Maharashtra
Bombay HC Upholds BMC’s Preferential Right Over Its Land, Backs Cancellation Of Malad Slum Redevelopment Project
Mumbai, Feb 13: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has a preferential right to develop its own land, the Bombay High Court held while dismissing a petition challenging the civic body’s decision to cancel a slum rehabilitation project in Malad East after finding non-compliance by the developer.
A bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Aarti Sathe, on Wednesday, dismissed a petition filed by Om Vishwashanti CHS (proposed) and developer Okhawala Shelter, Builders & Developers challenging a January 10, 2024 order cancelling a no-objection certificate (NOC) earlier granted for the project. The bench held that the cancellation was lawful and based on clear non-compliance.
Project on BMC-owned reserved land
The redevelopment concerned BMC-owned land, portions of which are reserved for a municipal ward office, disaster management facilities and a municipal chowky. The developer was required to incorporate these amenities into its plan and obtain approvals from civic authorities.
An NOC was issued in December 2021, followed by a Letter of Intent (LOI) from the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) in November 2022. The BMC later issued a show cause notice alleging that the developer had failed to submit feasible plans or secure departmental clearances despite repeated opportunities. The NOC was subsequently cancelled in January 2024.
Second round of litigation
This is the second round of litigation after the Supreme Court directed the High Court to rehear the matter following an earlier dismissal on technical grounds.
BMC cites non-compliance, public interest
BMC counsels Joel Carlos and Pushpa Yadav argued that as landowner, the corporation retains the authority to grant or revoke permissions when conditions are breached. The NOC and LOI, it said, explicitly required the developer to obtain approvals and provide workable plans for the reserved public facilities.
According to the civic body, the developer took virtually no effective steps for over a year after the LOI was issued, justifying cancellation in public interest.
The SRA, through advocate Jagdish Aradwad (Reddy), supported this position, noting its own decision to cancel the LOI after finding prolonged non-compliance.
Court upholds civic body’s preferential rights
Agreeing with the civic body, the bench said the cancellation order was well reasoned.
“The conduct of the Petitioners… smacks of non-compliant behavior” in meeting the NOC and LOI conditions, the court observed.
Emphasising ownership rights, the judges held: “It is the MCGM/BMC’s land… therefore the right of the owner… is a preferential right which needs to be of paramount importance, especially in a S.R. Scheme.” A developer’s rights, the court said, are purely contractual.
Petition dismissed
The court dismissed the petition and upheld the cancellation.
Maharashtra
Mumbai Press Report Leads to Crime Branch Raid on Soortaal Dance Bar; Eight Women Detained

Mumbai: The Mumbai Police Crime Branch has reportedly conducted a raid at the controversial Soortaal Dance Bar, located within the jurisdiction of Santacruz East and Vakola Police Station, and detained eight women who were allegedly found performing dance activities on the premises.
According to local residents, complaints regarding the bar’s alleged illegal operations had been raised on several occasions. Residents claimed that the establishment continued functioning until the early hours of the morning, allegedly operating beyond permitted timings. They further alleged that obscene dance performances were being conducted and that several incidents involving disputes and assaults between customers had taken place at the venue in the past.
Local residents had reportedly shared information about the bar’s activities with Mumbai Press, which subsequently brought the matter to the attention of senior officials of the Mumbai Police Crime Branch. Sources alleged that after regular business hours, customers were being allowed entry through a rear entrance and that gatherings continued on the upper floors of the premises until the morning.
Some residents have also alleged that despite repeated complaints, action against the establishment had not been taken earlier. However, following the Crime Branch operation, locals expressed relief and welcomed the police action.
Residents thanked Mumbai Press for highlighting the issue and said the raid had helped address a long-standing concern in the area. Police officials are expected to continue their investigation into the matter and examine whether any laws or licensing conditions were violated by the establishment.
Further details are awaited.
Maharashtra
Mumbai: Municipal Commissioner praises engineers of Project Department for work on shifting high voltage power towers in Bhandup

A project to purify 2000 million litres of water per day is being set up by the Mumbai Municipal Corporation in the Bhandup Complex, Mumbai. Under this project, the engineers of the Water Supply Project Department have saved the Municipal Corporation about Rs 20,000. Rs 7.48 crore in the work of shifting high voltage power towers. Taking note of this remarkable achievement, Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide presented certificates of appreciation to the concerned engineers at the Municipal Corporation Headquarters today (June 19, 2026).
Executive Engineer Rajesh Kapdanis, Assistant Engineer Rishikesh Vartak, Second Engineer Gururaj Iwale, Second Engineer Subodh Nakhrekar are included in this. Deputy Commissioner (Municipal Commissioner Office) Prashant Gaikwad, Deputy Commissioner (Special Engineering) Parshottam Malwade, Chief Engineer (Water Supply Project) Chandrakant Choudhary were present on the occasion.
The 2000 million litres per day Water Treatment Project (WTP) at Bhandup Complex is going to be one of the largest water treatment projects in Asia. Based on modern technology, the project is being developed in a minimum footprint and as per the concept of zero waste water discharge. Since the Extra High Voltage (EHV) power transmission lines of M/s Tata Power Company Limited pass through the proposed project site, it was necessary to relocate these towers. Accordingly, the Municipal Corporation has initiated the process of shifting these power transmission lines from Tata Power Company.
Tata Power Company has submitted an estimated cost of Rs. 14.70 crore including goods and services tax for this work. As per the provisions of the agreement, the necessary advance has been paid to the project contractor M/s Welspun Enterprises Limited. As per the relocation plan, 5 new towers were erected in an area of about 500 metres in length to relocate the existing 3 high voltage towers. The work of shifting of power transmission lines was successfully completed in February 2026. 2 out of the 3 old towers have been completely removed. Under the guidance of Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijeet Bangar, the engineers of the Water Supply Project Department during the execution of the work noticed that the estimated cost submitted by Tata Power Company was relatively high. Accordingly, the engineers of the Water Supply Project Department re-evaluated the cost based on the actual work done for shifting of high voltage towers. The applicable rebates and payment of the salvage value of the removed towers were continuously followed up. Thereafter, Tata Power Company has approved the refund of an amount of Rs. 5 crore 76 lakhs. The Mumbai Municipal Corporation has completed the submission of the financial statement of the actual cost. In addition, the Municipal Corporation will also get the amount of the salvage value of the removed towers. In total, the actual cost of the work of shifting of high voltage towers is Rs. 6 crore 69 lakhs. Direct savings of Rs. 12 crore 46 lakhs as against Rs. 5 crore 76 lakhs initially paid. In addition, as per the provisions of the agreement, the Municipal Corporation has achieved financial savings of about Rs. 100000. Rs. 7 crore 48 lakhs on account of 10% overheads and profit of the contractor as well as GST amount. In addition, further financial savings are expected in the form of salvage value of the removed towers.
Business
Mukesh Ambani unveils 5-way roadmap to propel RIL’s growth ahead

Mumbai, June 19: Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) Chairman Mukesh Ambani on Friday outlined five major value creation pathways for the Group to create a diversified growth architecture spanning energy, materials, digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence, consumer businesses, and global exports.
Addressing Reliance shareholders, Ambani said: “First, the O2C business, the mainstay of Reliance so far, will increase earnings as soon as the geopolitical situation improves. Simultaneously, and more importantly, we are reinventing this business to create a new revenue stream less vulnerable to external volatility. We will convert all the crude oil we process into new materials ─ carbon fibre, speciality materials, green chemicals, and much more. This new vision will drive margin expansion and lay the foundation for our oil-to-chemicals-and-new materials business.”
He further stated that the second pathway comprises the new energy business, which has entered the phase of accelerated commissioning and early revenues. The integrated solar manufacturing and advanced battery platform will achieve one of the world’s lowest costs of RTC green power. It will also enable the world’s most competitive green hydrogen and green chemicals ecosystem.
Besides, the underground coal gasification business has immense growth potential, and the CBG business is ready to be scaled up as the world’s largest bioenergy business, he added.
Ambani identified the third path of growth as Reliance Intelligence, with AI becoming a multi-trillion-dollar business globally. “Reliance Intelligence will lead this business in India. The infrastructure for it is being built at breakneck speed, and it will fully operationalise over the next couple of years,” he remarked.
The Reliance Chairman listed the FMCG business as a new multi-billion-dollar growth engine with plans to grow it into India’s largest FMCG company, and among the biggest in the world.
“It is already among the top few players in various categories and is expanding globally. It recently entered Europe and Africa and will enter many more global markets going forward. Our FMCG growth path is neatly aligned to that of Reliance Retail. Both are anchored in our plan to create India’s most advanced manufacturing platform and a distribution and exports platform with tens of thousands of small, medium and large partners,” he maintained.
Ambani highlighted exports as the fifth path of the group’s growth. “Reliance has long been India’s largest merchandise exporter, with a proven globally competitive world-class platform for energy and materials exports. Leveraging this experience, Reliance aims to become an anchor institution for developing a globally competitive, multi-sector export hub, with a target to enable $125-150 billion in exports by 2032. In this way, we will enlarge global markets for Made in India brands,” he observed.
Hiring the best talent for this new venture has already begun. This scalable platform will strengthen India’s export ecosystem and external economic resilience. This ambition is not only about creating a larger Reliance. It is about creating a stronger India, Ambani added.
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