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Maharashtra

‘Den Of Corruption’: Civic Activists, Ex-Corporators Slam Mismanagement At Kurla’s Bhabha Hospital In Mumbai

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Mumbai: The Khan Bahadur Bhabha Hospital in Kurla, a 90-year-old BMC-run facility, is under fire from local civic activists and former corporators who allege widespread corruption, mismanagement and systemic neglect.

Dilshad Ashraf Azmi, a former corporator and member of the civic Health Committee, claimed the hospital has been facing a severe shortage of medicines for the past one and a half years. “Medicines are being procured through spot quotations worth ₹25 lakh each time, but there is no regular or permanent supply,” she said. According to her, this has forced poor patients to purchase essential drugs from outside, often at the cost of skipping treatment.

Akil Khatik, a civic activist from the area, stated that the hospital, once known for quality care, has now turned into a “den of corruption.” “Patients rarely receive all the medicines prescribed by doctors. In most cases, they are forced to buy nearly half the medicines from outside pharmacies,” he said.

Although the hospital has four counters designated for free medicine distribution, only one remains open during OPD hours, leading to long queues. Khatik alleged that all counters are often shut in the evenings and at night, further burdening patients.

Operational inefficiencies are also being flagged. Toilets meant for OPD patients and their relatives are frequently kept locked, creating inconvenience, especially for women, as there are no public toilets outside the premises. Stray dogs have been spotted inside the X-ray and CT scan departments, and ongoing renovation work has left parts of the hospital littered with construction debris.

Attempts to reach the medical superintendent went unanswered. However, a senior hospital official claimed that there is no major shortage at present and that efforts are being made to streamline services.

Despite these claims, patients continue to report delayed doctor arrivals, non-functional equipment, and long wait times—raising questions over the true state of affairs at one of Mumbai’s oldest civic hospitals.

Maharashtra

FDA conducts major raid on cosmetics store in Jogeshwari, seizes unlabeled toilet soap

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Mumbai, July 16: A team of Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Greater Mumbai Division conducted a major raid at M/s JK Soap Bazaar, 10/11, Qadir Ismail Estate, Near Momin Colony, Patel Estate Road, Jogeshwari (West), Mumbai – 400102. During the operation conducted on July 14, 2026, it was observed that unlabeled toilet soap was being stored and offered for sale in the establishment. The seized soap lacked statutory information like batch/lot number, date of manufacture, ‘first use’ date, manufacturing license number, and name and address of the manufacturer. Selling cosmetics without such mandatory labelling is a violation of the law. During this operation, toilet soap worth about Rs 10,93,692 was seized, and two samples were collected for analysis as part of the ongoing investigation. The accused in this case is Nabiullah and necessary legal action is being initiated against him. “The Food and Drug Administration gives top priority to the protection of the health of citizens. Making any cosmetic product available for sale in the market without labelling as per the law is a very serious matter. It becomes difficult to verify the source, quality and safety of such products. Therefore, strict legal action will be taken against the violating manufacturers, distributors and sellers.” This warning was given by Takaram Mandhe, Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration, Maharashtra State.

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Maharashtra

AIMIM Govindi corporator’s husband Atiq Khan banished from city for a year, makes emotional appeal to public on social media and apologizes

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Mumbai: Maharashtra AIMIM leader and husband of a corporator from Govindpura, Atiq Khan, has been banned from the city for one year by the Mumbai Police. In an emotional message on social media, Atiq Khan said that he has been banned from Mumbai city and suburbs for one year, so he will be unable to do pending work or visit the area. If the public or students face educational difficulties due to his absence in the area for one year, he apologizes for it. The police had registered a case against Atiq Khan for violence and rioting, and accordingly, he has been banned, so a complete ban has been imposed on his entry into the area for one year. The ban on this ban will come into effect today. Therefore, Atiq Khan has made a very emotional video and apologized to the public on social media and has also expressed his passion for public service and said that he will continue to serve the public.

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Maharashtra

Major hurdle in completion of expansion project in Mumbai railway network, several projects are facing delays due to encroachment on railway lands, RTI reveals

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Mumbai: Encroachments on railway land are a major reason for delays in railway projects in Mumbai city. Due to delay in its acquisition, projects have been delayed and their estimates have also increased, this has been revealed in an RTI information filed by RTI activist Anil Gilgali. RTI has revealed that 1,574 encroachments have been identified for two major MRVC rail projects, occupying about 17,000 square meters of land. Information sought by RTI activist Anil Gilgali under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005 has revealed that a total of 1,574 encroachments were identified during the acquisition of land for two major rail projects of the Mumbai Rail Development Corporation (MRDC). Out of these, 998 encroachments have been removed so far, while encroachments were found on about 17,068 square meters of land. According to information provided by MRVC to RTI activist Anil Gilgali on July 14, 2026, this information relates to the Kalyan-Badlapur 3rd and 4th rail line projects and the Airoli-Kola elevated corridor project.

Kalyan-Badlapur 3rd and 4th rail line project
According to MRVC, 706 encroachments were identified during the acquisition of land for the 3rd and 4th railway lines of the Central Railway between Kalyan and Badlapur. These include hutments and other structures located on railway land and newly acquired land. Out of these, 620 encroachments have been removed, while encroachments were found on about 9668 square meters of land. MRVC also said that each encroachment occurred in different years, hence it is not possible to identify a specific year. The encroachments identified for the project are located between Kalyan and Badlapur railway stations.
Airoli – Kalwa Elevated Corridor Project.

During land acquisition for the Airoli – Kalwa Elevated Corridor Project, 868 encroachments were identified. These included constructions on railway land and newly acquired land. So far, 378 encroachments have been removed while about 7400 sq m of land was found to be occupied. These encroachments are located between Digha village and Kalwa station. The MRVC also clarified that all the encroachments occurred in different years.

Information on re-encroachments not available
The RTI application also asked in how many areas encroachments were re-established after the encroachments were removed. The MRVC replied that the relevant information was not available.
Anil Gilgali raised important questions.

RTI activist Anil Gilgali said that encroachments have become a serious challenge in railway projects in Mumbai. Encroachments are a major reason for project delays, cost overruns and additional burden on public funds, he said. Mere removal of encroachments is not enough. Railways and MRVC should ensure that no encroachments are created again in the removed areas. Regular monitoring, safeguards and accountability are essential to achieve this.

Gilgali also demanded that information on land acquisition, encroachments, rehabilitation and progress in removal of encroachments for all rail projects be made available on a public portal from time to time, to enhance transparency and provide real-time information to citizens.

He said that availability of land is very important for Mumbai’s rapidly developing rail network. If encroachments are not effectively controlled, many public transport projects in the future may be affected. Therefore, the government, railways and local administration should come together to find a permanent solution.

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