Mumbai The Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has launched a technology-based initiative to use QR coded reflective collars for stray dogs. These collars will facilitate identification of stray dogs that have undergone anti-rabies vaccination and sterilization, as well as enable their digital registration and tracking. In this regard, an agreement was signed between BMC and Ridlan AI Foundation at the BMC headquarters today (August 20, 2026). The event was attended by Deputy Commissioner (Special) Vinay Vijpute, Head of Veterinary Health Department Dr. Kaleem Pasha Pathan, and Akshay Ridlan of Ridlan AI Foundation, along with other officials and staff of the Veterinary Health Department. As per the directions of the High Court. With the objective of animal welfare in mind, various measures are being implemented under the guidance of BMC Commissioner Ashwini Bhide. Led by Ashwini Bhide and Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Prajakta Laungare, these initiatives include stray dog ​​management, Animal Birth Control (ABC) and anti-rabies measures. Moreover, to achieve the broader goal of making Mumbai rabies-free by 2030, the corporation is strengthening field-level surveillance and management through the use of technology and digital information systems. This initiative has been taken as part of these efforts. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) conducts a massive anti-rabies vaccination drive for stray dogs every year. Earlier, vaccinated dogs were identified with coloured ink or other temporary markings. However, as these markings started fading or disappearing over time, long-term identification and monitoring became difficult. The initiative to use reflective collars equipped with QR codes will enable a more sustainable, systematic and technology-enabled mechanism for identifying dogs that have undergone vaccination and sterilization. As per the established data access protocol, the recorded information about a specific dog can be retrieved through QR tags, facilitating more effective monitoring of vaccination, sterilization, and health interventions. This digital system will support evidence-based planning, prevent duplication of necessary interventions, enhance field-level surveillance, and strengthen coordination between BMC, animal welfare organizations, veterinary teams, and other stakeholders. In the future, this digital registry can serve as a key source of information for Mumbai’s long-term rabies eradication strategy. Moreover, this initiative has immense importance from a public health perspective. Access to reliable and up-to-date information on vaccination and deworming coverage will help identify gaps in service, improve follow-up measures, and strengthen efforts to eradicate rabies. According to the municipal administration, this digital registry will help improve coordination between animal welfare and public health systems, thus reinforcing the broader goal of reducing human deaths from dog-transmitted rabies.

1 km long and 7.5 m wide path for the convenience of Mumbaikars, a big boost for Mumbai tourism, says Standing Committee Chairman Prabhakar Shinde

Mumbai; The proposal for construction of an underground pedestrian subway to connect Nehru Science Centre Metro Station (Metro-3) in Worli with Worli Promenade and the proposed 300-acre landscaped garden was approved by the ‘Senator’s Meeting and Coastal Road Project’. Standing Committee Chairman Prabhakar Shinde said that the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will bear the cost of Rs 702 crore 44 lakh 35 thousand 7 for this underground subway, while the construction work will be carried out by the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation.

Standing Committee Chairman Prabhakar Shinde said that Coastal Road has proven to be a historic, dream project for the people of Mumbai. A grand landscaped garden spread over about 300 acres has been proposed with this project. Along with the garden, a dedicated promenade on Coastal Road will be available for the citizens. However, currently the area is relatively easy to access by four-wheeler, but there is no proper connectivity for the common people to reach it easily by public transport or on foot. The proposed underground pedestrian subway will play a major role in solving this problem.

This underground walkway is proposed to enable citizens to walk directly from the Nehru Science Centre Metro Station, which passes under Lala Lajpat Rai Road and passes through the Mahalaxmi Racecourse area to the Worli Promenade and Landscape Gardens. Spread over a length of about 1 km and a width of 7.5 metres, this walkway will facilitate safe and easy movement of a large number of people. The number of metro riders in Mumbai is constantly increasing, and the metro is proving to be an affordable and convenient mode of public transport for the common Mumbaikars. Upon reaching the Nehru Science Centre via Metro Line 3, citizens will be able to directly reach the Promenade and Landscape Gardens using this underground walkway.

This initiative will reduce the dependence on private vehicles and will also promote public transport as well as pedestrian infrastructure. The underground walkway is also expected to significantly boost tourism in the coastal road area. Once the landscape garden is completed, both locals and tourists from the country and abroad will be able to reach the area affordably via the metro. Mr. Prabhakar Shinde noted that this route will serve as an important link in enhancing Mumbai’s tourism infrastructure. Prabhakar Shinde, Chairman of the Standing Committee, informed that the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation had expressed readiness to start the construction of the underground tunnel in June 2025. Subsequently, during a joint meeting held in December 2025, the Municipal Commissioner approved the execution of the project by the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation.

It was also decided that the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) would bear the financial cost of the project. The expanding network of the metro is playing a significant role in reducing traffic congestion and reducing the burden on Mumbai’s roads, thereby reducing the pressure on the municipal road transport system.

Following the same principle, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had earlier provided an amount of around Rs 2,500 crore for the Metro 3 project. Now, the corporation has expressed its readiness to take up the financial responsibility of the construction of this underground pedestrian subway, which works in the public interest. Both BMC and Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation are public sector undertakings. What is wrong with one public body engaging another to carry out works that benefit the citizens?

Instead of awarding the contract to an outside contractor, it was decided to leverage the technical expertise of the Metro 3 project to complete the work more efficiently. It is surprising why this has created a stir for some. It seems that those who are used to the lucrative profits associated with contract-based work are unable to digest the proposal. However, for the Bharatiya Janata Party, the welfare of Mumbaikars is paramount. Standing Committee Chairman Prabhakar Shinde remarked that the proposal was approved by a majority vote to provide state-of-the-art, safe and convenient pedestrian facilities to the citizens. Shinde noted that this underground pedestrian subway will create an effective connection between the Metro, Coastal Road, Promenade, and the proposed landscaped garden, which will serve as a key connection for safe, convenient and affordable public transport for Mumbaikars in the future.

Supreme Court’s former Justice R. Subhash Reddy will head the five-member High-Powered Enquiry Committee (HPEC) constituted by the apex court to investigate allegations of police excesses during the students’ march from Jantar Mantar towards Parliament on July 20.

The other members of the panel are: the Punjab & Haryana High Court’s former Chief Justice Ravi Shankar Jha, Delhi High Court’s former judge, Justice Shalinder Kaur, the Central Bureau of Investigation’s former Director Rishi Kumar Shukla, and Meghalaya’s former DGP, Dr L.R. Bishnoi.

The Supreme Court said in its order that the constitution of the HPEC “shall in no way deter or debar the Police authorities or other security forces from taking administrative or disciplinary action against such of their officers as may be found to be in contravention of the rules governing their conduct”.

The issues identified for investigation by the Committee include allegations of excessive force, including pellet guns, electric batons, lathi charges and tear gas, as well as the question whether police responses were proportionate to the constitutional right to peaceful protest.

It will also examine whether police/security personnel were properly identifiable through uniforms and nameplates.

In its order delivered on Tuesday, a bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant directed the HPEC to look into “the use of excessive force and violence against protestors by police authorities and other agencies, including the deployment of pellet guns, electric batons, lathi charges, and tear gas without adequate warning or proportionality, resulting in severe bodily harm and injuries, some of which are alleged to be of a grievous and lasting nature”.

The Committee will also look into the necessity of ensuring that police and security personnel wear proper uniforms and visible nameplates at the time of effecting arrests or using force during crowd control operations, so as to secure accountability and enable the identification of individual officers.

The CJI clarified that the larger constitutional questions related to facial recognition technology, surveillance and privacy will be decided by the apex court itself and not by the committee.

The Supreme Court also directed the presentation of CCTV footage to the Committee for investigation.

“The Police Authorities, Para-Military Forces, and other Investigating Agencies, who were directed vide order dated July 28, 2026, to preserve all CCTV footage, drone footage, body-worn camera recordings, videography, wireless communication records, and PCR call logs pertaining to the student protests, and furnish the entire record to the HPEC and extend their full cooperation,” it said.

The court asked the Committee to complete its inquiry and deliberations and submit its ‘First Interim Report’ at the earliest.

Alleged violence, harassment, and molestation of women protesters; provision for medical assistance and compensation for injured protesters; use of prohibitory orders under Section 163 BNSS and whether Section 152 BNSS was used in a manner that could suppress peaceful political dissent will also be examined by the panel.