Colaba-Seepz Metro Will Be Tested at Marol-Maroshi Route By Next Year
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday, September 30th, announced trial runs of the Colaba-SEEPZ Metro rail line 3 in Mumbai that will be held underground at Marol-Maroshi, outside the Aarey green belt. “The trial runs for the Metro line 3 will be done underground at Marol-Maroshi, outside the Aarey area; later, the train will be run on the Colaba-SEEPZ line as well. After the trial runs, 31 such trains will run on the route” he said. He also instructed officials that not a single tree in Aarey should be affected by the Metro trial runs.
The Thackeray-led state government had earlier decided to shift the Metro car shed from Aarey to suburban Kanjurmarg, after a tussle over ownership with the central government.
Source: The Hindu, Mumbai Live
Read more: Mumbai’s metro lines: opportunity for locating jobs?
Sudden rush of passengers at Chhatrapati Shivaji Mumbai International airport caused by ‘festive season’ say airport authorities.
Chaos unfolded on the morning of October 8th at the Mumbai airport. A rush of passengers got stuck in long queues and many missed their flights as a result. Domestic carrier IndiGo had advised passengers “to report early to allow sufficient time for security check.”
Airport authorities attributed the rush to the festival season. “Similar experiences have also been witnessed in other city airports of the country,” said an official. “CSMIA has deployed additional staff for a quicker turnaround at all the security checkpoints for a smoother passenger experience,” the Mumbai airport said in a statement.
Source: The Quint, Yahoo News
Read more: Mumbai’s airport has a large carbon footprint, what is it doing about it?
Junior Colleges Plan To Resume Offline Learning In Phases
On Monday, October 4th, a few colleges in the city called students in for practicals, however, offline classes have not resumed. First year junior college will continue having online classes for some time.
Principals have stated that resuming colleges with large batches in a hybrid manner isn’t attainable since every class has around 120 students. Many students travel through the local trains, which are still closed for unvaccinated citizens. Around 150 HSC students of St. Andrew’s College, Mumbai, attended science practicals physically. Marie Fernandes, principal at St. Andrews stated that students are only allowed on premises with a consent letter from their parents, and they’re trying to increase the number of physical attendants steadily.
Some colleges require students to submit documents physically, instead of online to get accommodated with the college faculty and premises.
Source: Mumbai Live, Hindustan Times
Read more: Employment worries multiply for recent graduates
Maharashtra Government Launches ‘Mission Kavach Kundal’
The Maharashtra government has declared “Mission Kavach Kundal”, a seven-day campaign to boost its COVID-19 vaccination drive, starting from October 8th. It has set a target of vaccinating at least 1.5 million people a day, and will prioritise first dosage of the vaccine for all citizens. This will help in reducing the severity of the COVID-19 infections even if a third wave hits the state, said state health minister Rajesh Tope on Thursday.
Number of beneficiaries to receive the vaccine in a day in the state was 1,439,809. The government has planned to recruit staff from departments of women and child development, school education, rural development and revenue to boost the drive, he said, adding that they will also include NGOs such as Rotary Club and Lions Club to create awareness.
Source: Hindustan Times, Free Press Journal
Petrol, Diesel Prices Hike In Mumbai For Fourth Consecutive Day
The price of petrol in Mumbai rose to its highest-ever, with a whopping Rs 109.54 per litre, according to a price notification of state-owned fuel retailers. Diesel rates, too, inched closer to the Rs 100 per litre mark in the city, with the current cost at Rs 99.92 per litre in Mumbai.
For four days in a row, petrol prices have hiked by 30 paise a litre and diesel by 35 paise. Fuel prices continued on an upward trajectory on Friday as Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) raised prices amid a spike in global crude oil prices. Central and state taxes make up for over 61 per cent of the retail price of petrol and about 56 percent of diesel.
Source: Times Now, Business Insider