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By:

Minal Sancheti

2 May 2026 at 12:26:53 pm

Mumbai to face mega blocks on the weekends

Mumbai: On June 28, passengers travelling between Matunga and Mulund stations, as well as between Thane and Vashi, are likely to face inconvenience due to a mega block. There will also be a jumbo block on the weekends between Bhayandar and Borivali stations. Central Railway On Sunday, train services will be suspended due to a mega block between Matunga and Mulund stations. The services on the Trans-Harbour Line between Thane and Vashi stations, will also be suspended. This action will be...

Mumbai to face mega blocks on the weekends

Mumbai: On June 28, passengers travelling between Matunga and Mulund stations, as well as between Thane and Vashi, are likely to face inconvenience due to a mega block. There will also be a jumbo block on the weekends between Bhayandar and Borivali stations. Central Railway On Sunday, train services will be suspended due to a mega block between Matunga and Mulund stations. The services on the Trans-Harbour Line between Thane and Vashi stations, will also be suspended. This action will be taken by the Mumbai division of Central Railway because of various engineering and maintenance works. The block on the main line between Matunga-Mulund stations on the up and down slow lines will be from 11.05 am to 3.55 pm. Down slow line services leaving CSMT Mumbai from 10.14 am to 3.32 pm will be diverted on the down fast line between Matunga and Mulund stations, halting at Sion, Kurla, Ghatkopar, Vikhroli, Bhandup, and Mulund stations, further re-diverted on the down slow line at Mulund station, and will arrive at the destination 15 minutes behind schedule. Up slow line services leaving Thane from 11.07 am to 3.51 pm will be diverted on the up fast line at Mulund station, between Mulund and Matunga stations, halting at Mulund, Bhandup, Vikhroli, Ghatkopar, Kurla, and Sion stations, further re-diverted on the up slow line at Matunga and will arrive at the destination 15 minutes behind schedule. All up and down locals leaving and arriving at the CSMT between 11.00 am to 5.00 pm will reach their destination 15 minutes later than the scheduled arrival time. The Trans-Harbour line block will operate between Thane, Vashi, and Nerul stations on the up and down from 11.10 am to 4.10 pm. Up and Down Trans-Harbour line services will remain suspended between Thane, Vashi, and Nerul stations during the block period. Down line services for Vashi, Nerul, and Panvel, leaving Thane from 10.35 am to 4.07 pm, and up-line services for Thane, leaving Panvel, Nerul, and Vashi from 10.25 am to 4.09 pm, will remain cancelled. Dr. Swapnil Nila, Chief Public Relations Officer, Central Railway, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, said, “These maintenance mega blocks are essential for infrastructure upkeep and safety. Passengers are requested to bear with the Railway Administration for the inconvenience caused.” Western Railway To carry out maintenance work of tracks, signalling, and overhead equipment, the Western Railway will also operate a mega block, which will be undertaken during the intervening night of June 27 and 28, 2026, between Bhayandar and Borivali stations. During the block period, all fast line trains between Virar and Vasai Road and Borivali will be operated on the slow lines.

Lateral upgrade to ailing annihilation

Updated: Oct 21, 2024

Lateral upgrade to ailing annihilation

Being the first person from the private sector to be appointed as chairperson of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) as part of the government’s lateral initiative, Madhabi Puri Buch also holds the honour of being the first woman to hold the top post as capital market regulator.

But the laurels that the former private sector banker enjoyed in her earlier stint with ICICI Bank, was marred with allegations that she and her husband were having a stake in offshore entities, which were used to artificially inflate shares of Adani group companies.

Terming the allegation as `character assassination, Buch clarified that all disclosures have already been furnished and the fund in question did not invest in any securities involving the Adani group.

When it rains, it pours. This allegation was subsequently followed by Congress Party allegation that Buch had received salary and post-retirement benefits from ICICI Bank after she quit the private sector bank.

In its clarification to the stock exchanges, ICICI Bank asserted that the payments made to Buch were purely retirement benefits after her exit from the bank and they were neither salary nor employee stock options.

Prior to these allegations, Buch tenure at SEBI was all about bringing in quick reforms on operational issues by changing the format of consultation paper to bring in larger responses digitally. Being data savvy, the rationale of her decisions were democratic based on big data analysis derived from the responses received to the consultation papers.

Further she bifurcated the duties of the SEBI staff between operations and enforcement, which were done by the same persons earlier. Having worked for the private sector in the capital market domain space, Buch had a better understanding of the subject compared to officers from the administrative service in the past that reflected even in her orders as a whole-time director at SEBI before becoming the chairperson. As a whole time director at SEBI, her orders on adjudication issues were more directional to the capital market space, according to experts in the compliance space. She was also quick to revamp the old provisions of the 90s at SEBI.

Being tech and data savvy, Buch enhanced regulatory surveillance and detection of market manipulation, insider trading and fraud while also emphasizing on strengthening corporate governance by introducing stricter rules for independent directors and enhancing disclosures for related-party transactions.

To put in perspective, the annual report of the capital market regulator in the just concluded financial year revealed that the number of investigations related to insider trading jumped to 175 in 2023-24 from 85 in the preceding year while probes related to front running jumped over three times to 83 from 24 in the preceding year.

Transparency in mutual funds by implementing measures to protect retail investors along with tightening norms for initial public offers, particularly in the SME platforms were some of her other positive initiatives including confirmation of denial of any market rumours within 24 hours for the top 100 listed companies which will be extended to top 250 companies from December 1. However increased transparency and compliance with tightening regulations led to increased operational costs for the market participants and hence faced resistance from certain quarters. Born in 1966, Buch completed her primary education in Mumbai and graduated with specialization in Mathematics from Delhi and later obtained a management degree from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. In between, she got engaged to Dhawal Buch, a director at a consumer goods multinational at the age of eighteen and got married at the age of 21.

Besides ICICI Bank, Buch also worked as a lecturer at a college in England, worked at Greater Pacific Capital in Singapore and ICICI Securities as its CEO. She also worked as executive director on several private sector companies and as a consultant for New Development Bank (Brics Bank).

What now remains to be seen, is whether Buch, who survived the 26/11 terror attack when she along with her husband, was attending a meeting at Taj, be able to overcome the current ordeal. Keeping fingers crossed for the times to come.

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