City: Mumbai

On the eve of 7th September, 11:00 pm, Aarti Aggarwal Gupta was alerted about a cat stranded on the parapet of the 4th floor of her building. For the next 3 hours, efforts to rescue the animal were in full swing. Shukri - the cat - had slipped into an open house and on being shooed, jumped out of the window. She landed on the ledge directly below. At first, Aarti, her husband and a watchman attempted to call the cat to safety. After several unsuccessful attempts, they decided to contact the BMC disaster management helpline, 1916. https://youtu.be/neaJCsIg7mM A fire…

On 27th August 2021, Minister for Environment and Tourism (Govt of Maharashtra), Aditya Thackeray, launched the first-ever climate action plan in Mumbai. Titled Mumbai’s Climate Action Plan (MCAP) it has been drafted by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) with technical support from WRI India, involved as a knowledge partner. “Mumbai is one of the high-risk cities to the worst impacts of climate change. There is a need to re-think the ways development is carried out in the current climate change scenario. Coordinated efforts for data monitoring and management, will help us make quick and informed decisions, ensuring the…

NGT admits petition to stop Versova beach construction Environmentalist Zoru Bhatena's petition filed against renovation of Versova beach has been admitted by the National Green Tribunal (NGT). Bhatena claims the developmental work violates clearances issued under the Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) by Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA). Versova beach is also an important nesting site for Olive Ridley turtles. A two-judge bench found merit in the petition and ordered the Public Works Department (PWD), MCZMA, the state environment impact assessment authority, the municipal corporation and the district collector to respond to the notices served. Source: Hindustan Times Read more:…

In part 1 of the story, we wrote about how citizens partnered with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to create three new public spaces for the city, despite the limited framework available for doing so. And while these changes are a step towards greater change, Mumbai still has an abysmal 1.24 sqm of open space per person.  The Development Plan 2034, drafted by the BMC, aims to increase this from 3,798 acres to 8,710 acres. A big chunk of this - around 200 acres - is expected to come from the land reclaimed as part of the Coastal Road Project.…

When fishermen at Worli Koliwada tried to take their boats out to sea in the last week of August, soon after Narali Poornima - a festival that marks the onset of the fishing season - they found that reclamation work had affected the coastline used for docking boats. “They have left us with no space to dock our boats in the shallow waters," says Sanjay Baikar, secretary of the Vanchit Machimar Worli Haji Ali Sahkari Sansthan Maryadit, an organisation of fishermen. "Where earlier 35 boats would stand, today even 19 boats are finding it difficult to find space in the…

As Mumbai prepares for a third wave, housing societies watch closely as it marks the beginning of yet another harrowing time. The spike in COVID-19 numbers even before Ganesh Chaturthi festivities could begin, has rung warning bells in the city. As of 8 September, Mumbai had 50 buildings and only one informal settlement actively sealed with about 2,075 people considered high risk for having come into contact with a COVID-19 patient. Another 530 people had tested positive in a single day. The resurgence of the virus is being witnessed with nervousness, especially in large residential complexes where a number of…

Section 144 till September 19th Not more than five people will be allowed to gather at a place in Mumbai till September 19th. Mumbai Police imposed the order to curb Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations. According to the new order, praying physically at public pandals has also been banned. However, the guidelines also state that for bringing home Ganesha idols and during their immersion, not more than 10 people will be allowed in public mandal processions and not more than five for household Ganpatis. Mandals falling in Covid-19 containment zones will have to make arrangements for immersion within pandal premises or postpone…

Tridisha Goswami, a 2021 film school graduate from Deviprasad Goenka Management College, a college in Suburban Mumbai, has now started to apply to social media manager positions at small startups as a way to generate pocket money. All this, thanks to cancellations of film shoots and her having to move to her hometown in Guwahati. Tridisha is one of thousands of young students who graduated in an economy deeply affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. For such students, a grueling battle lies ahead. Many find it hard to find their desired jobs, compelling them to look for work other than their…

Every local business in Mumbai needs a license from Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).  BMC’s License Department issues trade licenses under various categories including food and beverage, wholesale businesses, medical stores etc. These licenses are issued in consultation and with advice from other departments like the Fire Brigade, Health, Engineering, Estate, to name a few. The application for the license must be received from the business establishment three months prior to starting the business. For a business owner to get a trading license in the city, he/she has to approach the nearest Citizen Facilitation Centre (CFC) set up by the civic…

For the third year in a row, Rev Godson Samuel, 46, a Christian pastor has been collecting Palmyra palm seeds from Aarey during the monsoons and distributing it for planting. This year, he has already helped gather and distribute around 7000 seeds in Mumbai along with volunteers from citizen groups like Rewilding Aarey. This is apart from the 13,000 Palmyra seeds that he sourced from others for plantations in other parts of Maharashtra.  Godson wants to convert Mumbai into a 'Palm Bay' by encouraging growing over one lakh Palmyra plantations over the next few years. His passion for Palmyra is…