THANE: Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde said the newly inducted AC double-decker electric bus will make travel more comfortable and pleasant for Thane commuters and urged citizens to take care of it as if it were their own vehicle.Shinde was speaking after officially inducting the bus into the Thane Municipal transport fleet in the presence of Mayor Sharmila Pimpalolkar, municipal commissioner Saurabh Rao and district collector Dr. Shrikrishna Panchal, TMT Manager Bhalchandra Behre among others.Shinde completed a short round trip in the double-decker bus from the Municipal Corporation headquarters to Louiswadi and back.“These buses will be introduced into Thane Transport under the GCC model, and no financial burden will fall on the transport service. The double-decker bus can seat 65 passengers at a time, while 33 passengers can travel standing. Currently, this bus will operate from Teen Haath Naka to Gaimukh,” Shinde said.Transport Manager Bhalchandra Behre added nine more buses will soon be added to the fleet. “The bus will offer an environmentally friendly mode of transport for Thane residents and also provide them with an enjoyable travel experience akin to tourism,” he said.

THANE: Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde appealed to citizens to voluntarily participate in the self-enumeration process using the specially created QR code and cooperate with the administration. Shinde was speaking at the launch of the first phase of the Census 2027 “Self-Enumeration” process at the Thane Municipal Corporation headquarters on Friday morning, where a QR code was developed by the civic body for the exercise. Mayor Sharmila Pimpalolkar, Municipal Commissioner Saurabh Rao, District Collector Dr Shrikrishna Panchal and Deputy Mayor Krishna Patil, among others, were present at the event. The first phase of Census 2027, starting with the “Self-Enumeration” process, was launched on May 1, 2026, and will remain active until May 15, 2026, officials said. Shinde personally completed the self-enumeration using the QR code and encouraged those present to do the same, following which Deputy Director of the Census Directorate Ramesh Bhosale presented him with a memento. “The government is fully committed to the development and welfare of every individual in the state, and to achieve this, reliable and accurate data is the most effective tool,” he said. A selfie point created by the municipal corporation to raise awareness about the census was also inaugurated. To promote awareness, the Central Government has created mascots, “Vikas” (Development) and “Pragati” (Progress). Officials said a help desk has been set up at the Thane Municipal Corporation headquarters to assist citizens. “Citizens should cooperate with the enumerators who will be visiting households and provide accurate information. The data collected will be kept confidential,” said Municipal Commissioner Saurabh Rao.