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Maharashtra

Bombay High Court Orders BMC To Complete RSIIL Contract Termination Hearing By January 31

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The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner to appoint a senior officer to give a hearing to Roadway Solutions India Infra Limited (RSIIL), whose contract for concretising South Mumbai roads was terminated last November.

The court directs to complete the hearing by January 31

A division bench of Justices Gautam Patel and Kamal Khata also directed to complete the hearing and decide on the matter by January 31, and meanwhile continued the stay on the firm’s termination. The court has asked the senior civic officer to hear the reply filed by RSIIL on the termination notice issued to it and also on the show cause notice as to why a nearly ₹52 crore penalty cannot be imposed on it for not complying with the contract terms. 

The bench noted that although the corporation, while issuing notice, had called for a hearing, however, no such hearing was given. The same is “unacceptable”, the bench said.

The court granted an interim stay on the BMC’s operations 

The HC, while hearing RSIIL’s plea challenging the termination notice, had granted an interim stay on its operation and proceeded further with the BMC’s fresh tender issued on December 4, 2023, observing that there was “no emergency” in the concretisation work. 

BMC counsel Ranjit Thorat informed the HC that the corporation had cancelled the said tender. 

BMC issued a fresh tender 

The BMC had issued the tender for ₹1033.11 crore for concretisation of 297 roads in the city. The work was to be completed in 24 months, minus the monsoon season. The civic body has awarded contracts for the concretisation of 397 roads to five firms totalling over Rs 6000 crore.

The contract was awarded to RSIIL on January 4, 2023, but the same was terminated on November 9, stating that the contractor has not commenced the work even after 8-10 months of awarding the contract. RSIIL had challenged this before the HC, which, on November 30, restrained the BMC from taking any coercive action against the firm. 

The judges took note of the fact that on November 2, the BMC had conceded to RSIIL’s request to hear its reply on the termination notice and had asked the contractor to attend the hearing the next day. The firm’s director could not attend as he was busy before the GST authority and sought adjournment to November 8 or 9. However, the same was rejected and the termination notice was issued on November 9. The termination notice proposed certain consequences, including forfeiture of contract deposit of over ₹30 crore and other costs, taking the total penalty to the tune of nearly ₹52 crore. The HC has disposed of RSIIL’s plea.

Crime

Anti-Narcotics Cell cracks down on Mumbai drug dealers, two drug dealers arrested, drugs worth over Rs 2 crore seized

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The Mumbai Anti-Narcotics Cell has claimed to have arrested a drug dealer from the Andheri Lokhandwala area of ​​Mumbai’s suburbs.

The ANC Azad Maidan unit had received information that a person was going to come to Lokhandwala to sell drugs. On this, the ANC recovered Rs 18 lakh in cash, 703 grams of hashish and 104 grams of Mephedone MD from the person’s possession. After this, in the second operation, the ANC on July 8 arrested a suspect in the case of selling illegal heroin in the Andheri Versova area and recovered 306 grams of heroin from his possession. Along with this, it was revealed that the accused sells drugs in Andheri and surrounding areas.

Action was taken against both of them under the NDPS Act and both of them have been arrested. It has been claimed that drugs worth over Rs 2 crore have been seized from their possession. The 46-year-old arrested from Andheri Lokhandwala The accused and the second accused are 31 years old and both are under investigation. The operation was led by Mumbai Police Commissioner Devin Bharti and was conducted by DCP ANC Nunath Dhole.

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Crime

Maharashtra Crime: 3 Arrested For Rape & Suicide Case Of 16-Year-Old Girl In Sangli

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Mumbai: In an disturbing incident, Sangli police on Wednesday arrested three men linked to the alleged rape and suicide of a 16-year-old girl in Kargani village, located in Atpadi tehsil. The girl, a Class 10th student, reportedly took her own life on Tuesday after being sexually assaulted and threatened by the accused.

Investigations reveal that the accused had been harassing the girl for several days. They allegedly raped her in the presence of her sister and, along with the others, as reported by Hindustan Times. They also mentioned that the accused allegedly filmed an obscene video and threatened to make it viral.

As per the report, the minor informed her parents about the incident. However, before they could file a police complaint, she died by suicide on Sunday. The suspects, Raju Gend, Anil Kale, and Rohit Kharat, have been taken into custody. A fourth accused, Ramdas Gaikwad, was beaten by angry villagers before being handed over to the police. He is currently receiving medical treatment and will be arrested once discharged.

The sub-divisional police officer, Vipul Chhaya Vijay Patil, mentioned that “We have arrested three accused in this case, while the fourth accused is undergoing medical treatment at a hospital,”

The Vinay Bahir, PI, Atpadi police station said, “Police also enquired about the sister of the deceased girl, and she also didn’t know much about the incident.” Based on the complaint, the police filed a case against the accused for charges of rape and abetment of suicide.

In a separate crime story from Maharashtra, a 16-year-old girl from Adivali in the Dombivli area of Thane was allegedly kidnapped and raped by a 20-year-old man during a train journey to Akola. Senior Police Inspector Pandhari Kande from the Government Railway Police (GRP) in Kalyan reported the case on Monday.

According to the police, the incident occurred on June 30. The man took the girl on a train from Thane to Akola, where he assaulted her during the journey, as reported by the news agency PTI. Upon their arrival in Akola, the man’s parents refused to allow them into their home. He then abandoned the girl at the Akola railway station and returned to his residence.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai News: Central Railway Requests 800 Workplaces To Change Work Timings To Ease Local Train Congestion

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Mumbai: To address congestion during peak times on Mumbai’s local trains, Central Railway (CR) has contacted more than 800 workplaces, suggesting staggered working hours. At present, CR operates 1,810 local train services each day, catering to more than 3.5 million passengers, but there is an absence of alignment in working hours between government and private entities situated between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Thane.

This discrepancy results in significant overcrowding, heightening the chance of accidents, as illustrated by recent statistics showing that between January 1 and May 31, 2025, there were 922 accidental deaths associated with local train usage, including 210 fatalities from falls occurring on overcrowded trains.

The effort to stagger working hours is expected to alleviate pressure on rail services, particularly from 8-10 AM and 5-7 PM, during which they are most crowded. CR thinks this change would aid in spreading out commuter traffic over the day, improving safety and comfort for travellers.

Kalyan station reported the most deaths from these incidents, with Thane and Kurla stations following. Furthermore, CR has officially sought assistance from the Maharashtra State Government, anticipating it will aid in a synchronized implementation of the staggered schedules.

The CR recognizes an increasing need for additional rail lines; nonetheless, spatial limitations restrict prompt growth. Therefore, staggering office hours is viewed as an effective approach to alleviate the strain on the local train system. By partnering with multiple institutions and receiving government backing, CR seeks to change the commuting experience in Mumbai from chaos to a safer, more efficient process, guaranteeing a smoother travel routine for its residents.

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