Mumbai: Mumbai woke up on Saturday morning to sunny skies masked by a thick layer of smog, leaving its iconic skyline blurred and hazy. From Marine Drive to Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), a grey veil hung over the city, signalling a return of pollution after a brief spell of cleaner air.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that although clear skies would persist through the day, visibility had dropped in the early hours due to the smog. Temperatures are expected to remain stable, with daytime highs around 31°C and minimums near 22°C.

Just earlier this week, Mumbaikars enjoyed crisp, cleaner air following a short but intense spell of rain, which had temporarily washed away pollutants and offered relief from humidity. However, the respite proved short-lived as the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) plummeted dramatically, reaching an alarming 263 on Friday, categorised as unhealthy.

In a welcome shift, air quality showed improvement on Saturday, according to data from AQI.in. The city’s overall AQI dropped to 79, placing it in the moderate category. While haze remained visible, the reduced pollution levels brought some relief to residents after Friday’s severe smog.

Among monitoring stations, Colaba recorded the highest AQI at 98, followed by Bandra East (97) and Wadala Truck Terminal (95), all still in the moderate range. Other areas such as BKC (93) and Bhandup West (88) also reported readings that, while not ideal, marked a clear improvement from the previous day.

Relatively cleaner air was detected in a few western suburbs. Parel-Bhoiwada reported an AQI of 67, while Jogeshwari (70), Bandra (72), Juhu (72), and Malad West (72) all fell within the moderate bracket. This widespread dip in particulate matter levels suggests a temporary but positive change in local weather conditions and wind movement that helped disperse pollutants.

According to AQI.in’s classification, readings between 0–50 are considered “Good,” 51–100 “Moderate,” 101–150 “Poor,” 151–200 “Unhealthy,” and anything above 200 “Severe” or “Hazardous.”

Mumbai: Central Railway’s Mumbai Division will operate a Special Traffic and Power Block at four different locations between Kalyan and Badlapur to carry out essential maintenance work. The block will be implemented over two consecutive nights this weekend.

Dates: November 7/8 (Friday–Saturday night) and November 8/9 (Saturday–Sunday night)

Time: 1:50 a.m. to 3:20 a.m. (duration: 1 hour 30 minutes)

Section Affected: Up and Down South-East lines

Several UP Mail/Express trains will be diverted via Karjat–Panvel–Diva during the block period. These include:

Train No. 11020 Bhubaneswar–CSMT Konark Express

Train No. 18519 Visakhapatnam–LTT Express

Trains scheduled to halt at Kalyan will be provided alternate halts at Panvel and Thane to assist passengers boarding or alighting at Kalyan.

Train No. 12702 Hyderabad–CSMT Hussainsagar Express will be regulated at Vangani station from 3:13 a.m. to 3:20 a.m.

Mail, Express, and Holiday Special trains running late will be diverted as per operational requirements, Central Railway said.

Suburban train operations will also be affected during the maintenance period. Services will not be available between Kalyan and Karjat stations while the block is in force.

Cancelled:

CSMT–Ambernath local leaving CSMT at 12:02 a.m.

Ambernath–CSMT local leaving Ambernath at 10:15 p.m.

Short Terminated:

CSMT–Karjat local leaving CSMT at 12:12 a.m. will terminate at Thane.

Short Originated:

Karjat–CSMT local leaving Karjat at 2:30 a.m. will originate from Thane at 4:00 a.m.

Central Railway has urged passengers to take note of these temporary changes and plan their travel accordingly to avoid inconvenience.

Palghar, Maharashtra: The Palghar district administration has announced full preparedness for the upcoming municipal council and nagar panchayat elections scheduled for December 2, with counting on December 3. The Model Code of Conduct has come into force across all four election areas Palghar, Dahanu, Jawhar, and Wada where polling will take place.

District Collector and Election Officer Dr. Indurani Jakhar confirmed that all necessary arrangements have been made, including the deployment of flying squads to monitor potential violations of the code of conduct.
Ward-wise voter lists are set to be released today, November 7, and polling preparations have begun in earnest.

Elections will be held for directly elected chairperson posts in all four local bodies.

The Palghar Municipal Council seat has been reserved for Backward Class citizens.

Dahanu is reserved for the general category.

Jawhar and Wada are reserved for women (general category) candidates.

According to official figures: Palghar Municipal Council: 55,727 voters will elect 30 members, Dahanu Municipal Council: 38,693 voters will elect 27 members, Jawhar: 9,347 voters will elect 20 members, Wada Nagar Panchayat: 12,893 voters will elect 17 members.

A total of 55 wards across the four civic bodies will go to polls, with 125 polling booths to be established.

The State Election Commission (SEC) has implemented measures to prevent duplicate voting. Voters with duplicate entries will have two asterisks () marked against their names and will be permitted to vote only once.

The administration is also ensuring that voters from villages adjacent to municipal areas are not mistakenly included again in future Zilla Parishad elections.

Addressing concerns raised by political parties over alleged voter list discrepancies, Dr. Jakhar clarified that most issues were the result of data-entry or technical errors.

“These discrepancies will be rectified only after SEC approval through a supplementary list. The total voter count remains unchanged, and all verified data are accurate,” she stated.

To ensure free and fair elections, flying squads have been deployed under the supervision of election officers.

The SEC has directed webcasting and CCTV surveillance at select polling stations, while grievance redressal cells have been set up in each municipal area to address voter complaints.

The district administration has confirmed an adequate supply of EVMs, control units, ballot units, and memory cards to ensure the smooth conduct of polling and counting.