Mumbai: Amid the controversy over the proposed restoration of reservation of Bandra’s Neville D’souza Football Ground from a playground to a convention centre, minister and Bandra West MLA Ashish Shelar told TOI that while he was in favour of the sport, the plot’s original reservation could not be altered merely to suit a particular use.He said temporary or practical use of the land as a football ground should not be confused with its statutory reservation. “One needs to understand the history of the plot,” Shelar said, pointing out that the Mhada-owned land was originally reserved for a convention centre and not a playground. He asserted that the current proposal is only an attempt to restore its original reservation. Shelar said he had served as chairperson of Mumbai District Football Association and had ensured that the land was made available to the football fraternity to prevent it from being encroached upon in the early 2000s. However, he added, this did not mean that the original reservation could now be changed. Shelar said he was open to a dialogue on the issue and would also support providing an alternative football facility in the same area. He said if anyone wants to play politics over the issue, he would deal with them politically, a likely jab at Shiv Sena (UBT) that has put up a stiff opposition to BMC’s proposal as well as to the alleged takeover of other open spaces in the city. Mumbai Football Association has challenged BMC’s move in Bombay HC, seeking to retain the plot as a playground. The next hearing is on Aug 24. Mario Fishery, trustee of Mumbai Citizens Forum, said the change proposed during the peak of the FIFA World Cup fever was particularly disheartening for football enthusiasts like him. “For a city like Mumbai, we need more such facilities where young talent can be nurtured and given an opportunity to play. Having played for Mumbai myself, I feel that a city of our size and population deserves to have more, not fewer, football grounds.” Vidya Vaidya, chairperson of Bandra Reclamation Area Volunteers Organisation, said it was best to adhere to the approved layout. However, with the matter now before HC, it would be appropriate to let the judiciary decide on the issue, she added. Sena (UBT)’s Aaditya Thackeray is MFA’s president. The HC petition was moved its vice-president Ryan Menezes, whose wife, Akshata, had contested the recent BMC polls on a Sena (UBT) ticket but lost of Congress’s Karen Dmello.

National Cooperative Development Corporation loan proposals are routed through the state, which provides a guarantee for the sum

Mumbai: The Maharashtra cabinet has cleared a proposal for a loan of Rs 18 crore from the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) for Shree Nilkantheshwar Shetkari Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana in Latur, whose chairman is BJP MLA Abhimanyu Pawar, as a “special case”.The proposal was cleared despite objections raised by the state sugar commissioner and finance department, which pointed out that the cooperative sugar factory did not fulfil conditions laid down in the state’s policy, TOI has learnt. Several ministers at the cabinet meeting also questioned the clearance, asking why other factories were not receiving similar exceptions, sources said.When contacted, Pawar, a close associate of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, denied that the cabinet cleared the loan proposal as a special case, even though this was the term used in the government’s press statement.NCDC loan proposals are routed through the state, which provides a guarantee for the sum. In 2024, the factory had received an NCDC loan worth Rs 22.9 crore.TOI has learnt that the state sugar commissioner had informed the state cabinet that the factory was not eligible for an NCDC loan on several counts, according to the policy laid down on June 25, 2026. It had acquired cumulative losses worth Rs 108.9 crore and had exhausted its limit to raise external loans, he reportedly said. Also, it had received government assistance worth Rs 50 crore in 2023 and Rs 22.9 crore in 2024 and was still repaying those loans, the sugar commissioner said.The state finance department too reportedly said the factory was not eligible and the proposal should not be approved. It also said that other sugar factories would make the same demand and this would increase the financial burden on the state.Pawar told TOI: “This is not a special case. Other sugar factories have been given loans worth Rs 300-400 crore. This is a small sum.”He said that the factory had been closed for 15 years and was under liquidation and that he had managed to revive it last year. “The factory had received an NCDC loan in 2024 for expansion purposes. The loan proposal this year was for the repayment of loans owed to two cooperative banks. The factory also needs working capital and was classified as an NPA,” Pawar said.The Mahayuti government faces a debt of Rs 11 lakh crore, mainly the result of sops, including the state’s flagship Mukhya Mantri Majhi Laadki Bahin Yojana, which were announced before the 2024 assembly polls.

Devendra Fadnavis said a study by the Centre for Seismic Technology was already underway, but directed authorities to rope in additional reputed institutions to conduct a more comprehensive assessment of the situation

Palghar: Four back-to-back earthquake tremors struck Jawhar taluka in Palghar district on Monday night, triggering panic among residents and prompting several people to spend hours outside their homes.A 3.2-magnitude tremor was recorded at 10.04pm, with its preliminary epicentre reported near Dengachimet. The tremor caused vibrations in houses, prompting several residents to rush outdoors.At 11pm, another, stronger tremor measuring 3.4 magnitude was felt in the area. Its preliminary epicentre was reported near the Shri Jagdamba Mata temple in Hade village, close to Dengachimet. Residents said the second tremor intensified fears as ground vibrations continued for some time.Two more tremors were reportedly felt at 11.39pm and 12.05am, prompting several residents to remain outdoors for hours after midnight, fearing further shocks.No casualties or major damage have been reported so far.The district administration has alerted the agencies concerned and is monitoring the situation. An awareness campaign is also expected to be launched in Jawhar to allay residents’ fears and educate them about precautions during earthquakes.The nearby Saputara region also reported four tremors on Monday. Tremors measuring 2.9, 2.7, 2.0 and 2.8 magnitude were recorded between 7.53am and 9.38pm in areas around Shinde and Rahude villages.The district disaster management department has taken note of the tremors and is keeping a close watch on the situation.On Tuesday, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis directed the administration to undertake a comprehensive assessment of seismic activity in Nashik and Palghar districts and intensify awareness campaigns among people, especially students.An earthquake of 4.3 magnitude struck Nashik on Saturday night, followed by a tremor of 3.3 magnitude on Sunday morning, at a depth of 5 km in the Bhanwad area, close to the Hatgad mountain range near the Maharashtra-Gujarat border, as per officials.Fadnavis, during a discussion in the state cabinet meeting, said a study by the Centre for Seismic Technology was already underway, but directed the authorities to rope in additional reputed institutions to conduct a more comprehensive assessment of the situation. He also stressed the need to create greater awareness among residents about earthquakes and appropriate safety measures, sources said.The chief minister specifically directed that awareness programmes should also be conducted among students to ensure they are equipped to respond appropriately during seismic events.(With PTI inputs)

Mumbai: Concerns over regulatory compliance, civic and infrastructure problems, political instability and the business environment have come into focus after 36,211 private companies were liquidated, dissolved or struck off in Maharashtra over the past five years. The figures, disclosed by the ministry of corporate affairs in the Lok Sabha to a query by Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Rajabhau Waje, show that Mumbai recorded the highest number of closures at 12,009, followed by Pune with 6,433 and Thane with 4,704.The data has triggered criticism from opposition leaders, who blamed the state government for failing to address issues affecting businesses and job creation. The largest number of closures were recorded in business services (14,613), followed by manufacturing, mining & quarrying (6,582); trading (4196) and community; personal and social services (3,361).Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thacekray and NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar slammed the state govt for the closures.“In our Maharashtra, known as the growth engine of the nation, as many as 36,211 companies have shut down over the past 5 years, and the central government itself revealed in the Lok Sabha yesterday that a staggering 12,000 companies have closed in Mumbai, the economic capital of the country. Due to the closure of these companies, lakhs of youth in the state today have been deprived of their employment. Over the past five years, while the state rulers in Maharashtra have been engrossed in the tug-of-war for power, vital aspects like employment, industry, education, and health have been neglected—and this is the visible outcome. Be that as it may, now at least the rulers should step aside a bit from the horse-trading of power and make efforts for the state’s progress; that’s the expectation,” Rohit said in a post on X.Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray slammed the state govt for the closures. “A figure that should get all of us thinking. Ease of compliance and decriminalisation of industry ops is still pending. Civic issues, infrastructure issues haunt the industries in major industry belts like Chakan, Hinjewadi, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Nashik MIDCs. The political instability, local dirty politics in the past 5 years. Whereas this should be the single most important focus of govt-job creation by promoting better education, corruption- free infrastructure development and ease of compliance of companies that are present, instead of only focusing on ease of doing business to invite new ones. But obviously, the BJP regime is fixated on land-grab schemes across cities while the regime keeps us busy fighting within ourselves as a society,” said Aaditya.