Mumbai: Amruta Fadnavis, wife of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, was seen driving a pink e-rickshaw on Monday as she lent her support to a women centric green mobility initiative launched on the World Environment Day.

A video shared by media captured Amruta Fadnavis confidently driving the pink e-rickshaw through a crowd during the launch event organised by the Bhamla Foundation. Her participation highlighted the foundation’s Women-Led Green Mobility Program, which aims to empower low-income women across Maharashtra by providing them with pink e-rickshaws and creating sustainable livelihood opportunities.

Speaking to the media after the event, Amruta Fadnavis expressed her happiness at being part of the programme and interacting with women beneficiaries. She said the initiative is designed not only to promote environmentally friendly transportation but also to help women become financially independent.

“The programme offers a dual benefit. Firstly, these e-rickshaws contribute to reducing carbon emissions and pollution in cities. Secondly, they provide women with an opportunity to earn a livelihood and become self-reliant,” she said.

Speaking to media, Amruta further stressed on the government-backed scheme supporting the initiative. She stated that under the existing scheme, banks provide a 70 per cent loan to eligible women, while the government contributes 20 per cent. Beneficiaries are required to contribute the remaining 10 per cent, which typically amounts to Rs 30,000–35,000.

“Many women are unable to arrange even this amount. It is commendable that NGOs have stepped forward to bridge this financial gap and help these women benefit from the scheme,” she wrote on her X page.

Highlighting the programme’s future goals, Amruta said the target is to deploy 1,000 pink e-rickshaws in Mumbai. She was also seen taking a ride in one of the vehicles, reinforcing the initiative’s message of sustainable mobility and women’s empowerment.

The project is expected to contribute to lower carbon emissions and cleaner urban transport while creating opportunities for women. The initiative has received a wide appreciation online, with many users praising both the government’s support and Amruta Fadnavis’ active involvement in promoting the cause.

Mumbai: Mira Road Crime Branch Unit 4 has exposed a drug factory in Telangana, arrested three accused and seized drugs and equipment used in drug manufacturing worth over Rs 2 crore. Mira Bhayander Commissioner Niket Kaushik claimed in a press conference that this operation has been carried out under the Mira Bhayander police’s campaign against drugs. The Crime Branch has made progress in its operation on the basis of the drug peddlers arrested earlier and three people have been arrested. Earlier, on April 4, 2026, a raid was conducted at the house of Firdosh Arbaaz Qureshi in Mira Bhayander area and the Naya Nagar police had registered a case against him. During the operation, 1.324 crore MD was found, which is said to be worth Rs 2 crore. The police have registered a case under the NDPS Act against him. Sandeep Veeraswamy Naidu, Naseer alias Baba Jumaniya Sheikh, Mehmood Mehboob Khan have been arrested from Zaheerabad, Telangana, Hyderabad for the same crimes. They used to run a drug manufacturing factory in their farmhouse. MD was manufactured here. Apart from this, Chloroform Actone, Hydraulic Acid and MD Lap were also found in the farmhouse. Rs 6.22 crore worth of drugs and cash worth Rs 20.72 crore were seized from here. This operation will continue. Niket Kaushik said that the police have exposed the drug racket in a phased manner and taken action against it. At the same time, criminals do this drug trade because it is more profitable and in such a situation, the police and crime branch are continuously conducting operations to curb drug dealers and a significant success has been achieved in this.

Mumbai: The long-pending Harbour Line extension between Goregaon and Borivali has gained fresh momentum after Western Railway floated an Rs 86.51-crore tender for a key civil works package under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP)-3A. The move is being seen as a significant step towards improving suburban rail connectivity in Mumbai’s western suburbs.

According to a media report citing details shared by Western Railway, the tender, invited on May 27, covers earthwork, construction of major and minor bridges, side drains, retaining structures and boundary walls required for the proposed Harbour Line extension corridor.

The overall project is estimated to cost around Rs 898 crore, including Rs 728 crore for civil engineering works, Rs 88 crore for electrical infrastructure and Rs 82 crore for signalling and telecommunication systems.

The proposed extension will connect Goregaon and Borivali, offering commuters an alternative suburban rail route and helping reduce congestion on the heavily crowded Western Railway corridor. The project is expected to strengthen east-west and north-south connectivity across Mumbai’s expanding suburban network.

Project documents indicate that two major bridges and sixteen minor bridges are planned along the alignment. Four engineering-scale plans are currently awaiting approvals, while designs for several bridge structures are under preparation.

However, land acquisition and rehabilitation continue to remain major hurdles. The project requires a total of 3,688 square metres of land, including 3,389 square metres of private land and 299 square metres of government land. Authorities have identified 520 project-affected persons (PAPs), of whom 178 have already been allotted rehabilitation units. Additionally, 141 families residing on private land are expected to be affected by the project.

Several challenges that need to be addressed before construction can gather pace. These include completion of land acquisition proceedings, rehabilitation of remaining project-affected families, removal of encroachments and utilities along nearly 46 per cent of the project alignment, and approval of pending bridge drawings and work packages.

Despite the obstacles, railway officials believe the fresh tender marks tangible progress for a project that has been awaiting implementation for years. Once completed, the Harbour Line extension is expected to provide direct connectivity between Mumbai’s western suburbs and the Harbour corridor, benefiting lakhs of daily commuters and easing pressure on existing suburban rail services.