Page 13 - Maharashtra

Water released from Maharashtra's Ujani dam after storage rises to 97%

Water level in the Ujani Dam in Maharashtra's Solpur district has reached 97 per cent of its capacity, prompting the irrigation department to release water from the reservoir, officials said on Tuesday. The dam is almost filled to its capacity owing to good rainfall in the catchment areas of the Bhima river. Water was being released from the dam at the rate of 70,000 cubic foot per second (cusec), an irrigation department official said. The total capacity of the Ujani Dam is 117 TMC and it generally gets filled up to its maximum capacity by August 15 in case of normal rainfall. The reservoir mainly provides water to Solapur and partly to Pune and Satara districts. "So far, the dam is filled up to 97 per cent, thanks to the good rainfall upstream in the Bhima river catchment area in Pune. Currently, water is being released from the dam at 70,000 cusec," Ujani dam project executive engineer Raosaheb More said.

Maharashtra agro corp to set up units to manage farmers' crop surplus

The state-owned Maharashtra Agro Industries Development Corporation (MAIDC) plans to procure mobile processing units to help farmers manage excess production of certain crops by enhancing their shelf life by 12-18 months, an official has said. Oversupply in the market forces farmers to sell their produce, particularly the perishable ones, at throwaway prices or even discard them. The MAIDC initiative aims at ensuring good returns to the growers, said the managing director of the corporation, Mangesh Gondavale. The official said they will procure two machines and deploy them in two districts by the next monsoon season on a pilot basis. Each machine can process 16-18 products and can be customised depending on the region, he said. Processing includes washing, peeling, drying, chopping, slicing and liquefaction. For instance, tomatoes can be converted into puree, while onions can be dried for longer storage. Sometimes, the overall production of a crop in a region becomes high. To ensu

Strong reforms to boost infra development in Maharashtra: Morgan Stanley

The state government is aiming to develop state-of-the-art infrastructure facilities in an environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable manner

Bank fraud case: Court orders auction of sports academy, land of ex-MLA

A special anti-money laundering court has ordered the auction of properties linked to former MLA Vivekanand Shankar Patil to facilitate repayment to creditors of a cooperative bank based in Panvel in Maharashtra's Raigad district. The properties, comprising a multi-acre sports academy and a land parcel in Panvel, have been attached by probe agencies in an alleged fraud of over Rs 512 crore at the Karnala Nagari Sahakari (cooperative) Bank. Patil, the prime accused in the case, represented Panvel as a Peasants and Workers Party of India MLA for three terms and was a legislator from Uran once. A total of 87 properties, including some ancestral assets of Patil, were attached under the MPID Act, or the Maharashtra Protection of Interest of Depositors (in Financial Establishments) Act, by Navi Mumbai police's Economic Offences Wing. The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is also probing a money laundering case linked to the fraud, has dual attachment to some of these properties. Speci

Dahi Handi: Maha to insure 150K 'Govindas'; payout of ₹10 lakh for fatality

The Maharashtra government has announced insurance coverage to 1.5 lakh 'Govindas' taking part in Dahi Handi festivities with a maximum payout at Rs 10 lakh in case of death, a move coming less than a month before the popular festival. During the Dahi Handi festival, part of Janmashtami celebrations, Govindas (youngsters) form human pyramids to smash a pot of milk, curd and butter suspended at a height, in a playful re-enactment of Lord Krishna's childhood antics. The insurance package will cover accidental injuries (sometime fatal) caused during the formation of human pyramids. The state government will bear the insurance costs for registered participants forming human pyramids during the popular festival, which will be celebrated on August 16 this year, according to a government resolution (GR) issued on Wednesday. The Maharashtra State Govinda Association, Mumbai, has been designated to verify the training, age and participation of Govindas, and submit their details to the ...

Maharashtra-Sabarmati bullet train corridor to be ready by 2029: Govt

Work in the Gujarat portion of the bullet train corridor between Vapi and Sabarmati is planned to be completed by December 2027 and the entire project from Maharashtra to the Sabarmati section is expected to be over by December 2029, Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday. Providing an update on the country's most ambitious project after some members asked questions regarding the status of its construction, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) Project (508 km) is under execution with technical and financial assistance from Japan. It is passing through Gujarat, Maharashtra and Dadra & Nagar Haveli with 12 stations planned at Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Billimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad and Sabarmati, he added. "The Gujarat portion of the corridor between Vapi and Sabarmati is planned to be completed by Dec, 2027. The entire project (Maharashtra to Sabarmati section) is expected to be completed by Dec, 2029," ...

Only staffers registered with Face App to receive Aug salary: Maha minister

Only those revenue department employees who mark attendance through the government's 'Face' app will receive the August salary, Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekar Bawankule said on Wednesday. The decision has been taken to increase accountability, he said. The salary for August will be disbursed in September. The Union Government has made the use of Face App and geo-fencing mandatory for all revenue department employees, the minister said. "From now on, attendance will be recorded strictly from the office premises, using the app. Salaries will not be processed for those who fail to comply," he said. A formal government resolution (GR) or order to this effect will be issued soon, Bawankule added. He was speaking after reviewing the department's operations in Raigad district. "We have started reviewing various departments to bring efficiency, transparency and citizen-centric governance. Several key issues have come to light during this process, and we are implementing a

Thane civic chief warns power firms against connection to illegal buildings

Thane Municipal Commissioner Saurabh Rao on Wednesday instructed power supply companies not to provide electricity to any unauthorised structures, and asked them to verify the legal status of such properties first. In a high-level meeting held in the afternoon at the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) headquarters, Rao conveyed that supplying power to unauthorised buildings and structures was a violation of court orders and must be prevented through rigorous verification procedures. "There are clear orders of the high court that no power supply should be provided to any unauthorised construction," he said, emphasizing that it was the legal responsibility of both Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company (MSEDCL) and Torrent Power to verify the legality of any building before approving power connections. Electricity cannot be supplied on the basis of an affidavit or application alone. The power companies must verify supporting documents that establish the legal status of a ..

Juniper Green Energy commissions additional 43 MWp in Maharashtra

Juniper Green Energy on Tuesday announced the commissioning of an additional 43 MWp at its power project site in Wardha, Maharashtra. The project supplies power to Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL), through its subsidiary, Juniper Green Power Five Pvt Ltd, a company statement said. This marks the completion of the entire 103 MWp solar component of the 129 MWp hybrid power project. With this, Juniper Green Energy has commissioned the solar capacity in two phases -- 59.55 MWp on June 6, 2025, followed by 43 MWp on July 14, 2025 -- achieving full solar capacity within just eight months of signing the PPA (power purchase agreement. This execution brings the solar portion of the hybrid power project online nearly 16 months ahead of its scheduled commissioning date of November 17, 2026. "This achievement highlights our significant contribution to India's increasing need for clean energy," said Ankush Malik, Chief Executive Officer, Juniper Green Energy. Ju

India plans to allow sugar exports from October amid signs of bumper crop

A move by the second-largest sugar producer to allow overseas shipments could further weigh on world prices

Citizens' group condemns incidents targeting Bengali-speaking migrants

A group of prominent citizens under the banner Bharatiya Bhasha Samooh has expressed concern over the recent incidents related to Bengali-speaking migrant labourers in various parts of the country. The group said it believed that linguistic attack is a "serious threat to the diversity of our country". "In the last one month, there have been reports from various parts of the country that Bengali-speaking migrant labourers are being harassed, beaten, arrested, deported to Bangladesh, and not released despite valid identity documents being shown to the police," the group said in a statement on Sunday. The group feels that the only "crime" of Bengali-speaking people is that they speak in their mother tongue. It claimed that migrant workers from Delhi, Maharashtra and Odisha were directly sent to Bangladesh despite possessing valid Aadhaar and PAN cards. "We strongly condemn the arrest and harassment of these Bengali-speaking citizens. These actions violate the rights of migrant worker

CAG flags excise lapses in Maharashtra, cites revenue loss of several crore

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has pulled up the Maharashtra state excise department for serious lapses in its operations, which have led to a substantial revenue shortfall. The CAG report pointed out that due to incorrect assessment of licence renewal fees, the state lost Rs 20.15 crore in revenue and Rs 70.22 crore in interest. The audit further stated that failure to implement revised rates for supervision fees had caused an additional shortfall of Rs 1.20 crore. According to the report, the then Excise Commissioner exempted excise duty on old stock of beer without obtaining prior approval from the state government. The report also highlighted that the delayed submission of mild beer samples for chemical analysis had hampered tax recovery to the tune of Rs 73.18 crore. "Under the Bombay Prohibition (Privilege Fee) Rules, 1954, a provision exists to charge fees for changes in partnership. However, no such provision was applicable to significant changes in ...

Thackeray not just a brand, it is Maharashtra's identity, says Uddhav

Thackeray is not just a brand, but an identity of Maharashtra, Marathi manoos and Hindu pride, but some people are trying to finish it off, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has said. In an interview with the Sena UBT's mouthpiece "Saamana", the former chief minister hit out at the Election Commission, saying it can freeze his party's symbol or give it to someone else, but it has no right to give away the party name coined by his grandfather Keshav Thackeray and father, founder Bal Thackeray. "Our deep roots in the Marathi soil go back several generations. The ties with Marathi manoos are strong since the time of my grandfather and Shiv Sena pramukh (Bal Thackeray). Now, I am there, Aaditya (Thackeray) is there, and even (MNS chief) Raj has come," he said. Thackeray means constant struggle, he asserted, in the first part of the interview with party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut published on Saturday. Uddhav Thackeray and his cousin, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chi

BoB chief manager dies by suicide in office, note cites 'work pressure'

Body found inside locked Baramati branch after wife raised alarm when repeated calls went unanswered

ED raids Punjab de-addiction centres in 'illegal' drugs sale case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday raided multiple locations in Punjab apart from some in Mumbai as part of a money laundering investigation linked to "illegal" sale of drugs by private de-addiction centres in the northern state, official sources said. The federal probe agency's investigation stems from various FIRs filed by Punjab Police against a doctor named Amit Bansal, a pharmaceutical company, a drugs inspector and some others. Bansal runs 22 drugs de-addiction centres across Punjab, the sources said. The raids are being conducted in Chandigarh, Ludhiana and Barnala in Punjab and in Mumbai, Maharashtra, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said. Sources said private de-addiction centres like the ones run by Bansal have been entrusted by the Punjab government to provide BNX (Buprenorphine/Naloxone) medicine to patients, enrolled in their facilities, so that they can be weaned away from narcotics. It was found that these medicines meant for ...

May invoke MCOCA against Gutkha, Pan Masala traffickers: Minister Zirwal

Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration Minister Narhari Zirwal on Thursday said the state government is exploring whether those involved in the transportation and sale of gutkha and pan masala can be booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). Banned gutkha and pan masala worth Rs 450 crore has been seized so far, while more than 10000 cases have been filed in this connection, Zirwal said. "The state government is exploring whether to book those involved in transportation and sale of gutkha and pan masala under MCOCA. A proposal will be sent to Law and Judiciary department to seek guidance on the matter," Zhirwal said in response to a question by BJP's Shrikant Bhartiya in the legislative council. Bharatiya said the manufacturing of gutkha and pan masala takes places in other states and is then transported to Maharashtra. Ambadas Danve, the leader of opposition in the council, said police and the RTOs in the border districts should be held ...

Oppn holds pumpkin protest against Maharashtra govt over public grievances

Opposition legislators carried pumpkins during a protest on the Vidhan Bhavan steps on Thursday, using the vegetable as a metaphor to claim people received "nothing" from the government during the ongoing monsoon session of the legislature. They chanted slogans like "loan waiver for farmers - a pumpkin", "healthcare for people - a pumpkin", "rights for tribals - a pumpkin", and "education for students and jobs for workers - a pumpkin". The monsoon session of the state legislature will conclude on Friday. "What have the people of Maharashtra received from this monsoon session of the legislature? A pumpkin," read a slogan on a banner displayed by the opposition members. The protesters carried pumpkins in their hands as they raised slogans to criticise the government for allegedly ignoring issues of various sections of the society, including farmers, tribals, students, teachers, ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers and mill workers. They accused the ruling alliance of fai

Over 37K women, girls reported missing in Maharashtra during FY25: Govt

The Maharashtra Police Services for Citizens Portal recorded missing complaints of 37,695 women and girls, of which 4,096 were below the age of 18 years, from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday. In a written reply to a question in the legislative council, Fadnavis, who hold the home portfolio, informed the house that from 2021 to May 2025, as many as 16,160 cases were registered with police related to sexual assault and harassment of minor girls. "The Maharashtra Police Services for Citizens Portal registered missing complaints of 4,096 girls below the age of 18 years and 33,599 women from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025," he said. Nagpur city recorded 5,897 complaints related to missing people from January 2024 to May 2025, of which 776 were children, according to the CM. In an oral reply, Fadnavis said of the 5,897 missing persons, nearly 5,210, representing 90 per cent of the total, were traced. In a year-and-a-half, the number

Mind their language: The State should abstain from imposing choices

The policy, being implemented in phases, stipulates that students learn at least three languages

First section of 21 km bullet train undersea tunnel opens in Maharashtra

In the spirit of strategic partnership between Japan and India, the Japanese government has agreed to introduce E10 Shinkansen trains in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet train project