Nashik: The 66.15-km Nashik ring road, envisioned as a parikrama marg ahead of the 2027 Kumbh Mela, is expected to cost around Rs 8,000 crore. The State Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure, which recently approved the project, assigned its execution to the Maharashtra State Infrastructure Development Corporation (MSIDC), instead of the previously expected Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC).

The committee has approved land acquisition costs of Rs 3,659.47 crore. Negotiations with the Centre are ongoing regarding the civil works component, estimated at Rs 4,262.64 crore, for which the state has already granted approval.

Funds for land acquisition will be provided through the Nashik–Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority, according to a Government Resolution (GR) issued on Friday. Once discussions with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) conclude, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed between the state and the Centre.

The ring road is designed to ease congestion in Nashik and improve the movement of people and goods, supporting industrial growth, logistics, and tourism. Nearly 2 crore devotees and tourists are expected to visit Nashik during the 2027 Kumbh Mela, highlighting the urgency of completing the project.

To recover project costs, the option of levying tolls has been kept open, with revenue-sharing arrangements between the state and the Centre.

Mumbai: Police has claimed to have arrested a wanted accused in a robbery case after 20 years. A case of robbery was registered against Javed Yusuf Shaikh, 47, in the limits of Mumbai’s Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Marg RA police station in 2005. During this time, the police had also arrested him and he was on bail and did not appear in court proceedings, after which the sessions court issued a warrant against him and declared him a fugitive accused. After the warrant was issued against him, the police arrested him during a search for the fugitive accused. In this regard, the Zone 4 and the police received information that he was staying in a rented house in the police station. The police arrested him from the police station and complied with the court order. The court had earlier issued non-bailable warrants against him and now the police took action after the court order declaring him a fugitive and arrested him. This action was carried out by DCP Zone 4 Ragasudha R on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti.

Mumbai: The campaign for the Nagar Panchayat and Municipal Council elections in the state has reached its peak and BJP leaders have published booklets in Urdu to promote their candidates. Samajwadi Party MLA from ‘Bhiwandi East’ Raees Shaikh has welcomed the BJP’s Urdu booklet. MLA Shaikh claimed that the BJP has realised, albeit belatedly, that Urdu is not the language of any single religion.

BJP MLA from ‘Aran’ in Raigad district Mahesh Baldi’s workers are distributing booklets in Urdu during the Municipal Council elections. Pointing out this, MLA Raees Shaikh said that ‘on one hand they hate Muslims on the basis of religion and when their votes are needed, they resort to Urdu language’, which is a double-edged sword of the BJP. State Fisheries and Ports Minister Nitish Rane should express his feelings about the printing of BJP’s campaign booklets in Urdu.

The state has an Urdu Sahitya Academy. However, this academy is considered an institution working for Muslims. The condition of the Urdu Academy is such that there is no fund, no office, no staff. Urdu language centers, Urdu schools, Urdu speaking teachers, Urdu homes are not given funds and space. The BJP government has closed the Urdu monthly ‘Lok Rajya’, which has been running for five decades. MLA Raees Shaikh has asked why the BJP, which is so hostile to the Urdu language and Muslims, should regret the Urdu Muslim votes at the time of elections? Urdu is not the language of any religion. Urdu speaking writers and lyricists have contributed a lot to the development of Bollywood. There are 75 lakh Urdu speakers in the state and 25 Urdu dailies are published in the state daily. MLA Raees Shaikh has advised the BJP to curb its conspiracy to spread hatred on the basis of language and religion for selfish politics.