Navi Mumbai: Traffic on the Yashwantrao Chavan Expressway will be temporarily suspended for three hours on April 23 and 24 due to bridge maintenance work near Kusgaon, authorities said.

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) said the closure is required to carry out shuttering removal and painting work on a bridge located at km 58/500 between Dongargaon and Kusgaon.

According to the schedule, traffic heading towards Mumbai will remain completely closed on April 23 from 12 pm to 3 pm. Vehicles will be diverted via Kiwale–Dehu Road–Talegaon and routed through National Highway 48 to rejoin at Kusgaon toll plaza. Similarly, traffic towards Pune will be shut on April 24 from 12 pm to 3 pm, with vehicles diverted via Kusgaon toll plaza onto National Highway 48 and then through Dehu Road–Kiwale towards Pune.

Officials have urged motorists to plan their journeys in advance and use alternate routes during the closure period to avoid inconvenience.

In case of any difficulty, commuters can contact the control room at 9822498224 or the highway police helpline at 9833498334.

Mumbai: The Mumbai Police on Tuesday took into custody Aamir Sayyed, the boyfriend of arrested drug peddler Ashwini Paul, from jail in connection with an Ecstasy pills drug case.

According to police sources, Aamir Sayyed is suspected to have supplied around 5,000 Ecstasy pills that were recovered from Ashwini Paul. Investigators are now probing the source of the contraband and his wider network.

Earlier, the Anti-Narcotics Cell had arrested Ashwini Paul from Titwala on Saturday with a massive consignment of Ecstasy tablets reportedly valued at around ₹6 crore. Two other accused were also arrested in the case.

During the investigation, Sayyed’s name surfaced as a key supplier. However, police found that he was already lodged in jail. He was subsequently taken into custody for questioning in this case.

Officials revealed that Sayyed had previously been arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in a cocaine seizure case. After being released on bail, he allegedly resumed drug trafficking activities.

His bail was cancelled in February after he repeatedly failed to appear for court hearings, following which the DRI sent him back to jail.

Police said that during his bail period, Sayyed had supplied Ecstasy pills to Ashwini Paul for distribution. Further investigation is underway.

Mumbai: A welcome change in the weather brought relief to Mumbai on Wednesday morning, as cloudy skies and cool breezes helped ease smog and rising pollution levels. Visuals from Nariman Point and Marine Drive showed overcast conditions, with the early morning temperature hovering around 28°C.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the city is expected to witness partly cloudy skies through the day, with chances of thunderstorms and lightning. Temperatures are likely to range between 26°C and 34°C.

Air quality across the city showed marked improvement, with the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 62 in the early hours, placing it in the ‘moderate’ category. This comes after significantly cleaner air readings earlier this month, when AQI levels dipped as low as 31 and even 21 in some areas.

The improvement is largely due to recent enforcement drives by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) against construction sites violating pollution control norms. Both private and public projects were targeted to curb dust emissions.

However, the improvement has not been uniform across the city. Ghatkopar East emerged as a pollution hotspot with an AQI of 130, falling in the ‘poor’ category, followed by Chembur at 110.

Meanwhile, several areas recorded significantly cleaner air. Andheri reported an AQI of 12, while Gamdevi recorded 18. Dahisar and Walkeshwar logged AQI levels of 38 each, and Kandivali West stood at 40, placing all these areas in the ‘good’ category.

As per standard AQI classifications, values between 0 and 50 are considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘moderate’, 101 to 200 ‘poor’, 201 to 300 ‘unhealthy’, and above 300 ‘severe’.