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Maharashtra

‘Don’t threaten Oppn, you are the Chief Minister’: Raj Thackeray targets Fadnavis over Mumbai e-way ‘Missing Link’ tunnel leak

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Mumbai, July 9: Launching a scathing attack on Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over the recent water leakage inside the Mumbai-Pune Expressway ‘Missing Link’ tunnel, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) Chief Raj Thackeray on Thursday accused the MahaYuti government of hiding its failures behind emotional rhetoric.

Addressing the anniversary event of the MNS Railway Kamgar Sena, the MNS Chief questioned the Chief Minister’s defence in the Legislative Assembly and hit back at his remarks warning the Opposition against “politicising” the issue.

Taking a swipe at Chief Minister Fadnavis’s objection to the Opposition’s criticism, Raj Thackeray said, “Wow! He (Devendra Fadnavis) says don’t politicise it. When anyone speaks out, it becomes ‘politics’ to them. What were you doing all those years when you were in the Opposition? Weren’t the agitations you staged against previous governments ‘politics’? Now that the heat is on you, you claim the Opposition is playing politics.”

He also dismissed the Chief Minister’s emotional appeal in the House, where Devendra Fadnavis had said that he could tolerate personal attacks but not the insult of Maharashtra.

“People are raising genuine questions about the Missing Link project. Where is the insult to Maharashtra in that?” he asked.

“If anyone speaks against the Central government, they are labelled ‘anti-national’. If someone speaks about the Missing Link, it is called an insult to Maharashtra! Are citizens not supposed to ask you questions at all?” Raj Thackeray added.

The MNS Chief also targeted Chief Minister Fadnavis for issuing warnings to critics and suddenly shifting languages during his Assembly speech.

“The Chief Minister (Devendra Fadnavis) declared in the Assembly that the Missing Link features top-notch construction quality and threatened to ‘deal with’ those politicising it. Listen, you are the Chief Minister. What do you mean by ‘I will deal with you’?” Raj Thackeray remarked.

The MNS Chief also said, “After saying all this, the Chief Minister suddenly started speaking in Hindi. Who was he speaking in Hindi for? The MLAs sitting in front of him are Marathi, the Legislative Assembly belongs to Maharashtra, yet our Chief Minister speaks in Hindi. Why? Perhaps Devendra Fadnavis wanted to send a message to his party bosses at the top, telling them that ‘I will deal with them’. Even he (Devendra Fadnavis) knows where these leak videos are originating from. There is massive internal infighting brewing within the BJP — just wait and watch what happens next.”

Turning his focus to the state of infrastructure, Raj Thackeray alleged widespread corruption in government contracts, claiming it has severely compromised construction quality.

“They (MahaYuti government) have completely ruined Mumbai, Maharashtra, and Thane, and this government calls it ‘development’. Construction is happening everywhere you look; the Chief Minister should just shut down all this construction. Building just roads and flyovers does not equate to development. I honestly don’t understand what these people learn when they travel abroad,” the MNS Chief said.

Highlighting the structural flaws of the mega-project, Raj Thackeray said, “The Missing Link project was inaugurated on May 1. Now, in July, water is leaking through it. A brand-new tunnel started leaking within just 60 to 65 days! During the inauguration, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was boasting about how materials for the project were sourced from various countries. But the moment you hand it over to Indian contractors, they do exactly what they always do.”

He concluded with a serious allegation regarding contractor kickbacks.

“Some contractors are openly saying that they have to pay 56 per cent of the contract value as bribes to people in the state government. If they have to execute the project with just the remaining 44 per cent of the budget, this is exactly the kind of roads you are going to get,” the MNS Chief said.

Maharashtra

Mumbai cyber fraud case: A gang from Goa Vela involved in a fraud worth crores, more than 50 crore rupees deposited in the bank frozen, 12 accused arrested

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Mumbai: In a Mumbai cyber fraud case, the police have claimed to have exposed a gang that committed cyber fraud by activating multiple bank accounts and SIM cards. According to the details, the accused were arrested in the Siren Fraud case in the 2023 fraud case at the Pydhoni Police Station. In the progress of the same case, the Mumbai Crime Branch Unit 2 conducted an operation within the limits of the Goa Kolingot Police Station and took 12 accused into custody in the state of Goa. 15 laptops, 128 ATMs, 85 mobiles, 76 SIM cards, 22 checkbooks, 77 passbooks, 6 routers, 3 keyboards, 2 mice were seized from their possession. The accused used 100 panels called Rudra and used the gaming app to commit cyber fraud. The cyber fraud money was deposited and withdrawn in bank accounts in the name of cash and deposits and this gang operated from Dubai at a three percent commission. When the bank account details of the accused were found, 83 complaints have been registered in this matter on the cyber website 1930 across the country. The accused were produced in the court where the court ordered them to be kept on police remand till August 11. This action was taken on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Devin Bharti. Joint Commissioner of Police Crime Anil Kanbhare, DCP Raj Tilak Roshan have conducted the investigation. The accused used to defraud people by depositing money in several bank accounts. This information was given here today by DCP of Mumbai Crime Raj Tilak Roshan. He said that in the last 5 to 6 months, this gang has transferred 500 crores through cyber fraud to several bank accounts, while more than 50 crores have been found in their accounts, which have been frozen. He said that the investigation in Mumbai regarding the accused revealed that their accounts are also in Goa and the gang operates from Goa itself. This gang used to operate from a villa near Bij in Goa. From here, 12 accused have been arrested.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai housing societies ordered to immediately remove ramps and encroachments from footpaths, otherwise strict action will be taken: Ashwini Bhide

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Footpaths in Mumbai are meant to allow citizens to walk safely and easily. Therefore, unauthorized ramps, encroachments, commercial structures or any other form of obstruction by housing societies or business owners on footpaths will not be tolerated. Housing societies and unit owners who have built ramps or other encroachments on footpaths will have to remove them at their own expense within a month. BMC Commissioner Ashwini Bhide has issued a clear warning that the municipal corporation will take strict action against the parties concerned if they fail to do so. The Mumbai Municipal Corporation is effectively implementing the ‘Pedestrian First’ campaign across the city to clear footpaths of unauthorized hawkers and encroachments, ensuring that they remain free from obstructions. As part of this campaign, BMC Commissioner Ashwini Bhide today (August 6, 2026) conducted an on-site inspection of several areas in the ‘K-West’ and ‘P-South’ wards of the Western Suburbs. These include Swami Vivekananda Marg, Ram Ganesh Gadkari Marg, Bando Gaur Marg, the road leading to Goregaon Railway Station, Sheth Shri Devaraj Ji Gundicha Chowk, Tomato Street near Goregaon Station, and Dudhsagar Marg. During this inspection visit, Commissioner Ashwini Bhide issued instructions to completely remove encroachments from the footpaths and make them easy for citizens to walk. Commissioner Bhide inspected the encroachments, ramps, commercial structures and other obstacles obstructing the path of pedestrians. He directed the officials concerned to take immediate action to ensure that the available footpath space is completely opened for public use. In the ‘K-West’ ward, under the ‘Pedestrian First’ campaign, the first phase aims to remove encroachments from 320 km of footpaths, so as to make them accessible to the citizens. Moreover, 27 out of a total of 355 roads in the K-West ward have been selected for this initiative. Footpaths stretching for 37.7 km on these roads are being cleared of encroachments.
Municipal Corporation’s appeal to citizens

In ‘K-West’ and ‘P-South’ wards, ramps built by housing societies or shop owners to facilitate vehicle access often become obstacles in the way of pedestrians. Such obstacles force senior citizens, women, children and various differently-abled persons to walk on the road, which endangers the safety of pedestrians. Taking the matter seriously, Commissioner Bhide ordered the immediate removal of such ramps. He directed the concerned parties to voluntarily remove these encroachments and restore the footpaths within a month. Commissioner Bhide clarified that strict action will be taken against those who do not follow these instructions as per the municipal rules and regulations. Moreover, in some areas, commercial stalls set up on footpaths are causing traffic congestion. Bhide directed the officials to ensure that alternative places are provided to these stall owners.

Patients, their relatives and ambulances frequently travel along Ram Ganesh Gadkari Marg and Swami Vivekananda Marg in Vile Parle (West) to reach Dr. RN. Moreover, the presence of colleges and educational institutions on these routes results in a significant increase in foot traffic of college students. Therefore, ensuring smooth and hassle-free traffic flow on these roads is of utmost importance. Due to encroachments and unauthorized obstructions on footpaths, students and other citizens are often forced to walk on the road. This not only compromises the safety of pedestrians but also affects the flow of traffic. In this context and under the ‘Pedestrian First’ campaign, priority has been given to making footpaths on these routes completely obstacle-free for citizens. Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide has issued instructions for immediate removal of unauthorized hawkers, shopkeepers’ encroachments, unauthorized ramps and other obstacles obstructing the path of pedestrians.

Business operators to be shifted
An inspection revealed that citizens were facing considerable difficulties due to obstructions on footpaths along Bindu Gor Marg near Goregaon (West) Railway Station. Since this situation was causing traffic congestion, Commissioner Bhide ordered the concerned business operators to be shifted at the earliest. The Bando Gor Marg is 350 metres long and 13.40 metres wide, serving around 70,000 railway passengers daily. In the first phase, 43 commercial structures near the Goregaon (West) railway station were removed, and there are plans to widen the road.

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Maharashtra

MLA Abu Asim Azmi holds important meeting with Suburban District Collector regarding Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar development works

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Mumbai: Local MLA Abu Asim Azmi met Mumbai Suburban District Collector (IAS) Saurabh Katiyar to discuss various pending and important development projects in Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar (Govind) Assembly constituency in detail. The meeting had constructive discussions on important issues related to education, social welfare and rehabilitation in the area. During the meeting, MLA Azmi presented key demands to the District Collector, including allotment of government land for a degree college in Mankhurd Govind area, provision of a suitable place for funeral rites for the Shia Muslim community, and immediate resolution of the rehabilitation issues of residents living in transit camps. Speaking after the meeting, MLA Abu Asim Azmi said, “Public interest and all-round development of the constituency are my primary objectives. The meeting with the District Collector was very positive, and I am sure that the administration will soon take favourable decisions on the issues raised.

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