Mumbai buzz: New Lower Parel bridge irks dabbawalas | Hunger strike may reopen hospital…and more

Mumbai news recap: Dabbawala face problems, Water levels in lakes dip, Hunger strike by citizens, Dog bite cases on rise, and more.

New Lower Parel bridge problem for Mumbai’s dabbawalas

The newly constructed bridge outside Lower Parel station has disrupted the daily routine of Mumbai’s dabbawalas. Subhash Talekar, the President of the Mumbai Dabbawala Association (MDA), stated that the old bridge was more convenient as it had a footpath. However, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) demolished it and failed to provide a similar facility for the new bridge.

The old bridge was spacious and had stairs, as well as wide footpaths, making it feasible for dabbawalas to exchange dabbas for areas such as Worli, Kalachowki, Byculla, and Mazgaon. To address their concerns, the MDA is now requesting the construction of stairs for the new bridge.

Source: Mid-Day

Water levels dip in seven lakes supplying water to Mumbai

Water levels in the seven lakes supplying to the city have dipped to below 25% with over a month left for the monsoons to begin. During the same time last year, water quantum in the seven lakes stood at almost 28%.

On May 2nd, the total water stocks in the seven lakes was at 3.51 lakh million litres while on the same date last year the total water stocks were at 4 lakh MLD. BMC’s data states that the Tulsi lake has a 40% stock, followed by 38.66% in Vihar lake, 36.34% at Tansa Lake and 32% at Modak Sagar. Upper Vaitarna and Bhatsa has 23% and 22% each, and Middle Vaitarna having a stock of 13%. There is no announcement of any water cuts for the city yet.

Boy drinking water from tap
Earlier in April, parts of Mumbai faced a 15 percent water cut due to repair work, leading to water shortages. Pic: Gopal MS, Mumbai Paused

However, last year, when lake levels dipped below 20% in June, BMC had announced a 15% water cut across Mumbai. Civic officials told the press that they have written to the state government and requested permission to use reserve water stock of Upper Vaitarna and Bhatsa lakes in case of a delayed monsoon.

Source: Times of India


Read more: Mumbai weather report: How hot will it be in April?


48-hour hunger strike: Two residents fight for reopening of hospital, get assurances from BMC

Following a 48-hour hunger strike by two Vikhroli residents, the BMC was compelled to agree to their demand to accelerate the reconstruction of Krantiveer Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Hospital (KMJPH), which was closed five years ago after being in a dilapidated condition.

The residents, Milind Parab, 56, and Ashok Kharat, 37, went on a hunger strike on May 1st. The two wanted to highlight the plight of the locals, who have been deprived of quality healthcare in the vicinity after the 100-bed hospital was shut.

Source: Hindustan Times

Dog bite cases rise but city behind on sterilisation

Cases of dog bite rise in Mumbai significantly after the COVID-19 pandemic, with 78,756 cases recorded last year. In 2019, the city recorded a total of 74,279 cases of dog bites.

The number dropped in 2020 and 2021 as most people remained indoors owing to the pandemic. Despite the jump in cases, sterilisation efforts are far behind. BMC data shows that between 2018 and 2022, 3.53 lakh dog bite cases were reported in Mumbai. However, according to the Indian Express, the actual figure would be higher as private hospitals, which treat a large number of such cases, often do not report them to the civic body.

Source: The Indian Express

Digitised car parking in Mumbai

After four years of constituting a panel of experts to solve Mumbai’s traffic woes, it is only now that the BMC is planning to implement one of the recommended solutions. The civic body plans to create an automated parking system under the proposed Mumbai Parking Authority (MPA).

The floated tender for the same states the estimated cost to be Rs 38 crore. It seeks to select a system integrator for the design, development, implementation, operation and maintenance of a sensor-based, automated parking, guidance and management system, complete with a camera and digital payment system with video analytics.

Source: Mid-Day

Compiled by Eshan Kalyanikar

Also read:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Similar Story

City Buzz: Delhi’s AQI still ‘very poor’ | Hyderabad ‘fastest-growing’ city … and more

Other news: Solar portal launched in Delhi, solutions for flooding proposed in Chennai and tilting 5-storey building in Hyderabad demolished.

Delhi's AQI still 'very poor' After a brief period of relief, air pollution in Delhi surged again on November 22, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The capital recorded the highest Air Quality Index (AQI) in the country at 393, placing it in the 'very poor' category. Hajipur in Bihar followed closely with an AQI of 389. By the evening of the same day, Delhi's AQI deteriorated further to 'severe', reaching 401. The Decision Support System (DSS) of IITM Pune said that vehicle emissions are responsible for 15.16% of the pollution in Delhi, even as smoke from industrial…

Similar Story

Chennai Councillor Talk: Rathika aims to resolve long-standing patta issues in Ward 174

Flooding and sewage overflow are major problems in Chennai's Ward 174. Here is how Councillor Rathika is addressing them.

Like many first-time councillors in Chennai, Ward 174 Councillor M Rathika entered grassroots politics because of the reservation for women in urban local body elections. Ward 174 was one of the wards reserved for women (general) in the 2022 local body polls. Coming from a family with a political background, she had been working on the ground with her brother for years. When the elections were announced, she was given a seat to contest and won by around 5,000 votes. Ward 174 Name of Councillor: M Rathika Party: DMK Age: 44 Educational Qualification: Undergraduate Contact: 9445467174 / 9566165526 Ward 174…