Led by a private bank’s fraud awareness initiative, the ‘Vigil Aunty’ contingent, nearly 1,500 bank employees participated in this year’s Tata Mumbai Marathon. Wearing t-shirts emblazoned with the slogan “Get Set Educate,” the employees highlighted the bank’s commitment to improving access to educational resources. A costumed contingent of 15 Vigil Aunty influencers also joined the private bank employees at the marathon to raise awareness about fraud prevention and cybercrime, enhancing visibility for the cause of safe banking. This marks the largest contingent ever fielded by a corporate at the Tata Mumbai Marathon. The employees ran in support of the NGO Light of Life Trust, an organization dedicated to providing educational opportunities for students at risk of dropping out from rural schools in Maharashtra. This initiative will benefit nearly 9,250 students across 37 government-recognized and aided rural secondary schools in eight districts of Maharashtra. The bank's commitment includes a budget of Rs 2.78 crore to enhance educational infrastructure by establishing Science and Math Laboratories, setting up Smart Digital Classrooms, providing book libraries, refurbishing classrooms, and ensuring access to clean drinking water and functional toilets. “We are delighted to have 1,500 colleagues volunteer to run for a cause at the Tata Mumbai Marathon. This is the largest employee contingent we have fielded for the marathon to date,” said Kaizad M. Bharucha, Deputy Managing Director of the bank. “Promotion of education is one of the five pillars of our CSR program, Parivartan, and through the NGO Light of Life Trust, we aim to do our part to improve access to education and help ensure that all students have the resources they need to succeed,” he added. About Vigil aunty: The award-winning Vigil Aunty initiative, launched in 2022, introduced an influencer who urged people nationwide to adopt safe banking habits. The campaign has been instrumental in promoting secure banking awareness and educating the public on various digital fraud techniques employed by fraudsters. Since its launch, the initiative has garnered a substantial fan base of over two million across social media platforms, covering over 60 modus operandi to educate customers on preventive measures against various types of fraud.
19 January,2025 01:41 PM IST | Mumbai | Vinod Kumar MenonMaharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Svamitva Scheme after property cards were distributed to beneficiaries via video conferencing. Shinde called the initiative "historic" and transformative for rural India, reported news agency ANI. Speaking to the media, Shinde said, "Today's decision is historic, and I thank PM Narendra Modi for it. Over the last 10 years, he has introduced several schemes for the poor and women, and the Svamitva Scheme is among the most significant," reported ANI. Shinde highlighted the scheme's potential to uplift rural communities by enabling economic opportunities, reported ANI. "This process will run continuously, and everyone will benefit from it. Because of this scheme, people can avail loans, and start businesses, and such initiatives will bring prosperity to people and villages," he stated on Saturday, reported ANI. Yesterday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi distributed over 65 lakh property cards under the 'SVAMITVA Scheme' to property owners in more than 50,000 villages in more than 230 districts across 10 States and two Union territories through videoconferencing, reported ANI. Addressing the occasion, he remarked that today was a historic day for the villages and the rural areas of India and greeted all the beneficiaries and the citizens on the occasion. The Prime Minister remarked that five years ago, the SVAMITVA scheme was launched to ensure that the people residing in rural areas receive their property cards. He remarked that different states refer to property ownership certificates by various names, such as Gharoni, Adhikar Abhilekh, Property Card, Malmatta Patrak, and Awaasiya Bhumi Patta. "Over 1.5 crore people have been issued SVAMITVA cards in the past 5 years", said PM Modi, reported ANI. In today's program, he added that more than 65 lakh families had received these cards. Prime Minister also remarked that under the Swamitva Yojana, around 2.25 crore people in villages have received legal documents for their homes now. He extended his heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to all the beneficiaries. (With inputs from ANI)
19 January,2025 12:58 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentNCP leader and Food and Civil Supplies minister Dhananjay Munde did not find a place in the list of guardian ministers released by the Maharashtra government. Ministers in Maharashtra are given responsibility for one or more districts. The announcement was awaited after the formation of the new BJP-NCP-Shiv Sena government last month. The state has 36 districts. As per the list released on Saturday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also handles the Home department, would be the guardian minister of the Naxal-affected Gadchiroli district, while Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has been allotted Beed district in addition to Pune, Pawar's home district. Dhananjay Munde, MLA from Parali in Beed, was the guardian minister of this central Maharashtra district in the previous government. But recently, he came under fire from both Opposition as well as local BJP MLAs over the brutal murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh in the district. Walmik Karad, Munde's associate, has been arrested in connection with the case. Ajit Pawar, who heads the NCP, had refused to ask Munde to resign over the controversy. Munde, in a post on X, congratulated Ajit Pawar. He had requested Pawar to become Beed's guardian minister given the "changed political and social situation" in the district, he said. With Pawar's appointment, development of Beed will get a boost, as in Pune, he added. Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde, another deputy CM, would be the guardian minister of Mumbai city and Thane district, which is his stronghold. Besides Munde, cabinet ministers Dadaji Bhuse, Datta Bharne, Bharat Gogawale and Ministers of State Indranil Naik and Yogesh Kadam were also not allotted any district. State BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule was named guardian minister of Nagpur and Amravati. Ashish Shelar was named guardian minister of Mumbai Suburbs, while Mangal Prabhat Lodha would be co-guardian minister of the district. Both Shelar and Lodha are BJP leaders from Mumbai. Aditi Tatkare of NCP would be the guardian minister of Raigad, the post eyed by Bharat Gogawale of the Shiv Sena, who hails from the same coastal district. Gogawale had said in the past that he was keen to be the guardian minister of Raigad. Shiv Sena's Shambhuraj Desai was named the guardian minister of Satara. BJP's Shivendra Sinh Bhosale, who is from Satara, has been made guardian minister of Latur. Jaykumar Gore of BJP, also from Satara, has been made guardian minister of Solapur. NCP's Makrand Patil is the guardian minister of Buldhana. Pankaja Munde of the BJP -- Dhananjay Munde's cousin -- has been made the guardian minister of Jalna district. Chandrakant Patil was made the guardian minister of Sangli, while another BJP leader, Girish Mahajan, was given the responsibility of Nashik. The Sena's Gulabrao Patil has been allotted Jalgaon. Ashish Jaiswal of the Shiv Sena would be the co-guardian minister of Gadchiroli along with CM Fadnavis. Kolhapur will have Prakash Abitkar as the guardian minister and Madhuri Misal as the co-guardian minister. The other guardian ministers: Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil (Ahilyanagar), Hassan Mushrif (Washim), Ganesh Naik (Palghar), Sanjay Rathod (Yavatmal), Uday Samant (Ratnagiri), Jaykumar Raval (Dhule), Atul Save (Nanded), Ashok Uike (Chandrapur), Manikrao Kokate (Nandurbar), Narhari Zirwal (Hingoli), Sanjay Savkare (Bhandara), Sanjay Shirsat (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar), Pratap Sarnaik (Dharashiv), Nitesh Rane (Sindhudurg), Akash Fundkar (Akola), Babasaheb Patil (Gondia), Pankaj Bhoir (Wardha) and Meghana Bordikar (Parbhani).
19 January,2025 12:52 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentA case has been registered against a brick kiln owner for allegedly beating up a couple working for him in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Sunday, reported news agency PTI. Based on a complaint lodged by the couple, the police have registered a case under sections 118(1) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 127(2) (Wrongful confinement) and other relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976, an official said, reported PTI. The couple, in their 40s, worked with the alleged accused, Dinesh Maghe, a resident of Bhiwandi, since June 2024, reported PTI. The official said that on Friday, the victims sought the accused's permission to visit their daughter, but he refused. However, they later managed to escape and were travelling to their village when he intercepted them and dragged them back to the kiln, where he allegedly beat them up. No arrests have been made in the case, and a probe is underway, he said. Man's decomposed body found inside closed factory in Thane district Police in Maharashtra's Thane district have launched a probe after the body of a man, aged 40-50, was found inside a closed factory, an official said on Saturday, reported PTI. The discovery was made on Friday when a person brought a customer who wanted to start a school from the factory premises in the Bhiwandi area, he said. When the person and the visitor stepped inside, they found the decomposed body of a man on the floor, the official said, reported PTI. After being alerted, police arrived at the spot and sent the body for post-mortem. A probe is underway, said the official from the Nizampura police station. Godown owner booked for illegal storage of hazardous chemicals in Thane district A case has been registered against a godown owner for allegedly storing hazardous chemicals worth Rs 1.35 crore on the premises without necessary permits in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Saturday, reported PTI. The Thane police's crime branch has sealed 14 godowns at Dapoda in Bhiwandi following a raid on Friday afternoon, an official said. He said the police team found chemicals of various brands, worth Rs 1.35 crore, stored improperly in all 14 godowns, violating safety norms and legal requirements, reported PTI. Assistant police inspector Sriraj Mali said the godown owner did not have the necessary permit to store the hazardous materials, and the premises have been sealed to prevent further misuse, reported PTI. He said a case has been registered against the godown owner under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, Environmental Protection Act, the Manufacture, Storage, and Import of Hazardous Chemicals Rules, and the Petrochemical Act. (With inputs from PTI)
19 January,2025 12:29 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentAn official on Sunday said that a 66-year-old woman sustained injuries when a chunk of plaster from the ceiling of her house fell on her in a chawl in Maharashtra's Thane district, reported news agency PTI. The incident occurred in a 20-year-old Thane chawl in the Vitawa area of Kalwa (east) late on Saturday night, the official said, reported PTI. The disaster management cell was alerted by the civic hospital, where the woman was undergoing treatment, said Yasin Tadvi, the chief of the civic disaster management cell, reported PTI. He said the affected room in the Thane chawl has been vacated and sealed, as the remaining portion of the ceiling is in a precarious state. Man's decomposed body found inside closed factory in Thane district Police in Maharashtra's Thane district have launched a probe after the body of a man, aged 40-50, was found inside a closed factory, an official said on Saturday. The discovery was made on Friday when a person brought a customer who wanted to start a school from the factory premises in the Bhiwandi area, he said. When the person and the visitor stepped inside, they found the decomposed body of a man on the floor, the official said. After being alerted, police arrived at the spot and sent the body for post-mortem. A probe is underway, said the official from the Nizampura police station. Roof of film set collapses during song shoot; no major injuries to cast-crew The roof of a film set collapsed in Mumbai's Goregaon area possibly due to vibrations from the sound of a song being shot at the time, a cine employees' federation functionary said on Saturday. The incident took place on Wednesday night while a song was being shot on the sets of the film "Mere Husband Ki Biwi" starring Arjun Kapoor and Bhumi Pednekar and directed by Mudassar Aziz, informed Ashok Dubey of Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE). "The roof of the set at Imperial Palace in Royal Palms collapsed when Arjun Kapoor, Bhumi Pednekar, Jackie Bhagnani and director Aziz were present. No one suffered any major injury. Kapoor, Bhagnani and Aziz sustained minor bruises," he said. "The roof may have collapsed due to the loud sound from the song shoot," Dubey added. (With inputs from PTI)
19 January,2025 12:18 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentMaharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has left for Davos in Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF), a communication issued by the CM's office stated on Sunday. Fadnavis left for Davos at midnight for the five-day event that begins on Monday. As per the statement, the chief minister is expected to sign memoranda of understanding (MoUs) for data centres, automobiles, semiconductors, electric vehicles, electronics, steel, food processing, textiles, pharma, infrastructure and other sectors during his visit. Efforts will be towards achieving the objective of making Maharashtra a trillion-dollar economy, and employment generation will also be the focus, it stated. Fadnavis has taken part in the World Economic Forum thrice during his first term as the chief minister. Meanwhile, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday said there was a lot of interest globally in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's economic policies, which would be the focus of discussions at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Vaishnaw, who is leading the Indian delegation at the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting beginning Monday, said there was a lot of interest in India's growth story among the international community, particularly about the digital transformation and the new digital architecture. "In the World Economic Forum in Davos, there is lot of interest in understanding our thought process, the prime minister's economic policy, about the digital transformation, about the way India has created new digital architecture under the Digital India programme and also the way technology has been democratised. There is a lot of interest on this," he said. There will be detailed discussions about inclusive growth, the investment in social, physical, digital infrastructure and on democratising technology, he added. "The prime minister has put huge focus on inclusive development and a growth that brings a big transformative change in the lives of the people at the bottom of the pyramid, people who have been left out of development over many decades in the past," said Vaishnaw, the minister for information and broadcasting, railways, and electronics and information technology. "Whether it is bank accounts, providing toilets, gas connections, tap water connections, getting the basic infrastructure in villages done, infrastructure in urban areas done, this is something which the world wants to understand," he added. Besides Vaishnaw, Union ministers CR Patil, K Ram Mohan Naidu, Chirag Paswan, and Jayant Chaudhary are expected to attend the WEF from January 20 to 24. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, and their Andhra Pradesh counterpart Chandrababu Naidu will also attend the WEF meeting. (With inputs from Agencies)
19 January,2025 12:11 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentRambo Circus and its staff have set an inspirational testimony for the common person—never give up. The circus, which was once on the verge of shutting down forever during the COVID lockdown, has not only survived the pandemic, but the teamwork and out-of-the-box thinking made it sail through the tough time. The organisers introduced the never before concepts in circus… circus online, circus in an auditorium and circus on demand, which made them come out stronger financially. The outcome of this is the Rambo Circus owner now being invited to lead the technical jury for the 47th Monte Carlo Circus Festival, to be held from January 17 to January 22, which will have circuses/performers participating from around the world. Biju Pushkaran Nair has been working with Rambo Circus for more than 25 years Interestingly, amongst six international technical juries for the festival, India tops the jury list followed by representatives from Sweden, China, Switzerland, Great Britain and Australia; and the event will be chaired by Princess Stephanie of Monaco. mid-day had carried a series of stories on Rambo Circus amidst the pandemic highlighting how 90 performers and 20 animals living in the open needed help and also the circus owner and performers’ battle with the virus. Never expected Rambo Circus Director Sujit Dilip Panachamuttil, 49, confirmed the development hours before he and two of his circus performers—clown Biju Pushkaran Nair, 51 and multi-talented artiste Pappu Beniwal—took their flight from Mumbai to Monte Carlo, Monaco, on January 15. “I never expected such an honour from the organising committee of the 47th Monte Carlo Circus Festival who named me as one of their jurors for the upcoming Festival International Du Cirque de Monte Carlo—an event which attracts circuses from across the world. I am happy to make my country proud on an international platform. I wish my parents were alive today (they expired over two years ago).” A Rambo Circus show organised inside an auditorium According to Sujit, the federation (Monte Carlo) gives a platform to promote circuses and celebrate the creative talent of circus performers by organising a 6-day-long international circus festival in Monaco, which has attracted top performers from across the world for over four decades. Sujit added, “In January 2024, I was one of the guest speakers during the General Assembly of the Federation in Monte Carlo, and I poured my heart out, narrating the difficulties that Rambo Circus faced during the first two waves of COVID, the subsequent lockdown, and how collective team effort and out of box thinking helped us remain afloat even during the crises period. We started circus online, took circus to the auditorium and had circus on demand, something which was unheard in the circus industry world over.” ‘Mumbaikars, Maharashtra kept us going during COVID’ “Mumbaikars and Good Samaritans from across Maharashtra helped us during the COVID crises, from donating food grains to sanitary pads (for our female artistes) during the lockdown after they read our plight in mid-day and other papers. We had 90 (performers) and 20 puppies, who were our extended family and we had to feed them. With no show, no money, things were not easy,” recalled Sujit. Sujit Dilip Panachamuttil, director, Rambo Circus “We started growing vegetables and poultry on the 5 acres of land that was donated to us at a place called Mundwa on the outskirts of Pune by a Good Samaritan. We shifted our base to Pune during the second wave of COVID. From there we started an online circus, which was well appreciated and liked by the public as they had no other means to visit crowded places,” said Sujit. Call from ministry According to Sujit, sometime after COVID restrictions were lifted, he received a call from the office of Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, minorities minister, Government of India, and I was invited to Delhi to meet him. “I initially presumed it to be a fake phone call, thinking that someone tried to prank me,” recalled Sujit. “But on the advice of my close aides and family, I visited Delhi and was allowed to meet the minister who informed me about the government plan to organise ‘Hunnar Haat’ a Government of India initiative to promote artisans and craftsmen from all walks of life, giving them direct and indirect employment opportunities by holding exhibitions across the country. The minister wanted me to have my circus team perform at the exhibitions to attract more crowds,” Sujit said. “The minister, even mooted the idea, of joining hands with other circus performers, whose circus shut down forever, amidst the COVID outbreak. As the Rambo Circus team was already performing regular shows, I could rope in many artistes from other circuses and had them perform at the government event,” Sujit added. From tent to auditorium Sujit said once minorities minister Naqui moved out of the post, the ‘Hunnar Haat’ contract also came to an end. “The biggest question was how to take care of the additional performers. Accommodating them in regular tent shows was not possible as we already had our team which has been with us for decades. It was to accommodate the additional staff that I decided to take the circus to the auditorium/theatre for over two years, and it is getting a good response,” said Sujit. When asked if the traditional tent circus was better than the auditorium, Sujit said, “Tent circus is our traditional form of circus which has its own pros and cons. But for the middle-class and higher-middle class, they find the auditorium is better… from the décor, comfort and security aspects to ambience and air-conditioning. The tickets for a tent show may be priced between R200 to R800, but for auditoriums, it may vary from R350 to Rs 2500.” Further, Sujit said the tent gives the freedom to perform many aerial and high-risk activities, but in the auditorium, they are restricted to floor performances. “Moreover, tents are booked for a month to 45 days, but it is very expensive to rent out an auditorium/theatre and we cannot afford it for more than a week,” Sujit said. Happy and excited “The circus is our life and we are excited that our sir (Sujit) took Rambo Circus to the international level—something our founder T P Dilip (father of Sujit) always dreamt about. And we are fortunate that he is taking us along so that we can learn tricks from international troops to incorporate in our shows too,” Biju and Pappu said while speaking with mid-day. Biju hails from Attingal in Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala and is associated with Rambo Circus for over 25 years. “I was 11 years old and had never been to school when I joined the circus. Since then, the only art I learnt was to make children and people laugh. The biggest achievement is when our work is appreciated by international performers and circus owners, and I am looking forward to the same at the upcoming international festival,” said Biju. The history of Rambo Circus Rambo Circus was born on January 26, 1991, in Saras Baug, Pune, by the merging of three well-known circuses—Arena Circus, Victoria Circus and Great Oriental Circus, which today would be over 100 years old. Rambo founder, the late T P Dilip, father of Sujit, worked with Arena Circus since he was 18 years old till it shut down in 1980, when circuses started incurring losses. Rambo Circus has performed many international shows, especially in the Gulf region. It once employed 300 staff and had wild animals including a tiger, 24 lions, four elephants and two chimpanzees. “After restrictions were imposed on wild animals at circuses in 1995-1996, the tigers and lions were sent to Tirupati Zoo, where they eventually passed away. The elephants—Champa, Nitya, Sarso, and Annar—are cared for at Jamnagar, by Reliance Industries. One chimpanzee died earlier while the other named Suzi died at Hyderabad Zoo three years ago,” Sujit said. Latest from Monte-Carlo: Rambo Circus owner and Director who was the chief jury from India to select the best circus performer at international circus festival
19 January,2025 11:47 AM IST | Mumbai | Vinod Kumar MenonWelcome to Mid-Day's Top News at this hour! We bring you a curated selection of the most significant and compelling news from around the globe. Stay informed with the latest developments in the nation, Mumbai, entertainment, sports, and more. Let's dive into the headlines shaping our world today. Saif Ali Khan attack case: Police suspect accused to be Bangladeshi national After an extensive manhunt by the Mumbai Police and Crime Branch, the accused in the Saif Ali Khan attack case has been identified as Mohammed Sharif Ul Islam Shehzad (30), alias Das. He was arrested in Thane, where he had been hiding. The accused is suspected to be a Bangladeshi national and lacks valid Indian documents. The Bandra police have stated that they will include sections under the Passport Act and Foreigners Act in the case for further investigation. Read more. Mumbai weather updates: Warm pause in cold spell ahead Meteorologists have issued warnings about a significant rise in temperatures in the city over the weekend, with maximum temperatures expected to cross 35°C in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Weather enthusiasts and experts are urging residents to stay hydrated and limit outdoor activities during peak heat hours. Read more. Unauthorised autorickshaws cause menace in Vasai The Vasai traffic division has been conducting a special drive to crackdown on illegal auto-rickshaws, whose menace has become a growing concern in the area. The police said that the drivers of these illegal auto-rickshaws prefer to operate their vehicles in the night to avoid detection of their offences. Read more. Bumrah’s recovery uncertain; India name squads for England series, Champions Trophy 2025 Though pacer Jasprit Bumrah is yet to recover fully from the back spasm he suffered during the recent Sydney Test against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee picked him in the 15-member squad for the February 6-12 ODI series against England and Champions Trophy (February 19-March 9). Read more. Amitabh Bachchan completes 25 years on KBC; recalls iconic moment of Zanjeer It has been 25 years; Amitabh Bachchan has been sitting across the hot seat, quizzing contestants while subtly giving them hints and keeping Kaun Banega Crorepati entertaining with anecdotes. Next week, the reality quiz show kicks off the celebration, Gyan Ka Rajat Mahotsav, on January 20. Contestant Vinay Gupta from Kathu takes the hot seat as a representative of his village, becoming the first-ever contestant from his hometown to feature on KBC. The cherry on the cake comes when he gets Bachchan to spout one of his iconic dialogues from Zanjeer (1973). Read more.
19 January,2025 10:43 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentOn Sunday, the minimum temperature in Mumbai reached 17.1 degrees Celsius. According to the latest Mumbai weather updates from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Mumbai is expected to experience a clear sky on Sunday, January 19. Temperatures will range from a cool 19 degrees Celsius in the morning to a warm 34 degrees Celsius during the day. The relative humidity is 39 percent. The sun rose at 07:15 AM and will set at 06:24 PM. According to the Mumbai weather updates of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Mumbai's Santacruz observatory in suburban Mumbai recorded a maximum temperature of 35.1 degrees Celsius and a minimum temperature of 17.1 degrees Celsius. The weather department's data showed that the city observatory in Colaba recorded a maximum temperature of 33.6 degrees Celsius and a minimum temperature of 21.6 degrees Celsius. The IMD’s latest Mumbai weather update forecasts a "clear sky" for the city and its suburbs over the next 24 hours. Mumbai weather updates: City's AQI in 'moderate' category On January 19, the Central Pollution Control Board’s SAMEER app reported in its latest Mumbai weather updates that the city’s air quality remained in the 'moderate' category, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 137 at 10:05 AM. As per the SAMEER app dashboard, many areas across Mumbai showed 'moderate' AQI. Bandra Kurla Complex recorded 'moderate' air quality with an AQI of 185. Colaba, Ghatkopar and Malad recorded 'moderate' air quality with an AQI of 117, 104 and 153, respectively. Meanwhile, Borivali recorded 'good' air quality, with an AQI of 78. Deonar recorded 'poor' air quality, with an AQI of 222. According to data from the SAMEER app, Navi Mumbai recorded air quality in the 'moderate' category with an AQI of 131, while Thane registered a 'moderate' AQI of 106. 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.
19 January,2025 10:16 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentMeteorologists have issued warnings about a significant rise in temperatures in the city over the weekend, with maximum temperatures expected to cross 35°C in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Weather enthusiasts and experts are urging residents to stay hydrated and limit outdoor activities during peak heat hours. On Friday, the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) Colaba observatory recorded a maximum temperature of 33.4°C, which is 3.3°C above normal, while the Santacruz observatory reported 35.5°C, which is 4.6°C above normal. High relative humidity—72 per cent in Colaba and 80 per cent in Santa Cruz—added to the discomfort. Sunil Kamble, Director of IMD Mumbai, told mid-day that a western disturbance approaching North India was influencing the weather system here, leading to the rise in temperatures. “The impact is expected to diminish in the next two to three days, after which we will gradually see a drop in temperatures again,” he said. According to the IMD’s seven-day forecast ending on January 24, suburban areas are likely to see maximum temperatures ranging between 34°C and 35°C over the weekend, with a slight dip to 32°C expected later in the week. In the city region, monitored by the Colaba observatory, maximum temperatures are predicted to hover between 33°C and 34°C during the same period, eventually dropping to 31°C. Minimum night-time temperatures, currently between 18°C and 20°C, are anticipated to rise to 21°C–22°C from January 21.
19 January,2025 07:37 AM IST | Mumbai | Dipti SinghThe Vasai traffic division has been conducting a special drive to crackdown on illegal auto-rickshaws, whose menace has become a growing concern in the area. The police said that the drivers of these illegal auto-rickshaws prefer to operate their vehicles in the night to avoid detection of their offences. Police officials said that they had been receiving multiple complaints against the auto-rickshaw drivers from violation of traffic rules, duplicate number plates on their vehicles to house break-ins and theft. Drunk driving by auto-rickshaw drivers has raised serious concerns about women’s safety, particularly since many of these drivers operate primarily at night to ferry passengers. “This late-night service has made it easier for offenders to evade detection, allowing them to engage in risky behaviour, including driving under the influence. The situation is exacerbated by reports of some drivers being involved in criminal activities, further compromising the safety of women on the roads,” Prashant Langi, the in-charge of Vasai traffic division told mid-day. The special drive is being conducted at night in areas including Vasai, parts of Nalasopara and Naigaon. Till now, the traffic police has confiscated 50 unauthorised auto rickshaws from these areas. “The autorickshaw menace has become a growing concern in the area, with violations of traffic rules, involvement in criminal activities, and cases of housebreaking being linked to illegal operators,” added Langi.
19 January,2025 07:28 AM IST | Mumbai | Diwakar SharmaADVERTISEMENT
