City: Mumbai

State deploys 11-member task force to control Measles crisis Maharashtra has formed an 11-member task force to control the measles crisis in the state. The task force will include paediatricians, an epidemiologist, representatives from WHO, UNICEF, health officials from BMC and National Institute of Virology, Pune. There have been 89 measles outbreaks in Maharashtra so far with 12,241 suspected cases and 745 confirmed cases. This is a 700% jump compared to the previous year. Data suggests Mumbai to be the epicentre, accounting for 37 of 89 outbreaks. Source: Times of India Read: Missed vaccines, misinformation and other gaps highlighted by…

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has allocated crores of rupees to beautify wards, yet, participatory planning has been abandoned altogether. There is a greater need for involvement of citizens in actively monitoring the work being undertaken in their ward and demanding accountability from the municipality. Complaints of irregularities in the tendering process also alarm us, considering the lack of consultation with citizens during the planning or implementation stages. In an ideal world, all that would be expected of a citizen is that they would pay their taxes and enjoy the benefits and comforts authorities offer, in the form of good…

In the first part of the story, we looked at Mumbai’s AC trains, evaluating whether they are attracting car users off the roads and improving traffic in Mumbai. In Part 2, we shift our attention to the Mumbai Metro, which nears a decade since beginning operations in the city. When Gokhale bridge, a connector between the East and West sides of Andheri, closed for repair on Monday, November 7th, alternative routes suggested by the traffic police saw congestion and traffic jams. Some people, however, chose to park their cars and use the metro. Till 5 pm that day, 11,000 more…

A raft of proposals for the beautification of Mumbai was announced recently amid well-orchestrated publicity. The project which is estimated to cost Rs 1700 crore is slated to be completed by March 2023. Neighbouring Thane will be forking out Rs 100 crore for a similar beautification project. The "Mumbai Beautification Plan" includes beautification of road dividers, improvement of footpaths, installation of street furniture and street lights, the beautification of traffic islands, optimum usage of public spaces underneath bridges, maintenance of toilets and creation of wall paintings and murals. Even the most politically naïve citizen will refuse to believe that these…

When one asks about the recent incident where three children in Mumbai’s Rafi Nagar lost their lives to a measles outbreak, the common response from residents in the area is: What is measles? The disease is either known by its local name gobri or is commonly confused with chicken pox. What is measles, really? A measles rash is flat and is accompanied with high grade fever along with runny nose, sore throat, cough, and even conjunctivitis. The symptoms can last for several weeks. On the other hand, chicken pox comes with raised bumps, low grade fever and symptoms generally last…

The Navi Mumbai Draft Development Plan 2018-2038 is the first development plan to be formulated since the formation of the Municipal Corporation. When Navi Mumbai was conceptualised, planning authorities wanted to decongest Mumbai and shift industrial and housing demands to Navi Mumbai. Housing has always been one of the primary concerns for the financial capital of the country. The City Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), a planning authority in Navi Mumbai, was therefore tasked with the responsibility of identifying land for industrial, residential, commercial usage, etc. [Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) is the planning authority of Navi Mumbai, but CIDCO and…

A comprehensive parking policy in the works The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) claims it has completed drafting a parking policy for the Mumbai Parking Authority (MPA), which would be legally authorised to fine illegal parking. It will go live on a pilot basis early next year in the wards: D (Malabar Hill, Nepean Sea Road), G-South (Worli), K-West (Andheri west) and S (Powai, Bhandup). The civic body has been under deadline after the High Court ordered parking spaces be designated in the city. While all NOCs have been acquired, the digital platform and a centralised data system is yet to…

Panchasheela Nikalje, 43, almost walked into a ditch full of water one wet July morning in 2022. “I don’t know if we have more rain or worse roads, or both,” she said over the phone. It had been a long day of work swabbing floors of vitrified tile in apartments in suburban Mumbai’s Malad. “But walking to go to work seems riskier every time it rains.” A resident of Ambujwadi, a sprawling colony of informal homes adjoining a coastal swamp in north-west Mumbai, Panchasheela says she goes to work regardless of the weather. “Bahut baarish ya bahut dhoop me bhi. (On…

As AC trains in Mumbai turn five this Christmas, they have milestones to celebrate. In August, the AC trains on the Western Railway (WR) carried one lakh passengers in a single day for the first time - a feat that is a regular feature now. On October 27th, it celebrated moving one crore people in only the first seven months of the financial year. AC trains on the Central Railway (CR) started later and had fewer services. It recorded a patronage of Rs 72.32 lakh in the same period. The number of daily passengers boarding the trains has skyrocketed in…

Among the many vocations and livelihoods severely impacted by climate change is the dried fish processing sector in Mumbai. Unseasonal rains lashing the coastline directly affect the produce and yield, and ultimately the business itself. The trade, entirely dependent on sunlight for its drying process, has become extremely vulnerable to the unseasonal rains, a direct result of climate change. At Madh village, between resorts and bungalows lining the coastal backyard, lies a buzzing village trading in dried fish. As soon as a boat lands at the jetty with fresh catch in baskets, the fish are sorted by the women at the jetty.…