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Wednesday,29-July-2026
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BMC takes strictest measures to control Mumbai air pollution, issues notices to 106 construction companies to stop work

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Mumbai: The Mumbai Municipal Corporation administration is continuously taking multi-pronged action to control air pollution in Mumbai. As part of the measures and initiatives taken under the guidance of Mumbai Municipal Corporation Commissioner and Administrator Bhushan Gagrani and Additional Municipal Corporation Commissioner (Eastern Suburbs) Dr Avinash Dhakne, it has already been made mandatory to install ‘Air Quality Sensors’ i.e. ‘Air Quality Measurement System’ at the sites of all ongoing construction projects in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation area. Meanwhile, orders have already been given to install ‘Reference Grade Air Quality Monitors’ in major projects costing over Rs 1,000 crore. However, it is being observed that ‘Air Quality Measurement System’, which is mandatory as per the relevant orders, has not been installed at some construction sites. All the officers concerned have been directed to immediately issue stop work notices on all such projects. Accordingly, ‘Stop Work’ notices have been issued to 106 construction sites till Thursday evening. This includes private construction sites as well as railway bridge construction, SRA projects, MHADA projects, etc. Regular inspections are underway in this regard and the process of issuing notices to the remaining construction sites that violate the rules is also underway. In this regard, as per the information provided by the ‘Environment and Climate Change’ department of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation, orders have been issued to immediately issue notices and submit compliance reports to those construction sites where the ‘Air Quality Measurement System’ is not yet operational. The Mumbai Municipal Corporation administration has been continuously following up to install this system since May 2025. However, in cases where there is no response even after repeated follow-ups, immediate stop work notices are being issued. Meanwhile, the next court hearing of the air pollution case will be on Friday, January 23, 2026. The Municipal Corporation administration has ordered all departmental teams to continue site visits and inspections as per the pre-planned action plan. Under this, emphasis is being placed on physical inspection, record observation and immediate action. This action is not limited to the construction sector only, but the Public Health Department has been directed to issue ‘stop work’ notices to those bakery units that do not adhere to the rules. Strict action will be taken in case of violation of smoke, fuel consumption and emission standards. The Municipal Corporation administration is reiterating its stand that there will be no compromise to improve the air quality in Mumbai, however, cooperation will be given to those who follow the rules, while strict action will be taken against those who violate the rules. Due to the multi-layered measures implemented by the Municipal Corporation administration, the air quality in Mumbai is continuously improving, and the air quality at most places is in the ‘satisfactory’ or ‘moderate’ category. Deputy Commissioner (Environment and Climate Change) Avinash also said that this action of the Municipal Corporation to control air pollution will continue regularly and more effectively. At the same time, Mr. Kate has also informed that 106 constructions which have not installed ‘Air Quality Mapping System’ by the evening of Thursday 22nd January 2026 have been given notice to stop work immediately. He has also informed that these constructions include the construction of a railway bridge in the Shiv area, the construction of the MHADA project in the H-East section and the ‘SRA’ project in the ‘K-East’ section. At present, a total of 28 ‘Continuous Ambient Air Quality Survey Centres’ (CAAQMS) are functioning in Mumbai. Out of which 14 centres are under the jurisdiction of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, 9 centres are functioning under the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology and 5 centres are functioning under the Mumbai Municipal Corporation. All these centres are Quality Assurance Centres (CAAQMS) and follow national standards and protocols for measurement, calibration, quality assurance and data validation as per the guidelines of Central Pollution Control Board. The data available through these centres is also available on the Central Pollution Control Board website as well as on ‘Sameer’ and ‘Bharmandhwani App’. On this occasion, the Municipal Corporation administration is once again appealing to the citizens to use this official app to view the air quality data in their area. The administration is once again appealing to them to avoid burning garbage in the open and cooperate with the efforts of the Municipal Corporation.

Maharashtra

Mumbai: Police arrest fraudster who created APK file worth crores of rupees; personal bank details and data also recovered from the accused

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Mumbai: The accused who cheated the complainant in the name of Mumbai Mahanagar Gas and cheated the public by preparing an APK file has been arrested from West Bengal. In Mumbai, a fake APK file was sent to the complainant in the name of Mahanagar Gas Limited at DB Marg police station and Rs 70,500 was stolen from the bank account by hacking his mobile. A case was registered in this regard and a search was started for him. When the police started investigating the matter, his trace was found in West Bengal and he was arrested from here. The 26-year-old accused is a resident of Jharkhand. After his arrest, the police have also recovered 10 mobile phones, one laptop, 7 SIM cards, 4 debit credit cards, 963 APK files and data of 37,200 bank accounts from his possession. The accused has also provided the prepared 91 APK file to other accused. Through this 91 APK file, complaints have been registered on 2993 portals in the country and 512 in Mumbai and Maharashtra, in which about Rs 63 crore 71 lakh 82 thousand has been defrauded. The accused is very clever, so he was an expert in preparing AKP files. Addressing a press conference here, DCP Ragsudha said that the accused who was arrested from West Bengal also used to hack bank accounts through bank APK files. Along with this, he was technically sound. The DCP has appealed to the citizens not to open any unknown file because such groups cheat people in this way.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai Garbage should be removed immediately, surprise inspection of garbage collection vehicles, public cleanliness work reviewed during Ashwini Bhide’s visit

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Mumbai: Effective measures should be implemented to maintain cleanliness at ‘Garbage, Cricket and Garbage’ (GPS) sites by giving them priority. Garbage collection operations should be carried out in two shifts daily, and the number of garbage collection vehicles and trips should be increased. Garbage collection systems in slums and similar areas should be strengthened and regularized to ensure that garbage does not accumulate anywhere. Coordination with local public representatives should be enhanced to ensure their active participation. CCTV cameras should be installed at unsafe locations and strict disciplinary action should be taken against those who throw garbage in public places. Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide has issued clear instructions to formulate area-specific cleanliness policies that take into account the geographical layout, population, volume of waste generation and local needs of each area. Cleaning of busy roads should be given priority before traffic starts, and effective planning is required to keep important roads and highways clean. Bhide also directed that footpaths should be kept free from encroachments and made suitable for pedestrian use. Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide personally visited Mankhurd and Govindi areas in the eastern suburbs and Parel area of ​​the city division on Wednesday (July 29, 2026) at 7:00 am to take a detailed look at the public sanitation system. During the visit, he inspected the sanitation posts, maintenance posts, and road repair posts to observe the daily operations. He checked the attendance of sanitation workers, attendance records, available sanitation machinery and other necessary facilities. While interacting with the concerned authorities and staff, he reviewed the process of collection, segregation and disposal of garbage daily. He also issued instructions to ensure that the operations are carried out more efficiently to ensure the quality, efficiency and strict time management of the sanitation system. The visit was attended by Deputy Commissioner (Municipal Commissioner Office) Prashant Gaikwad, Deputy Commissioner (Zone 5) Scindia. Deputy Commissioner (Zone 2) Prashant Sapkale, Assistant Commissioner Ujjal Angule, and other concerned officers.

The visit began from the Motor Loader Post on Mandla Road in Mankhurd. Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide reviewed the solid waste management procedures, population, available manpower, and number and trips of garbage collection vehicles in M-East ward. Bhide said that, considering the geographical layout and population of M-East ward, the work of garbage collection in at least two shifts per day should be strictly implemented. He directed that the number of garbage collection vehicles and their trips should be increased as per the requirement and the efficiency of garbage collection and transportation should be further strengthened. Special care should be taken to ensure that the garbage collection system is robust, regular and efficient, especially in slums and similar densely populated areas, to prevent the accumulation of garbage. Special attention should be paid to those ‘sensitive’ locations where there is a risk of garbage accumulation. Continuous sensitization of the ‘Swachh Mumbai Prabudhan Abhiyan’ (SMPA) staff is essential to ensure their active participation. Efforts should be made to ensure maximum involvement of public representatives, especially corporators, to enhance the effectiveness of sanitation management.

Surprise inspection of operations of garbage collection compactor vehicles
After visiting the motor loader post, Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide conducted a surprise inspection of the garbage collection compactor vehicle (MH 01 CV 2303), reviewed its entire route and the actual process of garbage collection. She personally verified whether the vehicle was running as per its scheduled route, if waste collection was timely and efficient, if disinfectant was sprayed after waste removal, and if the collected waste was being transported properly. CCTV cameras should be installed at sensitive locations where there is a risk of waste accumulation. Citizens should be made aware against dumping solid waste in roads and drains. Punitive action should be taken against those who throw waste in public places like rivers, drains, major roads and highways. Criminal cases should be registered if necessary. Ms. Bhide also directed that care should be taken to ensure that ‘strange articles’ (heavy or unusual waste items) are not left lying for a long period of time.

Review of Daily Sweeping Operations
Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide then visited Amba Bhawan sanitation post and road maintenance post near Govind (East) Railway Station to inspect the operations there. He reviewed the attendance of sanitation workers, planning of daily cleaning activities and available manpower and machinery while also interacting with the concerned authorities and staff. While reviewing the daily cleaning operations, he issued necessary instructions.

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Maharashtra

Net Paper Leak: Gujarat connection Rohit Pawar’s new claim, politics intensified after tweet on X, paper leak revealed three days before exam paper

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Mumbai: Even after the protest of the Cockroach Janata Party at Delhi Jantar Mantar and the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, new revelations have started in the case of the Net paper leak. A sensational summary and explosion regarding the paper leak has been made by NCP Sharad Pawar group leader and MLA Rohit Pawar. Rohit Pawar has alleged in a tweet on X that the paper leak is connected to Gujarat because the NET re-exam paper was delivered to Gujarat three days ago and the paper was leaked from Gujarat. Rohit Pawar’s tweet on X has once again caused a stir. Rohit Pawar has written on X that the NET paper was leaked three days ago. This is news. It should be clarified. I have all the documents, links and WhatsApp chats related to this. Regarding this, Rohit Pawar has also shared a copy of an email on Twitter X, in which he has demanded an investigation into the entire matter, in which all the documents are also mentioned. On one hand, there is a ruckus in Parliament during the discussion on the Paper Leak Reforms Bill, and on the other hand, Rohit Pawar has made an explosive revelation regarding the leak of the NET paper that was being re-conducted, after which politics has also intensified in this matter.

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