Navi Mumbai: Traffic on Palm Beach Road will be diverted between Belapur and Moraj Circle from 2 am to 11am on Sunday, September 21, to facilitate the Health Run Marathon 2025.

During the restriction, vehicles moving from Belapur towards Vashi, Mumbai, and Thane will not be allowed on the regular carriageway up to Moraj Circle. Instead, traffic will be rerouted to the opposite carriageway on Palm Beach Road, where both directions will be managed on the same stretch.

Vehicles traveling between Vashi and Killa Junction will be diverted through Moraj Circle along the opposite lane, while commuters can also take the Sion-Panvel Highway via Uran Phata to reach their destinations.

“This diversion plan is necessary to ensure the marathon proceeds smoothly and to safeguard both participants and road users. We appeal to motorists to cooperate and plan their journeys accordingly,” said DCP (Traffic) Tirupati Kakade.

The restrictions will not apply to police vehicles, fire brigades, ambulances, and other emergency services.

Mumbai: Maharashtra politics heated up on Thursday after BJP MLA Gopichand Padalkar made a controversial remark against senior NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar faction) leader and state president Jayant Patil. Padalkar’s statement, in which he questioned Patil’s lineage by saying “Tu Rajaram Patlani kadhleli aulad mala ajibat watat nahi. Kahi tari gadbad aahe,” has drawn widespread criticism across the political spectrum.

The sharpest response came from NCP-SP MP and actor-turned-politician Dr. Amol Kolhe, who took to social media platform X to voice his displeasure. In his post, Kolhe tagged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and asked whether he intends to safeguard Maharashtra’s cultural legacy or shield the outspoken leaders within his own party.

Shirur MP stated on the X page, “Respected Chief Minister, you are not just a leader of one party but of the entire state. Will you protect Maharashtra’s culture or defend the loudmouths in your party? Maharashtra is waiting for your decision,” Kolhe wrote.

Along with his post, Kolhe shared a strongly worded letter addressed to Fadnavis. In it, he invoked a Marathi saying that giving a torch to a monkey causes more harm to the person who handed it over than to the monkey itself. Drawing from this metaphor, Kolhe criticised what he called the deliberate lowering of political standards in Maharashtra.

He wrote that in a state known for its cultured political legacy, some leaders were taking pride in dragging discourse to its lowest level. “Unfortunately, the belief has strengthened that anything goes as long as one is close to power. But the future will never forgive such behaviour,” Kolhe cautioned.

Quoting a famous line from a Marathi play, Kolhe further said, “Tumcha pagaar kiti, tumhi boltay kiti,” suggesting that those speaking beyond their capacity should reflect on their own merit before making such statements. Jayant Patil has refused to speak on this matter.

His remarks have amplified the controversy and placed the focus squarely on the Chief Minister. Opposition leaders argue that silence from the top leadership will only encourage such rhetoric, while Kolhe’s statement frames the issue not just as a political spat but as a matter of preserving Maharashtra’s dignity and culture.

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court, on Wednesday, asked under what authority Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who is also the state urban development minister, stayed demolition notices issued by the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) against two allegedly illegal buildings in Vashi.

A bench of Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Ashwin Bhobe was hearing a petition filed by NGO Conscious Citizen Forum challenging Shinde’s March 13 stay order. The NGO has urged the court to quash the order as “arbitrary, illegal, ultra vires and untenable in law”, and direct the NMMC to enforce its March 3 demolition notices.

According to the plea, NMMC had issued the notices under Section 53(1A) of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act after years of delay and repeated complaints from activists. The targeted structures include the 14-storey Naivedya building, which allegedly violated FSI (floor space index) norms and approved plans, and the Dwing of Albela, a seven-storey building rebuilt in 2003 after the original Cidco structure was demolished. The petition notes that neither building has an occupation certificate, yet flats have been sold to third parties.

The court observed that although the petition did not involve encroachment on public land, it raised a serious issue regarding illegal structures. “After due procedure, the competent authority concluded that demolition was necessary and issued notices. However, on the very same day the housing societies approached the Deputy CM, he stayed the proceedings, thwarting further action,” the bench said.

The assistant government pleader sought time to take instructions and respond. The court has listed the matter for further hearing on September 20.