Maharashtra
Parrikar’s son to quit BJP, contest Goa polls as independent candidate
Rejecting the BJP’s efforts to arrive at a compromise, former Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar’s son Utpal Parrikar said on Friday that he would resign from the saffron party and contest as an Independent candidate for the February 14 polls from the Panaji Assembly constituency, which was formerly represented by his father.
Addressing a press conference here, Utpal Parrikar also said that his candidature was rejected by the party during the 2019 Panaji bypolls — facilitated after his father’s death — despite support from his constituents, adding that the BJP no longer looks like the party of which his father was a part.
“People of Panaji did not vote for Manohar Parrikar just because he was an MP. They voted for him because he stood for some values. The time has come for me to also stand for those values,” Utpal Parrikar said, adding that he would be resigning from the party and contesting as an Independent candidate.
“Last time, the organisation rejected my candidature despite popular support due to some special reasons. People know the circumstances… Now it does not look like a decision of Parrikar’s party,” Utpal said.
Manohar Parrikar’s elder son’s candidature has been rejected twice by the BJP, in the 2019 bypolls and now in 2022. In the express instance, the BJP has offered a ticket to sitting MLA Atanasio Monserrate.
When Monserrate had contested the 2019 bypolls as a Congress candidate, BJP leaders had slammed him citing the list of criminal offences registered against him, which included a rape charge of a minor girl, extortion and leading a mob attack on a city police station.
Monserrate had won the polls on the Congress ticket, but had joined the BJP soon after.
“I feel embarrassed to talk about the candidate put up by the party. In Panaji, where the party has grown over 30 years, (the party) has given a ticket to someone who joined just two years ago. I have no choice now. I have to go to the people,” he said.
“As far as a political party is concerned, the only party available to me is the BJP. The other platform is Independent, my own platform which I had to do unfortunately in these circumstances for the values I believe in,” he said, adding that he would not be joining any other political outfit.
Maharashtra
Mumbai Rains: Water Stock Level From City’s Seven Lakes Reaches 99.02%; Konkan Region On Yellow Alert

Mumbai: The city wakes up to gloomy skies and water stocls reaching at 224,636 million litres (ML), reaching 99.02% of the total capacity. According to the 6:00 AM report on September 18, 2025, the seven lakes supplying water to Mumbai are holding near-maximum levels, ensuring a secure water supply for the coming months.
Upper Vaitarna recorded a water level of 603.81 meters, showing a slight rise of 0.02 meters, with live storage at 224,636 million litres (ML). Modak Sagar remained steady at 163.15 meters with 128,910 ML storage, while Tansa lake showed no change at 128.54 meters, storing 143,416 ML. Middle Vaitarna stood at 284.44 meters with 191,059 ML, reflecting a minor drop of 0.12 meters.
Together, the Upper Vaitarna group accounts for 688,022 ML. Bhatsa, the largest contributor, recorded 141.79 meters with 709,355 ML, while Vehar and Tulsi stood at 80.28 meters and 139.20 meters respectively, holding 27,698 ML and 8,046 ML. In total, Mumbai’s reservoirs currently hold 1,433,121 ML of water.
Officials highlighted that water release from Upper Vaitarna began on August 21, and several dams have overflowed in recent weeks. At the Bhandup Complex, no fresh rainfall was recorded today, but seasonal totals stand at 2,698 millimeters.
A look back over the past five years shows that 2025 is among the healthiest seasons for reservoir storage. Current levels are at 99.02 percent, surpassing 2020’s 92.38 percent, 2021’s 86.86 percent, 2022’s exceptional 96.91 per cent, 2023’s 83.01 per cent, and 2024’s late August surge to 94.87 per cent. The most recent time Mumbai’s seven major lakes supplying drinking water reached 99% full before today was around 1 October 2024, when the water stock was reported at 99.37% capacity.
Mumbai woke up to calmer weather on Thursday after days of intense downpours that caused traffic snarls and waterlogging across the city. Weather conditions across Mumbai and its surrounding areas are forecast to remain manageable today. The India Meteorological Department predicts mostly cloudy skies with light to moderate rain in Mumbai, with daytime temperatures around 28 degrees Celsius and minimums near 25 degrees. Thane and Navi Mumbai will see similar patterns, while Palghar expects light to moderate showers.
The Konkan belt, including Raigad, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg, remains under a yellow alert for isolated heavy showers and gusty winds. With reservoirs nearly full and subdued rainfall expected, Mumbaikars can look forward to stable water supply and fewer disruptions compared to the chaotic scenes earlier this week.
Maharashtra
Mumbai News: BMC Launches Pilot Cleanliness Drive At Vakola River To Curb Dumping And Promote Waste Segregation

Mumbai: In a bid to curb dumping in Mumbai’s nullahs and rivers, the BMC is set to launch a public awareness campaign. As part of a pilot initiative, a cleanliness drive will be conducted at the Vakola River. This effort will involve local residents, solid waste management (SWM) experts, and NGOs, working together to clean the river and promote responsible waste disposal.
The announcement was made by Deputy Municipal Commissioner Kiran Dighavkar during a workshop held in MIG club at Bandra on Wednesday. The BMC’s ‘H East’ ward, the World Resources Institute India (WRI), and various non-governmental organisations working in the field of SWM jointly organised a ward-wise stakeholder workshop titled ‘Journey Towards Community Participation for Waste Management in Mumbai’.
The workshop included brainstorming sessions on topics such as waste segregation, raising awareness among citizens, and cleaning efforts for the Mithi River and Vakola nullah to keep them free of waste.
Dighavkar further stated, “Following the pilot cleanliness drive for the Vakola nullah, the initiative will be expanded in the future to cover all rivers and nullahs across Mumbai on a larger scale.”
Mrudula Ande, Assistant Municipal Commissioner of H East Ward, said, “While BMC staff are working tirelessly, open dumping in densely populated areas remains a challenge. The ward collects nearly 300 tonnes of waste daily.”
She stressed the need for sustained solutions and proposed setting designated days for collecting different types of waste — dry, wet, and electronic — to promote better segregation at the source.
A large volume of waste is generated daily from residential, commercial, industrial, and informal settlements. Much of this waste is dumped in open spaces and water bodies, including the Mithi River, Vakola, Poisar river, and smaller drains—leading to environmental degradation and waterlogging during heavy rains.
Experts at the workshop emphasised that community participation is crucial to keeping Mumbai clean and beautiful. The discussion highlighted the importance of waste segregation, disposing of garbage only in designated bins, and using BMC-provided waste collection containers in housing societies. Raising public awareness on these practices was identified as a key priority.
The event was also attended by Deputy Commissioner (Zone 3) Vishwas Mote, Assistant Commissioner Dinesh Pallewad, Jyoti Mhapsekar (Stree Mukti Sanghatana), Amita Bhide (TISS), representatives from NGOs, and BMC officials.
Maharashtra
Mumbai: Man Arrested For Defacing Meenatai Thackeray Statue With Red Oil Paint At Shivaji Park, Dadar

Mumbai: The statue of late Meenatai Thackeray, the wife of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, at Shivaji Park was defaced with red oil paint, leading to the arrest of a man on Wednesday evening who was identified through CCTV cameras. The accused has been identified as Upendra Pawaskar, an official said, adding that the suspect is being interrogated.
An FIR has been registered at Shivaji Park police station under BNS section 298 (destroying, damaging, or defiling a place of worship or a sacred object held by a class of people).
The incident occurred around 6.30 am, leaving red stains on the statue and its surroundings, sparking outrage among Shiv Sena (UBT) workers who quickly gathered at the spot and launched a protest. Reacting sharply, UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray slammed the move as “highly condemnable,” warning it could be a ploy to create unrest in Maharashtra.
“Such acts are usually done by stray elements who are ashamed even to take the names of their own parents, or by those trying to replicate attempts to disturb peace as seen in Bihar recently, where PM Narendra Modi’s mother was insulted,” Thackeray said.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also denounced the defacement, assuring that police would thoroughly investigate and arrest the culprits. “We will not allow this to be given any political colour. Police will take strict action against whoever is behind this,” he said.
Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde stated that he had personally spoken to the Police Commissioner and Joint Commissioner of Police, instructing them to trace the culprits within 24 hours.
Minister of State for Home and Revenue Yogesh Kadam, from the Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction, also condemned the act. Calling Meenatai Thackeray the “matriarch for all Shiv Sainiks,” he noted that the statue had been installed years ago at the instructions of Bal Thackeray, with his father Ramdas Kadam playing a key role in its erection.
MNS chief Raj Thackeray visited the site and directed police officials to check all CCTV footage in the area.
Meanwhile, Sena (UBT) leader and MP Anil Desai blamed the state government for security lapses. “This is nothing but the failure of the government,” he remarked.
As tempers ran high, Shiv Sena (UBT) workers cleaned the statue and its surroundings. Police have stepped up security in and around Shivaji Park to prevent further tension. Authorities are examining CCTV footage from the locality to identify the culprits.
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