State

Mumbai: A significant political development is unfolding in Maharashtra’s MahaYuti government. Sunetra Pawar, wife of late Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, is all set to assume the responsibilities of Deputy Chief Minister. She is expected to take her oath on Saturday evening, which will make her the first woman Deputy Chief Minister of the state. Final Decision to Be Taken in Legislative Party MeetingEarlier on Saturday, a meeting of the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) legislative party was convened. Senior NCP leader and Cabinet Minister Chhagan Bhujbal said that the meeting of all legislators—including both MLAs and MLCs—will discuss the post of legislative party leader. “Many leaders believe this responsibility should go to Sunetra Pawar. I see nothing wrong with this. The final decision ...

Mumbai: The long-standing dispute over the mayoral post in Thane Municipal Corporation has finally been resolved. According to the formula agreed upon between Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) and the BJP, the Mayor and Deputy Mayor will serve for a term of one-and-a-quarter years (15 months) each. Over five years, this arrangement will allow four mayors and four deputy mayors to serve in Thane, with the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) holding the mayor’s post and the BJP holding the deputy mayor’s post throughout the term. Mayor and Deputy Mayor NomineesShiv Sena (Shinde faction) leader Sharmila Pimpolkar-Gaikwad has filed her nomination for the Mayor’s post, while BJP’s Krishna Patil has filed for Deputy Mayor. Both nominations were submitted on Friday in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Ekn...

Mumbai: Commuters eagerly awaiting the opening of the Sion bridge can look forward to relief in the coming months. Not only will the Sion bridge be ready, but four more bridges across Mumbai are also set to open this year. With these five new bridges operational, traffic flow in the city is expected to improve significantly. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has set a deadline of 15 July 2026 to complete all works and open the bridges to traffic. Sion Bridge to Open by Mid-JulyThe long-pending construction of the Sion East-West bridge will be completed by 15 July 2026, after which it will be opened for public use. Additional Commissioner of BMC, Abhijeet Bangar, inspected the bridge on Friday and confirmed that it will serve Mumbaikars from July onwards. Five Major Bridge ...

Mumbai: Travel between Virar and Vadodara has become significantly safer as the Western Railway has successfully commissioned the Kavach train protection system on this 344-kilometer section. This key route connects Mumbai’s suburban network with Gujarat and northern India and is used daily by hundreds of passenger and freight trains. Officials revealed that the project cost approximately ₹397 crore, and the Surya Nagari Express was the first train to operate under the new system. Mumbai Suburban Section to Be Upgraded SoonWork on the Vadodara–Surat–Virar section began in January 2023 and has now been completed. Earlier, the Kavach system was already implemented on the Vadodara–Ahmedabad section. With this, Western Railway now has a total of 435 kilometers covered under Kavach. Plans ar...