In a significant decision safeguarding valuable government land in Mazgaon, Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule has rejected the proposal to renew the government lease granted to the Jijabhoy Trust, directing officials to refund any payments made incorrectly by the trust or developers. The move effectively prevents potential misuse of prime land worth several crores.

The matter was reviewed in a meeting chaired by Revenue Minister Bawankule, attended by MLAs Sachin Ahir and Amol Mitkari, Mumbai City District Collector Anchal Goyal (via video conference), and other senior officials.

The lease pertained to government properties—Land No. 365 (725.76 sq. m.) and Land No. 369 (9,154.10 sq. m.)—previously allotted to the Jijabhoy Trust in Mazgaon. The trust had delayed its lease renewal payment, which was later mistakenly paid by a private firm, Aikya Realty Pvt. Ltd., to the government.

According to an ordinance dated September 24, 2025, the Revenue Department ordered that the incorrect payment be refunded and the lease renewal be temporarily suspended pending further review.

During the meeting, MLA Sachin Ahir urged authorities to bring the properties directly under government control and auction them transparently, warning that certain traders might attempt to encroach on the land under the pretext of the trust’s ownership.

Reiterating the government’s position, Minister Bawankule emphasized that the lease will not be renewed, and any future applications related to the property would only be considered after a comprehensive review by the Revenue Department.

Mumbai: Although the State Wildlife Board has already granted its approval, the BMC is still awaiting clearances from the National Wildlife Board and the Forest Department for the Gargai Dam project.

To accelerate the approval process, Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Waikar, in a meeting held at the K-East Ward office on Wednesday, urged the BMC to prepare a detailed proposal and forward it to the central government through the state government.

Despite the seven lakes supplying water to the city are full to their capacity, complaints have been received about low water pressure in areas such as Dindoshi, Goregaon, Jogeshwari, Versova and Andheri.

Acting on these concerns, MP Waikar convened a meeting on water supply issues to identify the underlying causes and ensure a smooth water supply.

The meeting was attended by civic officials, including engineers from the Hydraulic Engineering Department and other civic officials.

“Considering the growing population, water supply planning needs to be strengthened. To expedite the Gargai Dam project, a proposal for the pending clearances should be submitted to the central government through the state authorities,” said Waikar.

He also directed civic officials that all unauthorised water connections be removed and replaced with official pipelines to ensure proper and equitable distribution.

Mumbai currently receives approximately 4,000 million litres per day (MLD) of drinking water from seven lakes that supply the city. However, it still faces a shortfall of about 500 MLD. The proposed Gargai Dam, which will span 844 hectares—including 658 hectares of forest land within the Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary—is expected to boost the city’s daily water supply by 440 MLD.

As part of the project, a one-kilometre-long tunnel will be constructed to connect the Gargai Dam to the Modak Sagar Dam, located to its south, which is one of the existing sources supplying water to Mumbai. The project is estimated to cost Rs 3,105 crore, with the BMC allocating Rs 35.51 crore for it in the 2025–26 financial year.

Mumbai: Mumbai residents began their Thursday morning under a cloudy, haze-filled sky with a thin layer of fog reported in some areas. The India Meteorological Department (IMD), which had earlier issued a yellow alert for Mumbai and nearby districts until Wednesday, has not issued any rain warning for today. However, the forecast indicates a partly cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers likely through the day.

Meanwhile, IMD’s nowcast warning issued at 7:20 am today stated that light to moderate spells of rain are ‘very likely’ to occur over Mumbai City, Mumbai Suburban, Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Pune, Nashik, Satara and Nanded districts in the next three hours.

According to IMD’s latest update, Mumbai’s maximum temperature is expected to hover around 33°C, while the minimum may dip to 25°C. The brief showers earlier in the week provided much-needed respite from rising heat and improved the city’s air quality, which had deteriorated significantly over the past few weeks due to stagnant wind conditions and increasing pollution levels.

Real-time data from AQI.in showed that Mumbai’s Air Quality Index (AQI) on Thursday morning stood at 56, placing it in the moderate category, a notable improvement from the unhealthy levels recorded earlier this month. The change was visible across the skyline, with thinner haze and clearer visibility over most parts of the city.

Among various monitoring stations, Wadala Truck Terminal recorded the highest AQI at 70, followed by Jogeshwari (68), Santacruz East (68), Parel-Bhoiwada (65) and Chembur (65), all in the moderate category. On the brighter side, several neighbourhoods reported good air quality. These included Kandivali East (47), Borivali East (48), Bhandup West (48), Malad West (48) and Powai (50), each recording cleaner, breathable air.

As per AQI.in’s classification, readings between 0–50 denote “Good” air quality, 51–100 indicate “Moderate,” 101–150 “Poor,” 151–200 “Unhealthy,” while anything above 200 is considered “Severe” or “Hazardous.”

While no heavy rainfall is expected, the weather bureau’s advisory suggests that the city may continue to experience brief drizzles and cloudy conditions through the day, a soothing change for Mumbaikars after unseasonal heavy rain showers since past week.