Since the lockdown began, nearly 750 people staying in around 125 shanties at Bandra Bandstand, have spent every night sleeping on or near the rocks outside their houses until the tide comes in, forcing them to crowd back inside. On an average, there are eight members in a shanty at Ganesh Nagar, along the seashore.

Unable to stay together in their small dwellings, they have been forced to spend time near or on the rocks by the sea, till the tide rises, in an attempt at social distancing. The people have been residing in the area since 1986 and have Aadhaar, ration and PAN cards etc. They have been getting SMS alerts to pay their electricity bills. They want the government to give them concessions regarding electricity, and many of the migrants there want to go back home to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, etc.

Until the tide comes in

The secretary of Ganesh Nagar Rahiwasi Sangh, Jeetendra Pareva said, "There was no space crunch in these houses as the working members would be out for most of the day. But due to the lockdown, the dwellings are overcrowded. Now a few members sleep inside the house and others come out to sleep on the rocks. We do this at night and in the afternoon. We change our sleeping locations as per the high tide. The water reaches right upto our door steps during high tide. We have learnt to sleep according to it," said Pareva.

Residents say only the men sleep outside on or near the rocks. Pics/Sameer Markande

Most of the residents are people who work as gardeners, drivers, maids, etc in the nearby bungalows of film stars. However, they claim neither the film stars nor the government have come forward to help them till date.

The locals also claim they have to defecate in the open as there is no public toilet facility in the area except for one meant for tourists, which is air-conditioned, and charges R10.

"It becomes tough for us to answer nature's call during the rainy season, as the rocks become slippery and many people lose their balance and get hurt. Fortunately none of us have fallen into the sea and drowned. Many political leaders have promised us toilets but nothing has been done. Who will pay R10 to use an AC toilet when we don't have ACs even at home?" asked Pareva.

Chose safety over money

The residents claimed that they have stopped working due to the lockdown, but their employees in the bungalows have been trying their best to lure them back. "These people have been offering us huge sums of money to resume work. A few of us were tempted as the offers were lucrative. But we had a meeting. But we conducted a meeting with all the residents and dissuaded everybody from going anywhere during the lockdown," said Ganga Bhagwat Singh, the president of Ganesh Nagar Rahiwasi Sangh.

The residents of hutments at Bandstand are forced to spend nights sleeping near or on the rocks until the tide comes in, to avoid overcrowding in their tiny houses

"Thankfully there is not a single case of COVID-19 in this slum. If someone goes out to work and gets infected, we could all get infected. So everyone got convinced and rejected the offers. We are also not allowing any outsider to enter our dwellings," added Singh.

Most of the occupants of these overcrowded dwellings are from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, and said they want to go to their homes in Patna, Allahabad, Jaunpur, etc.

Jobless with no money

Another reason they spend time on the rocks, is that they don't have television. "After the lockdown, the validity of cable connections expired in nearly 90 per cent houses in this slum. So the youngsters are forced to come out in the open for better network for their smart phones."

"We requested the service provider to resume the service but he said it will be possible after online payment. So we are helpless regarding this as well. Also, most of us are jobless so how can we pay for cable TV?" Pareva added. So far they haven't had a problem with food. Residents claimed former MLA Baba Siddiqui and Corporator Asif Zakaria have been giving them rations and packed food. Special arrangement for food has also been made by the duo for those observing roza in the holy month of Ramadan.

With the government allowing travel between states, the migrants in the shanties are hopeful of going back home.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

We remember walking into Le 15 Café in Colaba on a late evening craving a gooey chocolate brownie. They had run out by then but a familiar voice from behind the counter told us if we weren't in a hurry, she'd bake a fresh batch. That was Pooja Dhingra, in her black and pink uniform and contagious smile, even at the fag end of a tiring service day.

Lodged opposite Ling's Pavilion, patrons to the Parisian café had many such stories to share, as seen with the thank you notes left on tissue paper. In 2015, Dhingra coaxed chef Pablo Naranjo Agular into moving to Mumbai from Colombia to create the savoury menu for the café. Their social media posts of sunny-side ups, waffles and tartine were drool-worthy enough to make followers land up for a meal.

'Uncertain times'

The lockdown and subsequent slump in business has pushed Dhingra to take the tough call of shuttering the café for good. "These are uncertain times and everyone has to look at the vision of their companies to decide the road ahead. Unfortunately for us, that meant to cut down our overheads to ensure we can keep the dessert business going. The challenges we predicted were low walk-ins, high rentals and the onset of the monsoon and a general slow-down of business," said Dhingra.

The café has been profitable for three years while the company has been profitable for six months. "We are operating from a central kitchen and servicing outlets. With a predicted decrease in revenue, it wouldn't make sense to keep this space going," reasoned Dhingra. For her, it's all guesswork about how long until the economy picks up. "What will change is how people dine out, and the emergence of social distancing that means reducing covers and higher deliveries," she said. Le15 at Lower Parel and Bandra will function as usual when the lockdown ends.

'A live organism'

When we call Naranjo in his home in Colombia, he is baking bread. His voice gives away the mood. Kneading dough might possibly help deal with the news. "A restaurant is a live organism that needs to feed, enjoy, rest, sleep and start all over again the next day. If you are not nourishing it, it suffers a lot. Coronavirus is showing us that reality," sighs Naranjo. "The time at the café was everything. I poured my heart and soul into it. I remember the times when Pooja would ask me to take a day off. But I would still show up on my off day. When I saw her love towards the business, it worked the same way for me. It's how we managed what we built together," he reminisces.

Dhingra is working on absorbing some of her staff. "We are working on an e-cookbook to raise funds for the team," she shares, signing off, "I dreamt of having a café since I was 16. I built it piece by piece with all my savings. Every memory will stay with me for life."

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

A 29-year-old air hostess identified as Sultana Shaikh hanged herself to death at her residence at Vile Parle. The police discovered her body late Wednesday night after neighbours complained of a foul smell coming from her house.

Shaikh shared a room with two other women, but both her roommates had gone back home because of the lockdown and she was living alone.

"We found a suicide note from the residence which states that nobody is responsible for her death. She also mentioned that she was suffering from depression and frustrated due to several things. We also found a mobile phone at the house and are going through all her chats and emails,” a police officer said.

Another police officer said, "On Wednesday, her neighbours complained about a foul smell coming from Shaikh's residence and that no one was opening the door. So they informed the owner of the flat who called the police. We then broke down the door and found Shaikh's body hanging from the ceiling fan."

Vile Parle cops have handed over Shaikh's body to her mother who stays in Colaba. An accidental death has been registered and further investigation is on.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Such a long journey

Migratory birds including flamingos make the waters near Airoli Creek their home, when they arrive from colder regions in search of food. 

Relief comes from art

(Left) Untitled by Thota Vaikuntam; (right) Kurta series by Dharamanarayan Dasgupta

It was yesterday that Saffronart closed bidding and announced the collections for its unique COVID-19 Relief Fundraiser Auction. The collection was an encouraging R66 lakhs that will be donated to NGOs Goonj, Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action, and Stree Mukti Sanghatan that have been distributing essential items to affected communities. The auction released 52 artworks including paintings by artists Krishen Khanna and Thota Vaikuntam; and installations by Tayeba Begum Lipi, Dharmanarayan Dasgupta and many more.

Dinesh Vazirani, CEO, Saffronart revealed that he was humbled by the response to the auction and said, "We sincerely thank the art community for the generosity in both donating and bidding on works to support organisations doing important work on ground. After we receive the funds from the winning bidders, we will be disbursing them between the three organisations based on need and reach. We are in discussions with them regarding this".

Bonding over stories

Who better to lift your lockdown blues than the country's favourite children's author? Starting yesterday, an initiative by Prasar Bharati is bringing a collection of veteran storyteller and author Ruskin Bond's stories to All India Radio (AIR). What's more, they will be read out by the author himself. Available on all of AIR's radio and digital platforms, this is set to be a treat for listeners who enjoy stories from hilly Himalayan towns in his simplistic style. From the bustling markets to the devious old maharanis, the majestic trees and vibrant birds and yes to the occasional popping up of a ghosts — you'll find it all there.

Mapping Values

The response of countries to the pandemic has given us a glimpse of the values system they stand for. The importance of values as a means of understanding the rationale behind decisions taken by men and women, and by countries at large, is what researcher Dr Mandeep Rai's new book The Values Compass addresses. The title, which is available in e-book format, has assumed renewed significance in the current context. From India's faith to Vietnam's resilience, Argentina's passion to Singapore's order, Rai has looked at 101 countries to identify a single key value in each that is represented in its history, geography, and culture."Getting pregnant was a catalyst moment [to write the book]. Only this baby [the book] took a lot longer than nine months. So the experience of writing for me was like pumping blood into a beating heart. And now, the Coronavirus is reminding us that, if we want to understand a country, its values provide the most revealing lens," she said.

Remembering the worker

Komita Dhanda of Jana Natya Manch and MD Pallavi in a session

On May 1, World Labour Day, Leftword Publishers and Delhi-based bookstore May Day hosted an online celebration of workers' rights with performances from all over the world. Starting 1.30 pm and going on all the way till midnight, the line-up featured names like poet Aamir Aziz, JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh, comedy outfit Aisi Taisi Democracy, theatre group Jana Natya Manch and singer MD Pallavi among others. "The objective was to celebrate workers from all over the world. Right now, it is all the more obvious that they are running the world while we stay shut in our homes," Pallavi told this diarist after her session. 

A break from the laughter

Comedian Sorabh Pant, who has been hosting live sessions on social media every day of the lockdown to keep the spirits of those watching, high, took a different route in his video yesterday. He wasn't making the usual jokes and decided to pay tribute to actors Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor in his own way. He talked about the legacies the two have left behind and a Twitter exchange he had with Khan over a joke. "I was prompted to talk about it from an audience member and it led me to the realisation that Irrfan was actually my favourite actor in the whole world. It became a tribute and also reminded me that I don't always have to attempt to be comedic about it. Though, I think, neither Khan nor Kapoor would have minded if I cracked a few jokes," he told this diarist.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

While the BMC has issued an order for 100 per cent attendance of its employees, municipal corporations in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) want its residents to stay away from the city. The corporations are working on a plan to restrict the transmission of COVID-19 through residents who regularly go to Mumbai for essential services.

The plan is still in a primary mode but the corporations are likely ask service providers to make accommodation available for its employees near their respective work areas.

MMR, which includes Thane, Thane rural, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivali, Ulhasnagar, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Mira-Bhayandar, Palghar, Vasai-Virar, and Panvel Corporation, collectively has 1,159 patients, way below that in Mumbai which has close to 7,000.

"Nearly one lakh people travel to Mumbai from MMR every day for their jobs under essential services like banks, hospitals, and BMC. So if these areas maintain minimum contact with Mumbai, the transmission of COVID in MMR will be low," said a bureaucrat from the region.

"The number of positive patients in our area has gone up because of some residents who work at a private hospital in Mumbai. We are going to ask private hospitals to arrange for stay facilities for them," said a commissioner of one of these corporations. The civic body has identified 36 employees who work with the hospital.

The ideal situation is to create accommodation facilities for the employees near the work area. The chances of transmission increase due to travel. We are speaking to BMC," said a civic officer from MMR. Alternatively, he said, respective corporations could prepare Care Centres outside their residential areas for these employees who visit Mumbai daily. The administration is also thinking of a 15-day work, 15-day off policy for these employees.

While the MMR region comes under the red zone, some activities can start here if the number of patients go down. A list of migrants in each district – Thane, Palghar and Raigad — is also being prepared so they can go to their states safely.

Number of patients (as on April 30)

Mumbai – 7,061
Thane rural – 48
Thane – 412
Navi Mumbai – 174
Kalyan-Dombivali – 163
Ulhasnagar – 3
Bhiwandi-Nizampur – 17
Mira-Bhayandar – 126
Palghar – 41
Vasai-Virar – 128
Panvel – 47

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

A fire broke out at near Ganesh talkies in Lalbaug on Saturday evening.

Fire fighters rushed to the spot and extinguished the fire using three fire jets. So far no casualties have been reported and the cause of fire is yet to be ascertained

The fire was confined to electric wiring, electric installation, wooden furniture, steel furniture, Ganesh idol making fibre frames, raw material, oil, washing machine, clothes, chairs, Ganesh idols, wooden base, scrap material, mattress, cement sheet and tarpuline sheet etc. 

When speaking of Indian mythology, the focus is on the stories, symbols and rituals of major religions such as Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism. We ignore the mythologies of the various tribal communities of India, who have lived in the subcontinent long before the arrival of Aryan migrants. Their stories are fascinating.
The Santals found in Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand speak of how humans emerged from the egg of a goose and a gander, created by the gods, which included the High God, Thakur-Dev, the smaller spirits known as Bongas. In the beginning, they say the whole world was water, until the earthworms collected earth and placed it on the back of a turtle. Did this story inspire the Hindu idea of the earth on a turtle upheld by elephants?

The Korkus, scattered across the states of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, tell the story of a deer pursued by their ancestors that disappeared in a mountain cave. While waiting outside the cave, they were met by an ascetic, who gave them some rice to eat. The ascetic then introduced himself as Shiva and asked them to permanently settle down as farmers, not hunters. Another story recounts how Ravana strayed into the scenic but unpopulated forests. When he prayed to Shiva to populate those forests with people, Shiva directed his messenger, the crow, Kageshwar, to collect red soil from the hilly region. Shiva made two statues from the soil, of a man and a woman. However, before Shiva could infuse them with life, an angry Indra got his horses to destroy the statues. This, in turn, angered Shiva, who made two dogs out of the red soil, infused them with life and drove Indra's horses away. Shiva then remade the two human statues and infused life into them. Known as Moola and Moolis, they are the ancestors of the Korku tribe. The Korku worship Shiva, Ravana and the dog. And the driving away of Indra does allude to some rejection of 'civilised' Aryans, though Shiva himself is a Vedic god.

The Baigas are a tribe dispersed across Madhya Pradesh. They say that in the beginning, there was only water all around and no land. Then, Brahma made land in the midst of the water. Immediately, two people emerged from the land—one a brahman and the other a sadhu Naga Baiga. Brahma gave the brahmin some paper to start studying and writing. He gave the Baiga a tangiya, or a sickle. He also gave the Baiga some kodo and kutki grains and ordered him to start farming. From that day on, the Baigas have been farming, while brahmins focussed on getting educated.

Because there are over 500 tribes in India, and each one has a unique mythology, their mythology is often ignored when studying wider trends and patterns. They are often seen as being simpler, etiological (explaining causes), sometimes proto-history, but rarely having deep psychological insight. This could be the prejudice of the researcher or simply the nature of tribes, where the focus is less on introspection and more on ritual rhythms of life. It is easy to see the influence of Hindu lore on tribal mythologies, but the reverse flow is also true.

Stories of boars raising earth from the bottom of the sea found in Vedas could very well have tribal origins.

The author writes and lectures on the relevance of mythology in modern times. Reach him at devdutt.pattanaik@mid-day.com

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

While the authorities may struggle to get the rest of the city to follow social distancing and lockdown norms, one area in the city which is on board with their plan—and in fact, implementing stricter measures without being forced to—is Cuffe Parade's Machhimar Colony. The residents of this fishing colony have sealed their society, not allowing anyone to step out unless it's absolutely necessary. The residents have also decided not to fish until May 3.

The colony decided upon these strict measures after a resident was sent into quarantine on April 20, after coming into contact with a positive patient. The resident eventually tested negative.

There are a total of six fishing colonies in the Cuffe Parade-Colaba area—Machhimar Colony, Machhimar Nagar, Bhai Bandarkar Machhimar Nagar, Sagar Sanidhya Machhimar Nagar, Shivshrishti Machhimar Nagar and Shiv Shastri Machhimar Nagar. The residents of all these areas have decided to seal the colony, without any prompt from
the government.

Bhuneshwar Dhanu, advisor of Machhimar Sarvodaya Sanstha Private Limited, Cuffe Parade-Colaba, says, "Only those involved in essential services are being allowed to step out. Besides this, a team comprising youths from the colony has been formed. They stand at the gate and go buy any items that are required, without charging anyone."

Jayesh Bhoir, a resident of Machimar Colony, says, "We go to the dock after fishing, but crowds gather and so following rules of social distancing are tough. Therefore, we decided to lock ourselves in."

Chanda Jadhav, A Ward officer, says, "It is good that the people of Machhimar Colony are following the lockdown in their colony. Similarly, if all Mumbaikars adhered to the rules, we will be able to beat the Coronavirus."

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

A day after the number of deaths dropped, Mumbai's death toll rose to 27 deaths on Saturday, the highest number recorded in a single day. The city's count of new cases was also high, as slum areas like Dharavi recorded 89 new cases in a single day.

Maharashtra reported 36 deaths on Saturday and 27 of them occurred in Mumbai, three in Pune, three in Amravati and one each in Vasai-Virar and Aurangabad. State health officials said that in addition to the 27 COVID-19 related deaths in Mumbai, a resident of West Bengal also died in the city. Civic officials said that 20 of those patients were suffering from other ailments including hypertension and diabetes and 15 of the patients were in the age group of 40-59 years.

Civic officials stated that 89 new cases were reported in Dharavi on Saturday and 38 new cases on Friday which took the total count of cases in the area up to 496. Among other areas, Kumbharwada continued to be a hot spot with 16 new cases in two days while Kunchikurve Nagar had 10 new cases. Apart from Dharavi, 17 new cases were reported in Mahim over the past two days which included two patients from the fisherman colony, and 13 new cases in Dadar.

Civic officials of G South ward, which had the highest number of cases, reported that 30 new cases were confirmed on Saturday. "The situation is better at the Worli Koliwada and Jijamata Nagar. However, there are a number of cases emerging from the BDD chawl and Prem Nagar," said Sharad Ughade, assistant municipal commissioner of G South ward. When asked if the restrictions at Worli Koliwada that has been sealed for several weeks will be relaxed, Ughade added that they will take a decision next week.

Two engineers in the maintenance department of Nair Hospital also tested positive. Dr Mohan Joshi, who is in-charge of Nair Hospital, confirmed the news and said, "These engineers did not come in contact with any COVID patients, they caught the infection from the areas where they live."

State health officials said that Maharashtra reported 790 new cases and of them, 547 of them were from Mumbai, and the city now has 8,359 cases. In areas across the state, 121 patients were discharged after a full recovery. Till date, Maharashtra has had 12,296 confirmed cases and 521 deaths.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

The Maharashtra government issued fresh orders on Saturday evening, disallowing revised lockdown guidelines in the COVID-19 containment zones across the state. Though the order didn't specify which activities would be allowed outside containment zones in big cities like Mumbai and Thane, the officials interpreted that no relaxation as suggested by the ministry of home affairs on Friday, would apply to the twin cities.

The order put to rest speculations that Mumbai and Thane would get some relief, for instance, running private offices on 33 per cent staff strength in the extended period of lockdown, which begins from Monday.

Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta said in the order that the activities allowed in green and orange zones, would be suspended if any area gets notified as a containment zone.

In a separate communication, the state government also issued some clarifications through its media department. It said the people in Mumbai and Pune metropolitan regions (MMR and PMR) would not be allowed to travel within Maharashtra and between states. People from other districts and states will also be barred from entering the two regions.

However, the stranded migrant labourers from MMR and PMR will be allowed to travel after seeking due permission and submitting a medical fitness certificate.

In Mumbai, local police stations are accepting requests from the labourers, said the government, but added that the final call would be taken after assessing the pandemic situation in the city areas where the workers have been staying.

The government advised the workers to not rely on rumours and instead reach out to local police stations for authentic information.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

On April 3, welfare groups across the city, along with medical professionals and lawyers, issued a press release demanding the immediate withdrawal of the civic body's plans to convert any building in Mahul into a quarantine centre. They cited health concerns, due to the neighbourhood's high pollution levels. And yet, a month on, nearly 30 residents of Panchsheel chawl in Govandi's Lumbini Baug have been shifted to a makeshift quarantine facility at Videocon Society, Mahul. The residents had come in contact with a 55-year-old woman from their basti, whose cause of death was posthumously ruled as COVID-19.

The quarantine centre, where residents of Chembur's Cheetah Camp have also been shifted, houses approximately 100 people. The building's first and second floors are currently being used as a quarantine facility, with not more than two people to a room. The chawl residents say that the place lacks basic amenities such as running and drinking water as well as the presence of permanent medical staff. The premises is also covered with dust, has shabby sanitation facilities. Further, there has been no segregation between children and adults so far.

Smoke coming from a nearby oil refinery pollutes the area's air

The April 3 press note states that Mahul has been declared "uninhabitable" by at least two Indian courts "given the toxic environment due to the presence of polluting industries."

Citing hazardous air quality conditions, it further reads: "Mahul is completely unfit for human habitation, much less for treatment and care. To establish a quarantine centre in Mahul would not be beneficial from the health point of view, but would prove detrimental towards efforts taken by MCGM to control this pandemic."

Residents say the water is dirty and the toilets not fit for use. They argue that they were better off at their chawl

A 22-year-old resident of Lumbini Baug says, "One of the main problems is the amount of dust. If there was any running water, we ourselves would have washed the premises. This dust can cause sneezing and coughing among people who have allergies or weak immune systems."

He adds, "There is no running water in the toilets. At home, we were at least taking our own Vitamin C tablets, maintain a healthy diet, and eating nutritious food. We expected basic facilities at the centre. There is also no permanent medical staff present here. We have not received any therapy or medical treatment yet."

Advocate Lara Jesani, one of the signatories to the April 3 press note, says: "It is dangerous for people to be quarantined in Mahul because of the high level of pollution in the area. The place is congested and poorly planned and therefore creates health hazards for people who may already have a weak immune system, making it harder for them to cope with the virus."

M East Ward Assistant Commissioner Sudhanshu Dwivedi refused to comment or discuss the issue. Bilal Khan of the Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan says, "In cases filed by us, the High Court has passed two orders declaring Mahul polluted and unfit for habitation and hence, directed the government to shift the Mahul residents to an environmentally safe place. Coronavirus causes severe acute respiratory syndrome."

The faulty design and poor sanitation of the Mahul buildings [as established from CSA report] can also result in further spread of infection, thereby endangering the residents. "Without trying other abundantly available options it is shocking that the government has sent people to such a toxic environment and that too, as a quarantine measure."

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Irrfan moves to bandra

Mumbai artist Ranjit Dahiya, founder of the Bollywood Art Project, instructs a worker as he puts final touches on a mural of actor Irrfan Khan at Chapel Road on Friday evening. Khan passed away on Wednesday, after fighting Cancer for two years. Dahiya, who is also behind the murals of Amitabh Bachchan and Anarkali in Bandra, started work on the mural on the day Khan died. He lives near Chapel Road and was hence, able to work on the wall, regardless of the lockdown. He founded The Bollywood Art Project to transform the walls of the city with graffiti art influenced by the design tradition of hand-painted Bollywood posters, as an ode to Indian Cinema. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

Combating Corona

Retired Cdr. Rajeshwari Kori, the first Indian woman to have sailed on board a warship, is currently fighting a war against the Coronavirus. Kori, who is now the deputy controller of civil defence in Raigad district of Maharashtra, is making provisions for medical equipment and grains for hospitals.

"We have started this initiative under the guidance of Raigad collector Nidhi Chowdhary. Apart from using government resources, we are receiving funds from donors, NGOs and friends. The whole experience has been satisfying so far.

There are 15 tehsils under Raigad, of which we consolidate a list of demands and try to help them on priority basis. This is just to tell the hospital staff
that they are not in this alone, we are with them," Kori told this diarist.

Chrissie, that enduring darling of world tennis

Chris Evert lifts the 1981 Wimbledon singles trophy in London. Pic/Getty Images

Women tennis players have contributed greatly in popularising the game and the racquet sport has had some enduring darlings over the years.

High on that list is Chris Evert, who through her smart comments on Twitter provides every reason to believe that she is not an "in my time, we did things this way" kind of former player.

If not for the lockdown, Chris Evert would have been preparing to enjoy another commentary stint at Wimbledon. And while she stays home in America, we thought of providing an example of her popularity even in other countries during her playing days. Martina Navratilova, her fiercest rival on court, was being visited in North Dallas by her Czech grandmother in 1981.

Since Chris and Martina were the closest of friends, it was inevitable that Andela Subertova, 84, met Chris. The old lady was over the moon to meet the then 1974 and 1976 Wimbledon champion, which caused Martina to exclaim: "She [Subertova] says she's going to brag when she gets home that she met Chris."

Chris claimed her last Wimbledon crown in 1981 after demolishing Czech Hana Mandlikova, who had overcome Martina in the semis. Considering Subertova's affection for Chris, the grand old lady wouldn't have been too down.

Moms prepare their kids to leave the nest

Anju Kish

The mothers of children studying in Standard 12 at Jamnabai Narsee International School have come together for a thoughtful initiative. The plan was hatched in a WhatsApp group, where the moms decided to equip their children with skills they will need when they step out to pursue higher education. They have been conducting skill-sharing webinars on Zoom and these sessions are facilitated by various moms, who are experts in their own fields. They have conducted four such sessions so far.

Sheila Navlakha

One of them was about communication skills and how to make the most of one's college experience by communicating with ease. It was conducted by Sheila Navlakha, a mom who is also the founder of SNS Trainers. The last one focused on sexual literacy. It was facilitated by Anju Kish, a mom who founded Untaboo, and Apurupa Vatsalya, the director of programs and advoacy at Kish's company. "The session revolved around the top five things every 18-year-old should know when it comes to sex, such as sexual and social consent, resisting the pressure to have sexual intercourse for the first time, safe sex practices, sexual behaviours such as sexting and the possible repercussions of these behaviours, and gender sensitivity," explained Kish. She plans to facilitate a session for the parents in the coming week, talking to them about how they can support their children in exhibiting healthy sexual behaviour.

Midnight musings with Raman Iyer

One is never too old for bedtime stories, especially if it's accompanied by soulful music. It's why we are loving Raman Iyer's daily midnight Instagram Live audio podcast on his handle @ramaniyer. Iyer, who is the co-founder of Mumbai-based folk fusion band Kabir Cafe, can be heard narrating ancient folk tales, and stories from Indian history and mythology, all while playing the mandolin, where he switches from Hindustani to Carnatic, and Western Classical.

"My idea of getaways is to disappear into libraries. I make notes and don't always agree with what's written in books. So, I decided to share whatever little I've gathered, along with my reflections, in an intimate setting at a quiet hour. It's kind of like a terrace/campsite feeling, where this old uncle tells stories and takes a break to strum an instrument," he shares, adding, "Also, it's fun to bring back the charm of the radio, on Instagram, a highly visual space."

Hair I come

Bollywood's well-known hair and make-up artiste, Florian Hurel, has put in long hours at work. But, participating in a 24-hour livestream hair event will be a first. On May 5, 36 different hair and beauty care professionals from 19 countries will come under one digital roof.

The initiative titled @Hairdressers United will see experts curate new styles, showcase tutorials and analyse the evolution of the hair industry. "I think hair will be a great medium of expression. People will want to speak through their hair, tell stories and make the world a better place," said Hurel.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

The Mumbai Police’s social media pages are gaining popularly among netizens for their epic memes during the lockdown imposed due to Coronavirus outbreak. After taking inspiration from Bollywood and popular series streaming online for some of their recent memes, the police department has now turned to Potterverse for some meme-spiration to explain their followers why it is important to stay at home.

In the Mumbai Police’s recent post on their Instagram account, they have shared what Hermoine Granger would say in her sassy way to explain the necessity to stay at home. The caption for the post read, “You already know Hermione's reaction if you step out unnecessarily during the lockdown,” while asking the ‘magical folks of Mumbai’ to stay at home. The message displayed in the clip will make you think twice step out of the house

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

You already know Hermione's reaction if you step out unnecessarily during the lockdown. Just #StayHome magical folks of Mumbai to win 'The Battle' against corona #BattleOfMumbaikars

A post shared by Mumbai Police (@mumbaipolice) onMay 1, 2020 at 10:26pm PDT

The clip shared on Saturday managed to garner 61,407  likes with many Potterheads relating to the post and calling the Mumbai police’s social media page the ‘coolest’. A user said, “Mumbai's Auror Department got no muggles.” Another user said, “Wish we could just expeliamus the virus. One more user said, “Harry Potter post on the day of Battle of Hogwarts?! You guys won my heart!”

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

As many 137 people suffering from coronavirus have recovered and discharged in the city on Saturday, said Mumbai's Public Health Department. "With 547 new cases of coronavirus and 27 deaths which were reported today, the total count in the city has spiked to 8,172 and deaths to 322," said the Public Health Department. It further said, "137 patients were discharged on Saturday and a total 1,704 patients have recovered in Mumbai till now."

According to the latest data issued by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), 15 more people tested positive for the coronavirus in Mahim on Saturday. With this, the total number of cases in Mahim stands at 52. However, no death has been reported from Dharavi in the last two days, said the BMC officials, adding that "38 people have tested positive today, taking the total number of cases in Dharavi to 496."

The deaths in Dharavi stand at 18. As per Pune's Health Department officials, the toll in Pune district has increased to 103 after three more deaths were reported today. Meanwhile, as many as 56 people -- suffering from coronavirus -- recovered and discharged from a hospital in Thane district.

"The 56 COVID-19 patients were discharged today from a hospital in Mira Bhayandar, Thane after they recovered from the disease," said the hospital authorities. The State Health Department said that a total of 790 new cases of coronavirus and 36 deaths have been confirmed in the State.

According to an official statement, with 790 new COVID-19 cases, the total number of cases in the State has spiked to 12,296 and the cumulative toll stands at 521.

The statement further read that 121 COVID-19 patients were discharged in other parts of the State on Saturday and a total of 2,000 people have been discharged till date.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

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

The prisons department of Maharashtra has released more than 5,000 inmates from various prisons of the state till Saturday, an official said. To prevent the spread of coronavirus infection in overcrowded jails, the prisons department is releasing those inmates who are serving sentences of less than seven years on bail, he said. At least 11,000 prisoners were expected to be released to decongest prisons, and so far 5,105 have been released on bail, the official added.

582 prisoners have been released from Arthur Road prison in Mumbai, 443 from Thane Central Jail, 498 from Taloja Central Jail in Navi Mumbai, 388 from Yerawada prison in Pune, 214 from Amaravati prison, 216 from Nagpur prison, 187 from Solapur district prison, 177 from Aurangabad Central Prison and 134 from Nashik Central Prison, he said.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

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

Mumbaikars looked up in the sky with amazement as the Tri-Services accorded a grand aerial salute with showers of flowers and petals acknowledging the work of the frontline warriors in the war against the virus here on Sunday morning.

Helicopters and fighter planes flew over the empty but picturesque Marine Drive and other parts of Mumbai as the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force came out to pay tributes to the doctors, nurses, sanitation workers, police and others involved in the fight against COVID-19.

Helicopters flew around certain key hospitals treating Covid-19 patients like the INS ASHVINI, Sir J. J. Hospital, KEM hospital and the Kasturba Hospital.

The Sukhoi-30 aircraft flew in a march-past from the Raj Bhavan to Marine Driver while MI-17 and Chetak choppers showered flowers on the hospitals situated in congested localities of South Mumbai, mesmerising the citizens cooped up in their homes.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

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

Time slides by

A security guard uses the slide as a couch to relax on Sunday at Five Gardens, Dadar East Pic/Ashish Raje

A day in the life of Irrfan Khan

Irrfan with Heggode at the ashram

Everyone is aware of what a classy actor Irrfan Khan was, but not many people know about another side of his — the fact that he championed the cause of activism in his lifetime. Playwright and social activist Prasanna Heggode recently shared photos taken on a day that the actor and his wife spent at Badarwal Gandhi Ashram in Karnataka. The pictures show Khan examining women who are weaving cotton, and he later also interacted with other activists to understand grassroot reality when it comes to agriculture and handloom. Heggode also shared how the place had no bathrooms, and Khan ate food cooked on a wood fire. "Irrfan showed keen interest in every minute detail that goes into activism," he said.

Joining forces

The biggest concert in the country thus far took place online yesterday, with big-ticket names including Zakir Hussain, AR Rahman and Sunidhi Chauhan, and international stars such as Mick Jagger, Sophie Turner and Nick Jonas. All the proceeds from the gig will be donated to the NGO, Give India. Musician Ankur Tewari, who was also part of the line-up, told this diarist, "I have performed for online concerts for charity earlier, and since I sensed from the comments that we receive that people are experiencing heightened anxiety, I tried to pick songs that highlighted the positive side to life, instead of showing the glass as half empty"

Pumped up

At a time when zero contact is the need of the hour, Gamdevi's AVL (Advanced Video Lab) Retail has developed a foot-pedal hand sanitiser. This allows the product to be dispensed via pressing your foot against a pedal at the bottom. The store also offers walking sticks with adjustable height that also doubles as a foldable chair as well as laptop storing and charging karts. "As a fabrication business, we have to create products that people are in urgent need of at this moment. We developed it a month and a half ago, and have been supplying to hospitals, societies and other institutions. Delivery is available all over Mumbai and for other cities, courier charges are applicable," founder Kamal Dharamsey told this diarist. The product retails at '2,500 (plus 18 per cent GST) and can be ordered by calling 9819893075.

Dance to a different beat

Theatre practitioner Quasar Thakore-Padamsee is up to something different in the lockdown. He took to his social media recently to share a crowd-funding request for a dance production that he is involved in. Odissi dancers who have had some experience with contemporary dance, Bhavna Pani, Charvi Budhdeo, Namaha Mazoomdar, Nupura Bhaskar and Gia Singh Arora, have come together for a performance themed on silence in dialogue, that was to open in June. "It was a project I was brought on board for as an outsider to help put it together. It's however an exciting time to be producing something during these times. The influence makes its way into the work. Also, we are actually rehearsing over Zoom and that's interesting," Thakore-Padamsee told this diarist. To support the project, log on to ketto.org.

A classical idea

Thane-based Suranjan Trust is an organisation that promotes Hindustani classical music, and the platform is organising a digital competition for the genre. It's called Passion 2020, and Chinmay Lele from the trust said, "The auditions will conducted be in three batches, with May 17 being the last date for registrations. We will send a Google Drive link to the applicants, who will then have to upload a video of them performing, with the shortlisted people performing on Facebook Live by May-end."

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Over the past six days, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has recorded a total of 124 COVID-19 deaths, almost double of the toll recorded between April 22 and April 27 (59), making it one of the major causes of concern for the city. With four BMC workers succumbing to the viral infection in the last two days, 21 deaths were reported just on Sunday.

Of the 124 deaths, 60 are in the age group of 40 to 60 years, three are aged below 40, and the remaining 61 are above 60 years of age. As per the civic body's data, 2,144 new cases and 59 deaths were reported between April 22 and April 27. Another 3,024 cases got added between April 28 and May 3. Meanwhile, 441 new cases were reported on Sunday taking the city's tally to 8,613.

Sources in the BMC said that they had formed a four-tier system to deal with the COVID-19 cases. Around 2,000 asymptomatic patients have been shifted from hospitals to COVID-19 quarantine centres across the city so that the health workers can focus on the treatment of serious patients.

Meanwhile, the number of patients in Dharavi is also increasing by the day. On Sunday, 94 new cases and two deaths were reported in the area. So far, the total number of patients in the largest slum of the city has reached 590 with 20 deaths. Mahim has reported 16 new cases with the total being 68 in the area.

Four BMC workers die
A total of four BMC workers, including a BEST staff, involved in fieldwork related to COVID-19 have died over the past two days.

A 46-year-old staff was working in the labour ward of civic-run Shatabdi Hospital in Govandi, where a pregnant woman had tested positive for the virus. The worker was a high-risk contact and had tested positive for the virus too, after which he was admitted to Rajawadi hospital in Ghatkopar. However, he succumbed to the infection on Saturday.

One motor loader, 49, working with the solid waste management department in BMC died due to the viral infection on Saturday. Another worker of N ward and deputed at the MCMCR training unit in Powai for COVID-19 related work died the same day.

Speaking to mid-day, Ramakant Bane, general secretary of the municipal union, said, "The workers are worried about their and their family members' health. With the growing number of COVID-19 cases, the BMC should test their workers on priority."

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Civil society organisations and independent researchers from all over the country have prepared a report explaining how the lockdown is adversely affecting tribal communities and forest dwellers amid an acute lack of awareness. It will be presented before the central and various state governments this week."

The assessment is prepared by civil society organisations and independent researchers who are working with tribals and forest dwellers. These include Campaign for Survival and Dignity (Chandigarh), Soumitra Ghosh of the All India Forum for Forest Movement (AIFFM), Neema Pathak Broome of Kalpavriksh, Pune, Tushar Dash and Sushmita (independent researchers), among several others. Work on the report has been in the pipeline ever since the enforcement of the lockdown measures on March 24.

Representative image:  tribal villagers in Jharkhand, Picture: Sushmita

Remote location a challenge

According to the report, lack of information among the tribals and forest dwellers about the pandemic and about the required protective measures is a major issue in tribal areas. "Tribal settlements are located remotely, thereby making it particularly difficult for information to reach there," reads the report. "The reverse migration from cities and urban areas also raises concern about spreading of the virus in tribal areas."

The report highlights how a lack of proper healthcare facilities and low testing numbers of tribal populations increases the risk of infection and how the lockdown has affected collection, use and sale of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) by tribals and forest dwellers. It also includes recommendations to the Centre on how to combat the issue and help the communities in need.

Representative image:  tribal villagers in Jharkhand, Picture: Sushmita

Speaking with mid-day, independent researcher Sushmita said: "COVID-19 impacts people with compromised health conditions and low immunity. This increases risks of infection amid the tribal populations living in deprivation. Testing and monitoring of the disease is inadequate and is mostly limited to urban areas. Providing testing facilities in tribal areas is a major challenge."

According to independent researcher Tushar Das, "The lockdown has affected collection, use and sale of MFP by tribals and forest dwellers. An estimated 100 million forest dwellers depend on MFP for food, shelter, medicines and cash income. The MFP collection season from April to June provides major income support to tribals (almost 60 per cent of the annual collection takes place during this period) and, unfortunately, it coincides with the lockdown. The trading and value chain of Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFPs) has been completely disrupted under the lockdown as traders are not willing to buy NTFPs in the current situation."

The report recommends
According to both, Sushmita and Tushar, the Central government is yet to come up with a comprehensive COVID-19 response programme for tribal communities. The report recommends the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) set up a COVID-19 response cell and give specific guidelines to address the problems of tribals and forest dwellers. "The MoTA should also ensure that district and sub-district level officers are well informed about all relevant guidelines and orders related to COVID-19 regularly and ensure that these are complied with," Sushmita said.

"The Centre should coordinate with the state governments to provide immediate relief to the tribal communities by ensuring information and awareness, providing health care and testing facilities in the tribal areas, support for MFP collection and sale," Tushar added.

100
Approx. no. of forest dwellers, in millions, depending on Minor Forest Produce

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Soon after Maharashtra government directive allowing standalone liquor shops to open in COVID-19 red zones (except the containment areas), AIMIM Lok Sabha MP Imtiaz Jaleel has said if liquor shops are opened in Aurangabad, he would force their closure, adding that it is not a time to sell alcohol and create problems for women.

"Government decides to open liquor shops even in red zone! If shops in Aurangabad open we will break lockdown restrictions and forcibly close these shops. Will make many women come out on the streets. This is not time to sell liquor and create problems for mothers and sisters," the Aurangabad lawmaker tweeted in a series of tweet.

Lambasting the Maharashtra government, he further asked what is the hurry to sell liquor in this difficult time. He further stated if this is the case then why not allow selling everything, why this "privilege only to liquor shops".

The state government had on Sunday issued a list of activities that will be allowed in different zones of the State during the lockdown."The state government has decided to allow standalone shops including liquor shops to open in red zone also except the containment zones. Though there is no restriction in the number of essential shops that can be opened, only five non-essential shops can be opened in each lane," the government order stated.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

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

Amid the rising number of coronavirus cases in the city, on Monday, Mumbai's Air Quality Index (AQI) stood in the poor category as the AQI dropped to 133, as per AQI India. The poor category of air quality in Mumbai is an indicator that such air quality can provide difficulty in breathing.

Air Quality Index (AQI) across different parts of Mumbai

According to AQI India, an AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 is moderate, 101-200 poor, 201-300 unhealthy, 301-400 severe and 401-500 is marked as hazardous. While Mumbai's overall air quality was poor, several parts of the city including Bandra (31 AQI), Worli (42 AQI), Powai (24 AQI), Kurla (44 AQI) reported good air quality. Sion, on the other hand reported AQI of 1094 which as per the AQI parameter is hazardous.

A snapshot of Air Quality Index (AQI) across different cities in India

In other cities of the country such as Delhi (83 AQI), Ahmedabad (90 AQI), Bengaluru (101 AQI) reported moderate air quality which is acceptable for healty adults but may pose a threat to senstive individuals as per the parameter reading.

Data sourced from aqi.in

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Monday was a confusing mess with the BMC not issuing clear orders on the reopening of shops and liquor stores. Many ward officers did not allow any shops to open until orders came from the municipal commissioner and clarification on what shops can remain open on one street.

Wine shops in Dahisar were not allowed to reopen. "We haven't received any circular, guidelines from the headquarters. Until that happens, we can't allow non-essential or wine shops to open," said Sandhya Nandedkar, assistant commissioner of R North ward. In Dadar-Worli area, wine shops were closed. "There isn't any order from the BMC. The shops can't open without proper permissions," said Prakash Patankar, ex-corporator from Dadar.

A crowd outside a wine shop in Walkeshwar on Monday. Pic/Bipin Kokate

"The state's order said that not more than five shops can open on one road. How can we select the shops? Shop-owners who want to resume business should apply to us," said a senior BMC officer. But the BMC has not issued a circular regarding such applications. Even BMC officers were confused over action on wine shops, some of which were open throughout the day, without the corporation's order.

Shopkeepers exasperated
A Worli shop-owner said, "Whose orders are to be followed? There is a lot of confusion, we are already in a mess and what the government is doing is harassment."

"The new MHA notification is a good start to get the economy moving. Mumbai has rules apart from the state notification — of only opening five non-essential stores per lane. There is a requirement to get further clearances from local authorities," said Kumar Rajagopalan, CEO, Retailers Association of India.

People wait to buy liquor outside a shop in Mulund. Pic/Rajesh Gupta

Municipal chief Praveen Pardeshi was not available for comment.

Early birds get nothing
Wine shops across the city saw people queuing up right from 6 am on Monday, expecting to quickly procure the available stock. Amid confusion over the reopening, police eventually dispersed everyone. Queues were seen in Lalbaug, Parel, Kalachowkie, Matunga, Sion and Mahim.

On Monday morning, Sachin Jadhav, standing outside Circle wine shop in Matunga, said, "I have been without alcohol for 45 days. I am ready to consume it." Another shopper, Rajesh Pandit, said, "The shop has been closed for a month and a half. There is a fear that it will run out of stock very soon. Which is why I got up early in the morning."

People queue up to buy liquor in Vile Parle East. Pic/Rane Ashish

Quiet Bandra
In Bandra, most groceries and pharmacies operated as per usual. A couple of shops selling electronic items kept shutters half open. No stationery or hardware shops were open. An optician on Hill Road was among the few shops open to regular customers. Owner Piyush Chheda said he opened shop even though there isn't much clarity on rules. "Customers have been calling regarding their orders. It is an essential item. I opened the shop at 10:30 am and will close at 2:30 pm," said Chheda.

A garment store, Fascination, was open near Khar Pali Road. Owner Shiv Dang said, "We opened the shop at noon and will be open till 7 pm. We called only half the staffers who live nearby." Dang did not receive any communication from BMC.

H West ward officials said they haven't received orders from the BMC. "We are hoping to get directions from senior officials by the end of the day about which five shops may remain open. We will inform shop-owners accordingly," said an official.

While most wine shops were shut, Silver Coin Wines on Ambedkar Road opened and saw a crowd of at least 100, some of them without a mask.

Chaotic Mulund wine shops
In Mulund, shops opened in the morning but shut down around noon, with only pharmacies allowed to remain open. "We have been open all this while and our business remains unaffected. Though supply is limited to important medicines," said a pharmacist.

A liquor shop at Ambedkar Road, Bandra on Monday morning

Wine shops were the main attraction with complete chaos, long queues, no social distancing. Shops at Mulund check naka, LBS Road, Veena Nagar had long queues and crowds.

Grocers followed the usual specified timings. Milind Gala from Mulund East said, "Though all kinds of shops have been allowed to remain open, supply is limited." The limited timings also saw more crowds.

A few stationery vendors said there had been no orders from local civic officials or police on reopening. "There is too much confusion and we will end up losing our licence. Hence, we decided to remain closed," said Jayeshbhai from Mulund west.

Why open wine shops?
Mulund resident Keshav Madhukar said, "Though the easing of the lockdown is welcome, there seems to be confusion among heads of departments in implementing orders. There is no clarity on how things will work."

Another resident Gaurav Kumar said, "At the check naka in Mulund, there were crowds at liquor shops. Is this supposed to be a lockdown in a red zone?"

Another citizen Risshita Gada said, "Was it so important to open wine shops? How will social distancing be followed?"

Later in the day, BMC's T Ward tweeted clarifying that except for essential commodity shops, no other shops were allowed to open.

Mulund MLA Mihir Kotecha said, "I have put up details of which shops will remain open and which won't. I have also met around 140 housing society secretaries via video conferencing to discuss the way forward. If you need to step out, make a proper plan. List things up and fetch all of it in one go."

Borivli residents saddened
Residents of Borivli were rather disappointed as absolutely no wine shops were open. Among the non-essential shops allowed to open, only two- and four-wheeler mechanics, sweets and farsan shops and small stationary outlets which had photocopy machines were allowed to open. A few hardware and electronic repair shops were open, while groceries and pharmacies functioned as usual.

Residents also queued up outside wine shops early morning. "People started queuing up from 8.30-9 am. The crowd soon left as shops did not open. But people kept checking in throughout the day," said Jitesh Jain, who runs a grocery shop in I C Colony, where two to three wine shops are located nearby. "Looking at what has happened at other wine shops, it is good that the ones here were closed," said a customer, Harish Ganega who was in the queue at Jain's shop.

Other non-essential shop-owners remained confused. Dheeraj Purohit, owner of Purohit sweets and farsan shop outside Borivli station, said, "We opened today and will most likely shut by lunch time. We wanted to see how it works, whether social distancing is possible. There is similar confusion among several shop-owners which is why many are closed."

Mira Road groceries reopen
Grocery shops opened after 13 days in Mira Road and saw long queues. The Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) had imposed a complete lockdown from April 20 to May 2. Only milk booths and pharmacies were allowed to remain open for a few hours.

Other than groceries and bakeries, no other shops were allowed to open. Milk booths were open till 11 am and pharmacies till 9 pm.

MBMC allowed grocery and bakery shops to remain open from 9 am to 3 pm. Vegetable vendors are still not allowed on roads or in open spaces and MBMC has permitted only home delivery. "We bought enough groceries last month, but some items like tea powder, groundnuts are finished. How can we ask for home deliveries for such a small order?" said a customer in a queue at Shiv Shakti shop. Another woman said that while groceries were giving home delivery, shops selling various flours, spices and coconuts were closed.

Andheri comes alive
Andheri seemed lively and bustling since morning. Although not all wine shops were open, the ones that were, like Pinky Wines in Oshiwara, had serpentine queues stretching more than 200 metres. People even waited throughout the afternoon when the shop was closed for lunch. General stores had longer queues than usual.

There was a visible increase in the number of vehicles plying between Andheri and Juhu. Lokhandwala Market had numerous cars double parked on the road. Four bungalows too, was packed and bustling till around noon, but slowed down after cops began patrolling.

13
No. of days after which groceries opened in Mira Road

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

In graphic company

No one likes wearing a mask and the faces on the wall make the displeasure clear, but it's safety first for this man at Thakur Village, Kandivli, on Monday. Pic/Satej Shinde

Music makes a difference

Singer Chinmayi Sripaada, known not just for her work but also for causes close to her heart, is at it again. On social media, she is offering to sing a personalised song or a birthday wish in return for a donation for a Coronavirus-related charity. "I have a collated list of families who need support," she told this diarist. She has taken as many as 1,277 requests so far for over 500 beneficiary families in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal and Karnataka. "I have been singing on requests and birthday wishes for a long time without monetising it. I thought, why not change it into a donation drive?" she reasoned.

How art matters today

Gayatri and Vikas Oberoi with sons Vihaan (in green tee) and Yuvaan (in red)

Real estate developer Vikas and Gayatri Oberoi's son, Vihaan, 13, is an aspiring artist, studying at the Oberoi International School. His passion led him to pursue acrylic painting and drawing. The self-taught youngster's tools vary from painting knives to cooking pan lids. He particularly enjoys working on multiple canvases making diptychs and triptychs as he loves the disconnection and continuity of such form of paintings. Vihaan shares, "Knowing the situation we are in, and learning about the hardships people are facing under lockdown, I have used my time at home to compile my work for an online exhibition (https://colorwaysbyvihaan.org). I was always keen on holding a show; it's fulfilling to know that it will help people in need." Proceeds will be collected by the Oberoi Foundation and donated to NGO Teach for India's COVID-19 Relief and Learning Fund. "I hope my art brings as much positivity to people, as creating it did for me," adds Vihaan. His parents have always been encouraging: "We are thrilled that he can contribute to a cause when it is most needed. We will continue to guide his creative mind and generosity, and are thankful for the appreciation he has received."

Vihaan painting

Taking the stage for 10 years

City-based theatre production company Tpot has turned 10. Formed in 2010 by actor, writer and director Trishla Patel and her husband Vishal Capoor, they have been sharing interesting tidbits and behind-the-scene moments about some of their iconic productions including Aaj Rang Hai, Char Small, Zinga Zinga Roses and In Search of an Author. Patel told this diarist that she didn't foresee herself hitting this milestone. "I thought I'd do one play. I didn't even have a name for the company; it came about over a drunken night with my husband at a Chinese restaurant. I feel like my writing and plays have grown more mature over time" she added.

Pawse and post

Spending time with the doggo on your daily commute never failed to make your day better. So, while you cannot do that as often now, here's an opportunity to relive those happy moments. The Welfare of Stray Dogs (WSD) India has started an Instagram campaign where all you need to do is post a picture with a streetie taken pre-lockdown, tag WSD and five other people and use the hashtags #LockdownSpiritsUp, #wsd and #wsdindia. About the importance of this project, Abodh Aras, CEO of WSD, told this diarist, "During these times of uncertainty, the initiative focusses on how the street dogs and cats bring about positivity and cheer. Just looking at these photos brings a smile to our faces. And it nudges us take care of them too."

Soirée with Shabana Azmi

Last week, Manjul Publishing House started a live event, titled Dastaan-e-Sheron Shayaari on Instagram which ends today. And the weekend saw journalist and poet Atika Farooqui in conversation with Shabana Azmi. Here, viewers got to listen to Azmi's views on life during the lockdown, her accident and growing up in Janki Kutir, Juhu. She spoke about the independent film Waterborne that she was part of 15 years ago, which was to be released on Google's video store only, and mentioned how people expressed their hesitance of the online medium to her. But Azmi had said then, "Yeh humara future hai aur is future ke liye hum ko abhi se preparation karna padega."

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

When Simon Lewis and his family — wife Irene, daughter Melissa and son-in-law Stephen Alexander — got ready for a five-day holiday to Sri Lanka, it was to be a short break from work routine.

Simon, a Dahisar native, said, "On March 11, we called the Sri Lankan Embassy in Colombo, because we did have some qualms about the Coronavirus, but the official reassured us that all was well in Sri Lanka, flights were operational, and we could certainly fly."

On March 14, the family flew to Sri Lanka. Simon said, "We had return tickets on Air India on March 20. A day before we got a message saying that the flight was cancelled and rescheduled to March 21. Then, that flight got cancelled without explanation or apology!"

The Lewis' then booked flights on Sri Lankan Airlines for March 26 which got cancelled too, because of the lockdown. They have not got refunds. They have now been in Sri Lanka for more than 40 days without a clue about when they will return.

Simon, 62, is a Marketing Director with a pharma and aerosol company. He said the family is now, "living in a house on rent in Negombo," a small beach town close to the Bandaranaike International Airport. "We are going about our daily life with severe difficulties. We do not have any contacts over here. Our expenses have skyrocketed. Bank transfers are also a problem. As a businessman, it is humiliating to beg the bank to transfer funds. I need to pay salaries to my staff and process my pending payments so that I do not incur penalties."

Multifold challenges
Simon's wife Irene, 61, said they are also "finding it difficult to source Ayurvedic medicine for psoriasis." Stress and a food allergy have aggravated her condition. Her daughter Melissa added, "We are stranded here for 45 days and have registered with the Indian Embassy but no one has checked on us even once." The media professional is concerned about being laid off from work. Sri Lanka has been in lockdown too, so it is difficult for them to access their daily provisions.

Stephen Alexander, freelance TV/film director, said, "I have lost out on a lot of projects due to the lockdown. Being stranded here is aggravating an already very difficult situation. Missed deadlines mean no income. There is no respite from the Embassy or the government." A weak internet connection adds to their work woes.
The Lewis family added that Pakistan nationals have returned home on rescue flights, Indonesians have gone home too, but Indians are stranded.

No response
There are a number of seafarers from Tamil Nadu who are also suffering here. "We read that those in the Gulf were brought back to India. Why not us? We who pay our
taxes to the government," they questioned.

An official from the High Commission of India in Colombo stated, "We have no information with reference to rescue flights. Since we have no inputs, I cannot give you any information," he finished.

45
No. of days the family has been stranded in Sri Lanka

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

With the rising number of COVID-19 positive patients in Navi Mumbai, the Navi Mumbai municipal commissioner last week asked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to accommodate its employees in the city. The Navi Mumbai police commissioner on Monday, however, added to it by saying that if the cases continued to rise in the satellite city due to residents travelling to Mumbai for work, the administration will have to "force employers to accommodate their employees" in the city.

The Corona patient tally in Navi Mumbai jumped massively last week with more than 180 new cases reported in just seven days. The doubling rate of patients slid from 11 days to just six days within a week. This became a major cause of concern for NMMC and the police. According to the NMMC, of the last 180 cases, 90 per cent are related to employees working in essential services and travelling from Navi Mumbai to Mumbai every day.

In a Facebook message on Sunday evening, NMMC Commissioner Annasaheb Misal said, "We have raised this issue in a video conference with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and also conveyed the same to BMC Commissioner Pravin Pardeshi. The BMC has agreed and will be asking hospitals and BEST to convey it to their employees."

The matter, however, escalated on Monday when Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Kumar took to Twitter. "All people in essential services are requested to desist from commuting daily to Mumbai and back. Only visit if your job is crucial. Ask your employer to make arrangements nearby. Otherwise, you are exposing your family to COVID-19. One person infected 14 of his family members," he tweeted, adding that if the trend continued, "we have to force the employer to make arrangements at the workplace."

Around 4,000 to 5,000 bankers travel every day from Navi Mumbai to Mumbai with the banks rotating 33 per cent of their staff every day and exposing all employees to the public in a week’s time. "The same goes for doctors and the police. We request all the authorities concerned to look into it," Kumar said.

He also spoke of the infection spreading in Vashi’s APMC market. "Many vendors and merchants travel to Navi Mumbai from nearby towns and villages. We are making a list of such people and will ask them to stay in Navi Mumbai so that there won’t be any further spread."

‘Taking utmost care’
A senior officer of Mumbai Police commented on the tweet saying the police were endangering their lives for more than 12 hours a day. "We are taking utmost care regarding our personnel but if they carry the infection, it will be an unfortunate but inevitable thing. One should not get too picky while saving their jurisdiction,"
he said.

4.5k
No. of bankers who travel daily to city

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Prohibitory orders which ban assembly of four or more people under Section 144 of the CrPC have been extended in Mumbai until May 17 because of the extension of the lockdown, said Pranaya Ashok, DCP Mumbai Police.

Mumbai has been declared as a red zone due to high number of coronavirus cases.

Read the circular

The order read, "We have extended section 144 of CrPC which restricts any public gathering."

All movement of people for all non-essential activities, except for medical reasons is prohibited between 8 pm to 7 am.

It has also been further decided that the social distancing norms (minimum of 6 feet of distance) shall be followed at all times.

The order came into force in the area under the control of the Commissioner of Police with effect from 12:01 am on May 4th and will end at 12 am on May 18th, unless withdrawn earlier.

Violators will be prosecuted under section 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code, he added.

(with inputs from PTI)

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

On day 1 of the extended lockdown till May 17, Mumbai Police on Monday took to Twitter to share the importance of staying home amid the COVID-19 crisis. Giving a novel twist to one of the popular games during coronavirus lockdown, Mumbai Police latest meme inspired by Ludo struck a chord with netizens.

At times, it’s better to not try your luck. Staying at home is your best bet against Coronavirus. #GameOfLife #TakingOnCorona pic.twitter.com/v7KEmyjQic

— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) May 4, 2020

While sharing the Ludo-inspired meme, Mumbai Police said, "At times, it's better to not try your luck. Staying at home is your best bet against novel coronavirus. #GameOfLife #TakingOnCorona." The latest post by Mumbai Police urged people to stay home and not to try their luck by venturing out amid the coronavirus crisis.

Salute To Our Corona Warriors 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏😊😊😊👏👏👏👏
A Huge Respect 🙏🙏🙏😊😊👏👏#IndiaSalutesCoronaWarriors

— Aaryen Tiwari (@AaryenTiwari) May 4, 2020

In the post, one can see tokens of all the four players inside the house with the COVID-19 virus occupying the place on the path of the Ludo board. While sharing the coronavirus twist Ludo game post with their followers, Mumbai Police sent a strong message showing how staying at home can be the only safe bet the COVID-19 epidemic.

Best example for current situation

— Pooja Chauhan (@PoojaCh39757719) May 4, 2020

Mumbai Police also put a hard hitting caption on the picture which read, "The safest place to be is IN #TakingOnCorona." Since being shared online, the post has garnered over 600 likes and about 5,000 re-tweets. Even Bollywood actress Parineeti Chopra retweeted the post with heart emoticons of various colours. Besides Parineeti, hundreds of users lauded Mumbai Police's unique take on creating awareness on the importance of being home amid lockdown.

pic.twitter.com/6yEFDqcHRi

— Parth (@PresidentPique) May 4, 2020

One user commented, "Best example for current situation," while another user said, "So creative my god!." A third user wrote, "Kudos to ur creative team!!!." Lauding the Mumbai Police a fourth user said, "We will prefer to staying at home only."

Here's how netizens reacted to Mumbai Police's twist to Ludo game:

Thank you very much to all the police system. No matter how big the crisis is from now on, only the police system will stand before us as God.

— Sandip Jondhale (@SandipJondhale6) May 4, 2020

So creative my god!!🍁😍🙏

— Sonam Upadhyay (@Sonam22Upa) May 4, 2020

At times, it’s better to not try your luck. Staying at home is your best bet against Coronavirus. #GameOfLife #TakingOnCorona pic.twitter.com/v7KEmyjQic

— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) May 4, 2020

At times, it’s better to not try your luck. Staying at home is your best bet against Coronavirus. #GameOfLife #TakingOnCorona pic.twitter.com/v7KEmyjQic

— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) May 4, 2020

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

A fire was reported on the sixth floor of Atlas building in Napean Sea Road, on Tuesday morning. While no casualties were reported, two women were rescued from the building, a fire official said.

The fire was reported in the 11-storey residential building at 4:41 am on Tuesday and the fire brigade arrived at the scene at 4:55 am. As the intensity of the fire increased it was reported as a Level 2 fire. It gutted its two bedrooms, electric wiring and installations, wooden beds, bedding, furniture, and clothing, the official said.

The fire was brought under control within four hours, at 8.40 am, with the help of eight fire engines. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, the official added.

(with PTI inputs)

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

With the increasing number of COVID-19 patients in the city, the total number of containment zones have crossed the 2,000 mark. Of these, 1,235 are in congested areas.

The Central and the state governments have ordered restarting some activities in the red zones across the country. As on May 4, the number of sealed areas in the city reached 2,083. Sixty per cent of the Containment Zones (CZ) are in congested areas like chawls and slum. Around 600 containment zones are in densely populated areas and require 24-hour police surveillance.

"While the exact number of people living in these containment areas cannot be calculated, around 400 to 500 people live in every CZ," said a senior civic officer, adding that CZs restrict the spread of COVID.

Till April 23, the number of CZs were 983 with 231 zones released after 14 days. The number of CZs increased two-fold in the past 11 days.

Shifting to CCCs
The BMC has now begun to shift mild-symptomatic and asymptomatic patients to Corona Care Centres II (CCC). The civic body has started these centres across the city with a total capacity of 17,651 beds. As of now, 1778 positive patients are taking treatment in these centres. The NSCI club in Worli with a capacity of 500 people, has 279 positive persons. Byculla which comes under the E-ward has 210 positive persons in CCC II. F-North (Wadala) has 210, G-North (Dharavi, Dadar) has 207, H-East (Bandra) has 124, K-West (Jogeshwari, Andheri West) has 194 and L-Ward (Kurla, Chembur) has 118 patients in the facility.

In institutional quarantine, the civic body managed to increase the capacity of CCCI to 20,462 beds. There are 7,771 high-risk contacts of positive patients staying in these centres.

There are around 10 lakh people living in containment zones in the city right now.

10 lakh
No. of people in containment zones in the city

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Just a day after the Navi Mumbai police said that they might have to force employers to accommodate those going to Mumbai for work in the city, the Kalyan-Dombivali and Ulhasnagar civic bodies said that travelling to Mumbai would be prohibited from May 8 till further notice. Both corporations have started gathering information about employees who go to the city for work and will share it with the Brihanmumbai Muncipal Corporation (BMC).

With Mumbai becoming the epicentre of the COVID-19 infection, the civic bodies have observed that most positive cases are of people who travel to Mumbai for work, which includes police officers, BMC workers, bank and hospital employees, and their close contacts. The municipal commissioners had raised the issue with the chief minister during a video conference. Civic chief Pravin Pardeshi had assured that the process of accommodating BMC employees in nearby hotels would be initiated and other companies would also be told to do the same.

On Tuesday, the Kalyan-Dombivli and Ulhasnagar municipal corporations released a circular saying that May 8 was the deadline for employers to make arrangements in Mumbai, so that they don't have to travel every day. Both the corporations have issued email ids through which they are collecting details of employees.

Vijay Suryavanshi, KDMC commissioner, said, "This trend is worrisome. During our assessment we found that more than 50 per cent cases in the corporation area are due to such travellers. We understand that they travel to provide essential services in the city but rise in positive cases needs to stop. Till now we have received details of 100 employees. The data will be handed over to the BMC so that they can arrange for accommodation." He said that as far as employees of banks and private companies were concerned, the BMC had clarified that the respective firms would have to arrange for accommodation.

Send in the details

. For Ulhasnagar residents (govt employees) - covid19.umc.gov@gmail.com
. For KDMC residents (govt employees) - kdmc.covid19.gov@gmail.com
. For private company employees - kdmc.covid19.pvt@gmail.com

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

A fire broke out in an apartment on the sixth floor of the Atlas building on Napean Sea Road on Tuesday morning. While the occupants managed to rush down to safety, two women on the upper floors got stuck and were rescued by the fire brigade personnel.

The Mumbai Fire Brigade said the fire was reported at 4.41 am and they reached the site at 4.55 am with three fire engines, four jumbo tankers and one turntable ladder. However, they faced hurdles as the road leading to the building was packed because of parking.

"The team reached on time, but there several vehicles were parked on the road, blocking fire fighting vehicles' way to the building," said local corporator Jyotsna Mehta.

The firemen then went to the opposite building and were able to douse the flames after almost four hours. Deputy Fire Officer A J Mishra also pointed out that the parking was one of the major hurdle in the operation. "There was a strong wind too," he said. "We got a water connection and started operation from the opposite building to stop the vertical spread of the fire. So the major casualty averted," he said, adding that the fire was brought under control around 8.40 am.

A fireman said, "The residents left all the doors of the flat open. So it was difficult to search the origin of the fire. Besides, there wasn't a fire fighting system inside the building that is more than 30 years old."

The cause of the fire is not known.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

With more than 9,000 COVID-19 positive cases registered in the city, starting May 5 the Mumbai police imposed Section 144 from 8 pm to 7 am. By this order, people won't be allowed to venture out of their homes between the decided timeframe except for medical emergencies and other essential services. However, the lockdown guidelines will remain the same for the rest of the day, as residents will be able to come out for purchasing essentials.

Even though the lockdown has been extended till May 17, the number of containment zones in the city continues to be on the rise. Cops have been noticing violations in terms of people coming out for non-essential work and crowding at various places. In a bid to curb this, the city police have imposed the prohibitory order and those violating it will be punished under the Indian Penal Code.

Crowd seen outside a liquor shop in Mumbai. Pic: Syed Sameer Abedi 

The order states, "All movement of one or more persons for non-essential activities, except for medical reasons, is prohibited from 8 pm to 7 am. Speaking to mid-day, Pranaya Ashok, DCP (PRO and Operation), said, "The implementation of this new order is crucial in terms of Mumbai's well being. The motto is to reduce crowding on road for as much as 11 hours. Hope Mumbaikars follow this for their own benefit."

Who's exempted

• Emergency services
• Establishments: hospitals, pharma related companies, laboratories, telephone and internet services, electricity, petroleum, oil and energy related IT and IT-enabled services, data centre services, ports, home delivery of food, online delivery platforms, drinking water supply and maintenance, godowns and warehouses of above sectors, trucks/tempos carrying goods, vehicles carrying people working for supplying essential services, print and electronic media
• Government and semi-government agencies and their staff

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

The number of COVID-19 cases has witnessed a sharp rise in Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) area. On Tuesday, the corporation area recorded 47 cases – the biggest single-day spike in numbers so far.

Of the 47 new cases found on Tuesday, 22 patients are either essential workers or belong to a family of one. What is more worrisome is that a total of 207 new cases have been discovered in the last seven days, taking the total toll to 395 in NMMC along with seven deaths.

Navi Mumbai municipal officials said the two major contributors responsible for the explosion of Coronavirus cases are — firstly the employees working in essential services who travel to Mumbai daily and secondly, the APMC vendors and merchants.

"There are some APMC vendors and merchants who reside in Mumbai. We had asked them to arrange accommodation in Navi Mumbai so they don't contract the virus. However, despite our several announcements, they haven't followed our orders. So, if this trend continues we will take stern actions against them," an NMMC official said.
Moreover, the doubling rate of the cases in Navi Mumbai has drastically come down from 11 days to six days.

To curb the infection, NMMC has already set a time limit for buying vegetables and groceries of 9 am to 5 pm. Also, considering the rising numbers, NMMC has refused permission to open liquor shops under its jurisdiction.

47
No. of new cases recorded in Navi Mumbai on Tuesday

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

They have goat you covered

Civic officials patrol a market in Dongri on Tuesday as a goat follows them on their route. Pic/Bipin Kokate

The joy of six

Sheldon D'Silva

The lockdown is a time when lots of people are signing up for online sessions to learn new skills, including picking up a musical instrument or polishing their skills on the same. It's for them that a series of workshops called Lowdown in Lockdown has been organised, where six different artistes will elaborate on their individual instruments, starting May 11. These artistes are Gino Banks (drums), Rakesh Chaurasia (flute), Sheldon D'Silva (bass guitar), Ojas Adhiya (tabla), Purbayan Chatterjee (sitar) and Sangeet Haldipur (keyboard). Chatterjee will be talking about how the strains of the sitar fit into different soundscapes, while D'Silva told this diarist, "The topics I will cover include right-hand sound palette, strengthening your fingers, building the bassline, and improvisation."

Helping hand

BMC workers wearing the face masks they received thanks to the effort

Even as the country is applauding frontline workers such as doctors and nurses in the fight against the pandemic, there isn't as much recognition being routed to those doing routine jobs, like say, gas cylinder delivery personnel. That's the thought that an organisation called Me2 Kids Club had when it partnered with Project SKAR, an initiative started by four children, to raise money and buy masks for the latter group of essential workers. Shilpa Jain of Me2 Kids Club told this diarist, "We aim to collect '10 lakh and have already collected '1.5 lakh for the club." Log on to https://bit.ly/354iQND to show your support.

Here's why Sona is going places

The organisers of this year's edition of Hot Docs, the world's largest documentary film festival, were stuck in a conundrum when the global lockdown started. They eventually decided to take the event forward, but as a "festival-at-home" experience this month where the films will be screened online. The only Indian film to be featured on the line-up is Shut Up Sona, an 85-minute documentary directed by Deepti Gupta, featuring singer Sona Mohapatra. It raises a voice against a misogynistic world, and even ventures into mythology, speaking of the legend of Krishna and Meera. Gupta told us about how she expected the unexpected while researching the film, while Mohapatra said, "In telling my story, I hope to connect the disparate dots within my culture to build a narrative that portrays a more nuanced view of the hopes and aspirations of India."

Creating a record

The recently held iForIndia concert featuring stars including Gulzar, Jack Black and Bryan Adams was the country's biggest ever online musical event held to raise funds to fight the pandemic. Now, it's created another record for raising '52 crore and counting, thus becoming the world's biggest fundraiser on Facebook. "As artistes, this was the only way we could pay tribute to those who work on the frontlines while we work for home," Ayaan Ali Bangash, who performed at the event, told this diarist.

Theatre veteran exits the stage of life

Bomi Kapadia (right) acting in a play

Veteran theatre artiste Bomi Kapadia breathed his last at the age of 93 on Monday. Known for both his work and demeanour, city thespians remember him fondly. Adman and theatre director Rahul DaCunha took to social media to share memories of his work and times with Kapadia. "I first worked with him in 1984 in the first play I did, and then in '86 and '88," DaCunha told this diarist. Recalling about a show gone wrong, he added, "The actors walked in embarrassed after the show. As he passed by he said, 'What can I say? You win some, you lose some,' and it cracked me up. He believed in keeping the laughter and humour going during the rehearsals. The process was fun if everyone was having more fun."

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Maharashtra government's offices located in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), in areas of municipal corporations of Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Malegaon in Nashik district will function with five per cent attendance during the lockdown period till May 17 to contain spread of coronavirus. The MMR and areas under PMC, PCMC and Malegaon Municipal Corporation (MMC) have emerged as the coronavirus hotspots. In a statement on Tuesday, the government also said that in the rest of Maharashtra, the attendance of officials of the rank of deputy secretary and above will be 100 per cent, while that of the other officials and staffers will be 33 per cent as per the requirement.

The government, however, said that offices of departments such as health and family welfare, police, jail, fire brigade and emergency services, disaster management, Food Corporation of India, Nehru Yuva Kendra, municipal services and others will remain functional with complete attendance. The statement also said that the government officials and staffers should download the 'Aarogya Setu' application on their smartphones and work according to the guidelines issued by the Centre.

The statement reiterated that those attending offices should take precautionary measures and maintain proper hygiene during the period to keep the novel coronavirus at bay.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

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

Two Shramik Special trains carrying more than 2,100 migrant workers left on Tuesday night from Kalyan junction in neighbouring Thane district, the Central Railway (CR) said. One of them, carrying nearly 1,200 migrants, left for Darbhanga in Bihar, a CR release said. The end-to-end service departed at 8.37 pm carrying only the registered and nominated passengers cleared by the Maharashtra government, the release said.

The second end-to-end Shramik special train left for Guntakal (Andhra Pradesh) around 11 pm, carrying nearly 930 migrants, according to Railway officials.

On Monday, the Central Railway had operated two Shramik special trains between Akola-Lucknow and Bhiwandi- Jaipur.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

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

A 90-year-old woman was discharged from the civil hospital here in Maharashtra on Tuesday after recovering from COVID-19, the district administration said. Besides, a seven-month-old boy tested positive for coronavirus in Mira-Bhayander township of Thane district. The district on Tuesday reported 121 new COVID-19 cases, taking its tally to 1,399, an official release said. These include 452 cases from Thane municipal limits, 395 from Navi Mumbai, 224 from Kalyan-Dombivali, 189 from MiraBhayander, 50 from Thane rural, 42 from Badlapur, 20 from Bhiwandi-Nizampur, 16 from Ulhasnagar and 11 from Ambernath municipal limits.

So far, the district has recorded 38 deaths due to the disease, the release said. It also said that 11 coronavirus positive cases reported from Kalyan-Dombivali on Tuesday included five policemen, it said. Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Commissioner Vijay Suryavanshi on Tuesday said residents of the area working in Mumbai will not be allowed to leave or enter Kalyan from May 8 in view of the rising number of COVID-19 cases.

BJP MP from Bhiwandi, Kapil Patil, urged Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray that those from the powerloom town working in the essential services in Mumbai be accommodated
near their workplace. In the Mira Bhayander township, the local civic body had earlier only allowed milk and medicine shops to open. But, in an amended order issued on Tuesday, it allowed photocopy outlets to also open in order to facilitate migrant labourers to compile their documents for obtaining permission to travel to their native places.

Besides, an official release said the CIDCO exhibition centre in Navi Mumbai has been taken over the by local civic body to convert it into a COVID-19 treatment facility and accommodate 1,200 patients.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

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

A fire broke out at Vishnu Mahal, a residential building near Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday morning. This the second fire incident on consecutive days in south Mumbai.

The flames started in one of the apartments on the second floor of the building at D road, Marine Drive. There was a fire extinguisher in the building which helped to douse it before it spread. No one reported injured. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

Yesterday there was a fire incident at 10-storey Atlas building on Napean sea road. It took four hours for the fire brigade to control the fire due to strong winds and initial hurdles of parking cars.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Maharashtra BJP leader and former CM of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis, on Wednesday paid a visit to Saint George, GT and Nair Hospitals where he met frontline workers including hospital deans, superintendents, doctors, nurses, and policemen who have been leading India's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis interacts with doctors and medical staff of Saint George Hospital, GT Hospital and Nair Hospital in Mumbai

Via. @dharmendrajore @Dev_Fadnavis @BJP4India @BJP4Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/rvdvNrLJNw

— Mid Day (@mid_day) May 6, 2020

The 49-year-old BJP leader not only interacted with the frontline workers but also complemented them for their exemplary service for the nation during coronavirus epidemic.

Devendra Fadnavis interacts with hospital staff while maintaining social distance

At Saint George Hospital, situated in Fort, Devendra Fadnavis met superintendent Dr. Khobragade, Dr. Gaiakwad, while at GT hospital he spoke to Dr. Shingare and Dr. Deshpande and at Nair hospital he interacted with Dean Dr Joshi.

The former chief minister visited the Mumbai hospitals to thank the medical workers for leading by example in the fight against COVID-19@Dev_Fadnavis @BJP4India @BJP4Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/ZzcIvElMCU

— Mid Day (@mid_day) May 6, 2020

While visiting these hospitals and interacting with the doctors, Fadnavis not only thanked the corona warriors but also reviewed the coronavirus situation in the state and especially in Mumbai.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

The Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) on Wednesday put on hold its controversial decision to deny entry to local residents employed for
essential services in Mumbai, which has reported the highest number of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, after a furore.

Apart from KDMC, the municipal corporation of Ulhasnagar and municipal councils of Ambernath and Badlapur-- all in neighbouring Thane district--had announced similar decisions on Tuesday.

However, only KDMC has stayed the decision, which was supposed to come into force from May 8 and remain effective till May 17, during the period of the extended lockdown. The announcement to suspend the decision was made on Wednesday by KDMC commissioner Vijay Suryavandhi.

Issuing an order, the KDMC commissioner had on Tuesday appealed to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and other establishments to arrange for the stay of their employees who travel from KDMC to Mumbai.

"Many COVID-19 cases found in Kalyan-Dombivli and Ulhasnagar municipal corporations traced the source of their infection under the BMC limits. "Unless we stop people from moving between these cities and Mumbai, we cannot control further spread of COVID-19," said officials from both the municipal corporations.

Ambernath and Badlapur municipal councils have given options to their residents who travel daily to Mumbai to either stay in the metropolis from May 8 till May 17, or to avoid going to work and stay at their homes. Meanwhile, several nurses and employees of the state
government and the BMC have expressed their concerns over the decision of the KDMC and Ulhasnagar.

"What will happen to daily chores if I stay here in Mumbai for more than a week. My son is not even three-year-old, who will look after him?" said a nurse from state-run Nair Hospital who travels from Dombivli via bus.

"It is not an issue of one or two days. Everyone is scared of coronavirus infection. We feel safe when we go home and spend time with our family members. We can not simply stay
in Mumbai. I am not even sure about what kind of facilities we will be provided if we choose to stay in Mumbai," said a BMC staffer.

However, several health officials attached with these municipal corporations and councils have said that more than 50 per cent of COVID-19 cases in the metropolitan areas were
traced to Mumbai. "Some people returned from Mumbai have infected local residents, which has further stressed our already fragile health infrastructure," they said.

Congress leader and Mumbai city guardian minister Aslam Shaikh said the issue would be discussed at the state government level.

"This is the time to applaud the coronavirus warriors. The people who travel from KDMC, Ulhasnagar, Badlapur and Ambernath to Mumbai are nurses, BMC employees and other officials who are required to work in this crisis. We should be respecting their efforts.

"There are some places identified in Mumbai where temporary arrangements for accommodation can be arranged for people working in hospitals and other essential services. The state government will discuss the issue and decide further," he said.

However, Shiv Sena leader and Thane guardian minister Eknath Shinde said that no such decision will be taken without consulting the authorities concerned. Earlier in the day, Thane Municipal Corporation Commissioner Vijay Singhal suggested that similar decision--to
ban entry of local residents working in Mumbai--can be taken.

Kalyan MP Shrikant Shinde expressed the need for a proper staying facility for the people who travel to Mumbai to avoid further spread of coronavirus infection. "Such arrangement can be made in Mumbai city," he said. Millions of working-class people commute daily to Mumbai in local trains and other transport for work from Thane, Navi Mumbai, Virar, KDMC, Ulhasnagar, Ambernath, and Badlapur.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

The city's record for the highest number of COVID-19 cases reported in a single day increased to 769 on Wednesday as the total count reached 12,716. Bracing for more cases in the coming days, the civic body is planning to set up additional COVID-19 care centres in various open spaces across the city.

Civic officials said that the new COVID-19 centres will come up at Mahalaxmi Racecourse, Nehru Science Centre, MMRDA grounds in BKC, Mahim Nature Park and NESCO ground in Goregaon. Once the work is complete, civic officials said that the current capacity of 14,000 beds will increase to 34,000 beds. For critical patients, the capacity will be increased from 3,000 beds to 4,750 beds in hospitals like Nair, KEM and SevenHills. Additionally, ICU beds will be set up at the centre in NSCI.

The G South ward (comprising Worli) with 903 cases and G North (comprising Dharavi) with 888 cases, continued to have the highest concentration of positive cases. While three deaths were reported from the G South ward, one was reported from Dharavi where a 64-year-old male resident of Naik Nagar died on Wednesday. Civic officials from G North ward said that 68 new cases were reported in Dharavi, eight in Dadar and 11 in Mahim. Civic officials in G South ward said 25 new cases were reported on Wednesday.

State health officials reported 1,233 new cases in Maharashtra and the total count of COVID-19 cases now stands at 16,758. There were 34 COVID-19-related deaths on Wednesday of which 26 were in Mumbai which included one patient who was a resident of Uttar Pradesh, three in Pune, three in Akola and one each in Jalgaon and Solapur.

While 18 of the deaths involved patients who were senior citizens, 13 of them fell in the age group of 40-59 years and 27 of the patients were suffering from other ailments. Till date, Maharashtra has had 651 deaths due to COVID-19 and till date, 3,094 COVID patients have been discharged after a full recovery. Currently, more than 2 lakh people are under home quarantine while 13,107 people are kept at quarantine facilities.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Indoor Premier League

With nowhere to go, a boy practises his shots at home, in Borivli West. Pic/Nimesh Dave

Business, books and lockdown lessons

Anil Dharker

How do business leaders approach tricky situations? How do they find opportunities in adversities? In today's Lit Live session, its founder Anil Dharker will be in conversation with Apurva Purohit, President, Jagran Group, to not only touch upon such topics from the eyes of a leader but also chat about her recent bestseller and titles that inspire her in what promises to be an engaging Instagram live talk. Purohit, fresh off the success of her latest book, Lady, You're The Boss! (Westland), which is the second installment in The Adventures of a Woman At Work series, will continue the conversation she began five years ago with Lady, You're Not a Man! Being an avid reader and inspirational speaker, she will also talk about books like Lifespan, The Body, The Balance Within, Factfulness and John Le Carre's works of fiction.

Apart from books, Purohit hopes to deep-dive into her vast pool of experience and knowledge as a leader. She will decode and discuss her success mantras in areas like communication skills and decision-making; here she hopes to throw light on key factors like making tough choices in difficult times and the balance required to manage all stakeholders. With the pandemic on everyone's minds and work from home a reality, viewers can look forward to hearing her thoughts on how the lockdown has been a learning curve, and the lessons we can all take from work-life integration from this challenging period. Log on to @LitliveMumbai on Instagram to catch the live session at 5 pm today.

Apurva Purohit

The vampire is coming back

So far we've heard Bella Swan's side of the story in the Twilight series. More than a decade since she wrote the first book in the series, author Stephenie Meyer has penned down Edward Cullen's version in the companion novel, Midnight Sun, which will hit stores in India in August. The book explores Edward's past, what meeting Bella meant to him, and his journey. "It feels strange to be making this announcement when the world is facing a pandemic, and no one really knows what's next. I seriously thought about delaying this announcement until things were back to normal; however, that felt wrong, considering how long those who are eager for this book have already waited. So, I hope this book gives my readers a little pleasure to anticipate and, after it arrives, a chance to live in an imaginary world for a while," said Meyer about her upcoming release.

A still from the movie Twilight, that is based on Meyer's series

When HC put a smile on Vir's face

Days after an advocate moved the Delhi High Court (HC) against Vir Das's Netflix show Hasmukh, claiming that it maligned the legal profession, the HC came to the stand-up comic's aid, observing that the essence of democracy is the liberty given to creative artistes. On Wednesday, Das welcomed the order dismissing the advocate's plea and said in a statement, "Yesterday, in the Delhi High Court, in the middle of the pandemic, there was a hearing. A hearing about my show where a fictitious comedian does jokes about a fictitious lawyer... As artistes we are taught to accept feedback humbly, and I do so knowing that my work always has, and will polarise people. But if we can accept that these actions go a little beyond feedback, I hope I've earned the right to respectfully respond." He added that having spent a decade trying to make people laugh, he knows that "comedy, of all genres, does more good than harm." "Offence is taken, not given. I humbly thank the High Court for its support," the comedian signed off.

Game for this discussion?

Why do we play games? What makes it "fun"? These are some of the questions that filmmaker and co-founder of new media laboratory Memesys, Anand Gandhi, and his friend and co-founder Zain Memon discuss in a video he posted on his YouTube channel on Wednesday. In the video, titled Games: A Natural Learning System, Gandhi and Memon talk about the "evolutionary function of games". "The video is part of a larger series of talks that address the self, the ecosystem and the future of humanity. One major subject that the series covers is human behaviour design through cinema and games. Two talks on these subjects have been released on the channel so far. There are more in the pipeline," Gandhi told this diarist.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday night amended its previous order and allowed reopening of standalone electronics and hardware shops in the city during the coronavirus-enforced lockdown. Civic commissioner Praveen Pardeshi said there was an urgent need to keep such shops open to some extent. "It has been observed that many essential and life- saving medical equipment, IT systems related to health systems and machines,vehicles are in a state of disrepair due to closing down of electronics and hardware shops.

"Hence, there was an urgent need to keep such shops open to some extent," read the BMC's amended order signed by Pardeshi. Pardeshi directed all assistant commissioners of wards to permit one standalone electronic and hardware shop on each road to remain open during the lockdown. According to BMC officials, in view of the order some electronics and hardware shops could be opened from Thursday.

On Tuesday night, Pardeshi, in an order, had directed closure of all non-essential services, including liquor shops, in the city.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

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

Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) secretary Sanjay Naik and three more members were booked by Bandra police for obstructing burial of a COVID-19 dead body in Muslim Kabaristan. The incident occurred on Tuesday when a dead body of a COVID-19 patient was taken to Naupada Kokani Kabarastan by Raza Academy members for burial. Naik claimed that he objected to the burial as members who had come with the dead body didn't have proper documents.

A few weeks ago, residents near Naupada Kokani Kabarastan objected burial of dead bodies who were COVID-19 patients. The matter went to Bombay High court which rejected the petition of the residents. The matter went to Supreme Court which redirected matter to High court and reportedly allowed burial in between.

The controversy upscaled on the night of May 5 when a 45-year-old died of Coronavirus in Jaslok Hospital. Raza Academy members who had been appointed to carry out the burial rushed to Naupada Kokani Kabaristan. "When we reached Kabaristan, we found that the BMC officials mentioned a Kabarastan of Bandra East, so the permission was changed to Bandra West in Konkani Kabarastan," said Sabir Nirban, member of Raza Academy. "But while burial was going on, Sanjay Naik came with some men opposing it", he said.

Sheikh Izaz Shamshuddin, resident of Bandra registered a complaint against Sanjay Naik, Muzaffar Zarif Khan, Yunus Muzaffar Khan, and Akbar Zarif Khan. 

"We tried to have a word with the men but they weren't listening. They told us about the court orders but we told them that orders are in favour of burial in this particular kabarastan, but they didn't listen to us. Cops came to spot and we finally decided to register a complaint at the Police station," said Shamshuddin.

Bandra police took cognizance of the matter and filed the offence under IPC section 341 (wrongful restraint), 269 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 270 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 34 (Common intention) and relevant sections of Epidemic Act 1897. 

Talking about the incident, Sanjay Naik said, "The people who had come with the dead body didn't have any proper permission. They buried the dead body even before we objected, some ran away when we came, it was all fishy. There were many people around hence we didn't create any ruckus." When asked about the offence, he said, "I am not aware of the offence, I wonder what offence they have registered against me". 

Nirban, one of the members of the task force formed by the government has requested the Police Commissioner to take stringent action against such trouble makers and make a precedent for others who cause undue hardships to people working for the society. "Special attention must be given for their protection to overcome this task. These dedicated workers are risking their lives for the society and we must pray for their health and support them morally in this noble cause," Nirban said. 

Swapna Mhatre, local corporator said, "There was some issue with permission of burial but it was resolved later. There is a sense of fear among residents as the burial ground is in the residential zone. I would suggest authorities to choose grounds which are away from residential zones."

DCP (Zone 9) Abhishek Trimukhe confirmed the registration of offence, "The offence has been registered and the investigation is on," he said. 

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

'Goodfather' is one of the biggest Hollywood cult classic of all times. The dialogues in the film are so popular that even Mumbai Police, being themselves, played around with words and used it in their latest post on Instagram, to share the importance of wearing masks.

In the post, the police department shared a meme with a still from the film and played around with its famous line, "I'll make him an offer he can't refuse' to 'I'm gonna offer him a mask he can't refuse.' In the captions, the police wrote, "Your enemy 'corona' always gets strong on 'the mask' you leave behind," with a striking hashtag #GodfathersOfSafety.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mumbai Police (@mumbaipolice) onMay 5, 2020 at 9:05pm PDT

The post, shared on Wednesday garnered 16,459 likes so far. One of the users who double tapped on the post was Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan, who seemed impressed by the creativity of the police department, just like the users who commenting on the post.

A user said, "Suddenly i can't remember what the original line was. Mumbai Police tum bohot acha kaam karta hai." Another user said, "Mumbai Police are now best police in the world... In making memes too!" One more user said, "These guys keep getting better day by day!!"

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

The Western Railway has worked intensively on the 2020 pre-monsoon works for Mumbai suburban railway while maintaining proper protocol of COVID-19.

A glimpse of some activities

Tree Trimming: Trimming of tree branches alongside the tracks is being done which are infringing with overhead wires in order to avoid tripping in monsoon. Till now total 158 trees have been trimmed.

Insulator Cleaning: Cleaning of insulators is a major precaution against flashing of the insulator during man soon showering. The fitting of the bridges were also checked where clearance are critical. This will help to avoid tripping in monsoon. Till now total 1,395 insulators have been cleaned.

Insulator cleaning on the left and checking of bridge fittings on the right

Bird Nest Removal: This is the season of bird breeding. The bird used to make nests in OHE structures. These nests are identified during foot patrolling and live line inspections and such identified bird nests are then removed from structures. Till now total 454 bird nests have been removed.

Bird gel: The non-toxic bird deterrent gel is also applied on overhead structures and cantilevers to prevent birds from landing on overhead structures thus avoiding the nests. During locked down bird gel at total 969 points have been applied.

Bird deterrent gel and applying gel below FOB

Cross over checking: Most of the suburban section is having unregulated overhead wires and due to temperature variation, the overhead wire of cross overs may get disturbed. To overcome this problem, all cross overs were checked hot line by tower wagon and 22 of them adjusted in power blocks.

During the lock down period despite availability of only 10-15% of the regular field staff it has been ensured that important works for monsoon preparation are going on as per target in suburban section of CCG-VR section

Sufficient number of point machines have been readied by signal workshop and kept as spare for replacement in case of monsoon flooding. Vulnerable signal boxes have been raised in flood prone areas. Staff have been continuously imparted training for monsoon drills.

Earth-resistance of Telecom installations of Churchgate-Virar Section are being checked and maintained at the desired level.

Routers, Switches, LAN Extenders, wire connections of UTS & PRS are being checked, cleaned & where there is wiring issue same is being replaced. Earth resistance of these equipment are also checked.

Testing & cleaning of Train Indicators for Suburban as well as Mail/Express trains, Public Address System is also being done.

Various equipment installed in Telecom OFC rooms of Churchgate-Virar section are also being cleaned. Checking & cleaning of different cards of these equipment are also in progress.

Power Plants for various Telecom equipment are also being maintained. Process of taking measurement of battery voltage, Charger voltage, AC supply voltage cleaning the connection terminals, cleaning battery-charger etc are in progress.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

A video purportedly showing bodies of COVID-19 victims lying unattended near coronavirus patients at a civic-run hospital here has surfaced, following which a BJP MLA hit out at the Shiv Sena-ruled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. Latching on to the video, BJP legislator Nitesh Rane said this shows the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) does not pay attention to the safety of patients.

The video purportedly showed some bodies lying near COVID-19 patients undergoing treatment at the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital in Sion area of Mumbai. Rane tagged the video in a tweet on the micro-blogging site on Wednesday night. "The Sion hospital has shown utmost negligence by letting COVID-19 patients sleep among the bodies of those who died of the same disease. The BMC boasts of being the richest civic body but pays no attention towards the safety of patients," the BJP leader said on Thursday.

He noted that the hospital in Sion mostly gets patients from Dharavi, the biggest slum area in the country. "Is this how we treat our working class? Such carelessness of the medical staff and the Sion hospital could result in further spread of coronavirus infection," he said. As the video stirred a controversy, the hospital's dean Dr Pramod Ingale said relatives of the those who died of COVID-19 are reluctant to take the bodies. "That is the reason why the bodies were kept there unattended. We have now removed the bodies and are probing the matter," he said.

Asked why the bodies were not shifted to a mortuary, Ingale said, "There are 15 slots in the hospitals mortuary of which 11 are already filled. If we shift all the bodies to the mortuary, it will be a problem for bodies of those who died of causes other than COVID-19." Till Wednesday, Mumbai reported 10,527 COVID-19 cases and 412 deaths.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

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

With monsoon around the corner, the Central Railway this week said its preparations to tackle the Mumbai rains were on full swing during this lockdown.

More than 15 excavators have been deployed along with more than 250 desilting labour for cleaning drain and culverts around the railway tracks. The desilting work is in full swing as never before in the past in Mumbai suburban because of the lockdown, which otherwise could never have been possible without implementing a block.

A senior official said three muck special trains are running on daily basis removing huge quantity of muck/ debris. Till now, in Mumbai suburban, around 70km drain cleaning and 42 culvert cleaning has been completed.

The first round of drain and culvert cleaning will be completed by May 15 and second round will be completed by June 15, said CR officials. As part of preparedness, loads of muck have been removed from the railway tracks, to ensure flooding does not take place on tracks during heavy rain days. The total muck disposed off so far via muck special and by road is 59,000 m3.

Coordination meetings are being conducted along with BMC authorities. Several new initiatives have been put in place by the Central Railway as part of the preparedness for monsoon this year. Culvert augmentation works is in progress at Kurla carshed and Wadala for the free flow of the stormwater to avoid flooding in flood prone areas.

In addition, an aerial survey over tracks is also conducted to ascertain the constraints for the free flow of the stormwater. Plan is to increase the number of pump to 110 heavy-duty diesel and electric pumps for fast drainage as compared to last year to ensure free flow of the stormwater so that the water is drained out quickly from the tracks and train operations are not disrupted.

During the monsoon period from June 1 to September 30, monsoon booklet for railway staff is also under preparation. The book will have the dates of the high tides to help the staff be on full alert mode on these particular days.

Rainfall will also be monitored in real-time through Automatic Rain Gauge System of civic authorities. So, all necessary precautions have already been taken and planned to avoid interruptions in the operations of the train during the monsoon season.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

The process of sending daily-wage labourers to their hometowns has started, with three trains leaving from Panvel carrying 3,600 people on board so far. But, the long-awaited exercise seems to have mocked all rules of social distancing. While most migrants themselves are unaware of why physical space is critical to maintain, the authorities took them to the railway station in packed buses or police vehicles.

Since last week two trains have left for Madhya Pradesh and one for Bihar. One of the special trains left for Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday night and around 1,200 workers were accommodated in it. The expenses were paid for by the MP government and the food was given to the migrants by local authorities. However, the buses and police vehicles in which they were brought to the station were fully packed. Some people even stood at the door as the seats were occupied. "Bhaiyya ab social distancing ka pata nahi. Bus humko ghar pahucha do. (We don't know what is social distancing. We only want to go home). We are in such trouble. We can't stay here for another day with kids as we don't have enough money to feed our family," said Devendra Saket, a daily wage worker who was brought in a bus with his child and wife from Uran.

'Paid for medical check-ups'

"These are very difficult days and we have been praying to God that no one should suffer like this. We don't have a single rupee in hand and are totally dependent on people and the government for food till we reach home. We were also charged R100 for a medical check-up," he added. Many of the migrants claimed they had to pay Rs 100 per person for medical check-ups which were done at the police stations before they left.

 One of the many buses going to Panvel station that was packed to capacity

Priti Saket, another migrant brought to Panvel from Uran in the same bus along with her husband and six-month-old daughter said, "We don't want to say anything to anyone. We just want our kids to be safe. At least we won't sleep hungry. We were stuck for a month we just want to go home," she said. Priti also said she was charged R100 for a medical check-up.

'Glad to go home'

"I was staying in Kamothe and was quarantined for 14 days and now brought to the station. My medical check-up was done free of cost. The only problem I faced here is food. But at least the government has realises our pain and is sending us back home," said Ankit Goyal, who belongs to Satna district of MP.

"I was trying to register myself since the day it was announced that trains will go from Panvel to MP. I got my medical check-up done, the police helped us in filling the forms and doing other formalities. The buses were fully packed with around 60-70 people, but we are happy that at least now we are going back home," said Prakash Saket, who was traveling to MP.

"Third train left from Panvel today early morning to Habibganj (MP) with 24 coaches and 1,200 passengers. MP Govt bore the ticket charges of passengers, food and water provided by the local authorities. A great team effort of police , railways and revenue Dept." The Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner, Sanjay Kumar, said in his official twitter handle on Thursday.

Asked about the migrants' claims of being charged for medical check-ups, he said they seem to have visited private clinics. "If it was done by private medical practitioners, we can't help," Kumar told mid-day.

Migrants wait to board a train at Panvel station on Wednesday

The authorities are facing several challenges on ground to send the migrants home. "The biggest challenge was issuing medical certificates. Hundreds of migrants have rushed to the police stations, hospital's and private clinics to get medical certificates, exposing themselves to the pandemic. The medical certificate wasn't required, people should have been screened at railway stations and allowed to go. The respective states should arrange isolation facilities for them there," said a senior government officer.

Collector shocked

The Collector of Raigad expressed shock that the migrants were taken to the station without regard for social distancing.

"It is extremely shocking if migrants were taken to railway station in fully packed buses and police vehicles without maintaining social distancing. There are clear guidelines to the administration about the transportation of migrants. I will look into it and ensure that this isn't repeated. We will give fresh instructions to the concerned department," said Nidhi Chaudhary, Collector, Raigad.

Chaudhary also said that a special train to Odisha has been cancelled on Thursday after the Orissa High court's order asked that all citizens re-entering the state had to have certificates specifically saying they were COVID-19 negative. At least 1,200 migrants were ready to leave on Thursday after completing all formalities including general medical check ups.

Around 1.5 lakh migrants stay in Raigad district, of these 66,000 have applied to leave the state. At least 14,000 passes have been issued to stranded tourists and others who are going by their private vehicles with only three persons in one vehicle as per the rules.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

What started as an effort to get treatment for his diabetic father suspected to have contracted COVID-19 soon turned into a horror story for a 29-year-old who discovered bodies wrapped in plastic on beds in Sion hospital's emergency and COVID-19 ward, while his breathless father was made to share the bed with other patients. A video of the man's experience on April 20 went viral on social media and BJP leader Nitesh Rane tweeted it late on Wednesday.

The video shows bodies wrapped in black-coloured plastic kept on beds right next to patients and their relatives in what is supposed to be a ward in Sion hospital, which has set up a committee to probe the matter.

Screenshot of video taken by kin showing wrapped bodies

The Chembur resident had taken his 63-year-old father to Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital (commonly known as Sion hospital) after he complained of fever and weakness. "My father was having difficulty breathing. I did not want to take him to a government hospital but I had no choice except to go to Sion hospital," he said.

At 1.30 pm at Sion hospital, the man was asked to take his father to the emergency ward. "After an X-ray, the doctor said my father has pneumonia and they were almost certain that he had COVID-19. They cleared a bed and asked him to lie on it. Soon, another woman was told to lie next to him and a senior citizen was told to sit near his feet," the man said. His father was given an oxygen mask to help him breathe.

The video went viral on social media on Wednesday and was tweeted by BJP leader Nitesh Rane

Just when the man was certain he did not want to keep his father at the hospital, he noticed a bed behind a curtain. A closer look revealed a body covered in plastic on the bed. "I was horrified and my father started to panic. The doctors kept saying that they will admit him and shift him to another ward but nothing was happening. Then, a friend of mine arranged a bed at Seven Hills Hospital," he said.

The man was asked to go to ward no. 5 — supposed to be a COVID-19 ward — to sign discharge papers. "Patients' relatives were inside with them in the ward, which is not allowed. I saw at least three beds with bodies piled on them and patients being treated right next to them. We had always heard about how bad government hospitals are. But I never imagined this," he said.

The man took his father to Seven Hills in an ambulance at 6.45 pm, where he is currently being treated and was taken off ventilator support on Wednesday.

Rane has also complained to Maharashtra's Governor and said the hospital has admitted the video is authentic. "The enquiry is pointless since the hospital is aware of what it is doing. This enquiry is a farce. Hospital authorities say that relatives are not collecting bodies and they have no idea about proper disposal of COVID-19 affected bodies. The state has failed to deal with the situation and the Centre should step in," said Rane. He added that the issue is arising from the lack of proper guidelines on the disposal of bodies of COVID-19 patients.

BJP leader Kirit Somaiya complained to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Thursday. "Currently, bodies are being wrapped in plastic due to the shortage of bags for disposal. Relatives and not ready to take the bodies due to which they are kept in the ward. I have asked ICMR to address this issue," he said.

'Enquiry to verify'

Dr Pramod Ingle, acting dean of Sion hospital said, "From the look of the tiles and hallway, it seems like Sion hospital. However, an inquiry will have to verify. A local committee of Sion hospital officials has been set up on Thursday and they have been given 24 hours to submit a report," said Dr Ingle.

Mayor Kishori Pednekar said that the bodies were accumulating since relatives of patients were delaying in collecting them.

"Relatives are not taking bodies. However, if they give permission, the corporation will dispose of the bodies. But now, the bodies will be stored outside the wards," she said.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news