Proposed service will operate seven days a week, connecting the city with the Konkan region in around 70 minutes.

The Flight

Navi Mumbai International Airport is expected to introduce daily flight services to Sindhudurg’s Chipi Airport soon, offering faster connectivity to the Konkan region.

According to Deepak Kapoor, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of the Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC), the proposed service will operate throughout the week.

As per the proposed schedule, flights from Navi Mumbai to Sindhudurg will depart at 7:55 am and arrive at 9:05 am. The return flight will leave Sindhudurg at 9:25 am and reach Navi Mumbai at 10:35 am. The journey is expected to take approximately 70 minutes each way.

The official launch date, ticket prices and booking details are yet to be announced. The Maharashtra government has announced viability gap funding for the route under the Centre’s UDAN regional connectivity scheme to support regular flight operations.

The proposed service is expected to benefit tourists, business travellers and residents travelling between Navi Mumbai and the Konkan region. It will also improve access to Sindhudurg’s beaches and other tourist destinations.

Comic Con India organizes a Cosplay 101 workshop at ApeCity, offering enthusiasts practical lessons in costume-making, character creation and performance ahead of the November 28-29 event.

The Event

Ahead of Navi Mumbai’s first-ever Comic Con, the city’s cosplay community came together for a special ‘Cosplay 101 Masterclass’ organised by Comic Con India at ApeCity on Monday.

The workshop provided enthusiasts an opportunity to learn character creation, exchange ideas and prepare for the two-day pop culture event scheduled for November 28 and 29 at the CIDCO Exhibition Centre.

The session was conducted by three renowned cosplay artists – Arindam Paul, Grand Champion of the Indian Championship of Cosplay (ICC) 2026, Shima Angom, winner of Pop Culture Hiroshima, Japan, in 2022, and award-winning creator Sanskar Kale.

The experts shared practical tips on costume selection, sourcing materials, foam crafting, wig styling, special effects make-up, prop-making and performance techniques. Participants also witnessed a live demonstration of costume elements inspired by Jin Sakai, the protagonist of the video game Ghost of Tsushima, including his mask, headband and dagger. The masterclass also covered budgeting, safety measures and convention etiquette.

Paul expressed happiness at interacting with both experienced and new cosplay enthusiasts, hoping participants would apply their learnings at the main event. Angom said witnessing years of costume-making efforts come alive on stage was a matter of pride, while Kale praised the participants’ enthusiasm and energy. The initiative aims to strengthen Navi Mumbai’s growing cosplay community and encourage creative expression through costume design, performance and pop culture.

The 59-year-old Belpada resident died during an anti-encroachment drive on October 27, while CIDCO has denied any link between his death and the demolition operation.

The Help

Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule has directed CIDCO to provide financial assistance and a job to an eligible family member of Balu Rama Kambade (59), a tribal resident of Belpada in Kharghar, who died on October 27.

BJP MLA Vikrant Patil said the directions were issued during a meeting at the minister’s office on October 28. The meeting also reviewed encroachments on government land and discussed the rehabilitation of 24 houses in Belpada. Chandrashekhar Bawankule directed CIDCO and the Raigad district administration to prepare a list of unauthorised structures and their occupants. The minister also asked CIDCO to submit a proposal to the Urban Development Department for financial assistance to Kambade’s family and employment for one of his eligible heirs. Patil questioned why residents had not been served notices at least a week before the demolition drive.

Kambade was found lying inside his hut at Adivasi Wadi near Sai Temple around 11 am on October 27. He was taken to Panvel Sub-District Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. His family alleged that the eviction drive contributed to his death and initially refused to accept the body, demanding action against the officials under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

CIDCO denied the allegations, stating that the operation involved an unauthorised commercial structure and a tarpaulin shed, while Kambade’s hut was untouched. Kharghar police have registered an accidental death report under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. The cause of death remains under investigation.