Citizens’ hunger strike makes BMC act
After protesting for months, Chandivali citizens got some positive response as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation finally floated a tender for the incomplete 90-feet road. The residents have been complaining for a long time that the 90 feet road needs to be completed. The area around the road is congested and the two alternate routes Chandivali farm road and DP 9 road, are choked and full of potholes.
Over the past two decades, Chandivali has transformed into an industrial hub. Residents and commuters deal with traffic snarls and poor condition of roads every day, but it gets much worse in monsoons.
No deadline for the completion has been set up as of now as the land-acquiring process takes up time. The estimated cost of the project is 27.78 crores and the contract of 12 months excluding monsoon is ready. The bids have to be submitted by September 20.
Source: Mid day
First case of Zika virus in Mumbai
The first case of Zika virus was detected in the city this week. The patient is a 79-year-old from Chembur. Zika virus is caused by a virus transmitted primarily by aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The 79-year-old had symptoms of cough, and fever including a stuffy nose, the patient consulted a private doctor for treatment.
The symptoms of the Zika virus include fever, skin rashes, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, and headache. “The patient went to the doctor on July 19. Out of suspicion, the doctor had sent his blood samples to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, which confirmed Zika virus infection. We were informed by NIV later,” said a BMC official. The patient was discharged on August 2.
Dr Daksha Shah, the BMC executive health officer, said that the Zika virus is asymptomatic and the BMC has availed the testing facility at KEM hospital. “We had sent some samples to KEM hospital for testing but didn’t find any more Zika virus infection cases. Aedes aegypti mosquito breeding was found in the parking space of buildings and vector control measures were undertaken,” she added.
Source: The Hindustan Times
Pipe burst in Andheri leads to chaos
Reports of a major pipeline burst and the visuals of a massive water spurt were all over social media earlier this week. A 1200 mm pipeline burst in the middle of the road in front of Twinkle apartment, near Adarsh Nagar Road, on Wednesday afternoon. Several citizens expressed shock and concerns about safety on social media. The area was flooded and traffic movement was affected.
The hydraulic engineers of BMC’s K west ward and other personnel from the water department were rushed to the site. The water supply was stopped from the main channel and the repair work was undertaken immediately.
“It could also be possibly because it was an old pipe. The repairs will be completed tonight, and the water will be restored on Thursday. It occurred near Adarsh Nagar tunnel shaft, and the water main comes from Adarsh Nagar and feeds into Millat Nagar and Lokhandwala,” said a civic official of the hydraulic department.
“I heard a loud blast and rushed to the window, and could see water coming in from the terrace. Everyone was shocked and confused about where the water was coming from,” said Mona Muni, a citizen who lives two buildings away. Due to the incident, the residents of Millat Nagar, SVP Nagar MHADA, and Lokhandwala areas were not able to get water supply until the repairs were completed.
Source: The Hindustan Times
Read more: Frustrated Chandivali citizens felicitate motorists for crossing pothole riddled road
Surprise visit by chief minister to KEM
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde made a surprise visit to KEM hospital, visiting several wards in the hospital and talking to patients and their families. “It was a surprise visit after I came to know that six wards of KEM Hospital were shut. Once these wards are ready after repairs, they can accommodate 400 to 450 patients. I spoke to patients and their kin and assured them no one would miss out on treatment due to lack of money,” he said to the media.
This surprise visit comes soon after the Kalwa hospital tragedy, where 18 people died in a short span of 24 hours.
Source: Deccan Herald
Nerve disorder cases are rising in Mumbai
Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), a rare autoimmune neurological disorder is on the rise in Mumbai. The disease involves an attack in the peripheral nervous system leading to muscle weakness and paralysis. Various hospitals in the city have reported about GBS, 15 cases were reported from Nair Hospital in just one month, with six patients currently undergoing treatment.
Private medical centres such as Kokilaben Hospital in Andheri and Bhatia Hospital in Tardeo have each dealt with more than a dozen GBS cases since July. Hospitals like Fortis and Lilavati have been attending to three to five patients each. However, no fatalities have been reported so far.
Doctors say viral infections as a preceding factor. “GBS patients experienced the condition shortly after recovering from viral or gastrointestinal infections. This surge has impacted individuals of all age groups and genders,” said Dr. Rahul Chakor, head of the neurology department at Nair Hospital.
Source: The Economic Times
(Compiled by Stephin Thomas)