Mumbai News Live Updates: Mumbai Police to deploy 15,000 personnel for New Year’s Eve

The Maharashtra Institution for Transformation (MITRA) should work as a guiding force for boosting priority sectors so that the state maintains its reputation of being the leader in the country, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Saturday.

During a meeting at the Sahyadri Guest House in south Mumbai, he listed mining, group farming, solar energy projects and bio-fuel as among the priority sectors, a government press release said.

MITRA should work as a guiding force for giving a fillip to the priority sectors, it said, quoting Fadnavis. The state has set up MITRA along the lines of NITI Aayog.

The CM talked about group farming and said there are presently 400 such groups in the state and most of them have performed well.

The integrated benefits of the schemes under the agriculture, water resources, horticulture, marketing and other allied departments will be passed on to farmers to make them economically and socially capable, he said.

Fadnavis called for efforts to reduce the fiscal deficit and pitched for consolidation of assets, convergence of various schemes, expediting water conservation projects, and state data and mining policies for Maharashtra's overall development, the release said.

The CM also took stock of the Jayakwadi solar project, the production of biogas from agricultural waste, and the international zoo at Gorewada in Nagpur district, it added. - PTI

Domestic carrier IndiGo on Saturday said it has arranged an alternative aircraft to fly the stranded passengers after its Mumbai-Istanbul flight of December 28, scheduled to depart at 6.55 am, had to be cancelled due to a technical glitch.

The long delay prompted some of the passengers to vent their anger on social media. No food or even water was served and there was no representative from the airline willing to listen to their grievances, some passengers claimed.

The alternative aircraft will depart for Istanbul at 11 pm, the airline said in a statement.

"We regret that our flight 6E17, originally scheduled to operate from Mumbai to Istanbul, faced a delay due to technical issues. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts to rectify the issue and dispatch it to the destination, we eventually had to cancel the flight," IndiGo said in a statement.

"Mumbai to Istanbul journey suspended after 10 hours waiting by passengers. Information that there are around 100 passengers in this journey and the number of students is large. Kids are crying at the airport, no resolution from authorities," said a passenger in his post on X, also tagging Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol.

"There are 500 passengers who have been scammed by continuous delays and eventual cancellation. All passengers have not been served any food or water. There is no representative from indigo willing to listen to grievances," said another passenger in his post.

IndiGo, however, said its teams were "working hard" to provide support to the affected customers, keeping them informed and arranging accommodation, meal vouchers and full refunds. - PTI

A fire broke out at a shopping centre near Haji Ali area in south Mumbai on Sunday morning, a fire official said.

There was no report of any casualty, he said.

It was a "level-one" blaze and confined to two closed shops at the Heera Panna Shopping Centre, the official said.

The fire caused heavy smoke on the ground floor of the structure, he said.

Efforts were on to douse the blaze with a help of a hose line, two high pressure lines of four motor pumps and other equipment, the official added. - PTI

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday asked the administration to promote solar energy for the advancement of agriculture, electricity generation, industries and service sectors, an official statement said.

While expediting ongoing solar energy projects, quality should be maintained, he said, speaking at a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Maharashtra State Electricity Board here.

"We have to make Maharashtra self-reliant in the energy sector," said Fadnavis, who also holds the energy portfolio.

The state government will have to consider the listing of government-run electricity companies to increase participation of the people, the chief minister was quoted as saying. - PTI

The worsening air quality in Mumbai is causing an increase in respiratory illnesses, with hospitals in the city recording a rise in patients complaining of respiratory infections, aggravated asthma, and pollution-related illnesses.

“We have seen a significant rise in OPD visits and hospital admissions for asthma-related issues in recent weeks, largely due to the poor air quality in Mumbai. Patients with asthma are experiencing more frequent and severe flare-ups, often requiring hospitalization,” said Dr. Sarthak Rastogi, Consultant Pulmonology at S L Raheja Hospital, Mahim.

The city’s fluctuating temperatures—marked by warm days and cooler nights—are exacerbating the crisis. Mumbai’s daytime highs have reached the mid-30s (°C), while nighttime temperatures drop to the low 20s (°C). This significant variation is triggering thermal inversion, a phenomenon where cooler air traps pollutants close to the ground, intensifying smog formation.

Read More

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has asked the police's Crime Investigation Department (CID) to confiscate properties of the accused in the murder case of Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh.

A Home department official on Saturday also said Fadnavis has asked the authorities to cancel the arms licenses of people whose pictures or videos showing them firing in the air or flaunting guns in public have circulated on social media.

Fadnavis, who took over as CM on December 5 following the BJP-led coalition's election victory and who holds the Home portfolio, is facing heat from the opposition over the brutal murder of the sarpanch in Beed district earlier this month.

The Maharashtra police's CID has taken over the probe into the murder case.

"Chief Minister Fadnavis has asked the CID to confiscate properties of the accused in the murder case," the official said.

Meanwhile, participants of a huge protest rally in Beed on Saturday, attended by MLAs and local leaders of opposition and ruling parties in Beed, demanded that NCP minister Dhananjay Munde, who hails from the district, be removed.

The role of Walmik Karad, an associate of Munde, has come under the scanner after the sarpanch's murder.

According to police, Deshmukh was apparently killed after he opposed an extortion bid targeting an energy firm which is installing windmills in Beed district.

Local NCP leader Vishnu Chate had allegedly demanded Rs 2 crore from the company. Deshmukh tried to intervene, leading to his abduction, torture and death on December 9. Chate is among the four arrested accused. - PTI

Good Morning!

Mumbai woke up to deteriorating air quality as the AQI surged to 201 Sunday morning, entering the 'poor' category. MMRDA has outlined new guidelines for immediate actions to control dust-related pollution.

Carry your masks and stay safe.

Stay tuned for the latest updates!