MUMBAI BUZZ

BEST to start Ac double-decker e-buses on the BKC route  Commute may just get a little easier for citizens working at the business district of BKC. The double-decker AC e-buses are set to start ferrying passengers at the Bandra Kurla complex from next month. A total of 10 buses will bring some respite to the busy, corporate hub of BKC. The area sees a daily footfall of more than two and a half lakh citizens. Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) has been trying hard for the last five months to provide buses on this route but the process has…

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. The 90-feet road in Chandivali is used for parking instead of commute. Such incomplete projects lead to worsening of traffic and pollution in the area. Pic: CCWA…

Eighteen deaths in a day at public hospital Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital (CSMH) located at Kalwa saw an unprecedented death toll in a span of mere 24 hours with 18 patients losing their life due to various reasons. Nearly 70% of the deaths that occurred were above the age group of 50 years. Of the 18 deceased, 10 were women and eight men. The relatives of patients claimed lack of attention and shortage of staff as the cause of death. The opposition demanded a thorough investigation into the incident. “This is an unfortunate incident and we have taken it very…

Mumbai-Goa highway to be ready before Ganesh Utsav One lane of the Mumbai-Goa highway will be ready before Ganesh Utsav, chief minister Ekanth Shinde has said. The Mumbai-Goa highway has been in the works for a long time. Thousands of people travel from Mumbai to Konkan for the festival. If it becomes functional by then, this journey will be much better for the travellers. "Our public works department minister Ravindra Chavan is on a visit to ensure the work is started though the highway comes under the National Highway Authority of India. Preparations have been completed. Before the Ganesh festival…

BEST bus drivers protest again Contractual bus drivers of Mumbai BEST service went on a strike again. The reason was once again various issues related to their salaries - delays, lesser amount compared to staffers. The strike affected the commute severely as only one-third buses were on the road. According to the BEST spokesperson, 500 private bus operators and employees of Daga Group stopped work and protested. “We shifted the buses from other routes and tried to salvage the situation in the best possible way,” said a BEST spokesperson. The BEST has decided to levy fines of ₹5,000 per bus…

Red alert in wettest July, holiday for educational institutions Mumbai rains did not take a pause this week, and the city recorded its wettest July ever with 1557.8 mm rain. The IMD issued a red alert on Thursday due to very heavy rains. The city was flooded in many areas. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) declared a holiday for schools and colleges on Thursday. On Friday, both the Colaba and Santacruz observatories recorded over 100 mm of rainfall within 24 hours. The northern suburbs, including Dahisar (237mm), Borivali (194mm), Vasai  (138mm), Thane (166mm), and Dahanu (224mm), experienced more intense rains.…

Monsoon tragedy: Passenger's four-month-old baby falls in nullah, landslide in Raigad  In a heartbreaking incident, a four-month-old baby fell in a nullah on Wednesday, when the train service was disrupted between Thakurli and Kalyan due to waterlogging on tracks. As the train was stuck for hours, the child’s mother Yogita Rumale accompanied by the child’s grandfather Gyaneshwar decided to get down from the train and started to walk on the tracks. While walking on the slippery tracks, the baby slipped from Gyaneshwar’s arms and fell in nullah. Railway Protection Force, National Disaster Response Force, local police team along with local…

Sturdy nets to cover manholes The BMC will now install specially designed protection nets beneath manhole covers to prevent accidents such as people falling into open manholes during floods in the city. The civic engineers have suggested a prototype made from stainless steel with better durability. The nets that are used to cover 1900 manholes at present, are made of ductile metal. The civic body is likely to complete before the next monsoon. Source: Free Press Journal Robots for sewer cleaning The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has installed sewer-cleaning robot to prevent manual scavenging in the city. The sewer tanks,…

BMC to change location of public toilet from Marine Drive after residents protest The residents' demand to change the location of the public toilet, which was planned at Marine Drive was accepted by the BMC. Residents claimed the earlier location could destroy the aesthetics of Marine Drive. They suggested an alternative spot near Rajni Patel Marg but it is yet to be confirmed by the civic body. Ashok Gupta from Marine Drive Citizen’s Association (MDCA) was quoted as saying, “While the toilet was being built until Tuesday, the DMC and Harshita Narvekar assured us on Wednesday that the toilet would…

Dharavi fire breakout, minors also affected On June 11, a massive fire broke out at Dharavi's residential complex on 90 feet road. The fire that engulfed the seven storey building, injured 32 people including 13 minors. It was declared as a level 1 fire by the civic officials. The youngest minor was one-month-old Rewan Sheikh. Based on preliminary reports from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the fire was confined to the electrical wiring and ducting on all floors, a CCTV camera installed on the ground floor, as well as scrap material stored between the fifth and seventh floors. Source: Indian…