News

The Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) has postponed the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections, which will now be held on February 7, instead of February 5 As a three-day mourning period has been declared in the state due to the demise of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, the remaining phases of the general elections for 12 Zilla Parishads and 125 Panchayat Samitis will be held on February 7, while counting of votes will be done on February 9,” stated the SEC.  Panchayat Samiti elections on January 13. Accordingly, the process of filing nomination papers, withdrawal of nomination papers, allocation of symbols and publication of the final list of candidates contesting the elections has been completed. The next steps are voting, counting of votes and publication of the names of the elected members in the Gazette.

The Ro-Ro service connecting Mumbai to Konkan via Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri will be launched on Jan 16 this year. The world of transportation has welcomed a new milestone. The Maharashtra government has given the green signal to South Asia’s fastest roll-on, roll-off (Ro-Ro) ferry service. The project connecting Mumbai to Konkan via Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri is ready to be launched on September 1, 2025. A Ro-Ro ferry service is a type of water transport allowing passengers to drive any vehicle directly onto the vessel, travel across water and drive to their destination. Unlike traditional ferries, Ro-Ro ferries eliminate the need to unload and reload cargo separately. It not only reduces road congestion and fuel costs but also saves time.  Travellers who opt for this Mumbai-Konkan Ro-Ro ferry service can avoid taking the traffic-laden Mumbai-Goa highway and busy train routes, reducing travel time significantly, especially in the festive season. On Tuesday, August 26, Fisheries and Port Development Minister Nitesh Rane announced the launch of the Ro-Ro ferry service by sharing an elaborate note on X.  Calling the venture a “golden moment in the history of Konkan,” he wrote, “The M2M Princess Mumbai to Konkan Ro-Ro boat service is soon to commence. Today, I inspected this modern and fastest boat in Asia, the M2M Princess.”

A video of the incident shows the women confronting the driver and slapping him repeatedly in front of onlookers. A woman in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district publicly confronted and slapped a private bus driver after he allegedly sent obscene videos to her phone using contact details taken from a ticket booking record. The woman had booked a ticket through a private travel company’s office in Kankavli a few months ago. She frequently used the same company’s bus service for her travels between Kankavli and Mumbai. It is alleged that the driver obtained her mobile number from the ticket booking records and began sending her obscene videos via messaging apps. After he repeated the act, the woman decided to take action. On the evening of Jan 16, she arrived at the company’s booking office near the Kankavli bus stand, accompanied by another woman. Upon locating the driver, she confronted him with her phone, showing the messages, and then slapped him several times.

Maharashtra local body election results: Nilesh Rane credited voters for the outcome, saying, “Voters stood by us and helped us win in Kankavli and Malvan.”  Shiv Sena MLA Nilesh Rane-backed Shahar Vikas Aghadi (SVA) emerged victorious with a key win in Sindhudurg district on Sunday as the local front’s candidate clinched the municipal council president’s post in Kankavli.Despite the BJP winning eight seats in Kankavli under Nitesh Rane’s leadership in the district, Sandesh Parkar of the SVA was elected president of the municipal council, marking a setback for the party in a contest closely watched across the state. Reacting to the performance of his party and the front floated by him in Kankavli, Nilesh Rane credited voters for the outcome, saying, “Voters stood by us and helped us win in Kankavli and Malvan.” He said he did not wish to dwell on internal tensions within the ruling alliance now that the polls were over, adding, “We do not want to speak about infighting within Mahayuti, as the elections are over now.”Despite the BJP winning eight seats in Kankavli under Nitesh Rane’s leadership in the district, Sandesh Parkar of the SVA was elected president of the municipal council, marking a setback for the party in a contest closely watched across the state. F Reacting to the performance of his party and the front floated by him in Kankavli, Nilesh Rane credited voters for the outcome, saying, “Voters stood by us and helped us win in Kankavli and Malvan.” He said he did not wish to dwell on internal tensions within the ruling alliance now that the polls were over, adding, “We do not want to speak about infighting within Mahayuti, as the elections are over now.”Acknowledging the unusual family contest in Sindhudurg, Rane said that while the brothers had fought against each other, he was “equally saddened” by the defeat of candidates fielded by his brother Nitesh Rane’s BJP in Malvan. As of 1 pm, the ruling Mahayuti alliance was leading in over 200 local bodies across Maharashtra. The BJP was ahead in 125 bodies, followed by the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) in 48, the NCP (Ajit Pawar) in 38, and the Shiv Sena (UBT) in 14. Sindhudurg becomes flashpoint Ahead of the polls, Sindhudurg emerged as a flashpoint of sharp political friction within the ruling Mahayuti alliance, with brothers Nilesh Rane and Nitesh Rane locked in a bitter campaign despite being part of the same dispensation.

Commenting on the approval, Captain Jai S Sadana, Chief Adviser and Head, IRB Sindhudurg Airport, said, “The approval for 24×7 all-weather operations significantly enhances the airport’s reliability and operational capability. This will encourage airline confidence, support sustained traffic growth, and contribute meaningfully to economic and tourism development across the Konkan region. We are grateful to the regulators, authorities and the government for their guidance and support.” He added that further connectivity improvements are on the horizon. “The Mumbai–Sindhudurg route under the state regional connectivity scheme is also expected to commence in the coming months. This will further improve connectivity, making travel more convenient for residents of the Konkan region and welcome visitors from across India,” he said.

Activist and villagers say massive clearing has taken place to make way for bungalows; Nature and wildlife lovers from Kolzar have also alleged that the forests on the other side of the hills have been flattened and cleared for construction A cleared patch of forest land near Kolzar village (right) an access path created by felling trees. PICS/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT A four-kilometre stretch inside the Western Ghats forest in Kolzar in Dodamarg taluka of Sindhudurg district, which is a part of an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA), has allegedly been heavily quarried, stripped of tree cover and left badly damaged, raising serious concerns over environmental violations and ecological loss.Environmentalist Stalin D from NGO Vanashakti has complained about this to the principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife) of the Maharashtra Forest Department, the head of forest force, additional principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife west), collector of Sindhudurg, deputy conservator of forest (Sawantwadi), principal secretary of the Maharshtra Pollution Control Board Environment Department, and the director general of forest – Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change. In his letter, Stalin D has alleged that massive deforestation, hill cutting, and quarrying are taking place inside the Sawantwadi-Dodamarg wildlife corridor. “We are particularly concerned with unprecedented large-scale destruction in Kolzar village of Dodamarg. We have visited the site and were horrified to see that almost 4 km of forest has been excavated, quarried, and a fresh vehicular access path created by pushing trees down the slopes and excavating the hills.” recommended by Nature and wildlife lovers from Kolzar have also alleged that the forests on the other side of the hills have been flattened and cleared for construction. “Villagers of Kolzar were caught unawares as the destruction unfolded deep inside the forests. They have protested and also lodged complaints with relevant authorities. We have attached videos of the site, which clearly establish the illegal excavation, destruction of forest trees, and creation of paths inside the forests. Though the forests may not be owned by the government, they need to be protected inside this fragile, pristine wildlife corridor.” Stalin D About Kolzar village Kolzar is protected as an ESA in the final judgement the Bombay High Court passed in Public Interest Litigation (PIL) 198 of 2014, read with PIL 179 of 2012. There is a tree-felling ban in Dodamarg imposed by the high court, and the task force constituted by the court has the responsibility of protecting this wildlife corridor. While the sale and purchase of land is not illegal, but tree felling inside the crucial wildlife corridor (Sawantwadi-Dodamarg) is not permitted. It is anticipated that the alleged massive tree felling will only cause more disturbance to the wildlife habitats, and it will increase human-wildlife conflict. Implement HC judgement Locals and nature lovers have appealed to authorities to take steps for the implementation of the HC judgement in letter and spirit. Stalin, in his letter, also demanded the prohibition of all environmentally destructive activities inside the wildlife corridor, and steps to demarcate it physically. “We call upon you to register offences under all applicable laws and also for contempt of court. An action taken reply beyond the imposition of a fine for illegal excavation and mining is expected. Also, please start efforts to restore the areas that have been severely damaged due to the illegal actions by so-called ‘investors’,” said Stalin D. What villagers say Kolzar village resident Devendranath Purushotam Desai said, “Awareness boards should be installed to clearly warn that the area is protected from tree felling and forms a vital wildlife corridor. Village-level committees must be constituted to safeguard the region’s forests. Local communities have coexisted with wildlife in harmony until now, but the growing menace of deforestation to carve out bungalow plots within dense forests must be stopped.” Another villager, Hirba Aanaji Desai, said, “We are deeply concerned over the unprecedented large-scale destruction in Kolzar village. During a site inspection, we were shocked to see that nearly 4 km of forest land had been excavated and quarried. We hope that authorities take a serious note as even though it is a private forest, it comes in the ESZ and destruction will impact biodiversity and the wildlife corridor.” Official Speak Vaibhav Borate, secretary of the Sawantwadi–Dodamarg Task Force, said, “Following complaints from villagers, the forest department has taken cognisance of the issue and is investigating the matter. A task force meeting is scheduled towards the end of the month, where the issue will be discussed further, and the actions taken will be reviewed.” Sindhudurg District Collector, Trupti Dhodmise, said, “The tehsildar’s office has received a complaint. The land is privately owned, and the owners have stated that they were unaware of the tree felling. The matter is under investigation.”