Maharashtra
Shinde-Fadnavis combine loses no time to dismantle MVA legacy

Barely hours after they were sworn-in on June 30 evening, the new Chief Minister Eknath S. Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis indicated that they meant business.
One of the first major decisions was to strike down the erstwhile Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) proposal to construct the Mumbai Metro 3 car-shed in Kanjurmarg, instead of the lush green Aarey Colony — where it was originally planned by Fadnavis during his tenure as the CM (2014-2019).
The Shinde-Fadnavis’ move, though anticipated, attracted howls of protest from greens, activists and even former CM Uddhav Thackeray — who was like a �godfather’ to Aarey Colony — and his son ex-Minister Aditya Thackeray.
A sad Thackeray publicly appealed, with �folded hands’ to Shinde-Fadnavis, not to bring back the Metro car-shed to Aarey Colony forests in the interests of Mumbai and the city’s environment, while Aditya urged the new regime not to vent their angst against the Thackerays on Mumbaikars.
Fadnavis responded with the right noises that he would �respect’ Thackeray’s sentiments before taking any final decision and days later, uprooted the Additional Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide to reinstate her as the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (MMRCL) Managing Director.
In October 2019, as the then MMRCL MD, Bhide — often regarded as the �mother-in-law’ of Mother Nature, had shocked the nation when Aarey Colony overnight got a massive haircut — 2,141 trees were chopped off in barely 40 hours, or @1 tree/minute�!
Thackeray Jr., Congress workers, green groups and activists have been fuming and protesting at the new regime’s latest reversal, but Bhide is entrusted with the task of pushing through the contentious proposal.
After the MVA allies, Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party, had scuttled the Centre’s plans to construct the terminus for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project in the Bandra Kurla Complex, the Shinde-Fadnavis ministry took a relook at the much delayed mega-project.
They have resolved to build the Bullet Train terminus at the original intended BKC site and ordered the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to shut down and pack up its 2-year-old Covid Jumbo Field Hospital there within 2 months, by September.
In another jolt, the government has scrapped over 4,000 big and small water conservation projects in the state worth more than Rs 5,000 crore, designed to make the state �drought-free’ by 2025.
However, in contrast, the government has decided to �revive’ the “Jalyukt Shivar Project”, the pet scheme of Fadnavis when he was the CM, but which was struck down by the MVA.
The Thackeray regime had based its decision on an open enquiry into the project after the CAG expressed doubts about the JST’s effectiveness, and later a probe panel had submitted a report highlighting various irregularities in that scheme.
The government has also opted to bring back the Emergency Pension Scheme, introduced by Fadnavis in 2018, rewarding those who had undergone jail terms during the Emergency (1975-1977), considered a dark chapter in Indian history.
The MVA government had yanked off the EPS — Fadnavis suspects it was done under pressure from the Congress — which entitled a pension of between Rs 5000-Rs 10,000 depending on the period of imprisonment the beneficiary had undergone.
Shinde also struck down the decision cancelling direct election of village Sarpanches and Municipal Council Presidents – introduced in 2017 by Fadnavis, and which was removed by the Thackeray government in 2020.
These reversals or cancellations have taken place despite an assurance by the Shinde-Fadnavis government that they would refrain from dumping any policies, projects or schemes of the MVA, unless they are found to be absolutely inessential.
However, giving a minor concession, the three-week old government assured that it would �review’ the MVA’s proposal to rename Aurangabad as �Sambhajinagar’ and Osmanabad as �Dharashiv’. The AIMIM has cried foul and the Nationalist Congress Party had dissociated itself from the original move.
Now, the Sena-NCP-Congress combine is worried that the axe could fall on several other mega projects it had launched during the 31-month-long MVA rule.
Of particular concern are the Rs 1,600-crore water desalination plant to make Mumbai self-sufficient in drinking water, and the ongoing Mumbai Coastal Road Project — both intended to be �show-pieces’ of the Shiv Sena ahead of the BMC elections.
Crime
Thane Crime Branch Arrests 25-Year-Old Serial Housebreaker, Cracks 9 Theft Cases In Bhiwandi; Seizes Gold Worth ₹5.98 Lakh

Thane: The Thane Crime Branch Unit 2 has arrested a 25-year-old habitual thief and cracked nine house break-in cases reported across Bhiwandi.
Gold Worth ₹5.98 Lakh Recovered from Accused Akash Jadhav
According to police sources, 58 grams of gold ornaments worth ₹5.98 lakh were recovered from the accused’s possession. The suspect has been identified as Akash alias Chinya Jadhav, a resident of the Manpada area in Thane.
The investigation began after an FIR was filed at Narpoli police station for a housebreaking incident involving an unidentified suspect. Crime Branch officials, along with local police, launched a joint investigation. CCTV footage and technical intelligence led to the identification of Jadhav.
A trap was laid, and the accused was apprehended. He was produced in court and remanded to police custody for further investigation.
History of Theft: 9 Cases Registered Across Four Police Stations
During questioning, police discovered that Jadhav has a history of theft, with nine cases registered against him. These include five at Narpoli, two at Bhiwandi City, one at Nizampura, and one at Shantinagar police station.
Police confirmed the recovery of stolen gold ornaments during the arrest. Further investigation is underway.
Maharashtra
Shiv Sena Protests Outside Congress Office Over Ex-Maha CM Prithviraj Chavan’s Controversial Remarks On Malegaon Blast Verdict

Mumbai: Shiv Sena workers staged a protest outside the Congress office on Saturday, slamming senior party leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan over his recent remarks concerning the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case.
The protest came in response to Chavan’s comments following the acquittal of all seven accused in the Malegaon blast case by a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court. The court ruled that there was “no reliable and cogent evidence” to support the charges against the accused, which included BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Colonel Prasad Purohit. The blast, which occurred on September 29, 2008, near a mosque in Malegaon, killed six people and injured 101 others. It took nearly 17 years for the final verdict.
While speaking to media after the court’s decision, Chavan distanced himself from the controversial term “saffron terror.” He stated, “Don’t use the term ‘Saffron terrorism’. If you want to describe such acts, use ‘Hindu fundamentalist’ or ‘Hindu terrorism’ instead.” He also highlighted that saffron is a colour of cultural and religious significance, representing the flag of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the Warkari sect, and revered saints like Sant Tukaram and Sant Dnyaneshwar.
However, his choice of alternative phrases sparked outrage among right-wing groups and BJP allies. Shiv Sena, a coalition partner in the Maharashtra government, led the protest, condemning Chavan’s statements. Protesters demanded an apology, accusing the Congress of repeatedly targeting Hindu beliefs under the guise of secularism.
Chavan also responded to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement that “no Hindu can ever be a terrorist. “I want to remind Amit Shah that the first terrorist act in independent India was carried out by Nathuram Godse. What was his religion? Terrorism has no religion. This is BJP’s mindset, linking or delinking terrorism based on religious identity.”
Maharashtra
Mithi River Desilting Scam: ED Raids BMC Engineer, Contractors; Freezes ₹47 Crore, Uncovers Civic Nexus

Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has frozen assets worth over Rs 47 crore after conducting search operations at eight locations across Mumbai in connection with the ongoing probe into the Rs 65-crore Mithi River desilting scam ,the central agency said on Saturday.
BMC Contractors and Senior Engineer Under Lens
The searches, carried out on July 31 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), were conducted at premises linked to BMC contractors M/s Acute Designs, M/s Kailash Construction Company, M/s Nikhil Construction Co, M/s N A Construction Pvt Ltd, and M/s J.R.S Infrastructure and and BMC’s Deputy Chief Engineer Prashant Krishna Tayshete.
With the latest action, the total value of proceeds of crime seized and frozen in the case now stands at approximately Rs 49.8 crore.
According to officials, the federal agency’s action led to the seizure of several incriminating documents, digital devices, and records of suspicious immovable property transactions, which are now under scrutiny.
The ED initiated its investigation following a case registered at Azad Maidan Police Station, Mumbai, under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against 13 individuals and entities, including those mentioned above, for allegedly causing a wrongful loss of over Rs 65 crore to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
Scam Involved Forged MoUs and Fake NOCs
Evidence gathered during the course of the investigation and search operations has revealed irregularities in the Mithi River desilting contracts. According to the Enforcement Directorate, contractors allegedly colluded with officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) Storm Water Drainage (SWD) department to submit forged documents, including fake Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) from landowners and No Objection Certificates (NoCs) from gram panchayats, for lands purportedly used for silt dumping.
Machinery Procurement Manipulated for Kickbacks
The probe has further revealed that certain BMC officials misused their official positions for personal financial gain by manipulating the procurement process. Specifically, expensive machinery such as silt pushers and multipurpose amphibious pontoon machines were allegedly included in the 2021–2022 tenders to benefit select contractors.
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