Mumbai: woke up to a hazy and unseasonably cold Saturday morning on January 31, with a dense blanket of smog enveloping the city and significantly reducing visibility across several areas. The thick haze made commuting difficult for early-morning travellers, while the skyline remained largely obscured through the first half of the day.

According to AccuWeather data, the city is expected to witness cloudy and hazy conditions throughout the day, with temperatures hovering between 21°C and 31°C. While the temperature range has remained largely stable over the past week, air quality levels have shown sharp volatility, raising serious public health concerns.

As per data from AQI.in, Mumbai’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) currently stands at 320, placing it firmly in the ‘severe’ category. This marks a rise from Friday’s reading of 304. Notably, air quality had shown temporary improvement on Friday evening, dipping to 199 (‘poor’) around 5.30 pm, before deteriorating sharply overnight and crossing the 300 mark again, making the air unsafe even for healthy individuals.

Regional data highlights the extent of the crisis, with over 85% of the city reporting AQI levels above 300. Swastik Park recorded one of the highest readings at 393, followed closely by B S Ambedkar Nagar at 377. Other pollution hotspots include Wadala Truck Terminal (377), Chembur West (371) and Savribai Phule Nagar (366), all categorised as ‘severe’.

In contrast, only a handful of areas reported comparatively better air quality. Gamdevi Station 1 emerged as the cleanest pocket with an AQI of 97, the only location to fall under the ‘moderate’ category. Meanwhile, Magdoot, Sundar Nagar, Vidya Nagar and Mithchowki reported AQI readings of 210, 233, 240 and 247 respectively, placing them in the ‘unhealthy’ category.

The widespread prevalence of ‘severe’ air quality levels has once again brought into focus concerns over pollution control measures in the city. Prolonged exposure to such conditions can adversely affect even healthy individuals. Citizens, particularly children, senior citizens, and those with respiratory or cardiac ailments are adviced to avoid prolonged outdoor activity and take necessary precautions as pollution levels remain critically high.

As per standard air quality classifications, AQI values between 0 and 50 are considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘moderate’, 101 to 200 ‘poor’, 201 to 300 ‘unhealthy’ and levels above 300 are classified as ‘severe’ or ‘hazardous’.

New Delhi, Jan 30: Fertiliser movement from the Centre to the states on Indian Railways, during the first nine months (April-December) of the financial year 2025-26, reached an all-time high with total supplies crossing 530.16 lakh metric tons to surpass the 500 lakh metric ton mark for the first time during this period, an official statement said on Friday.

This represents a 12.2 per cent increase over the corresponding period of FY 2024–25 and is 8.5 per cent higher than the previous record of FY 2023–24, it said.

The Centre has ensured sufficient availability of all major fertilisers across states, including the supply of 350.45 lakh metric tons of urea, against a requirement of 312.40 lakh metric tons in the first nine months (April-December) of the financial year 2025-26. Similarly, in the case of major P&K (phosphorous and potassium) fertilizers including DAP, MOP & NPKS, the total supply reached 287.69 lakh metric tonnes against the requirement of 252.81 lakh metric tonnes, consistently exceeding the assessed requirement and ensuring uninterrupted availability, the statement said.

Faster and smoother movement of fertiliser rakes enabled timely supplies to states, ensuring that farmers did not face any shortages during the critical stages of cultivation. Department of Fertilisers worked in close cooperation with the Ministry of Railways and stated that such coordinated efforts have helped ensure adequate availability of fertilisers across the country, the statement added.

During this period, average rake loading on Indian Railways increased to 72 rakes per day in July 2025, rose to 78 rakes per day in August 2025 and reached 80 rakes per day in September 2025, according to the official figures.

Urea rake movement rose to 10,841 rakes, registering an 8 per cent increase over last year, while P&K fertilisers recorded 8,806 rakes, marking an 18 per cent growth. Enhanced coordination with the Ministry of Railways, ports, state governments, and fertiliser companies ensured seamless and timely supply to states during peak agricultural seasons, the statement said.

Ensuring the timely availability of fertilisers to farmers has remained one of the government’s highest priorities. In this direction, the improved coordination between the Ministry of Railways and the Department of Fertilisers during Kharif 2025 and the ongoing Rabi season was clearly visible at the ground level. The states also took concerted measures to ensure last-mile availability to farmers, the statement added.

Thane: Sharmila Rohit Pimpolkar of the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) is set to be appointed as the Mayor of the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), while Krishna Dadu Patil of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will assume charge as the Deputy Mayor. Both leaders were elected unopposed after filing their nominations on the final day for submitting nomination papers for the mayoral posts.

Pimpolkar filed her nomination for the Mayor’s post, while Patil submitted his papers for the Deputy Mayor’s position. No other candidates entered the fray for either post, clearing the way for their unopposed election. The official announcement confirming their appointments is scheduled to be made on February 3.

A meeting related to the mayoral election process was held at the Thane Municipal Corporation headquarters in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Several senior leaders attended the meeting, including Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik, Thane MP Naresh Mhaske, BJP MLA Niranjan Davkhare, Ravindra Phatak and other party functionaries.

Meanwhile, reports indicated that the Shinde Sena has categorically refused the BJP’s demand to rotate the Mayor’s post for two years in Thane. In the recently concluded Thane Municipal Corporation elections, the Shinde Sena emerged as the dominant force with 75 seats, while the BJP secured 28 seats. Citing its clear numerical strength, the Shiv Sena has reportedly conveyed at the local level that it will not hand over the Mayor’s post to the BJP even for a year.

Following the refusal, BJP leaders are said to have staked claim to key power centres within the civic body, including the Standing Committee, Transport Committee, various subject committees, ward committees and the Education Board. Shinde Sena reportedly proposed that the BJP accept the Deputy Mayor’s post, while committees and ward panels could be shared between the two parties for fixed tenures of three and two years respectively.