Articles by Hepzi Anthony

Almost a year ago, on January 30 2020, air conditioning was introduced on some routes of the Central Railway network. This was meant to be an additional cog in Mumbai's public transport wheel. A year later, that experiment has all but failed. On January 16, only 3 ticketed passengers and 200 monthly season ticket (MST) passengers were on the ten AC trains operational between CST and Kalyan stations. Result: revenue earned was just Rs 7610 till 5 pm.  Earlier, in the period from December 17 (when AC locals re-started after lockdown) and January 15, the Central Railways registered a remarkable losses…

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is spending about Rs 1600 crores over a period of about three years to desalinate water from the Arabian Sea to make it drink-worthy or potable. In November 2020, Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray announced that Mumbai's first desalination plant should take care of the water shortage that the city invariably faces in the summer months of April- May, by accounting for about 10-15 % of its annual water needs. Similar proposals were planned back in 2005 but were rejected as they were considered too costly. This time around, the proposal has officially been approved despite being…

Once the Dahisar toll naaka starts using FASTag from January 1, the city would go completely cashless in toll collection. Although, there is still some distance to go before Mumbai becomes fully high-tech. Since electronic toll collection infrastructure is yet to be set up, the toll collection personnel will scan FASTags with handheld scanners.  Four other toll points - Airoli, Vashi, LBS Marg and Eastern Express Highway- had the option to pay both through cash and FASTag. Dahisar was the entry point, where only cash was being collected.   FASTag, a Radio-frequency identification technology-enabled electronic toll fee collection (ETC) system, has…

Sandwiched between the swanky Bandra Bandstand and posh Carter Road promenades lies the rocky patch of Chimbai beach, that continues to be a source of dirt and squalor. Though the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) regularly cleans the narrow sandy stretch with dumpers and JCB machines, the beach continues to stay dirty and unattractive, unlike the promenades on both sides, that have become vibrant and popular community spaces. A survey by NGO ReefWatch Marine Conservation had named it to be the filthiest of the ten beaches of Mumbai. Photo: Hepzi Anthony 46-year-old Pravin Gohil who has been staying here since his…

Launched 15 years ago, Mumbai Mirror reportedly had a circulation of about 7,00,000 copies. The tabloid, which started as a daily, stopped publishing this month. It is all set to be re-launched as a weekly. Media observers and readers of the newspaper lamented this shift especially because Mumbai Mirror had a rather excellent coverage of a complex city. Officially Bennett, Coleman & Company Limited (BCCL), which owns the newspaper, blamed the losses on the pandemic. They even announced the closure of Pune Mirror. Curiously though, there was no mention of the status of Ahmedabad Mirror or Bangalore Mirror. A report…

Currently, over 60 animals housed in various parts of the 103 sq kms of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park are available for adoption. These include about a couple of Rusty Spotted Cats, two leopards and about 56 herbivorous animals like Blue Bull or Neelgai, spotted deer and four-horned antelopes.  Modelled on the lines of Bengaluru’s Bannerghatta Biological Park, the sponsorship fee of the animals have stayed unchanged since the inception of this animal adoption scheme in December 2013.  According to the forest department, the purpose of sponsorship is primarily to build goodwill among citizens for the park and its animals.…

When the pandemic broke, everyone feared Dharavi - with its dense population - could be tough to safeguard against the virus. However, consistent efforts by authorities and locals ensured that the area recovered drastically. The number of new cases emerging has been steadily vacillating for as low as  just 4-6 cases per day since the beginning of November.   Of the 3606 cases of COVID-19 registered in the area, about 3237 people have recovered and only 58 are undergoing treatment currently, according to information provided by the Assistant Municipal Commissioner (G-North ward) Kiran  Dighavkar.  While this may be good news on…

A few weeks ago, we explained how India’s most populous city, Mumbai, has the highest density of leopards in the country.   Unsurprisingly, wildlife experts have called for an increase in the number of leopard rescue centers in Maharashtra. With the increase in the leopard population in the state and human habitations closing in on the green forest spaces, the conflict between humans and leopards are increasing. Leopard rescue centers are a stop gap arrangement to deal with such conflicts.   Rescuing big cats  A leopard rescue center houses leopards that are injured, rescued or caught for attacking humans or they are…

Every year, some buildings give up the fight against Mumbai’s harsh monsoon rains. Why aren't the collapsing buildings repaired to save people who live in them? One answer seems to be lack of funds.  On 16 July, Bhanushali building in Fort collapsed, killing ten people. It was awaiting repairs since June 2019, when it was granted permission to be repaired from its own funds.  The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority shift the residents out of the buildings, pull them down and erect new structures in their place. Some residents are wary of such a strategy…

When some residents in Pune couldn’t get information about an upcoming commercial complex within their residential neighbourhood, they approached Right To Information (RTI) activist and journalist Vinita Deshmukh for help.  Deshmukh visited the government office with residents. But, the officials refused to share the information, claiming the loss of the requested file. The residents stayed put and insisted on seeing a copy of FIR about the missing file. Lo and behold, the missing file emerged within 15 minutes and the residents acquired the information they needed.  Most RTI activists have their own stories about being denied information and how they…