Maharashtra
Thane Municipal Corporation to induct 123 electric air-conditioned buses: Mumbai

Buses will be supplied to Thane civic body in 9 months on a gross cost contract model basis for a period of 15 years, The Thane Municipal Corporation, in its move to change the face of public transportation and convert its entire fleet of buses into electric ones, has placed an order for 123 electric buses. “The undertaking is procuring 123 electric buses at a cost of Rs 185 crore. The buses will be supplied on a gross cost contract [GCC] model basis for a period of 15 years. A consortium of Olectra Greentech and Evey Trans [Evey] has received the order,” a senior TMC official said.
He added, “Evey will procure the electric buses from Olectra Greentech and they will be delivered in 9 months. Of these 123 buses, 55 will be 12-metre buses including 45 AC and 10 non-AC buses. The remaining 68 e-buses—26 AC and 42 non-AC—will be 9-metre long. The 12-metre buses will have 200-km range and a seating capacity of 39 plus driver, while the 9-metre buses will have 160-km range with a seating capacity of 31 passengers plus driver. These lithium-ion battery-run buses can be fully charged in four hours. Olectra Greentech will maintain them during the contract period.”
The civic body has recently also started work on a dedicated road for public transport buses which is scheduled to be ready by May 2023. mid-day had on September 9 reported how Thane city is setting an example and taking the lead in easing public transport connectivity by beginning the construction of the 2.4-km-long dedicated elevated road only to be used by public transport buses, including those by various municipal transport undertakings. Procuring new electric buses is an extension of this public friendly initiative.
The BEST undertaking was one of the first public transport undertakings to start this process and has already replaced 400 buses with electric ones. The BEST has begun the process of procuring 3,000 electric buses by 2023 and plans to expand its entire fleet to over 10,000 e-buses by 2025.
The buses are procured and funded under the Union government’s FAME-II (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric vehicles) initiative. Earlier on August 6, mid-day had reported how at a crucial meeting held at the BEST headquarters in Colaba, secretary of the Union ministry of heavy industries Arun Goel along with public transporters from Thane, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivli, Pune, and the Maharashtra state transport strategised how the BEST undertaking could guide and show the way to other public transport undertakings on operation of electric buses. Goel had been on an official visit to Mumbai to review the e-bus projects in Mumbai and neighbouring cities.
The Konkan Railway, which covers 740 km and is one of the longest stretches working on diesel engines, started getting clean and green electric locomotives for national trains. The Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd (KRCL) said they would facilitate operation of four pairs of trains on electric traction with effect from Tuesday, including Delhi-Kerala and Delhi-Goa Rajdhani trains.
“The change will not only lead to a more environment-friendly move since there will not be smoke in the tunnels, but also lead to a faster journey time due to saving of time as it would not involve a locomotive change,” an official said.
The conversion to electric railway will also make train operations easier and save the cost of fuel to the tune of Rs 150 crore per year. While the foundation stone of Konkan Railway electrification, at a cost of Rs 1,287 crore, was laid in November 2015, the project was approved by the Ministry of Railways in 2016.
Crime
Navi Mumbai Crime: Kharghar Lawyer Booked For Forged Minor Certificate With Fake Judge’s Seal In Panvel Land Deal

Navi Mumbai: A lawyer from Kharghar has been booked by Panvel City Police for allegedly preparing a fake minor certificate bearing the forged seal and signature of an Additional Sessions Judge. The racket, exposed during a land transaction, comes close on the heels of the bogus heirship certificate scam in Panvel Court.
According to police, complainant Ladhavji Patel (57), a builder from Vashi, was negotiating to purchase a plot in Ulwe Sector 17 when one of the co-owners, Giridhar Ramakant Gharat, died leaving behind his wife and two minor children. Patel required a minor certificate from the court to complete the deal.
As the court procedure was delayed, Gharat’s cousin Sagar Gharat offered to get the certificate quickly through his lawyer for Rs 1 lakh. On September 10, he handed Patel a purported court order showing approval of the minor certificate, allegedly signed and sealed by Additional Sessions Judge D.E. Kothalikar.
Patel later verified the document in Panvel Court, only to find it was completely bogus. When questioned before the court, Sagar Gharat admitted that the document had been supplied by Advocate V.K. Sharma of Kharghar.
“We have registered a case of cheating and forgery against Advocate Sharma and begun further investigation,” said a police officer from Panvel City police station.
This case follows the November 2024 bogus heirship certificate scam in Panvel Court, in which forged heirship documents with fake signatures of judges and staff were circulated. In that case, police had registered four offences, arrested three lawyers, a court employee, and an agent, and filed a chargesheet in one matter, while probes in the others continue.
Maharashtra
Interim order on Waqf law by Supreme Court is welcome, no power can last long in the face of truth: Arif Naseem Khan

Mumbai: Congress Working Committee member and former Maharashtra minister Naseem Khan has warmly welcomed the interim order given by the Supreme Court on the Waqf Act and said that this decision of the court once again shows the mirror to the Modi government. The BJP government has the misconception that after getting an overwhelming majority in Parliament, it has got the right to trample the Constitution, but the court has made it clear that the biggest power in democracy is the Constitution, not the majority of any political party. This order of the Supreme Court is a tight slap on the arrogance of the Modi government and reminds that no one can suppress the voice of the Constitution.
In his statement to the media, Naseem Khan said that in the last several years, the BJP government has repeatedly made such laws which aim to target the weaker sections of the society and weaken the constitutional values. The Waqf Amendment Act is also a link in the same chain through which the government tried to curb the religious and social freedom of the minorities. However, this interim order of the Supreme Court has proved that the court is still the protector of constitutional rights and no government can be allowed to distort the structure of the Constitution in the arrogance of its power. He appealed to the people to have faith in constitutional institutions and believe that no power can last long in front of the truth. He said that today is a ray of hope for all those citizens who were worried about the implementation of this law for the last several months.
It is worth noting that last year the BJP government at the Center got the Waqf Amendment Bill passed in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on the basis of its numerical majority. Many petitions were filed against this law from different states of the country, in which the stance was taken that this amendment law is not only against the spirit of the Indian Constitution, but also directly attacks the constitutional rights of the minorities. Today, the Supreme Court of the country issued an important interim order and stayed the implementation of many provisions of this controversial amendment law. This decision not only weakened the government’s position, but also provided temporary relief to millions of people concerned about this law. This move of the court is being seen in political, social and legal circles as a demonstration of the supremacy of the Constitution.
Maharashtra
Supreme Court’s decision on the Waqf Amendment Act restored confidence in the judiciary, the court accepted the objections and imposed a stay order on it: Rais Shaikh

Mumbai: Samajwadi Party MLA from Bhiwandi East Raees Sheikh has welcomed the interim stay granted by the Supreme Court on Monday on some provisions of the Waqf Board (Amendment) Act, 2025 and expressed satisfaction.
On the court’s decision, Raees Sheikh said that the committee of the Waqf Board can have a maximum of four non-Muslim members. That is, a majority of the 11 should be with Muslims. The court has directed that wherever possible, the Chief Executive Officer of the board should be a Muslim.
The condition for becoming a member of the Waqf Board was to practice Islam for five years. The provision was suspended saying that this provision will not be implemented until the government makes clear laws. Raees Sheikh said that the court’s clarification that the Waqf Board cannot be deprived of its property until the ownership of the Waqf property is decided by the Waqf Tribunal and the High Court is a slap in the face of the central government.
This decision is temporary. No decision can be made until the rules of this law are formulated. But this interim decision is satisfactory and increases confidence in the court.
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