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BMC Elections 2026: Underground Metro To Sea Bridges, How Mumbai Changed Over The Years After Previous Civic Body Polls

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Mumbai: As Mumbai heads toward the long-awaited Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections on January 15, the city stands as a starkly different landscape compared to the last time citizens went to the polls. Over the past few years, the financial capital has shed its image of perpetual gridlock, emerging as a laboratory for world-class infrastructure.

From the shimmering arches of the Atal Setu to the underground hum of the Aqua Line, the very geography of Mumbai has been rewritten.

The most visible change is the completion of the ‘Golden Trio’ of infrastructure that has finally bridged the gap between Mumbai’s isolated islands.

The Atal Setu (MTHL): Inaugurated in 2024, the country’s longest sea bridge has turned the grueling two-hour trek from Sewri to Navi Mumbai into a 20-minute breeze. This bridge didn’t just move cars; it shifted the city’s economic center of gravity toward the east.

The Mumbai Coastal Road: The BMC’s flagship project has fundamentally altered the Western seafront. With the sea bridge operational, the iconic Marine Drive now connects seamlessly to the Bandra-Worli Sea Link via undersea tunnels. For the first time, South Mumbai feels ‘connected’ rather than ‘bottlenecked.’

The Metro Revolution: 2025 was the ‘Year of the Metro.’ The full commissioning of Metro Line 3 (Aqua Line) has moved thousands of daily commuters off the overburdened local trains and into air-conditioned underground comfort, linking Colaba to SEEPZ for the first time.

Beyond the steel and concrete of bridges, the BMC spent the last two years on a massive City Beautification Project. Several sites across multiple wards in the city have seen upgrades.

From illuminated flyovers and theme-based murals to the 5.25 km seaside promenade at Worli, the maximum city is looking more polished. Even the suburban wards like P-South (Goregaon) have seen a push for ‘hawker-free’ zones and the restoration of local water bodies like the Oshiwara river, though environmentalists argue there is still a long way to go.

This infrastructure blitz has triggered a real estate gold rush. Nodes like Ulwe and Panvel are no longer considered ‘outskirts,’ thanks to the newly operational Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), which saw its first commercial flights just weeks ago in December 2025. Property values in these growth tiers have surged by over 20 per cent, as the ‘One Mumbai-Navi Mumbai’ vision becomes a reality.

As the Model Code of Conduct holds the city in its grip, the focus is now on the ‘Missing Links.’ While the mega-projects are largely complete, the next administration faces the last-mile challenge.

Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR): With the Phase 1 expected to open by May 2026, this will be the final piece of the east-west connectivity puzzle.

Climate Resilience: With rising sea levels, the next BMC house will be judged on its ability to manage the city’s aging drainage system alongside its shiny new tunnels.

The 24/7 City: There is growing pressure to utilise this new infrastructure to boost Mumbai’s night economy, turning it into a truly global metropolis.

Crime

Mumbai Police Rebuts Social Media Claims About Missing Children; Warns Action Against Rumours

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A day after reports claimed that 12 minor children went missing within 36 hours across Mumbai, the Mumbai Police on Monday issued a statement rejecting the claims and warning social media users against spreading rumours related to missing or abducted children.

In a post on X, the Mumbai Police said, “Some social media accounts are spreading false information and rumours regarding missing and abducted children. We completely deny these claims.”

The police added that the process has been initiated to register FIRs and take strict legal action against individuals deliberately circulating false information to create fear among the public.

The clarification came a day after Media reported that 12 minor children, including eight girls, had gone missing within a 36-hour span. The unusually high number had triggered concerns about the possible presence of organised child trafficking networks in the city.

While some cases were linked to family disputes or children running away from home, a human trafficking angle was suspected in others.

According to Mumbai Police records, 145 children went missing between June and December 2025, including 93 girls. Between November 1 and December 6 alone, 82 missing cases were registered, with adolescents accounting for more than half. These included 41 girls and 13 boys under 18. Police said several children were later traced and reunited with their families.

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Crime

‘Drunk’ SUV Driver Ploughs Into Crowd After Hitting Several Vehicles In Sangli; 11 Injured

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Chaos unfolded in Maharashtra’s Sangli on Sunday when an SUV ploughed into a crowd after ramming several vehicles on Tilak Road near the Ganpati Temple. According to reports, 11 people, including five police personnel, were injured in the incident.

The accused driver has been identified as Praniket Dattatrey Panchal from the Barshi Road area in Latur. The vehicle first hit several vehicles before ploughing into a crowded stretch where people were walking to attend the Krushnamai Festival.

After the incident, the driver was pulled out of the vehicle by an angry mob and assaulted. The crowd also vandalised the SUV.

The accused was later rescued by the police.

According to reports, the driver was under the influence of alcohol when incident occured. The injured were rushed to hospitals for treatment. Police stated that the driver has been booked and further investigation is underway.

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National News

Fierce govt-Oppn showdown in LS over Rahul Gandhi’s mention of ex-Army chief’s unpublished memoir (Lead)

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New Delhi, Feb 2: The Lok Sabha witnessed uproarious scenes and a huge pandemonium with opposition and treasury benches getting into a face-off over the citing of an ‘unpublished’ book by former Army Chief Mukund Naravane.

LS Speaker Om Birla’s repeated attempts to bring order in the House failed utterly as the Congress party persisted with demands to quote Naravane’s memoirs while the government strongly objected, terming it ‘theatrics’.

The ruckus broke out after the Leader of Opposition (LoP), Rahul Gandhi, led the opposition charge during the debate on Motion of Thanks to the President’s address on Monday.

The Congress MP started his speech by targeting the Centre over an article in a magazine, based on the memoirs of former Army chief Naravane. This invited a quick and direct counter from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and also Home Minister Amit Shah.

Gandhi said that the BJP questions the Congress party’s patriotism but blocks a book penned by a top officer of the Armed Forces.

As he started citing lines from the memoir, loud protests erupted from the treasury benches.

Rajnath Singh strongly objected to Gandhi’s quoting from the book, stating that the claims were vague as the book had not even published.

“What is the government scared of?” asked Rahul while doubling down his charge.

LS Speaker Om Birla advised the opposition members to refrain from citing any unverified subject, stating that this would amount to a breach of parliamentary norms.

As the opposition resorted to slogan-shouting, prompting a counter from HM Amit Shah. He urged the Speaker to direct the LoP to stop misleading the House with falsified claims.

The ruckus over Gandhi’s claims, where he stated that Chinese tanks were hurtling towards the Indian border, continued unabated as the opposition insisted on raising these charges while the treasury benches, including Union Ministers, erupted in protest.

The parliamentary rulebook was also cited by some BJP members, but the chaos and pandemonium persisted.

At one point, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav also rallied behind Rahul Gandhi and stated that since the China border is a sensitive matter, the Congress leader should be allowed to speak on the same.

Congress MPs also pointed fingers at the Speaker, claiming that the ruling party lawmakers have quoted false claims on the Nehru rule multiple times, but they were always given a free hand.

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