ULHASNAGAR: The city may get 30 electric buses by October this year, providing major relief to commuters travelling between Ulhasnagar and neighbouring areas such as Thane, Ambernath, Badlapur, Murbad, and Navi Mumbai. The proposal was discussed during a meeting between Shiv Sena leader and former MLA Pappu Kalani, other Shiv Sena functionaries, and Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde on Monday, where several long-pending civic and infrastructure issues concerning the city were taken up.Shiv Sena leader Kamlesh Nikam said the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation had submitted a proposal seeking 100 electric buses from the state government, which was later forwarded to the Centre. Out of these, 30 buses are likely to be allotted in the first phase by October. According to Nikam, the buses will operate on routes connecting Ulhasnagar with Murbad, Badlapur, Ambernath, Thane, and Navi Mumbai, significantly improving connectivity for residents, especially people from middle-class and economically weaker sections.During the meeting, Sena leaders also discussed multiple development projects planned for the city. Nikam said deputy CM Shinde sanctioned fund of Rs 100 crore for concrete roads in city roads through Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) fund. Tender processes for these projects are expected to begin shortly.Issues related to redevelopment and regularisation in Ulhasnagar were also raised during the meeting. Kalani demanded the appointment of key officials in the UMC, including an Additional Town Planner and deputy municipal commissioner, to speed up pending projects and administrative work. Shinde reportedly directed officials to fill the required posts at the earliest.The meeting also focused on the city’s water supply concerns. Pappu Kalani sought the development of an independent water source for Ulhasnagar so that the civic body can reduce its dependence on expensive water purchased from Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation.

THANE: A day after minor girl rape case at the Kalyan Railway Yard, two separate incidents of sexual assault on 16-year-old girls have come to light in Dombivli. In both instances, the harrowing crimes were discovered only after the victims became pregnant.These back-to-back incidents have sent shocked the residents of twin Kalyan-Dombivli cities raising serious concerns over the safety of young girls. In latest case, both accused have been arrested and remanded to police custody.The first incident took place within the limits of the Ramnagar Police Station, involving a 24-year-old videographer and video editor identified as Shubham Saroj.The incident surfaced only after the minor victim became pregnant. The victim’s family lodged a formal complaint on Saturday evening, prompting swift action from the local police who nabbed Saroj immediately.The accused and the victim had known each other for two years. They attended the same coaching classes, which the accused allegedly used as a guise to build trust.Taking advantage of the acquaintance, Saroj lured the minor into a trap and repeatedly assaulted her.“The accused and the victim knew each other through coaching classes. He exploited this familiarity to trap and repeatedly assault her,” said Ganesh Juwadwad, Senior Police Inspector at Ramnagar Police Station.The second case was registered under the jurisdiction of the Manpada Police Station. According to police, the 16-year-old victim was allegedly assaulted by 23-year-old Kaju Nishad. Following the crime, Nishad fled Maharashtra to evade the law and hid in his village to Uttar Pradesh.The ordeal came to light a week ago when the victim’s family noticed physical changes and discovered her pregnancy. Reeling from the shock, the family immediately approached the police.“Using technical surveillance and local intelligence, our team tracked Nishad to his hideout in Uttar Pradesh. He was arrested, brought back to Dombivli, and has been remanded to police custody,” a senior police officer said, adding that further investigation is underway.Saroj was produced before a Kalyan court, which remanded him to police custody until May 21. Both Nishad and Saroj have been booked under stringent sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Police are conducting further investigations in both cases.(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)

AMBERNATH: Ending nearly five months of political confrontation, the Shiv Sena and BJP on Thursday announced an alliance in the Ambernath Municipal Council (AMC), saying the decision was taken in the interest of the city’s development.The alliance comes shortly after the district collector ruled in favour of the Shiv Sena-NCP group in the ongoing power struggle within the civic body, a decision that strengthened Shiv Sena’s position and dealt a setback to the BJP. Despite gaining an upper hand after the verdict, Shiv Sena leaders said they were willing to put aside political differences to ensure smooth functioning of the municipal council.The announcement was made during a joint press conference by BJP Kalyan district president Nandu Parab and Shiv Sena Kalyan district president Gopal Landge in the presence of senior local leaders from both parties.“Like at the state and national level, we have decided to come together in Ambernath as well. Except for a few subject committees, the power-sharing formula has largely been finalised,” said Parab.Parab said a few pending issues regarding committee allocations will be resolved after discussions with senior party leadership.Following the municipal elections, both parties had been engaged in an intense battle for control of the council, with shifting political equations involving factions of the NCP and Congress. The prolonged tussle had allegedly affected administrative functioning and delayed civic projects.With support from four NCP corporators, Shiv Sena now claims the backing of 32 corporators, while BJP’s strength stands at 27. Expressing displeasure over the alliance, Shiv Sena Ambernath city chief Arvind Walekar said that the BJP should have formed an alliance with Shiv Sena before the elections, but they did not do so. Instead, after the polls, the BJP joined hands with its staunch rival Congress to establish power in the municipal council, which, he said, sent a wrong message across the country. He further stated that if Shiv Sena leaders were expected to ally with the BJP now, all party corporators should have first been taken into confidence before making such a decision.Despite internal differences among some local Sena corporators over the alliance, leaders from both parties maintained that development of Ambernath would remain the top priority.

KALYAN: Amid growing concerns over inadequate healthcare infrastructure in Kalyan-Dombivli, Kalyan Loksabha MP Shrikant Shinde has directed the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation administration to prepare an ambitious redevelopment plan for the civic body’s two major hospitals by converting them into modern 500-bed multi-speciality hospitals with a medical college facilities.During a high-level review meeting held at the KDMC headquarters on Wednesday, Shinde instructed civic officials to appoint consultants and begin planning for the redevelopment of Rukminibai Hospital in Kalyan and Shastri Nagar Hospital in Dombivli into state-of-the-art healthcare institutions aimed at addressing the region’s growing medical needs on line of Thane’s Civil hospital. Shinde informed that work of dedicated cancer hospital in Dombivli is ongoing and by next year it will be operational for public.The meeting, attended by senior KDMC officials including KDMC Commissioner Abhinav Goel, Mayor Harshali Chaudhari, standing committee chairman Mallesh Shetty and office-bearers, also focused on several key infrastructure projects across Kalyan-Dombivli.Speaking after the meeting, Shinde said the long-pending water crisis in 27 villages of Kalyan Rural would be resolved within the next six months under the ongoing Amrit Yojana works.He said the project required an additional Rs 50 crore due to increased project estimation and pending water connectivity works. The additional funding was approved by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the sanction letter was handed over to the Mayor during the meeting itself. KDMC will also contribute another Rs 50 crore, taking the total additional allocation for the project to Rs 100 crore.According to Shinde, the funds will help complete crucial works including water tank connectivity and distribution infrastructure, ensuring a permanent solution to water shortages in the 27 villages.The review meeting also discussed replacement of ageing water pipelines in urban areas of Kalyan and Dombivli. KDMC has prepared a detailed project report worth Rs 268 crore to modernise the city’s water distribution network.Shinde further said that discussions were held on raising funds through municipal bonds after the Centre recently allowed municipal corporations to mobilise finances through the route, with 50 per cent support from the Central government.The ambitious Ring Road project aimed at reducing traffic congestion in Kalyan-Dombivli was another major focus area during the meeting. Officials reviewed all eight segments of the project. In Segment 3, land acquisition has been done, and instructions were issued to expedite the process. Shinde added that the revised alignment for Segment 2 by Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority is expected to speed up the project. All land acquisition related to the Ring Road project is expected to be completed by July.On urban redevelopment, Shinde said KDMC is exploring implementation of a cluster redevelopment scheme on the lines of Mumbai and Thane. The Mayor is expected to visit Thane to study the ongoing cluster redevelopment model there.The issue of traffic congestion in Dombivli East was also discussed in detail. Shinde said that after the SATIS project in Kalyan nears completion, KDMC has been directed to prepare a project report for a similar SATIS-style infrastructure project in Dombivli East to seek government funding at the earliest.

THANE: Mumbai Police have busted a synthetic drug manufacturing network and seized raw materials and chemicals worth Rs 4 lakh that could have been used to produce mephedrone (MD) valued at nearly Rs 100 crore, officials said on Tuesday. Officials said the seizure thwarted an alleged plan by drug peddlers to flood the market with synthetic narcotics. The crackdown stemmed from an investigation launched early last month into a mephedrone trafficking network. Subsequent raids at Saman Nagari and Azmi Nagar in Malwani, and Mauje Manori in Gorai, led to the recovery of chemicals and manufacturing equipment collectively worth Rs 4 lakh, police said. Their estimated market value as finished MD products would have touched Rs 100 crore, claimed Mira Bhayander-Vasai Virar crime unit senior police inspector Pramod Badakh. “Had the police limited the investigation to mere arrests and failed to probe further, this raw material would have been processed into finished MD and distributed through peddlers,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sandeep Doiphode said. Police said they have so far seized 6.773 kg of MD valued at Rs 13.61 crore. The haul included 255 litres of medicinal chemicals, sodium hydroxide pellets, hydrochloric acid, acetone, dichloromethane, melamine, chloroform and specialised laboratory equipment such as heating mantles, flasks, recovery flasks and addition pots. The total seizure is valued at Rs 13.65 crore. Thirteen persons, including two women, have been arrested in the case so far, officials said. The operation began on April 4 after a raid in the Nayanagar area of Mira Road in Thane district led to the recovery of 1.32 kg of MD worth Rs 2.66 crore from a woman identified as Firdos Arbaz Qureshi, police said. Investigators said the interrogation of Firdos and her husband, Arbaz Vakil Qureshi, exposed a wider drug network, leading to multiple arrests. All the accused have been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.