Raigad district, previously known as Colaba district, is located in the Konkan division of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The district’s administrative headquarters is situated in Alibag. Notable cities in the district include Panvel, Karjat, Navi Mumbai, Khopoli, Shrivardhan, and Mahad.
The district’s name was changed to Raigad in honor of the fort that served as the initial capital of the former Maratha Empire. This fort was previously known as Rairi. It is located in the interior regions of the district, nestled within dense forests on a west-facing spur of the Western Ghats within the Sahyadri Range. As of the 2011 census, the district had a population of 2,634,200, an increase from 2,207,929 in 2001. The name change occurred during the tenure of Chief Minister A. R. Antulay on 1 January 1981. Urban dwellers constituted 36.91% of the population in 2011, up from 24.22% in 2001. Alibag serves as the administrative headquarters of Raigad district. Raigad district shares its borders with several neighboring districts, including Mumbai and Thane to the north, Pune to the east, Satara to the southeast, Ratnagiri to the south, and the Arabian Sea to the west.
In 1869, Kulaba (also spelled Kolaba) district was separated from Thane district. Notably, the northernmost areas of what is now Raigad district remained part of Thane district. Panvel, situated just across the bay from Mumbai, was not included in Kolaba district until 1883. Additionally, Karjat, a region in the northeastern corner of the modern Raigad district, was not incorporated into Kolaba district until 1891. Eventually, Kolaba district underwent a name change and became known as Raigad district.
A tragic incident unfolded in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, where a massive fire engulfed a pharmaceutical company, resulting in the loss of at least four lives, with as many as seven individuals still unaccounted for. Additionally, seven people sustained injuries. An official confirmed on Saturday that a search operation has been initiated to locate the missing individuals. The fire reportedly ignited at 11 am on Friday and occurred at the Blue Jet Healthcare facility in the Mahad MIDC area of Raigad, as reported by an official from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
As of the latest update, the bodies of four individuals have been recovered as of 7 am the following day. These four victims were among the 11 individuals initially reported missing in the aftermath of the fire at the pharmaceutical factory. The search operation is ongoing to locate the remaining seven missing persons. The preliminary investigation indicates that a short circuit was the likely cause of the fire at the pharmaceutical facility. Furthermore, it was noted that the fire was triggered by an initial blast at the factory, which subsequently led to explosions of barrels containing chemicals.