BEST’s fleet currently comprises 2,829 buses, of which only 249 are owned by the undertaking, with the remaining vehicles operating under the GCC model

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking has invited bids to induct 200 non-air-conditioned MIDI CNG buses under the Gross Cost Contract (GCC), or wet lease, model, to strengthen last-mile connectivity and feeder services to Mumbai Metro corridors despite continued opposition from employee unions and commuter activists.The tender requires an earnest money deposit (EMD) of Rs 29 crore and guarantees 4,500 km of monthly operation per bus over a 10-year contract. Bids will close on August 24, while a pre-bid meeting has been scheduled for Aug 6. Technical and financial bids will be opened on Aug 27 and 28, respectively.The successful bidder must present a prototype bus within 60 days of receiving the Letter of Acceptance (LoA), deliver the first 50 buses within 120 days, another 50 within 150 days and the remaining fleet within 180 days. The prototype will form part of the 200-bus fleet, while the operator must also provide two additional buses free of cost for driver training.Under the GCC model, private operators procure, own, maintain and operate the buses while providing drivers and conductors. BEST retains control over routes, schedules, fares and passenger services and pays operators on a per-kilometre basis.The move comes despite persistent criticism from employee unions and transport activists, who argue that the growing dependence on privately operated buses has affected service quality and contributed to an increase in accidents.BEST’s fleet currently comprises 2,829 buses, of which only 249 are owned by the undertaking, with the remaining vehicles operating under the GCC model. Of the 249 owned buses, 42 are MIDI buses, comprising 36 diesel and six electric vehicles. The undertaking also operates 640 GCC-operated MIDI buses, including around 600 air-conditioned CNG buses and 20 each of air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned electric buses.Officials said at least 315 additional MIDI buses will be required to strengthen feeder connectivity to Mumbai Metro corridors. The smaller buses are considered better suited for feeder services as they can negotiate narrow internal roads, steep gradients and congested neighbourhoods.BEST has earmarked parking spaces for the fleet at Vikhroli, Marol, Malad and Wadala depots, with 50 buses to be stationed at each location. All services will originate and terminate from these depots, eliminating dead kilometres and improving operational efficiency.The successful operator will also be responsible for creating maintenance infrastructure, deploying trained drivers and conductors, complying with statutory and labour regulations, and ensuring the buses remain roadworthy throughout the contract.

The defence submitted that the minor had no criminal antecedents, was a Class 12 commerce student, had no addiction or criminal background, and had a stable family environment

Mumbai: In a detailed order cancelling the bail granted to a 17-year-old driver who killed a 33-year-old Ghatkopar businessman, Dhrumil Patel, in a hit-and-run incident, a special court on Friday stated that because the affluent minor associates with “spoiled, aristocratic children” and performs dangerous vehicle stunts, keeping him in a reform home is beneficial for his rehabilitation as well as in the interest of society at large.“It is a fact of judicial notice that in this year in Maharashtra (Pune and Mumbai), such types of incidents occurred involving opulent children, and in these incidents, innocent people lost their lives. After releasing the CCL within a short period of the incident, it will defeat the ends of justice and would frustrate the confidence as repose for the society,” Judge Mujibodeen S Shaikh said.The judge also noted that the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) had considered the social investigation report and the NGO report, along with the child’s family background, but had “lost sight” of the photographs uploaded on Instagram that showed him performing dangerous stunts. “On contrary, it reflects from the photographs loaded on the Instagram account of CCL (Child in Conflict with Law) and his friends namely ‘Ryankelafdebaaz’ that CCL is opulent children having company of spoiled aristocrats making stunts on the motorcycle by seating triple seat and seating on the bonnet and roof of the car involved in the accident shows CCL and his friends are not following the traffic rules.”The court said these acts indicated “lack of parental control on their beloved son’s activities”. “Obviously, if he is released on bail, then definitely he will come in the company of spoiled aristocrats and commit any other offence of the same type,” the judge observed.On Friday, the judge directed Juvenile Justice Board at Dongri to secure the child’s presence and pass appropriate orders sending the child to a reformative centre.“No doubt, the Juvenile Act is a beneficial legislation intended for juvenile/child in conflict with law, but also demands that justice should be done not only to the accused, but also to the accuser. The alleged act of CCL itself shakes the conscience of the society. The offence is obviously heinous in nature and if CCL is released on bail, it would defeat the ends of justice,” the judge said.The detailed order was made available on Saturday.On Feb 5, 2026, around 11.15 pm, Dhrumil and his wife, Menal Patel (32), were heading back to Ghatkopar from Parel, where Dhrumil worked, on his scooter when a car from the opposite direction “violently struck them” near Somaiya College, Vidyavihar. Dhrumil sustained grievous head injuries, rib fractures and fractures to his left knee and right wrist, while Menal too broke her right hand and sustained grievous injuries to her right eye and other parts. Dhrumil Patel died during treatment on Feb 15, after which the offence of culpable homicide not amounting to murder was added.On March 6, Suburban Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) granted bail to the teenager, the minor, on a bond of Rs 25,000, despite charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.In April this year, claiming that there is deliberate deletion of evidence during pending investigations and attempts to subvert criminal justice by offering Rs 40 lakh as blood money, Meenal, a teacher, moved court to challenge the release of the minor.The prosecution also opposed bail, saying the minor had allegedly driven the car in a rash and negligent manner at high speed. The investigating officer stated that the minor and friends had an Instagram account on which reels of motorcycles and cars were posted, and that after the incident, reels were deleted. The investigating officer also alleged that the minor deleted the Instagram account and that the father was aware that the child was driving the car.The defence opposed the appeal and argued that the Juvenile Justice Act is reformative and rehabilitative, not punitive. The defence submitted that the minor had no criminal antecedents, was a Class 12 commerce student, had no addiction or criminal background, and had a stable family environment. The defence also argued that the gravity of the offence alone cannot be a ground to deny bail to a juvenile.However, in a 24-page order, the judge also referred to the allegation that the Instagram account was deleted after the incident. “The investigation is in progress and the CCL is released on bail. He may tamper the prosecution witnesses and the example of tampering witness is the deletion of Instagram Account which was formed by the CCL along with his friends who are deeply involved in the stunts of four wheeler and two wheeler vehicles,” the court said.The judge also noted that the crash had resulted in the death of an earning member of the family and left the wife with permanent disability.The order further recorded that the family of the child had offered money to the victims, and that a community meeting had taken place. The appellant had alleged that “blood money” was offered for settlement, while the defence disputed the version and claimed that the victim’s side had made a much higher demand.Earlier, Menal had petitioned Bombay High Court to seek cancellation of bail that the sessions court granted on March 4 to the driver’s father. It is pending.

The Valiv police have arrested seven persons in the case

Vasai: A Rs 50 lakh bank transaction proved to be the breakthrough that helped the police unravel the conspiracy behind the attempted murder of GSM Foils managing director Mohansingh Parmar (46), who survived a shooting in Vasai on July 24. Investigators have now revealed that the murder plot had been meticulously planned nearly three months before the incident by the company’s director and chartered accountant, Sagar Bhanushali (33).The Valiv police have arrested seven persons, including Bhanushali, who is alleged to be the mastermind behind the conspiracy. According to investigators, none of the accused had any prior criminal record, a factor that initially made the probe particularly challenging.Police said Bhanushali had borrowed Rs 32 crore from Parmar after convincing him to liquidate his shareholdings, promising to return the money within six months. However, instead of repaying the amount, Bhanushali allegedly conspired to eliminate Parmar to avoid the liability. Police said Bhanushali suffered massive financial losses in the US stock market following the US-Iran conflict, and persuaded Parmar to purchase his stake in the company for nearly Rs 32 crore.According to police, Bhanushali, a chartered accountant by profession, joined GSM Foils in 2020 as the company’s CA. He later married one of the firm’s employees, earned Parmar’s trust and eventually became a director in the company.Since Parmar had no known enemies and had never reported receiving threats, investigators initially struggled to establish a motive or identify suspects. Despite questioning company directors and employees, the investigation yielded no substantial leads.The breakthrough came when police discovered a Rs 50 lakh bank transfer made by Parmar from his account into Bhanushali’s account. Investigators said Bhanushali had ensured that most of the Rs 32 crore was routed through other channels to avoid leaving a financial trail but this transaction raised suspicion and shifted the focus of the investigation on him.During sustained interrogation, Bhanushali allegedly confessed to orchestrating the conspiracy, assistant police inspector Sopan Patil said.Senior police inspector Dilip Ghuge said Bhanushali began planning Parmar’s murder nearly three months before the attack. He allegedly recruited his Goregaon-based friend Vijay Kumar Vishwakarma, who had also lent him Rs 3 crore. Police said Bhanushali promised to repay the money and persuaded Vishwakarma to help execute the plan.Vishwakarma then allegedly identified individuals with no criminal antecedents to avoid attracting police attention. He recruited two of his office employees and three others from Uttar Pradesh. The group was allegedly promised Rs 30 lakh to Rs 40 lakh for carrying out the murder, with Rs 5 lakh paid in advance.Investigators said Bhanushali maintained contact only with Vishwakarma and deliberately avoided conventional phone calls. Instead, he communicated through WhatsApp calls and Instagram to minimise the chances of surveillance.The execution phase began around two weeks before the attack. On July 24, the alleged shooter, Sujit Pandey, opened fire on Parmar with a country-made pistol. However, the attempt failed, and Parmar survived with injuries.In an apparent bid to deflect suspicion, Bhanushali remained at the company premises during the shooting and personally drove the injured Parmar to hospital. Police said he also regularly contacted investigators to enquire about the progress of the probe in an attempt to portray himself as concerned and distance himself from the crime.All seven accused were produced before a Vasai court, which remanded them to police custody till Aug 7.

The building came down sometime between 11.20pm on July 30 and 5pm on July 31, trapping several residents under the debris as they slept

Thane: Poor quality construction spanning 13 years and unauthorised repair work that damaged the building’s structural pillars led to the collapse of a wing at Kohinoor Apartment in Gangaramwadi, New Tavare Compound, Bhiwandi, killing 10 people and injuring three others, following which police booked the building owner and the repair contractor for negligence. The building came down sometime between 11.20pm on July 30 and 5pm on July 31, trapping several residents under the debris as they slept.Police said the B Wing of the building had deteriorated rapidly despite being barely 13 years old, owing to extremely poor construction quality. The structure had been built without any sanctioned plans or approvals from the Bhiwandi Nizampur City Municipal Corporation, and had reportedly been flagged as structurally unsound by civic authorities on more than one occasion. The owner, identified as Bilal Ahmed Abubakar Khan, a Mumbai resident, allegedly ignored repeated notices warning that the building was unsafe for habitation, and made no effort to evacuate tenants despite being fully aware of the risk to their lives.Investigators said the immediate trigger for the collapse was unauthorised repair work carried out without civic permission in the days leading up to the incident. A contractor identified only as Ashok allegedly undertook structural repairs with gross negligence, compromising and damaging load-bearing pillars on the lower floors, which directly caused the structure to give way and cave in on itself.Among the deceased were residents aged between 30 and 48 years, most of them daily-wage workers and their family members who lived on rent in the building. Three others, aged between 24 and 36 years, were pulled out with injuries and are undergoing treatment. Rescue teams, aided by disaster response units, worked through the night clearing debris in search of survivors before the operation was formally called off.An FIR was registered at Bhoiwada police station following a complaint by an assistant commissioner overseeing unauthorised construction at the municipal corporation. Cases have been filed against the building owner and the contractor under the relevant sections.The FIR was registered on the complaint of an assistant commissioner from the municipal corporation’s unauthorised constructions department. Police invoked Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), Sections 125(a) and 125(b) (acts endangering life and causing hurt), and Section 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Sections 52 and 53 of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act relating to unauthorised construction.Bhiwandi police have launched a manhunt to trace Bilal Ahmed Abubakar Khan. A police team was sent to his Mumbai residence to apprehend him, but he is believed to be abroad. Investigators are now gathering details of his travel and are exploring legal options to secure his return. The contractor, Ashok, who has also been booked in the case, is suspected to have died, though police officials said they are yet to officially verify and confirm reports of his death.Police said further investigation is underway to establish the full extent of negligence by both the owner and the contractor, and to examine whether municipal officials failed to act on earlier complaints about the building’s dangerous condition. “We have sought the documents of the building and its land from the concerned authorities,” said Vikram Mohite, senior inspector of Bhoiwada police station.Originally from Madhubani district of Bihar, Ram Vilas Ram, a survivor of the Bhiwandi building collapse, recalled that he noticed a crack in the building around 8.30 pm, after which someone placed a temporary support under a pillar. Around 11.20 pm, just as he was about to sit down for dinner at his rented apartment on fourth floor, with his wife and two children, the building suddenly collapsed. Fearing for their lives, he wrapped his family in a thick blanket as a section of the structure came crashing down in front of them, leaving them stranded and unable to move.In a desperate attempt to attract attention, Ram switched on the torch of his mobile phone, which was spotted by rescue personnel, leading to the family’s safe evacuation. ,Ram said he has been working in Bhiwandi’s powerloom sector since 1994. Following the collapse, he and his family are staying at a nearby temple, where locals are providing them with food and other basic necessities.