City: Mumbai

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…

Slight spike in COVID-19 cases On April 12th, Mumbai reported 52 new COVID-19 cases, a 50% spike in the recorded cases in a day. On April 11th, 26 cases were reported. A general trend still suggests a decline in daily cases. On April 12th, there were 309 active cases in the city with the recovery rate at 98%. The positivity rate was at 0.005%, with a doubling rate of cases is 16,537 days. Since the emergence of the new XE variant some concern has risen but there is no evidence right now to prove that it is significantly different from…

Rekha, a fruit vendor in Kandivali east, has been selling fruits in the area for over 6 years now. Parked under a large umbrella that offers shade from the sun, she awaits customers. "The heat this year has been the worst in a long time, and it is only April. It will get worse," she exclaims, adding that the recent heatwave in the city has also affected her business since customers don't come out much and her fruits get spoiled in the scorching heat during the day. Rekha is also one of the many street vendors in Mumbai who conduct…

In Mumbai, land is a priceless commodity involving very high stakes. Encroachments and illegal structures have been a part of Mumbai’s exponential growth for decades now. The fact that it continues to happen is no secret. But proving it in a court of law, and getting legal sanction for their demolition, has been difficult for lack of sufficient documentation. An attempt is being made now to rectify that using modern technology. By mid-2022, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is set to introduce a Geographic Information System (GIS) to identify and act against illegal encroachments in Mumbai. Rs 11.20 crores have been approved and…

In 2020, a nationwide study, State of India's Birds, found that Maharashtra's bird population had reduced by 85% due to developmental projects that were affecting wetlands and openlands. Sunjoy Monga, a naturalist, suggested that openlands - that include grasslands and scrublands - are wrongly categorised as wastelands by the State. Concrete buildings and entertainment zones are built over them, directly influencing biodiversity in the area.  "The same trend applies to wetlands, which are highly susceptible to the activities of the land mafia, builders, lobbies and encroachers in general," he was quoted as telling The Times of India. Sunjoy has been organising an annual Bird…