City: Mumbai

This story is part 2 of a two-part series on the roles and structure of the Mumbai Police. You can find Part 1 here. "The Mumbai Police is a powerful and highly organised unit of the Maharashtra Police. The budget allocation for Maharashtra Home Affairs has increased by 11% for the year 2022, so it is necessary to learn about the responsibilities of police officials, to be able to hold them accountable," says retired ACP of Mumbai, Shirish Inamdar. As the population and area that falls under the Mumbai police jurisdiction, the city police’s organisational structure has had to evolve…

IMD issues orange alert over heat wave in Mumbai The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert in many parts of Maharashtra including Chandrapur, Akola, Wardha, Yavatmal etc. Mumbai too has recorded above average temperatures. On April 28th, Mumbai’s maximum temperature was 4 degrees above normal, at 37 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature was 25 degrees, which is considered normal. IMD’s regional forecast suggests that sunny weather conditions will remain in coastal Maharashtra and Marathwada till May 2nd. Source: The Indian Express Read more: Rising temperatures in Mumbai call for mitigation measures, but where are they? Another…

According to an environment status report (ESR) released by the BMC for the year 2020-2021, 72.6% of the waste generated by residents is organic. A major chunk of this organic waste is taken to dumping grounds, which has caused recurring fires due to the high levels of methane gas it produces. Despite the BMC’s diktat to segregate wet waste at source, the implementation of it in buildings remains poor. Lack of incentives is considered to be the primary cause behind lack of focus on sustainable waste management. Not all share the apathy, though. The “Zero Garbage Project” at Surabhi Housing…

On the occasion of Gudi Padwa on April 2nd, two new Mumbai metro lines - Line 2A and 7 - made their debut. They interconnect at Dahisar and parallelly extend into the suburbs: to DN Nagar in Andheri West and Andheri East respectively. The two yellow and red lines were first proposed and approved in 2015. Construction started in 2016 with a deadline of 2019, and yet, only Phase 1 of the lines is operational today, cutting the journey short to Dahanukarwadi, Kandivali on Line 2A and Aarey, Goregaon on Line 7. The remainder will launch as Phase 2 in…

April 2nd was a big day for Mumbai. After 8 long years, the blue line of Mumbai's metro was getting 2 new additions: the yellow Line 2A and red Line 7. On the shared Dahisar metro station, Line 2A left to Dahanukarwadi, Kandivali. Parallely, the metro on Line 7 left for Aarey in Goregaon, covering the extent of Phase 1. With the upcoming Phase 2, the 18.5 km and 16.5 km long lines will travel 30 stations bewteen them, connecting DN Nagar, Andheri West and Andheri East on the older Line 1. The lines are a clear rival for the…

Byculla station goes through a restoration The 125-year-old Byculla station was restored and its completion will be inaugurated on April 29th. It is one of five heritage stations in Mumbai. "This project had been initiated by 'I Love Mumbai Foundation' in memory of BJP leader Shaina NC's father, the former Mumbai Sheriff late Padmashree Nana Chudasama with the support of Bajaj Trust Groups, and Abha Narian Lambah Associates as their CSR initiative with the guidance and co-operation from Central Railway," a spokesperson said. The restoration project aimed to restore the station to its original architecture within 8 months, but because of the…

Vandana Borse, hailing from Jalgaon, is exhausted from rounds to three hospitals in a day. Her son Prem, 7, underwent surgery for a brain tumour at JJ Hospital in Mumbai in early March. She recounts a two-month-long ordeal starting in January when Prem - a cheerful child, fond of cricket - started showing symptoms like headaches and vomiting. An MRI scan at a local hospital in Jalgaon found that he had a brain tumour. After their doctor recommended a doctor in JJ Hospital for surgery, they made the trip to Mumbai. What they thought was a two-week procedure stretched to…

Taufiq, an electrician in Shivaji Nagar, sits in his shop surrounded by wall-mounted fans. Despite other shops like his in the area, he gets at least 2-3 fans for repairs daily. As Mumbai is headed into summer with temperatures touching 40 degrees Celsius in March, it’s no secret why Taufiq gets business everyday. The general ceiling fans, he says, are not cutting it anymore. “Most people here don’t have ACs or coolers, so they look for a fan that is fast,” explains Taufiq, showing me a fan unlike any other in the market. “We assemble this here. The motor comes…

This story is one of a two-part series on the roles and structure of the Mumbai Police. Santosh Sapkal, a Junior Constable in the Goregaon Police Chowki operates the phone. He writes down complaints for non-cognizable crimes, informs senior officials, and follows up with the complainant to later get a statement on the issue, whether the complaint was resolved or not. “Most of the complaints we get on a daily basis are noise complaints from society residents and lost documents,” he says. “Often, people lose their documents like birth certificates, school admission letters, and they need police verification to issue…

With life returning back to normal after the COVID-19 pandemic in Mumbai, reel life is not far behind, as production sets are opening. Apart from ensuring a steady stream of entertainment options, this has come as a relief for the 5 lakh+ cine workers in Mumbai. Their livelihoods, already marked by the instability of daily wage labour, were sent for a lurch multiple times during the pandemic years. At an ad shoot in April, the art team is the first to arrive on the set, armed with the task of building it up according to the brief. Guddu Gupta (pictured…