Mumbai: Municipal Corporation is strengthening 100-year-old underground arch storm drains in Mumbai City Division with geopolymer lining (Stormwater Arch Drains by Geopolymer Lining Trenchless Technology). This will add at least 50 years to the life of these British-era storm drains. Also, the speed of water flow will increase and rainwater will drain faster during heavy rains. The lining work was inspected by Deputy Commissioner (Infrastructure). Girish Nikam, Chief Engineer (Rainwater Channels) Kalpana Rawal, Deputy Chief Engineer Sunil Dutt Russell, Executive Engineer Milind Witkar, Prashant Ranswar, Madhusudan Sonavane etc. Shantiniketan Rainwater Outfall near Shamildas Gandhi Marg (Princess Street) Flyover. Mumbai is west of the Arabian Sea and Mumbai also has a bay area. The tidal bore is an important part from the point of view of discharging sea water into the sea through arched/confined storm water channel system. There are 495 km long storm water drains in the city division. In addition, there are a total of 621 km of arched/confined storm water channels in the eastern suburbs and western suburbs, 63 km each. Out of these, the repair work of arched/confined storm water channels is in progress in the city division. Currently, lining of water channels is being done for a distance of 14 km. There are underground arched storm water channels in the Mumbai city area. Its cleaning/desalination is done regularly. The CCTV survey conducted by the Circulation and Conservation Department found several cracks in some parts of the old arched storm water channels, displacement of bricks, damage to the joint between two bricks, collapse of roof sections and some other defects. In this, 56 arched storm water channels with a length of 23,548 meters were found to be in poor condition. Out of these, 27 arched storm water channels (in Phase No. 1) with a length of 14,285 meters require urgent rehabilitation. The Operation and Conservation Department of the Municipal Corporation interacted with both the Indian Institute of Technology (Mumbai) (I.I.T. Mumbai) and the Veermata Jijabai Institute of Technology (V. J.T. I.) to suggest the best technology for rehabilitation of the old arched storm water channels. After seeking advice from both the institutions, a Technical Advisory Committee meeting was held in November 2022. As decided in the committee meeting, out of all the technologies available at present, geopolymer lining is being used for the rehabilitation of arched storm water channels using trenchless technology. The Storm Water Channel Department has started the geopolymer lining of arched storm water channels in the city area using trenchless technology in Phase 1. The geopolymer lining trenchless technology being used by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is being used for the first time in India. Such work is done in other countries mainly in the US.

• Increasing the capacity of storm water channels
  In the last few years, due to climate change, Mumbai has recorded about 1000 mm of rainfall in just a few days during the monsoon season. Due to this heavy rainfall, low-lying areas of Mumbai sometimes get flooded. In this backdrop, efforts are being made to double the capacity of storm water channels.
  The technology is environment-friendly
  27 underground arch storm water channels (14,285 meters long) which are about 100 years old are being renovated. This will increase the life of these channels by at least 50 years. This will help in increasing the speed of water flow. It is worth mentioning that Chief Engineer (Storm Water Channels) Mrs. Kalpana Rawal, Deputy Chief Engineer Mr. Sunil Dutt Russell said that this technology is environment-friendly.

Mumbai: Aqib Nachan, who was arrested on charges of being a liaison officer for ISIS, has been arrested by the ATS in another case of involvement in illegal activities and sandal smuggling. Saqib Nachan’s sons Aqib Nachan and Sahil Naeem Chakhlekar, both residents of Borivali Pargha, were produced in the court where they have been sent to police custody for another four days. The accused, Aqib Nachan and Sahil Naeem Chakhlekar, were arrested by the Anti-Terrorism Squad, Thane on March 29, 2026 in ATS Crime Register No. 10/25 (25/7/2025). Both the accused were remanded in police custody till April 2. When they were again produced before the ATS court today, the court extended their police custody till April 6. The accused has been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. Saqib Nachan was also appointed as the India emir of ISIS. Saqib Nachan had several cases registered against him and was arrested in an ISIS case before his death. After that, Aqib Nachan was arrested. Aqib Nachan is accused of being involved in illegal activities. In this case, the ATS conducted a raid in Pargha. During this, objectionable materials and electric gazettes were also found. Along with this, the ATS had also started investigating the illegal timber business and funding of terrorist activities in Pargha. ATS sources have also revealed that more arrests are likely to be made during this remand.

Mumbai: In 2025-26, Western Railway recorded an all-time high revenue of ₹4,840 crore, with suburban earnings alone touching ₹871.73 crore. AC locals contributed ₹24.44 crore in March 2026 alone. WR also expanded 12 and 15coach services between January and March, upgraded two major trains from ICF to LHB coaches, and extended the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Vande Bharat from 16 to 20 coaches. Express train punctuality stood at 88%, while suburban trains ran on time 92% of the time – better than last year. The long-awaited Jogeshwari Terminus is also nearing completion, which officials say will ease pressure on Mumbai Central, Dadar, and Bandra terminals.

Central Railway general manager Prateek Goswami said at a press conference in Mumbai on Thursday that CR launched seven new trains in 2025, including a Vande Bharat between Nagpur and Pune, and Amrit Bharat services on the PanvelAlipurdwar and LTT-Saharsa routes. The official added that fourteen new AC locals were added on the Harbour Line,taking the total AC local count across the network to 94. CR is currently executing 12 major projects worth over `16,000 crore to decongest routes and modernise travel. Express punctuality was recorded at 82.05% and suburban at 92.04%.

According to officials, CR is also preparing for the Nashik Kumbh Mela, with 90 projects worth `1,455 crore underway, covering station upgrades and crowd management. Five stations, including Sai Nagar Shirdi and Igatpuri, will get facelifts. The target is to be fully operationally ready by March 2027.