Maharashtra
Central Railway’s Plan To End Harbour Line Services At Sandhurst Road & Cut Fast Train Halts At Byculla Faces Backlash
Central Railway’s (CR) recent proposal to terminate Harbour Line suburban services at Sandhurst Road and eliminate fast train halts at Byculla has sparked significant opposition from passengers’ associations and experts .
“The changes are being considered to facilitate the extension of the fifth and sixth lines up to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT)” said an official adding that this idea is still in its initial stage.
Former General Manager Of Central Railway On The New Plan
Criticizing the new idea of CR, Subodh Jain, former general manager of Central Railway and retired members of railway board said, ” I am unable to appreciate the proposal of terminating harbour line at Sandhurst Road. The traffic on the harbour line is growing at much faster rate because of growth in Navi Mumbai and connectivity to Western suburbs. Assuming that 40,000 commuters will reach Sandhurst Road and board during peak hour is foolish”
According to sources, the proposed alterations are intended to make space for the extension of the fifth and sixth lines up to CSMT. Currently, the fifth and the sixth lines exist between Kalyan and LTT and the work of extension of the 5th 6th line up to Patel is on.
“To accommodate this, CR is considering halting Harbour Line services at Sandhurst Road and repurposing platforms 1 and 2 at CSMT and Masjid for mainline slow services. This would also involve demolishing fast corridor platforms at Byculla to create room for new tracks, which would result in the removal of fast train stoppages between CSMT and Dadar” said a senior railway.
Strong Objections Raised
Passengers’ associations have also voiced strong objections to these proposals.
Subhash Gupta, Chairman of the Rail Yatri Parishad, also disapproved of the proposal, labelling it as “foolish” and calling for a reconsideration of alternative options.
Lata Agarde, Secretary of the Suburban Passengers Association, expressed strong concerns about the proposed termination of Harbour Line suburban services at Sandhurst Road. She highlighted that this move would significantly inconvenience commuters, particularly those travelling from Navi Mumbai. Agarde suggested that Central Railways reconsider relocating the Harbour Line services to the P D Mello Road side. Additionally, she criticized the plan to eliminate fast train stoppages at Byculla, arguing that it would worsen congestion at other stations. Agarde urged railway officials to re-visit Byculla station during peak hours to better understand the implications of their plan.
Siddhesh Desai a passenger activist, criticized the plan, suggesting that the termination of Harbour Line services at Sandhurst Road and the elimination of stoppage of fast train services at Byculla would disrupt commuter convenience. He urged the Railway authorities to explore alternative solutions.
The fifth and sixth lines currently exist between Kalyan to LTT. The extension of the 5th and 6th lineup to Parel is on. The debate over their alignment between Parel and CSMT has been complicated by land acquisition issues, particularly the need for private land.
Previously, CR proposed an alternative alignment for the Harbour Line, which involved rerouting over the Eastern Freeway and terminating Harbour Line services at a deck on existing platforms 17 and 18 at CSMT. However, this plan was eventually scrapped.
Maharashtra
Rohit Arya, who held 20 children hostage, died during treatment after being shot.

Rohit Arya, the accused who held 20 children hostage inside a studio in Mumbai’s Powai area, has died. The accused, Rohit Arya, had taken the children hostage and also fired at the police. Police retaliated, injuring him, and he died during treatment.
Rohit Arya was mentally ill. He had taken 20 children hostage at RA Studios in Powai. Upon receiving information, police immediately arrived at the scene and attempted to apprehend him. During this, Rohit Arya opened fire on the police, who retaliated, injuring him. He was immediately taken for treatment, but died during treatment.
Earlier, the accused, Rohit Arya, had released a video admitting to holding the children hostage. Police had stated that Rohit Arya was mentally ill. Police had safely rescued all the children from his custody.
Maharashtra
Making Vande Mataram compulsory is illegal: MLA Raees Shaikh writes to the Chief Minister and Education Minister, demanding withdrawal of the order

Mumbai: Samajwadi Party’s Bhiwandi East MLA Raees Sheikh has demanded that the Chief Minister and the Education Minister should revoke the ban imposed on all schools in the state on making the national song ‘Vande Mataram’ written by ‘Bankam Chandra Chatterjee’ mandatory on October 31.
In this regard, MLA Raees Sheikh said that ‘Jan Gana Man’ written by Rabindranath Tagore is the national anthem of India. However, the government’s order to sing the song in all schools in the state on October 31 and organize a song exhibition between October 31 and November 7 in the context of the 150th anniversary of the national anthem ‘Vande Mataram’ is illegal. Any organization should write a letter to the Minister of State for School Education Pankaj Bhuyar and the Education Department should immediately declare ‘Vande Mataram’ a mandatory song for all schools in the state, this is not good governance in a progressive state like Maharashtra.
The condition of schools and education in the state is deteriorating. It is the duty of the government to provide quality education. However, the government is discriminating by including religious issues like ‘Vande Mataram’ in the education sector. Making ‘Vande Mataram’ a mandatory song is a violation of the rights granted by the Constitution. There have been many discussions on the issue of ‘Vande Mataram’ till date. MLA Rais Sheikh said in the letter that ‘Jan Guna Man..’ is the national anthem of India and the national anthem should be given a place of honor, sanctity and respect everywhere, it has been agreed upon.
Maharashtra
Maharashtra Govt To Scrutinise Vasantdada Sugar Institute’s Funds For First Time; Move Seen As Setback For Sharad Pawar

For the first time in Maharashtra’s political history, the Vasantdada Sugar Institute (VSI), headed by NCP (Sharad Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar, will come under state government scrutiny over the utilisation of its funds. The institute, based in Pune, is engaged in research, development, and training for the state’s cooperative sugar industry.
The VSI’s operational funds are generated through a levy of ₹1 per metric tonne (MT) collected from sugar cooperatives across Maharashtra. These contributions are meant to support the institute’s ongoing research and training activities for the sugar sector.
According to sources, the decision to review the VSI’s funds was taken during a recent meeting of the ministers’ committee, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, which oversees decisions related to the sugarcane crushing season.
The move follows dissent among sugar mills after the BJP-led Mahayuti government decided to impose an additional ₹5 per MT levy on crushed sugarcane to contribute to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
Reacting to the reports, Sugar Commissioner Sanjay Kolte confirmed that during the September 30 meeting, instructions were issued to form a committee to examine the utilisation of VSI’s funds. He, however, denied receiving any complaints regarding fund misuse.
Interestingly, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar a member of the VSI’s Board of Trustees was present during the meeting where the decision to review fund utilisation was made. Other key trustees include Dilip Walse Patil, Vijaysinh Mohite Patil, Jayant Patil, and Balasaheb Thorat.
According to data from the State Cooperation Department, VSI has received approximately ₹55 crore over the last five years through the cooperative contributions.
Never before has any state government verified the utilisation of VSI’s funds, despite its significant influence over Maharashtra’s sugar industry.
Political observers view this decision as a setback for Sharad Pawar, who serves as the lifetime chairman and head of VSI’s governing council.
Speaking to reporters, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that the move was not a probe, but a routine request for financial transparency.
“The notice only seeks financial information regarding the funds collected from sugar factories,” he clarified.
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