Palghar: A public hearing conducted by Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) on Sunday for the proposed environmental clearance of stone quarry projects at Gargaon in Palghar district witnessed strong opposition from local villagers and environmental activists. Despite the protests, the hearing was completed under heavy police security.The proposed quarries at Gargaon and Khaniwade in Boisar are intended to supply rock for the land reclamation works of the proposed Vadhvan Port Project Limited (VPPL). As part of the environmental clearance process, the MPCB organised a public hearing at Shigav-Khutad village in Boisar.Hundreds of villagers gathered outside the venue and staged a sit-in protest, alleging that the hearing was being conducted without adequately addressing their concerns over the project’s environmental and social impact.Vinit Patil of the Vadhvan Port Virodhi Sangharsh Samiti said the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report had been prepared only in English and had not been provided to the concerned gram panchayats in a language understood by local residents.Shigav sarpanch Dipti Sumda said local communities had already parted with land for the port project and would now face further displacement and environmental degradation due to large-scale quarrying. “The government should source the stone from elsewhere instead of destroying our villages,” she said.Another villager, Bharat Vayeda, demanded that the hearing be postponed, stating that many residents were unable to attend as they were engaged in agricultural work during the ongoing farming season.Despite the objections, officials proceeded with the public hearing amid tight police deployment. According to Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, 232 villagers attended the hearing.

Mumbai: A six-month-old boy allegedly abducted from his mother’s custody in Kurla was traced safely within four hours following a coordinated CCTV-based search by Mumbai and Thane police on Sunday.The incident occurred between 5.30 am and 6 am at Kamlabai Chawl, near Gaurishankar Temple, Masrani Lane, Halav Pool, Kurla West.According to VB Nagar police, the infant, Babu Kamble, was asleep at home when accused Aman Sakat, 25, allegedly took him without his mother Sonia Kamble’s consent.VB Nagar Police registered case under Section 137(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Senior Inspector Amit Tad ordered extensive searches and CCTV tracking.Footage showed Sakat heading towards Vidyavihar Railway Station and boarding a train towards Thane with the child. Police alerted Thane and Railway Police. Around 6.30 pm, Vishnu Nagar Police found the infant safe within their jurisdiction. DCP Ganesh Shinde commended the police team for the swift recovery.

Bhiwandi: A 46-year-old woman was killed and her husband injured after their scooter skidded into a pothole on Thane-Bhiwandi Road at Rahanal village on Sunday, throwing them onto the road before the woman was run over by a truck, police said.The deceased was identified as Sunita Akshaylal Pal (46), a resident of Manorama Nagar in Thane. Her husband, Akshaylal Pal, sustained injuries and is undergoing treatment.According to police, the couple was travelling on an Activa scooter towards Anjur Phata in Bhiwandi to inspect a newly purchased flat when the accident occurred. As they were passing through Rahanal village, the scooter hit a large pothole on the concrete road that was filled with rainwater, making it difficult for the rider to gauge its depth.The impact caused the scooter to skid, throwing both riders onto the road. While Akshaylal fell towards the left, Sunita landed on the right side. A truck approaching from behind allegedly ran over her before it could stop, killing her on the spot.On receiving information, a team from Narpoli police station rushed to the spot and conducted a panchnama. The body was sent to Bhiwandi sub-district IGM hospital for post-mortem examination. Police have registered a case and are investigating the circumstances surrounding the accident.The incident has once again brought the poor condition of roads in Bhiwandi and its surrounding areas into focus. Several stretches of Thane-Bhiwandi Road and adjoining roads have developed large potholes despite being concretised. During the monsoon, these potholes remain submerged under rainwater, making them virtually invisible to motorists and increasing the risk of accidents.Local residents and the victim’s relatives blamed the civic authorities for failing to repair the dangerous potholes despite repeated complaints. They demanded immediate repairs to the damaged road stretches and sought financial assistance for the bereaved family, warning that more lives could be lost if the hazardous conditions are not addressed without delay.

Navi Mumbai: A Wadala youth, Arman Ansari (24), drowned in a river off Solanpada dam, Karjat, on Saturday. A five-member group had arrived at the river on a picnic. Ansari had jumped from a bundh into the water to swim but hit his head and chin on the underwater rock surface before drowning.The victim remained missing deep in the water. His friends screamed for assistance. Hours later he was swept away several metres downstream. The locals arrived at the dam to rescue the victim in response to the SOS call of his friends.The locals started searching for him. The body of Ansari was noticed stuck underneath a bridge over the river. The locals pulled him out of the water, joining hands with four of his other friends. The victim was rushed to the sub-district hospital, Karjat.After a post-mortem, his body was handed over to his relatives. An accidental death case has been filed with Karjat police station. Further investigation is on.Ansari is originally from Uttar Pradesh. Entry to the dam has been restricted, according to locals. However, monsoon revellers are flocking to rivers, check dams and other spots for enjoyment.

Nalasopara: A 20-year-old man drowned after slipping into a lake while fishing with his friends in Nalasopara East on Sunday afternoon. The deceased was identified as Sohel Ibrahim Shaikh (20), a resident of Gala Nagar in Nalasopara East.According to officials, Sohel had gone fishing with his friends at Nagela Lake in Shirdi Sankhyeshwar Nagar area when he allegedly lost his footing and fell into the water. After he failed to resurface, his companions alerted the authorities.A team from Achole fire station of Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation launched a search operation and later recovered his body from the lake.Meanwhile, local residents alleged that repeated demands for safety measures, including a protective boundary wall, warning signboards and other safeguards around the lake, have been ignored by the civic administration.With rivers, lakes and other water bodies overflowing due to the ongoing monsoon, police have prohibited swimming and recreational activities at such locations, warning residents to stay away from water bodies to prevent accidents.

Mumbai: Even as Bandraites have been protesting the proposed conversion of Neville D’Souza football ground at Reclamation into a convention centre, similar fears have gripped residents of Pali village in the same suburb. Citizens have questioned ongoing construction of a sports facility by an NGO on a large plot owned by the collectorate, which has been an open playground for decades. As per documents available in the suburban collector’s office, the collectorate has allocated Rs 6 crore for construction of a “welfare centre and healthcare utility”. The work is being undertaken by an NGO named I Love Mumbai Foundation (unrelated to the NGO of the late noted jurist Nana Chudasama). City and suburban collectors are empowered to distribute funds for projects under the annual district development plan, including those recommended by MLAs and MPs. Shiv Sena politician Rahool Kanal, who is president of the foundation as well as of Pickleball Association of Maharashtra, made a representation to local MLA Ashish Shelar requesting allocation of funds for welfare activity through this plan, which was forwarded to the suburban collectorate and approved. Kanal said he is building a multi-sport cricket turf and pickleball court. “It will be open for local players. The land ownership will remain with the state. There is no change of user or ownership. There will be no construction beyond permissible limits. We will levy a nominal fee of Rs 10 or so just to cover maintenance costs,” he said. In 2012, local activists Colman Pereira and Daphne Warapen were among four who campaigned against the plot’s encroachment by a private club, which built a tennis court. “We got the tennis court demolished,” said Pereira. The activists’ later appeals were upheld by the then collector, followed by the additional commissioner Konkan division court as well as Bombay HC.They questioned the legal propriety of the current initiative. “How can the current collector overturn the order of his own predecessor—and HC—which declared the site a free open playground for the public?” Pereira said. “Local boys cannot afford to spend thousands to join private clubs in Bandra.” Warapen said the project appears to be massive since its completion date is 2027.

Wooden gavel on wooden table, on background

Thane: Former Supreme Court judge Justice Abhay S. Oka made a scathing remark on urban planning in Thane, questioning why basic infrastructure projects are being passed off as “development” and suggesting that several mega projects underway may lack legal sanction.Speaking at a public event, Sunday evening, Justice Oka said flyovers, bridges, highways and high-rise buildings cannot, by themselves, be regarded as markers of development. “Real development lies in affordable housing, accessible healthcare, quality education, efficient public transport and environmental protection,” he said.Invoking the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act, Oka said every city is required to prepare a statutory Development Plan (DP) through its planning authority—in Thane’s case, the municipal corporation.“The DP is meant to identify transport infrastructure, including roads, railways and waterways. Yet projects such as SATIS, the Ring Metro and several other major works do not appear to be part of the city’s Development Plan. If that is so, their execution is illegal,” he said.He reminded citizens that the Constitution guarantees them the right to object to government-sponsored projects. “People must realise that the city belongs to them, not to elected representatives,” Justice Oka said.The former SC judge also took aim at large-scale infrastructure projects that entail the felling of mature trees and destruction of mangroves, while referring to the Coastal Road. He said statutory bodies, including municipal tree authorities, are expected to protect the environment rather than function as “rubber stamps.” Oka also questioned the practice of compensatory afforestation where decades-old trees were replaced with saplings elsewhere.

Cat thrown from 12th floor of Ambernath building

Navi Mumbai: A candlelight vigil was held by animal lovers at Ambernath on Sunday evening to protest the recent animal cruelty case in which a cat was thrown down from the 12th floor of Royal Flora Phase-2 tower.While the Shivaji Nagar police station has lodged an FIR against a local resident, Raju Salunke, under sections of BNS and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, he has not yet been arrested.Animal activist, Angelina Kurup, told TOI: “We are holding this candlelight vigil because the accused man (Salunke) has not been arrested despite submitting an incriminating CCTV footage of the animal cruelty. We want justice for this cat.”The family members of the accused had earlier pleaded that he is a “senior citizen and mentally ill”.However, animal lovers have asserted that the accused person had intentionally walked towards the cat resting on the parapet wall of 12th floor, and pushed it down from that great height. They added that Salunke was earlier working for the Ulhasnagar Municipal Council (UMC), so it is doubtful if he is mentally unsound.“The CCTV footage of July 25 clearly shows how the old man killed the cat.The locals have informed that he disliked the presence of cats outside his 12th floor flat. Hence, action must be taken on him,” said activist Vijay Rangare of Rakshak animal rights group.While the local police is further legally proceeding in this matter, various animal rights groups have expressed concern on rising cases of animal cruelty involving cats, dogs.