MUMBAI BUZZ

BMC starts preparations for rise in COVID numbers BMC plans to make 4,000 beds for COVID patients available gradually and has requested all hospitals under its jurisdiction to make preparations accordingly. Additionally, it has also asked private hospitals to do the same if the number of cases rises. As of March 31st, there are 663 active patients in the city and 52 are admitted to hospitals. BMC officials told the press that the situation is being monitored closely even as patient admission is low. The civic body also plans to reactivate its "war room", a dedicated department set up when…

Mumbai and beyond catch the flu The recent spike in influence cases has taken the instances of H1N1 (swine flu) and H3N2 in the state to 425 and 264 respectively this year. Suspected cases in Maharashtra are over 3 lakh. Three deaths have been reported due to the former infection, and one is suspected of the latter. Doctors suspect the spread may be the see-sawing temperatures, going from hot in February to a cool spell in March. Precautionary measures are recommended, like wearing a mask, taking the influenza vaccine, and if elderly or with comorbidities, checking in regularly with physicians.…

Back to summer heat After a respite from the scorching heat after Mumbai took the honour of being the hottest in the country on Monday (at 39.3 degrees Celsius), expect a very warm weekend. It is likely to reach between 36 and 39 degrees Celcius, which will be accompanied by poor air quality. Strong winds from the east are pushing back the sea breeze. Post-March 12th, the temperature may slightly dip again. Source: The Indian Express Air quality data may be fudged A leading scientist has expressed doubts over the air pollution data from most of the continuous ambient air…

Areas in Mumbai's Kurla to experience water cuts every Saturday for 10 days The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will be carrying out works to strengthen water lines at Khairani road in Mumbai's Kurla for 10-days. As a result of this, starting March 5th, there will be a water supply outage in the area every Saturday for a period of 10-days. The BMC will be conducting the necessary works in stages instead of a continuous 10-day water disruption to prevent prolonged inconvenience to the locals. The civic body also advised the residents to boil water every Sunday as a precautionary measure…

India's first double-decker electric bus on the streets of Mumbai India's first air-conditioned double-decker electric bus was opened for public use on February 21st. It is one of 200 buses that Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) has leased from Switch Mobility, a subsidiary of Ashok Leyland. The bus operated on route number 115, running between CSMT and Nariman Point in South Mumbai at 8:45 am on Tuesday. Despite an overwhelming response from the public on its first day, news reports suggest that the bus schedule did not meet commuters' expectations. The bus was non-operational in the afternoon, and it…

Dalit student's death: Family says he faced harassment at IIT-Bombay The family of an 18-year-old Dalit student at the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay, who reportedly died by suicide earlier this week, told NDTV that he had faced caste discrimination on the campus. The first-year student hailed from Ahmedabad and was enrolled in the Bachelors in Technology (Chemical) course at the institution in Mumbai. The institute had earlier said that “discrimination by students, if at all it occurs, is an exception”. However, the institute said that it had carried out two surveys, in 2022, across its campus, to record various forms…

Highest municipal budget for Mumbai till date On February 4th, Saturday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) released its budget estimates for the year 2023-24. The total added up to Rs 52,619.07 crore - a near 15 percentage increase from the previous year and the highest in its history. Over half of the budget is for capital expenditures, to be used for infrastructure and development works. However, despite the eye-popping amount, the civic body had barely spent 40% of its capital expenditure a week before the budget presentation. The allocation for healthcare, fire safety and education dropped, while Rs 800 crore…

Kala Ghoda Arts Festival returns The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival (KGAF) returns on February 3rd, when the streets of Kala Ghoda will be turned into workshop spaces, theatres, and dance stages. Restaurants in the area will also be showcasing curated menus for the occasion. Earlier art installation at the festival. Pic: Indu Harikumar, Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0) The popular nine-day festival, founded in 1999, draws visitors from Mumbai and around the world. It showcases multicultural arts, crafts, urban design and architecture events and is considered as one of India's largest street art festivals. Kala Ghoda, in south of Mumbai, is…

Water crunch for half of Mumbai on Jan 30 and 31st Due to the connection of a new 4,000 mm diameter channel to the water treatment plant in Bhandup and other repair works, several parts of Mumbai will face water cuts or reductions between January 30th and 31st. Wards that will receive no water for the 24 hours from 10 am on January 30th are: H/East (Bandra East), H/West (Bandra West), K/East (Andheri East), K/West (Andheri West), P/North (Malad), P/South (Goregaon), R/North (Dahisar), R/South (Kandivali, Charkop and Poisar), R/Central (Borivai), N (Gatkopar), L (Kurla) and the west side of S…

Egg prices shoot up in Mumbai due to shortage The price of eggs has gone up in the city due to a shortage in supply caused by the extended winter season, which led to a decrease in production. There is a shortage of 10 lakh chicken eggs in Mumbai daily and the cost per dozen has increased from 66 rupees to over 80 rupees. In November, the wholesale rate of 100 eggs was around Rs 475 to Rs 500, which has now touched Rs 600. The Department of Animal Husbandry in Maharashtra is developing a long-term policy that would enable…