A man and his daughter were crushed to death and son injured when their motorcycle dashed against a speeding trailer, which overturned on the Mumbai-Agra Highway in Ozar town of Niphad tehsil of Nashik at 1 am on Thursday. Angry villagers staged a rasta roko and held up traffic demanding compensation for the deceased. Ozar village sarpanch Parvatibai Shinde told this newspaper that they had given a memorandum to the police and administration demanding compensation. The 20-wheel trailer lost control on the excavated road and overturned. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) contract worker Lahanu Karbhari Mhaisdhune was crossing the highway on his motorcyle when he was crushed under the trailer. Lahanu and his daughter Devyani died on the spot while son Saurav was admitted to the Nashik Civil Hospital. Both his legs have been crushed. . The unidentified trailer driver fled. Locals said that the highway authorities failed to provide markings or lights even though working on the Express Highway was risky.
*** Pil seeks uniform power tariff Mumbai, Dec. 6: A public interest litigation (PIL) on Thursday asked the Bombay high court to direct the Maharashtra government to ensure a level playing field in power tariff in the city by bringing about uniformity in the rates charged by various power companies. Reliance Energy, one of the power supply companies, argued that a uniform tariff structure would not be possible as power was purchased at different rates by the companies. A bench headed by Chief Justice Mohit Shah asked Reliance Energy, Tata Power Company and BEST Undertaking which supply power in Mumbai to file affidavits. The PIL argued that power companies were regulated by Maharashtra Electric Regulatory Commission, which was under the state government and thus, the state can direct the commission to ensure that there was a level playing field in the rate of power units.
