Maharashtra
Maharashtra Govt To Scrap Acquisition Process For Rs 86,300 Crore Shaktipeeth Highway Project Amidst Protests
Mumbai: Amid strong protests from farmers, opposition parties, and also ruling party members, the MahaYuti government has taken a crucial decision to scrap the land acquisition process for the ambitious 802 km Shaktipeeth Highway connecting Nagpur-Goa, sources have said.
About The 802 KM Long Shaktipeeth Highway Project
The project entails an investment of a whopping Rs 86,300 crore which will pass through 12 districts and is expected to reduce the travel time to 8 hours from the present 13 hours. It aims to increase connectivity, tourism, especially religious tourism, and the general development of the region.
The expressway will cover Hindu pilgrimage places such as two jyotirlingas — one in Parli Vaijnath and the second in Aundh Naganath (Nageshwar) in Hingoli district. The Mahur Renu Devi temple, Tuljabhavani in Tuljapur, Vitthal Rakhumai temple of Pandharpur, Mahalaxmi temple of Kolhapur, and Goa’s Patradevi temple are other popular temples in both these states that the expressway will cover.
Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde Directs Cancelation Of The Land Acquisition Process
In the wake of the raging protest, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde intervened and directed to cancellation of the land acquisition process. State government sources said, “The government will soon cancel the notification released for the land acquisition for the project. The government had appointed 27 land acquisition officers in 12 districts and it hoped to complete the land acquisition by December this year so that the state-run Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) could begin the bidding process. MSRDC is a nodal agency for the project implementation and it started the land acquisition in June. MSRDC has already forwarded its proposal to the state government for cancelling the land acquisition process.”
Why Did The Govt Put The Project On The Back Burner?
Protests from farmers, especially from Kolhapur, were the trigger for the state government to put the project on the back burner ahead of the Assembly election. Farmers had argued that nearly 27,000 acres of land would be lost due to the highway. This will make thousands of farmers landless. The farmers were joined by members from ruling and opposition parties arguing that the Shaktipeeth Highway would severely hit agriculture and it should be scrapped. They also demanded the realignment of the existing route.
Assurance Given By The Maharashtra CM
The Chief Minister has assured the farmers and the members from ruling and opposition that the government will not go ahead in project implementation in haste but pursue it only after considering their views and sentiments.
The government’s move comes a day after NCP(SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday strongly opposed the development of Shaktipeeth Highway saying that he would soon meet the Chief Minister in this regard.
Crime
Mumbai Shocker! 17-Year-Old Molested In Metro Lift At Dahanukarwadi Station In Kandivali

Mumbai: A shocking incident has come to light from Mumbai’s Kandivali area, where a 17-year-old girl was allegedly molested by an unidentified man inside a lift at the Dahanukarwadi Metro station on the Yellow Line. A case has been registered against an unidentified man.
the incident occurred on Friday, May 29, at around 11.50 am. The report stated that the accused was already present inside the lift, and after seeing the girl entering the lift alone, he allegedly molested her as the doors shut by touching her inappropriately.
Terrified by the incident, the girl first approached the metro staff for help and then later approached the police station. A case was registered, and currently, efforts are underway to identify and trace him.
Maha Mumbai Metro Operation Corporation Limited (MMMOCL) officials also confirmed the incident and told media that they are providing all possible help to the police in the case. Additionally, the officials also informed that there are about 64 CCTV cameras at the Dhanukarwadi metro station, and the footage from the day of the incident is also being provided.
Meanwhile, in another recent case, a case under POSCO has been registered against a 40-year-old man who has been allegedly accused of showing pornographic films and molesting a 13-year-old boy in Mumbai’s Agripada area. The shocking incident took place at the Classic Tower residential society located in the Agripada locality. The matter came to light after the traumatised minor confided in his family members about the ordeal, and a case was registered.
Earlier in May, a case of alleged molestation was registered against a BMC officer after a woman employee accused him of misbehaving with her inside the civic body headquarters.
Maharashtra
Mahayuti’s MLC poll deal: BJP takes lion’s share with 11 seats; Shiv Sena 4, NCP 2

Mumbai, June 1: Following intense negotiations and high-level meetings involving top BJP leadership, the ruling Mahayuti alliance has arrived at a seat-sharing arrangement for the 17 Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) seats. The election, which relies on elected members of local bodies as the electorate, will take place on June 18.
Monday is the last day for filing nominations.
Of the 17 seats, BJP will contest 11, Shiv Sena 4 and NCP 2.
The BJP took the lion’s share of the allocation after maintaining a firm stance on maximising its contest based on local body numerical advantages. Out of the 11 candidates, 10 are contesting for regular six-year terms, while one candidate has been fielded for the highly watched Nagpur bypoll seat.
The complete list of BJP nominees and their designated constituencies are — Ahilyanagar: Prajakt Tanpure (who officially switched over to the BJP leaving NCP SP); Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadchiroli: Arun Lakhani (businessman and prominent relative of NCP-SP leader Supriya Sule’s family); Nagpur (Bypoll Seat): Dr Rajiv Potdar (contesting the single seat vacated after state Revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule transitioned to the State Assembly); Amravati: Pravin Pote Patil; Bhandara-Gondia: Avinash Brahmankar; Sangli-Satara: Dhairyashil Kadam; Solapur: Rajendra Raut; Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar-Jalna: Suhas Shirsat; Nanded: Amar Rajurkar; Osmanabad-Latur-Beed: Basavraj Patil and Jalgaon: Nandkishor Mahajan.
Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde initially pushed for 7 seats but settled for 4 after interventions from top BJP national leadership. The party conceded Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar-Jalna to the BJP in exchange for securing Nashik. The Sena announced its nominees — Thane (Shinde’s political home turf): Ravindra Phatak; Nashik: Narendra Darade; Parbhani: Saied Khan; and for Yavatmal, the nominee is Sheetal Sanjay Rathod, who is the wife of Minister Sanjay Rathod
The NCP, led locally by Sunetra Pawar, held firm on its core demands and successfully negotiated 2 seats. Notably, the party secured the Raigad-Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg seat (Konkan local authorities) amidst friction with local Shiv Sena leaders, potentially settling the dispute by leaving the Raigad Guardian Minister post to the Sena.
The two seats are: Pune (won after a tug-of-war with the BJP), where the party has fielded a businessman and a son of former MP Sanjay Kakde, Vikram Kakde. In Raigad-Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg (Konkan), the party has nominated former legislator Aniket Tatkare, who is the son of the state party chief and MP Sunil Tatkare.
Maharashtra
‘Mumbai’s Drain Cleaning More Than 80% Complete Ahead Of Monsoon,’ Says Mayor Ritu Tawde During Inspection

Mumbai: Mayor Ritu Tawde on Monday reviewed the ongoing drain-cleaning and desilting works across the city and said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is working to ensure the city is prepared before the arrival of the monsoon.
Speaking to mediapersons during the inspection, Tawde said the civic body had started the drain-cleaning exercise a month earlier than usual to strengthen flood-preparedness measures.
“We started the cleaning of Mumbai’s drains one month in advance ahead of monsoon. If we look at the overall drain-cleaning work, more than 80 per cent of the drains across Mumbai have been cleaned so far. If there are any minor gaps or delays, efforts are currently underway to address them. Overall, both minor and major drains in Mumbai have been cleaned beyond 80 per cent,” the Mayor said.
The inspection comes at a crucial time as weather agencies have predicted increasing rainfall activity across Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region in the coming days, raising concerns over waterlogging and flooding in vulnerable areas.
According to the latest BMC data as of May 31, desilting work on major drains has crossed its target, with overall progress reaching 101.47 per cent. The City Division recorded 110 per cent completion, while the Western Suburbs reached 106.85 per cent. The Eastern Suburbs reported 89.69 per cent progress.
Minor drain desilting has also surpassed targets in several wards, with overall citywide progress touching 101.35 per cent. Among the best-performing wards were G/S Ward at 135.05 per cent, D Ward at 133.35 per cent, P/S Ward at 121.81 per cent and K/W Ward at 111.10 per cent.
However, civic records show that a few areas are still lagging behind. S Ward reported only 15.73 per cent completion, while M/E Ward stood at 89.83 per cent. Efforts are underway to bridge the remaining gaps before heavy rains begin.
The Mithi River desilting project, one of Mumbai’s key flood-mitigation measures, has achieved 68.48 per cent progress so far. Among its three divisions, ES-526 recorded the highest completion level at 77.27 per cent, followed by ES-527 at 69.71 per cent and ES-525 at 57.83 per cent.
Mumbai has witnessed several instances of severe waterlogging during previous monsoons, leading the BMC to intensify pre-monsoon preparations this year. Apart from drain cleaning, civic authorities are also monitoring pumping stations, flood-prone locations and stormwater drainage infrastructure. Regular inspections and progress reviews will likely continue in the coming weeks to ensure that all critical works are completed before the full-fledged monsoon reaches the city.
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