A thick layer of smog and haze covered Mumbai's skyline throughout Thursday. In its latest updates, the Central Pollution Control Board’s SAMEER app reported that the city’s air quality remained in the 'moderate' category, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 166 at 7 pm. As per the SAMEER app dashboard, many areas across Mumbai showed 'moderate' AQI. Bandra Kurla Complex recorded 'moderate' air quality with an AQI of 155. Colaba, Chembur and Ghatkopar recorded 'moderate' air quality with an AQI of 107, 124 and 136, respectively. Borivali, Kandivali and Malad recorded 'poor' air quality, with an AQI of 275, 219 and 260, respectively. According to data from the SAMEER app, Navi Mumbai recorded air quality in the 'moderate' category with an AQI of 128, while Thane registered a 'moderate' AQI of 140. The air quality index from 0 to 100 is considered 'good', 100 to 200 'moderate', 200 to 300 'poor', 300 to 400 'very poor' and from 400 to 500 or above 'severe'. Meanwhile, as air pollution levels continue to rise in Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has revised guidelines issued last year for construction sites. The civic body will also form squads at the ward level to visit construction sites and act if guidelines are flouted. Sensor-based air pollution monitoring systems will be installed at all construction project work sites and immediate action to be taken if pollution levels are detected above the limit. Meanwhile, according to the latest Mumbai weather updates from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Mumbai is expected to experience haze with partly cloudy sky for the rest of the day. In the next 48 hours, Mumbai is likely to experience partly cloudy sky. According to the Mumbai weather updates of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Mumbai's Santacruz observatory in suburban Mumbai recorded a maximum temperature of 30 degrees Celsius and a minimum temperature of 19.1 degrees Celsius. The weather department's data showed that the city observatory in Colaba recorded a maximum temperature of 28.5 degrees Celsius and a minimum temperature of 21.5 degrees Celsius.
26 December,2024 07:12 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentWestern Railway on Thursday informed that it will operate eight special suburban trains on New Year's Eve 2024. The details of the trains are given below: Down direction The first New Year’s Eve 2024 Special train will depart Churchgate on January 1 at 1.15 am and arrive at Virar at 2.55 am, followed by another local to Virar from Churchgate. It will leave at 2 am and arrive Virar at 3.40 am. The third train will leave from Churchgate at 2.30 am and arrive Virar at 4.10 am and the last special train will depart at 3.25 am and arrive its destination at 5.05 am. Up direction The first New Year’s Eve 2024 Special train will depart Virar at 12.15 am and arrive Churchgate at 1.52 am on January 1. This will be followed by another train which will depart Virar at 12.45 am and arrive Churchgate at 2.22 am. The third special train will reach Churchgate at 3.17 am after leaving from Virar at 1.40 am. The final train in the up direction will depart from Virar at 3.05 am and arrive at Churchgate at 4.41 am. All these special trains will halt at all stations. Passengers are requested to note the same, avail these services and travel safely, the Western Railway said. Mumbai local train update: CR announces special suburban services To ensure smooth travel for passengers celebrating New Year’s Eve, the Central Railway (CR) on Thursday announced the operation of four special suburban train services during the midnight hours of December 31, 2024, and January 1, 2025. These services will run on both the Main Line and Harbour Line, catering to the anticipated rush of late-night commuters, said CR in an official statement. Main Line Departure from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT): 01:30 am, arriving at Kalyan at 3 am. Departure from Kalyan: 1.30 am, arriving at CSMT at 3 am. Harbour Line Departure from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT): 01:30 am, arriving at Panvel at 2.50 am. Departure from Panvel: 01.30 am, arriving at CSMT at 2.50 am. All these special services will halt at all stations en route to ensure maximum convenience for passengers, CR said.
26 December,2024 06:37 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentTo ensure smooth travel for passengers celebrating New Year’s Eve, the Central Railway (CR) on Thursday announced the operation of four special suburban train services during the midnight hours of December 31, 2024, and January 1, 2025. These services will run on both the Main Line and Harbour Line, catering to the anticipated rush of late-night commuters, said CR in an official statement. Main Line Departure from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT): 01:30 am, arriving at Kalyan at 3 am. Departure from Kalyan: 1.30 am, arriving at CSMT at 3 am. Harbour Line Departure from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT): 01:30 am, arriving at Panvel at 2.50 am. Departure from Panvel: 01.30 am, arriving at CSMT at 2.50 am. All these special services will halt at all stations en route to ensure maximum convenience for passengers, CR said. WR to operate special trains Western Railway on Thursday informed that it will operate eight special suburban trains on New Year's Eve 2024. The details of the trains are given below: Down direction The first New Year’s Eve 2024 Special train will depart Churchgate on January 1 at 1.15 am and arrive at Virar at 2.55 am, followed by another local to Virar from Churchgate. It will leave at 2 am and arrive Virar at 3.40 am. The third train will leave from Churchgate at 2.30 am and arrive Virar at 4.10 am and the last special train will depart at 3.25 am and arrive its destination at 5.05 am. Up direction The first New Year’s Eve 2024 Special train will depart Virar at 12.15 am and arrive Churchgate at 1.52 am on January 1. This will be followed by another train which will depart Virar at 12.45 am and arrive Churchgate at 2.22 am. The third special train will reach Churchgate at 3.17 am after leaving from Virar at 1.40 am. The final train in the up direction will depart from Virar at 3.05 am and arrive at Churchgate at 4.41 am. All these special trains will halt at all stations. Passengers are requested to note the same, avail these services and travel safely, the Western Railway said.
26 December,2024 06:31 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe family of a 38-year-old man who died by suicide on Sunday were further traumatised by the negligence of Kandivali’s civic-run Shatabdi hospital, which left the man’s body to be gnawed on by rats. Deceased Sachin Madan Kakre’s family raised the issue with the civic hospital earlier this week and demanded better services. The hospital has claimed that the body was kept in a room adjacent to the mortuary. According to sources in the police, Sachin was a daily wage labourer residing in Anthony Chawl near the Shankar temple in Ketkipada, Dahisar East. On Sunday, he was alone inside his hut. His wife was in Virar at her parents’ home with their two children — aged eight and five years. Sachin’s brother, Mahendra and mother Tulsa, lived in a hut right behind the house. Around 10.30 pm, when Tulsa went to meet Sachin, she found him hanging from a bamboo from the hut’s roof. “My mother screamed and we ran to his house. With the help of neighbours, we brought his body down and rushed him to Kandivali's civic-run Bharat Ratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Municipal General Hospital (popularly known as Shatabdi Hospital). The doctors checked and declared him dead around 11.30 pm,” Mahendra said. The hospital informed the Dahisar police, which arrived to conduct the panchanama. “After the police conducted the panchanama, we gave the body to the hospital and left by around 4 am. The post-mortem had to be conducted at Bhagwati Hospital in Borivali later. We returned to the hospital around 10 am on Monday and the police also came to transport the body for post-mortem. When we took the shroud off, we were shocked to see that the nose, forehead, head, and private parts were gnawed by rats in the room where the body was kept,” Mahendra said. The police were as shocked as Sachin’s family upon seeing the condition of his body. Mahendra added, “When we left the body in the wee hours, everything was fine. When we complained to the hospital, the authorities immediately came to the spot and admitted that rats had gnawed the body. The hospital should improve its work culture. Such an incident cannot be repeated.” A senior doctor at Shatabdi hospital, Ajay Gupta, said, “There is a separate room that is meant for keeping bodies. The place where this incident took place is meant for the police to conduct the panchnama of bodies. The room has partitions made of wood. Somehow, rats made their way inside. We have repaired that room.” 11.30 pmApprox time Sachin was declared dead 04.00 amApprox time family, police left hospital 10.00 amApprox time family, police found body bitten by rats
26 December,2024 06:17 PM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanThe Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) marked Veer Bal Diwas on Thursday with a tribute to the bravery and sacrifice of Sahibzade Baba Zorawar Singh ji and Sahibzade Baba Fateh Singh ji, the young sons of Guru Gobind Singh ji. In its official statement, BMC stated that Deputy Commissioner (Education), Dr Prachi Jambhekar, paid floral tributes to the statues of the Sahibzadas at the Mumbai Mayor’s Hall in the civic body headquarters. Deputy Commissioner Pramod Kumar was also present during the ceremony. The commemoration honored nine-year-old Zorawar Singh ji and six-year-old Fateh Singh ji, who sacrificed their lives for the protection of the country and Dharma, said BMC. The day also coincides with Children’s Day, celebrated to recognise the extraordinary bravery, valor, and selflessness of these young heroes. BMC gives bakeries one year to do away with firewood ovens The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has granted bakeries a one-year deadline to abandon firewood and use either electricity or piped natural gas (PNG). Notices have been issued to 650 Mumbai bakeries currently using wood as fuel. An official from the Mumbai civic body's environment department said, “We have issued notices to 650 bakeries using firewood for their ovens. They have been ordered to convert their ovens to electric or PNG within a year. This timeline accounts for the cost implications and the various permissions required.” The official added, “Burning wood in ovens is a significant contributor to pollution in Mumbai. We have started inspections across all wards, and wherever we find bakeries using firewood, we have served notices.” The BMC team is also consulting experts from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board on the matter. On August 22, mid-day published a report by the Bombay Environmental Action Group (BEAG) highlighting that over 47.10 per cent of bakeries use firewood. According to the report, BEAG surveyed nearly 200 bakeries out of the 628 registered with the BMC. These bakeries primarily use scrap wood from old furniture and dilapidated buildings because it is cheaper than logwood. Larger bakeries consume 250–300 kg of wood daily, while the average consumption for wood-fired bakeries is around 130 kg per day. To process 20 kg of flour, 4 to 5 kg of wood is typically required. The cost of scrap wood ranges from R4 to 5 per kg, while logwood costs R10 to 12 per kg. BEAG submitted its findings to the BMC in August 2024.
26 December,2024 05:59 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentSources say that the officers who reached the seventh-floor Goregaon flat that Pratyusha Banerjee shared with Rahul Raj Singh, found it in a mess. On Friday, one team of officers from Bangur Nagar police station reached Harmony Residency, behind Carnival Mall in Goregaon West. They entered the 1BHK at 9.30 pm after a keymaker opened the door for them. Sources said that the cops who were conducting the punchnama — it was also recorded on video — found the living room with belongings strewn all over. Close friend and actress Kamya Punjabi breaks down at Siddharth hospital in Goregaon on Saturday. Pic/Shadab Khan An officer told mid-day, "There were two cartons of beer. One was empty while the other still had some cans in it. Other bottles of alcohol were also in the room." In the bedroom, the officers found two packets of what they suspected to be marijuana. There were close to 150 cigarette butts in the flat. The living room, cops say, have two fans and Pratyusha hanged herself using a dupatta from the first fan. High drama ensued when a fellow actress friend of Pratyusha's fainted on seeing Pratyusha's body at the funeral. Pic/Rane Ashish Officers have taken the statements of a few friends of Pratyusha and her parents, who have said that they are not blaming Rahul for her suicide. They have asked the police to conduct a fair investigation. Rahul's statement was recorded late on Saturday night. Investigating officer Deepak Fatangare said, "We have taken the statement of Pratyusha's parents, her driver and the key maker. The parents have not made any allegations against Rahul. We will cross check all statements before verifying facts."
26 December,2024 05:59 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentAfter Mid-Day reported on the simultaneous digging of multiple roads in the Chikuwadi area of Borivli, which has created a chaotic maze for residents, motorists, and pedestrians, many people took to social media to express their frustration. The situation has become so dire that locals prefer travelling 5 to 6 extra kilometres through Gorai to reach Chikuwadi instead of directly entering via Link Road, just to avoid the mess caused by blocked roads and dug-up lanes. The Shimpoli Telephone Exchange signal has become the epicentre of the traffic chaos resulting from the roadwork. Reacting to Mid-Day's report, social media users expressed frustration, saying it feels like every second road in the city is being dug up. "Every second road in the city seems to be dug up. Travelling is a nightmare," a social media user said. Every second road in the city seems to be dug up. Travelling is a nightmare. — Kiran Manral (@KiranManral) December 26, 2024 "This is condition of every road in every ward of Mumbai (from Bandra to Dahisar) smells like massive corruption right from the top. Same storm water drain which was concretized 20 months back is being destructed and constructed back again. How on the earth is @mybmc able to run scam on such a huge level? I mean some work within a span of 20-23 months?? @mid_day please if you want citizen's help in investigation, do let us know. Ground level we do know! Opposition @INCMumbai @ShivSenaUBT_ should raise their voice at maximum level to uncover the massive corruption going on in Mumbai by @mybmc," another social media user said. This is condition of every road in every ward of Mumbai (from Bandra to Dahisar) smells like massive corruption right from the top. Same storm water drain which was concretized 20 months back is being destructed and constructed back again. How on the earth is @mybmc able to run… — Ankit Chauhan (@MumbaiyaPorga) December 26, 2024 "Same story in Kandivali West and Kandivali East. Dumb & Corrupt BMC has dug up recently concreting roads too- same story every 6 months. Black Money is within BMC Circles. @FinMinIndia @nsitharaman @zoru75 @RoadsOfMumbai @RoadsOfBombay," a social media user said. Same story in Kandivali West and Kandivali East. Dumb & Corrupt BMC has dug up recently concreting roads too- same story every 6 months. Black Money is within BMC Circles. @FinMinIndia @nsitharaman @zoru75 @RoadsOfMumbai @RoadsOfBombay — Mahesh Engineer (@maheshengineer) December 26, 2024 "@Dev_Fadnavis Mumbai has been dug up beyond imagination & all agencies want to do their work together.Please spare the city for next few months from cement road and other digging work. Nothing bad will happen. Pls see the pollution level, doctors can vouch for this," a Mumbai resident said in a post on X. @Dev_Fadnavis Mumbai has been dug up beyond imagination & all agencies want to do their work together.Please spare the city for next few months from cement road and other digging work. Nothing bad will happen. Pls see the pollution level, doctors can vouch for this. — Brijesh Modi (@modibrij) December 26, 2024 "Not only borivali even Malad and Kandivali have been dug up and plus footpath enroachment is amazing in Mumbai areas, no place to walk no roads to drive, what this bmc and current government upto in this management?," a social media user said in a post on X. Not only borivali even Malad and Kandivali have been dug up and plus footpath enroachment is amazing in Mumbai areas, no place to walk no roads to drive, what this bmc and current government upto in this management ? — Suraj Vishwakarma (@SurajVishwaka11) December 26, 2024 "I agree, it’s absolute chaos. Plus not even completing the work even after months of it being dug up! Also none of the footpaths are resorted in the areas which were dug up 12 months ago!!," another social media user said.
26 December,2024 02:42 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentShiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday accused Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of protecting "Beed's Naxals", who he said have made "dear sisters" from the district widows, reported news agency PTI. Talking to reporters in Mumbai, Sanjay Raut claimed there have been 38 murders in Beed in the last few years. "'Urban Naxals' is a favourite word of Fadnavis. When will you act against 'Beed's Naxals'," he asked, reported PTI. The opposition has been attacking the ruling Mahayuti government in the state over the abduction and murder of Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, on December 9. It has alleged that the government failed to take stern action in the case and gave a long rope to a minister's aide. Raut said an all-party morcha had been called on December 29 to demand action against the "real killers" of Deshmukh. "The chief minister should end Naxalism in Beed. Does RSS, Fadnavis and BJP support Naxalism in Beed which has made our dear sisters in the district widows? The mastermind (in the Deshmukh case) is in the cabinet," he alleged, reported PTI. The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said Fadnavis should remember that he has kept the home ministry to himself not to "destroy" opponents or "protect" his political workers and leaders, but to serve common citizens of the state. During the recent winter session of the Maharashtra legislature, Opposition leaders alleged that Valmik Karad, an 'associate' of minister Dhananjay Munde, was involved in the Deshmukh case, though Karad has not been named in the FIR. The Superintendent of Police of Beed was transferred after the murder triggered a political firestorm. Together for political power, not ideological reasons: Sanjay Raut takes dig at Mahayuti alliance Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday took a dig at the Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra, saying that they are together for political power and not because of ideological similarities. He also said they focus on fulfilling their party's financial needs and then only come together to form the government. "No matter how much those in the coalition government say that they are together because of ideological reasons, it is not like that. They come together for political power. They focus on fulfilling their party's financial needs and then come together to form the government," Raut told reporters in a press conference. (With inputs from PTI)
26 December,2024 01:53 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) website and mobile application experienced a massive outage on Thursday morning. According to IRCTC, the outage was caused by a technical glitch. Many social media users reported being unable to book tickets during the outage. An IRCTC spokesperson confirmed to Mid-Day that a technical issue occurred in the Next Generation eTicketing System (NGeT) between 10:01 AM and 10:40 AM, and again from 10:51 AM to 11:23 AM. This led to the temporary shutdown of both the website and the mobile app. "During this period, reserved tickets were available at Passenger Reservation System ticket counters at railway stations," the spokesperson added. Downdetector, a platform that monitors online outages, recorded a surge in reports during the IRCTC downtime. Users reported encountering a message stating, "Unable to perform action due to maintenance activity," when attempting to access the site. "Tatkal booking during the holiday season is a nightmare. Servers crash right when bookings open. This is the worst website I've ever used. Why hasn't this been fixed despite repeated complaints?", a user wrote on X (formerly Twitter). attaching a screenshot of the website. It is 10:11am ... still IRCTC is not opening.... IRCTC should be enquired and checked... definitely scams are happening. By the time it opens all the tickets are gone... @AshwiniVaishnaw @irctc pic.twitter.com/NLTWJmvOt7 — Avanish Mishra (@iamavim) December 26, 2024 "It is 10:11am ... still IRCTC is not opening.... IRCTC should be enquired and checked... definitely scams are happening. By the time it opens all the tickets are gone...", another user wrote with the screenshots of site.
26 December,2024 01:10 PM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B. AklekarThe Office of the Special Inspector General of Police, Maharashtra State Cyber Department, which is the nodal agency for cybersecurity and cybercrime in Maharashtra, has been actively monitoring the digital landscape, including various social media platforms, to identify and act against objectionable content that could disrupt public order or harm societal values. In line with this vigilance, a formal complaint has been filed by a representative of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against certain social media users for posting defamatory content aimed at creating public harm by inciting a law and order situation in Maharashtra. The complaint pertains to 12 social media users across platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. These users, identified by their usernames as Bharat Bhavla Shinde (@Bs131B), Suddhodhan Sahajrao (@Suddhodhan74629), Nagpur Congress Sevadal (@SevadaINGP), Saurabh Shingh Chauhan (@Sbchauhan0103), Mukesh Lavhale (@MukeshLavhale), suressh.kale, Prasad Salvi, Varad Kanki, Amol Kamble, Syed Saleem, THE SMART 230K, and Vishnu Bhotkar, are accused of sharing a manipulated and incomplete video. The video has been deliberately taken out of context to falsely portray the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Maharashtra as stating that he does not believe in the Constitution of India, democracy, or any constitutional body, and suggesting that he aims to create a parallel state. This maliciously edited video has gained traction among certain unsocial elements, who are using it to post derogatory, abusive, and objectionable comments. The content is designed to incite societal unrest, hurt the sentiments of specific groups, and potentially lead to a law and order situation in Maharashtra. Maharashtra Cyber has taken serious cognizance of this issue and, in response, has registered an FIR under CR No. 22/2024 U/s 353(1)(B), 356(2), 192, 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 r/w U/s 67 of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, against the social media users responsible for posting the objectionable video. Maharashtra Cyber has issued notices to all social media intermediaries to provide information about these accused handles. The Maharashtra Cyber Department is committed to taking stringent action against these individuals to ensure accountability and curb such malicious activities that pose a threat to public harmony and integrity.
26 December,2024 12:06 PM IST | Mumbai | Faizan KhanThe Navi Mumbai police have registered a case against the owner of a private company and four other individuals for allegedly defrauding 36 people of over Rs 2 crore in a land sale scam, an official confirmed on Thursday. According to the police, the accused had been engaged in fraudulent land deals with the victims since October 2017. The accused reportedly promised to sell land located at Jui in the Uran area of Navi Mumbai. Over the course of these transactions, the victims paid a total of Rs 2.07 crore for the supposed land purchases. However, the victims never received possession of the land as promised, nor did the accused return their money, the official from the Vashi police station stated. The defrauded individuals filed a complaint after several attempts to recover their money or secure the promised property went unanswered. Based on their complaint, the police filed a case on Tuesday against the owner of the private company and four other individuals associated with it. The charges include cheating, as well as violations related to fraud and dishonesty under the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The accused, whose names have not been disclosed yet, were allegedly running the fraudulent land-selling operation through the company, which lured buyers with promises of prime land deals at a discounted rate. The victims, unaware of the deceit, had paid for the property with the hope of completing their transactions. However, as the months passed, it became clear that the accused had no intention of honouring the agreements. The police are now investigating the case further, and the accused are expected to face charges that could lead to serious legal consequences. The police have also issued a warning to prospective land buyers to thoroughly verify the legitimacy of the property deals before making any payments. The investigation is ongoing. In a separate incident a 48-year-old doctor has allegedly been duped of Rs 70 lakh by three persons, including a woman, who offered to sell him a flat in Maharashtra's Navi Mumbai township, police said on Thursday. The accused showed a flat located in Roadpali area of Kalamboli to the doctor and expressed their intention to sell it to him despite the fact that it had been already sold to someone else.
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