Navi Mumbai: The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has secured the 4th rank among 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra under the state’s 150-day e-governance administrative reforms programme.

The recognition was conferred at a ceremony held in Mumbai, where Additional Commissioner Sunil Pawar accepted the citation on behalf of Municipal Commissioner Dr. Kailas Shinde from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. IT Minister Ashish Shelar and Chief Secretary Rajesh Agrawal were also present.

The programme evaluates civic bodies on digital governance, service delivery, and administrative efficiency. NMMC had earlier secured 3rd rank in the 100-day reforms programme and improved its performance under the guidance of Commissioner Dr. Kailas Shinde.

Over the past year, the civic body has expanded its online services, including tax payments, issuance of birth and death certificates, grievance redressal, and access to civic information through multiple digital platforms.

The official website was found to have a user-friendly interface, updated information, strong data security, effective search features, and a robust grievance redressal mechanism in line with government guidelines.

NMMC has made 68 public services available online through the state’s Aaple Sarkar portal, along with 39 additional municipal services. Streamlined processes have reduced service delivery time.

The NIC-developed e-office system is being used by over 1,000 employees, improving transparency, speed, and efficiency in administrative work.

A real-time dashboard system provides integrated data across departments, helping officials take timely and accurate decisions and conduct regular review meetings.

A multilingual chatbot enables citizens to receive updates, pay property tax and water bills, and check eligibility for welfare schemes easily.

AI-based systems help classify and resolve citizen complaints quickly, while blockchain technology ensures secure and transparent issuance of school leaving certificates and monitoring of plantation drives.

Over 150 GIS layers have been developed for applications such as vehicle tracking in solid waste management, monitoring mechanised cleaning, and analysing climate change impacts like sea-level rise.

“This recognition was possible due to our strong focus on digital governance, transparency, and citizen-centric services. We will continue to adopt innovative technologies to deliver faster and more efficient services to citizens,” said Additional Commissioner Sunil Pawar.

Mumbai: A former Mumbai Under-19 cricketer, Balwant Singh Swaroop Singh Sodha, was arrested by the DB Marg police for his alleged involvement in black marketing tickets for the T20 World Cup semi-final match between India and England.

According to police officials, Sodha, 26, is the seventh accused in the case, which has exposed a wider racket involved in the illegal resale of match tickets at inflated prices. Authorities have seized his mobile phone and its data is currently being analysed to trace the source of the tickets and identify other individuals linked to the network.

Sodha allegedly sold two tickets priced at Rs 25,000 each. However, he has not yet disclosed how he procured them. “We are examining his call data records to trace further links in the racket,” a police officer said as quoted by media.

The incident came to light earlier this month after police received a tip-off about a man selling match tickets at exorbitant rates. Acting on the information, officers conducted a sting operation and posed as buyers. They apprehended Aditya Raorane at a coffee shop in Vile Parle when he agreed to sell two tickets at Rs 25,000 each.

During interrogation, Raorane told police that he had sourced the tickets from Siddharth Sabhapati. Following this lead, police asked Raorane to contact Sabhapati for additional tickets. Sabhapati allegedly sent two more tickets through another accomplice, Meghan Sandesh Pradhan, who was later arrested at the same location. A total of four tickets were seized during this operation.

Police said the accused were part of a conspiracy to resell complimentary and subsidised tickets issued by the Mumbai Cricket Association at much higher prices. So far, 24 tickets have been seized and officials have written to the association seeking details about their distribution.

A case was registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Maharashtra Police Act. Prior to Sodha’s arrest, six other accused, including Raorane and his associates, had already been taken into custody. Further investigation is underway to uncover the full extent of the racket and identify additional suspects involved.

Mumbai: A civic works operation in the upscale Pali Hill area in Bandra took an unexpected turn after a JCB rammed into the compound wall, causing bricks and debris to collapse onto parked cars below. Fortunately, no one was injured, however, the incident has prompted concerns about safety measures and oversight at the site.

The visuals of the incident were shared by Bandra Buzz on its official handle on Instagram. The incident took place at St Anne’s Apartments near Pali Hill Public Park. Pictures shared online showed two cars damaged due to the incident, of which one vehicle was badly crushed, while another suffered rear-end damage.

Users on social media called the incident negligence on the part of the civic authorities, and many voiced safety concerns. One user also questioned whether the heavy machinery operators are even qualified.

One user commented, “Negligence.. So much heavy machinery roaming about. Is there no minimum safe distance from these things? Are the operators actually qualified? We all know how people get licenses…”

“In most instances, JCB drivers are inexperienced and look like they have no valid driving license,” another added.

One of the residents voiced anger and said, “This is total negligence. This lane has been in this pathetic state for the past 3-4 months, totally inaccessible. There are senior and super senior citizens living in the buildings inside this lane, and it’s become a health hazard now to walk in and out. Who is responsible if there is a medical emergency? The concerned authorities need to do something and fast.”