
Manasi Phadke
Manasi Phadke is a Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times. She covers politics and governance in Maharashtra with a special interest in urban development issues.
Articles by Manasi Phadke

Licence to chill: Soon, relax in beach shacks, on deck chairs along Konkan coast
By Manasi Phadke | Hindustan Times, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON SEP 22, 2017 09:48 AM IST
The state government finalised a policy to grant licenses for shacks and beach beds on the Konkan coast

Shiv Sena threatens to pull out of Maharashta government again
By Manasi Phadke | Hindustan Times, Mumbai
UPDATED ON SEP 19, 2017 12:29 AM IST
Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray on Monday met the party’s legislators and parliamentarians at his Bandra residence, Matoshree, during which the elected representatives said that it is high time that the party withdraws support, party leaders said.

Tribals, farmers in Gujarat and Maharahshtra who will lose land protest bullet train project
By Manasi Phadke | Hindustan Times, Mumbai
UPDATED ON SEP 14, 2017 12:31 AM IST
Tribals and farmers affiliated to 24 organisations across Maharashtra and Gujarat have joined forces to oppose the Modi government’s proposed showpiece projects

Maharashtra government to completely ban plastic bags by next year
By Manasi Phadke | Hindustan Times, Mumbai
UPDATED ON SEP 14, 2017 12:31 AM IST
The ban on the plastic bags below 50 microns was imposed by the government after the 2005 deluge that claimed several lives in Mumbai and its suburbs.

Maharashtra agrees to give BKC land for bullet train, but wants Centre to first check 2 other plots
By Manasi Phadke | Hindustan Times, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON SEP 13, 2017 10:01 AM IST
The state has suggested two alternative plots: behind Dhirubhai Ambani International School at BKC and at Dharavi

Mangroves policy cleared by Maharashtra government to create jobs for 50 villages
By Manasi Phadke | Hindustan Times, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON SEP 13, 2017 01:50 AM IST
The state cabinet has set aside a budget of Rs 15 crore for 2017-18 to implement the policy in 50 villages across the coastal districts

Maharashtra asks its mayors, corporators to keep check on open defecation
By Manasi Phadke | Hindustan Times, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON SEP 12, 2017 03:08 PM IST
The state government has asked urban local bodies to organise ‘good morning’ and ‘good evening’ teams to visit spots frequently used for open defecation and report any occurrence to the state urban development department.

Shiv Sena sets Dussehra deadline for farm loan waiver in Maharashtra
By Manasi Phadke | Hindustan Times, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON SEP 12, 2017 10:53 AM IST
After a massive agitation in June, the state government announced a Rs34,000-crore package to waive off farm loans, claiming it would benefit nearly 89 lakh farmers.

83% of those who got Maharashtra govt scholarship for poor picked without income criteria
By Manasi Phadke | Hindustan Times, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON SEP 09, 2017 12:16 AM IST
The BJP-led state government amended norms in June 2015 to scrap the maximum Rs6 lakh annual family income criteria for students who get admission in any of the top 100 universities

Maharashtra government grants more incentives to families to be hit by Navi Mumbai airport
By Manasi Phadke | Hindustan Times, Mumbai
UPDATED ON SEP 08, 2017 09:51 AM IST
The state cabinet decided to relax the cut-off date of September 2013 for the project-affected families to be eligible for rehabilitation

Maharashtra minister’s daughter gives up govt scholarship after controversy
By Manasi Phadke | Mumbai, Hindustan Times, Mumbai
UPDATED ON SEP 07, 2017 11:21 PM IST
Besides the minister’s daughter, the list also included social justice secretary Dinesh Waghmare’s son, Antariksh Waghmare, and joint director, technical education, Dayanand Meshram’s son, Sameer.

Foreign education scholarship: Minister’s daughter says no; dept secy says son won’t withdraw application
By Manasi Phadke | Hindustan Times, Mumbai
UPDATED ON SEP 07, 2017 08:30 PM IST
Shruti Rajkumar Badole conveyed her wish to withdraw her application in an email to the social justice and special assistance department on Thursday.

Taxpayers’ money to fund Maharashtra minister’s daughter’s foreign education?
By Manasi Phadke | Hindustan Times, Mumbai
UPDATED ON SEP 07, 2017 02:42 PM IST
BJP minister Rajkumar Badole’s daughter, Shruti Badole, will pursue a Doctorate in Philosophy in Astronomy and Astrophysics for three years at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom

Maharashtra minister’s daughter, secretary’s son get state scholarship to study abroad
By Manasi Phadke, Mumbai
UPDATED ON SEP 07, 2017 09:04 AM IST

PM Modi’s cabinet expansion similar to shuffling a pack of cards, says Shiv Sena
By Manasi Phadke | Hindustan Times, Mumbai
UPDATED ON SEP 04, 2017 10:41 AM IST
The Shiv Sena said there have been some shocking decisions in Sunday’s cabinet expansion such as the elevation of Nirmala Sitharaman to the defence ministry, handing over railways to Piyush Goyal

Quality of roads will decide toll contractors’ payments in Maharashtra
By Manasi Phadke | Hindustan Times, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON SEP 03, 2017 12:22 AM IST
The contractors are paid compensation as the state government has waived toll on smaller vehicles, as promised by the ruling BJP during the elections.

BJP hasn’t informed Shiv Sena about Cabinet reshuffle, says Uddhav Thackeray
By Manasi Phadke | Hindustan Times, Mumbai
UPDATED ON SEP 03, 2017 12:20 AM IST
The Shiv Sena chief said his party is not power-hungry

Shiv Sena expects second cabinet berth in latest reshuffle of union cabinet
By Manasi Phadke | Hindustan Times
PUBLISHED ON SEP 01, 2017 02:37 PM IST
So far, senior BJP leaders have not had any official discussions with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on the subject.

Mumbai building collapse: In a first, green corridor created for NDRF to reach site faster
By Manasi Phadke | Hindustan Times, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON SEP 01, 2017 10:53 AM IST
The green corridor was not planned in advance

Mumbai rains: Govt, civic officials had enough time to prepare but failed miserably
By Manasi Phadke | Mumbai, Hindustan Times
UPDATED ON AUG 30, 2017 07:55 AM IST
Mumbai recorded 315.8mm in the 12 hours from 8.30am on Tuesday, less than half of the 644 mm that fell in 12 hours during the deluge of July 26, 2005, which saw a total of 944 mm rainfall. But the effect was devastating.

Arun Jaitley credits current narrative of nationalism to Bal Thackeray
By Manasi Phadke | Hindustan Times, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON AUG 20, 2017 01:04 AM IST
The two leaders shared a stage on Saturday evening in Mumbai, speaking at the release of a compilation of a hundred interviews of Bal Thackeray in the Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece publication, Saamana.

Mira-Bhayander becomes new battleground for old allies BJP, Shiv Sena
By Manasi Phadke | Hindustan Times, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON AUG 19, 2017 01:51 AM IST
As many as 509 candidates are in the fray for 95 seats of Mira-Bhayander corporation, polling for which will be held on August 20. As of now, the BJP and the Sena are jointly ruling the 95-member civic body

Maharashtra CM vows stable govt till 2019, Shiv Sena tries to unsettle it
By Manasi Phadke | Hindustan Times, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON AUG 19, 2017 01:40 AM IST
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said his party has started preparations for the next election and hopes to at least double its strength of elected representatives. The party currently has 63 legislators in the state assembly and 18 parliamentarians

After votes, BJP trumps Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh poll spending too
By Manasi Phadke | Hindustan Times
UPDATED ON AUG 19, 2017 11:41 AM IST
The Akhilesh Yadav-led party spent Rs129.87 crore as compared to BJP’s Rs175 crore in the January-March polls,

Uddhav Thackeray to check if Sena workers helped farmers in Maharashtra’s rural areas or not
By Manasi Phadke | Hindustan Times, Mumbai
UPDATED ON AUG 18, 2017 12:10 PM IST
Thackeray will chair a meeting of ministers, party leaders, deputy leaders and heads of districts at the party headquarters at Shiv Sena Bhavan on Wednesday at noon.

Why does Mumbai need ₹2,000-crore road, tunnels under SGNP? Environment ministry asks BMC
By Manasi Phadke | Hindustan Times, Mumbai
UPDATED ON AUG 17, 2017 09:17 AM IST
The 5.96-km Goregaon-Mulund Link Road will involve building twin tunnels of three lanes each under the Sanjay Gandhi National Park

Shiv Sena attacks Modi’s I-Day speech: ‘Soldiers can break guns, hug Kashmiris, govt can do away with Article 370’
By Manasi Phadke | Hindustan Times, Mumbai
UPDATED ON AUG 16, 2017 11:00 AM IST
In an editorial in the party’s mouthpiece, Saamana, the Sena said Modi’s stand on Kashmir has left not only the Sena, but the entire country speechless.

Maharashtra scraps Pune SRA provision which made multi-storey slums eligible for rehabilitation
By Manasi Phadke | Hindustan Times, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON AUG 16, 2017 12:39 AM IST
The state government had put in the provision when it finalised SRA rules in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad on September 11, 2014

2 Chinese firms bid for Rs10,700-crore revamp of BDD chawl in Mumbai’s Worli
By Manasi Phadke | Hindustan Times, Mumbai
UPDATED ON AUG 15, 2017 09:38 AM IST
The Rs10,700-crore redevelopment project will unlock around 52 acres at Worli in south Mumbai

Maharashtra may split up Shivaji memorial project to lower cost
By Manasi Phadke | Hindustan Times, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON AUG 13, 2017 09:26 PM IST
The state may float five tenders simultaneously