By Dominick Rodrigues 

India’s first wildlife DNA analysis facility and new human DNA laboratory in the state has been set up at the regional forensic laboratory at Rahate Colony in Nagpur in Maharashtra with the Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray inaugurating it online recently. 

Highlighting the Maharashtra Police’s reputation of a World class Police force, Thackeray said that this fast-track DNA unit and wild-life DNA analysis department would provide a fillip to gathering necessary evidence in crime and punishing the guilty including cases pertaining to women and children, while also preventing wild-life smuggling and action against poachers and smugglers.   

Noting the spike in crimes against women, Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil said that the SHAKTI Act would be soon passed in the winter session of the state legislature for ensuring safety of women, besides the fast-track DNA unit playing a major role in punishing the guilty in such offences. 

The Chief Minister while addressing a meeting of the Tiger Conservation Regulatory Board here directed for various departmental schemes ensuring jobs for locals alongside managing the tiger project areas and conserving the state’s entire biodiversity. 

Blaming “wrongly-constructed” road dividers on national highways passing through the state’s Tiger Project areas that caused tigers and wildlife accidents, he said prevention and speedy information to concerned authorities of the central government was needed for follow up and safe path for tigers.  

Besides preventing wildlife-railway line accidents, the quality of works of internal roads should be improved to boost tourism and suggestions of public representatives should be considered positively, he said while also urging for employment to locals dependent on forests through the schemes of various departments.  

The Chief Minister also came down heavily on illegal constructions by calling for immediate action by the Mumbai Municipal Corporation, which should also appoint ward-wise squads to prevent debris dumping.  

Assuring government support at war footing to the Mumbai Municipal Corporation against any pressure in unauthorized constructions, Thackeray told an MMC meeting that huge amount of debris was seen being dumped along the East and West highways, and immediate action was needed including through installing CCTV cameras there.  

While the civic body performed well during the COVID-19 pandemic, it now needed to complete its work timely-focused on services like roads, sidewalks, sanitation and civic amenities to portray Mumbai as the country’s +model city+, he said while urging for systematic and transparent manner tender process for road repairs and for forming squads for collecting debris and cleaning of construction waste, stone-brick soil. 

He said the forthcoming Diwali festival celebrations also needed focus on arresting the COVID-19 threat, which has cropped up again in the UK with hospitals loaded there.  

Highlighting Government efforts in priority for state-of-the-art police stations, residential facilities with all amenities and modern buildings for the police force, Thackeray directed speedy completion in priority ongoing projects in various districts through the Maharashtra State Police housing development and welfare board. 

While he directed immediate handover of completed projects by the Board to the police department and also making available adequate funds for completing ongoing 47 projects, State Minister for Environment Aaditya Thackeray said that environment permissions would be given immediately to projects of police housing. 

Meanwhile, Maharashtra home minister Dilip Walse Patil highlighted the recent state government decision to increase opportunities for promoting police constables as assistant police inspectors and police sub inspectors.  

Describing the police force is the +backbone+ of the state government, he emphasized the state government’s commitment in providing all necessary facilities to make it the “best police force in the world” alongside providing justice to the common man bolstering crime resolution.            

The Chief Minister also urged for expediting slum rehabilitation projects in Mumbai including through appointing developers through tender process for stalled and pending schemes. 

In addition to this, an option of amnesty scheme has also been suggested where is proposed to allow financial institutions which are approved by the Reserve Bank of India, or SEBI, to complete the stalled and pending schemes for rent of slum dwellers and to complete the pending scheme. 

Thackeray also ordered speedy completion of the BDD Chawls’ redevelopment project at a review meeting attended by Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil; Housing Minister Jitendra Awhad; Minister for Environment Aditya Thackeray, Minister of State for housing Satej Patil, Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte and other senior government officials. 

The meeting highlighted issues including the BDD CHAWLS redevelopment project workforce residences, vacant posts of officials, infrastructure for e-registration services and other aspects of the ambitious redevelopment project.