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Maharashtra

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut terms ED an ‘extortionist’ and BJP’s ‘ATM’

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Making a sensational allegation, the Shiv Sena on Tuesday said that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is running extortion rackets in Maharashtra and West Bengal and has become the ‘ATM’ of the BJP, with activist Kirit Somaiya acting as their ‘collection agent’.

“The maximum operations of the ED and Income Tax Department are in Maharashtra and West Bengal. Today, a series of ITD raids are being carried out in Maharashtra,” said Shiv Sena Chief Spokesperson and MP Sanjay Raut.

The ED-ITD have carried out 14 operations in Maharashtra and 7 in West Bengal with the sole design of instilling fear and toppling the two states’ governments, he told a media conference.

Flanked by Mumbai South Sena MP Arvind Sawant, Raut said in the past few years, the ED has zeroed in on around 100 top builders and corporate houses to ‘extort’ hundreds of crores of rupees from them, with Somaiya acting as their conduit.

He claimed that one Jitendra Chandralal Navlani, who is a director in 7 companies is acting as the keeper of the ill-gotten wealth and ‘benami properties’ of ED officials and BJP leaders.

“The ED started ‘investigating’ these builders and corporate houses, but soon afterwards large sums of monies were transferred from various targeted persons to Navlani’s seven companies. Who is he and what are his connections with the BJP leaders? Will the ED-ITD take action against him, as they keep doing against us?” demanded Raut.

He listed the names of the chemicals giant United Phosphorus Ltd, the mega-engineering company Larsen & Toubro, K. Raheja Pvt Ltd, DHFL, builder Avinash Bhosale, IndiaBulls, HDIL, Omkar Realty, Wadhwa Realty, Inorbit Malls, DB Realty, Panorama Studios, Pallazio Hotels, Gaylord Co Ltd, Monsher Fire Protection Systems Pvt Ltd, Nerka Chemicals, and others who allegedly coughed out monies to Navlani’s various companies.

He said after these ‘bribe’ monies were transferred, the ED went slow, did not arrest, weaken case or exonerated the accused, but where the public pressure was huge or backlash from courts was expected, they made some arrests, but took care that their families were protected and all their assets were not seized to broker a deal later, with persons like Somaiya.

Dismissing outright the allegations against him, Somaiya told mediapersons that he has no connections with Navlani or any of the other persons mentioned by Raut and denied that he is an ‘agent’ for the ED, but vowed to continue his crusade against the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

Raut reiterated that on February 28, he had submitted a detailed 13-page complaint to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu, and is awaiting action.

The Sena MP said he has also given around 50 names to the ED-ITD with thousands of documentary evidence, but till date no action has been taken on it, and said that those tasked with prevention of money-laundering have themselves become money-launderers.

He charged the ED with doing the government’s bidding to threaten, intimidate, fix political opponents and dissenters and in turn, the ED officers run their massive extortion rackets of crores of rupees which are laundered or held through fronts and mules like Navlani, Farid Sama and many others.

“There are many names and many particulars which will shock the conscience,” Raut wrote to the PM.

“Today, our Sena leader Arvind Bhosale has submitted a detailed complaint on these matters to the Mumbai Police which will soon start its probe. Somaiya, his son Neil Somaiya will definitely go to jail, besides other officials,” Raut declared.

Maharashtra

Mumbai: Ritu Tawde’s emergency visit during heavy rains, instructs administration to take safety measures including draining drains

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Mumbai: In the backdrop of continuous heavy rains in Mumbai, Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde today (July 3, 2026) conducted a self-inspection of various areas of Ward No. 132 (Ghatkopar East). The Mayor, along with the administrative officials, inspected various places and gave necessary instructions so that the citizens do not face any kind of trouble due to heavy rains and appropriate measures should be taken immediately for this.

Local MLA Prag Shah, Corporator Dharmesh Giri and concerned officers and engineers of the N Division Office of the Municipal Corporation were present during the inspection.

Mayor Ritu Tawde paid special attention to the rapid drainage of rainwater in the low-lying and very low-lying areas of Ghatkopar East. During today’s visit, she gave the following important instructions and directions.

Orders were given to construct new drains for water drainage outside all the buildings and to install concrete covers on the manholes as part of the redevelopment in the entire constituency. He said that the construction of a new drain outside the Ruparel building near Sankalp Sewa should be started immediately. New pipes will be made to drain the water accumulated outside the buildings. Mayor Ritu Tawde also directed to install a dhapa cover on the footpath of Vidya Bhavan Road, Bhajan Samaj Marg (opposite Gurudwara Palace). The Mayor said that a new rainwater drain should be installed near Dr. Hedgewar Udayan, so that the rainwater flowing from the road is stopped and flows directly into the storm drain. He directed to install nets and covers on the pipes along the footpath at various places on Pushpa Vihar Marg.

A new manhole should be constructed at the entrance of Pragati Chili and a safe cover should be installed. Besides, safety railings should be installed on both sides of the drain behind Pragati Chili. Apart from this, Mayor Ritu Tawde directed to make a safe path for citizens to cross the drain and go to the toilet and to install safety railings on it.

Meanwhile, to avoid congestion due to parking on both sides of Nath Pai Road, he directed the Traffic Police Department to enforce ‘no parking’ here and provide safe ‘crossing’ for pedestrians under the Metro Flyover. The Mayor directed the Parks Department to plan to develop a beautiful garden on private land at the Garodia Nagar Federation site through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds. He also directed to keep the roots of trees clean so that the trees are not damaged due to road works. Along with this, the Mayor directed the concerned department to start the dog vaccination and disinfection campaign as soon as possible to control the problem of dogs.

During the monsoon season, the safety and convenience of citizens is the top priority of the Municipal Corporation. The ward I represent has many low-lying areas. Mayor Ritu Tawde said that the local administration is working with full capacity to ensure quick drainage of rainwater and the infrastructure works are of good quality. Mayor Ritu Tawde, MLA Prag Shah, Corporator Dharmesh Giri and other public representatives, as well as officers and employees, were inspecting the roads in heavy rain. The local citizens welcomed the inspection. The citizens expressed hope that all the directed works will be completed soon.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai sea water to be made potable… Azmi seeks clarification in the House regarding this major project.

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Mumbai: During the monsoon session of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, there was a heated debate on the proposed Manori desalination project (a project to make seawater drinkable) to address Mumbai’s water shortage. Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi raised several important public questions in the House. Regarding the project, which is being built at an estimated cost of ₹ 4,077 crore, Abu Asim Azmi asked the government when the actual work on the project would begin and whether it would be completed within the stipulated time (48 months). He also sought clarification on the operation and maintenance costs of the project and its impact on the water bills of Mumbai residents. Industries Minister Uday Samant, while answering these important questions in the House, provided information about the current status of the project.

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Maharashtra

Abu Asim demands the establishment of a new police station in the Maharashtra Assembly, alongside measures to crack down on drugs and curb crime.

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Mumbai: Today, in the Maharashtra Assembly, MLA Abu Asim Azmi raised the issue of law and order and public safety in the state with great seriousness during the session. While participating in the proceedings of the House, MLA Abu Asim Azmi prominently raised the issue of the growing illegal drug trade and the resulting increase in serious crimes in his constituency. He informed the House that drug addiction is not only destroying the younger generation but it has also led to an unprecedented increase in theft, snatching and other crimes, which is creating an atmosphere of insecurity among the local residents.

Terming public safety as the most important, the MLA drew the government’s attention to the imbalance between the existing police system and the population of the area. He said that the population of the region has increased rapidly in recent years, but the police force and resources have not increased in proportion. He urged the government to take immediate action to strengthen the security and safety of lives and property. He demanded that additional police contingents be deployed in the area to deal with the current challenges and increase patrols. He also demanded that new police stations be established keeping in mind the population density and geographical spread, so that the police can respond quickly in emergencies.

Speaking in the House, the MLA clearly stated that he had seriously raised the issue of drug use and the resulting increase in crime in the Assembly today. He further demanded that the government increase the police force keeping in mind the safety of the people and establish new police stations as per the population.

Other members of the House also agreed on this sensitive issue. Considering the seriousness of the issue, the government assured that strict steps are being taken to dismantle the drug network and police stations will be reviewed on the basis of the new population scale to strengthen law and order.

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