Metro Line 3, also known as the Aqua Line, is Mumbai’s inaugural fully underground metro corridor, linking the western suburbs, central Mumbai, and the southern tip without utilizing surface-level roads. The line, measuring 33.5 km from Aarey to Cuffe Parade, comprises 27 stations and is anticipated to accommodate approximately 1.3 million passengers daily, serving as a vital connector for north-south travel in the city.

The project marks the culmination of a 15-year vision, with the final phase, stretching from Acharya Atre Chowk (Worli) to Cuffe Parade, set to be inaugurated on September 30, 2025, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

This stretch includes 11 stations: Science Museum, Mahalaxmi, Mumbai Central, Grant Road, Girgaon, Kalbadevi, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Hutatma Chowk, Churchgate, Vidhan Bhavan, and Cuffe Parade. The total cost of Rs 9,785 crore for this phase contributes to a substantial budget increase from the original estimate of Rs 23,136 crore to Rs 37,276 crore. Funding is primarily provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for 60%, with the Government of India and the Government of Maharashtra sharing the remaining costs equally.

Metro Line 3’s role in improving connectivity is significant, serving critical residential, commercial, and business districts. It connects major hubs like Cuffe Parade, Nariman Point, and business districts while facilitating transport at key railway stations and ensuring airport connectivity.

The line is expected to drastically decrease commute times, reducing a typical journey from Cuffe Parade to Aarey from 90–100 minutes during peak hours to just 54 minutes. The fare structure is affordable, ranging from Rs 10 to Rs 70, offering a cheaper alternative to cabs, which charge over Rs 700 for similar distances.

To stimulate economic development, Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) has initiated a Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) strategy to generate non-fare revenue, selling a 4.16-acre plot at Nariman Point to the Reserve Bank of India for Rs 3,472 crore, with the proceeds invested back into the project.

Challenges in construction have included navigating heritage sites, narrow streets, and unstable soil, particularly in South Mumbai, using advanced techniques to avoid damage to historical buildings.

Despite public opposition regarding the car shed’s location in Aarey Colony, amid concerns about ecological impacts, the site remained due to feasibility issues. Initial phases attracted lower-than-expected ridership, with only 20,000 daily users initially, given the lack of complete connectivity.

However, with the full line’s launch serving commercial areas, MMRC anticipates a significant increase in ridership, projecting 13 lakh daily passengers at stabilization and 31.5 lakh by 2055 following upgrades.

New Delhi, Sep 22: Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria shared his blunt views on Pakistan’s loss to India in the Super Four clash of the ongoing Asia Cup, saying the Indian openers left Pakistan’s bowlers clueless with their ruthless counterattack.

Batting first, Sahibzada Farhan top-scored with 58, while Faheem Ashraf’s unbeaten 20 off eight balls gave Pakistan late momentum as they posted 171/5 in 20 overs.

In reply, Abhishek Sharma stole the spotlight with a whirlwind 74 off 39 balls, smashing six fours and five sixes. Alongside Shubman Gill (47 off 28), he added 105 runs inside the first 10 overs to set up India’s six-wicket victory and a strong start to their Super Four campaign.

“Sahibzada Farhan signalled an AK-47, but then Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma launched a BrahMos of their own with the bat — and Sharma even followed it with a flying kiss. That’s how you do it. The Indian openers’ counterattack was so destructive that Pakistan players were left bamboozled. There’s ‘dhulai’ and then there’s ‘maha dhulai’. This was the latter,” Kaneria told media on Monday.

He further added, “When you have players like Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill as openers, even 200 can look like a small total against them on such a wicket. Both are class players.”

Kaneria also criticised Pakistan’s tendency to look for scapegoats after a defeat, this time pointing to Fakhar Zaman’s dismissal.

Zaman had made a brisk start, flicking Bumrah for four and then driving him for another boundary. But his innings ended in the third over when he edged a slower delivery from Hardik Pandya to wicketkeeper Sanju Samson, with the third umpire confirming the dismissal.

“Now Pakistan will look for another scapegoat, and they’ve found one in Fakhar Zaman’s dismissal. He’ll cry now, saying he wasn’t out. But it was a clear and clean catch by Sanju Samson — the gloves were clearly underneath the ball. And yet Pakistan will surely cry over it, talking about ‘benefit of doubt’. Fakhar will cling to this excuse,” said Kaneria.

India will next face Bangladesh on Thursday, while Pakistan will aim to bounce back against Sri Lanka on Wednesday.

Mumbai, Sep 22: The Indian benchmark indices opened marginally lower on Monday, despite positive global cues, with IT stocks leading losses owing to some concerns over the new US H-1B visa rules.

As of 9.26 am, the Sensex was down 189 points, or 0.23 per cent at 82,772 and the Nifty was down 40 points, or 0.16 per cent at 25,286. Sensex and Nifty had opened with dips of 0.40 per cent and 0.33 per cent respectively, but later cut down on the losses.

IT giants such as Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, Wipro, HCL Technologies, Tech Mahindra, and Coforge slipped in the morning trade.

The US government has clarified that visa holders returning to the country are exempt from the new $100,000 fee, which provided marginal relief to Indian IT companies.

White House said the visa fee would be a one-time payment, applicable only to new applications from the next lottery cycle (March–April 2026), and not on renewals.

The broad cap indices Nifty Midcap 100 dipped 0.05 per cent, and the Nifty Smallcap 100 lost 0.12 per cent.

The losers were Tech Mahindra, TCS, Tata Motors, Apollo Hospitals and Dr Reddy’s Labs.

Among sectoral indices, Nifty IT, the top loser, lost 2.68 per cent. Nifty Pharma (down 0.45 per cent) and Nifty Healthcare (down 0.33 per cent) also weighed down on the indices. All other sectoral indices were trading with marginal gains.

The Nifty index has held firmly above the 25,300 mark, closing at 25,327 in the previous session. It continues to trade above its key moving averages—the 20-day, 50-day, and 200-day EMAs—reaffirming the broader bullish undertone.

Analysts predicted that sentiment will remain positive as long as the index remains above these averages. Immediate resistance is placed at 25,500, followed by the 25,600 and 25,850 zones. The support lies at 25,150 and 25,000 zones.

They said that the market is likely to exhibit mixed behaviour, with the IT sector being affected by the H-1B visa issue and domestic consumption themes responding positively to the potential increase in consumption from lower GST rates kicking in from today.

According to them, the present low interest rate regime will aid the consumption boost and will also facilitate an increase in credit demand, boosting the profitability of financials.

Asia-Pacific markets mostly rose on Monday, tracking Wall Street’s gains from Friday and boosted by China’s key lending rate decision that kept key rates unchanged.

In the US markets, Nasdaq has added 0.72 per cent, the S&P 500 edged up 0.49 per cent, and the Dow inched up 0.37 per cent in the last trading session.

Most of the Asian markets were trading in the green during the morning session. While China’s Shanghai index edged up 0.07 per cent, and Shenzhen advanced 0.17 per cent, Japan’s Nikkei added 1.45 per cent, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index lost 0.82 per cent. South Korea’s Kospi added 1.06 per cent.

On Friday, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) purchased equities worth Rs 390 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers of equities worth Rs 2,105 crore.