BMC commissioner Ashwini Bhide has instructed ward officers to conduct regular inspections; remove encroachments from footpaths around schools, hospitals, railway and Metro stations; demolish illegal constructions; address traffic bottlenecks; and prioritise pothole complaints received through BMC’s ‘Marg’ app

Mumbai: The BMC on Saturday launched a citywide drive to improve “visible cleanliness”, directing all ward offices to identify and permanently eliminate garbage vulnerable points (GVPs), install CCTV cameras at such locations and initiate strict penal action against those caught dumping waste in public.There are 231 GVPs in the city, of which 49 have been elevated so far, and on 73 locations CCTV cameras have been placed.Municipal commissioner Ashwini Bhide, in a meeting held along with all heads of departments at the BMC headquarters, instructed ward officers to conduct regular inspections; remove encroachments from footpaths around schools, hospitals, railway and Metro stations; demolish illegal constructions; address traffic bottlenecks; and prioritise pothole complaints received through BMC’s ‘Marg’ app.Bhide said the civic body has mapped garbage hotspots across Mumbai on Google Maps and will subject each location to a structured assessment to identify the source and type of waste, plug gaps in collection and transportation, engage with residents and commercial establishments, and step up awareness campaigns. CCTV surveillance will be installed at all GVPs to deter littering, while repeat offenders will face penal action.The BMC said the campaign will focus on markets, major roads, footpaths, beaches, public spaces, vacant plots, drains and water bodies. It also plans to strengthen interception systems to prevent plastic and other solid waste from entering drains, creeks and the sea during the monsoon.Bhide asked assistant municipal commissioners to conduct regular field visits and work with local elected representatives to sustain cleanliness. Zonal deputy commissioners have been asked to review sanitation work every week, with special emphasis on clearing roadside garbage that poses health risks during the monsoon.The civic chief also directed officials to intensify special cleanliness drives at heritage sites, tourist attractions and other high-footfall public areas. Officers and staff who carry out the highest number of enforcement actions against littering will be recognised, she said.Separately, Bhide ordered immediate removal of encroachments from footpaths near schools, hospitals, railway and Metro stations and markets, saying nearly half of Mumbai’s commuters travel on foot and pedestrian infrastructure must remain obstruction-free. Illegal hawkers, unauthorised ramps and other obstructions are to be removed to make footpaths fully walkable.On potholes, the BMC said complaints have declined as more roads are being concretised. It claimed that 96% of pothole complaints received on the ‘Marg’ app between June 10 and July 30 have been resolved and directed officials to maintain the pace of redressal.Reiterating the Bombay high court’s observations on illegal constructions, Bhide said payment of property tax, electricity connections or old occupancy do not confer legality on unauthorised structures, and directed officials to ensure that such constructions are not regularised under any circumstances.

Wooden gavel. LAW concept. 3D Icon isolated on white background

Navi Mumbai: A 32-year-old man, Monish Ashok Gharat, residing in Ulwe, was convicted and sentenced to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment for attempt to murder and fined Rs 1 lakh by the Panvel district Additional Sessions Court on July 29. The sentence followed the trial in an FIR registered against him at Nhava Sheva police station on May 31, 2023.The conviction order was pronounced by Additional Sessions Judge Santosh R. Chavan after 13 prosecution witnesses were produced before the court by Additional Public Prosecutor (APP) Yashwant Bhopi for recording their testimony. The chargesheet was filed against Gharat on July 28, 2023, while charges were framed against him after two years on May 5, 2025. Thereafter, on July 7, 2025, the commencement of evidence was initiated, followed by the final judgement on July 29, 2026.APP Bhopi said, “The accused was found guilty of deliberately crashing a dumper vehicle, owned by his sister Jyoti Ashok Gharat, into Ulwe police chowki twice and damaging two parked police vehicles, including the Nirbhaya Squad vehicle. He even attempted to hit a biker with a pillion rider by driving on the wrong side near Kharkopar railway station, as the pillion rider was recording him while he drove on the wrong side. Thereafter, he attempted to ram into a police jeep chasing him. The then senior inspector Sanjay Dhumal was compelled to fire two rounds at the dumper and deflate the tyres to stop it, as the accused driver Gharat went berserk after a domestic quarrel when he initially crashed the dumper into his building’s main gate.”APP Bhopi added, “The accused Gharat is entitled to the benefit of set-off vide Section 428 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1973, for the period of detention undergone by him. In default of payment of the Rs 1 lakh fine, the accused Gharat will suffer further rigorous imprisonment for one year, as per the court judgement.”Court constable Ashok Palkar said, “The accused Monish Gharat, after being arrested on May 31, 2023, approached the High Court seeking bail, but it was rejected. Hence, he approached the Supreme Court, where again his bail application was rejected. Hence, for the past three years, he was in jail custody as an undertrial. On May 31, 2023, Gharat quarrelled with his family members, who were annoyed with him over his criminal antecedents, as he was previously booked for thefts and brawls. Hence, he drove his sister’s dumper parked outside Balaji Darshan society in Ulwe, where he resided with his family. He attempted to enter the building when the security guard did not open the gate, as heavy vehicle parking was not allowed inside the building premises. Gharat got annoyed and crashed into the main gate. Thereafter, he went driving berserk on the street and deliberately crashed into Ulwe police chowki operating from a container, damaged two parked police vehicles and attempted to hit a biker and also attempted to crash into the police jeep chasing him.”

A financial dispute over thirty-two crore rupees allegedly led to a murder conspiracy, GSM Foils chairman Sagar Bhanusali is accused of hiring contract killers to eliminate his mananging director

VASAI: A financial dispute over Rs 32 crore allegedly turned into a murder conspiracy, with GSM Foils chairman Sagar Bhanusali accused of plotting the killing of the company’s managing director Mohansingh Parmar (46) to avoid repayment and regain complete control of the firm, police said.According to investigators, Bhanusali allegedly hired contract killers to carry out the attack after he failed to clear the amount he owed to Parmar following the sale of his stake in GSM Foils.How the alleged conspiracy beganPolice said the dispute began after Bhanusali allegedly convinced Parmar to purchase his stake in the company. Parmar reportedly paid nearly Rs 32 crore for the stake, but Bhanusali allegedly failed to repay the amount.Investigators suspect that instead of settling the financial liability, Bhanusali allegedly decided to eliminate Parmar and take complete control of the company.The alleged conspiracy reportedly took shape when Bhanusali came under severe financial pressure following losses in the stock market.Financial losses allegedly pushed chairman into debtAccording to police, Bhanusali had invested heavily in international stock markets and suffered major losses after a decline in the US market following the Iran-Israel conflict.The losses allegedly left him burdened with debts running into crores. Investigators believe the financial crisis became a key reason behind the alleged plan to kill Parmar, as Bhanusali wanted to escape repayment of Rs 32 crore and retain control of GSM Foils.Alleged contract killing planPolice alleged that Bhanusali then planned a contract killing and brought in people to execute the attack on Parmar.Investigators said around Rs 30 lakh was allegedly fixed for the murder plan, with an advance payment of Rs 5 lakh allegedly made.Police said several people were allegedly involved in different roles, including arranging the firearm, carrying out surveillance on Parmar’s movements and helping the attackers escape after the shooting.Attack inside GSM Foils premisesThe alleged plan was executed on July 24 at GSM Foils’ premises in Diamond Industrial Estate, Navjeevan, Vasai East.According to police, two motorcycle-borne assailants intercepted Parmar and opened fire at him.The first bullet hit Parmar on his shoulder, while the second shot allegedly failed after the pistol jammed. The attacker then allegedly hit Parmar with the butt of the weapon before fleeing from the spot.Parmar was immediately taken for medical treatment. Police said his condition is stable and improving.How police cracked the alleged murder conspiracyDuring the investigation, Waliv police allegedly identified Bhanusali as the mastermind behind the attack.Using technical intelligence and local inputs, police traced him to Uttar Pradesh and arrested him with the assistance of the Uttar Pradesh Police Special Task Force.Six other accused allegedly involved in the conspiracy were later arrested from different locations.Seven accused arrestedThe arrested accused include Sujit Devendrabhai Pandey, who police identified as the alleged shooter.Other accused include Manoj Mulchand Thathera, who allegedly arranged the illegal firearm from Uttar Pradesh; Gokul Omprakash Gautam, who allegedly helped procure the weapon; Anup Virendra Prajapati, who allegedly conducted reconnaissance, rode the motorcycle, helped the shooter escape and attempted to destroy evidence; and Vijaykumar Prajapat Vishwakarma, who allegedly arranged the vehicle and the shooter.Probe into possible larger conspiracyPolice said the source of the pistol used in the attack is yet to be traced.Investigators are examining scientific, technical, digital, financial and forensic evidence to determine whether the alleged conspiracy has links to any larger financial, commercial or organised crime network.The investigation is ongoing.GSM Foils operations continueGSM Foils, which manufactures blister foils and aluminium pharma foils for the pharmaceutical industry, informed the National Stock Exchange (NSE) that the incident took place in the Naikpada area under Waliv police station limits.The company said its manufacturing units in Vasai and Ahmedabad continue to operate normally.The company’s shares on the NSE closed at the 20% lower circuit at Rs 192 on Friday.

MUMBAI: Paving the way for the trial to commence, over five years after Antilia bomb scare and murder of Mansukh Hiran, a special court on Saturday framed anti-terror and murder charges against ten accused, including dismissed cops Sachin Waze, Sunil Mane and Pradeep Sharma.The accused pleaded not guilty. The accused have been booked under various charges, including the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Indian Penal Code. On July 20, observing that as a case is made out by the prosecution for framing of the charge, the court posted the matter for framing the charges. The maximum sentence attracted is the death penalty.On February 25, 2021, an SUV with explosives was found near Antilia, industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence in south Mumbai. The prosecution has claimed that Hiran, the vehicle owner, was murdered on March 4, 2021, because he knew of the conspiracy. Ten accused, including dismissed police officers Sachin Waze, Sunil Mane and Pradeep Sharma, have been named. Waze was arrested that same month.The NIA had submitted that Waze is mastermind of the entire conspiracy and in pursuance of the same placed a threat along with a vehicle laden with explosives near the residence of the industrialist “with the intent to terrorise wealthy prosperous individuals and also to extort money by putting into fear of that consequences, and also a post on the telegram channel of Jaish-ul-Hind was a deliberate attempt to give credibility to the terror”.It was further argued that Waze, Mane, Sharma, Santosh Shelar, Anand Jadhav, Satish Mothkuri, and Manish Soni entered into a criminal conspiracy and intentionally caused the death of Hiran “as he refused to accept the responsibility of placing the vehicle laden with gelatin sticks and was a weak link who would unearth the entire conspiracy which is a direct outcome of the terrorist act”. It was further submitted that in pursuant to the criminal conspiracy, Waze, Mane, Shelar, Jadhav, Mothkuri, Soni, and Sharma abducted Hiran to eliminate him. Dismissed cop Riyazuddin Kazi is also accused of destruction of evidence and criminal conspiracy. Naresh Gaur was accused of providing five SIM cards, out of which one was allegedly used in Hiran’s murder.

MUMBAI: The city’s transport network faces the threat of major disruption after the BEST Workers Union issued a deadline to municipal authorities, warning of a major agitation if long-standing grievances over wage agreements, fleet ownership and land sales are not addressed by mid-August. The warning comes as the union leadership broke ranks with an umbrella action committee, accusing negotiators of accepting interim financial relief while tacitly allowing the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking to monetise its prime real estate assets. Speaking ahead of a mass meeting scheduled for 17 August at Shirodkar Hall in Parel, BEST Workers Union leader Shashank Rao criticised recent negotiations that yielded limited pay increases for staff while leaving systemic issues unresolved. “The interim relief offered to workers is a distraction from the erosion of BEST’s core public mandate,” Rao said. “The administration cannot be allowed to hand over municipal land to private developers under the guise of financial restructuring while ignoring long-pending wage revisions and equal pay for contractual staff.” The union’s five-point charter of demands calls for an immediate halt to the sale or lease of BEST-owned land to private builders, the urgent merger of BEST’s ‘C’ budget into the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) primary ‘A’ budget, and the implementation of long-delayed pay revisions for the 2016–2021 and 2021–2026 periods in line with the 7th Pay Commission. Labour representatives are also pushing for the implementation of a June 2019 memorandum of understanding. The agreement mandated the municipal body to fund operational deficits, clear pending retirement gratuities, and maintain a self-owned fleet of buses rather than relying heavily on privately operated wet-lease buses. “Wet-lease staff perform the same duties as permanent employees but are denied equal pay,” Rao said. “We are demanding full implementation of the 2019 agreement. If the administration fails to take a decisive and binding decision in the interest of the workforce by 15 August, there will be no stepping back, and we will launch a full-scale agitation.” Municipal authorities and BEST management have faced growing scrutiny in recent months over the increasing privatisation of the city’s bus fleet and delays in payments to retired personnel. If the union proceeds with industrial action after the 17 August meeting, millions of daily commuters in the financial capital could face severe transport disruption.

A five-storey Bhiwandi building collapsed, killing ten people and injuring three others

MUMBAI: The state govt ordered an inquiry into the crash of a part of a five-storey Bhiwandi building that claimed 10 lives.An FIR was lodged against the contractor hired for repairs, Ashok, and building owner, Bilal Khan, under Sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 125 (negligent act endangering human life or personal safety of others) of BNS and relevant provisions of Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act for illegal construction, said DCP (zone 2), Thane, Pawan Basod.The PM announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the families of those killed and the CM Rs 5 lakh each.This was the third such major building collapse in Bhiwandi since 2020.Repairs began four days earlier after residents flagged falling plaster chunks and hired a contractor on their own. The building was not vacated during the work.Around 8pm on Thursday, residents noticed that a supporting pillar in wing B had developed a crack and was tilting, alerted the contractor and vacated the building.

Hundreds of dangerous buildings in MMR, thousands at risk (Photo credit: Santosh Gupta)

Workers were immediately brought in and the pillar was reinforced with iron support rods. Assuming that the structure had been stabilised, many residents went back into the building around 11.30pm.Moments later, half the wing collapsed, trapping many residents and labourers under the rubble.Over the next 15 hours, NDRF, fire brigade and Thane disaster response force personnel pulled out the bodies of Rakesh Paswan (25), Mukesh Paswan (30), Ashok Paswan (40), Krish Kumar (32), Ranjit Singh (45), Radheshyam Kushwaha (45), Siraj Rasul Sheikh (45), Shamim Ansari (32), Shyam Pal (40), and Santosh Pandey (42).Those injured, Abhay Yadav (26), Deepak Yadav (25) and Sangeeta Prajapati (36), were taken to a hospital. Some residents were rescued from the portion of the wing that remained standing.An NDRF officer said the building suffered a “pancake collapse”, in which one floor falls directly onto another.“The chances of survival in such collapses are extremely low. We deployed trained sniffer dogs to locate the victims.”Disaster management minister Girish Mahajan, who visited the site, said the repairs were carried out late at night to escape civic scrutiny.He directed the authorities to ensure that all dangerous buildings in Bhiwandi are vacated and appropriate action.Mehtab Ansari, a resident, told TOI that all flat owners had contributed around Rs 10,000 each for the repairs.Another resident, Komal Arvind Gupta, alleged that negligence during the work damaged the pillar.

Affluent Indian buyers now prioritize wellness and community in luxury homes (AI-generated image used for representational purposes)

MUMBAI: India’s luxury housing market is witnessing a decisive shift in buyer behaviour, with affluent homebuyers increasingly willing to pay a premium for thoughtfully designed residences that offer wellness, privacy, sustainability and a strong sense of community rather than simply larger homes or extravagant amenities.The changing preference is emerging as one of the biggest trends in the country’s premium residential sector at a time when demand for luxury homes is surging.According to the CBRE-ASSOCHAM report, luxury housing sales in India grew 85% year-on-year during the first half of 2025, with Delhi-NCR accounting for nearly 57% of total luxury home sales, signalling that buyers are increasingly valuing quality of living over sheer size.For prospective buyers, the trend means that the definition of luxury is changing rapidly. Spacious balconies, landscaped open spaces, natural ventilation, wellness zones, walking trails, low-density planning and thoughtfully designed common areas are replacing imported marble, oversized clubhouses and lavish interiors as key differentiators.Homebuyers are also placing greater emphasis on privacy, security and neighbourhood quality as homes increasingly double up as workplaces and family spaces.The report suggests that architecture, sustainability and community planning are now becoming major purchase drivers alongside location and price.Developers say affluent Indians, including NRIs, are seeking homes that deliver long-term liveability and emotional value rather than just status.This has led to growing demand for designer residences, branded developments and curated communities where design, nature and lifestyle are integrated from the planning stage itself.The shift has important implications for investors as well. Property consultants say projects backed by reputed developers with a proven record of execution, transparent governance and quality construction are expected to command stronger buyer confidence, better occupancy and superior long-term value.As premium home purchases involve significant capital commitments, buyers are carrying out greater due diligence on legal approvals, construction quality, maintenance standards and delivery timelines before signing deals.The evolution is also influencing the wider housing market.Features once confined to luxury developments, including energy-efficient buildings, larger green spaces, wellness amenities, smart home technologies and efficient apartment layouts, are gradually finding their way into premium mid-income projects as developers respond to changing consumer aspirations.The broader outlook for the sector remains robust.CBRE projects that residential inventory across India’s seven major cities could reach nearly 7 billion sqft by 2030, driven by rising urbanisation, growing disposable incomes, increasing homeownership aspirations and sustained demand for sustainable developments.The report also identifies luxury housing, branded residences and wellness-led communities as among the fastest-growing segments of the residential market.Industry experts, however, caution that buyers should not mistake premium branding for quality.They advise purchasers to evaluate legal clearances, financial strength of developers, project execution capabilities, maintenance frameworks and resale potential before investing, particularly in the luxury segment where ticket sizes are substantially higher.Delhi-NCR-based luxury developer TARC Ltd. believes the market is moving from “living bigger” to “living better”, with buyers increasingly seeking homes that blend timeless architecture, wellness, sustainability and curated community experiences.While the trend is currently most visible in the luxury segment, experts believe it is likely to influence residential development across price categories over the coming years.For homebuyers, the message is clear: luxury is no longer being measured only in square feet. Increasingly, it is being defined by how well a home supports health, privacy, environmental sustainability and everyday quality of life.For developers, the challenge will be to deliver on these promises through credible execution rather than marketing alone.