Mumbai: Replicas of musical instruments made of various colorful flowers… peacocks, butterflies, elephants, horses and sanais adorned with flowers, choghdhe, trumpets… abundance of flowers… amazing petunias, broccoli, salvia plants… fragrant flowers with marigolds, roses, mogra etc… plants… vines, vegetables… and for all this, decorated with fertilizers, pots etc., the Andheri Flower Festival was inaugurated today by actor Padma Shri Shri Akshay Kumar. On this occasion, Mumbai Municipal Corporation Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, MLA Amit Satam, MLA Haroon Khan, Corporator Sudha Singh, Corporator Deepak Kotekar, Corporator M Rohan Rathod, Corporator Anish Makwani, Corporator Sunita Mehta, Corporator Vitthal Bhanderi, Corporator Rupesh Savarkar, Corporator Savarkar, Corporator Bhagya Shri Kapse, Assistant Commissioner of West Zone Chakrapani Ale, Municipal Corporation Parks Superintendent Jitendra Pardeshi and various dignitaries were present. Recently, the Mumbai Flower Festival was organized in South Mumbai by the Mumbai Municipal Corporation. About 1.5 lakh Mumbaikars attended and enjoyed the exhibition. After this exhibition, the Flower Festival is now being organized in Andheri too. This two-day festival is being organized at the Pushpa Narsi Adyar of the Municipal Corporation located on the road. The flower festival is open to all citizens on Saturday, February 14 and Sunday, February 15, 2026 from 8 am to 9 pm. The Andheri Flower Festival is decorated with colorful flowers. There are also halls for trees, pots, fertilizers, garden tools, various plants and tree nurseries, flower medicines, pesticides, sprayers, fertilizers, etc. Along with this, various bonsai varieties, ornamental plants, flowers, vegetables, medicinal plants are also put up for display.

Actor Akshay Kumar said, Mumbai is a very busy city. The Municipal Corporation has organized a beautiful flower festival. This flower festival should be held twice a year. One thing is felt in the flower festival, that is, to come here and ‘stop’. ‘Stopping’ is very important in life. Come and be calm in life. Come here, sit, look… These flowers want to tell you something, that they bring ‘peace’ in your life. Feed yourself. Don’t compete with anyone, just let yourself bloom and when everyone blooms, then only a ‘garden’ is formed. Everyone has many works. I also work a lot. But I completely relax myself after 6 pm. Because the most important thing is health. We should take great care of our health and the flower festival makes you aware of this. Bhushan Gagrani, Commissioner of Mumbai Municipal Corporation, said, the flower festival is an important step taken to protect the environment of Mumbai. We want to take this campaign and this heritage to a higher level, so that every Mumbaikar is involved in it. This treasure of nature should not belong to the municipal corporation or any one person, it is the treasure of every Mumbaikar. We all want to protect it.

MLA Mr. Amit Sattam said that we all should keep Mumbai city clean and beautiful at all times. For this, the actor presented the idea of ​​a cleanliness competition. In which Andheri should compete with Parla, Parla with Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz with Bandra, Bandra with Mahim, Mahim with Dadar and Dadar with Malabar Hill, he suggested organizing a cleanliness competition. We will definitely think about this in the coming time. Mumbai is currently at number nine in Swachh Bharat. MLA Sattam also said that we will try to bring Mumbai to number one soon.

Local citizens, students of municipal schools, youth, senior citizens etc. are visiting the first flower fair in Andheri.

Mumbai: The Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO), Maharashtra South Zone has submitted its recommendations to the state government for the 2026-27 budget. The report calls for a planned systemic change in the education sector, urging the Maharashtra government to allocate at least 20% of the total budget expenditure for education to ensure the constitutional values ​​of equity and inclusive development.

Despite Maharashtra’s rapid economic growth, the report highlights the lack of development opportunities for the Muslim community. Citing decades of data from the Sachar, Kundu, and Mahmud-ur-Rehman committees, it has been observed that Muslims often lag behind Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) in key human development indicators, especially in urban and backward districts.

Key points and recommendations:

1. Education Crisis in Urdu Primary Schools

The report reveals a clear disparity in student retention: Only 10 out of every 100 students in Urdu medium schools reach the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) level, while the number is 27 in Marathi medium schools.

SIO Demands:

Infrastructure Development: The state government should address the fact that 9.1% of these schools lack boys’ toilets and 6.9% lack girls’ toilets.

Teacher Retention: Special attention should be paid to urgent recruitment and regularization of contract teachers to address the student-teacher ratio.

2. Addressing the Shortage of Digital and Other Resources

Currently, only 7% of Urdu medium schools have computer laboratories and the computer-to-student ratio is 81:1, SIO demands dedicated funding for smart classrooms and AI-powered learning tools.

3. Reforms in Secondary and Higher Education

To prevent dropouts at the transition stage, SIO suggests:

Extension of RTE Act: The age limit of Right to Education (RTE) Act should be extended to 18 years.

New Institutions: A Central University should be established in Maharashtra to maintain the quality of education and a Higher Education Regulatory Authority should be set up.

Career Opportunities: Vocational exposure at the upper primary stage and career counselling cells should be introduced in all junior colleges.

4. Financial Aid and Minority Welfare

The organization demands the government to increase the scholarship allocation to fill the gap left by the closure of MANF and pre-matric scholarships, while ensuring timely and transparent distribution to economically weaker families.

5. Urban Development

Beyond the classroom, SIO proposes special interventions in minority-centric areas, including public parks, libraries, student centres and better sanitation management, etc.

In this regard, SIO South Maharashtra President Uzair Ahmed Rangrez said, “The 2026-27 budget is a major opportunity to correct long-standing regional and social imbalances. We are not just asking for funding, we are asking for a roadmap for social justice. By prioritizing these recommendations, the government can ensure that every citizen is included in the ‘Maharashtra Development Agenda’, regardless of the region they come from or the language they speak.” This was informed here today by
Awais Siddiqui
State Secretary, Public Relations
SIO, South Maharashtra.

Kalyan, Feb 14: In a dramatic late-night operation reminiscent of a film sequence, a joint police team arrested a Pune-based ‘most wanted’ accused from the densely populated Irani Basti area of Kalyan, triggering tense scenes and commotion in the locality.

The operation was carried out jointly by Unit 2 of the Pimpri Chinchwad Crime Branch and officers from Khadakpada Police Station following specific intelligence inputs.

Acting on credible information that the accused, identified as Mohammad Qamar Irani, was hiding in his native locality in Kalyan after absconding in connection with a serious offence registered in Pune, the crime branch team rushed to the city and coordinated with local police for a swift operation.

Police sources said a strategic cordon was laid around the house in Irani Basti to prevent any escape. However, as soon as the team approached the premises, chaos erupted.

Family members of the accused allegedly attempted to obstruct the arrest. In particular, women relatives reportedly came forward in an attempt to block the police action, leading to a brief but tense stand-off.

Despite resistance, officers maintained restraint and handled the situation tactfully to avoid escalation. After a short confrontation, the accused was successfully taken into custody without any major untoward incident. He was later brought to Khadakpada Police Station for further legal formalities before being handed over to the Pune team.

Officials said the accused has a long criminal record and had been on the run for several days. His arrest is being viewed as a significant breakthrough for the Pune police, who had intensified efforts to track him down.

The swift coordination between the Pimpri Chinchwad Crime Branch and Khadakpada Police Station has drawn appreciation within the department, as the operation culminated in the capture of a key accused who had managed to evade law enforcement until now. Further investigation is underway.