IBNLive readers for an interaction on the non-functioning of Parliament. Q. Has non-functioning of Parliament diminished PM's & Govt's image? Asked by: sri A. Sri, Yes, sadly, not only the Prime Minister and the Government but also the opposition and the entire country stand diminished. Please see that our neighbour Pakistan is struggling to bring back to life a functioning Parliament. Q. Is Parliament becoming...
05:08 PM, Apr 29, 2013
Nagpur: Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Gadkari has revealed that he was approached by "an influential leader" who sought his help in bringing down the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) but he turned down the request. "An influential political leader had approached me seeking help in pulling down the Central government. But I had to turn down that request," Gadkari said while speaking at a private function in...
10:17 AM, Apr 12, 2013
Political analyst and 'Vaartha' bureau chief R Rajagopalan joined IBNLive readers for an interaction on the UPA govt's DMK crisis. ...
06:52 PM, Mar 19, 2013
8,805 eunuchs living across the country were issued Aadhaar numbers in 2012 by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). Only 96 Aadhaar numbers were issued to eunuchs in 2010. ...
04:41 PM, Feb 25, 2013
How does the exclusion of marital rape from the govt ordinance impede the women's rights movement in India? All India Students' Association's National secretary Sucheta De joined IBNLive readers for an interaction on the issue. ...
06:54 PM, Feb 06, 2013
New inductions in the IAF such as Apache attack helicopters will be in support of operational plans of the Army, which is raising a new Strike Corps along the borders with China in the northeastern sector, Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne said here on February 5. ...
04:45 PM, Feb 05, 2013
After including persons with 75 per cent disability in the subsidised Rice for Differently Abled Persons (RDP) scheme, Odisha government has decided to provide jobs to them under MGNREGA and NRLM programmes. This has been resolved at a high level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary BK Patnaik, official sources said on February 5. ...
01:50 PM, Feb 05, 2013
Professor Suhas Palshikar of CSDS joined IBNLive readers for an interaction on the CNN-IBN post-poll findings in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. Q. Rath Yatra, Babri Masjid incident got the BJP from 2 seats to 80...Do you think Modi victory in Gujarat can become another such incident for the BJP...Will it really help if Modi gets to the centre? Asked by: JK A. This idea is too centered around one leader....
06:05 PM, Dec 18, 2012
New Delhi: Raising her pitch against the UPA Government, Trinamool Congress president and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said the government needs to be ousted. "Today, yet another set of anti-people decisions of the Central Government have crossed the Laxman Rekha. These important decisions, which have direct bearing on the livelihood of millions of Indians, taken by a minority government, are immoral and unethical," Mamata posted on...
08:12 PM, Oct 04, 2012
Chennai: Almost every State-run hospital underwent a mass cleaning exercise that left them almost unrecognizable, a day after the Chief Minister directed hospitals to increase the standards of hygiene. On Wednesday, squads of staff, conservancy workers and exterminators combed the premises of the major hospitals and ensured that they were animal-free zones. The Government Kasturba Gandhi Hospital, where a childs disfigured body sparked uproar on Monday, looked the best of...
02:12 PM, Aug 30, 2012
Bangalore: The BBMP Commissioners job seems to be a tightrope walk, which few IAS officers have successfully completed. M K Shankaralinge Gowdas sudden exit in the middle of a crisis is the latest example. The government maintained that Gowda was transferred at his request and it had nothing to do with the ongoing garbage mess. But IAS officers with a stint in the BBMP see it as the governments time-tested...
01:28 PM, Aug 29, 2012
Chennai: Taking quick action following the death of a female infant at the Government Kasturba Gandhi Hospital for Women and Children here, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Tuesday announced several measures for preventing the recurrence of such incidents and ensuring hygiene in government hospitals across the State. Jayalalithaa appealed for public cooperation with respect to the measures since they would help improve the condition of government-run hospitals. In a two-page...
01:15 PM, Aug 29, 2012
New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has started inviting online applications from candidates willing to sit for the examination for appointment of Assistant Central Intelligence Officers (ACIOs) in its Intelligence Bureau (IB) 2012. Willing candidates may log on to https://www.onlinesubmit.in/mha/ to register themselves and apply. Up to 750 positions are up for grabs. The Intelligence Bureau was established in 1887 and rebuilt in 1947 after Independence. It is...
12:58 PM, Aug 03, 2012
Thiruvananthapuram: With food adulteration being reported from various parts of the state, Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) has decided to purchase meat and fish from government agencies for all its hotels. The purchase will be made from the Livestock Development Board, Meat Products of India, Kerala State Coastal Area Development Corporation and other agencies. This will ensure that quality food is being served in all the KTDC hotels. KTDC managing...
02:18 PM, Aug 02, 2012
Mumbai: Cops, Excise officials, Customs inspectors, Income Tax collectors " men who send shivers down the spine of any corrupt citizen. But now, the shoe is on the other foot. A cluster of nearly 70 buildings at Antop Hill accommodates at least 3,000 employees of various government agencies and their families. And now, our guardians themselves appear vulnerable as they live in a precarious situation, courtesy a string of daring...
04:45 PM, Jul 23, 2012
Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Thursday directed the State Government to file an affidavit on Monday regarding a convenient date for providing police protection to transport waste to the Vilappilsala solid waste treatment plant. The Court has also asked the state to confirm a date to provide protection for City Corporation officials to take machinery purchased by the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation for the leachate plant at Vilappilsala. A Division Bench...
03:09 PM, Jul 20, 2012
Thiruvananthapuram: Incandescent bulbs and other energy-guzzling electrical equipment are being shown the door at the Government Secretariat and the Vikas Bhavan as part of a state-wide energy efficiency programme being launched in government offices. If things go as planned, they will soon be replaced with compact fluorescent lamps (CFL), energy-efficient tubelights and light emitting diodes (LED) by December this year. The Energy Management Centre (EMC), Kerala, the Bureau of Energy...
11:30 AM, Jul 14, 2012
Amman/Beirut: More than 200 Syrians, mostly civilians, were massacred in a village in the rebellious Hama region when it was bombarded by helicopter gunships and tanks and then stormed by militiamen, opposition activists said. If confirmed, it would be the worst single incident of violence in 16 months of conflict in which rebels are fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad and diplomacy to halt the bloodshed has been stymied by...
11:24 AM, Jul 13, 2012
New Delhi: The Delhi government on Wednesday warned various auto-rickshaw unions not to go ahead with their proposed strike on Thursday demanding hike in fares, saying it punitive action may be taken against those who participate in the protest. Transport Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely said a majority of auto-rickshaw unions have conveyed to the government their decision not to participate in the strike. Lovely said the unions which have given...
11:02 PM, May 30, 2012
