Residents of Mumbai, Shivaji Nagar and Govind (M-East Ward) areas face significant hardship during summer, monsoon and inclement weather due to lack of bus shelters and seating arrangements at major bus stops. In this backdrop, Samajwadi Party Maharashtra state president and MLA Abu Asim Azmi has submitted a memorandum to BEST Committee Chairperson Trishna Vishwasrao, demanding immediate installation of robust bus shelters and seating facilities at these locations. Shivaji Nagar depot is one of the largest depots in Mumbai, serving a large number of passengers daily. Around 132 BEST buses ply in this area, and thousands of school and college students, women, senior citizens, pregnant women, disabled persons and workers rely on BEST services. In his memorandum, Azmi said that essential passenger amenities are missing at many of the six major bus stops in the area. Specifically, these include stops at Shivaji Nagar Depot Junction, Konkan Bank and Sai Mandir, Jafri School, 10 Feet Road No. 2, Sant Nirankari Nagar, and New Bus Depot. Due to the lack of safe waiting areas, passengers are forced to stand on the roadside and wait for buses. The memorandum highlights that this situation is especially bad for women, senior citizens, pregnant women and disabled passengers. Azmi also observed that local residents have been continuously following up with the depot manager and the civic department since 2023. Although the approval for the bus stop on Road No. 2 was reportedly given in 2024, the work has not yet started, leading to dissatisfaction among residents. Demand for joint inspection of all bus stops Azmi has demanded that the issue be taken seriously and a joint inspection of all bus stops be conducted immediately with representatives of local citizens. He further stressed that the work should be completed by installing robust bus shelters and seating arrangements at the relevant locations using BEST’s infrastructure fund.

BEST serves as a vital lifeline for the daily commute of millions of Mumbaikars, and it is essential that commuters have access to safe and dignified travel facilities. Hence, Azmi has demanded immediate action on the matter.

Mumbai: The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has opened bidding for the rights to run a new team in the esteemed T20 Mumbai League, which will expand the men’s league to nine teams from what was eight earlier this season.

The new franchise will represent the Navi Mumbai region, broadening the league’s presence and offering more opportunities for cricketers from Mumbai and nearby areas.

The league’s growth follows a successful fourth edition held in June, which attracted high fan engagement and showcased competitive cricket. This success continues to solidify its status as one of India’s top franchise-based domestic T20 tournaments.

Interested parties may pick up the bid documents at the MCA office located in the Cricket Centre, Wankhede Stadium, Churchgate, Mumbai, from August 10 to August 25, 2026, between 11 am and 6 pm.

Bid documents are available after paying a non-refundable fee of ₹2.5 lakh via Demand Draft payable to the Mumbai Cricket Association. Alternatively, payment can be made through bank transfer to the account listed in the tender notice on the Mumbai Cricket Association’s official website.

MSC Maratha Royals successfully defended their T20 Mumbai League title this season, defeating ARCS Andheri by eight runs in a thrilling final at the Wankhede Stadium. Batting first, the Royals posted 154/5, with Chinmay Sutar anchoring the innings with a composed 61 not out, while Siddhesh Lad contributed 33.

In reply, Andheri were led by Divyaansh Sksena’s 51, but the Royals’ bowlers kept striking at crucial moments to restrict them to 146/8. Tushar Deshpande, who took over as captain after Lad suffered an arm injury, played a key role with the ball and dismissed Shivam Dube.

Sksena finished as the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 261 runs and claimed the Orange Cap, while Deshpande won the Purple Cap with 12 wickets.

Mumbai, Aug 9: Milk prices in Maharashtra will increase by Rs 2 per litre for both cow and buffalo milk from August 11 after the Milk Producers and Processors Welfare Association decided to revise retail rates, a move that is expected to impact consumers across the state.

The price hike comes amid ongoing debates over milk pricing and efforts to balance the interests of dairy farmers with those of consumers facing rising household expenses.

Producers and processors have argued that higher procurement and operational costs have necessitated the increase.

The development follows the Centre’s recent clarification that it has no proposal to introduce a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for milk, maintaining that prices will continue to be determined by cooperatives and private dairies based on prevailing market conditions.

In a written reply to a starred question in the Lok Sabha last month, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, also known as Lalan Singh, said milk pricing remains a market-driven process and that the government is not considering an MSP mechanism for the sector.

The minister said the government is implementing a range of measures aimed at safeguarding dairy farmers’ interests, stabilising milk prices, protecting consumers and strengthening quality monitoring across the dairy value chain.

According to the government, efforts are underway to bring more producers into the organised dairy sector.

As of March 2026, a total of 36,283 new village-level Dairy Cooperative Societies had been established, while 31,150 existing societies had been strengthened.

The government also created milk chilling capacity of 168 lakh litres per day and distributed 76,748 milk quality testing devices across the country.

In addition, projects with a combined milk processing and value-addition capacity of 418 lakh litres per day have been approved to enhance infrastructure and improve efficiency in the dairy sector.

The government highlighted the strong growth in India’s milk production over the past decade.

Milk output rose to 248 million metric tonnes in 2024-25 from 146 million metric tonnes in 2014-15, registering an increase of about 69 per cent.