Mumbai: Mumbai residents were greeted on Tuesday by what seemed like a picture-perfect winter morning, marked by clear blue skies, gentle winds and a noticeable drop in temperatures. The early hours offered a brief sense of relief and freshness, giving the impression of a crisp and comfortable day ahead. However, the calm did not last long, as a thick layer of smog soon settled over the city, sharply reducing visibility and once again exposing Mumbai’s escalating air pollution crisis.

Despite optimistic weather predictions from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), air quality quickly emerged as the city’s biggest concern. The IMD had forecast a bright and pleasant day, with temperatures expected to range between 18 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Overall AQI Slips To Severe Category

Data from air quality monitoring platform AQI.in revealed that Mumbai’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) touched 319 during the early morning hours, placing it squarely in the ‘severe’ category. Vulnerable sections of the population, including children, the elderly and individuals suffering from respiratory or heart-related conditions, were advised to limit outdoor exposure.

The primary contributors to the persistent pollution continue to be dust and fine particulate matter released from the city’s extensive construction activity. Major infrastructure projects such as metro rail lines, flyovers, coastal road extensions and road-widening works are underway across Mumbai. Alongside these, rapid private real estate development has further added to the pollutant load. Vehicular emissions, especially during peak traffic hours, have compounded the problem, making air quality management increasingly challenging.

Several areas across Mumbai emerged as major pollution hotspots. Chembur recorded a dangerously high AQI of 398, categorised as ‘severe’ and posing serious health risks even for otherwise healthy individuals. Bandra followed with an AQI of 368, while the Wadala Truck Terminal stood at 358. Jogeshwari West and Santacruz both reported AQI levels of 346, also within the severe range.

While suburban regions showed relatively lower pollution levels, they were far from safe. Borivali East and Kandivali East recorded AQI readings of 227 and 230 respectively, falling under the ‘unhealthy’ category. Borivali West, Govandi and Goregaon East also reported poor air quality, highlighting the widespread nature of Mumbai’s pollution problem.

As per standard air quality classifications, AQI levels between 0 and 50 are considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘moderate’, 101 to 200 ‘poor’, 201 to 300 ‘unhealthy’, and levels above 300 fall under the ‘severe’ or ‘hazardous’ category.

Sadanand Date took over as DGP of Mumbai Maharashtra from his counterpart Rashmi Shukla. After the retirement of Rashmi Shukla, the state government had recommended the names of senior IPS officers including Date, after which Date was made a contender for the post of DGP. Sadanand Date has also rendered excellent service as the head of the National Security Agency NIA. He has played an important role in the investigation of the Delhi Red Fort bomb blast, Pahalgam attack and the extradition of the main accused of Mumbai attacks, Tahur Hussain Rana. In 92% of the cases registered by the NIA, the accused have been convicted. Date was first transferred to the Maharashtra cadre and then he was appointed as Rashmi Shukla’s successor today. Other issues including administration in Maharashtra are also a big challenge for Date. Date is skilled in his work. He has previously worked in many sensitive places. Date has also rendered good service as the head of Maharashtra ATS. Apart from this, he also had the honor of being elected the first Police Commissioner of Mira Bhayandar Commissionerate. Sadanand Date is considered an honest and dutiful officer. First, he met Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and then took charge of his post. Date is a 1990 batch IPS officer of Maharashtra cadre.

Mumbai: Ahead of the January 15 Maharashtra urban local body elections, the ruling Mahayuti alliance has secured a major early advantage, with 68 seats already won unopposed, showing its strong grip over local bodies across the state.

The Mahayuti comprises the BJP–Shiv Sena alliance and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). BJP leader Keshav Upadhye on Friday announced the unopposed victories, describing them as a major boost for the CM Devendra Fadnavis-led alliance ahead of polling. Of the 68 uncontested seats, 44 were won by the BJP, reflecting the party’s expanding footprint in urban local governance, a space traditionally dominated by regional parties.

In Maharashtra’s 29 municipal corporations, Mahayuti candidates have taken a clear lead even before voting began. Following the conclusion of the nomination withdrawal process on Friday, candidates from opposition parties pulled out in several wards, resulting in 68 candidates being declared elected unopposed. Of these, 66 belong to the BJP–Shiv Sena alliance, 44 from the BJP and 22 from the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, while two are from the NCP.

Among the BJP’s 44 uncontested wins, 15 came from the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation in Thane district, the highest concentration of such victories. Other BJP wins include six each from Bhiwandi, Jalgaon and Panvel municipal corporations, four from Dhule, three from Ahilyanagar and two each from Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporations.

Shiv Sena, led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, saw 22 of its candidates elected unopposed, while Ajit Pawar’s NCP secured two such seats. Buoyed by these results, Union minister and senior BJP leader Murlidhar Mohol stated that the next mayor of Pune would be from the BJP.

These uncontested wins come on the heels of Mahayuti’s strong performance in the recently held municipal council elections and are expected to strengthen the alliance’s momentum further.

However, the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) has ordered an inquiry into reports of candidates being elected unopposed ahead of the January 15 polls. “We have asked all local authorities to submit reports. This is a routine process whenever nominations are withdrawn and only one candidate remains, The commission will examine whether any withdrawals were made under pressure, duress or inducement.

Earlier this week, Mahayuti finalised its seat-sharing arrangement for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. Under the agreement, the BJP will contest 137 seats, while the Shiv Sena will field candidates in 90 seats.

According to the final figures released by election authorities, 1,700 candidates remain in the fray across BMC’s 227 wards after scrutiny and withdrawals. Of the total nominations filed, 2,231 were found valid, 167 were rejected and 453 candidates withdrew their nominations.