National News
Politics of victimisation, says Karti on Chinese visa scam case

Karti Chidambaram, who on Thursday appeared before the CBI here in connection with the Chinese visa scam case, denied all the allegations and said that he “did not felicitate a single Chinese national” and the case was bogus.
He said that the earlier cases lodged against him were also “bogus and this one was the biggest of them”.
While arriving at headquarters of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) here, he spoke to the waiting mediapersons and said, “This is politics of victimisation and they are trying to tarnish my image,” said Karti.
Karti had to appear before the CBI on Wednesday but due to some reasons he could not. Now a team of elite officials of the CBI will record his statement.
S. Bhaskararaman, his Chartered Accountant, is currently in custodial remand of the CBI. Karti will be confronted with him. The CBI had told the court hat they wanted to confront him with Karti and other accused.
The CBI has also recovered 65,000 emails which will be used as evidence.
A sales deed recovered during the raids is of a property bought in Delhi’s Jor Bagh and the power of attorney is in the name of Bhaskararaman whereas the property was bought by Karti and his mother.
Karti Chidambaram will be questioned in this connection.
According to the FIR, a Mansa (Punjab) based private firm, Talwandi Sabo Power Limited, took help of a middleman and allegedly paid Rs 50 lakh to get the visa issued for Chinese nationals to complete a project before the deadline.
“The Mansa (Punjab)-based private firm was in the process of establishing a 1,980 MW thermal power plant and was outsourced to a Chinese company. The project was running behind its schedule. In order to avoid penal actions for the delay, the said private company was trying to bring more and more Chinese persons, professionals for their site at district Mansa (Punjab) and needed Project visas over and above the ceiling imposed by the Ministry of Home Affairs,” said the CBI official.
The official said that for the said purpose, the representative of the said private company approached a person based at Chennai through his close associate and thereafter they devised a back-door way to defeat the purpose of ceiling (maximum of Project Visas permissible to the company’s plant) by granting permission to reuse 263 Project Visas allotted to the said Chinese company’s officials.
In pursuance of the same, the said representative of the Mansa-based private company submitted a letter to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs seeking approval to reuse the Project Visas allotted to this company, which was approved within a month and permission was issued to the company.
“A bribe of Rs 50 lakh was allegedly demanded by the private person based at Chennai through his close associate which was paid by the Mansa-based private company. The payment of said bribe was routed from the Mansa-based private company to said private person of Chennai and his close associate through a Mumbai-based company as payment of false invoice raised for Consultancy and out of pocket expenses for Chinese Visas related works whereas the private company based at Mumbai was never in any kind of work relating to visas rather it was in an entirely different business of industrial knives,” said the CBI official.
It has been alleged that Karti’s father — senior Congress leader and former Union Minister P. Chidambaram allegedly helped the Chinese get visas by flouting rules.
The CBI officials said that they were looking into the matter.
National News
Mumbai News: Govandi’s Biomedical Waste Plant To Be Relocated To Panvel By September 2025 After Global Study Exposes Toxic Health Hazards

Mumbai, August 28: The long-standing concerns of Govandi residents about the Deonar Biomedical Waste Treatment Plant have now been validated in an international peer-reviewed journal, bringing global attention to a crisis that locals have raised for years.
A study by Dr. Tridibesh Dey of Aarhus Universitet, Denmark, published in Science, Technology & Human Values, documents how the facility—burning over 3,500 kg of plastic-rich hospital waste daily—is poisoning one of Mumbai’s most marginalized neighborhoods. Despite official claims of “controlled burning,” the research shows that the plant routinely releases toxic smoke and chemicals into the air.
These emissions, the study notes, compound already high tuberculosis and respiratory illness rates documented earlier by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). Dr. Dey describes Govandi as a “toxic sacrifice zone,” where the poor are forced to shoulder the city’s biomedical waste burden.
Local activist Faiyaz Shaikh, cited in the study, welcomed the global spotlight. “Now the world knows our reality. Govandi is choking, and this plant must be relocated,” he said, echoing the deep frustration of residents who have endured decades of hazardous living conditions.
The facility, run by Enviroclean, became a flashpoint during the COVID-19 pandemic when enormous volumes of disposable masks, gloves, and protective gear were incinerated. Residents vividly recall thick black smoke spreading across Baiganwadi, Shivaji Nagar, and adjoining settlements, enveloping homes, schools, and parks.
For many families—Dalits, fisherfolk, and migrant workers from northern India—the pollution is part of daily survival in one of Mumbai’s few affordable localities.
In 2019, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) recommended shutting down the plant after investigating repeated complaints. However, Enviroclean secured a stay order from the Bombay High Court, insisting it was the city’s only biomedical waste disposal facility.
While officials promised relocation and issued notices, deadlines repeatedly shifted. Even after a 2020 MPCB report claimed safety upgrades, residents maintained that smoke and dust continued to pollute their homes.
Now, change is finally underway. Following sustained protests and a Bombay High Court directive, the Govandi biomedical waste plant is being relocated. A new facility is under development at Jambhivali in Panvel, Raigad district, with land already allotted and environmental clearance pending.
Once approved, installation of the new incinerator is expected to take about a year, with relocation likely completed by September 2025. The MPCB is supervising the move, aiming to end decades of toxic exposure for Govandi’s residents.
Crime
Mumbai Airport Drug Bust: 19.65 Kg Hydroponic Weed Worth ₹19.65 Crore Seized At CSMIA, 4 Arrested For Smuggling From Thailand

Mumbai: The Mumbai Airport Customs officials have arrested four persons in three cases for allegedly smuggling drugs totally weighing 19.65 kgs valued at Rs 19.65 crore from Thailand.
According to the Customs, in the first two cases, on the basis of spot profiling, the Customs officers at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMI), Mumbai, intercepted two passengers arriving from Bangkok on 26.08.2025.
During the examination of the baggage, the Customs officers recovered 11.64 kg of suspected hydroponic weed (marijuana), with an illicit market value of approximately Rs 11.64 crores. The narcotic substance was cleverly concealed inside the checked-in trolley bag carried by the passengers. Two passengers were arrested under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
“In the third case, on the basis of specific intelligence, the Customs officers at CSMIA intercepted two passengers arriving from Phuket on 27.08.2025. During the examination of the baggage, the Customs officers recovered 8.01 kg of suspected hydroponic weed (marijuana), with an illicit market value of approximately Rs 8.01 crores. The narcotic substance was cleverly concealed inside the checked-in trolley bag carried by the passengers, who were later placed under arrest,” said a Customs official.
“As the investigation in the case is at a very preliminary stage, efforts are also being made to identify and apprehend key associates of the accused persons. Both the accused have been arrested and further probe is on,” the Customs official said.
National News
Mumbai Local News: Central Line Faces Temporary Delay Between Thane And Ambivli Due To Engine Failure Of Goods Train

Thane: As the city enjoys the festive season of Ganeshotsav, an unexpected hurdle has disturbed plans for many as Central line on Mumbai locals face temporary delay due to goods train’s engine failure.
The Central Railway services have been affected by a malfunction in the locomotive of a freight train situated between Titwala and Ambivali station. Railway workers have hurried to the location and commenced the engine repair tasks.
Travellers are experiencing difficulties because of the disturbances in Central Railway services during the holiday season. There is a large crowd of travellers at the train stations. Simultaneously, the engine repair work for the freight train is being conducted with urgency.
According to the travel app M-Indicator, the trains between Thane are facing delay of 15-20 minutes. Local traffic on the upward route connecting Kasara and Kalyan has been halted. Local traffic travelling from Kalyan to CSMT has been impacted, with local services on the down route experiencing delays of 15 to 20 minutes as well.
After the brutal train accident between Diva and Mumbra stations near Thane led to the death of five passengers who fell from an overcrowded local train, the Central Railway officials recognized the need for improved safety measures and have decided to implement automatic door closing systems in new and existing trains to enhance passenger safety.
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