Thane, October 28: Residents of Savarkar Nagar in Thane were left alarmed on Tuesday morning after spotting a massive 8-foot python in a roadside drain near a local college. The sighting caused panic in the area as passersby gathered to confirm the unusual discovery.

The Thane Municipal Corporation’s (TMC) disaster management cell received a distress call around 11:32 am from a local resident of Maratha Galli. Acting swiftly, a disaster management staff member, a firefighter, and a pickup vehicle were dispatched to the location. Members of the Wildlife Welfare Association (WWA) from Konkani Pada also joined the rescue operation.

Upon arrival, the joint team located the python inside the roadside drain. Despite the size of the reptile, the rescue team handled the situation with care and ensured the safety of both the animal and onlookers.

After being safely extracted, the python was handed over to the Wildlife Welfare Association for medical observation and rehabilitation. According to TMC disaster management cell chief Yasin Tadvi, the rescue was completed without any injuries or harm.

This incident has once again highlighted the growing instances of wild animals straying into urban areas of Thane and Mumbai. Experts attribute such occurrences to shrinking natural habitats and encroachment near forest zones.

Mumbai: Bollywood filmmaker Sajid Nadiadwala’s production house Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. purchased two high-end apartments in the upscale Prabhadevi area of South Mumbai for a combined value of Rs 36.57 crore, according to property registration documents reviewed by real estate platform Square Yards. Both transactions were registered in October 2025 on the Maharashtra government’s Inspector General of Registration (IGR) website.

Located in one of Mumbai’s most sought-after neighbourhoods, Prabhadevi is known for its premium residential towers, commercial spaces, and proximity to major business hubs like Lower Parel, Nariman Point, and the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC). The locality, home to landmarks such as the Siddhivinayak Temple, is well-connected via Veer Savarkar Marg and offers convenient access to lifestyle destinations, hospitals and educational institutions, making it a preferred address for Mumbai’s elite.

According to IGR data reviewed by Square Yards, the first apartment was bought in Hubtown Twenty Five South North, a luxury residential project in South Mumbai. Valued at Rs 18.57 crore, the property has a RERA carpet area of 222.13 sq. m. (2,390 sq. ft.) with an additional area of 19.40 sq. m. (208 sq. ft.), and includes two car parking spaces. The transaction attracted a stamp duty of Rs 1.11 crore and registration charges of Rs 30,000.

The second apartment, also in the same building, was purchased for Rs 18 crore. It has a RERA carpet area of 221.30 sq. m. (2,382 sq. ft.), along with 12.86 sq. m. (138 sq. ft.) of additional space and two car parking slots. The buyer paid Rs 1.08 crore in stamp duty and Rs 30,000 in registration fees.

Founded by filmmaker Sajid Nadiadwala, Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment is one of India’s leading production houses with a legacy of blockbuster films across genres including action, romance, and comedy. The studio is known for high production values and collaborations with top-tier actors and directors. Some of its most successful franchises include Housefull, Baaghi and Kick.

New Delhi, Oct 28: With Assembly elections expected in West Bengal by May-June next year, every move made by Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress Chairperson Mamata Banerjee will be under public scrutiny. Thus, the large-scale bureaucratic reshuffle carried out by her government hours before the Election Commission announced the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the country, is suspected to be linked with the upcoming polls.

As is the ongoing organisational rejig seen as a move to strengthen a party facing incumbency, with alleged corruption, indiscipline, and infighting – sometimes leading to physical altercations – charges after about 14-and-a-half years in power.

The administrative order involves hundreds of officers being relocated or reassigned across several districts which the government described as routine, claiming that many of them had completed three years at their postings, requiring a move.

Technically, it is a norm at preventing any single officer from becoming a long-term local power broker. But in this case, the decision is being considered in certain sections as redeployment of key officials to place administrators with proven loyalty, competence, or responsiveness in critical districts before the SIR process begins.

Trinamool leaders have publicly criticised the Election Commission’s decision to conduct SIR in West Bengal, arguing the exercise risks wrongful deletion of legitimate voters and could be used to target specific communities for political advantage.

They framed the process as “politically-motivated” and warned of protests if valid electors were removed. They questioned the impartiality of the process and linked the timing of the exercise to heightened political stakes ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls.

However, the poll body clarified that as per law, electoral rolls have to be revised before every election or as per requirement, where SIR has been done eight times from 1951 till 2004, with the last taking place over two decades ago in 2002-2004.

Some changes, like frequent migration resulting in voters getting registered at more than one place, names of those deceased, including fraudulent entry of foreign nationals, among other, cannot be made in electoral rolls in the usual revision process. Such an exercise requires door-to-door visits at the booth level.

Reports – both administrative and media – have shown a demographic change in West Bengal, especially in districts bordering Bangladesh, due to decades of influx through porous borders and alleged political complicity.

Economic dominance and population growth among Muslims are allegedly altering local life, triggering tensions, as was reflected in this year’s violence in Murshidabad over the Waqf Amendment Bill.

Ruling party leaders publicly claim their absolute dominance in such areas, with poll results indicating the trend. There have been reports of certain immigrants holding voters’ identity card and participating in the poll process, without citizen status. Such voters can be identified through the process of SIR; though oversight or deliberate interference on ground level cannot be totally ruled out.

Meanwhile, in recent months, the Trinamool has undertaken widespread organisational changes at the district level to balance veteran leaders and emerging younger leaders.

The reshuffle aims to reduce factionalism, impose stricter controls, and future-proof the party machinery for securing a fourth term in power.

There also appears an attempt at a strategic recalibration from the “old vs. new” debate to a mix of prominent longstanding figures with younger faces in organisational committees and lists of future poll candidates.

The efforts involved restructuring, sometimes even abolishing, district presidents in favour of small, handpicked core committees. In Birbhum, Kolkata North, for example, district-level leadership has been moved from a single strongman to collective committees.

The party’s organisational moves may be viewed as a strategy to recentre control, reduce factionalism, and improve candidate quality – changes expected to influence party decision at considering tickets for the 2026 Assembly polls.