City: Mumbai

As we all know, Lok Sabha elections are round the corner, followed by the Vidhan Sabha elections and then possibly by the municipal elections in Mumbai. All of these are crucial for us to to live a comfortable life. And the results of these elections are determined by how we, the people vote. The Lok Sabha makes crucial laws, allocates the national budget, shapes our standard of living due to taxes like GST and defines our employment situations due to the investments it makes or does not make. The percentage of resources the central government allocates to issues like healthcare,…

Recently, a plethora of articles have flooded in both digital and print media regarding a downward spiral in the BEST bus fleet size. The numbers have fallen from 3749 in 2016 to 2959 at the end of last year. While the attention this issue receives is certainly warranted, let’s not overlook the broader transportation landscape of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The MMR spans an area of 6328 km², which is 14 times larger than Mumbai which falls under BMC limits (also known as Greater Mumbai). It comprises 18 urban local bodies and over a thousand villages forming a contiguous labour market around the Greater…

Leopard spotted behind residential complex A leopard was seen behind the boundary wall of Oberoi Splendor, a residential complex near the Aarey forest. A video taken of the leopard shows it walking parallel to a barbed wire fence. Forest officials are keeping an eye on the situation and patrols have been put in place. They have made an appeal to people to inform them in case they spot a leopard. Residents of the complex have been advised to keep away from dark areas, to ensure that children and pets are not allowed outside without the presence of an adult, and to keep…

Fransisca Dantas, a visually challenged teacher, has a unique accessibility challenge while boarding the Mumbai local trains. She travels five days of the week from Andheri to Dadar by the local train for work. At Andheri, announcements about the arrival of trains, whether they are 12 or 15 coach, are erratic. This means passengers don't know where the women's compartment will be. Like other women commuters, she cannot run to get into the women’s compartment once the train arrives. “If it is a 15 coach, people start running helter skelter. With a first class season ticket I can get into…

"I say no to passengers who want to go to Viviana Mall because of the service road traffic, " says Manik Patil, an auto rickshaw driver who drives from Kapurbawdi to Majiwada in Thane. The service road in question is a 1.3 km road that starts from Cadbury junction to Majiwada Naka Pokhran Road 2, near Thane’s biggest mall – Viviana Mall. Given its location, the road often ends up being a hub of traffic jams. A local resident Avinash Tripathi says, "Just a few days ago, it took me around half an hour to cross 500 metres on the…

Children need to sleep; schools to start at 9 am The Maharashtra Government has issued a government resolution (GR) making it compulsory for primary and pre-primary schools to open at 9:00 am or later from the upcoming academic year 2024-25. This is to allow the young children to sleep better and get adequate rest. The GR applies to schools of all boards without exception.  “Considering the changed lifestyles, various modern entertainment devices and a city life that continues with all kinds of noises till late in the night; children along with people at large are sleeping late. This is causing…

The highest ever budget for the richest civic body in the country, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), was presented on 2nd February by the Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal. This was his fourth time presenting the budget and the second time presenting it in lieu of an elected body. The BMC is slated to spend Rs 59,954.75 crore for the city of Mumbai. The focus of the budget is the completion of massive infrastructure projects such as the Mumbai Coastal Road project and the Goregaon Mulund Link Road. The Municipal Commissioner has drawn particular attention to the focus of the…

On 22nd January at around 9.00 pm, three employees of Western Railway, Vasu Mitra, Somnath Lambture, and Sachin Wankhede were mowed down by a train as they were attending to a point failure on the railway track between Vasai and Nalasopara. The repair work was almost completed, when a fourth employee, who was deputed to signal the arrival of a train was sent to Vasai station to bring some tools, thus leaving them oblivious to the train approaching them, says one Vasai Road Railway Police official. This accident comes close on the heels of a report released by the GRP…

Turf club agrees to hand over 120 acres to BMC for a theme park For years this possibility has been discussed and debated but finally the iconic Mahalaxmi Racecourse is set to have a theme park on its land. Out of 1718 members of the Royal Western India Turf Club, only 708 cast their vote in the extraordinary general meeting that was called for this purpose. “The proposal received 540 votes in favour and 168 against. In return, the BMC has offered to renew the turf club's lease until 2053 and provide concessions such as building new stables and assisting…

The lesser and greater flamingos of Gujarat that migrate to our wetlands are nothing short of a blessing. Every year a record number of juvenile waders and flamingos visit the TS Chanakya Lake, feeding on urban algae. When Navi Mumbai becomes a "Flamingo city." Pic: Seema Tania Read more: How a Navi Mumbai citizens group fought for the flamingos After strenuous breeding activities they fly to the flamingo city of Navi Mumbai to feed and roost in TS Chanakya and NRI wetlands in large numbers. While, the species is in an overall decline, the mudflats and mangroves of Navi Mumbai offer…