City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) and Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) collaborating to build largest and most advanced fire station in Kamothe, Navi Mumbai, responding to rapid population growth in Navi Mumbai and Panvel.

Project Details:

• Location: 7,000-square-metre plot opposite Mansarovar Railway Station, owned by Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC)
• Cost: ₹28 crore
• Distance: approximately eight kilometres from upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport
• Status: Municipal administration approved expenditure; construction to begin after tender completion

Facilities and Operations:

• Joint control room for CIDCO, NMMC, and PMC
• Two high-tech fire tenders
• Around 40 trained personnel initially
• Senior fire officials from all three agencies to operate together

Existing and Expanded Resources:

• Panvel Fire Brigade currently: 16 fire tenders and 158 staff members
• New station will add 40 to 50 firefighters
• PMC fire engine reaches seventh floor; CIDCO and NMMC equipment sprays water up to 22nd floor
• Three new modern fire tenders being procured

Station designed to improve emergency response coordination across high-density and high-rise zones.

Water conservation specialist Mukherjee said Navi Mumbai’s water system has little room for error. CIDCO nodes Kharghar, Kamothe, Kalamboli, Ulwe and Taloja draw from Hetawane, Morbe, Barvi and Patalganga; older NMMC areas Vashi, Nerul, Belapur, Ghansoli, Airoli and Koparkhairane depend largely on Morbe.

Construction, quarrying, road expansion and redevelopment have contributed to air pollution. In January, AQI readings reached 647 in Sanpada and 514 near Owe village at the foot of Kharghar Hills, while the city-wide average was 297.

In June 2025, the Shirvane-Juinagar Ground Protection Committee accused NMMC of starting work on Sector 21, Juinagar land designated in the Navi Mumbai Development Plan 2018–2038 as a multi-purpose playground used by children, senior citizens and residents. NMMC and CIDCO have disputed responsibility for water shortages. Residents also report power cuts and brown water.

Residents of Kamothe staged a midnight road blockade on Saturday after a power outage beginning around 4 p.m. remained unresolved until midnight. This followed a power failure lasting more than 24 hours days earlier.

Residents alleged the city's rapid growth has not been matched by corresponding upgrades to the power distribution network. MSEDCL has continued sanctioning new connections despite existing infrastructure being incapable of handling increasing load.

Frequent technical faults, transformer overloads and insufficient maintenance have resulted in regular power interruptions. The Kamothe division of MSEDCL faces a shortage of technical staff, affecting repair and restoration speed.

Scores of residents gathered outside the MSEDCL office in Kamothe, then moved to the main junction near Kamothe Police Station for a 'rasta roko' agitation, disrupting traffic. The demonstration was led by corporator Vikas Gharat.

Gharat alleged MSEDCL failed to strengthen the distribution network despite rapid expansion of residential complexes. He stated: "New power connections are being issued without assessing growing demand. If infrastructure is not upgraded, authorities will have to reconsider granting further connections until the system is strengthened."

Residents criticised the utility for disconnecting power for delayed bill payments while failing to ensure uninterrupted service. Local resident Bapu Javir said: "Electricity bills continue to rise, but quality of service keeps deteriorating."

MLA Prashant Thakur met MSEDCL Executive Engineer A. S. Mane and warned that if issues persist, a larger public agitation could be launched.

Residents demanded immediate infrastructure upgrades, installation of additional transformers and adequate staffing.

Navi Mumbai’s Morbe dam has 190.890 million cubic metres (MCM) of gross capacity, but storage is 72.262 MCM (37.85%). After a mandatory one-month emergency reserve, usable storage is 41.662 MCM (21.82%), enough for 82 days at current drawal. NMMC draws 476.85 million litres per day (MLD) of raw water from Morbe and supplies 415.40 MLD of treated water through more than 1.27 lakh connections; Barvi provides supplementary supply. No water cuts have been announced, but NMMC is preparing a summer contingency plan and may consider restrictions.

The IMD forecasts the monsoon at 92% of the Long Period Average, with onset around June 10 or 11. Morbe catchment averages 3,617 mm of annual rainfall; about 3,500 mm usually fills the reservoir, but officials estimate 3,600 mm may now be needed. At 92% of normal, rainfall could be around 3,327 mm, making a full reservoir unlikely.

A scheduled 24-hour shutdown on May 13 and 14 will cover Belapur, Nerul, Vashi, Turbhe, Sanpada, Koparkhairane, Ghansoli, Airoli, Kharghar and Kamothe. Works include Bhokarpada treatment facility repairs, Morbe pipeline leak repairs near Agroli bridge and beneath the bridge near Chikhale village, valve installation, SCADA upgrades and pre-monsoon maintenance.

To address traffic congestion at Kalamboli Junction, the Kalamboli Junction Improvement Project was implemented by the Maharashtra State Infrastructure Development Corporation (MSDC). Six unauthorised constructions on a service corridor in Kamothe, opposite MGM Hospital, created obstacles in the project. The unauthorised constructions department of Cidco conducted an eviction campaign and demolished all six concrete constructions on Tuesday with adequate security. One concrete structure construction was underway during site inspection; immediate eviction action was taken and encroachment on the plot was prevented. The eviction campaign was expected to give momentum to the Kalamboli Junction Improvement Project and help passengers get relief from traffic congestion at Kalamboli Junction.