Transport commissioner Rajesh Narwekar directed manual processing of affected applications (File photo enhanced with AI)

MUMBAI : Thousands of vehicle owners and transport operators across Maharashtra have received much-needed relief after the Maharashtra transport department stepped in to address a technical issue that had stalled several key Regional Transport Office (RTO) services.The intervention by transport commissioner Shri Rajesh Narwekar, IAS, has ensured the continuation of essential services while efforts are underway to resolve the underlying system-related problem.Over the past several days, transactions relating to Transfer of Ownership, Hire Purchase Agreement (HPA), HP Termination and No Objection Certificate (NOC) had been severely affected due to a technical mismatch between vehicle owners’ names recorded in the Registration Certificate (RC) and those linked with their Aadhaar details.As a result, the online system automatically rejected applications, causing significant inconvenience to vehicle owners, transport operators and members of the public dependent on timely processing of these services.The matter was brought to the attention of the transport commissioner by Shri Bal Malkit Singh, advisor and former president of the All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC), following numerous complaints and representations received from transporters and affected vehicle owners from various parts of the state.Responding swiftly, Shri Rajesh Narwekar directed RTO authorities to process such affected applications manually until the technical issue is fully resolved.The decision has enabled pending cases to move forward and has prevented disruptions that could have adversely impacted vehicle transactions and transport operations.Welcoming the move, Shri Bal Malkit Singh said, “The prompt intervention of the Hon’ble Transport Commissioner has provided immediate relief to thousands of vehicle owners and members of the transport fraternity. We sincerely appreciate the proactive approach of the Maharashtra Transport Department in addressing public grievances and ensuring that essential RTO services continue uninterrupted.”He also urged the authorities to expedite a permanent technical solution so that seamless online processing can resume across Maharashtra at the earliest.Shri Singh further expressed gratitude to the officers and staff of the Maharashtra Transport Department for their cooperation, responsiveness and commitment to public service.

Bombay high court on Wednesday granted urgent interim relief to Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari

MUMBAI: Observing that some of the content was “vile’’ “abusive’’ and “certainly defamatory’’, Bombay high court on Wednesday granted urgent interim relief to Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari and directed Social Media intermediaries to remove posts including videos that linked him to the ethanol-blended fuel (EBP) controversy.Gadkari had sought judicial intervention against Meta Platforms, X Corp, Google LLC, and others to delete online content he alleged was “false, fabricated, and defamatory”, AI-generated deepfake videos and other manipulated digital content linking him incorrectly to EBP programme.Justice Arif Doctor sitting singly who heard the matter and passed the order, said the online platforms ought to have or prepare a framework to take down such content without necessitating a court intervention each time.The posts went beyond acceptable political criticism or satire, said his suit and transgressed on his personal rights, his public persona, his personality rights with “profane and abusive’’ content, Gadkari’s suit contended.He sought ₹11 crore in damages from John Doe (the unnamed and unidentified persons or entities) that posted content he submitted was “malicious, false…’’Gadkari’s counsel Sandeep Ladda submitted that the ‘defamatory and deepfake contents’ ought to be taken down, as they were harming the Minister’s reputation and goodwill, as well his personality rights and public standing.“I can only say that the same is absolutely vile and abusive,’’ Justice Doctor said on seeing the content Ladda cited. The HC Judge added, “Such material should have no place on a public platform, which is accessible to everyone, including young.’’The HC asked the counsel for Meta and others, if the intermediaries had any measures in place for taking down defamatory content.Justice Doctor directed the platforms to give the “basic customer information’’ of content creators and granted liberty to Gadkari to add them as parties to the suit.There is a rising pushback against the blended fuel programme introduced to curb crude oil imports. Motorists and critics said it corrodes fuel tanks in older or non-compliant cars.Gadkari’s suit said the Centre had way back in 2003 introduced Ethanol Blending Programme (EBP) as a national policy initiative to blend ethanol with petrol in a phased manner. Gadkari has been serving as the Minister of Road Transport since 2014.The implementation and progress details of EBP policy are handled by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, his suit added.In 2025-26 the Centre achieved 20%blending of ethanol with petrol or E20 as it is called. His suit claims though he has no role in the programme, some content circulated online in July falsely associates him with the EBP and E20 initiative.His suit stressed that he has “no role or nexus whatsoever with EBP or the E20 initiative which is administered exclusively by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas’’ and the content online “falls out of the ambit of legitimate political criticism or satire.”Gadkari’s suit says it is not intended to prevent public discussion or criticism of his public duty actions or government policies.It said he “does not seek to stifle or restrain fair criticism, dissent, debate or bona fide expression of opinion concerning his public life, governmental policies or official functions.”The HC granted Gadkari the liberty to convey to the online platforms any future abusive content and to approach the court in case of any “grey area’’.The HC will hear the matter next after 4 weeks.

Mumbai: Following allegations of donation theft at the Siddhivinayak temple, deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde has ordered a probe into the temple donations and accounts. Shinde has asked additional chief secretary (ACS) Aseem Gupta to conduct an inquiry and submit a report.Shinde’s order comes just days after the Siddhivinayak Temple Trust called for an audit into the increase in the donation amount collected by the temple in the last two years. The temple trust is regulated by the state law and judiciary department headed by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.“Dy CM Eknath Shinde has ordered a probe and asked ACS Aseem Gupta to conduct the probe and submit a report on the allegations of the donations deficit. The probe is likely to be carried out by a joint committee of law and judiciary and urban development department officials,” an official said.“We examined the donation box collections over the last four years. The collections were Rs 106 crore in 2022–23, Rs 114 crore in 2023–24, Rs 135 crore in 2024–25, and Rs 182 crore in 2025–26. This means that since we took charge, the amount collected in the donation boxes has increased by nearly 35%. One of our trustees wrote to the justice department asking that if the collections in the first three years were at this level, why were they only Rs 106 crore earlier? This should be thoroughly investigated. Dy CM has ordered a probe into the matter,” trust chairman Sada Sarvankar said.BJP functionary Pawan Tripathi is the temple trust’s treasurer. Sarvankar is a former MLA from the Shiv SenaLast week, amid the Ram Mandir donation controversy involving allegations of embezzled cash and valuables from donation boxes, MNS chief Raj Thackeray alleged that donations worth Rs 18 crore were being siphoned off every year at the famous Siddhivinayak temple. The temple is run by a trust with state govt appointees.Thackeray took a dig at PM Narendra Modi, asking why the prime minister had not spoken about the theft in the Ram temple in Ayodhya. At an MNS gathering, he read out a letter reportedly from the temple’s trustees to Dy CM Eknath Shinde requesting a high-level inquiry into the theft from the donation box at the Siddhivinayak temple.Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut backed Thackeray’s claim of the donation theft at Siddhivinayak temple. Raut said such instances had increased since the temple’s reins went into the hands of people close to Shinde.“BJP people are involved in the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. All temples in the country are witnessing theft and they are under the control of the BJP. A serious truth lies in the allegations made by Raj Thackeray. The instances of theft of donations at Siddhivinayak Temple have increased ever since its reins went into the hands of Shinde’s people,” Raut said.

Disha Salian’s father rejects Mumbai Police findings regarding his daughter’s death

MUMBAI: Satish Salian, father of former celebrity manager Disha Salian, rejected the findings of the Mumbai Police‘s Special Investigation Team (SIT), which were found to be consistent with the earlier probe that had ruled out foul play in his daughter’s 2020 death.Salian disputes the police conclusion that his daughter died after allegedly falling from a building.Expressing dissatisfaction with the findings, Salian said he had approached the Bombay high court seeking action and would present evidence to support his allegations.He said he remained hopeful of getting justice and had faith in the judiciary.“I believe that the police are wrong on this issue,” Satish Salian told ANI.He said he had seen his daughter’s body and performed her last rites, claiming that he did not find anything that indicated she had fallen from a building.“The statement is wrong, and we have filed a case against it in court. I saw Disha Salian’s body and performed her last rites. Nothing showed on her body that could prove that she had fallen from a building. I believe the police are wrong on this issue. I have evidence, and when the time comes, I will present the evidence one by one. I have complete faith in the judiciary that I will get justice,” he said.

‘Hopeful court will ensure justice’

Salian also said he was hopeful that Justice Bharati Dangre would support and guide the family in the case.“I am positive and hopeful that Dangre Madam will support us and guide us in our case. She will ensure justice. We have approached the court seeking the registration of an FIR for gang rape,” he said.The Bombay HC had earlier questioned what had prevented police from investigating Salian’s death after her father raised doubts over the circumstances surrounding it, PTI reported.

Lawyer says SIT report was submitted in June

Salian’s lawyer, advocate Nilesh C Ojha, said the SIT report was not submitted recently but in June.He said the family had earlier challenged the findings, which they considered “false and wrong”.“The final hearing date finalised by the court is July 16. Satish Salian submitted the complaint on March 25, 2025, and the affidavit states that the closure report was prepared by the SIT based on the statement taken last year,” Ojha said.He also claimed that the family had submitted evidence before the court and would present videos during the proceedings, ANI reported.Ojha further said the family had sought action against police inspector Shailendra Nagarkar and the government lawyer, adding that the matter would also be heard by the court.

Mumbai Police says SIT findings consistent with earlier probe

Earlier, Mumbai Police told the Bombay high court that the findings of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) were consistent with the conclusions reached by the original investigating officer.In a statement, the police said, “So far, the findings of SIT pertaining to the circumstances that caused deceased Disha Salian’s death are coherent with the findings of the earlier investigation officer of the said case.”Police, however, said the SIT’s investigation was continuing to examine other aspects of the case.The earlier probe had ruled out foul play in the death of the 28-year-old celebrity manager.

Disha Salian died in June 2020

Disha Salian was found dead on June 8, 2020, after allegedly falling from the 14th floor of a building in Mumbai’s Malad area.Her death has since been the subject of allegations and questions, with her father seeking a fresh probe into the circumstances surrounding it.The Bombay high court is hearing the matter, including the family’s allegations and their plea seeking registration of an FIR.

The buses are scheduled to be inducted in phases during 2026 and 2027

Mumbai : In a major boost to sustainable urban mobility, the BEST Committee on Tuesday approved the induction of 1,500 air-conditioned electric midi buses under the Government of India’s PM E-Drive Scheme. With this, the number of new bus routes will increase from existing 400 to 525 routes in near future, including revival of some of the lost routes, said a senior BEST official after the meeting. Also, these buses can now manoeuvre through narrow lanes and on hilly stretches of the city where bigger buses cannot ply.BEST general manager Sonia Sethi said that ambitious initiative also marks a significant milestone in BEST’s efforts to modernise city’s public transport network and achieve the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs’ target of 10,000 buses in the city by 2027, equivalent to 0.6 buses per 1,000 population.The buses are scheduled to be inducted in phases during 2026 and 2027, further strengthening BEST’s commitment to providing clean, efficient and accessible public transportation. Around 250 e-buses are likely to be inducted by December end.The proposal for procuring 1,500 electric midi buses was submitted to the Centre and received approval from Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde on October 30, 2025.Designed specifically for feeder services and last-mile connectivity, the 9-metre electric midi buses feature compact dimensions that enable smoother operations on narrow roads and in densely populated areas. With an ultra-low floor height of 400 mm, the buses offer improved accessibility for Divyang passengers, including wheelchair users. The fleet will play a crucial role in connecting commuters to metro stations, railway stations and key transit hubs across Mumbai.The new buses will be equipped with advanced Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery technology, fully air suspension systems and fast direct current charging facilities. Passenger safety and operational efficiency have also been prioritised through the integration of modern telematics, including 360-degree CCTV surveillance, Intelligent Transport Management Systems (ITMS) and a Fire Detection and Suppression System designed to detect and control battery compartment fires.Under the approved allocation, GreenCell Mobility will supply 1,050 EKA electric buses with a seating capacity of 31-plus passengers, while Sai Green will provide 450 Switch EiV9 buses with a seating capacity of 33+1 passengers.The induction will take place in four phases of 225, 375, 450 and 450 buses respectively, with deployment across BEST depots citywide. Once operational, the fleet is expected to improve connectivity, reduce carbon emissions and provide Mumbai commuters with a safer, cleaner and more comfortable travel experience.Ends