Bhiwandi/Patna: Thane police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the state Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) paper leak case, arrested three more accused on Thursday, including the alleged close aide of absconding mastermind Bijendra Gupta, taking the total number of arrests in the case to seven.The prime accused, Kapil Dahiya (30), was picked up from his native village in Sonipat, Haryana. The other two, identified as Mithun Kumar Singh (33), and Sonu Kumar Singh (34), were arrested from Bihar for allegedly helping Gupta evade arrest by preparing forged identity documents.Police produced all three before a Bhiwandi court, which remanded them to police custody till July 9.According to the SIT, Dahiya was present in Bhiwandi on the day the police arrested the three accused while they were allegedly negotiating the sale of the leaked TET question paper a day before the examination.However, investigators said Dahiya left for Pune to allegedly deliver or sell the leaked paper to another prospective buyer.Defence counsel Narendra Gupta argued that Dahiya merely came to Mumbai as a tourist and was arrested only on suspicion without any direct evidence linking him to the crime. Police told the court that Sonu Kumar Singh allegedly arranged a vehicle belonging to Mithun Kumar Singh to facilitate Gupta’s escape after the case came to light. During a raid at Sonu’s Quick Enterprises, investigators allegedly recovered a computer containing scanned copies of forged identity documents bearing Gupta’s photograph but prepared in the fake name of Abhishek Mahto. The documents included an Aadhaar card, PAN card and driving licence, which police believe were created to help the absconding accused conceal his identity.Investigators also seized several question papers from the shop, which are suspected to be related to the leaked TET examination. The documents have been sent for forensic examination to determine whether they match the leaked paper circulated before the exam.Sonu’s brother said, “When we reached the cyber cafe, we found that a raid was under way. The investigation team told us Sonu was arrested in connection with the Maharashtra TET paper leak case. They are also searching for my younger brother Vikas, who lives in Patna,” he said. (Inputs by Kshitiz)

Navi Mumbai: Flamingos have begun their annual departure from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) with the arrival of the monsoon, ending a migration season marked by delayed arrivals and sharply lower numbers, conservationists said.Birdwatchers reported that flamingos have disappeared from NRI wetland in Navi Mumbai, while their numbers at Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary (TCFS), a Ramsar site of global importance, have also dwindled. “These are clear indications that the flamingo season has ended for now,” said environmentalist B N Kumar.Greens said every winter, thousands of flamingos arrive at TCFS before spreading to satellite wetlands such as the NRI wetland, DPS Flamingo Lake, T S Chanakya wetland, and the Bhandup pumping station in search of food.Bird lovers said that this season, however, stood out for the wrong reasons. The migratory birds arrived much later than usual, and their numbers were significantly lower than in previous years. “The delayed arrival and reduced population are warning signals. They reflect the combined impact of climate change and the deteriorating condition of our wetlands,” said a wildlife photographer.Environmentalists pointed to the worsening quality of creek water feeding the wetlands. Untreated sewage, pollution, siltation and impaired tidal flow degraded the mudflats where flamingos fed on algae, plankton and small aquatic organisms.The ecological condition of DPS Flamingo Lake, which is part of the NRI wetland complex, has steadily worsened, while the adjoining TS Chanakya wetland has also suffered degradation due to neglect and developmental pressures, said Kumar, who spearheaded the campaign that won Navi Mumbai recognition as ‘Flamingo City’.Conservationists cautioned that unless these fragile ecosystems were restored and protected, MMR could see not only shorter flamingo seasons, but also a continuing decline in the number of these winter visitors.

BMC’s proposal to convert nearly 8,450 sq m of the Neville D’Souza Football Ground into a convention centre has triggered protests from footballers, coaches, local residents, sports associations and even politicians

Mumbai: Concern over the future of Neville D’Souza Football Ground in Bandra West echoed in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, with NCP MLC Zeeshan Siddique urging the state government to protect one of Mumbai’s most important football venues from redevelopment.Siddique on Wednesday said the ground serves thousands of footballers and has played a key role in nurturing sporting talent in the city. He warned that the steady loss of playgrounds and open spaces was harming the development of football and other sports in Mumbai.“We often ask why India does not qualify for the FIFA World Cup or why Indian footballers do not feature regularly in top international clubs. How will our players reach that level if we continue taking away their grounds?” Siddique asked, calling for immediate intervention by the state government.The issue has gained prominence amid opposition to BMC’s proposal to convert nearly 8,450 sq m of the Neville D’Souza Football Ground into a convention centre. The proposal has triggered protests from footballers, coaches, local residents and sports associations, who argue that the city cannot afford to lose one of its few dedicated football facilities.Named after Neville D’Souza, the first Indian footballer to score a hat-trick at the Olympic Games, the ground has long been a hub for grassroots coaching, school tournaments, local leagues and competitive football.The Mumbai Football Association, along with several clubs and football academies, has also voiced concern over the proposed change in land use. Supporters of the ground argue that Mumbai is already facing an acute shortage of playgrounds and sports infrastructure, making preservation of existing facilities critical.The issue has also acquired political significance, with leaders across party lines expressing concern that replacing sports grounds with built infrastructure would undermine efforts to promote sporting culture among youngsters.Siddique urged the government to safeguard the ground for future generations, saying that preserving sports infrastructure is essential if Mumbai and the country hope to produce world-class football talent and encourage greater participation in the sport.Key demands by footballers and citizens include:* Withdrawal of the proposal to convert the football ground into a convention centre* Retention of the entire land exclusively for sports and recreation* Long-term protection of the ground through a permanent playground reservation* Consultation with football associations, residents and sports bodies before any change in land use* A broader policy to safeguard Mumbai’s playgrounds from commercial or non-sporting development

Mumbai: Social justice minister Sanjay Shirsat on Thursday told the Legislative Assembly that work on the statue to be erected at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar at Indu Mills was stuck due to the increased rate of bronze.Shirsat admitted when work on the statue was commissioned in 2018, the price of bronze was Rs 8 per inch, but now the price has reached Rs 17 per inch, or from Rs 850 per kg to around Rs 1,700 per kg. The cost of the statue has increased significantly, and there are difficulties in providing funds. Shirsat said this increase is not in accordance with the regular price adjustment (price escalation) provisions of the original contract, so once a report is received from MMRDA, the state govt will take a decision. Shirsat was replying to questions raised by MLAs Ashok Mane and Santosh Danve.“Shapoorji Pallonji appointed renowned sculptor Ram Sutar Fine Arts as a subcontractor for the statue. The work of the statue is of a very special technical nature. The contractor and subcontractor pointed out in April 2026 that the cost of bronze metal and its processing had increased significantly due to unexpected conditions in the international market.“In 2018, the original contract included the height of the statue of 350 feet (250 feet statue and 100 feet pedestal). Later, the height of the statue was increased to make the pedestal 100 feet high and the statue 350 feet high, making a total height of 450 feet … According to the agreement between the company and sculptor, the price of bronze metal was Rs 850 per kg, but at present the price of bronze metal is around Rs 1,500 to Rs 1,700 per kg,” Shirsat said in his written reply.“The contractor and subcontractor have demanded an increase in price for both bronze metal and its processing. However, a detailed proposal has not been given by the contractor yet. After receiving the proposal, the project consultant and MMRDA will scrutinise it. As per the revised concept, the cost of the project has been approved at Rs 1,089.95 crore; so far, Rs 748 crore is given to MMRDA,” Shirsat said.“After receiving a detailed proposal from the contractor regarding the abnormal increase in bronze ore and processing cost, it will be scrutinised by MMRDA. This increase is not in accordance with the regular price adjustment (price escalation) provisions of the original contract. So once a report is received from MMRDA, the state govt will take a decision,” Shirsat said in his reply.

Mumbai: Holding that larger public interest is demonstrated in the state’s decision, the Bombay High Court on Thursday paved the way for a cluster redevelopment of massive 34 acres in Worli and 98 acres in Bandra Reclamation area under the state’s move to appoint a developer for Mhada’s layouts.The HC bench of Justices M S Karnik and S M Modak dismissed as meritless a challenge raised by a group of cooperative housing societies to two govt resolutions (GRs) that provided for a bidding process and the redevelopment of the two prime layouts of Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) layouts in Bandra Reclamation and Adarsh Nagar in Worli.Adani Properties emerged winner in the bidding process for the appointment of a construction and development agency for both the plots. Mhada is to receive Rs 3,900 crore as premium for the Bandra plot and Rs 1,922 crore for the Adarsh Nagar plot, the HC noted.The justices agreed with the state advocate general to hold that Mhada, as the owner, had preferential rights to initiate redevelopment of its land under Regulation 33 (5) of Development Control (and Promotion) Regulation 2034.Adarsh Nagar and Bandra Reclamation layouts comprise several old buildings developed decades ago.The HC held that the state’s “policy decision demonstrates that redevelopment of Mhada layouts is not merely a private redevelopment exercise between a society and a developer, but is intrinsically linked with larger housing policy objectives of the state and Mhada concerning planned housing distribution, urban infrastructure, housing affordability and balanced development of public housing stock.” The state estimates that over 3,000 housing units would be generated under the scheme for yawning gap in public housing availability.The HC “is expected to act with a great caution while it interferes with the priorities fixed by the govt, unless it is established that the decision taken by it is patently arbitrary or not in larger public interest,” the judgement running into 247 pages said.“The govt should be free to take policy decisions or to decide priorities and it is better left to the wisdom of the state, which is well advised by the bureaucrats, and its other officers, who possess an expertise in taking policy decisions, which may involve various factors like the availability of fund, the requirement of the state to focus upon a particular sector in precedence over the other etc,” it reasoned.Ten petitions by B-Adarsh Nagar CHS, Kamalpushpa, Parijat, Bandra HIG Agasti and other societies approached HC this year and assailed two GRs of April and Dec 2025 specifically for redevelopment of Bandra Reclamation and Worli plots through a bidding process to be initiated by Mhada as the landowner. Earlier, the state issued a GR for redevelopment of 56 Mhada layouts in the state.The challenge by the societies was that they were owners of the plots and the GR as well as bidding process flouted their constitutional rights under Article 300A. The GR was invalid as it did away with mandatory consent of societies under Regulation 33(5) and also included in its fold high income group (HIG) societies. Article 300A protects citizens against arbitrary deprivation of their property by the state.Advocate General Milind Sathe argued that the GR was valid and the process too, saying Article 300A was a flawed argument of the petitioners as the societies are still “occupiers ” not owners, claiming rights under a sub-lease. Two former state advocate generals, Ravi Kadam and Darius Khambata, with advocate P G Lad for Mhada, said it was Mhada land and hence under rules governing development, as the owner, it was empowered to redevelop by appointing a developer. They too argued that since the societies were not owners, but lessees, the redevelopment rights vest with Mhada as owner while flat owners’ rights are being protected for permanent rehabilitation.Through a bevy of senior counsel, including Y S Jahagirdar, Girish Godbole, Zal Andhyarujina, Vishwajeet Sawant, Surel Shah and other counsel, including Anshuman Jagtap, Karl Tamboly, Mayur Khandeparkar and Huzefa Nasikwala, however, argued that the lands were conveyed to them and were being taken away sans any proper procedure of law.The HC found force in submissions made by Sathe, Kadam and Khambata that “Mhada continues to have overarching authority to develop Mhada schemes, colonies, layouts or … any ‘authority premises.’”Allottees or lessees have limited rights, which is subject to Mhada’s right to redevelop the lands, the HC held.Mhada said permitting individual societies in layouts such as Adarsh Nagar and Bandra Reclamation to independently redevelop isolated buildings through private developers would completely defeat the larger policy framework underlying the aforesaid GR and Regulation 33(5). The HC agreed.The HC said it found no substance in the housing societies’ contention that they have an unfettered right to development of the plots under the terms of the sub-lease deeds and sale agreements.

Mumbai: Social justice minister Sanjay Shirsat on Thursday told the Legislative Assembly that work on the statue to be erected at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar at Indu Mills was stuck due to the increased rate of bronze.Shirsat admitted when work on the statue was commissioned in 2018, the price of bronze was Rs 8 per inch, but now the price has reached Rs 17 per inch, or from Rs 850 per kg to around Rs 1,700 per kg. The cost of the statue has increased significantly, and there are difficulties in providing funds. Shirsat said this increase is not in accordance with the regular price adjustment (price escalation) provisions of the original contract, so once a report is received from MMRDA, the state govt will take a decision. Shirsat was replying to questions raised by MLAs Ashok Mane and Santosh Danve.“Shapoorji Pallonji appointed renowned sculptor Ram Sutar Fine Arts as a subcontractor for the statue. The work of the statue is of a very special technical nature. The contractor and subcontractor pointed out in April 2026 that the cost of bronze metal and its processing had increased significantly due to unexpected conditions in the international market.“In 2018, the original contract included the height of the statue of 350 feet (250 feet statue and 100 feet pedestal). Later, the height of the statue was increased to make the pedestal 100 feet high and the statue 350 feet high, making a total height of 450 feet … According to the agreement between the company and sculptor, the price of bronze metal was Rs 850 per kg, but at present the price of bronze metal is around Rs 1,500 to Rs 1,700 per kg,” Shirsat said in his written reply.“The contractor and subcontractor have demanded an increase in price for both bronze metal and its processing. However, a detailed proposal has not been given by the contractor yet. After receiving the proposal, the project consultant and MMRDA will scrutinise it. As per the revised concept, the cost of the project has been approved at Rs 1,089.95 crore; so far, Rs 748 crore is given to MMRDA,” Shirsat said.“After receiving a detailed proposal from the contractor regarding the abnormal increase in bronze ore and processing cost, it will be scrutinised by MMRDA. This increase is not in accordance with the regular price adjustment (price escalation) provisions of the original contract. So once a report is received from MMRDA, the state govt will take a decision,” Shirsat said in his reply.

Deputy mayor Sanjay Ghadi arrives at the scene of the accident where a man died after falling into a manhole (Photo credit: X/@Sanjay Ghadi)

MUMBAI: Deputy mayor Sanjay Ghadi of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena on Thursday demanded the resignation of municipal commissioner Ashwini Bhide, holding the civic administration accountable for the death of a 55-year-old man who fell into an open manhole during civic works at Khairani Road in Saki Naka.Ghadi visited the accident site hours after the incident and alleged that the tragedy was the result of administrative negligence and the BMC’s failure to implement basic safety measures. His demand came even as the BMC suspended four officials, including the L ward assistant commissioner, pending an inquiry, and ordered the blacklisting of the contractor for alleged safety lapses.“There should have been a comprehensive inspection to ensure that all manholes were fitted with adequate protective grills before the monsoon. If necessary, the BMC should have floated a dedicated tender for the work. In fact, if public safety demanded it, such an important exercise should have been undertaken even without waiting for the tendering process,” Ghadi said.Referring to the death of actor Deepak Amrapurkar, who died after falling into an uncovered manhole during heavy rain in 2017, Ghadi said the civic administration had failed to learn from past tragedies.“Despite the painful memory of Dr Deepak Amrapurkar’s death, the municipal administration has not taken sufficient preventive measures. This incident reflects a serious lapse in planning and execution. Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide must take responsibility for what has happened,” he said.The victim, Aslam Isak Shaikh (55), died after falling into an open manhole while BMC workers were installing a protective grill over it.According to the civic body, workers attempted to warn Shaikh as he approached the site, but he reportedly lost his balance and fell into the manhole. The BMC has constituted a high-level inquiry committee, suspended four officials pending investigation, ordered the contractor to be blacklisted, and announced an ex gratia compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the deceased’s family.