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Maharashtra

‘EC should be elected, not appointed’: Uddhav Thackeray on ONOE

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Nagpur, Dec 17: Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday strongly opposed ‘One Nation, One Election’ (ONOE), saying that the Election Commissioner (EC) should be elected and not appointed before the implementation of ONOE.

“Before the implementation of ‘One Nation, One Election’, the election process should be transparent. I am of the clear opinion that the Election Commissioner should also be elected through the election,” said Thackeray during his interaction with the reporters in Vidhan Bhavan.

He added that if the Election Commissioner is going to be appointed and teach the opposition the election laws, then that practice is not right.

“There should not be ‘One Nation, One Election’ under the rule of such a person. The Election Commissioner should also be elected. Only then should he be considered as an Election Commissioner,” said Thackeray.

Referring to the administration’s decision not to hold mock polling by the Markadwadi villagers to protest against the EVMs, Thackeray questioned why the government was afraid.

“You say that the entire Maharashtra gave us votes, gave us love, then the same votes that were cast on the EVMs will also be cast on the ballot paper. In a democracy, I should know who I am voting for and where is my vote going. That right of mine has now been taken away,” he claimed.

To a question whether he will induct Chhagan Bhujbal, who is upset over exclusion from the state cabinet, in the Shiv Sena UBT, Thackeray said, “I felt very bad for Bhujbal. I also feel bad about others who did not get ministerial berths. They (referring to Shiv Sena and NCP legislators that joined MahaYuti) had gone there with many expectations. I express my sympathy to all those who must be waiting for their induction in the cabinet.”

He added that in light of the fact that many veteran leaders of the MahaYuti did not get a place in the Cabinet, does the government have any plans to appoint beloved MLAs or beloved people?

To a question whether Bhujbal and other disgruntled MahaYuti are in his contact, Thackeray said, “Nagpur is an orange city. It has become a hoarding city. It is not clear who is the architect and captain of MahaYuti’s victory. The MahaYuti has used the allies. The disgruntled are in touch with us. They are sending messages. Let them get experience. There is no better teacher than experience. Let them get lessons. We will see when they improve.”

He claimed that Bhujbal was in his contact not only after he was left out of the Cabinet.

Referring to the decision by NCP and Shiv Sena to give two and half year tenure to the ministers inducted in Sunday’s expansion paving the way for other aspirants, Thackeray taunted, “Whether the posts of Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister will be rotating every after two and half years. Has the decision been taken in this regard?” His reference was to the purported agreement reached between the BJP and Shiv Sena (united) Sharad of the 2019 Assembly election to share the Chief Minister’s post after two and half years.

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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