Mumbai: South Central Mumbai is set to experience major traffic congestion as the Elphinstone Road overbridge (ROB), a crucial link between Parel and Prabhadevi over the Central and Western Railway tracks, will be closed for two years. The closure of this crucial bridge will be starting from February 2025, as per reports. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) plans to dismantle and reconstruct the bridge as part of the Sewri-Worli Connector project.

Details On The New Bridge

The new Elphinstone bridge will be a double-decker flyover, enhancing connectivity between Senapati Bapat Road and Dr BR Ambedkar Road. Additionally, an arm of the bridge will offer direct links to the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) at Sewri and the Bandra-Worli Sea Link at Worli. The redevelopment aims to improve traffic flow in the long run, but the temporary closure is expected to cause major disruptions.

Initially, the MMRDA considered constructing an underground passage beneath the Parel-Prabhadevi railway tracks to avoid delays in obtaining railway approvals. However, this plan was ultimately scrapped.

Sion Bridge Already Closed, Adding to Woes

Elphinstone bridge will be the fifth British-era bridge in Mumbai to be shut down, following the closures of the Sion ROB, Carnac Bridge, Bellasis Bridge and Reay Road Bridge. The shutdown of these bridges has already led to severe traffic congestion in various parts of the city.

Alternate Travel Options For Commuters

With Elphinstone Bridge out of service, vehicular traffic will be diverted to Tilak Bridge (Dadar) and Currey Road Bridge. However, both these routes are already heavily burdened and the additional load is expected to worsen peak-hour congestion, leading to longer commute times for Mumbaikars.

Mumbai: The Mumbai Crime Branch is set to investigate the financial transactions of D.K. Rao, a close aide of gangster Chhota Rajan, for allegedly accepting money from other accused in exchange for mediating in a hotel extortion case.

Additionally, WhatsApp voice notes found on the mobile phone of arrested accused Abubakar Siddiqui are being examined, and forensic analysis of voice samples from D.K. Rao and other accused will be conducted. Senior officials have confirmed the development.

The Crime Branch had arrested D.K. Rao (53), Abubakar Abdullah Siddiqui (37), Imran Kaleem Shaikh (31), Riyaz Kaleem Shaikh (40), Asif Sattan Khan alias Saif Darbar (36), Javed Jalaluddin Khan (35), and Hanif Ismail Naik alias Annu Bhai (53) on January 23 for allegedly demanding ₹2.5 crore extortion from a 74-year-old hotelier.

A case has been registered against them under Various sections of BNS, D.K. Rao, a known enforcer for Chhota Rajan, has a criminal record with 42 serious cases including extortion, murder, kidnapping, and robbery.

Investigators suspect that D.K. Rao was financially compensated by the accused for facilitating the extortion attempt. To verify this, the Crime Branch will scrutinize his financial transactions.

Moreover, WhatsApp voice notes recovered from Abubakar Siddiqui’s mobile suggest discussions between the accused regarding the takeover of the hotel. To establish evidence, the voice samples of D.K. Rao and other accused will be collected and matched with the voice recordings found in the case.

The entire conspiracy was orchestrated to illegally seize the hotel of the senior businessman. D.K. Rao allegedly issued death threats to the complainant and demanded ₹2.5 crore in extortion. The Crime Branch is conducting further investigations to gather more evidence in the case. All accused again remanded Police custody till February 1.

Mumbai: A day after BJP Minister Nitesh Rane demanded a ban on the burqa in schools during exams, Samajwadi Party (SP) legislator Rais Shaikh on Thursday wrote to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, urging them not to entertain such regressive demands, which target only the Muslim community and could deprive Muslim students of their education.

In his letter to Fadnavis, Shinde, Pawar and Education Minister Dadaji Bhuse, Shaikh stated that for Muslims, wearing the burqa or headscarf is an act of worship. “The Preamble to the Constitution guarantees an individual’s liberty of faith and worship. Article 15 of the Constitution prohibits discrimination based on religion,” said Rais Shaikh, SP MLA.

Shaikh further argued that the demand to ban the burqa or headscarf in schools under the guise of exam regulations is nothing but an interference with religion. “This demand is unconstitutional and will not withstand any legal scrutiny. It targets the Muslim community at large, aiming to deprive minority students of their education. Entertaining such demands would only increase polarisation in the education sector,” Shaikh added.

Highlighting the government’s initiatives such as Ladki Bahin, Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, and women empowerment, Shaikh said, “While the government launches multiple initiatives to empower women, it now needs to walk the talk and not bow down to such hate-filled demands. This is an attempt to create an atmosphere of hate and fear.”

Shaikh further urged students and their parents not to panic and to focus on their studies for the upcoming exams. “This government will be responsible for jeopardising the careers of millions of students if it gives credence to such hate-filled demands,” he added.