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Maharashtra

Stop the ‘sin’ of closing down 14K schools for poor, Congress tells Maharashtra CM Shinde

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 The Congress’ Maharashtra unit on Thursday called upon Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to stop the “sinful” move of shutting down some 14,000 schools ostensibly due to low enrolment of students.

State Congress President Nana Patole said that a majority of these targeted schools are situated in rural, remote, backward, or tribal belts of the state where there are no other educational options available for the poor children.

“They are children of farmers, labourers, ordinary families who sent their children to acquire education at these schools run by the districts. If these schools are closed, then these people from the poor strata shall be totally deprived of educationa It will be like a sin,” he told Shinde.

Patole pointed out how Maharashtra is at the forefront in providing quality education at the highest levels, and where primary education forms the foundation of a good academic background for lakhs of students.

“In 2009, the Right To Education Act was passed by the Congress government at the Centre, which provides for free and compulsory education to every child aged 6-14, with admission to the nearest school. The 25 per cent reservations for economically weaker sections in private educational institutions is also applicable under the Act. The State government is duty-bound to ensure that all children get proper education,” he said.

Referring to a purported move to shut down around 14,000 schools where the enrollment/attendance figures range from 0-20, the Congress leader said this would totally deprive children in rural, tribal and backward areas of education, and they would be compelled to travel far for attending school.

Hailing the state’s glorious legacy, he said many social reformers like Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Savitribai Phule, Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj, Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil and others had thrown open the doors of schools for the ‘Bahujan community’ in every village.

“The Congress has taken the message to spread education in the remotest areasa On the contrary, the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Gujarat is closing down 6,000 schools and now plans to shut down 14,000 schools in Maharashtra. This will rob the Bahujans of the opportunity to get educated and progress in life,” Patole cautioned.

Maharashtra

BMC machinery is operating round-the-clock amidst heavy rainfall to keep Mumbai’s daily life running normally

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Mumbai Mumbai region has been receiving continuous rain for the last five days. Even in these conditions, officers and staff of BMC’s Mumbai Fire Brigade, storm water drains, roads and traffic, gardens, public health, solid waste management, and other departments are working on the ground to ensure smooth daily life in Mumbai. Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide has expressed satisfaction over the tireless efforts of all these officers and staff who are making continuous efforts to maintain normalcy amidst the heavy rain. However, he has urged them to take all necessary measures while keeping their health and safety in mind. Mumbai has been receiving heavy rains for the past few days. Even in such difficult circumstances, necessary measures are being implemented immediately through constant coordination between all the concerned departments of BMC. BMC engineers, officers, staff, and workers along with Mumbai Fire Brigade, Storm Water Drainage Department, Roads and Traffic Department, Health Department, Solid Waste Management Department, and other concerned units are ready round the clock to provide immediate services to the citizens. Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide praised the dedication and sense of duty shown by all the officers and staff for maintaining the smooth functioning of daily life in Mumbai, even in the face of adverse weather conditions. He has also directed the field level teams to be extra vigilant and proactive, noting that the coming days are critical in terms of rainfall. He has directed that special emphasis should be given to works like drainage of water, running dewatering pumps at waterlogging points, regular cleaning of roads, trimming of trees, immediate removal of garbage and construction/demolition, immediate cleaning of possible water bodies and waste affected areas, effective monitoring during field operations and timely provision of effective arrangements. Coordination should be maintained with the concerned departments as per the requirement. In the context of rainy season, the staff is advised to take care of their personal safety and health. Furthermore, all employees should take necessary precautions to avoid leptospirosis. They are advised to take 200 mg doxycycline tablets as a preventive measure against leptospirosis. The administration has informed that these tablets are available in municipal dispensaries.

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Maharashtra

Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) inspects various areas amid heavy rain, directs BMC to remain on high alert

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Amidst the ongoing heavy rains in Mumbai, Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) of Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Smt. Prajakta Varmalongare today (July 6, 2026) visited various parts of Mumbai City Division to take stock of the situation arising out of the rains. She also reviewed in detail the measures being implemented by the Municipal Corporation’s monsoon management machinery. During the visit, she directly interacted with the officers and staff of the concerned departments and issued necessary instructions.
On Monday morning, Lavangare personally inspected the areas including Malabar Hill, Ambivadi (Kala Chowki), Mahim, Maheshwari Adhan (King’s Circle) area, Ravindra Natya Mandir area, Hindmata and other places. He carefully reviewed the rain-related situation, waterlogging hotspots, drainage system in operation, preparedness of emergency response mechanism and civic services provided to the citizens. Furthermore, he directed the concerned authorities to immediately mobilize municipal teams to clear fallen trees or branches during the rain. He also directed all the concerned departments to work together to ensure that the rain does not cause any disruption to traffic or the daily life of the citizens. He also directed the ward-level officials and staff to remain constantly alert and ensure that all operational systems function at full capacity. He issued instructions to prioritize immediate resolution of issues like waterlogging, uprooted trees, drainage issues and other emergencies. He stressed that all departments should work together and take prompt and effective action on every complaint so that the citizens do not face any hardship or inconvenience. Furthermore, Prajakta Verma Lovengare appealed to Mumbaikars to contact the Mumbai Municipal Corporation’s emergency helpline number, 1916, for immediate assistance in emergencies.

Deputy Commissioner (Zone-1) Ms. Chanda Jadhav, Deputy Commissioner (Zone-2) Shri Prashant Sapkale, Assistant Commissioner Smt. Swapnaja Kshirsagar, Assistant Commissioner Shri Gajanan Belle, Assistant Commissioner Shri Arun Kshirsagar and other senior officers and staff of the concerned departments were present during the inspection.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai: Azmi demands a high-level inquiry into the Mankhurd tragedy, calls for medical aid and adequate assistance to be provided to the victims.

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ABU ASIM AZMI

Mumbai: Mumbai Maharashtra Samajwadi Party and MLA Abu Asim Azmi has expressed grief over the building collapse in Mankhurd and questioned the action of the BMC administration in this matter. Amidst the ongoing heavy rains in the Mandla area of ​​Shivaji Nagar assembly constituency, a tragic incident took place. A three-storey building collapsed like a deck of cards, resulting in the untimely and tragic death of six people. This tragedy has once again exposed illegal construction and administrative negligence in Mumbai. As soon as the information about the incident was received, local MLA Abu Asim Azmi reached Shatabdi Hospital to meet the victims and console them and ensure proper treatment of the injured. He also visited the spot to supervise the relief and rescue operations and directed the authorities to provide all possible assistance to the affected families immediately. This horrific accident has raised serious questions about the functioning and corruption of the Municipal Corporation (BMC). As per the 1995 Act, the concerned Ward Officer and Bat Officer are directly responsible for any illegal construction, and action is taken against them. The government has provided protection to the slums built in 2000 and again in 2011 from time to time, but currently there is no control over the illegal storeys being constructed in violation of the rules. The question is growing in the area that how can anyone dare to build illegal structures above 14 feet without the secret consent or connivance of the local municipal authorities? The irony is that whenever there is an attempt to stop these dangerous illegal constructions, some corrupt BMC officials shirk their responsibility and conspire to defame the public representatives. Due to their helplessness and limited space, poor citizens often pay bribes to build a roof to shelter themselves. But if administrative corruption is stopped and the laws are strictly implemented, such tragic accidents in which innocent lives are lost can be stopped forever. Now the public is directly asking whether the BMC is not responsible for this blatant negligence and whether the government will conduct a high-level investigation into the matter and take strict and punitive action against the guilty officials. On the incidents of this building collapse, Azmi has asked the government that a high-level inquiry into this matter will be conducted and the police will take strict action against it.

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