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Asia to Face Sustained Inflation Pressure Into 2027, ADB Warns

· Bloomberg

Belapur Railway Station Approach Roads Remain Poorly Lit, Residents Raise Commuter Safety Concerns

· Free Press Journal

Inadequate street lighting on key approach roads around Belapur railway station has raised concerns over commuter safety, with residents alleging that several stretches remain poorly illuminated despite being used by thousands of commuters every day.

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Agroli Village, Income Tax Colony Route Faces Lighting Issues

The problem as per residents is particularly evident on the road connecting the Agroli village and Income Tax Colony side with Platform 1 and the station's main ticketing area. Commuters have also raised concerns over the stretch between Urban Haat and Belapur railway station, where poor illumination reportedly makes pedestrian movement difficult after sunset.

Residents said six street lights have been installed along the affected stretch, of which one pole has two lamps while the remaining five have a single lamp each. However, four of the six street lights are reportedly completely non-functional, while the remaining two are so dim that their light does not adequately reach the ground.

“There are a total of six street lights here. One has two lamps and the remaining five have one lamp each. Of these, four are completely out of order. The other two are so dim that the light does not even reach the ground. Essentially, the stretch remains poorly lit after dark,” said a resident.

Women, Students Raise Safety Concerns

Another approach from Platform 1 towards Agroli village and Income Tax Colony has also reportedly been affected by non-functional or inadequate street lights. The problem becomes more pronounced during the evening and night, when commuters returning from work, colleges and other destinations use these routes to reach nearby residential areas.

Women, girl students and passengers travelling alone after dark are among those particularly concerned about the poorly lit stretches. Residents said inadequate lighting not only affects visibility but can also create a sense of insecurity for those walking through relatively isolated portions of the approach roads.

Police Seek Better Illumination Near Parsik Hill Area

Police said regular patrolling was being carried out in the area but stressed the need for better illumination, particularly around the Parsik Hill water tank.

“We have beat marshals and a patrolling unit that regularly monitor the area. However, the lack of adequate lighting, especially around the Parsik Hill water tank, is a matter of concern. More lighting in the area will be helpful in maintaining law and order,” said senior inspector Arun Pawar.

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NMMC officials from the engineering department, however, said the overall failure rate of street lights in Belapur was low and that complaints were addressed promptly. “Belapur has around 6,500 street lights, of which around 1% to 2% may malfunction. These are repaired immediately. Meanwhile, the street lights on Income Tax Road are due to be replaced as they are quite old. A proposal for the same is underway for the Agoli bridge as well,” said a senior official from the NMMC engineering department.

The civic response comes amid concerns over the maintenance of basic public infrastructure around Belapur, one of Navi Mumbai's major railway stations and an important transit point for commuters from several residential and commercial areas.

Residents have urged the authorities responsible for street-light maintenance to inspect the affected stretches, restore non-functional lights and ensure adequate illumination along pedestrian routes connecting the station with surrounding residential areas.

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Rivals take aim at Olivia Chow during Toronto Region Board of Trade mayoral debate

· Toronto Sun

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The three main candidates for mayor squared off at the Toronto Region Board of Trade debate on Tuesday night, but it was the incumbent who took most of the incoming fire.

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Candidates Brad Bradford, Chris Alexander and incumbent Olivia Chow covered what Torontonians consider the municipal election’s main issues: A lack of affordable housing and the cost-of-living crisis .

The run-up to the debate saw Chow’s main opponent, Bradford, erode some of her lead in recent polling. A Liaison survey has Bradford sitting at 40% among decided and leading voters, while Chow sat at 47% compared to Bradford at 39% and Chow at 50% earlier this month.

Bradford, 40, is increasingly seen as the candidate of change and made that clear at the debate, attacking Chow, 69, for presiding over the largest property tax increase in the city’s history and having little to show for it despite record investment from the federal government. Bradford pledged a freeze on property taxes in his first year as mayor along with a line-by-line audit — not done since 2011, Bradford noted — of municipal expenses to eliminate waste.

Families ‘can’t afford to be here’

He added that under Chow, city hall spent $11 million on Microsoft Office programs for retirees.

“There are families leaving the city every year because they can’t afford to be here,” Bradford said. “And Olivia Chow, as NDP mayor, always goes back to taxpayers without doing the work to find the savings.

“City hall takes your taxpayer money for granted. And despite record investment from the federal government, the provincial government, billions of dollars in transfers, we still very much have a starting deficit of $1.7 billion going into this year. So I was surprised that Mayor Chow suggested to us that she fixed the budget. She’s actually put us in a worse financial position.”

Alexander got a zinger in on Bradford shortly thereafter: “You’ve been on council for eight years. No line-by-line spending review,” though Bradford later claimed Chow batted down any attempt he made as councillor to conduct such a review.

Chow attempted to defend her record, casting herself as a proven leader in tough times who has brought in investment and speedily built affordable housing — the latter claim hotly disputed by both Bradford and Alexander and seemingly corrected in one instance by Toronto Star editor-in-chief Nicole McIntyre, who moderated the debate and told Chow that Toronto does indeed have an affordable housing problem.

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Mayor feeling the heat?

Chow seemed to feel the heat from the newest polling numbers. She mainly targeted Bradford, challenging him on his record as a city councillor and accusing him of calling Toronto a “wasteland.” She also warned that Bradford would take a slash-and-burn approach to the progress made under her administration.

The mayor later pledged those who use the TTC more than 10 times per week would ride for free after that.

“You can’t run away from your record,” Chow told Bradford, “I’m working hard in these tough economic times. There is a trade war. There is uncertainty. I’m bringing in investment, promoting our city. You denigrate it and call it a wasteland.”

Sitting in third place in the polls at 10%, Alexander is viewed by Bradford’s supporters as a spoiler siphoning support from him. But the former federal Conservative cabinet minister took aim at Chow, too, calling her claims “a lot of eyewash.

“Our housing market has collapsed, 25% down,” Alexander said. “Construction of housing has collapsed. We’re in an income crisis. We’re in a hunger emergency. We’re in a hate crime wave. We’re in a transit crisis — 40% don’t feel safe on transit and God knows how many who don’t use transit feel unsafe. We’re in an operational budget crisis. We’re in a capital budget crisis. We don’t have more money. We are in trouble in this city.”

Election Day is on Oct. 26. from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Advance voting starts on Oct. 6 and goes to Oct. 11 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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