Connect with us
Monday,05-October-2026
Breaking News

Maharashtra

BMC: Mumbai Coastal Road 58% ready, races to Nov 2023 deadline

Published

on

The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has announced that 58 per cent of the Rs 12,000-crore showpiece Mumbai Coastal Road (MCR) project on the south side has been completed, here on Wednesday, and it will be operational by November 2023.

The work on the pet project of the erstwhile Maha Vikas Aghadi government’s former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray started during the lockdown period in 2020 after clearing all legal and technical hurdles.

Of the total 111 hectares land required for the project, 107 hectares — or 97 per cent — land has been reclaimed from the Arabian Sea, and 70 per cent of the work on the sea-wall is also done.

From the total reclaimed land, 70 hectares shall be utilised for creating public spaces and amenities, 26.50 hectares will go for building the inter-changes on the project and 14.50 hectares for building a sea-wall to protect the coastal road from the lashing sea-waves.

Similarly, of the 175 mono-piles to be constructed under the bridges, 70 — or 40 per cent — have been built so far on the 10.58 km-long road.

The MCR comprises twin tunnels of 2.07 km of which one from Priyadarshini Park to Netaji Subhash Marg is ready and the work on the other tunnel is almost 40 per cent completed.

On completion of the south phase, an additional 8.50 km long and 20-metre wide sea promenade will be available to the city, along with attractions like a biodiversity park, a butterfly garden, landscaping, recreational facilities like cycle tracks, open-air theatres, seating for tourists, toilets plus underground parking lot for over 1,800 vehicles.

Currently, the Marine Drive – also popular as the Queen’s Necklace – is the longest promenade in the city running around 3.60 km.

The MCR will serve as the ‘vital link’ for the proposed 44-km long Coastal Road extension from Versova to Virar (Palghar), which in turn would be linked with the upcoming Rs 1 lakh crore Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, which is nearly two-thirds completed.

Last fortnight, in Mumbai, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari made the offer to build this section, and urged the state government to waive off taxes on steel and cement to be used for the projects.

The Minister said that it was his dream to ensure seamless connectivity from the national capital to the commercial capital with a travel time of just 12 hours through a network of expressway, the coastal road and sea-link at a total cost of around Rs 50,000 crore.

The MVA’s pre-feasibility study envisages the 8-lane sea-link bridge with connectors at Kandivali, Uttan, Vasai and Virar, slashing the travel time from Virar to south Mumbai from the existing three-and-half hours to barely one hour.

Maharashtra

Kasturba Marg Police recover 100 stolen mobile phones, return them to their original owners

Published

on

Acting on complaints regarding stolen and lost mobile phones within the jurisdiction of the Kasturba Marg Police Station in Mumbai, police analyzed data from the CEIR portal and conducted technical investigations. By verifying device details, IMEI numbers, and user information, officers from the Kasturba Marg Police Station tracked down and recovered a total of 100 mobile phones from locations across Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra.

The total estimated value of the 100 recovered mobile phones is ₹2,270,658. Of these, 18 phones have already been returned to their respective owners/complainants, including: 1) Rajendra Puri, 2) Khush Saw, 3) Kripa Lodhiya, 4) Shreya Satam, 5) Atul Sathe, 6) Priyanka Mistri, 7) Banu Tarang, 8) Prem Gupta, 9) Adya Shaikh, 10) Shweta Shah, 11) Sandhya Pandit, 12) Deepak Sawdekar, 13) Saurabh Jhangar, 14) Ketan Shete, 15) Onkar Raut, 16) Jayalal Yadav, 17) Lakshmi Appa Kripagiri, and 18) Praveen Dubey. The process of returning the remaining phones to their owners is currently underway.

This operation was carried out under the supervision of the DCP (North, Zone 3), Mumbai, by the team at Kasturba Marg Police Station, led by Balasaheb Bunkar.

Continue Reading

Crime

CBI books Mumbai firm, officials in Rs 93.44 crore loan fraud case

Published

on

Mumbai, Oct 3: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted searches at multiple premises in Mumbai and registered a Rs 93.44 crore bank fraud case against officials of Hanjer Biotech Energies on the complaint of Punjab National Bank, an official said on Saturday.

The CBI conducted searches on Friday at multiple premises linked to the directors of Hanjer Biotech Energies in Mumbai, the CBI said in a statement.

The CBI registered the instant case on September 30, 2026, on the complaint of Punjab National Bank, SAM Branch, Mumbai, against Hanjer Biotech Energies, its directors and guarantors, unknown public servants and unknown private persons.

The accused were booked for offences of criminal conspiracy for cheating and offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, resulting in alleged wrongful loss of approximately Rs 93.44 Crore to the bank.

It was alleged that the accused entered into a criminal conspiracy, obtained term loan of Rs 135 crore on the invoices of its related party and diverted/siphoned off the funds for other purposes for which it was not sanctioned, causing loss to the bank, the CBI said.

During the searches on Friday, incriminating bank documents and property documents relevant to the investigation were recovered and seized.

Investigation is continuing to ascertain the full extent of the conspiracy, identify the role of all involved persons, including public servants and private individuals, and trace the end-use of the loan funds, the CBI said.

In a separate case on Friday, the CBI arrested an Executive Engineer of the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Mumbai, his relative and three officials of a Mumbai-based real estate group, in a Rs 50 lakh bribery case related to the issuance of a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for a land parcel.

Vikrant Verma, Executive Engineer, CPWD Mumbai; Saurav Gupta, Verma’s relative based in Pune; and Arvind Semwal, Vice President, Baya Company, were among those named in the FIR by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday, an official said.

The arrested accused were produced before the Special CBI Judge in Mumbai on Friday, the official said in a statement.

Continue Reading

Maharashtra

Monsoon Withdraws Further from Maharashtra; Hot and Humid Weather Alert Issued for Konkan Region

Published

on

MUMBAI PRESS — The India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced on Saturday, October 3, 2026, that the Southwest Monsoon has withdrawn from parts of Maharashtra, as well as the remaining regions of North India, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh.

The current withdrawal line of the Southwest Monsoon passes through Harnai, Baramati, Parbhani, and Brahmapuri in Maharashtra, extending northeastward through Raipur, Ranchi, and Supaul. Weather officials stated that conditions are favorable for further retreat from most parts of Marathwada, Vidarbha, and additional areas of Madhya Maharashtra over the next 2 to 3 days.

Hot and Humid Stretch for Coastal Maharashtra
Residents in the coastal belt should prepare for elevated discomfort over the weekend. The IMD has issued a hot and humid weather warning for Konkan & Goa prevailing from October 3 through October 5.
Following this dry and muggy stretch, mild weather activity is expected to return to the region. Isolated to scattered rainfall is forecast across Konkan & Goa and Madhya Maharashtra between October 6 and October 9.

Southern and Northeastern Forecast
While monsoon forces retreat from central and northern parts of India, southern states are bracing for heavy downpours. Isolated heavy rainfall is predicted over Kerala, Mahe, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal from October 4 to October 6, with South Interior Karnataka expected to receive heavy spells on October 5 and 6.

In the northeast, isolated heavy rainfall is expected to continue over Assam, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh through October 3.

Advisory for Fishermen
Due to lower-tropospheric cyclonic circulations over the Arabian Sea, the IMD has urged fishermen not to venture into the sea along and off the Kerala coast, Lakshadweep, Maldives, and the Comorin area on October 3. Farmers in heavy rainfall zones have also been advised to ensure proper field drainage and move harvested crops to covered storage to prevent crop damage.

Continue Reading

Trending