Mumbai: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast a revival of rainfall and thunderstorms in Mumbai starting Thursday, bringing brief relief from the dry spell but little respite from the prevailing October heat. According to the IMD, light to moderate showers accompanied by thunderstorm activity are likely to continue until October 20.

Despite the expected rainfall, temperatures across the city are not likely to drop majorly, with daytime highs forecast to remain above 35°C through the week. On Tuesday, Mumbai was the second-warmest city in Maharashtra after Ratnagiri. IMD data showed Ratnagiri recording 35.5°C, while the Santacruz observatory logged 35.3°C, about 1.6°C above normal. The Colaba coastal observatory registered a maximum of 33.7°C.

Meteorologists attribute the current weather pattern to the northeastern monsoon currents, which typically bring rainfall to southern India but occasionally extend their influence westward during transition periods. The unseasonal showers are expected to be patchy but may persist intermittently over the weekend.

Neighbouring Palghar district has been placed under a yellow alert for Friday, with the IMD warning of possible thunderstorms and gusty winds. Independent weather observer Rushikesh Agre aka Mumbai Rains wrote on X that several parts of western Maharashtra will begin experiencing daily rainfall from midweek. “Pune is likely to get showers from October 15 onwards, while Mumbai will also join soon, with good chances of rain from October 16,” he said.

While the incoming rain may provide temporary relief from the parched conditions that followed the withdrawal of the southwest monsoon on October 10, meteorologists caution that the combination of heat and moisture could make the city’s weather more uncomfortable. The rainfall is expected to raise humidity levels, resulting in muggy conditions and sticky nights across the coastal belt.

Meanwhile, air quality across Mumbai remained in the ‘moderate’ category on Wednesday morning, with the city’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) measured at 138. Of the 28 monitoring stations across the city, only three recorded ‘satisfactory’ air quality, while Bandra Kurla Complex and Deonar registered ‘poor’ AQI levels above 200.

Mumbai: Former Vasai-Virar civic chief Anil Pawar had started compelling builders, developers and architects to pay bribes to get approvals as soon as he assumed the charge and the files were not cleared till the bribe was paid, YS Reddy, suspended town planning department deputy director, told the ED. Reddy also apparently revealed that Pawar had pressured him for not taking his name and revealing facts.

The agency has alleged that Pawar collected bribes amounting to Rs 169.18 crore; Rs 16.59 crore for turning a blind eye to illegal constructions, which were built already, and Rs 152.59 crores for giving permission to new ones. The ED recently submitted a prosecution complaint against 18 accused, while pegging the amount of laundered funds to Rs 300.92 crore.

“Pawar asked to approach developers, architects, etc, and convince them to pay bribes in cash,” Reddy told the agency, adding his staffer Ankit Mishra used to talk to builders, developers and maintained bribe records.

He further revealed that Pawar would collect all the cash on Friday and go to Satara, Nashik and Pune, said the ED. Reddy even confirmed the list of commencement certificates illegally granted by Pawar in 457 cases of urban zone and 129 in green zone, it added.

The ED said that the former civic chief used tainted funds for warehousing ventures and land projects. He made the ‘investments’ through his wife Bharti, daughters Shrutika and Revati, and relatives like Amol Patil (Bharti’s cousin) and Janardan Pawar (his nephew).

“The Antonov Warehousing Parks project, Bhiwandi, and M/s Dhwaja Warehouses Pvt Ltd became the primary vehicles by Pawar for converting bribes into recorded equity,” the ED said.

He converted bribes into legally-titled family wealth while distancing the illicit source, thereby enjoying the amounts as untainted property, asserted the agency.

A bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Aarti Sathe passed the order observing that the authorities had failed to recognise the preferential right of the landowner to redevelop the slum on its own land before proceeding with acquisition under Section 14(1) of the Slum Act.

NESCO had challenged the 2016 state notification acquiring its properties measuring about 1,500 sq. metres on the ground that it violated its constitutional right to property under Article 300A.

The company contended that despite being the rightful owner, its proposal to redevelop the slum was ignored, while a society of slum dwellers and a developer (N. Rose Developer) pushed for acquisition without proper notice or hearing.

According to the petition, the authorities issued show-cause notices in 2009 and 2013 but never served them properly. The land was later declared a slum area and acquired by the state in 2016, following which compensation of only Rs 12 lakh was awarded.

During the hearing, senior advocate Aspi Chinoy, appearing for NESCO, cited recent Supreme Court rulings which upheld the principle that a private landowner has a preferential right to redevelop slum land before any acquisition can be undertaken.

In a significant turn, the proposed slum society, Shivshardha Co-operative Housing Society, filed an affidavit admitting that its earlier acquisition request was made under the influence of the developer and that it had now resolved to support NESCO in redeveloping the property.

Allowing the petition, the bench quashed the acquisition and strongly reminded state officials of their “responsibility before exercising the draconian powers under Section 14 (of the Slum Act),” cautioning that such powers must not be misused “at the behest of unscrupulous elements” or to discard the rights of private landowners.