National News
Mumbai: Despite HC Order, Illegal Political Hoardings And Banners Flood City During Diwali, BMC Turns Blind Eye
Mumbai: Despite an order from Bombay high court, thousands of illegal hoardings and banners continue to be put up all over the metropolis. This is in total contempt of the high court, but then the BMC is yet to view the issue seriously. The biggest culprits are politicians who have put up hoardings on the occassion of Diwali.
The visit of any politician also sees a rash of hoardings all over the city. Right in front of Mantralaya hoardings are routinely erected with the BMC remaining a silent spectator. The civic staff is highly reluctant to remove these hoardings and banners since they do not want to incur the wrath of the “netas.”
The BMC claims to have pulled down several hoardings and banners. Obviously the claims are not backed by ground reality since many of these hoardings continue to make the metropolis ugly.
As Mumbai glittered with Diwali lights last week, its streets also drowned under a flood of hoardings nearly 60% put up by political parties wishing citizens a “Happy Diwali.”
These banners occupied prime public spaces such as traffic junctions, flyovers, and building facades obstructing views, distracting motorists, and diminishing the city’s visual appeal. What should have showcased Mumbai’s festive charm instead exposed its chronic failure to curb illegal hoardings that deface the city year after year.
The highest concentration of hoardings was seen in areas such as Nariman Point, Fort, Churchgate, Colaba, Worli, Prabhadevi, Bandra, Santacruz, and Andheri.
Dhaval Shah, founder of the Lokhandwala-Oshiwara Citizens Association (LOCA), said, “With the BMC elections approaching, both the number and size of hoardings have shot up. Not a single footpath or lamp post has been spared by advertisers. Adding to the nuisance are decorative arches installed by political parties during Ganeshotsav, which continue to remain till Diwali and beyond. These structures often damage vehicles. We raised the issue in a joint meeting with BMC’s K-West ward officials, but no action has been taken so far.”
Ravi Raja, former Opposition leader of the BMC and BJP leader, said, “Political parties have already instructed their workers not to put up hoardings. To resolve this issue, the BMC should designate specific zones for political hoardings, similar to hawker zones. Parties could be charged for these spaces, which would not only generate revenue for the BMC but also encourage discipline in displaying advertisements.”
However, a senior civic official said, “Our ward-level teams keep vigil and remove every illegal hoarding that appears. Unfortunately, new political banners and hoardings often go up overnight. We have instructed printers to obtain civic permission before producing advertisements for municipal roads or footpaths and have urged political parties to ensure their workers follow the rules. The idea of designated zones for political hoardings has also been discussed, but implementing it requires political will.”
Following the tragic Ghatkopar hoarding collapse that claimed 17 lives, the BMC drafted an “Outdoor Advertisement Display” policy in August 2024 to regulate hoardings, but it remains in limbo. Annually, the civic body removes 15,000–20,000 illegal hoardings, nearly half linked to political or festive messages, with numbers surging during elections and festivals.
The draft policy mandates written permission for all advertisements, and violators face penalties under Section 471 of the BMC Act, 1888, and the Maharashtra Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 1995, including up to three months’ imprisonment or a Rs. 2,000 fine. “The policy is in the final stage of approval,” said Anil Kate, Superintendent of the BMC’s License Department.
Crime
Delhi Police arrest three in illicit liquor supply case

New Delhi, Aug 22: In a major crackdown on the illegal transportation and supply of liquor, the Anti-Auto Theft Squad (AATS) team of the North-East District of Delhi Police arrested three persons and recovered 778 quarters of Haryana-marked illicit liquor along with two taxis allegedly used to transport the consignment.
The action was carried out on August 21, 2026, after Head Constable Deepak, along with Head Constable Anuj and Constable Mukesh, was conducting area patrolling duty near Maujpur Chowk.
At around 6:30 a.m., the police team received information from a secret informer that two taxis carrying illicit liquor from Haryana would arrive near Seelampur Metro Station. The taxis’ numbers were also shared by the informer.
Acting on the information, the police team reached the location. At around 7:30 a.m., both taxis arrived and were intercepted. Three persons were apprehended, while another individual reportedly managed to flee from the spot.
A search of the vehicles led to the recovery of 399 quarters of illicit liquor from taxi HR55AX3345 and 379 quarters from taxi DL1ZD5015, taking the total recovery to 778 quarters.
The arrested accused have been identified as Vinit Chauhan (35), owner of taxi bearing number — HR55AX3345; Akash Sharma (25), driver of taxi bearing number — DL1ZD5015; and Vishal (23), who was allegedly accompanying the other accused.
During interrogation, the accused reportedly disclosed information about the source of the illicit liquor. Police are verifying the information and conducting further investigation to identify other individuals allegedly involved in the supply chain.
A case has been registered as FIR No. 288/26 under Section 33 of the Delhi Excise Act at Seelampur Police Station. Police said none of the three arrested accused has any previous criminal involvement on record. Further investigation is underway, according to police.
Business
Banks raise $72.8 billion in forex inflows till Aug 21, FCNR(B) deposits reach $65.4 billion: RBI

New Delhi, Aug 22: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Saturday said that authorised dealer banks have raised a massive $72.848 billion in forex inflows till August 21, and a major chuck came from FCNR (B) deposits at $65.397 billion.
External Commercial Borrowings (ECBs) and Overseas Foreign Currency Borrowings (OFCBs) under Reserve Bank’s Swap facility helped raised another $7.451 billion till August 21.
RBI had introduced a special USD-INR forex swap facility covering FCNR(B) deposits, ECB and OFCB inflows on June 8, 2026.
“As already announced vide Press Release dated August 14, 2026, the Scheme is open till August 31, 2026 for FCNR(B) deposits, and up to December 31, 2026 for ECBs and OFCBs,” The Research Bank said in a statement.
The massive foreign inflows arrive as Indian banks have stepped up their efforts to attract FCNR(B) deposits by offering higher interest rates after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) suddenly cut short the deadline for its dollar-rupee swap window to August 31, from September 30.
The swap facility, announced in June to boost the inflow of dollars amid a weakening rupee, was originally available until the end of September, but the RBI abruptly shortened this by a month due to the “encouraging response” to the facility, which resulted in the required amount of foreign exchange flowing into the country.
While there may be valid reasons to justify an early closure of the RBI’s FCNR(B) deposit scheme, the most likely reason could be that the target for dollar mobilisation has already been achieved with inflows at $57 billion, and another $25-30 billion could easily flow in the remaining days of August, taking the total collections to around $85 billion, an SBI Research report said earlier this week.
According to the SBI report, “we don’t believe that the cost of swap could have been a constraining factor”.
“Our estimates show that the cumulative cost would amount to around 15 per cent of the corpus, or $10.5 billion. While this appears sizeable in absolute terms, it needs to be viewed against the scale of India’s foreign-exchange reserves rather than the FCNR(B) corpus alone,” the report argued.
Meanwhile, foreign exchange reserves jumped $9.905 billion to $716.90 billion during the week ended August 14, according to data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday. The latest increase comes a week after the country’s forex reserves had surged by $14.1 billion to $707 billion, marking their highest level in the current financial year.
The rise in reserves was supported by inflows under the RBI’s FCNR(B) deposit scheme, which began to reflect in the country’s foreign exchange reserves.
National News
CJP vs villagers: Rajasthan school shifted within 24 hours in Jaipur

Jaipur, Aug 22: A day after a dispute between the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and villagers of Rampura over an inspection of a government school in Jaipur escalated into allegations of assault, intimidation and a law-and-order breakdown, the government school was shifted to a building about 50 metres away, within 24 hours of Friday’s clash.
After the confrontation, CJP founder and convenor Abhijeet Dipke had warned of an escalation stating that he would sit on a dharna in Jaipur if steps weren’t taken within 48 hours to improve the condition of the school.
The Rampura government school was shifted to a house in the village on Saturday morning. More than 16 children were present at the new location along with two teachers.
The room being used for classes had previously operated as a grocery shop. At the time of inspection, some children were also seen studying outside in the Sun.
A blackboard had been placed outside one of the rooms, while the room itself contained a storage chest and other belongings.
Children also reported that the ceiling fan inside the room was not working, leaving them uncomfortable in the heat.
On Saturday morning, both sides filed complaints against each other at Shivdaspura police station, accusing one another of assault and creating a ruckus.
Both parties have also alleged that police personnel are putting pressure on them.
CJP national spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka alleged that party workers were assaulted in the village on Friday and that their clothes were torn. He demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible.
Ranka further alleged that people from outside the village were brought in for the attack and claimed that some of those involved were later seen with local BJP MLA Kailash Verma. He described the incident as a “pre-planned attack” and alleged that stones were used with the intention of causing serious harm.
According to Ranka, police personnel were not present at the spot despite repeated attempts to contact them. He said the CJP has made videos of the incident public and demanded an impartial investigation by the Rajasthan Police.
Ranka also alleged that Pratap Nagar police were intimidating him and putting pressure on him. He claimed police personnel were questioning CJP workers about him and his family.
In their complaint to the police, villagers alleged that the CJP had disturbed the atmosphere in Rampura.
They claimed that the arrival of a large number of people, allegedly carrying weapons, created fear in the village and that children were now frightened to attend school.
The villagers have denied the allegations made by CJP workers and sought action over what they described as intimidation and disorder.
Villagers said they want the government to reconstruct the school building at the earliest so that classes can resume properly within the village.
Reacting to the developments, Ranka said the CJP would not be intimidated and would continue its ‘School Thik Karo’ campaign over the condition of government schools.
He alleged that Education Minister Madan Dilawar would face embarrassment over the condition of Rajasthan’s schools and said he would personally visit schools again.
Ranka also said the CJP’s demand could now extend beyond school-related issues to seeking Dilawar’s resignation.
Meanwhile, Dilawar posted on social media that continuous efforts were being made to strengthen government schools in Rajasthan, including infrastructure development, construction and repairs, smart classrooms, laboratories and other essential facilities.
The allegations made by both sides have yet to be independently established.
The police investigation and the FIRs filed by the two parties are expected to determine the sequence of events and responsibility for Friday’s clash.
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