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The Navi Mumbai Municipal corporation (NMMC) has offered cash reward to those people, who report about illegal dumping of debris or garbage within the city limits, especially in mangrove areas. This announcement was made yesterday by municipal commissioner N Ramaswamy, an official said today.

The move is aimed at ensuring that debris is not dumped illegally or in a haphazard manner, the official said adding that the NMMC wants people to send pictures of illegal debris or garbage dumping. "The civic body has offered cash reward of Rs 1,000 to those who expose the people or vehicles dumping debris or garbage illegally in the city, especially in the mangrove areas, " an NMMC spokesperson said.

"The corporation wants people to take photographs of the vehicles dumping debris and send it to us. We will not only act against the vehicle owners or the persons who dump it, but will ensure that they clear the dumped debris from the spot," the spokesperson added. In order to implement this scheme, civic ward officers have been appointed as the nodal officers, he said.

Citizens can share the pictures of illegal dumping of debris on the WhatsApp number- 8422955912. They can also register complaints on the NMMC website- /www.nmmc.gov.in/. In the recent past, illegal dumping of debris in mangroves has been reported widely from the several sections of the society at several places, including Palm Beach Road and Ghansoli. "Names of those who report about debris dumping will not be disclosed," he said.

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Two groups of people - one from Mumbai and the other from Solapur - met with accidents on Tuesday, while they were returning home after attending the three-day Tableeghi Ijtema in Aurangabad. Five people were injured in the first incident that took place on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, while the second one on the Solapur Tujlapur road claimed five lives and left seven people injured.

Speaking about the first incident, Expressway control officer said, “The group was returning from Aurangabad in an Ertiga car when the incident took place around 4 pm. The driver dozed off and the car dashed into the divider. However, all the passengers were rescued in time and rushed to MGM Hospital.” According to the police, the injured have been identified as Afzhal Khan, 35, from Kharghar, Yayut Labeq, 45, from Kamote, Ansar Ali Shaikh, 41, from Chembur, Sajjan Shaikh, 45, and Safiq Shaikh, 18, from Nerul. The Lonavla police have registered a case in the matter.

In the second incident that took place on the Solapur Tuljapur road, the car in which the group was traveling collided head on with an SUV, leaving five passengers dead. Police said seven people were injured in the incident.

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Mahi Malini Pujari says initially she would avoid interacting with guests, but has now grown more confident

Last year, restaurant manager Josein Fernanda found herself in a tough spot when a colleague spotted a bodice and a bunch of padded bras in her bag while they were working on a cruise liner in Goa, where she was working as a manager. The 44-year-old, born a boy in Mumbai's Lamington Road area, says she has always felt like a girl and would clandestinely cross-dress. But, it was a secret that Fernanda had zealously guarded until then. "My boss called me and said, 'I don't want this news to leak. So stop indulging in this.' Well into my 40s, I had reached a point where I couldn't conform to society anymore. There was an overwhelming sense to come out of the closet," she says. Fernanda resigned from the job and returned to Mumbai, liberated but uncertain about what the future held.

Shonali Mude, a former runner-up at Miss Trans Queen 2017 joined in January this year. Mude, who might have in another gender made it as a model or an actor, says jobs for transgender are limited. Having gone to auditions at fashion weeks, Mude says she had no luck. She now works as a floor attendant

Being in the public eye
When we meet Fernanda on a weekday afternoon at Third eye Cafe, located on the ground floor of Palm Galleria Mall, Navi Mumbai, she is sitting near the bar with her laptop. The wall facing her reads, 'Be the Change You Want to See'. Wearing a black blazer with slim fit pants and glinting earrings, Fernanda - formerly known as Innocento - has finally embraced change. She chanced upon the cafe while browsing through YouTube, and got in touch with the owners. She now proudly identifies herself as a woman. Along with her, five other trans-women found their lives transformed when were hired as staffers at the restaurant. The cafe currently has six transgender employees, five of whom work as table attendants, while one works as the manager. The restaurant employs around 20 persons.

Josein Fernanda - formerly known as Innocento - finally came out of the closet on learning of this job in January

"As the name suggests, the restaurant was launched with the intention of providing the third gender an opportunity to lead a more respectable life," says co-owner and architect Nimesh Shetty, who started the venture with his partners Prasad Shetty and Nitesh Kandarkar. Nimesh, 27, conceptualised the cafe almost six years ago while working on an architectural thesis around building a community centre for the transgenders. As envisioned, the cafe would be part of the centre. He even conducted a survey to understand whether people would visit a place like this during the thesis. "A lot of people said yes, we accept the third gender. But, are you willing to accept your sister or closest friend as a transgender? That's when people fumbled. This is something we want to work on," says Shetty, who hails from a family of hoteliers.

A typical day
At the restaurant, we see Mahi Malini Pujari, 24, on her feet taking orders and interacting with guests. She's aware of the reaction her presence normally invites - raised eyebrows, unflinching stare, giggles and sometimes nonchalance - but she has learnt to take it all in her stride. In fact, when a bunch of guests arrive, she's the first to guide them to the table and make them comfortable by offering water and exchanging pleasantries. "Initially, I wouldn't utter a word to the guests. I'd take orders and do clearances. I didn't have the confidence to initiate or a hold conversation," says Pujari. The make-up is minimal, just enough to make her look fresh-faced. The 24-year-old worked at Arzoo Foundation, a de-addiction and rehabilitation centre situated at Palghar. Before that she would beg on the streets and in trains. "I joined the hijra community in Bandra after I left home. I didn't even complete my Std X because my parents gave me an ultimatum: 'either I behave like a boy or leave'," she says. Pujari chose the latter. She now lives in an apartment provided by the owners, in Vashi along with the other staff. While the response from the hijra community to her choice of a new career has been fairly encouraging, her family has still not accepted her. "I've let it go," she says.

Know your food
In almost two months' time, Pujari has upped her social skills and also memorised the menu. A part of the credit goes to Fernanda, who the staff treats as 'didi'. "Of course, they need to know how conduct themselves in public. Along with that, she must know the food that we serve here and what goes into its making like the back of their hand. The guests always check with the server first," says Fernanda.

Spread over eleven pages, the menu is extensive with sections separating Italian, Oriental and Indian cuisine. Currently, the restaurant doesn't serve alcohol but it's in the pipeline. We order the beetroot falafel made with parsley pesto, tahini yoghurt and pomegranate for R199. The portion is impressive and scores well on the taste front. "Many come here for the novelty value. But, they'll return only if the food and service is good," says senior staffer Shonali Venkatesh Mude, a former runner-up at Miss Trans Queen 2017, who joined in January this year. Mude, who might have in another gender made it as a model or an actor, says careers as a transgender are limited. Having gone to auditions at fashion weeks or even advertisements, where she'd have to portray a woman, Mude says she had no luck. "I wanted a job where I'd get a steady income."

A group of women sitting next to our table have dropped by from Nerul during lunch hour to celebrate a colleague's birthday. That's the overt reason. The real one is to experience what's it like to be served by transgender staff. "I don't mean to treat them as specimens, but we wanted to experience this. I'm happy that we're finally getting to see them in mainstream jobs. Till now, you would see them begging inside trains," says Divyani Fulzele, who works at an IT firm. When they're about to leave, they compliment Mude and promise to return. This time for the peppy vibe and the food. "Compliments work as a confidence-booster. While I'm more educated and experienced than the rest, there was a trepidation about how it'd pan out. But I like coming to work," smiles Mude, who lives with her partner in Khargar.

Setting an example
In 12 months, owner Nimesh Shetty has interviewed over 600 transgenders for the job by seeking help from NGOs and transgender activist Gouri Sawant. "Actually, it's they who interviewed me because they had more questions than I did. It's natural, because they are leaving their comfort zone and for an all-new territory," he adds. He admits some quit the job within weeks because of adjustment issues. "It's a high-pressure job, where sometimes you clock in 10-12 hours. Some couldn't deal with that," he says.

Shetty feels the challenges of being transgender are different from what gay men or women face. "Here, we are talking about survival. Many get thrown out of the house when they come out." For now, Shetty is hopeful that the restaurant will inspire others to follow suit. "We don't want to capitalise on this as a gimmick. The goal is to inspire."

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Sanjay Patil

Sanjay Patil, 35, had made a living out of luck by selling lottery tickets for nearly a decade. But fate dealt him a cruel hand on Friday night, when his brothers found him lying a pool of blood at his lottery centre in Kalamboli.

Sanjay lived with five brothers at Road Pali Village, and had started his online lottery centre at a shop on rent at Mahavir Plaza in 2009. In November 2017, he bought the shop and continued to run his lottery business there. On March 9, he left a missed call on his brother Pradip's number around 11.15 pm. "It was our regular practice; he would give me a missed call, and I'd call him back. That night, he had called later than usual," said Pradip Patil, adding, "He told me he was coming home in 10 minutes. When I questioned him about the delay, he said there was a puncture in his motorcycle's tyre, and he was going to Palmvihar to patch it up."

The family got worried when Sanjay hadn't returned by 12.15 am. Two of his brothers ventured out in search of Sanjay. "My brother and I first checked the auto garage at Palmvihar, but the mechanic told us that Sanjay hadn't arrived there. So, we went to the lottery centre," said Pradip. "When we reached the lottery centre, we found the shutter had been lowered partly, and the light was switched off. We switched on the light and found our brother in a pool of blood," he recalled.

They took Sanjay to MGM Hospital for post-mortem. The Kalamboli police registered an FIR against unidentified persons. The family has no idea who might have attacked Sanjay.

"The deceased had severe injury to the head. There were blood stains on the walls of the lottery centre, which indicate there was retaliation by the deceased," said Kondiram Popere, senior PI at Kalamboli police station. "We have registered a case under IPC Section 302 (murder). There are CCTV cameras around the lottery centre, and we are going through the footage."

Also Read: Car Crashes Into Divider As Driver Dozes Off Near Navi Mumbai

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The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation's (NMMC) rodent control is nothing but a lie. According to residents, it's their most convenient way to mint money, because over the years the problem in the area has just got worse. Even after repeated complaints regarding the matter, the civic officials never turned up to solve the issue. However, the civic body claims that they have already killed 6,71,975 rats so far this year, for which Rs 1.46 crore had been allotted.

Trapping rats
According to the civic body's official data, in the period 2016-17, it killed 7,10,555 rats in Navi Mumbai, for which Rs 1 crore was spent. It was less than what they had spent in the year 2015-2016 (Rs 1.22 crore).

Speaking to mid-day about the ways in which rodents are killed, Vaibhav Zunjare, Navi Mumbai rodent control officer, said, "Rats usually lay eight to nine eggs in the holes they stay. After locating the holes, we inject a poisonous liquid that kills them. However, we can count the number of rats killed only when they are trapped in cages. The number for this year is 5,000."

No step taken
Avdoot Chavhan, a resident of Koparkhairne sector 7, where NMMC claims to have killed 1,10,371 rats, said, "I'm living here for the past six years, and till date, I've not seen a single NMMC worker installing a cage to kill rats. Every morning we get the smell of dead rats, that might have been killed by street dogs."

Requesting anonymity, an NMMC official said, "The corporation spends lakhs of rupees every year to repair the furniture of the main office building, as rats damage them."

Team inefficient
When contacted, Santosh Shetty, former Navi Mumbai corporator, said, "The reason for the inefficiency of the rodent control unit is that they don't know how to trap rats. They also don't have even manpower for the work."

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Over 200 residents of Owe Camp village (Those rehabilitated due to the Koyna dam construction in 1960) at Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, protested on Thursday from 7.30 am to 12.30 pm, because of several problems they are facing due to the alleged illegal mining in the area for years. They blocked the road for vehicles going towards the mining sites.

They say they have complained to and requested several senior officers from the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) and the Panvel City Municipal Corporation (PCMC) to act against those involved and stop it, but claim no one helped them. One of the residents, Ramchandra Jadhav said, "For past five to six years we have been facing many issues. Our houses have developed several cracks because of the mining.

Also, when we asked the project manager to show us permission for it, we found none had it. We are facing health issues due to the air pollution." He added, "We have sent letters requesting the mining be stopped, to the PCMC commissioner, tehsildar, collector of Raigad district and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board."

PCMC chief Sudhakar Shinde said, "I haven't seen the letters. But we will look into the matter soon." CIDCO PRO Mohan Ninave did not respond to calls and messages.

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The Navi Mumbai police restarted the search operation with experts' help early this month. Pic/Hanif Patel

The search for murdered policewoman Ashwini Bidre's mortal remains has reached the final stage. Of the nine locations that came up during the search, two, showing strong signals of presence of a metal object, have been zeroed on.

Having a radius of five metres, both locations are covered with mud that's nearly two metres deep. The police will now take a call on how to remove the objects from these locations, as they will need specialised machinery for it. After an initial investigation, the police had procured a gradiometer, an equipment to locate metal objects underwater, from Israel. "During the two-day search operation, experts found nine spots with the help of the equipment; strong signals emanated at two of the spots," said an officer.

These two locations are expected to have objects at a depth of 25 to 40 metres below the water surface. "The depth varies according to tide. Our search also revealed that the objects are covered with one-metre thick mud, which is hard and can't be removed manually," said the officer. These spots also have deep wells, said a source, adding, "Sending divers in these wells can be dangerous to their lives. Hence, we are considering bringing in machines capable of drilling deep underwater."

Bidre's husband Raju Gore told mid-day, "We are looking forward to the next step from the police, which involves removing the objects and lifting them to the surface."

The flower tattoo on the woman's right forearm is the only identifier

Deja vu seems to have struck the Rabale MIDC police. Close to a year after they found the headless body of a murdered woman who could be identified only because of a tattoo, another such case has come to light, this time of a woman, whose body was found highly decomposed, with the only mark of recognition being a flower tattoo on her right forearm.

The highly decomposed body was found on April 9

The police found the body on April 9, after being alerted by the control room about a foul smell emanating from a sewer carrying industrial waste close to Airoli railway station. When a team visited the spot, they saw the highly decomposed body of a woman with maggots all over it. Her face was beyond recognition. A closer examination helped cops lay hands on their only clue - the tattoo.

The woman was wearing this kurta

Dumped or hacked
Speaking to mid-day, inspector P Jadhav of Rabale police station said, "We saw the upper body on a dry surface, while her legs were submerged in the sewer water. The deceased was removed from the water and upon examination, the tattoo was found on the forearm. A dupatta was also found around her neck. Prima-facie, we suspect the deceased might have been known to the assailant and that the body could have either been dumped or the accused may have hacked the woman to death."

Armed with only the flower tattoo on the right forearm of the deceased, and a picture of the chudidar and decomposed body, policemen have fanned across Mumbai, Thane and neighbouring areas looking for some clue from the missing persons register, whose description could match with that of the remains.

Limited clues
A parallel investigation is being done by the local crime branch, who also visited the spot. Tushar Doshi, deputy commissioner of police (crime) said, "We have limited clues in hand. We could not find any tailor's name on the greenish yellow Punjabi kurta that the deceased was wearing. We could not find anything concrete from the spot, as there was a lot of muck and waste in and around the area where the body was found; it was already in a decomposed state."

The local police have already started showing the tattoo to tattoo artists in and around the area. Cops are also checking if a bar dancer or woman employee from the MIDC industrial area have gone missing in the last few days. Meanwhile, the autopsy has thrown up details about the way the woman was killed. The remains were sent to the NMMC hospital's Vashi post mortem centre. During the course of the procedure, autopsy surgeon Dr Bhushan Jain confirmed the woman was strangulated to death and had also suffered a head injury. Dr Jain said, "The incident might have happened around three to five days ago, as the upper body and face had been eaten up by maggots. The body was in a highly decomposed state. The death was due to strangulation and head injury."

Ante mortem injuries
A source at the police station said prima-facie it seems that the deceased might have been between 30-35 years old, the injuries on the body were ante mortem (before death) injuries and a dupatta, possibly worn by the woman, was used to strangulate her. Since the body was partly submerged in water, early signs of decomposition were visible on the lower remains, whereas the upper remains were highly decomposed. Rabale police have registered a case of murder and destruction of evidence against unknown assailant(s).

Also Read: Navi Mumbai headless torso case: Horrific details of the brutal murder

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Navy and private firm divers search for Bidre's remains in Bhayander Khadi. Pic/Hanif Patel

Day 1 of the search for assistant inspector Ashwini Bidre's mortal remains with the help of the hi-tech magnetometer was unsuccessful. Navy divers with the help of their private counterparts carried out a five-hour long search with the machine, but found only a gunny bag, which, the police said, was filled with sand. The search operation will continue on Wednesday.

"Search operation began around 12 noon; five Navy divers and two private ones scoured specific locations in Vasai Creek with the magnetometer, but didn't find anything significant," said a police source.

After searching for five hours, experts then carried out a scanning of the creek for a couple of hours. They zeroed in on nine possible locations, of which two had given out strong signals of having metal underwater. "Day 1 hasn't given anything significant. Search will be continued on Wednesday," said DCP (crime) Tushar Doshi.

The Navi Mumbai Crime Branch is probing the murder of Bidre, allegedly killed by inspector Abhay Kurundkar on April 11, 2016. According to co-accused Mahesh Phalnikar, the main accused had dismembered her body and put the parts in a metal trunk, dumping it in Vasai Creek. Investigators are searching for that trunk.

Also Read: Ashwini Bidre Murder Case: Trunk Filled With Body Parts To Be Traced With Iranian Magnetometer

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Fire at a chemical factory in Belapur. Image/Twitter_ANI

Recent reports revealed that a massive fire has broken out at a chemical factory in Belapur, Navi Mumbai. While no casualties or loss of property has been reported, 12 fire tenders have been pressed into action. 

Fire broke out in a chemical factory in Belapur (Mumbai); 12 fire tenders at the spot. (earlier visuals) #Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/xhYNvyjaBx

— ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2018

Earlier pictures show the entire factory being gutted by the massive fire. 

More updates awaited

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In a shocking case, a teenage girl jumped off a moving train after her mobile phone slipped from her hand and fell on the platform at Khoparkhairane. The girl, a class 11 student has suffered severe head injuries and has been admitted to Mathadi Kamgar hospital in Koparkhairane.

Turbhe RPF’s inspector Lokesh Sagar said, "The incident occurred around 11.45am on platform number 1. The collegian, her friends and some of their teachers were on their way to Nerul for an event. As the group boarded the Nerul-bound train, Tejashri’s mobile slipped from her hand and fell on the platform. By then, the train had picked up speed but still, the girl jumped off to get the phone. Her friends alighted at Turbhe and returned to Koparkhairane to help her but she had already been taken to a hospital."

An RPF constable who was deployed at khoparkhairane station saw the incident and rushed the girl to Mathadi Kamgar hospital near bus depot in an auto, without waiting for an ambulance reported Times of India.

Lokesh Sagar added, "Doctors treating Tejashri said that she was administered eight stitches and is out danger. We handed over her mobile to her family members when they came to the hospital."

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The body was found on Wednesday

The Vashi police have identified the woman they found stuffed in a metal trunk on Wednesday morning - Kiran Temba Sherpa, 50. A resident of Turbhe, she used to work as a housekeeping staffer in a private firm. The police have refused to divulge any other information, saying they are close to cracking the case.

Around 11 am on Wednesday, a resident of Vashi Gaon had called up the police and told them that a trunk had been washed ashore near Vashi creek, and a foul smell was coming from it. Senior inspector Ajay Landage and his team had reached the spot and found the woman's body with several clothes inside. Officers had then circulated her photo to find out who she was.

Yesterday, a few residents of Turbhe went to the police station and identified the woman. Landage said, "We've got information about her family, but we won't disclose it as probe is on."

The police are confident of cracking the case soon and have registered a case under IPC sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence) against unknown person/s.

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Vashi APMC wholesale market. File pic

The Maharashtra government will provide international standard facilities for the Mumbai Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) in Vashi, one of the biggest agricultural wholesale markets in Asia. State Marketing Minister Subhash Deshmukh made the announcement during a meeting held here today with officials and traders, an official release said. The meeting was organised to know the problems faced by traders in Mumbai APMC.

During the meeting, the minister directed that international standard facilities be provided at this APMC. "The process of declaring the Mumbai APMC as a
national market area has commenced," the minister was quoted as saying in the release. During the meeting, traders in the vegetable and fruit sections told the minister that there was insufficient space in the APMC to carry out the business.

Deshmukh asked them to maintain regular dialogue with the administration and the market committee. He assured that the decision to reconstructing and
redevelop the APMC premises will be taken soon and asked the administrator to appoint an architect for the task.

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Jitendra Patil

Nine days after Jitendra's death in the UAE, his family was able to bring his body back home and perform the last rites on Friday night. The company where Jitendra Patil, 28, worked, arranged for his elder sister Swapna and her husband Parag Patil to travel to Ajman, UAE, and helped them with the formalities to bring the body back. Jitendra had allegedly jumped to his death. mid-day had reported this, 'My son did not jump: UAE govt must probe' (May 21).

'Still doubt it'
Parag said he and his wife flew to UAE on May 23 and the visa and travel expenses were borne by Jitendra's company. The company staff also helped complete the formalities with police and the hospital. "We learnt from them that Jitendra committed suicide from a building where his friend lived. He would often visit his friend's place and practice playing the piano there. On May 15, he visited him and practiced the piano. On the morning of the 16th he jumped to his death from the building. He sustained injuries to his neck and head that caused his death," Parag said. He added, "But we still doubt whether he jumped. I might go back to the UAE and get this investigated."

"Finally we could hold Jitendra's funeral and believe his soul will get mukti. We could also get his belongings from his room and office, which we will keep as his memory," said Swapna. She said his colleagues only praised his hard work and pleasant nature.

Job offer to brother
Parag added that Jitendra's company has cleared all his dues too, and paid them his two month's salary. He said they offered a job to his brother with good remuneration. Another brother-in-law of Jitendra, Santosh Patil, said that his parents were very poor and his elder brother's earnings are not sufficient for the family's financial needs. He said, "Our government should help the family financially." mid-day tried contacting Jitendra's office in UAE by email but received no reply.

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The Vashi plot where NMMC hacked trees and dumped a different soil to prepare for plantation of new trees

Ever heard of trees being hacked to develop a "tree belt"? Perhaps, it happens only in India, in this case, Mumbai. The forest department is livid, and has raised an objection to stop work, after the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation hacked down over a 100 trees of rare species without the department's mandatory permission (as the trees fell in the buffer zone of holding ponds).

The ironic justification given for the hacking is the development of a tree belt under the Centre's AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation). Vashi residents are mighty upset, having watched NMMC officials hack more than 100 trees. A social activist and resident of Navi Mumbai, Rohit Malhotra, said, "We have been keeping an eye on NMMC officials working on this project; so far, nearly a 100 trees, maybe more, have been cut, all done using people's hard-earned money.

The Vashi plot from where NMMC hacked trees

"When I asked NMMC officials why they were cutting trees for a tree belt, they said they wanted to plant 'good and useful' trees, like of fruits and flowers... The hacked trees are local; this soil is suitable for them, not others. Now, they have added debris of a different soil over the natural one... How will they grow and sustain trees of other regions?"

Under AMRUT, NMMC has planned development of a green space in plot no. 45, sector 10 A, Vashi. The R2-crore project will have a plantation of fruit-bearing trees and shrubs, a lawn and walkways. Chief Conservator of Forests N Vasudevan, who heads the department's Mangrove Cell, said, "NMMC has already cut down nearly a hundred trees that were in a buffer zone. They should have taken permission from us. But they didn't acquire an NOC or even sent a request, just suddenly started the work. Hence, we asked their officials to stop."

NMMC Additional Commissioner Mohan Dagaonkar said, "The cut trees are Subabul; these are not indigenous, just wild trees that serve no purpose. We will plant nearly 8,400 fruit- and flower-bearing trees in their place. The forest department has asked us to submit a letter; once we do that, we'll restart the work."

Rs 2crore
Cost of the project

8,400
Number of new trees NMMC plans to plant

Also Read: NMMC Offers Reward To People Who Report Illegal Debris Dumping Within City Limits

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A five-year-old boy was killed and his mother sustained serious injuries when a wall collapsed on them after a LPG cylinder exploded at their home in neighbouring Navi Mumbai this morning, the police said.

As the woman woke up in the morning and went to the kitchen to switch on the stove in her apartment, located in Kalamboli area, the gas from the leaking LPG cylinder came in contact with the flame leading to the explosion, a police official said.

Due to the impact of the blast, a wall of the house collapsed on the woman and other family members who were fast asleep, he said. The woman and her son suffered serious injuries in the mishap. They were rushed to a hospital where the child,
identified as Sohan Baban Katke, was declared dead before admission, the official said.

The Kalamboli police registered an accidental death report and was investigating the incident, he added.

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A huge carcass, suspected to be of a Blue Whale, washed ashore in Kegaon village in Navi Mumbai's Uran yesterday. The 13.10-metre decomposed carcass was discovered by locals, after which authorities were alerted. According to the deputy conservator of forests (Mangroves Cell), the whale measured 8.30 metres from tail to fin.

N Vasudevan, additional principal chief conservator of forests, told mid-day that there could be several reasons why the whale was washed ashore and it would be difficult to point to one.

"It must have died before reaching the shore. There is no major injury on the body. The place is rocky and machines can't go there, so it's problematic to dispose it. We are trying to use boats to drag it to another location. The other option would be to cut and remove the flesh and retain the skeleton," he said. Vasudevan added that a team from the Mangroves Cell has been dispatched to the site and will take a final call on what to do.

13.10m
Length of the carcass

Also Read: 42-Feet Long Bryde's Whale's Carcass Washes Ashore At Talashil Beach

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Keeping the legacy of his father and uncle alive, T N Ganjoo, 87, climbs hills in Kharghar every day, armed with 10 litres of water and the determination to see a wave of lush greens on the hillside. On Sunday, Ganjoo planted 100 seed balls on the hills to celebrate Father's Day.

Ganjoo, a retired professor, recently moved to Kharghar. He began going to the hills after he saw a woman carrying a big bag there. He asked her what she would do with its contents, and learnt that she would use it to plant on the hillside. Soon enough, he joined her too.

Back to childhood
This activity takes the Kashmir native back to his childhood, which was full of beautiful green mountains. He missed that greenery in the concrete environs of the city, and thus began planting trees on barren hills. "But today, I see how those beautiful places have become barren due to human activities," Ganjoo told mid-day.

"I have a habit of climbing hills since childhood, because of which I'm fit. For the past year, I carry 10 litres of water on my back and climb the hills, because I want to see them streaked green. My group and I have planted more than 500 saplings. We water them daily."

Spread the word
"So many people have joined us. I spread the word to everyone who I meet, especially youngsters. They need to understand the importance of greenery. The government authorities are not thinking about it, because of which next generation will end up facing so many problems. I think my act will encourage people to try to make a greener society."

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After killing his wife over suspicion that she was having an extra marital affair, a 40-year-old businessman, Dharma Gauda, surrendered before the Koparkhairane police station in Navi Mumbai on Tuesday. Soon after, the cops arrested him and registered an FIR in the matter.

According to the police, on the day of the incident, Gauda had a major fight with his wife Rekha Gauda, following which he hit her with an iron rod twice. She immediately collapsed at the spot and died. When Gauda realised that his wife was dead, he left home and informed a friend about the incident over phone. Thereafter, he went to the Koparkhairane police station and surrendered. Cops further said that the couple used to have frequent fights over the matter and the accused would beat her up.

When the incident took place, their 10-year-old son was in school and 4-year-old daughter was sleeping. On waking up, she found her mother in a pool of blood. Police sources said that the accused runs three bar-cum-restaurants in Navi Mumbai and also has a criminal background.

Speaking to mid-day, Nitin Pawar, deputy commissioner of police, said, “Gauda was suspicious about his wife having an extra marital affair. We arrested him after he surrendered. He will be produced in court on Wednesday. Further investigation into the matter is on."

Also Read: Army Major murders colleague's wife for not accepting his proposal

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This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Did an ex-Navy lieutenant die of a fall in the bathroom or because his sons and relatives killed him over a property tussle? The Kharghar police will seek answers to just that, after the Panvel judicial magistrate first class (JMFC) court on July 2 ruled in the favour of the deceased's youngest son, and directed them to file a murder case against three other sons and three relatives. The case was finally registered on July 7.

The court was acting on the case of merchant navy captain Jagjit Singh, 47, who has alleged his brothers Kuljit Singh, 58, Kuldeep Singh, 54, and Kulmit Singh, 50, and three other relatives killed his father, ex-Navy lieutenant Sarjit Singh Virk, 86, at Kharghar on April 16.

Smelled a rat
Jagjit smelled a rat soon after his brothers called him around 10.47 am on April 16, to inform him that their father had died after falling in the house. A grief-stricken Jagjit was not in the condition to listen to anything immediately after getting the tragic news.

Sarjit Singh with wife Anup Kaur

"But after gaining composure," he told mid-day, "I called Kulmit asking how he [Sarjit] passed away. Kulmit passed the phone to our brother Kuldeep. While he was speaking, Kulmit kept prompting him to tell me that father fell inside the bathroom and succumbed to his injuries."

"I was in Mohali. My brothers said they will take some time to complete the formalities, and that I shouldn't rush to Kharghar. The next day, I got a text message from Kulmit saying they're going to perform my father's final rites. I begged them to wait until I reached through text and WhatsApp messages, and also called the pradhan of the Kharghar Gurudwara and Kharghar cops to tell them about my situation and my objection to the final rites. As a result of that, they waited till I reached Kharghar," Jagjit added.

Injuries on the face
On April 18, Jagjit went to the Kharghar police station, where cops showed him the post-mortem reports and other documents. He was then taken to the mortuary of the Vashi municipality hospital to see his father.

That's where Jagjit saw injuries on his scalp and cheek and three broken teeth. He clicked some pictures. "When I saw the injuries, I was confident that these marks were not caused by some accidental fall; he was hit by something. I had a word with cops, but they refused to entertain my grievances, so I went to court," added Jagjit.

Greed for property
Jagjit's suspicions against his brothers are based on a history of rifts he's had with them over their alleged greed for family property. According to his statement to the cops, Jagjit said, "In 2015, my mother Anup Kaur passed away. She'd distributed her property and some money equally among her four sons, but my brothers Kulmit and Kuldeep siphoned them off. Also, from October 2016 to February 2017, they forced my father to transfer Rs 26 lakh from our joint account to their accounts. I had filed a criminal case against them in Lambi police station, Punjab on April 11for the same."

"Also, my father was witness to attempts made by the same brothers to transfer my share of ancestral land to their name. In the meantime, they took father to Kharghar last year and cut off our communication. After he moved there, the only thing I heard about him was news of his death. I am suspicious of my brothers and other relatives having killed my father to hide their wrongdoings," alleged Jagjit. mid-day reached out to Kulmeet Singh Virk for comment, but he remained unavailable.

Case filed
Jagjit had gone to the cops with his allegations, but they'd turned him down, after which he went to court. His advocate Naresh Pradhan said, "We'd gone to the Panvel JMFC with whatever proof we had, presented our case and told the court that an investigation needs to be done. The court found substance in our demands and asked Kharghar cops to investigate the matter."

Senior inspector of Kharghar police station, Pradeep Tadir, said, "According to the direction of JMFC, we have filed a case against Kuljit Singh, Kulmeet Singh, Kuldeep Singh and three other relatives under sections 302 (murder) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code on July 7. We'll ask for a detailed opinion from our forensic experts to seek clarity. The primary report had suggested that the death was natural and occurred due to a fall."

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Is the new international airport in Navi Mumbai going to become another case of unplanned development? Residents from three villages located 100 metres from the airport have been underwater for the last three days, and up in arms against the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) for its poor planning — ground-levelling work being done by the agency at the airport site has allegedly blocked the drainage and slowed the pace of flowing water, completely inundating Dungi, Rudranagar and Pargaon villages.

Residents of Dungi, Rudranagar and Pargaon villages have been underwater for the last three days

Despite crying hoarse about their plight, CIDCO allegedly didn't send anyone to help the families, or even come up with an alternative for them. Ultimately, residents blocked the main road in protest to get authorities' attention.

Residents said water has gone inside houses of more than 100 people, with none of them being able to stay inside. Shital Patil, a resident, said, "We have not been able to cook for the last two days, or for that matter, even sleep. To make matters worse, my children have caught a cold. What we should do? Is it our problem that rich people want an airport here? It's become a life-and-death situation. If anything happens to my children, CIDCO is responsible."

Another villager, Mahendra Patil, said, "We have been complaining to the authorities about waterlogging since 2013, but they haven't paid attention. This June, I wrote to the tehsildar's office and CIDCO to give shelter to us, but in vain. "We never imagined that we would have to leave our homes and live with others like guests."

Officialspeak
A team has sent to the spot, said CIDCO PRO Mohan Ninave, adding, "We are finding out the reason behind the waterlogging."

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Members of the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) today attacked a government office in adjoining Navi Mumbai, to vent their ire over potholes dotting the 39-km stretch between Sion and Panvel. Accidents on pothole-riddled roads have claimed five lives in adjoining Thane region since last month. The victims lost balance and fell as their two-wheeler hit potholes.

The MNS workers stormed in the office of the Public Works Department (PWD) at Turbhe claiming that the Sion-Panvel road is dotted with potholes and has endangered lives of commuters. The protesters shouted slogans, smashed office equipment, threw chairs, pulled down cupboards and smashed window panes, computer terminals, CPU and printers in the office, police said.

They shouted slogans against public works minister Eknath Shinde of Shiv Sena and demanded registering of offences against those responsible for the "shoddy" condition of roads. The demanded that officials concerned be booked for murder in cases of pothole related deaths. An official of the APMC police station said offences have been registered against the protesters.

"If people are dying due to poor condition of roads, MNS will continue to undertake such actions. If the roads are not repaired, the next target will be Mantralaya, the state secretariat in south Mumbai," Navi Mumbai MNS unit chief Gajanan Kale said.

Reacting to the incident, Raj Thackeray said, "If the government can't see potholes, it will at least see this protest". Meanwhile, a video of the PWD office attack has gone viral on social media.

On Saturday, Maharashtra PWD minister Chandrakant Patil appeared to make light of deaths due to potholes, when he said,
"When you talk about a death in such an accident, you forget that five lakh other people have travelled on the same
road. You can not put the entire blame on the (condition of) roads alone."

The MNS protest came a day after Congress workers in Mumbai counted potholes in suburban Bandra as part of its "Aao Potholes Giney" (Come, let us count potholes) campaign, accusing the Shiv Sena-ruled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation of not being prepared for the monsoons.

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Computer systems of a private hospital in Navi Mumbai have come under a malware attack, with attackers seeking ransom in Bitcoins, police today said. The cyber attack on the computer systems of Mahatma Gandhi Mission Hospital came to light on July 15, police said.

Hospital administrators found the systems locked, with an encrypted message by unidentified attackers demanding ransom in Bitcoins to unlock it, said Tushar Doshi, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime).

Authorities found that access to the data of the previous 15 days had been blocked. Such attacks are described as `ransomware' attacks,
where a malicious software enters the victim's computer system, and the attackers threaten to publish the data or block access to it unless a ransom is paid.

The Cyber Cell of Navi Mumbai police is investigating the case, DCP Doshi said. "We are trying to ascertain the Internet Protocol
Address (IP) from where the email (demanding ransom) originated," Doshi said.

Computerised billing and medicine prescription system were affected due to the malware attack, but the hospital maintains a written record of all its data, he said. Cyber experts were trying to get the system back on track, the DCP said.

A case under section 43 (hacking) of the Information Technology Act has been registered with the Vashi Police Station. Among the recent cyber attacks of this kind, the `WannaCry ransomware attack' of May 2017 infected more than 2,30,000 computers across 150 countries.

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A part of the ceiling in Vashi's Raguleela Mall which is one of the prime centres of attraction collapsed on Tuesday afternoon. There was no report of any casualty or injury. The mall is flocked by thousands of people every day for shopping during the weekends and festivities.

Horrible pictures from #Raghuleela Mall #Vashi. Hope Noone is hurt@mid_day pic.twitter.com/1dEQkOdrO3

— Anuraag Kamble (@AnuragANK) July 24, 2018

"Panic gripped when a part of the ceiling fell down at around 12:25 pm. Security officials have asked people who were inside Raghuleela Mall to stay inside their shops," an eyewitness told as reported in Latestly.

Entire POP of Raghuleela Mall, Vashi fell down few minutes back pic.twitter.com/DQxJqJuNhK

— mumbaikars (@Anish67929937) July 24, 2018

It is not clear whether the collapse has anything to do with heavy rains in the city. Further details were awaited.

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The Navi Mumbai Crime Branch has taken over the probe into the death of a 21-year-old man there during the Maratha quota stir last week. During the violence that erupted in Kopar Khairane area of Navi Mumbai during the Maratha reservation agitation on July 25, Rohan Todkar was assaulted by a mob. He later succumbed to his injuries in the state-run JJ Hospital at Byculla in Mumbai on July 27.

An official said that a murder case had been registered at Kopar Khairane police station against unidentified persons. "The case has been handed over to the Navi Mumbai Crime Branch. Investigations into the incident are underway. No arrests have been made so far," Tushar Doshi, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) told PTI.

Todkar's cousin sister, Shital Shinde, speaking to PTI yesterday, had said that Todkar had ventured out, along with his friends, on July 25 and then got caught in the violence. The youth's last rites were carried out in his native Khonavali village in Patan tehsil in Satara district after authorities assured his family that the culprits would be arrested and compensation would be provided.

Edited by mid-day online desk with inputs from PTI

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L-R, Radio City's RJ Salil, RJ Archana, Singer Shankar Mahadevan, Mushtaq, Dadarao Bhilorey at Radio City's Kar Mumbaikar initiative at Vashi Toll Naka

Radio City's RJ Salil and RJ Archana filling the potholes in Vashi for the Kar Mumbaikar initiative

Radio City's RJ Salil and RJ Archana along with Singer Shankar Mahadevan filling potholes at Vashi for the Kar Mumbaikar initiative by Radio City

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Pune city famous for its climate, pensions city which got transform to an IT hub has finally got its reward. Pune has always been counted in the list of the cleanest cities of India. On Monday it was really a proud moment for the Punekars because the Urban Affairs Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri has launched 'The Ease of Living' report on Monday around 3:50 pm.

Out of 4,000 cities and towns in India, where about 300 cities have a population over 1,00,000 and seven cities have a population of more than 3 million, only 3 cities of Maharashtra – Pune, Navi Mumbai and Greater Mumbai – are the most livable places in the country which means from Maharashtra four cities were into top ten. Pune has been ranked first in the Ease of Living Index with Navi Mumbai coming in second, Greater Mumbai ranked at three and Delhi languishing at 65. 

The report evaluated 111 cities on a 100-point scale across 78 indicators under four primary parameters which was divided- Institutional, Social, Economic and Physical. Although, cities like Howrah, New Town Kolkata, and Durgapur did not take Part in it. While Delhi is really ranked low that is 65th rank. And, Rampur in UP is ranked the lowest. To the utmost surprise, Chhattisgarh has made it to the top 10 in the list and Indore which gives a tough competition to Pune is ranked 8th.

The 'Ease of Living' index is an initiative of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to assess the most livable cities all over India and rank them on a 100 point scale. Apart from presenting the overall national ranking of 111 cities, the report will present the ranking of the cities across pillars, category, and geographical zone and population classifications. The city of Pune is expected to maintain this rank. And, helps to set a benchmark. It is expected to give a tough competition to all the other cities out there. Known for its cultural capital of Maharashtra state as well as the Oxford of east.

Chennai has been ranked 14 and New Delhi languishes at 65 while Kolkata refused to participate in the survey. While the citizens have been claiming that the city is reeling under lack of open space, ironically Mumbai has been ranked number one among 111 cities in the category of public open spaces. The state's richest civic body, BMC had to collate the data from several institutions, and submit to the central government. While the transportation and security were sent across by the state government, the majority of the data was compiled by the civic body that defined how livable the city is.

Vijay Singhal, additional municipal commissioner, said, "We have topped the list of megacities, which had over 4 million population. There were seven mega cities in this. And wherever we have lacked we will try and improve on those aspects and accordingly try and score better next time."

The rankings of the cities all over Maharashtra are as follows:
Pune is 1st, Navi Mumbai is 2nd, Greater Mumbai is 3rd, Thane is 16th, Virar is 20th, Nasik 21st, Solapur 22nd, Nagpur 31st, Kalyan 50th, Chinchwad 69th, Aurangabad 97th.

With inputs from PTI

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A group of citizens under Environment Life, which works towards cleaning up waterfalls and the space around them, in Mumbai and surrounding areas has cleaned up the waterfalls at Kharghar Driving Range.

The clean-up drive, dedicated to martyred Major Kaustubh Rane, and as a mark of respect for all security forces, was titled 'Waterfall Cleanup Drive VII: Kachare se Azadi' and organised on August 15 from 9 am to 12 pm. To support this cause, the group was joined by retired Air Force sergeant Subhashish Sarkar.

During the drive, the group of 45, aged between six and 70, managed to clear about 230 kg waste from the hill and waterfall area. Till now, Environment Life has carried out such drives at 12 locations, clearing seven tons of garbage left behind by tourists and visitors. Out of the total amount of garbage dumped by picnickers at waterfalls in that area, 150 kg is plastic — plates, spoons, water bottles, wafer packets, carry bags, etc.

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Abhay Kurundkar, the prime accused in the murder of assistant inspector Ashwini Bidre-Gore, had called cops attached to the Thane (Rural) commissionerate and left an "anonymous tip-off" to search for the body of a policewoman, who had "jumped" from the Bhayander bridge. Cops along with three local fishermen and eight to 10 unknown people carried out the search in Vasai creek for nearly five days with no luck.

And this, allegedly, is what Kurundkar wanted — it was a test of sorts by him to check if he had managed to make the body disappear and if it would remain untraced. This has come to light after the recent recording of statements of cops and fishermen by the Navi Mumbai police, who are investigating the April 2016 murder, for which senior inspector Kurundkar and three others have been arrested.

Ashwini Bidre-Gore

More questions
Interestingly, none of the cops from Thane (Rural) has been investigated or questioned why they didn't make a diary entry for such a massive search operation, or why they didn't investigate the 'unknown' officer from Thane police who gave the tip-off.

On the other hand, Michael Valetin Malya, his brother Jacob, and one more fisherman at Vasai told cops that they received a call from Kurundkar, seeking help to search for a body.

"This clearly indicates a few things — the seven cops attached to Thane (Rural) police knew that a police officer has given the tip-off; they carried out a search but didn't think it necessary to inform their superiors; also, the officer who received the call didn't bother to inquire who the caller was, all of which is strange," said an officer privy to investigation details, adding, "It appears cops deliberately hid the caller's identity."

'Dereliction of duty'
The Navi Mumbai police have taken down statements of more than 70 people in the case, including the Thane (Rural) cops. Bidre-Gore's family recently met the newly-appointed Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Kumar and put forward various complaints regarding loopholes in the investigation left by then investigating and supervising officers.

"This is a dereliction of duty... none of them [the cops who carried out the search] has been inquired or questioned about the act," said Raju Gore, husband of the deceased.

"Also, no investigation has been done to find out who were the eight to 10 people who posed as relatives and went with the fishermen for the search. We want the investigation to make note of it and go in this direction, so that these officers can be made accused too."

Also read: Ashwini Bidre murder case: Fellow cop and lover identified as killer

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Forest department is utterly displeased with the way the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) is going about implementing its tree belt project. On Friday, a range forest officer carried out a panchnama, a copy of which is with mid-day, listing the violations so far.

The panchnama states that the tree plantation done by NMMC contractors is inappropriate — the forest department had warned that plantation should be at least 50 metres away from the buffer zone surrounding the mangroves; and yet, it has been done right next to the boundary. The contractors have also allegedly cut the grown trees improperly and dumped the debris amid the mangroves.

Seeing red over green
An environment activist of Vashi, Rohit Malhotra, said, "NMMC removed 200 trees from the plot opposite Fortis Hospital, while dozens of fully grown and numbered trees inside the Rajiv Gandhi Joggers Park adjoining this plot have been felled, on the ground that were Subabul trees. All this has been done with much impunity... I had lodged a complaint with Prakesh Choudhary, range forest officer of Thane Division, who then deputed range officer Pandurang Gaikwad to survey the site. Mr Gaikwad has prepared the panchnama."

Residents had emailed their complaint to Dinesh Kumar Jain, chief secretary of Maharashtra, who has forwarded it to secretary of the forest department for necessary action.

A forest officer, confirming all violations, said, "I shouted at the contractors when I saw that some trees that were not on the list had been cut. Also, they removed soil from around others in such a way that the trees have tilted.

"However, senior forest officers have refused to sign the panchnama, saying they will settle the matter." "NMMC had taken permission from us to cut the Subabul trees in June 20... But I didn't know they dumped the debris amid mangroves. Also, the plantation in the buffer zone was done without our knowledge. I will visit the spot and decide on further action," said Choudhary.

The other side
NMMC Commissioner N Ramaswamy said, "We took all required permissions to cut the trees and for the project. About this particular complaint, I will check and take action accordingly."

The violations

• Planting trees close to mangroves, in violation of buffer zone distance restrictions
• Hacking full-grown trees inappropriately
• Dumping the cut parts amid the mangroves

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We spotted a new eatery in the busy commercial hub of Sector 17, Vashi, and the signboard got our attention immediately — Nothing But Chicken, it boldly announced, Now Open. Mental note to self — must check this place out. Soon enough, we find ourselves at the new eatery one afternoon. With just four high chairs, the place is more a take-away, but we choose to have our working lunch at Nothing But Chicken (NBC).

The décor is cheery and functional with doodles of smiling hens giving us company. We also note signage about the restaurant being Halal & ISO 22000 compliant, and most importantly for us, that the meat is fresh, not frozen.

Chicken seekh kabab

Chicken all the way
At the entrance, NBC sports a huge refrigerated display that has raw, pre-cut and in some cases, pre-marinated chicken portions. You can choose from a variety of sausages — jalapeno and cheese, cocktail, classic salami to name a few — or you could buy pre-marinated chicken, grill it yourself and enjoy it in the comfort of your home. Options include chimichuri, peri-peri, Greek yogurt and pepper, cheesy garlic breast among others.

The second display counter has all the ready-to-eat goodies — you can choose from a variety of sandwiches and salads or simply opt for a pilaf or chicken vada pow, desi burger, chicken seekh pow or chicken kheema pow. We order the chicken vada pow (`65), grilled chicken wrap (`105), two pieces of galouti seekh kabab (`34), three pieces of classic seekh kabab (`48), tandoori tangdi (`102) and chicken mayo roll (`105). We realise much later that they billed us for a classic salad (`82), which we were not served. When we point it out to the staff the following day, they are polite and refund the amount and the applicable taxes, too.

Chicken vada pow

Back to our chicken encounter. The order is served one item at a time, heated in front of us in a microwave oven. The presentation is fuss-free and practical. The wrap, kababs and tandoori tangdi are so hot, they are steaming right to the very last bite.

Vada pav vs burger
We are informed that the lone difference between a chicken vada pow and a desi burger is the flavour and spices of the patty.

Tandoori tangdi

The former comes served with a chicken patty in a brown bread pav with cheese dip and schezwan sauce. It is tasty, but since the dish is named after the popular Mumbai snack, we would have preferred the traditional chutneys to go with it. That, we feel, could have been the differentiating element between the desi burger and the chicken vada pow. The patty is mildly spiced and despite being reheated, hasn’t become tough. This, in fact, is true for everything we order.

The tandoori tangdi is well marinated with the classic smoky taste, cooked just right so it is tender. The chicken mayo roll is too bland and sour for our taste. The galouti seekh kabab and the classic seekh kabab taste different, in a good way — the chicken in both offerings is tender and flavourful.

The interiors

The grilled chicken wrap is a whole wheat roti with a masala chicken filling. It has the right balance of spice and is quite filling. By now, we need something to quench our thirst; NBC stocks regular soft drinks and we wash down our meal with a couple of fresh fruit juices on offer. With its reasonably priced, no-frills menu, NBC is ideal for a quick, VFM meal, or to help you cut down your chicken preparation time at home. With courteous staff, they seem to have their act in order. However, given their location, they are likely to face stiff competition from their F&B neighbours.

Time 9 am to 11.30 pm
At Sector 17, Shiv Center, Next to Arneja Corner, Vashi, Navi Mumbai.
Call 8828812200

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On Sunday afternoon, a foot overbridge near the Vashi Police Naka collapsed while a part of it was being removed with a crane. Apart from the driver of the crane, who suffered minor injuries, no one has been affected by the incident. However, the incident led to traffic congestion on the road towards Mumbai coming from Navi Mumbai. 

Following the collapse, the Mumbai Traffic Police immediately took to Twitter to inform commuters to take alternative routes. Though cops claimed that the traffic situation normalised on Sunday night, most vehicles on Monday morning took the alternate route via Airoli to avoid getting stuck in traffic.

Watch the video here...

Locals and traffic officials have alleged the Public Works Department (PWD) didn't inform anyone from the Navi Mumbai traffic police or the Vashi police about the dismantling work on Sunday, and that the crane used for it was of a low capacity.

The incident occurred when PWD engineers were dismantling the bridge. When the team was removing a part with the help of a crane, the device couldn't handle the pressure of the bridge, and thus ended up collapsing on the road. Traffic and disaster officials said the crane being used was of a poor capacity.

PWD should have instead brought in two cranes having a good capacity. mid-day reached out to local PWD officer Kishor Patil, but he remained unavailable for comment. PWD built this bridge two years ago. However, locals said that just six months later, it got damaged after a trailer crashed into it. Nobody was using it after that, but PWD decided to demolish it only this month after one-and-a-half years had passed.

Traffic officials said that prior to the collapse, traffic had already been diverted to the other side of the road, so no one was injured in the incident. PWD officials allegedly failed to inform all officials concerned with the area as well as citizens about the demolition, which is why it took longer to manage the situation.

Many users on social networking site Twitter shared videos of the same on their accounts expressing their frustration and anger over the situation. Here's a look at a few.

As of 6.15am in the morning, the entry into #Mumbai still blocked at Mankhurd. Potential traffic mayhem like yesterday. Took 4 hours to cross Vashi flyover yesterday. @MumbaiPolice not answering phones/WhatsApp. Go via Airoli to enter Mumbai.

— Nikhil Karkare (@n_karkare) October 8, 2018

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Crane clearing work still in progress at mankhurd octroi post.#Trafficupdate @MumbaiPolice huge traffic pile on. Took 1 hr to cross #vashibridge pic.twitter.com/OslI3YdcHV

— Sagar Gholap (@gholapsagar) October 8, 2018

@MumbaiPolice @CPMumbaiPolice I tried calling/sending WhatsApp messages to 8454999999 to know the status of the Mankhurd incident yesterday (got stuck for 4 hours after that). No one picked up/replied. Is the number correct?

— Nikhil Karkare (@n_karkare) October 8, 2018

#TrafficUpdate #mumbai heavy vehicles stopped right before #vashitoll. Collapsed crane clearing still underway, near mankhurd octroi post. Huge traffic pile on pic.twitter.com/ZKS4jmDuj2

— Sagar Gholap (@gholapsagar) October 8, 2018

Also Read: 4 dead in Pune after hoarding falls on vehicles at Mangalwar Peth

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Anirban Blah, co-founder of talent agency Kwan Entertainment, was rescued by the traffic police on Friday while attempting suicide on old Vashi bridge. On October 16, four anonymous women had levelled allegations of sexual harassment against Das, speaking exclusively to mid-day. Following this paper’s report, Blah was asked by Kwan’s management to "step aside" from his position on Tuesday afternoon.

The incident happened around 12.30 am when the traffic police received a tip-off about a man trying to jump off Vashi bridge. During counselling by the police, Blah said that was depressed after losing his job.

An actress shared her two-year-long ordeal which started with Blah bumping into her at a meeting and later asking her to participate in an ‘unnatural sex set-up’. Another model told mid-day that Blah had asked her to strip when she visited his home for a professional meeting.

With the accounts of harassment going viral following mid-day’s report, Blah was relieved of his position and his stake was transferred to the remaining 10 partners. A statement from Kwan dated October 17 read, "The other 10 partners have taken over the entire stake of Anirban Blah in KWAN to ensure his exit. In this regard, the partners and Anirban will enter into the necessary legal documentation to ensure the exit is in accordance with the law."

Also Read: Kwan's Anirban Das Blah loses stake in his company

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Back in 1978, when the twin city of Navi Mumbai was still in its infancy, it received a gift of music. The late legendary vocalist Pandit CR Vyas, and the late MV Chimmalgi, an ardent music lover, started the New Bombay Music and Drama Circle in Vashi. In course of time, it nurtured many aspiring resident musicians, and created a group of discerning listeners of Hindustani classical music there.

Samarpan, a music concert to be held this Sunday, is a tribute to the two founders. The morning session will begin with a vocal recital by the upcoming artiste Sharvari Nagvekar, and will be followed by a vocal recital by Jayant Kaijkar. It will conclude with a dhrupad surbahar recital by Pandit Pushparaj Koshti . The evening session will begin with melodious strains of the sarod by Roopak Naigaonkar, followed by a vocal recital by Amruta Kale. Vocalist Sanjeev Chimmalgi will end the evening on a high note.

ON November 11, 9.30 am to 1.30 pm; 5 pm to 9 pm
AT Mini Hall, NMSA, Sector 4, Vashi
FREE

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The Navi Mumbai traffic police, who had been penalising drivers in order to steer them to the right side of the road to little success, have now started filing FIRs instead. The cops began the drive five days before Diwali and have already booked 530 under Section 279 (rash driving) of the Indian 

Penal Code.

Speaking about what kind of motorists inspired this strict action, Koparkhairane traffic API Sachin Khondre said, "Three to four months ago, a man was riding his bike on the wrong side with his pregnant wife and their young daughter, when an out of control dumper coming from the right side of the road collided with them. This is just one example of the kind of issues we face every day with people who flout traffic rules."

Those driving in the opposite lane can not only cause massive traffic congestion, but at times can also lead to accidents. Representational Image

Reducing law breakers
"Half of the time is wasted in fighting with them. This time around, the traffic DCP ordered us to show no mercy towards these violators and directly register a police complaint against them instead of collecting their licence or a fine. This strict initiative has been started so that accidents can be avoided," he said.

Navi Mumbai traffic DCP Sunil Lokhande concurred, "We're taking stringent action by registering a FIR against those driving in the opposite lane as such riding not only causes massive traffic congestion, but at times can also lead to accidents.

"We started this before Diwali because it will help keep everyone safe, at least in the festive season. We've tried so many awareness campaigns, but people did not listen. This strict action [filing FIRs] has actually reduced the number of people who flout rules." How do they catch hold of the culprits? Vashi traffic senior PI Satish Gaikwad said, "We all know the area where these drivers take the wrong side, and apart from medical emergency, all the other reasons they give are fake.

Under bridges and bushes
"To catch such drivers, we sit with the team of a particular police station under a bridge or hide in the bushes, and once we see them coming from the wrong side, we stop them before they try to flee.

"We ask for their licence details and file the FIR on the spot, and also provide them with a copy. We spare only those in the middle of a medical emergency." Traffic officials are hoping to come across fewer violators after this drive as people would now be more scared to break the law.

Hundreds brought to book
Their efforts have been instrumental in bringing 530 such cases to book so far. Gaikwad, who has been registering most of the cases said, "They can get bail by producing a witness or paying Rs 5,000 in cash. Following that, till the time the chargesheet is filed, they have to keep visiting the court."

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