Thane Guardian Minister Ganesh Naik graced the flag hoisting ceremony of Thane District

January 26, 2009

Thane Guardian Minister Ganesh Naik graced the flag hoisting ceremony of Thane District. A parade was also held during the ceremony. On the other hand, flag hoisting ceremony was also held at Thane Municipal Corporation at the hands of TMC Mayor Smita Indulkar. Present on the occasion was TMC Commissioner Nandkumar Jantre and other TMC officials.

Thane Guardian Minister Ganesh Naik Started Krida Mahotsav with the lighting of the torch by the youth at Vashi's Shivaji Chowk

January 20, 2009,

The Navi Mumbai Krida Sankul started the “Navi Mumbai Krida Mahotsav 2009’ in a grand ceremony at Vashi. Navi Mumbai Krida Mahotsav started with the lighting of the torch by the youth at Vashi's Shivaji Chowk, giving the zestful start to the event. The youth then took the rally with the torch to the venue to give a lighting start to the Navi Mumbai Krida Mahotsav 2009. The procession was welcomed by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Chaggan Bhujbal in the presence of Thane Guardian Minister Ganesh Naik, Navi Mumbai Krida Sankul President Dr. Sanjeev Naik, Mayor of Navi Mumbai Anjani Bhoir and Standing Committee Chairman Sandeep Naik and many other local NCP leaders. 12000 students from more than 150 schools are participating in this sports event.

At the beginning, students of all the schools saluted the guests and then gave a presentation of their talents in front of the Dy. Chief Minister Chaggan Bhujbal and others. In their introductory speeches, Thane Guardian Minister Ganesh Naik and former Mayor Dr. Sanjeev Naik spoke about the festival. Deputy Chief Minister Chagan Bhujbal said that Navi Mumbai was a better place than Mumbai – one reason for this is the proper planning of CIDCO that makes playgrounds available to the youth, which in turn encourages sports within the youth.He also shared with the audience the different kind of grants and schemes that the Maharashtra State offers to budding sports stars and seeing the impressive display of the youth at the Navi Mumbai Krida Mahotsav encouraged Thane Guardian Minister Ganesh Naik to mobilize maximum funds provided by the State Government into Navi Mumbai.

Media spoke to the Chief Guest on the occasion. Under President Dr. Sanjeev Naik’s headship, Navi Mumbai Krida Sankul’s Sports Festival has become a platform for not just students of private schools but even municipal schools to exhibit their sports talents and get the right opportunity to better their sporting traits playing against competent teams. The festival’s success year after year is helping the Navi Mumbai Krida Sankul and the people behind it to win the hearts of the young budding sports stars of Navi Mumbai.

Relief at last – Guardian Minister Ganesh Naik Inaugurates Kalamboli to Vashi pipelines work

Jan 17,2009,
The first glimpses of the water promise made by Guardian Minister Ganesh Naik could be seen coming seen coming true as he performed the inaugural ceremony of the Kalamboli to Vashi water pipeline work. The Minister welcomed the role of the media for making work happen efficiently on the occasion.

For those who were praying that the city be given relief from the weekend water crisis – there is good news. The Kalamboli to Vashi section of the Kalamboli to Digha pipeline work was officially made functional in a small ceremony at the hands of Thane Guardian Minister Ganesh Naik. He said that Morbe Dam became an example in the state assembly and in the coming few months, not only will the dam supply water to residents 24 X 7 but will also generate revenue by sale of excess water. The Minister especially appreciated the role of the media in bringing up issues of the people to the forefront that helped make a system function better. Speaking to the media later, the Minister had this to say.

The moment can be termed most memorable for former mayor Sanjeev Naik who played a crucial role in NMMC acquiring Morbe Dam. But he said that there is still a long way to go before the dream is fulfilled.

Many people gave many dates about the water supply from Morbe but Sanjeev’s Naik Tuesday promise wasn’t broken like others. So we thought that he was the right person to ask when the city gets 24X7 water supply. NMMC Commissioner Vijay Nahata gave technical details.
Officials who had worked for the pipeline project were felicitated on the occasion. The other eminent presenties included NMMC Standing Committee Chairman Sandeep Naik. A promise is a promise – While Thane Guardian Minister’s initiative has brought major relief to water starved Navi Mumbaikars, it has raised hopes of the 24X7 water supply promise to the city sooner than later.

Beware Mumbaikars! Naik says tsunami may lash city anytime

There is a tsunami threat to Mumbai, according to environment minister Ganesh Naik. "Tsunami waves could hit the island city of Mumbai anytime," he told the legislative council on Thursday.
He followed it with a suggestion that the Marine Drive should have at least 1,000 feet of plantation of mangroves, Suru and Nilgiri trees to reduce the effects of tsunami, if and when it arrives.
Now, this is the same Ganesh Naik who had a few months back suggested that open spaces, including the Mahalaxmi Race Course, have no place in the city and could be developed to fill in the state coffers. He followed that with another idea - that the Coastal Regulation Zone should be gotten rid off.
But on Thursday, he probably endeared himself to the greens, as he also announced the constitution of a committee comprising national and international experts to study the repercussions of global warming in the state. "The cities on island face grievous threat of tsunami and, hence, Mumbai has to be more alert on this count. Increasing the level of the seabed is one of the measures that needs to be taken," he said.
"We are also thinking of making the use of solar energy and rain water harvesting compulsory for housing societies in Mumbai," he said.
Regarding the threat of tsunami, he said, "It has been observed that the island surrounded by the deep sea has lesser threat than the shallow sea-level island. The islands on shallow sea have vanished in the past and deepening of the seabed could be one of the measures. The deluge on July 26, 2005, in Mumbai was a result of the constricted riverbed as the water level was 4 metres above the level fixed by British administration 100 years ago."

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) compared the death toll from two villages in Sri Lanka that were hit by the devastating giant waves. Two people died in the settlement with dense mangrove and scrub forest, while up to 6,000 people died in the village without similar vegetation. Research has shown mangroves are able to absorb between 70-90 per cent of the energy from a normal wave. There is, however, no reliable data on how the trees mitigate the impact of a tsunami.
"Every coastline is exposed (to the threat of tsunami)," Dr Baban Ingole, a marine biologist with the National Institute of Oceanography, Goa, said. "Considering India has a 7,000-km coastline, it is always advisable to be prepared."
The National Institute of Oceanography website quotes Dr Arun Bapat, former chief research officer of the earthquake engineering wing of Indian Meteorology Department at Pune, as saying that a tsunami had risen from the Arabian Sea when an earthquake measuring 8.25 on the Richter scale was recorded some 100 km south of Karachi on November 27, 1945. At Kandla, tsunami resulted in waves that were 12 metres high. The National Institute of Oceanography website quotes Dr Arun Bapat, former chief research officer of the earthquake engineering wing of Indian Meteorology Department at Pune, as saying that a tsunami had risen from the Arabian Sea when an earthquake measuring 8.25 on the Richter scale was recorded some 100 km south of Karachi on November 27, 1945. At Kandla, tsunami resulted in waves that were 12 metres high.