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Bombay High Court seeks BMC’s reply on contempt plea for failing to remove cycle & jogging tracks around Powai lake

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Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Thursday directed the BMC to file its reply to a contempt petition for “wilful breach / disobedience” of May 2022 HC order with regard to removal of cycle and jogging tracks around Powai lake and its catchment areas. The HC, on May 6, 2022, had ruled that the BMC’s ambitious project is “illegal” and directed to remove it.

The HC had passed the direction while hearing two different public interest litigations (PILs) – one by two PhD researchers from IIT-Bombay (Omkar Supekar and Abhishek Tripathi), and the second one by NGO Vanashakti. The pleas had sought stay on the construction and sought directions to restore the site to its original form immediately.

During the hearing on Thursday, BMC advocate Joel Carlos said that the removal is taking time due to technical reasons and will end by June. “It’s a dedicated zone where we are removing it stage by stage,” said Carlos, adding that they had “no intention of disobeying the orders of the court”. 

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice SV Gangapurwala and Justice Sandeep Marne suggested that the same should be removed by the end of May since monsoon season will begin in June, which could further delay the work. Carlos said that the corporation will file an affidavit clarifying its stand. 

The contempt petition by Vanaskahti states that apart from causing pressure on the valuable yet deteriorating environment surrounding the lake, it is causing further disruption in the ecosystem by affecting the biological and ecological practices of the wildlife. Also, it is causing disturbances to the crocodiles in the lake, which is a documented marsh crocodile habitat. The HC has kept the matter for hearing on March 16.

Maharashtra

Ekta Kapoor opens up about global storytelling at WAVES Summit 2025

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Mumbai: Recently seen at WAVES Summit 2025, Emmy Award winner and well-known producer of India, Ekta Kapoor shared some very interesting things about global storytelling. She told how Indian drama and serial formats are no longer limited to the country, but are also making their strong hold in the international market.

When Ekta Kapoor was asked how she views global storytelling after building such a big empire of content on TV and digital platforms, she replied in a candid manner as always, “The way of storytelling should be such that it connects directly to the heart.”

Ekta Kapoor emphasized that today’s audience is adopting stories from all over the world, be it Korean, Turkish, American, Spanish or European. She said, “Global platforms and networks have proved that language is no longer a barrier. People enjoy stories because of dubbing, they actually connect with the story.” She also said that in today’s world of content, the language barrier no longer matters.

Drawing attention to India’s rich heritage of stories, Ekta Kapoor said, “We have the oldest and longest tradition of storytelling. And this is our real capital, it has always been our currency.” She admitted that till now there have been some practical obstacles, which prevented Indian content from spreading rapidly across the world, but now the situation is changing and she hopes that the era of Indian stories has now begun globally.

Pointing to the global identity of the Indian film industry, Ekta Kapoor said, “Now we are getting there.” However, she also said that now we need to move beyond just ethnic stories. “Now it should be non-ethnic i.e. beyond traditional stories. I think we are standing at a turning point.”

Ekta Kapoor concluded her speech by thanking the audience and giving a clear message: Indian content must now tell stories that reach every human heart, beyond borders and subtitles. Meanwhile, she is gearing up for her next production “VVAN – Force of the Forest”, starring Sidharth Malhotra in the lead role.

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Maharashtra

Deven Bharti’s coronation: There is no room for the post of Special Commissioner in Mumbai

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Mumbai: Mumbai After Special Commissioner Deven Bharti was appointed as Mumbai Commissioner, who will be the next Special Commissioner of Mumbai or will this post also be abolished and Deven Bharti will prove to be the first and last Special Commissioner. Before Deven Bharti was appointed as Special Commissioner in Mumbai, this post did not exist in Mumbai and the department worked under the Commissioner and Joint Commissioners in Mumbai, but by making Deven Bharti a Special Commissioner, the first Special Commissioner post was created in Mumbai and before that, the post of Special Commissioner was only in Delhi.

Now who will be the next Special Commissioner in Mumbai or will this post be abolished after Deven Bharti becomes Mumbai Commissioner? Deven Bharti has been appointed by placing 11 IPS officers on site and the main contenders in this were DGP Sadanand Date, Sanjay Verma, Archana Tyagi, while for the Additional DG level Deven Bharti has been made a commissioner by ignoring senior officers. Deven Bharti started his journey as DCP of Mumbai Crime Branch, after which he was made Additional Commissioner Crime, then ATS Chief and Additional DG Corporation. Will the post of Special Commissioner in Mumbai remain or can this post be abolished after Deven Bharti becomes Commissioner? For Deven Bharti’s coronation, the DG level post was converted to Additional DG level. Earlier, this post was assigned only to DGP level officer. This post was downgraded in 2024.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar’s last emotional message on X

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Mumbai: Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar dedicated 35 years to the police department and now the Mumbai Police Commissioner has thanked all those who were with him on this journey and who also cooperated in every way possible after his retirement. Vivek Phansalkar has said in his emotional message that my family and friends who made countless sacrifices in supporting and cooperating with my duty, my colleagues who stood by me steadfastly in every challenge and all those who trusted me throughout my journey and career, supported and encouraged me. All their support is a blessing for me. I am proud that I got the opportunity to serve in the police force. I am also grateful to the people of Mumbai for giving me important responsibilities in the department.

Deven Bharti has taken charge as Mumbai Police Commissioner, while Vivek Phansalkar’s last farewell tweet was made from Mumbai Police’s Twitter X, in which Vivek Phansalkar thanked the people of Mumbai and well-wishers.

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