Maharashtra FDA suspended three Mumbai eateries’ food licences due to serious hygiene lapses (Photo credit: X)

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the food licences of three eateries in Mumbai after inspections uncovered serious violations of hygiene and food safety standards.According to the FDA, six inspections were conducted, following which the licences of three food establishments in Bhendi Bazaar and Umarkhadi were suspended for non-compliance with food safety regulations.One eatery’s licence was suspended on July 14 after a re-inspection on Monday found that 25 major deficiencies flagged during an earlier inspection had not been addressed.The outlet was initially inspected on April 16, following which the FDA issued an improvement notice on April 28, news agency ANI reported.During the follow-up inspection, officials found wet and slippery kitchen floors, missing records related to raw material procurement, no documentation of drinking water quality tests, the absence of records on cooking oil quality, improper segregation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food, and open windows without insect-proof screens, increasing the risk of pest infestation.Another restaurant’s licence was also suspended on Tuesday after an inspection on July 13 revealed several major hygiene lapses.These included thick deposits of burnt black oil on kitchen floors, open windows near food preparation areas allowing flies, insects and birds to enter, peeling paint, and heavy grease accumulation on walls and ceilings.Officials also found unhygienic storage of raw materials, lack of supplier records, use of old and dirty utensils, absence of drinking water quality test records, and inadequate drainage systems required for effective pest control.A third food establishment had its licence suspended with immediate effect on Monday after inspectors detected inadequate storage facilities for food items, chemicals and packaging materials, doors without insect-proof protection, and corroded and substandard equipment.The restaurant was also found to have peeling paint and damaged plaster on walls and ceilings, missing mandatory food testing records, and failure to carry out drinking water quality tests.The FDA said it will continue to take strict action against food businesses that violate food safety norms or endanger consumer health.(With agency inputs)

Mumbai: Mumbai mayor Ritu Tawade on Tuesday expressed dissatisfaction with the BMC’s inquiry report into the Chembur tree crash that claimed the life of 11-year-old Vihaan Srivastava, saying the findings did not go far enough in fixing accountability. BJP MLC Chitra Wagh also strongly criticised the report, calling it “tragic, infuriating and completely unacceptable.” State revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule of BJP said if the report is flawed, a committee comprising high-level officials will reinvestigate the case.The 3-member BMC committee set up to probe the June 30 tragedy gave a clean chit to the civic roads and gardens departments while recommending a collective penalty of Rs 7 lakh for negligence on the contractor and the consultant for stormwater drain works undertaken near the site.Referring to the penalty, Tawade said no amount of money could compensate for the loss of a child’s life. She added that though BJP was in office in the civic body, it would not defend the administration if the inquiry was found inadequate.She was supported by Wagh, who in a post on X questioned whether “the life of the common man has become so cheap”. Wagh alleged that the report sought to hide official lapses by blaming nature while shielding the contractor. She said those responsible had effectively valued an innocent child’s life at Rs 7 lakh and demanded culpable homicide charges be registered against the officers concerned.Bawankule said all roadside trees across the state must be audited and added that govt has now adopted technology to check the health of trees as well as to ascertain the age of roots and the tree. “We can use technology to check their health, investigate if the lifespan of the tree is over. In any future development, trees will be protected and care will be taken that they do not fall because of concretisation,” he said.Meanwhile, horticulture and landscape consultant Robert Fernandes, who was part of the inquiry panel, said the Rs 7 lakh penalty imposed on the contractor and consultant “means nothing” as no monetary compensation can make up for the loss of a human life. He, however, clarified that the issue of imposing a penalty was never discussed with him by the BMC team, despite its inclusion in the civic body’s final inquiry report.In his report submitted to the BMC, Fernandes concluded that the collapse of the mature tree was not due to a single factor but the result of multiple biological, environmental and human-induced causes. He said disturbance within the tree’s critical root zone during recent civil works, coupled with heavy rainfall that saturated the soil and other structural weaknesses significantly contributed to the tree losing stability.Fernandes has recommended that the civic body implement a comprehensive Urban Tree Risk Management Programme involving periodic inspections, use of modern diagnostic tools, scientific maintenance practices and better coordination among departments to reduce the risk of future tree falls. He has also suggested appointing a dedicated nodal officer for road and infrastructure projects to coordinate between the engineering, roads, gardens and utility departments to ensure existing trees are adequately protected throughout the execution of civic works.Referring to Tawade’s criticism of the inquiry report, opposition leader in the BMC Kishori Pednekar said merely expressing disagreement was not enough. “The mayor has publicly rejected the report, but she must now take a firm stand. If she does so, we as the principal opposition will support her,” she said. Demanding stringent action against those responsible, Pednekar urged the BJP-led civic administration not to shield the guilty but to ensure accountability in the wake of the tragedy. – Inputs by Clara Lewis

Navi Mumbai: A 44-year-old man, Pranav alias Santosh Walunje, has been arrested by Panvel city police for impersonating a high-ranking police officer of the crime branch, wearing a police uniform with three-star insignia, carrying a fake police identity card and cheating a real estate businessman from Karanjade, Panvel taluka, of Rs 2 lakh under the pretext of recovering Rs 16 lakh owed to him by his several debtors.Thereafter, the man approached two debtors in his police uniform and extorted Rs 2.75 lakh from them by threatening legal action. The police are in search of two accomplices, Mahadev Kondilkar and Nathuram Pawar, both residents of Rasayani, Raigad, for having taken Rs 2 lakh commission from the complainant for recovering his money.The accused was apprehended from Taloja on Monday. Bala Kumbhar, senior inspector of Panvel city, informed that acting on a complaint by the victim real estate businessman Satyavan Gharat (52), on June 24, an FIR of cheating was registered against Walunj and his two aides under BNS sections for the offence of wearing garb or carrying token used by public servant with fraudulent intent, cheating, criminal breach of trust and joint criminal liability.As per the complainant, in Dec last year Gharat’s friend Sandeep Ghangave, who knew about his problem of unable to recover his money stuck, had told him that he knew a senior crime branch officer who can help in recovering his money. After around 3 hours, the accused Santosh Walunje attired in police uniform with 3-star insignia on shoulders for impersonating as a police inspector had gone to Gharat’s house along with Kondilkar and Pawar. While, Walunje showed Gharat his fake police identity card, Kondilkar and Pawar introduced Walunje was a senior officer of Navi Mumbai Crime Branch and claimed that he personally knew CM Fadnavis and deputy CM Eknath Shinde and he helped people in recovering their stuck money for a commission of Rs 2 lakh. As Walunje assured Gharat that he will recover his stuck money, Gharat paid him Rs 2 lakh commission.However, Walunje did not recover Gharat’s money and instead he and his two aides threatened Gharat’s debtors Satish Sable and Vipul Keswal of legal action and extorted Rs 2.75 lakh from them. When Gharat learnt about it and asked Walunje about recovery of his money, he repeatedly gave evasive replies for around six months. Hence, suspecting a foul play, Gharat inquired with the Navi Mumbai crime branch department about Walunje, when he learnt that Walunje was not a crime branch officer. Hence, Gharat registered an FIR at Panvel city police station.

The proposal for the collection and transportation of waste from E, F-South and F-North wards to transfer stations and dumping grounds for a seven-year period will be tabled again in the BMC standing committee on Wednesday

Mumbai: The BMC has come under fire for proposing to award the already twice-stalled Rs 718-crore waste management contract for E, F-South and F-North wards — covering areas in Byculla, Parel, Sion and Wadala — to the lowest bidder, Metrro Waste Handling Pvt Ltd or L-1.The proposal for the collection and transportation of waste from these three wards to transfer stations and dumping grounds for a seven-year period, which will be tabled in the civic standing committee on Wednesday, had earlier been stalled by the standing committee in May and June. Committee members had then pointed out that the state government had issued a circular stating that contracts above Rs 250 crore should be retendered if bids exceeded 10% of the estimated cost. They had also cited Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) guidelines, which prohibit negotiations with the second-lowest bidder, arguing that the BMC should have opted for fresh tenders instead.A civic official, however, said: “The BMC is saving Rs 4 crore by awarding the contract to the L-1 bidder. Besides, the existing contracts have ended and there is no time left to carry out the tender process again.The solid waste management (SWM) department had initially submitted a proposal recommending the second-lowest bidder, PWG (JV) or L-2, citing a tender condition that restricted the allocation of more than two works to a single contractor.“However, despite the objections in the standing committee, the deputy chief engineer (SWM Planning) again processed and submitted a proposal recommending the second-lowest bidder for approval before the standing committee on June 3,” alleged Congress group leader Ashraf Azmi. “The committee strongly objected to the proposal and referred it back, citing negotiations with the second-lowest bidder are contrary to the CVC guidelines.“Besides, as per a Government Resolution, where the L-1 bid exceeds the prescribed threshold, the tender has to be re-invited. However, the SWM department has now recommended the L-1 bidder, Metrro Waste Handling Pvt Ltd, despite its original bid exceeding the prescribed threshold,” Azmi added. “Furthermore, this recommendation would result in the allocation of more than two works to the same contractor, which is contrary to the very tender condition earlier relied upon by the department to justify recommending the L-2 bidder.”“Such contradictory stands, adopted at different stages to justify the recommendations, create apprehensions of arbitrariness, bias, and possible manipulation of the tender process. The BMC should cancel the present tender and invite fresh tenders,” Azmi stated in a letter to the municipal commissioner.

Adani Group’s real estate division has a substantial presence in Mumbai’s property market

Mumbai: Gautam Adani and his family’s Adani Properties were the biggest gainer in India’s real estate industry, adding Rs 38,000 crore to reach Rs 90,400 crore in valuations, a 73% surge in wealth.According to the 2026 GROHE-HURUN India list of the country’s top 151 property companies released on Tuesday, Adani Properties moved four places to fourth position, the largest absolute value gain on the list.Led by Pranav Adani and Rajesh Adani, the Ahmedabad-headquartered firm is India’s most valuable unlisted developer, said the report. Adani Group’s real estate division has a substantial presence in Mumbai’s property market. It is developing a 24-acre land parcel in Bandra Reclamation, a 143-acre Motilal Nagar redevelopment project in Goregaon (W), and the 600-acre Dharavi Redevelopment project.However, Gurugram-based DLF retained the top spot with a valuation of Rs 1,46,600 crore, despite a 29.3% decline over the year. It remains India’s most valuable real estate company.Mumbai-based Lodha Developers led by Abhishek Lodha, ranked second on the list at Rs 93,700 crore, although the company’s value fell 32.2%.“Indian Hotels Company held third place with Rs 93,300 crore. Under Puneet Chhatwal’s leadership, the Taj Group saw a 13.9% decline in valuation but continues to expand across luxury and mid-market formats,’’ said the report.Prism (OYO) entered the top 10 at fifth place, reaching Rs 67,200 crore after 106.8% growth over the year. “Led by Ritesh Agarwal and based in Gurugram, the platform records the highest percentage growth among hospitality companies,’’ it said.Phoenix Mills, led by Atul Ruia, rose one spot to sixth place at Rs 63,300 crore with a 13.2% increase, while Oberoi Realty (Vikas Oberoi) ranked seventh with Rs 62,700 crore, after a 9.7% decline.Chandru-Raheja-led K Raheja Corp entered the top 10 at eighth place with Rs 61,700 crore. Prestige Estates Projects ranked ninth at Rs 58,700 crore, dropping five places after a 17.9% decline in value.Godrej Properties was ranked 10^th with Rs 53,100 crore, after a 24.8% decline over the year.However, it was not a great year for Indian Realty. “The cumulative value of companies in the 2026 GROHE – HURUN India Real Estate 150 grew by just 2%, compared to a 14% growth last year, the lowest in the history of the list. This slowdown was accompanied by a 20% decline in the BSE Realty Index,’’ said the report.Mumbai leads India’s real estate map with 50 companies, and a cumulative valuation of Rs 7,31,800 crore. New Delhi ranks second with 19 companies (Rs 82,900 crore), while Gurugram and Bengaluru tie for third with 18 companies each — Gurugram’s Rs 3,28,600 crore value, anchored by DLF and new commercial trusts, far outweighing Bengaluru’s Rs 2,12,600 crore.“Residential sector continues to dominate with 98 companies and a cumulative value of Rs 8,24,300 crore led by Lodha Developers, Adani Properties and Oberoi Realty. Hospitality ranks second by company count, with 24 companies (Rs 2,85,500 crore) led by Indian Hotels Company, Prism (OYO), and ITC Hotels,’’ said the report. The commercial segment, though fewer in number at 19 companies, commands Rs 4,13,700 crore.LIST OF THE TOP WEALTHIEST IN THE 2026 GROHE – HURUN India Real Estate 1501) Gautam Adani & Family, Adani Properties: Rs 90, 400cr2) Rajiv Singh & Family, DLF: Rs 90,200cr3) M P Lodha & Family, Lodha Developers: Rs 67,700cr4) Vikas Oberoi, Oberoi Realty: Rs 42,500cr5) C L Raheja & Family, K Raheja Corp: Rs 42,200cr6) Atul Ruia & Family, Phoenix Mills: Rs 29,000cr7) Raja Bagmane & Family, Bagmane Prime Office Reit: Rs 29,100cr8) Niranjan Hiranandani, Hiranandani Communities: Rs 26,600cr9) Basant Bansal & Family, M3M India Group: Rs 25,500cr10) Bijay Kumar Agarwal Family, Sattva Developers & Knowledge Realty Trust: Rs 20,500cr