Maharashtra

The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has ordered the shutdown of 19 ready mix concrete plants, which serve construction projects, in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region for violating environmental guidelines and contributing to deteriorating air quality levels. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the board said the enforcement action followed a compliance survey that found multiple facilities operating without proper dust control systems, emission management mechanisms and statutory permissions. The MPCB stated that multiple teams were already conducting physical inspections across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), and strict enforcement will continue through the winter months. According to the statement, the MPCB currently operates 32 continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS) across the MMR, including Mumbai, adjoining Thane, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan and Panvel. Of these, 14 stations are run through the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The real-time

The upcoming Coastal Road tunnel between Orange Gate and Marine Drive in south Mumbai will save thousands of hours for thousands of people, said Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday. The tunnel, with both ducts together spanning 9.25 km, will be an engineering feat. It will run beneath the Central Railway and Western Railway tracks, and even 50 metres below the underground Metro 3 line, he said. Thousands of hours for thousands of people will be saved, Fadnavis said at the site, where the tunnel boring machine (TBM) for the project was launched in the morning. The tunnel will be constructed under 700 structures, including many heritage properties, said the CM. As per the current plan, the Orange Gate-Marine Drive underground tunnel is expected to be completed by 2028, but they are striving to finish the project six months before the deadline, said Fadnavis. The tunnel will provide an alternative route to the residents of south Mumbai and those living in the ..

Polling for the first phase of 264 municipal councils and nagar panchayats across Maharashtra on Tuesday was marred by allegations of bogus voting and violence with even supporters of ruling allies BJP, NCP and Shiv Sena coming to blows at some places, officials said. A voter turnout of 47.51 per cent was recorded till 3.30 pm with the State Election Commission (SEC) not providing the final figure till late night. An official said data is being compiled from across districts and the final voting figure will be released on Wednesday. In a related development, the Bombay High Court directed the SEC not to hold the counting of votes for the first phase of local body polls on December 3, as scheduled earlier, on the ground the "disclosure of public mood" through the results might affect the subsequent phase of the elections. The results of Tuesday's elections should be published along with the results of the December 20 elections, the HC said. In a subsequent statement, the SEC said the

Maharashtra is looking to undertake a phased equity listing of state-owned energy utilities starting with the transmission company in 2026, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Tuesday. He said it is essential to undertake the process to make the entities more efficient and agile. "It is the right time to start the listing process for government entities and corporations. We have decided that we will certainly list the electricity transmission company at first," Fadnavis said at an event here. Later, he shared that the government expects the listing of Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company in 2026. The transmission company's listing will be followed with generation company's listing in second phase and the distribution company's in the next, the chief minister said without giving a timeline.

Maharashtra Minister and senior BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Tuesday said "misinterpretation of laws" by the State Election Commission (SEC) has led to the Bombay High Court deferring the counting of votes for the local bodies polls to December 21. The SEC's actions alone had "prompted such a decision", the state revenue minister claimed, adding that he had repeatedly cautioned the poll body against delaying elections. Bawankule was speaking to reporters here hours after the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court directed that the counting of all civic bodies polls in the state will be held on December 21. The SEC had earlier scheduled the counting for Tuesday's elections on December 3. The HC's order has come on a day when polling was underway for elections to 264 municipal councils and nagar panchayats in Maharashtra, days after the SEC rescheduled the elections in 24 local bodies on December 20. "I have been saying that the SEC is misinterpreting laws and postponing electi

An estimated 7.94 per cent of voters exercised their franchise in the first two hours of polling on Tuesday for elections to 264 municipal councils and nagar panchayats in Maharashtra, officials said. Two suspected bogus voters were caught at a polling station in Buldhana barely an hour-and-a-half after voting began for the municipal council elections there, the Maharashtra Congress claimed. It also alleged that Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad was bringing people to cast "bogus" votes in the Buldhana Municipal Council elections. There was no immediate response from the authorities on the allegation. The polling began at 7.30 am and will conclude at 5.30 pm, election officials said. Till 9.30 am, 7.94 per cent of the electors cast their votes, they said. A man allegedly attempted to cast a vote in the name of local resident Vaibhav Deshmukh at the Gandhi Primary School polling centre in ward no. 15 of Buldhana. The individual is said to be a resident of Kothali in Motala taluka, the

The Maharashtra government on Monday ordered an immediate review and cancellation of all wrongly-issued, delayed birth and death certificates across the state that do not meet the prescribed SoP. It also instructed officials to stop treating the Aadhaar card as sufficient proof for recording or altering birth details. Fourteen districts, including Amravati, Jalna, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Latur, Akola, Parbhani, Beed and Nashik, have been flagged for a high number of irregularly delayed certificates. The government has directed revenue, health, and municipal bodies to retrieve wrongly-issued certificates and verify them again. Certificates that do not meet legal criteria must be cancelled on priority, and the entries must be removed from the Civil Registration System portal. A government resolution (GR) issued by the Revenue and Forest Department stated that several delayed certificates were allegedly issued without supporting records such as hospital documents, school admission

Maharashtra gears up for local body elections on December 2, marking a key test of political sentiment across urban municipalities and nagar panchayats

With tensions simmering between allies BJP and Shiv Sena in Sindhudurg ahead of the local bodies polls, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said he supports everyone who "behaves well". Speaking to reporters, Fadnavis said the ongoing episode between brothers, Nilesh Rane of the Shiv Sena and BJP Minister Nitesh Rane, is "not good" and the parties will have to introspect about this after the elections. The Sindhudurg police on Saturday registered an FIR against Nilesh Rane, an MLA of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, for "trespassing" into a BJP supporter's house. The Shiv Sena leader had 'raided' the BJP supporter's home and claimed to have found bags of cash meant for distribution to voters ahead of civic polls. His brother and BJP minister Nitesh Rane later rejected the allegations, arguing that many political workers had legitimate business income and keeping cash at home should not be construed otherwise. He also said that Shiv Sena workers campaigning for a rival Shiv

Renewables-focused Avaada Group is "more bullish" on Maharashtra, a top official has said, pointing out that every state will have execution challenges that have to be dealt with. The group, which runs over 6 GWp of solar and wind assets across India at present, was able to execute a project to build solar power equipment at Butibori near Nagpur in record time, the official said. ".. We are more bullish on Maharashtra because now, single window is (there) in the true sense," Vineet Mittal, the group's chairman, told PTI, pointing out that the facility near Nagpur is testimony to the same. Maharashtra is among the six states having large quantities of barren land, which offers the land bank for renewable companies, he added. Nearly a year ago, the name of Avaada was in the news after the gruesome murder of one Santosh Deshmukh in the backward Marathwada region's Beed district, allegedly after a tiff outside a wind power project by local goons. As per some reports, Deshmukh's allege

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday asked officials not to pay heed to "false complaints" against his party workers, and warned that if any injustice was done to them, they would have to deal with him. His remarks came on a day when the Sindhudurg Police registered an FIR against Nilesh Rane, an MLA of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, for 'trespassing' into a BJP supporter's house. Rane had 'raided' the BJP supporter's house and claimed to have found bags of cash meant for distribution to voters ahead of civic polls. Speaking at a rally at Phaltan in Satara district, Shinde said those who do injustice will not be spared. "I want to tell officers not to do any illegal work. Do not pay heed to false complaints, and if anyone is pressuring you then do not succumb to it. If you do injustice to our party workers then you have to deal with Eknath Shinde," the deputy CM said. "I know who does what. I am quiet and let me be quiet. I know the secrets of everyone. I do not

Police in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district have registered an FIR against Shiv Sena MLA Nilesh Rane on the charge of trespassing on a BJP supporter's house, days after the legislator alleged that bags of cash meant for distribution to voters were found there during his "sting operation". The case was filed on Friday at the Malvan police station, based on a complaint filed by BJP worker Vijay Kenavadekar, a police official said on Saturday. The development further escalated tension between the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the BJP, two of the allies who form the ruling Mahayuti alliance along with Ajit Pawar's NCP. While state BJP chief Ravindra Chavan said he had no idea who filed the complaint against Nilesh Rane, the latter said registration of a case shows "how desperate people are". He also said the FIR was filed against him even as the money was found at someone else's house. Speaking in Sindhudurg on Saturday, Maharashtra minister and BJP leader Nitesh Rane came out in ...

Former Maharashtra Minister and Congress leader Varsha Gaikwad on Saturday accused the state government of failing to address worsening air pollution in Mumbai, claiming that PM2.5 levels had reached the "hazardous" range, and the city was being turned into a "gas chamber". Speaking at a meeting organised by the Mumbai Congress on the issue of air quality, Gaikwad referred to a study by Harvard University, estimating that nearly 5,100 people in Mumbai die annually due to pollution. "These are not just numbers. These are families losing their loved ones," she said. She alleged that the "corrupt Mahayuti government" was following a "contractor-first, people-last model," and cited rampant construction without safeguards, violations of environmental norms, allocation of open spaces and eco-sensitive zones to favoured builders, and felling of trees as key factors contributing to rising pollution levels. The Congress leader said that the city is being "turned into a gas chamber in the na

The governments argued that Aadhaar does not contain an official birth certificate inside it, adding that it only shows basic identity details, not hospital or government records of birth

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday met Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj in Mumbai and both leaders are understood to have discussed seat-sharing arrangements for the upcoming municipal corporation polls. Uddhav visited 'Shivtirth', the residence of Raj in Dadar in central Mumbai, the latest in a series of meetings this year between the once politically estranged cousins who have been warming up to each other in recent times amid signs of reconciliation and possible alliance between their parties. Although the Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS are yet to formally announce an alliance, the Thackeray cousins have given enough hints of an imminent tie-up for local body polls, especially the crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and other civic bodies in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Pune and Nashik, where the two outfits have pockets of influence. A Shiv Sena (UBT) leader disclosed that during the meeting, Uddhav and Raj are believed to have discussed ..

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said his government will not only continue the Ladki Bahin scheme for women, but also aims to create one crore "Lakhpati Didis" in the next two years. Fadnavis was addressing a rally to campaign for the Mahayuti's candidates of the Ahmedpur, Udgir, Renapur and other civic body polls. Elections to various municipal councils and other local bodies are set to be held on December 2. Under the government's flagship Ladki Bahin scheme, eligible women are provided a monthly assistance of Rs 1,500. Fadnavis said, "The government will not stop just with the 'Ladki Bahin' scheme now and has the target of making one crore 'Lakhpati Didi'. Half of the target will be completed this year. We will complete the remaining target in the next two years." "People should take care of our candidates on December 2, and we will take care of you for the next five years," he added. On the government's development plans for cities, the CM noted that

The Cabinet has approved ₹2,781 crore worth of railway projects in Gujarat and Maharashtra; these will add new tracks, improve train services, and boost connectivity

World Bank on Wednesday said it has approved funding for two projects in India that will benefit more than 60 lakh people by using innovative digital solutions to improve the quality of education in Punjab and boost incomes for small and marginal farmers in Maharashtra. The World Bank Board of Executive Directors on November 25 approved two projects in India that will benefit more than 6 million people by using innovative digital solutions to improve the quality of education in Punjab state and boost incomes for small and marginal farmers in Maharashtra state, World Bank said in a statement. The Punjab Outcomes-Acceleration in School Education Operation (POISE) programme (USD 286 million) will help improve quality education in Punjab with the aid of technology to track learning outcomes. It will ensure 13 lakh students are enrolled in primary schools, and more than 2.2 million students are enrolled in secondary schools. In addition, 59 lakh students will be supported in early ...

The Supreme Court on Tuesday observed that the final results of elections in Maharashtra for 57 local bodies, where 50 per cent ceiling on quota has been breached, will depend on its judgement in the case. The observations were made by a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi while deferring to November 28 the hearing on the issue of reservation in local body elections. The Maharashtra government, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, sought time to consult the state election commission (SEC) regarding compliance with the 50 per cent ceiling on quotas. Earlier on November 19, the bench had asked the state government to consider deferring the process of nomination for local body elections till the issue of grant of 27 per cent reservation for the Other Backward Class (OBC) is adjudicated upon by it. On Tuesday, the bench was informed by senior advocate Balbir Singh, appearing for the SEC, that elections to 242 municipal councils and 42 nagar .

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Tuesday said it has approved a USD 400 million results-based lending (RBL) program to improve road connectivity in Maharashtra. The loan will be used to improve road connectivity in 34 districts, particularly in the climate-vulnerable and economically lagging Marathwada and Vidarbha regions, linking rural communities to markets, logistics hubs, healthcare, education, and other essential services. Over 1.7 million people living within walking distance of improved roads will benefit, including residents of at least 80 villages and around 410 rural communities, the multilateral development bank said in a statement. These upgrades cover nearly 350 kilometers (km) of state highways and 2,577 km of rural roads. "The program seeks to foster balanced and inclusive economic growth in Maharashtra by improving road connectivity to rural villages, post-harvest centers, and essential social services," ADB Country Director for India Mio Oka said. The RBL moda