Mumbai: Mumbai began its Monday with clear blue skies, cool breezes and a refreshing winter nip, but the pleasant weather was overshadowed by a dense layer of smog that settled over the city. Despite the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting clear skies and temperatures between 19°C and 32°C, the worsening pollution quickly became the dominant feature of the day. Visibility dipped across several areas and the city’s morning calm was replaced by unease as residents stepped out to find the air thick and acrid.

The city’s ongoing construction surge remains a major contributor to the pollution spike. Dust from large-scale infrastructure projects, including metro lines, bridges, coastal roads and extensive redevelopment, continues to lift fine particulate matter into the atmosphere. Private real estate work adds to the load, creating a mix of suspended dust and vehicular emissions that the city’s breezes struggle to disperse.

By early morning, AQI.in recorded Mumbai’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) at 255, firmly placing it in the ‘unhealthy’ category. This marks a steep rise from the comparatively milder conditions seen earlier in the season. Many residents reported symptoms associated with elevated PM2.5 exposure, burning eyes, throat irritation, headaches and a persistent dryness in the nose. From elevated points in the city, the skyline appeared faded and distant, signalling the alarming spread of pollutants.

Pollution hotspots across Mumbai revealed the extent of the problem. Wadala Truck Terminal once again topped the charts with a hazardous AQI of 455. Chembur followed at 316 and Kurla at 306, both long-standing industrial clusters. Prominent business districts such as Bandra Kurla Complex (306) and coastal zones like Worli (305) also reported severe pollution, driven by a mix of traffic, construction dust and humidity trapping pollutants closer to the ground.

Suburban areas, though slightly better off, weren’t spared. Jogeshwari East registered an AQI of 113 and Govandi 133, both falling in the poor category. Other residential belts such as Charkop (140), Parel–Bhoiwada (187) and Borivali East (187) also remained in the poor range, reflecting the widespread nature of the pollution wave.

For context, AQI between 0–50 is considered Good, 51–100 Moderate, 101–150 Poor, 151–200 Unhealthy, and anything above 200 falls into the Hazardous zone. With AQI levels above 200 considered hazardous, Mumbai’s worsening air quality threatens to eclipse the charm of winter, raising concerns about health impacts and what the coming months may bring.

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday, December 6, said all efforts will be taken to ensure completion of the grand memorial of Babasaheb Ambedkar at Indu Mill in Mumbai’s Dadar area by next year. While speaking at a function at Dadar’s ‘Chaityabhoomi’ to mark the 69th Mahaparinirvan Day (death anniversary), the CM said, “Construction work is on, and all efforts will be taken to complete it by December 6 next year.”

– The under-construction 450-foot memorial of Bharat Ratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, taking shape very close to the sacred ground of Chaityabhoomi, features a 350-foot-tall statue and a 100-foot-high pedestal.

– A steel and bronze statue, standing 350 feet tall, is being prepared in Ghaziabad by the firm of renowned sculptor Ram Sutar, a Maharashtra Bhushan and Padma Bhushan awardee.

– More than 1,478 tonnes of steel and 107 tonnes of bronze have already been procured; intricate bronze panels covering 661 square metres are complete.

– The 4-hectare memorial also features a 1,000-seater auditorium, a research centre with seminar halls, a library, a meditation area, a promenade, a Parikrama Path, two-story parking area.

– In an update by MMRDA, it stated that over 54 per cent of the work on the monument is complete.

– The Maharashtra govt had in 2013 appointed the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority as the Special Planning Authority (SPA) for the development of the memorial on a 4.84-hectare plot. Its ‘bhoomi pujan’ was held on October 11, 2015, at the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

– The site is close to ‘Chaityabhoomi’, where lakhs of followers converge every year on December 6 to mark the death anniversary of Ambedkar. He died on this day in 1956.

NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule has questioned the delay in the construction of the memorial complex. While speaking to reporters

Speaking to reporters after paying tribute at ‘Chaityabhoomi’ on the 69th Mahaparinirvan Diwas of Babasaheb Ambedkar, she said, “Even after land was given for the grand memorial, why is it taking so long to complete it? Big road and infrastructure projects of the state are being completed, but this memorial is a place of faith for all of us. Why is it still not complete? The state government must answer.”

Thane, Dec 06: Thane City’s NDPS branch has achieved a major success. Under an on-ground operation, the police have exposed an active gang selling narcotic substances. In this action, the police have recovered approximately 02 kg 201 grams of hashish (charas), the market value of which is estimated to be one crore ten lakh sixty-five thousand rupees.

This operation was led by Senior Police Inspector Nitin Shinde. His team included officers and personnel from the crime branch, who carried out this action based on secret information.

Police had received information that some individuals were selling hashish and other intoxicating substances in the Mumbra area. Following this, the team laid a trap, cordoned off, and caught the suspect in the Bandewadi area. A large quantity of hashish was recovered from his possession upon search.

The suspected accused has been identified as Moin Khan, alias Hasrat Ali Siddiqui. Preliminary interrogation revealed that he used to illegally procure hashish from Jammu and Kashmir and sell it in Thane, Mumbai, and surrounding areas. The accused already has several serious crimes registered against him.

In this regard, Mumbra Police has registered a case under NDPS Act 20(a)(i)(b), 29, and further investigation is underway. The police are also trying to find out who else is involved in this network and how far this hashish supply chain extends.