A 52-year-old man was injured when a tree unexpectedly fell on him in Thane’s Wagle Estate, also damaging eleven parked vehicles

THANE: A 52-year-old man sustained head and chest injuries after a tree suddenly collapsed on him near Wagle Police Station, Tuesday morning. The fallen tree also damaged 11 parked vehicles, including a police bomb squad bus.This is the first tree fall injury reported this season raising questions over the monsoon preparedness of the Corporation.The incident was reported around 9am near Prashant Corner on Road No 31 in Wagle Estate.“The pedestrian, identified as Pawan Jha, 52, a resident of Sai Dham Society near Pipeline, Dnyaneshwar Nagar, was on his way to work when he was struck by the falling tree. He suffered injuries to his head and chest and was admitted to Pragati Hospital in Wagle Estate for treatment,” informed Yasin Tadvi, incharge of RDMC, Thane.The damaged vehicles include a Maharashtra Police Bomb Squad bus attached to Wagle Police Station, a light commercial vehicle, two cars, one autorickshaw, and six two-wheelers.Personnel from Wagle Police Station, the Tree Authority Department, the Disaster Management Cell, and the Fire Brigade rushed to the spot with rescue, fire, and pickup vehicles. Authorities removed the debris and cleared the affected area.

Kalyan’s Sanjay Dutt, a former MLA and AICC secretary, has been appointed as the Congress party’s in-charge for Haryana.

KALYAN: The All India Congress Committee (AICC) has appointed Kalyan-based party leader and former MLA Sanjay Dutt as the party’s in-charge for Haryana, assigning him a key organisational responsibility ahead of the state’s political engagements.The appointment was made under the leadership of AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. Dutt, who currently serves as an AICC secretary, has been entrusted with the responsibility of strengthening the party’s organisational structure in Haryana.The announcement has been welcomed by Congress leaders and workers in Kalyan and across Maharashtra, who described the appointment as recognition of Dutt’s long-standing contribution to the organisation.Dutt began his political journey through the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and has held several organisational positions within the Congress over the years. Party leaders said he has consistently worked to strengthen the organisation, mobilise workers and raise public issues, earning a reputation as an experienced organisational strategist and loyal party functionary.Congress leaders expressed confidence that his organisational experience would help energise the party cadre in Haryana and strengthen its preparations for upcoming political challenges.Among those who congratulated Dutt were Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary Brijkishore Dutt, Kalyan-Dombivli District Mahila Congress president and KDMC corporator Kanchan Kulkarni, Rajesh (Munna Tiwari) and District Youth Congress president Japjeet Singh.

Ulhasnagar: The election to the chairperson posts of all four ward committees of the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) is set to be decided unopposed, with candidates of the ruling Mahayuti alliance emerging as the sole nominees after the deadline for filing nominations.ULHASNAGAR: Under the seat-sharing arrangement within the Mahayuti alliance, the Shiv Sena was allotted Ward Committees 2 and 3, while Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) received Ward Committees 1 and 4.Accordingly, Bhavna Keshav Olekar filed her nomination for the chairperson’s post of Ward Committee No. 1 on the BJP ticket, while Suhana Ravi Jeswani was nominated by the BJP for Ward Committee No. 4.On the Shiv Sena side, Sanghamitra Vishal Hajare filed her nomination for Ward Committee No. 2, while Sangeeta Nitin Sapkale filed her papers for Ward Committee No. 3.As no other nominations were filed against any of the four candidates, all four are set to be elected unopposed, subject to the completion of the official election process.The nomination process was held at the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation headquarters in the presence of senior leaders of the Mahayuti alliance.Those present included Mayor Adv. Ashwini Kamlesh Nikam, Deputy Mayor Amar Lund, Shiv Sena Kalyan District Chief Gopal Landge, Standing Committee Chairman Jaswant Singh Sohta, House Leader Arun Ashan, BJP Group Leader Rajesh Vadhrya along with several office-bearers and corporators of the alliance.The unopposed election of the four chairpersons is being viewed as another indication of coordination between the Shiv Sena and BJP in the Ulhasnagar civic body, where both parties currently share power under the Mahayuti alliance.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Housing Minister Eknath Shinde

THANE: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Housing Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday issued a stern warning to developers, setting a three-year deadline for completing housing and redevelopment projects and declaring that builders who miss timelines or compromise on quality could be barred from securing future government contracts.Shinde was speaking after handing over keys to beneficiaries of a redevelopment project in Thane’s Majiwada area late Sunday where he signalled a tougher stance on delayed redevelopment projects.The state government on its part is keen on removing administrative bottlenecks to fast-track completion of long-pending housing projects and accelerate cluster redevelopment across Maharashtra, he said.“Owning a home is a matter of dignity and security, and every family deserves a quality home. A home is not just four walls, but a place of love, happiness and a family’s dreams,” Shinde said, adding that fulfilling citizens’ aspirations of home ownership remained a top priority for the Maharashtra government.Elaborating, Shinde said the Housing Department had made the completion of stalled redevelopment and housing projects its foremost priority since he assumed charge of the portfolio and assured that all procedural hurdles would be cleared to ensure faster execution.Highlighting the state government’s redevelopment agenda, he said cluster redevelopment projects were gaining momentum across the state, with projects in Thane’s Wagle Estate nearing completion.He iterated the government’s vision of making Mumbai and Thane slum-free through planned redevelopment and said citizens would be provided quality homes under the programme.

Low pressure expected for days. Residents are urged to store water.(Representative image enhanced with AI)

THANE: Close on the heels of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), the STEM agency that also supplies water to Thane has announced cuts in supply due to which parts of the city will face 24-hour disruption in supply starting 9 am on Wednesday, July 1.The cuts come in force following directions from the Water Resources Department amid concerns over a possible water shortage, Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) officials explained.Meanwhile, the TMC has drawn up a contingency plan to supply water once to different parts of the city in phases through its own water system to minimise the impact.Accordingly, in the first phase, supply will remain suspended from 9 am to 9 pm on Wednesday along Ghodbunder highway from Patlipada to Owale, Pawar Nagar, Kothari Compound, Azad Nagar, Waghbil, Retibunder and parts of Mumbra.In the second phase, the supply will remain suspended for the next 12 hours starting 9 pm on Wednesday in Samata Nagar, Rutu Park, Siddheshwar, Eternity, Johnson, Jail area, Saket, Uthalsar, Rustomjee, and Vartak Nagar, among other localities.The TMC has cautioned that supply is likely to remain at low pressure for one to two days after the shutdown and appealed to residents to store adequate water in advance and use it judiciously.

The accused were produced before the court after their arrest in connection with the alleged leak of the TET examination paper.

BHIWANDI: A Bhiwandi court on Sunday remanded all three accused arrested in the Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) paper leak case to police custody till July 6, allowing investigators more time to probe what is suspected to be an interstate examination fraud network. The accused were produced before the court after their arrest in connection with the alleged leak of the TET examination paper. During the hearing, the police informed the court that the case appears to involve an interstate syndicate l engaged in leaking confidential examination papers for financial gain. Police sought 10 days of custody, arguing that investigators need to determine how the accused obtained the confidential question paper, identify those involved in the conspiracy, and trace the intended buyers of the leaked paper. The prosecution also submitted that the investigation has revealed links to Delhi and Agra, and police teams need to travel to both cities to gather evidence and identify other members of the network.After hearing both sides, Judge S.M. Sutar granted eight days of police custody, remanding the accused till July 6. According to investigators, the probe is still in its early stages, and officials believe more arrests could follow as they examine the interstate connections and financial transactions linked to the alleged paper leak. Police are also trying to establish the full chain of the conspiracy, including the source of the leaked examination paper and whether any officials or insiders were involved.

The accused have been identified as Rajeev Shah and Akash Kumar, both from Bihar, and Dheeraj Kumar from Haryana.

THANE: Three persons have been arrested by the Bhiwandi police in the TET question paper leak case from the Kongaon area on the Kalyan–Bhiwandi border Saturday. The papers scheduled for Sunday have now been postponed.The police acting on tip-off intercepted the trio and recovered TET examination question papers from them. The accused have been identified as Rajeev Shah and Akash Kumar, both from Bihar, and Dheeraj Kumar from Haryana.DCP Pawan Bansod of Zone-2 said he received a tip-off that three individuals were en route to sell the question paper. Acting swiftly on the information, police laid a trap in the Kongaon area on the Kalyan–Bhiwandi border and detained all three accused around 11am.During the operation, police recovered four sets of TET examination question papers from the accused, along with debit and credit cards, raising further suspicion about the scale and nature of the racket.“The arrested accused have been identified as Rajeev Shah and Akash Kumar, both from Bihar, and Dheeraj Kumar from Haryana. The accused are aged between 28 and 45 years,” the police said.A case has been registered against them under Sections 318(4), 316(5), and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).Preliminary investigation indicates the papers were brought in from Delhi, while police suspect a larger organised syndicate may be operating behind the scenes. The alleged mastermind remains absconding, and a manhunt is underway.Investigators also revealed that around ₹1.5 crore was allegedly demanded for the paper deal, pointing to a high-value illegal operation.Authorities are now probing who the papers were meant to be sold to and the wider network involved. Strict action has been assured against all those found complicit.To crack the case further, a special investigation team comprising two ACPs and nine police inspectors has been formed. The team will conduct multi-state operations as part of the ongoing probe.