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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

THANE: Shiv Sena Thane MP Naresh Mhaske on Thursday, launched a blistering attack on the Central Railway administration, questioning the administration about the years of neglect through chronic delays, crumbling passenger amenities and stalled infrastructure projects faced by lakhs of commuters at one of the busiest railway stations in the country.Mhaske questioned the authorities at a high-level review meeting of the Mumbai Division MPs’ Committee, barely a month after taking review of delayed ongoing projects and inadequate facilities at Thane railway station following commuter complaints.“This bureaucratic inertia in executing crucial projects like redevelopment under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, increasing FoBs, escalators, providing washrooms and drinking water facilities at Thane is unacceptable as the existing infra is fast proving inadequate to match the exploding railway commuter footfall,” he said.Mhaske said that he has also pushed for increased local train services on key suburban routes, including Kalyan, Badlapur, Ambernath, Karjat, Asangaon and Titwala, while demanding additional services on the Seawoods–Uran and Thane–Panvel Trans-Harbour corridor and extended operations till midnight.He has also sought fast tracking of Kalyan–Badlapur and Kalyan–Asangaon fourth-line projects and sought halts for Duronto Express trains at Thane and Panvel stations.“The fare concessions for senior citizens should also be restored while more Konkan-bound trains should be plied during Ganeshotsav,” he said while welcoming the introduction of a special Velankanni Express for pilgrims from Thane expected to commence operations in July.Mhaske added that railway officials, including Central Railway General Manager, assured the committee that the issues raised would be addressed on priority.

PALGHAR: A container truck carrying electronic goods worth around Rs 9 crore caught fire on the Mumbai–Ahmedabad highway in Maharashtra’s Palghar district on Tuesday night.The incident occurred around 9. 30pm near Vasai, briefly disrupting traffic on the busy stretch, news agency PTI reported.According to the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) fire services, the truck was en route to Ahmedabad when the blaze broke out. Firefighters rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control after sustained efforts, preventing it from spreading further.The truck driver and cleaner managed to escape safely, and no injuries were reported in the incident. However, the electronic goods being transported were completely gutted in the fire, PTI reported.Vehicular movement on the highway was affected for over two hours before the charred vehicle was removed and traffic restored.The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, and an investigation in this regard is currently underway, officials said.(With agency inputs)

KALYAN: The Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) on Tuesday launched a major drive against illegal hoardings across the twin city area after a committee appointed to investigate the issue identified 380 unauthorized structures. BJP corporator Dipesh Mhatre, who had repeatedly raised the issue, said the civic body had initially given hoarding owners an opportunity to legalize their structures by submitting the required permissions and supporting documents. The move was aimed at bringing the hoardings into the legal framework and enabling KDMC to recover revenue. “However, most hoarding owners failed to produce any valid documents. It was found that a large number of these hoardings had been erected on government land without permission, resulting in substantial revenue losses to the municipal corporation,” Mhatre said. He further alleged that some of the hoardings were linked to political leaders, raising concerns over whether action would be taken impartially. Following the committee’s findings and the failure of owners to furnish the required documents, KDMC Commissioner Abhinav Goel decided to initiate action against all illegal hoardings. Acting on the commissioner’s directions, the Encroachment Department led by Prasad Borkar began the demolition drive on Tuesday. Despite intermittent rain, civic teams carried out action against several unauthorized hoardings during the day. Mhatre said the pace of the drive was affected by weather conditions but KDMC officials have assured that all 380 illegal hoardings will be removed in the coming days. He also urged the administration to prioritize dangerous structures before the monsoon intensifies. “I have requested KDMC to immediately remove unsafe hoardings to prevent an incident similar to the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse,” he said.