Two die, third critical after falling into manhole
Mumbai continues to see tragic accidents related to manual scavenging and deadly manholes. Two people died and a third is critical after falling into a 30-foot-deep manhole in Malad.
The manhole was connected to a drain pipe on the site of a private under-construction building at Pimpripada in Malad east. Raju, who was a worker at the site, fell in and after that two nearby residents, Aqib and Javed jumped to save him. When none of them came out, the locals called the fire brigade to rescue them. According to the preliminary police reports, the three men fell into the manhole as they felt dizzy from the toxic fumes coming from the sewage. Raju, 50, and Javed Shaikh, 35 were declared brought dead by the HBT Trauma Care Hospital at Jogeshwari and Aqib Shaikh, 19, is on the ventilator there.
A case under Section 304 (a) of the IPC – death due to negligence – will be registered against the supervisor at the construction site as no safety equipment had been provided to the worker. However, the locals have said that they will not accept the bodies of the deceased unless a case is filed against the builder.
Source: Hindustan Times
Mumbai Metro: Loaded trials to begin for Aqua Line
Mumbai Metro has good news for eager commuters. Metro 3, also known as the Aqua Line, will soon get one step closer to becoming operational for commuters. Loaded trials are beginning for the Aqua Line. These trials are going to be carried out for the trains on Phase I of the Aarey-BKC route.
Loaded trials refers to the process of filling each of the eight-car trains with gunny bags filled with stones, depending upon the tonnage capacity of the trains. This will gauge the functionality of the train with respect to its passenger carrying capacity. Till now the trains were being tested via dry runs, with empty cars, meant to test their speed.
Sources say that these trials will continue for some time. Other factors such as oscillation of trains on curved and straight tracks are also to be observed during these trials. At this stage the metro is 96% complete.
Source: Hindustan Times
Two children suffocate to death in abandoned car
Two siblings, 7-year-old Sajjid Shaikh and 5-year-old Muskan Shaikh, were found dead in an abandoned car in Antop Hill. They lived in a slum behind sector 5 of the CGS quarters. The children had gone out to play as usual, but when they did not return in the evening, the parents started looking for them. They also registered a missing complaint with the Antop Hill police.
The children were found lying still inside an abandoned car. They were rushed to Sion hospital where they were declared dead. A postmortem of the bodies of the siblings shows that they died due to suffocation.
The owner of the car told the police that he had abandoned the vehicle since 2016 and had been wanting to sell it.
Source: The Times of India, The Hindu
Read more: Explainer: The real story behind abandoned vehicles in Mumbai
HC raps BMC for demolishing galas in Kurla
The Bombay High Court has criticised the BMC for demolishing 35 galas in the Bharat Coal Compound in Kajupada in Kurla West, even while the case is still being heard by the court. Issuing an interim order on April 18, the HC asked the BMC to restore the galas to their original condition within a period of four days. Justices Gautam Patel and Kamal Khata also said that the work of restoration will be carried out at the expense of the BMC.
These galas have housed engineering, fabrication and readymade garment units since 1960. These units provided employment to around 5000 people, who have lose their livelihoods after the BMC action.
The owners say that the BMC declared these galas, which stood on private land, to be “unauthorised” despite having relevant documents. A court-appointed architect was to visit the site, and furnish a report regarding the measurements of the galas, but before that the BMC swung into action and demolished them.
Source: Hindustan Times, The Times of India
Leopard captured at Vasai Fort
In the early hours of Tuesday, the Maharashtra forest department trapped a leopard, which had been seen close to Vasai Fort more than three weeks ago. The residents had first spotted the leopard near Vasai Fort on April 1. The forest department started looking for the leopard along with local NGOs. They set up night vision cameras to find the leopard.
When it was caught on the camera, they sought the permission of the forest authorities and set up two trap cages for it. On Tuesday the leopard walked into one of these traps set up near the entrance to the fort.
The forest department officials said it could have come from the Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary (TWLS) in search of food and water. The leopard will be released back into TWLS after ensuring that it has not sustained injuries and is healthy.
(Compiled by Shruti Gokarn.)