For retired couple Ovita and Ajit Parulekar, nights are not what they used to be. Their social life, once hobbled by road closures and chronic congestion around their Shivaji Park home, has shifted from first gear to fourth. And they have the cause of their erstwhile exasperation to thank for it—Metro 3 or the Aqua Line. “Our social life has greatly improved; we go out more often now because it’s easy to travel both to BKC and South Mumbai on the Aqua Line. Moreover, it’s comfortable and safe for seniors, even late at night. Previously, we had to resort to Ubers,” says Parulekar, a former state-level hockey and basketball player who retired from SBI a decade ago. The new line has also freed the Parulekars from the routine gamble over parking space. Earlier, they drove their car only when traffic on their street was thin, wary of losing their spot. The metro has driven this worry away. 2025 was the year that launched, or extended, several transportation projects, such as the Aqua Line, the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road (SCLR), Vikhroli East-West Flyover and the northbound connector bridge on the Coastal Road. These projects have done more than cut short commute; they’ve opened opportunities to socialise, pursue neglected hobbies, and enjoy a better quality of life. Metro 3 experienced a surge in passenger traffic in the week leading up to Dec 31. It even ran special services past midnight to cater to New Year revellersKhushi Rawat, a PR professional who made a career move from Kota to Mumbai four years ago, said she relocated from Chembur to Ghatkopar to make the most of the metro network. “Ghatkopar is well connected to all the three metro lines, making it easy to travel to south Mumbai and western suburbs,” said Rawat, who works at Saki Naka. Previously, when she took the train, her commute was extended by road traffic. But the Aqua Line, with multiple stops in Andheri, allows her to exit close to her office. Now, it takes me about 30 minutes to travel one way when it would have previously taken over an hour. I have put a strain on my living budget but it’s worth it; the shift has made life easier.” Krishnaprasad K, another fan of the Aqua Line, finds himself reading more than he used to. KP to his friends, the PR professional, has turned a drawback of the underground line—poor internet—into an advantage by using his commute, from Mahalaxmi to Saki Naka, to dive into a book. Yet, even as commuters applaud its benefits, they also call out the Metro’s flaws. Poor mobile connectivity is a universal concern. “It’s especially challenging if you need to coordinate with someone on where to meet or at which station to get off,” says Parulekar. She highlights another problem seniors in particular face—the long walk from the station entrance to the platform. “Elders may find it difficult to walk the distance,” she says. Some enjoy the knock-on benefits of a new transport system, even when it’s not the road they themselves travel. It was the SCLR that elevated marketing professional Anand Vaidya’s quality of life by simply easing traffic on Nehru Road, Vakola, where he lives. “Driving from Vakola to my office in Lower Parel takes me around 40 minutes. Before the SCLR was opened, it took me an additional 40 minutes to cover the 300m from the Western Express Highway to my house,” he says, recalling the anxiety of having to cut through the thick wedge of traffic at Vakola Junction, while braving horns and road rage. For many Mumbaikars, the daily commute feels like a battle that costs time, money, energy and opportunity. The string of new projects is finally placing commuters on the winning side, notes Madhvendra Das, who runs a communications consulting firm. He compares the current infrastructure run with the spate of urban developments the city witnessed in the late 1990s-early 2000s, with new flyovers, the Bandra-Worli Sea Link and the Mumbai Urban Transport Project initiated. “The current phase feels like the quantum leap in commuting we witnessed back then,” he says. “It’s one big liberating moment.” But for selective sections of the city, observes Sudhir Badami wryly. The civil engineer, transportation analyst and IITian points out the new infrastructure caters chiefly to those with access to private, 4-wheeler transport. It conveys the impression that “it is their commuting time the govt values and is attempting to save, while it has no concern for the larger population that continues to travel in miserable and often risky conditions,” says Badami, who is also a member of the CM’s taskforce for the integration of public transport in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. His book on commuting outlines ways in which the govt can course-correct and design an integrated transportation plan that works for all. This includes a premium Bus Rapid Transit System network; microbuses to improve last-mile connectivity; metros operated at design capacity—and, of course, equitable pricing. “Ultimately, you must have a transport system that caters to every section of society.” (With inputs by Asmita Dey)

INDORE: The Madhya Pradesh govt removed Indore municipal commissioner Dilip Kumar Yadav and suspended additional commissioner Rohit Sisoniya on Friday, its first major action in the contaminated water tragedy in Indore’s Bhagirathpura, since people began falling ill on Dec 29 in a city ranked on multiple occasions as India’s cleanest. The action came on a day the death toll in the tragedy rose to 10 with the death of a 68-year-old woman. Pradeep Nigam, in-charge superintendent engineer of Indore Municipal Corporation’s (IMC) water distribution department, was also removed from his post. Three additional commissioners – Akash Prakhar Singh and Ashish Kumar Pathak – were posted to the IMC after a meeting chaired by additional chief secretary Sanjay Dubey, who has been camping in Indore.

Submitting a status report, the state govt, however, told the MP high court Friday that only four deaths had been recorded. Indore mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava said Friday he had information of 10 deaths due to the diarrhoea outbreak in Bhagirathpura. According to health department data, four people have died due to the diarrhoea outbreak in Bhagirathpura. However, I have received information about 10 deaths due to this outbreak,” the mayor said.“A total of 294 patients have been admitted, of which 93 have been discharged. Around 201 patients are still admitted and 32 patients are in ICUs,” the status report submitted to HC said. Hours before the IMC shake-up, CM Mohan Yadav wrote on X: “I reviewed action being taken by state govt in the Indore contaminated drinking water case with the chief secretary and other senior officials and issued necessary directions. I also discussed the report presented by the additional chief secretary in charge of the urban development department.” “We have taken the contaminated water case with utmost seriousness. We have taken action against those found guilty of negligence. There will be no compromise when it comes to health of the people. We will fix responsibility and ensure strict action,” the CM wrote on X. As the administrative changes unfolded, a flurry of activity was noticed in Bhagirathpura, where IMC workers cleaned streets and supplied water in tankers, health workers checked patients and distributed medicines, and ASHA workers conducted door-to-door surveys, checking on children. On Friday, gloom pervaded the residence of Geetabai Dhruvkar, 68. “She was admitted with diarrhoea and vomiting… Her kidneys gave way. She died Friday morning,” said her brother-in-law, Chandrashekhar Dhruvkar. Indore Municipal Corporation vehicles made announcements in Bhagirathpura asking people to avoid using tap water, which was being flushed after plugging all leakages and tested for contamination, and use tanker water. Residents were told to boil their drinking water.

Mumbai: As citizen groups across the city prepare manifestos and citizens’ charters to be handed over to aspirants contesting the upcoming BMC elections 2026, several interesting demands have emerged.In the Chandivalicha Manifesto prepared by a local Chandivali Citizens Welfare Association (CCWA), the top demand is that the candidates take an anti-defacement pledge. The group, in a first of its kind move, has sought a written undertaking from contestants committing to not defacing the locality with illegal posters and banners. It has also demanded netas seeking votes promise to stop pasting their names and photographs on public amenities developed using taxpayers’ money. Their tagline is, ‘Paisa humara, naam tumhara nahi chalega.’ Mandeep Makkar, founder of the CCWA, said, “Public money must not be wasted on publicity or freebies. Our future corporators should focus on pothole-free roads, traffic solutions, pollution control, functional public gardens, schools and hospitals, and ensure that once tenders are awarded, projects are actually completed,” said Makkar.Their other demands include ethical usage of public funds so that they are utilised only for genuine public works.Other citizens’ collectives such as the Mumbai North Central District Forum (MNCDF) have called for elected municipal councillors to hold monthly citizen forum meetings, with the mandatory presence of ward officers. Unresolved complaints, they said, should be escalated along with citizens to the BMC commissioner’s monthly ‘sabhas’ at the civic headquarters. Trivankumar Karnani, a lawyer, who runs the X handle @MNCDFbombay said, “After eight years, Mumbai must elect corporators focused on civic welfare, not politics. Our 30-point Citizen Charter sets clear expectations for candidates and the next mayor,” he said, adding their charter is a non-partisan document and intended to guide candidates of all political parties towards citizen-first governance in Mumbai. The forum has around 200 volunteers across MMR.In Andheri, the Lokandwala Oshiwara Citizens Andheri (LOCA) in their manifesto have listed out demands like BMC funds allotted to the corporator should be spent after taking public view into account, repeated digging of roads must end and there must be a thorough crackdown on encroachment by hawkers. Dhaval Shah from LOCA said their Know Your Candidate series will go live on LOCA Instagram handle on Sunday, 1.15 pm. “Here we plan to share with the first candidate who will appear on this series our manifesto.”

Erling Haaland, the Norwegian footballer who leads Manchester City’s lineup, recently met Indian Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill and handed the Indian star a signed pair of football boots.

Shubman Gill, the Indian cricketer who has seen a remarkable rise in the last year of the game, has risen to prominence after being handed the captaincy of the Indian team across the Test and ODI formats.

Though Gill has had a successful season in the red-ball format, he has not been able to convince all with his white-ball dominance. He has been snubbed from the ICC T20 World Cup squad for India, which was a huge setback for the youngster, as this would be the second consecutive time he is not part of India’s T20 World Cup squad.

Recently, Shubman Gill met one of the greatest football sensations of modern-day football, Erling Haaland, who plays for Manchester City in the English Premier League (EPL). The Indian captain met Ed Sheeran and Kevin de Bruyne during the last 9 months.

During their recent meetup, the Manchester City star Erling Haaland signed a pair of boots for the Indian prince of cricket, while on the other hand, Shubman too exchanged gifts with the Norwegian football star.

Shubman Gill meets Erling Haaland. 😍

– Haaland gifted his signed football Boots to Indian Captain. pic.twitter.com/yae3gYDxXh

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) January 2, 2026

Shubman Gill to undergo rapid growth and adjustment

Irfan Pathan referred to the times when he first broke into the Indian team as a teenager, and the legendary Rahul Dravid helped him through tougher times and helped him get through.

Gill would now have to undergo the process of adjustment, particularly after being handed leadership duties at such a young age.

“The same can be said for Gill. He became captain in that England series; he increased his average and authority within the team. Then he got the ODI captaincy; when that happens, you get an opportunity to grow a lot,” he added.

“The more responsibility and challenges he gets, he will grow more as a cricketer,” said Irfan Pathan

Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan put his weight behind Indian youngster Shubman Gill, who has been handed leadership responsibilities early on in his career. He also remarked that for a talented player like him, comparisons are pretty common, since India has a generational legacy in the game.

“He has a lot of talent. There will always be comparisons. Virat was compared with Sachin (Tendulkar), and now Gill is being compared to Virat, who has scored those 25,000–30,000 runs. I think he is fully capable of it. He has a fine range of shots,” Pathan said.

“The more responsibility and challenges he gets, he will grow more as a cricketer. I have seen that he is always ready for cricket. Always willing to learn. He has that attitude in him,” Pathan largely praised Gill.

ALSO READ: “Arjun Tendulkar bats like his father,” Former coach makes massive claim after IPL 2026 auction

Mumbai: The BMC should raise its health expenditure to 25% of its budget over the next 5 years, end private partnerships, and recruit more healthcare staff on a war-footing, as Mumbai’s public healthcare was weakened by privatisation, vacancies, and underinvestment.This demand is the central plank of a unique health manifesto worked out by Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, a coalition of NGOs, ahead of civic polls. “Jan Swasthya Abhiyan developed this manifesto through discussions, and we will send it to various candidates and political parties for endorsement,” said JSA’s Dr Abhay Shukla. JSA led protests against public-private partnerships, called ‘Civic Health Collaborations’ by BMC higher-ups. Last year, it floated tenders for PPP for its 581-bed Shatabdi Hospital and Medical College in Govandi, and a 400-bed hospital in Lallubhai Compound, Mankhurd. The PPP plan for Bhagwati Hospital in Borivli was scrapped after union minister Piyush Goyal’s intervention.BMC also wants private collaborators for services such as dialysis, scanning, and blood banks in most of its 16 suburban hospitals.Stating public services were weakened by privatisation and underinvestment, the JSA manifesto urged politicians to focus on ways to “rebuild public healthcare for people, not profit”. Urging the civic body to restart ward committees to ensure direct public management, the manifesto asked the BMC to increase health spending to 25% of its budget over the next 5 years. “Efforts should be made to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure for citizens,” said the doctor. User fee, a concept the BMC introduced in the 1990s, should be scrapped, and the goal should be to guarantee free medicines, diagnostics, and procedures at public hospitals.There is a need to increase aapla davakhana clinics, which operate within communities in the evenings. According to health economist Dr Ravi Duggal, who is a member of JSA, the city needs at least 700 aapla davakhanas given its population. There should be 1 primary healthcare centre per 20,000 population and within a 15-minute walking distance for most people. The JSA coalition called for all vacancies across BMC health facilities to be filled through regular recruitment, and for outsourcing to end. Prices in the private sector should be regulated.

NEW DELHI: Former India cricketer Yograj Singh has surprised fans with his comments about Arjun Tendulkar, the son of cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar. Yograj believes that Arjun is actually a better batter than people think, but coaches have mostly focused only on his bowling.

Speaking to Ravish Bisht on YouTube, he questioned why coaches were not paying attention to Arjun’s batting.He said, “You are focusing only on his bowling. What are you doing? What has happened? There are so many coaches, what are they doing? He is basically a batter. When he came to me, he was there for around 12-13 days.“I welcomed him. They told me to take care of him, and I told them not to worry. One day, he was hit by a ball, and we took him to a doctor, and he was fine. So, I told him to put on his pads instead to do some batting.” Yograj revealed that Arjun himself felt his batting was being ignored.He added, “He told me that they don’t focus on his batting. So, I said that we would see because I hadn’t seen him bat before. In the nets, he was hitting boundaries everywhere, and then I questioned his coach as to why he wasn’t given batting. I also told him that he is a batter of a great quality, he was batting as his father used to.”Arjun Tendulkar is often seen as a bowling all-rounder in domestic cricket.However, his batting numbers so far have not been very impressive. He averages 21.37 in first-class cricket, 18.25 in List A matches, and 13.5 in T20s. Still, he has shown promise with the bat. He scored a century on his Ranji Trophy debut against Rajasthan in 2022 while batting at number seven. He also has two half-centuries in red-ball cricket. Recently, Arjun has been given more responsibility with the bat while playing for Goa. He has been asked to open the innings in both the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy. In Goa’s latest List A match against Mumbai, Arjun opened the innings and scored 24 runs off 27 balls before getting out to Shardul Thakur. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he scored only 70 runs in five innings, with an average of 14, which was disappointing.