City: Mumbai

Lockdown continues, level wise unlock to begin While announcing that COVID-19 restrictions will remain in place till June 15, the government eased some of the conditions on Sundays, allowing shops of essential items to remain open till 2 pm instead of 11 am. Maharashtra has decided on a 5-level unlock strategy as COVID-19 cases in the state slowly recede. Lockdown can be lifted completely in districts categorised as Level 1, which includes Thane. Mumbai has been categorised as Level 2. Level 5 has been deemed as Red Zone and will continue strict enforcement of a complete lockdown. Source: Times of…

According to some citizens, the biodiversity in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) is under threat as the government officials are turning a blind eye to the violations happening in daylight. With an aim to raise a voice against the destruction of holding ponds area, wetlands and mangroves in MMR, environmentalists have come together for #MumBiodiversityBacho campaign started by NatConnect Foundation. Through the campaign, they plan to amplify their voice against the destruction of the CRZ (Coastal Regulation Zone) areas including in Panje, NRI Complex amongst others. The campaign appeals to the environment ministry and other authorities involved, to take steps to…

Gopal Gupta had decided to leave Mumbai for a second time in a year when it seemed certain that lockdown-like restrictions would be introduced again in Maharashtra by mid-April. Instead, at the end of March, his family boarded a train carrying a small red earthen pot with his ashes, to take it back to Kusoura Taluk Sahatwar, their village in Uttar Pradesh. “I don’t think I can only blame corona for my father’s death…Even if he had lived, he would have been without one leg,” says Jyoti, Gopal’s 21-year-old daughter. When Gopal, a 56-year-old vegetable vendor in Kalyan, developed a…

Many employers have shifted to a 'work from home' model since last year's lockdown. This has affected the livelihoods of Mumbai's famous dabbawalas who deliver packed food to office-goers around town. But that has not stopped them from helping the needy. Some of the dabbawalas provide food to the relatives of hospitalized patients in various state-run and civic-run hospitals of Mumbai. Such generosity is exhibited despite many dabbawalas being unable to meet their monthly needs. They seek relief from various organisations to meet the basic needs of their families. “Since last year because of the lockdown, we have been struggling…

The role that citizens and corporate entities played in the fight against the COVID19 in Mumbai was significant. "Our healthcare system is broken, there is no primary healthcare system available. The system is overwhelmed. We had a huge problem during the initial days of the second wave when hospitals refused patients with high oxygen needs. Our helpline handled more than 1000 calls in the three weeks of its operation," said Ruben Mascarenhas, National Joint Secretary of Aam Aadmi Party, which managed to arrange beds and medications for desperate patients in Mumbai through its helplines before the BMC had got its…

Bank fraud case furthered by Enforcement Directorate The ED has attached Rs. 166 crore worth properties in the Varron Group fraud case. These 20 immovable properties are located in Mumbai, Pune, and Ratnagiri. Varron Group had allegedly submitted fake bills to banks in order to accrue Letters of Credit. The Group then defaulted on its payment. In 2017, the CBI filed a charge sheet against the company and its director, officials from Bank of India and Canara Bank of forging bills worth Rs. 300 crores. Source: India Today, MoneyLife Read more: The sad story of Mumbai’s first “slum self-development project”…

A year ago, Cyclone Amphan battered the eastern coast of India. This May, Cyclone Tauktae has whaled India’s western coast.  Amphan had fermented in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean and made landfall near Bakkhali, Bengal on the afternoon of May 20, 2020. Tauktae stirred forth from the cold waters of the Arabian Sea and shook the Gujarat Coast on the evening of May 17, 2021.  Both cyclones struck during a state of lockdown. Amphan was a Category 5 tropical cyclone, which refers to a ‘Very Severe Cyclonic Storm.’ Tauktae falls under Category 3 to 4, and is the…

It's summer time now, and the calls of the Asian Koel to find a mate, can be heard through the day. It is breeding season for many birds. A visit to the mangroves and wetlands of Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, reveals a variety of birds in breeding plumage - Indian Pond Heron, Cattle Egret, Great Egret. The Clamorous Reed Warbler is given away by his territorial singing. Even elusive birds like the Striated Heron, Yellow Bittern and Cinnamon Bittern get active in summer and can be more easily spotted. In breeding plumage at Kharghar - Indian Pond Heron, Cattle Egret, Great…

A woman is slipping in and out of consciousness in an autorickshaw parked in front of the main gate of the government hospital in Hatane. Another is beating her chest screaming: “Maza soniya, maza soniya, kuthe gela re maza soniya [Where have you gone my beloved]?” Loud cries resound from every direction. Some families have assembled in groups trying to figure out paperwork. A few are trying to arrange for a bed in another hospital. It's noon on a hot Monday in early May, and there is absolute chaos outside ReVera Hospital in Hatane village of Maharashtra’s Palghar district. Guru…

Mumbai's handling of the pandemic has earned accolades from several quarters, including from India's Supreme Court, which suggested that New Delhi emulate Mumbai civic body’s response to COVI19.  In the second wave of the pandemic, which in Mumbai started on February 10 and showed up on its dashboard on Feb 11th, registered a mortality rate of 0.4% (until April 30).  BMC Commissioner Iqbal Chahal claims that this could be one of the lowest mortality rates in any city in the world.  Mumbai  has registered 14,574 deaths till May 22, 2021 since the onset of the COVID19 last year. COVID19 fatalities…