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Maharashtra

Budget will make India modern, self reliant, strong: Fadnavis

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Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Tuesday that the new Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will lay the foundation for a modern, self-reliant and strong India.

Speaking to reporters in Panaji, Fadnavis also said that the budget would put India on the global digital map with its strong initiatives in the digital currency sector and use of improved technology for governance and popular benefit

“The budget is aimed at making India a modern, self-reliant and strong country,” said Fadnavis, who is the Goa in-charge for the February 14 Assembly polls.

“It is an inclusive budget and one which will take the country on the path of development. The most important thing is that even after the pandemic, the budget has estimated growth of 9.2 per cent, which shows that India can become the fastest growing economy. This is proof of a self-reliant and strong India.”

The Budget has given a boost to the digital ecosystem. India will be formally issuing its first digital currency.

“The business done through cryptocurrency will now be conducted with a digital rupee, which will put an end to underhand dealings. The concept of digital university will help a lot of people,” Fadnavis said.

The senior BJP leader also said that the introduction of a 5G technology will reduce the geographical location difference between Indian villages and cities.

“The biggest advantage is that with this technology, is that the present 4G technology lag will be wiped out. The government will be able to provide healthcare to ensure that such facilities could reach the last person. The most important announcement is digital gateways will be available in cities as well as villages.”

He also underlined the announcement of the allocation of Rs. 2.37 lakh crore to the farming sector as the biggest yet in the country’s history.

“Rs 2.37 lakh crore has been earmarked for the farming sector. It is the biggest allocation in history. The budget has created a record with 1 lakh metric ton of paddy procurement. This budget is dedicated to farmers,” the former Chief Minister said, lauding the Budget for the use of technology for crop mapping and efforts to make farming self-sustainable.

“Farmers should get market access and get the right price without any middleman. The budget has focussed on agri start-ups and increased investment in the farming sector, especially in irrigation, micro-irrigation, agricultural implements.”

Fadnavis also said that the budget laid a lot of stress on indigenous production of defence equipment manufacture, which he said would result in job creation and saving of precious foreign exchange.

“The making of an Atmanirbhar Bharat is reflected in the defence sector, which otherwise relies on 80 to 90 per cent imports. Not only has the defence-related spending been increased, but 68 per cent spending has been allotted for domestic manufacturing. This will lead to new jobs, we will save foreign exchange too, while supplying defence equipment to the world.”

Maharashtra

Reconstruction work of Sion Railway Flyover should be completed by July 15, 2026, directs Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide

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Mumbai: Sewage Treatment Plant is very important in terms of environmental protection in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, and care should be taken to ensure that the sewage treatment plant in Dharavi is functional by July 2027. The reconstruction of the Sine Railway Flyover connecting the eastern and western parts of Sine should be completed by July 15, 2026, while the road construction should be done as per the standard or standard. No new excavation should be done after April 30, 2026. The work of pouring concrete should be completed by May 15, 2026. In addition, Municipal Commissioner Smt. Ashwini Bhide has given various instructions that all road works should be completed by May 31, 2026 and the roads should be opened for traffic.

Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide personally visited and inspected various development works in the city division today (April 16, 2026). These include a 418 million litres per day capacity sewage treatment plant in Dharavi, a flyover on the railway line in Shiv (Seon), cement concreting of roads in Shiv, protective measures taken by the Prajaniya Water Works Department to prevent rainwater from accumulating in the area of ​​Chuna Bhatti Railway Station, etc. During this, he gave various instructions. Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijit Bangar was present.

Dharavi Sewage Treatment Plant

The work of setting up a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) with a capacity of 418 million litres per day in Dharavi by the Mumbai Sewage Project Department of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation is in full swing. Mrs. Bhide inspected the project. The physical progress of the Dharavi Sewage Treatment Plant project has reached 65%. The project is expected to be operational in July 2027. The project is based on Sequential Batching Reactor (SBR) technology. The project will be implemented in a multi-storey building on a very small footprint. A total of 7 sewage treatment plants are being built in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and the sewage treatment plant in Dharavi is being built on the smallest footprint. Bhide inspected all the components of the project including the influent pumping station, sludge room, sequential batching reactor process tank, tertiary treatment building, sludge digester tank, shaft connected to the tunnel carrying sewage and shaft carrying treated water. The local difficulties faced in the completion of the project were reviewed and resolved. Mrs. Bhide directed to ensure that the Dharavi sewage treatment plant is operational by July 2027 in any case.

Sine Flyover
Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide inspected the project site for the reconstruction of Sine Railway Flyover connecting the eastern and western parts of Shiv. During this inspection visit, the current status of the project work, remaining phases of the work and their timeframe were determined.
The work of installation of steel girders (girder launching) by the Railway Department is delayed by 15 days. As per the earlier plan, the girders were expected to be installed by April 30, 2026. Now this work has been postponed to May 15, 2026. Although the installation of the first beam has been postponed, Mrs. Bhide directed that this delay should be made up for in other ancillary works and the installation of both the beams should be ensured by May 20. Bhide also said that the Municipal Corporation Bridge Department and the Railway Department should coordinate with each other and ensure that all bridge works are completed by July 15, 2026.

Sign Road Cement Concreting Work

A total of 1,736 roads have been concretized till April 13, 2026 under Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation’s major road cement concreting project, with a total length of 496.83 km. Under this, Mrs. Bhide inspected the road cement concreting works in Shiv of the city division. She inspected the main traffic section of Road No. 27 in Shiv East and the footpath work in Road No. 25 (C). Quality should be given priority while carrying out the concreting work. No excavation should be done after April 30, 2026. The concrete pouring work should be completed by May 15, 2026. At the same time, Bhide directed that all road work be completed and the roads be opened to traffic by May 31, 2026.

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Crime

Domino’s Pizza Outlet In Thane Raided; 140 LPG Gas Cylinders Worth ₹4.59 Lakh Seized In Major Crackdown

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Thane: In a massive crackdown, a Domino’s Pizza outlet in the Wonder Mall area of Thane was raided, leading to the seizure of 140 LPG gas cylinders worth Rs 4.59 lakh. The raid was reportedly conducted by the Rationing Department’s flying squad.

The seized LPG stock included cylinders from major oil marketing companies, including HPCL (Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited), BPCL (Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited), IOC (Indian Oil Corporation), and Go Gas. The report further added that of the 140 seized cylinders, 45 are filled, while the remaining 85 are empty.

This comes at a time of the ongoing West Asia conflict, when frequent cases of long queues have been seen across the city, along with a rise in the black marketing of cylinders amid the situation.

Meanwhile, in another similar case, last week, the Rationing Department in Mumbai had carried out a major action against illegal storage and transportation of LPG cylinders, seizing goods worth over Rs 40 lakh in the Wadi Bunder–Dongri area. The operation was conducted based on confidential inputs received by Chandrakant Dange, Controller of Rationing and Director of Civil Supplies in Mumbai, who also issued special directives for immediate enforcement action.

During the raid near Wadi Bunder Bridge in Dongri, officials had intercepted eight vehicles involved in illegal transportation and seized a total of 451 gas cylinders, and the value of the total confiscated material was estimated at Rs 40.61 lakh.

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Maharashtra

Last rites of small animals and birds begin at Deonar Slaughterhouse and Mahalakshmi, availability of facilities will help local people: Additional Municipal Commissioner

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Mumbai: The Veterinary Health Department of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation has started cremation grounds for small animals and birds at Deonar Abattoir and Mahalaxmi. The High Court had directed the start of cremation grounds for small animals. Following these directions, both the facilities have been completed and made available for use from April 1, 2026. Due to this, separate incinerator crematorium facilities have been made available in the city, eastern and western suburbs of Mumbai, which will help the local people, said Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Dr. Ashwini Joshi. According to the instructions of Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide. Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Dr. Ashwini Joshi, various steps are being taken by the Mumbai Municipal Administration regarding stray and domestic dogs in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. In this context, crematoriums have been arranged for the scientific and eco-friendly cremation of small dead animals.

Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Dr. Ashwani Joshi said that from April 1, 2026, cremation work has been started in the premises of Deonar Animal Hospital in Mahalaxmi and Animal Hospital managed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and Tata Trust. Of these, animals or birds weighing up to 500 kg can be cremated in the crematorium in Deonar. This crematorium runs on clean and eco-friendly PNG fuel. Animals or birds weighing up to 50 kg can be cremated in the crematorium in Mahalaxmi. This crematorium is completely electricity-based. Meanwhile, the crematorium in Malad has been functioning since 2023. Due to this, a separate cremation system has now been created in all three parts of the Mumbai region, namely the city, eastern and western suburbs. The Veterinary Health Department of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation has made online facilities available through the crematorium and animal related website https://vhd.mcgm.gov.in. However, by registering at the link https://vhd.mcgm.gov.in/incineration-booking, the last rites of the deceased animal can be performed at the selected crematorium at the selected time. Dr. Kalimpasha Pathan, Head of the Veterinary Health Department on behalf of the Municipal Corporation administration, said that for more information or assistance, contact the helpline number 7564976649.

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