Mumbai: More than 10.8 lakh electricity consumers in Mumbai’s island city are set to pay higher power bills this month, with the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport (BEST) undertaking levying a Fuel Adjustment Charge (FAC) that will increase tariffs by up to 95 paise per unit for residential users. According to BEST sources, the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) has approved the FAC, resulting in an estimated rise of around 8% in electricity bills for many consumers across the utility’s distribution area stretching from Colaba and Cuffe Parade to Sion and Mahim.Under the revised charges, residential consumers using up to 100 units a month will pay an additional 30 paise per unit. Those consuming between 101 and 300 units will be charged 55 paise extra per unit, while consumers in the 301-500 units bracket will see an increase of 90 paise per unit. High-end residential users consuming more than 500 units a month will pay 95 paise extra per unit.The impact on monthly bills is expected to be significant for some households. For instance, consumers in the 101-300 units category could see their bills rise by around Rs 165, while those in the 301-500 units bracket may pay nearly Rs 450 more this month.The hike is not limited to residential consumers. High-tension (HT) commercial users, including shops, establishments and offices, will also face an FAC of 55 paise per unit. Industrial consumers under the HT category will similarly be charged an additional 55 paise per unit.Consumers served by MSEDCL, which serves Mulund, Bhandup, Thane and the rest of the state, will also witness a rise in power bills, with the state utility levying an FAC averaging about 30 paise per unit. Utility officials attributed the additional levy to higher power procurement costs incurred during the peak summer months. With temperatures soaring and electricity demand climbing sharply, BEST was forced to purchase electricity from the open market and power exchanges at substantially higher rates to ensure uninterrupted supply and prevent outages across its distribution network.As for 8 lakh consumers served by Tata Power in Mumbai, the FAC levied was an average 49 paise per unit in July and which is reduced to 22 paise per unit — thereby resulting in power bills dropping this month, an official from Tata Power said. An official from Adani Electricity said that there is no change in power tariff and no impact of FAC on bills this monthOfficials clarified that the FAC, also known as a power purchase adjustment charge, is a MERC-approved mechanism that enables distribution companies to recover fluctuations in power purchase costs. The charge is reviewed every month and may vary depending on market conditions. In some months, the FAC can be negligible or even negative, with surplus collections adjusted against future recoveries.

Mumbai: In a major relief for law aspirants, the Maharashtra CET Cell has extended the deadline for filling college preferences for three-year and five-year LLB admissions after 232 more law colleges were brought into the centralised admission process.The additions have more than doubled the number of participating colleges from 149 when the option-form process began on Aug 5 to 381 now. They have also opened up 15,540 additional seats, taking the total number of seats available across the two courses to 31,600.The development follows an Aug 10 notification of the Bar Council of India (BCI), granting conditional approval to existing law colleges for the 2026-27 academic year.With colleges continuing to be added to the admission pool, the CET Cell has given three-year LLB aspirants until Aug 16 to submit their option forms. The deadline for five-year LLB candidates is Aug 15. Candidates who have already submitted their preferences can unlock their option forms, revise their choices and submit them again.So far, 46,365 candidates have submitted their college preferences—33,214 for the three-year course and 13,151 for the five-year programme. The first-round allotments will be made from among candidates who have submitted their option forms.The increase is particularly significant for the three-year course. When preference filling opened on Aug 5, only 93 colleges with 10,105 seats were available. Another 126 colleges and 9,930 seats have since been added, taking the pool to 219 colleges and 20,035 seats.For the five-year course, the number of participating colleges has risen from 56 to 162, with 106 colleges added. The seat pool has increased by 5,610, from 5,955 to 11,565.The admission process had been affected by delays in approvals for several law colleges, leaving candidates with a considerably smaller choice of institutions when option filling initially opened. The subsequent approvals have substantially expanded the pool just ahead of the first allotment.The CET Cell has asked candidates who have not yet filled their preferences to do so within the extended window and advised those who have already submitted their forms to revisit their choices in view of the newly added colleges.A revised schedule for the three-year and five-year LLB admission process will be announced shortly on the CET Cell website.

While portions of the Mulund landfill have been reclaimed, the proposed 15-acre parcel still contains 2.5-3 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste, requiring removal, site remediation, soil stabilisation and levelling before use

Mumbai: BMC’s proposal to lease 15 acres of land at Mulund dumping ground to Dharavi Redevelopment Project for five years to set up a casting yard, precast element manufacturing facility and ready-mix concrete (RMC) plant was passed by the BJP-Shiv Sena-led improvements committee on Friday, despite stiff opposition from Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress members.Opposing the proposal, former Mumbai Mayor Vishakha Raut of Shiv Sena (UBT) said: “The people of Mulund will never forgive the ruling party for passing this proposal as the land could have been used for a larger public amenity.”Sena (UBT) corporator Sachin Padwal suggested that the RMC plant should be located in Dharavi itself as “Mulund is too far”. “History has also shown that public land once given never comes back to the civic body,” he said. Congress corporator Raja Rahebar Khan pointed out that in the past, a plot in Bandra West had been provided for Bandra-Worli sea link-related works, and subsequently was sold to Adani.Padwal further alleged that the several plot reservation changes had been made in the past six months. “In six months, there have been 42 proposals only for reservation changes,” he claimed. BJP’s Swapna Mhatre hit back saying that one of tasks of the improvements committee is to deliberate on land reservation changes on the Development Plan.Defending the proposal, Mulund corporator Prakash Gangadhare of BJP said the land was being provided for the benefit of the Dharavi Redevelopment Project. “Please see the terms and conditions which clearly mention that it will be given on lease,” he told the opposition corporators.BJP corporator Aneesh Makwaney claimed that the opposition was attempting to stall the project aimed at improving living conditions in Dharavi. “Dharavi people are living in poor conditions. Our government is trying to improve their living conditions and you are trying to halt development, which includes construction of a casting yard,” he said.Shiv Sena corporator and improvements committee chairperson Sandhya Doshi said all members were given an opportunity to express their views before the proposal was sanctioned.BMC’s proposal: To lease 15 acres of land at Mulund dumping ground to Adani Navbharat Developers Pvt Ltd, the special purpose vehicle implementing the Dharavi Redevelopment Project in partnership with the state, for five years to set up a casting yard, precast element manufacturing facility and ready-mix concrete plantWhile portions of the site have been reclaimed, the proposed 15-acre parcel still contains 2.5-3 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste, requiring removal, site remediation, soil stabilisation and levelling before useCost: Adani Navbharat Developers Pvt Ltd will undertake remediation of the site at an estimated cost of Rs 20.04 crore, which will be adjusted against the lease rental after verification by chief engineer of solid waste management department. Following this adjustment, BMC will receive a net rental of Rs 83.44 crore, while the total amount payable, including 18% GST, will be about Rs 100 crore

NCP leader Zeeshan Siddique reported receiving a death threat from a Portugal-based number (File photo)

MUMBAI: NCP leader Zeeshan Siddique has approached the Mumbai Police after allegedly receiving a death threat from a person claiming to be associated with gangster Rohit Godara.Siddique received a voice note on his mobile phone from a Portugal-based number while he was abroad, news agency PTI reported.After returning to Mumbai, the former MLA approached the Bandra police and lodged a complaint.In the voice note, the caller identified himself as Zeeshan Akhtar and claimed to be associated with the Godara gang.He allegedly threatened to kill Siddique and claimed that he had asked a fellow gang member to eliminate Zeeshan’s father, Baba Siddique, two years before he was actually murdered.Baba Siddique, a former Maharashtra minister, was shot dead in Bandra in October 2024.Members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang have been accused in the case.Zeeshan Akhtar, who has also been named as an accused, has been absconding.The caller allegedly told Siddique that the threat was not linked to money. He claimed he had no issue with Siddique’s wealth but objected to his alleged “illegal business”.The latest threat comes days after Siddique’s sister, Arshia Siddique, allegedly received a death threat.According to the complaint, Arshia received a message from an unknown number threatening her and referring to the killing of her father.The sender allegedly warned her that she would meet a similar fate.The threat was reported to Mumbai Police, which launched an investigation into the message.This is not the first time Zeeshan Siddique has faced a threat.The NCP leader had earlier approached police after receiving threatening messages. The latest voice note has now added to concerns over the security of the Siddique family.Police are examining the number from which the latest voice note was sent and are verifying the caller’s claim of being associated with the Godara gang.(With agency inputs)

(Image used for representative) Starting August 15, Central Railway is set to launch 15-car local train services, significantly enhancing travel options for commuters

MUMBAI: Central Railway is set to expand its 15-car local train operations from Independence Day, upgrading 22 additional 12-car services on the main line and taking the total number of 15-car services to 54. The longer trains will operate from August 15 on the CSMT-Karjat/Khopoli South East line, benefiting commuters travelling to and from Ambarnath, Badlapur, Karjat and Khopoli.The addition of three coaches to each of the 22 services will increase the passenger-carrying capacity of every upgraded service by 25%, according to Central Railway. The railway has included services during the morning and evening peak periods as part of the latest expansion.Among the down services being upgraded are the Dadar-Khopoli local departing at 7.43am, CSMT-Karjat services at 9.57am and 2.45pm, three Karjat-Khopoli services between 10.40am and 1.15pm, a CSMT-Badlapur local at 4.42pm, and CSMT-Ambarnath and CSMT-Karjat services departing at 7.42pm and 7.50pm, respectively. Two late-night services — CSMT-Khopoli at 10.57pm and CSMT-Ambarnath at 12.05am — will also be upgraded, with both being converted from slow to fast services.In the up direction, the upgraded services include the Khopoli-Dadar local at 4.50am, Ambarnath-CSMT at 8.27am, Khopoli-Karjat at 10am, 11.20am and 12.40pm, Karjat-CSMT at 12.23pm, 5.33pm and 10.03pm, Khopoli-CSMT at 1.48pm, Badlapur-CSMT at 6.17pm and Ambarnath-Dadar at 9.07pm.Central Railway said the latest upgrade includes two morning peak services — the Ambarnath-CSMT local departing at 8.27am and Khopoli-Karjat at 10am — and two evening peak services — the CSMT-Ambarnath at 7.42pm and CSMT-Karjat at 7.50pm.The expansion will also bring operational changes. The KP2 Khopoli-Parel local will now run as a Khopoli-Dadar service, departing at 4.50am, while the KP3 Parel-Khopoli local will become a Dadar-Khopoli service, departing at 7.43am. The A59 CSMT-Ambarnath service will become a Dadar-Ambarnath 15-car local, departing Dadar at 11.23pm. The latter will remain cancelled on Saturdays for maintenance.Central Railway first introduced 15-car locals in 2012 with 16 services. Six more were added in 2019, taking the total to 22. Ten additional services were upgraded in July 2026, taking the number to 32. The latest 22 will push the figure to 54, while the overall number of suburban services will remain unchanged at 1,820.

File photo of Mulund dumping ground

MUMBAI: A proposal to lease around 15 acres of reclaimed land at the Mulund dumping ground to the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) for five years faced was passed by the Shiv Sena-BJP-led improvement committee panel. The proposal faced stiff opposition from Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress members at the meeting held on Friday.The land sanctioned is proposed to be used for setting up a casting yard, a precast element manufacturing facility and a ready-mix concrete (RMC) plant for the Dharavi redevelopment project. Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator and committee chairperson Sandhya Doshi said all members were given an opportunity to express their views before the proposal was sanctioned.Opposing the proposal, UBT leader Vishaka Raut said Mulund residents would not accept the decision. “Mulund people will never forgive the ruling party for passing for this,” she said.Congress party leader Ashraf Azmi questioned why the civic body had not invited tenders in the open market for the land. “Why give the land without calling for tenders? This raises questions of favouritism.”Congress corporator Sachin Padwal said the RMC plant should instead be located in Dharavi. “The travel from Dharavi to Mulund will be too far. History has shown that public land which has gone in the past has never come back,” he said.Padwal also alleged that several reservation changes had been made in the past six months. “In six months, there have been 42 proposals only for reservation changes. The next generation will not forgive the ruling party,” he said.Congress corporator from Andheri BMC Meher Haider also questioned the manner in which civic land was being allotted. “You cannot give municipal public land to any private party without a tender,” she said.Bandra West corporator Raja Rahebar Khan at the meeting recalled that how a space in Bandra West had earlier been provided for the Bandra Worli sea Link-related works, and subsequently was sold to Adani ” he said.Defending the proposal, Mulund corporator Prakash Gangadhare said the land was being provided for the benefit of the Dharavi redevelopment project. “Please see the terms and conditions,” he told the opposition party corporators.BJP corporator Aneesh Makwaney said the opposition was attempting to stall a project aimed at improving living conditions in Dharavi.“I think Dharavi people are living in poor conditions. Our government is trying to improve the condition of Dharavi and you are trying to halt development, which includes construction of a casting yard. We are planning to give pucca houses,” Makwaney said.He added that due process had been followed in the allotment of the land.