A man died after he fell into an uncovered drain near Kurla signal at Eastern Express Highway in Mumbai. The incident took place last night. The identity of the man is yet to be ascertained.

The locals in the area said that they had been facing problems because of the open drain since past few days.

One of the locals told ANI, "There are several uncovered manholes in the area. We had been complaining about this for a year."

The body has been shifted to the hospital for autopsy and probe has been initiated.

Maharashtra: Man died after falling in an uncovered manhole near Kurla signal at Eastern Express Highway last night. Identity of the man is yet to be ascertained. Locals say 'There are several uncovered manholes in the area. We had been complaining about this since a yr.' #Mumbai pic.twitter.com/Ak63VI2nNQ

— ANI (@ANI) June 23, 2018

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It was a buzzing Sunday on Day 2 of the plastic ban for shops across the state - not in terms of business, but with respect to the flurry of activity from the relentless raids by the respective civic bodies and the fines slapped on establishments found in possession of banned items.

On Day 2 of the ban on single-use plastic, BMC fined 72 shops of the 867 inspected establishments. Also, inspection report was issued to five shops for not paying fine. Most of this happened in Chembur and surrounding areas.

Vendors cover their carts with plastic sheets

On Sunday's action, Deputy Municipal Commissioner (special) Nidhi Choudhary tweeted, "Squads visited 867 establishments so far Banned Plastic found at 72 shops IR given to 5 (for not paying fine) Total plastic seized 591.67 kg Best thing is less than 10% were found with products under #PlasticBan. Most have complied to #PlasticBan Kudos to Mumbaikars (sic)".

Others use it for veggies, ban notwithstanding

In Pune, locals seemed to have made peace with the ban, as no protests were reported. While small-scale businesses did use plastic on the sly for rangoli and cut vegetables, most citizens were seen carrying cloth bags for shopping.

Fish sellers abandon their thermocol boxes in Dadar after the plastic ban comes into effect. Pics/Ashish Raje

Sunday saw no civic action in Pune, leading to a few, mainly meat shops, using plastic bags. Deputy chief of PMC Suresh Jagtap said, "Today [Sunday] being a holiday, we didn't conduct any raid; but tomorrow, we will go full throttle. We've appealed to citizens to hand over plastic in their homes to the respective ward office."
Inputs by Chaitraly Deshmukh

UN Women India launched a video campaign called #MujheHaqHai on Wednesday which emphasises the power and potential of women in today's world.

The video features a host of independent and courageous women, who have excelled in their respective spheres and mapped India globally. The video sends out a strong message for female empowerment to women all over India with the belief that they have an equal participation in all walks of life.

Apurva Purohit, the President of Jagran Group, is one of the prominent personalities featured in the video alongside the likes of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Mithali Raj and Sania Mirza, to name a few.

Apurva Purohit, President, Jagran Group

Apurva Purohit said, "It’s an absolute honour to be a part of this initiative by UN Women India. Any and every small step towards the empowerment of women and giving them their rightful place under the sun is the need of the hour today. We need more examples of women who are breaking barriers every day so that the girls tomorrow can rise and shine. While there is enough discourse on everything that is not right, this initiative is a beacon of hope, one that celebrates the struggles, dreams and aspirations of women who have emerged as winners. #MujheHaqHai is an ode to the undying spirit and grit of the woman of today."

At the launch event, mid-day online caught up with Nishtha Satyam (Deputy Representative UN Women India MCO), who stated that, "Through this event, we are trying to create a movement that is based on Human Rights, a movement that recognises women rights as Human Rights, where women exercise their voice and make choices without any fear or judgement, and shape their careers and lives. We are trying to create a movement based on women understanding their own rights as individuals."

Talking about the outcome, she added, "Women should realise their own potential and rights and be able to pursue their dreams without any inhibitions or fear of repercussions. That would be the grandest outcome from a movement like this."

At least five persons including a pedestrian were killed when a small chartered plane crashed in the thickly populated suburb of Ghatkopar in north-east Mumbai, officials said.

Eyewitnesses said the plane was seen hurtling down and crashed with a deafening roar before bursting into flames around 1.15 p.m. There were four people on board.

Rescue officials who rushed to the site said five bodies had been recovered from the crashed plane's wreckage. Out of five dead in chartered plane crash at under construction building in Ghatkopar charred bodies of 1 pilot, 1 female and 3 male have been recovered from the site. Some workers or pedestrians are also said to be dead, state BMC disaster cell.

A passerby in the vicinity of the crash was burnt fatally when some burning fuel from the aircraft fell on him, said an eyewitness who was among the first to reach the spot.

As per preliminary information, the aircraft was on a test flight and had taken off from the Juhu Airport minutes before it crashed.

The cause of the crash is not known. It occurred in an under construction building premises, averting what could have been a major disaster.

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With inputs from agencies

The eight-seater charter King C90 was on its first airworthiness test profile when it suddenly developed a major technical snag and crashed at an under-construction building in Ghatkopar West on Thursday afternoon. The aircraft was owned by the UP government and after it was involved in an accident some time ago, it was bought by UY Aviation (Pvt) Ltd, a three-year-old company, which rents out aircraft to ferry patients from all over the country, an insider told mid-day. The company had got the King C90 repaired by Indamer Aviation Private Ltd and, on Thursday, it was being taken on its first test flight.

"Around 1.08 pm, the ATC towers at Mumbai and Juhu both lost contact with the pilot and suddenly an SOS alert was sent out by the Air Traffic Control. Finally, it was learnt that the plane had crashed," said Juhu Aerodrome Director Ashok Kumar Verma. Verma said the aircraft took off from the Juhu runway a little after 12.20 pm as per ATC Juhu records. Pilot, Captain Pradeep Rajput, and co-pilot, Maria Zuberi (who had joined UY Aviation barely a month ago), were in constant touch with the Juhu ATC and later with the Mumbai main ATC as it passed through their radar. The charter was barely a mile from Juhu aerodrome, on its way back after completing the test flight, when it crashed. When asked if the aircraft was on a wrong flying line, as usually passenger flights pass through the airway used by the charter, Verma replied in the negative, stating that there was no air space violation and that the charter was on its own scheduled air space."

The investigating team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will be recording the statements of the ATC officers who were in dialogue with the pilots of the charter, which will be compared with the black box that has been recovered. Speaking to mid-day soon after landing in Mumbai from Delhi on Thursday evening, Captain Vinod MRSK, a former air force pilot, who is the Chief of Flight Safety at UY Aviation (Pvt) Ltd, clarified that the charter was still with Indamer Aviation Private Ltd (an aviation repair and maintenance organisation), and two of their engineers Manish Pandey and Surbhi, along with Rajput and Zuberi were to conduct the airworthiness test profile and had obtained necessary permissions from DGCA.

"The air profile testing was crucial as only then could UY Aviation have approached DGCA to complete other formalities to officially take the charter into its inventory. The charter was flying on a Non-Scheduled Operator's Permit (NSOP) for testing. At present UY Aviation has four charters, two in Mumbai and two in Delhi, and this eight-seater King C90, would have made it to its inventory in Mumbai," the insider said. Captain Vinod said, "I am here to assist Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) team under DGCA to understand the circumstances under which the accident happened. It is learnt that the crew was insured."

Also Read: Ghatkopar plane crash: Pilot's presence of mind saves hundreds

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It was a case of so near and yet not near enough for people at the disaster venue, a day after a plane crash shook the eastern suburb of Ghatkopar. An MTNL building at the mouth of this lane gives it its name — MTNL Galli. But now it has been temporarily rechristened as the 'plane crash galli' by the stream of curious visitors that poured in last afternoon.

A cop at the now-barricaded scene good-naturedly asked people to "get into a line and I will allow you to peek through the barricades. Only one minute per person," he grinned. Overhead, planes seemed to skim the buildings. "One day after the crash, every plane we see sends a jolt of fear through us," said someone, as Kalyan resident Jitendra Jaiswal, who works in Ghatkopar, made his way to the crash site. Jaiswal explained, "I keep coming back here, wondering how this could happen. There is still a sense of disbelief." Shakhawat Khan and Dinesh Yadav, both drivers (the latter drives a rickshaw), said, "The sound keeps echoing in our ears. We were eating snacks at a nearby restaurant and heard at least two-three blasts. The sound literally blew us off our chairs."

Policemen keep curious crowds at bay at the crash site. Pic/Sameer Markande

Thank God
A resident ambled to the site to see the progress of the clean-up. "I was in the car with my son at the wheel when we heard at least three blasts. Shaken, my son parked the car a few metres from this site. Everything was covered in black smoke. The smell of that smoke still lingers in my nostrils. No disrespect to the dead, but I cannot stop thanking God for sparing me," finished Pravin Shah.

Wing clip
Conversations in Gujarati dominated as one walked down the lane. Ankita Shah who lives nearby said, "I will never forget the thick, black smoke rising into the sky. It's my most enduring memory of this disaster." A number of people who claimed they witnessed the crash, insisted they saw the wing of the plane clip the pedestrian who died. A woman said dramatically, while others concurred, "one second the wing had clipped him and the next a charred body lay on the ground. It was the man," she stressed, while others agreed that they too saw a "wing clip the man. It was a wing," they shouted as some onlookers snorted in disbelief. Through the drama, an idli seller arrived putting down his wares and joining the queue to peer through the barricades. People shouted "idli, idli" while the cops shooed him off.

Mother-daughter duo of Naina (right) and Tanisha Gala point to an aircraft above them. Pics/Sameer Markande

Terrifying images
Naina Gala, MTNL lane resident, said, "I witnessed the blast and last night, the terrifying images — burnt bodies, fire, smoke and the wreckage came back to haunt me." Her daughter Tanisha said there were tons of questions from her classmates. Naina added, "I feel the pain of the pilots, the crew. They knew they were going to die, they sacrificed their lives to save all of us." Naina and Tanisha said the fire brigade, police and everyone was at the site within minutes. A local informed this reporter, "The birds in the sky were faster though. There were a huge number circling the crash site within minutes. They had smelt death in the air…" Yet another gent walked down the lane wearing a T-shirt with the prophetic lines: 'Your life is your story. Write well. Edit often'. As one exited the lane, one could not help thinking, this must rate as a very surprising twist in Ghatkopar's story.

5
No. of people dead in the plane crash

Pravin Shah (left) tells his story

Also Read: Ghatkopar plane crash: Doctors to use teeth to ID victims

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The last recorded conversation between ATC Mumbai and the King C90 pilots that crashed in Ghatkopar on Thursday was 'We are breaking off, we will report to Juhu ATC'. The air space where the call was recorded was the spot for an official switchover from ATC Mumbai to ATC Juhu. ATC Juhu then tried to reach out to the pilots and when there was no reply, they waited for some time before alerting ATC Mumbai, who found the plane had gone off their radar. They quickly alerted all agencies concerned. Highly-placed officials attached to the ATC Juhu said, "The last conversation was recorded when the aircraft was in the air approximate 10 miles [16km] away from Juhu Aerodrome and almost preparing for landing. Therefore, as routine practice, from Mumbai ATC, the pilot was being switched over to Juhu ATC at the technical point [where the accident happened]."

Juhu Aerodrome Director Ashok Kumar Verma confirmed the same and said, "The charter plane took off as per the schedule and was in the air for nearly 47 minutes. It covered the air test route flying from Juhu airport and headed towards Surat airspace and after successfully completing the circuit was returning to Juhu aerodrome when it met with the accident."

The wreckage at the crash site. Pic/Sameer Markande

When asked if visibility was an issue at the time of take-off from Juhu Aerodrome, Verma replied in the negative, stating, "Visibility was over 2,000 feet. We have allowed charters and helicopters to take off and land even at a visibility of 1,000 feet."
When asked if the DGCA had issued any fresh guidelines post the accident on Thursday, the official replied in the negative.
Meanwhile, Captain MRSK Vinod, a former Indian Air force pilot, who is the Chief of Flight Safety at UY Aviation (Pvt) Ltd, arrived in Mumbai on Thursday night and visited the crash site at Ghatkopar along with two members from the Aviation Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). They inspected the site and collected some material for investigation purposes.

Technical snag to blame?
Captain Vinod said, "We have got the required evidence, and whatever was collected by the police and other rescue teams, including the black box, has already been handed over to the AAIB team. We have also taken photographs, videographs and have also recorded statements of witnesses." Aviation experts have hinted that the aircraft may have developed a sudden technical snag in its engine or as the plane was in Instrument Landing System (ILS) mode, which allows the aircraft to continue operations in low visibility, it might have developed an issue, due to which the pilot may have lost direction or both, which could have led to the accident. Charter planes fly at a height of 4,000 to 5,000 feet and there is no parachute on board for any emergency. Captain Vinod preferred not to comment on the reason for the accident, saying investigation was underway.

Were pilots reluctant to fly?
On the allegation by family members of the deceased pilots that they were reluctant to fly the plane because of poor visibility, Captain Vinod said, "We are professionals and must understand that a DGCA-Approved Maintenance Organisation has cleared the plane for testing, which is why the pilots agreed to fly. If they had refused, the testing would immediately have been aborted as per procedure." An officer at Ghatkopar police station said, "We have cordoned off the area. As far as investigations are concerned, we are only completing the paper work by recording statements and ensuring that the right claimant gets the body for the last rituals. We have no role in the investigation."

Also Read: Ghatkopar plane crash: Lunch turns into a lucky hunch for other labourers on site

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The balcony portion of a ground-plus-three storey residential building came crashing down amid the heavy downpour in Kurla West on Sunday afternoon.

Although the building had been declared dilapidated by the BMC, a few residents continued to stay in it. While it was evacuated immediately, and no one was hurt, the incident sparked panic in the vicinity.

Around 2 pm, the balcony portion of Bhushan Bhavan on New Hall Road collapsed. "We received a call at 2:45pm and rushed two engines there. The debris was cleared and the building evacuated by our officials," said an official from the Mumbai Fire Brigade.

"The building was constructed in 1958. Till today, 14 to 15 tenants were residing in the building. The city civil court had issued a stay till the Technical Advisory Committee's (TAC) decision. An undertaking had been taken by court from the occupiers that they will stay at their risk and that the BMC and police will not be held responsible for any untoward incident," said Ajit Kumar Ambi, L ward officer.

There was also a scare of an abandoned under construction building collapsing in Thane. The ground-plus-four structure is at Panama Quarters near Bhagwati School in Thane West. According to the Thane Fire Brigade, they received a call from locals about the building coming down. "The construction had stopped some years back. For now, we have put up a caution notice in the compound. The security guard there has told us that he has informed the owners and some action will be taken tomorrow," said an official from the Thane Fire Brigade.

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Like all responsible parents, Aastha Pashte, 28, took her two-day-old baby to a clinic for vaccinations, never imagining that the life-saving injections could turn life-threatening. It was only three weeks later, when the infant developed a mysterious fever, that Aastha discovered that the clinic had forgotten a 2-cm needle inside her child's bottom.

It took a two-hour surgery to remove the foreign body at the Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Children. Once the child is discharged, the family is planning to sue the clinic that forgot the needle.

X-ray shows the needle dangerously close to the hip joint

Scans show needle
The baby boy, who is Aastha's first child, was born in perfect health on June 17. A couple of days later, the Chembur resident's family took the child to a local clinic for vaccination. Everything was normal until the 21st day after birth, when the infant became feverish. "When we took him to a private doctor, she thought it was the flu and prescribed some medicines. But when the baby didn't show any relief, we took him to Wadia hospital, where we were shocked to learn that there was a needle inside his buttock. Suddenly we realised why he cried every time we massaged oil on his buttocks," recalled Aastha, while talking to mid-day from the NICU.

Dr Minnie B

At first, the baby was diagnosed with osteomyelitis, an infection of the bone. But X-rays and CT scan showed a persistent shadow, indicating a foreign body. The parents then realised that it was the vaccination needle still stuck in their child's bottom, almost deep enough to graze the hip joint. On July 10, a surgery was performed to remove the needle. The baby is now stable and recovering in the neo-natal intensive care unit (NICU) at Wadia hospital.

Rare case
This was a first-of-its-kind case for the hospital. Dr Pradnya Bendre, paediatric surgeon at Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital, Parel, said, "The baby was taken for intra-operative surgery for removal of the foreign body. It was difficult to find the exact location; hence, multiple X-rays were taken. It took two hours to remove the needle under C-arm guidance localisations. The 2-cm needle was found embedded in the capsule of the left hip joint and the baby has recovered uneventfully without any complications."

"The needle had gone deep inside, and it was extremely challenging to perform the surgery on a newborn without making a big incision. Thankfully, the child was diagnosed without much delay. We want to highlight the issue so that such a blunder is not repeated in the future," said Dr Minnie Bodhanwala CEO Wadia Hospitals.

Also read: Mumbai: 1-month-old baby has narrow escape as maternity ward ceiling crumbles

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The Lodhs of Ghatkopar loathe Tata Power, because they received a Rs 27,000 power bill from the company in May. This was shocking for the family because the only people who reside in the 1BHK flat in Amrut Nagar are Kalidas Lodh, 76, and his wife Gopa, both of whom make use of only basic electrical appliances.

Kalidas, the owner of the flat, is a Navy veteran and has been following up the issue with the service provider since May with the help of his son Kaushik, who is visiting him from the USA. The family alleges their complaint of electricity theft has been ignored. They've switched to another service provider after the incident and were stunned to see their electricity bill for the month of June, which was only Rs 2,000.

Meter is fine
The Lodhs had been receiving odd electricity bills since June 2016. However, the May bill this year shocked the family, after which they finally complained to the service provider. "Their technical team visited our house to check the problem. But they kept saying that the meter is working fine and if there is any tampering done beyond the main meter, it is out of their control to check and verify it. They kept insisting that we should check it ourselves with help from another electrician.

Isn't it the responsibility of the electricity service providers to verify the theft?" asked Kaushik, who said their former electricity service provider completely shrugged off their responsibility.

Kaushik added, "In one of the visits, even their technician saw how the meter showed units being consumed even when the main electricity supply switch of the house was off. It only made our doubts of theft stronger. But shockingly, in their written report, there was no mention of this observation as they kept insisting the service provider has no control over tampering beyond the main supply point of the building." Kaushik also approached the police to complain about the theft, "But officers at the Parksite police station told me that the right platform for me to complain is the consumer forum and not the police." Vilas Jadhav, senior police inspector of Parksite police station remained unavailable for comment.

Tata Power says
Ranjit Ganguly, group head of customer relationship management, Tata Power said, "For the excess billing, we'd checked the functionality of the meter, which was intact. He'd installed a separate meter in his house; we checked that one as well and found it to be in sync with the main meter. The complainant suspected tampering through the wires going from the main meter to his house. Regulatory guidelines for service providers clearly state that any wiring beyond the point of supply, which is the main meter box, is in the purview of the consumer... So...Tata Power as a utility service provider is unable to help."

Also read: Mumbai: Inflated power bills continue to haunt 61-year-old widow

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It was the dead of night, but when Suraj Gavai, 28, heard his dog growling and whining outside the house, he couldn't resist checking on his pet. But when he opened the door, he found an entirely different animal staring at him — a leopard. The big cat sprang at Suraj and gouged his eye.

Suraj was rushed to hospital, where his condition is stable. Experts are calling the incident an 'accidental attack', as the leopard likely pounced out of fright. A camera trap was put up in the area and patrolling was boosted following the incident.

Suraj was found in a pool of blood by his mother, Baby. Pics/Datta Kumbhar

The incident took place at 2 am on Sunday, when the Gavai family was fast asleep in their room at Mulund's Rahul Nagar slum pocket. The area falls under the Tulsi Range of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), which is home to several leopards.

The spot outside the house where the dog was chained

Blood everywhere
Suraj woke up when he heard his Rottweiler yapping desperately outside the house, where it had been chained. Second after he opened the door to check on the dog, the leopard swiped at his face at him. His parents woke up to see him in pain and blood. They instantly raised the alarm and called Suraj's elder brother Jayesh, who lives nearby. "My wife and I quickly rushed there to see the doorsteps covered with blood. Suraj was in pain. We rushed him to the local hospital. While we are praying for his quick recovery, we are also frightened since the incident," said Jayesh.

Suraj was moved to KEM hospital due to the serious nature of his injuries. Having undergone a surgery on his right eye at the Parel hospital late on Sunday morning, he is currently under observation. The dog suffered a minor injury too, and was taken to a local vet hospital, where his condition is said to be stable.

Hospital report
"The patient was evaluated by ophthalmology, general surgery and plastic surgery departments. He has contused lacerated wounds (CLW) over the right lower eyelid and scalp. The plastic surgeon sutured the CLW in the plastic operation theatre; the wound was sutured too. In the wake of the patient feeling giddy after taking scalp sutures, we have admitted him. His condition is currently stable," said Dr Avinash Supe, dean, KEM hospital.

High leopard activity
Wildlife and human-leopard conflict experts told mid-day that a combination of factors contributed to Sunday's incident. Krishna Tiwari, founder of the Forest and Wildlife Conservation Society (FWCS), said that the area, with its proximity to SGNP, is prone to leopard activity.

"The area is often unkempt and leopards in search for food are frequent visitors. Upon hearing the dog bark, the man should not have opened the door to begin with," Tiwari added.

Nikit Surve, a leopard researcher from Mumbai said, "The leopard and the man caught each other by surprise. In distress and panic, the leopard attacked the man."

Pawan Sharma, honorary wildlife warden with the Forest Department, said, "Just last week, locals had reported a leopard sighting in the area. Citizens need to be vigilant and abide by the dos and don'ts listed by the authorities.

He added that following Sunday's incident, camera traps were installed in the area to track leopard movements. Patrolling is also going to be increased. Despite repeated attempts to contact Jitendra Ramgaonkar, deputy conservator of forest, he remained unavailable for comment.

Also Read: Mumbai: Forest department trains people from Thane society to deal with leopards

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A 54-year-old man on Monday attempted to commit suicide at Mumbai's Kurla railway station. The incident took place at around 1:30 pm when the man suddenly jumped off and lied on the railway track. 

The man was saved by Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel and other co-passengers.

The man said that he was fed up with family issues and which is why he tried to commit suicide. Later on, the man was handed over to his family after police verification.

Watch Video here

#WATCH: A man was saved by Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel & other passengers after he attempted to commit suicide at #Mumbai's Kurla railway station. (30.07.2018) (Source: CCTV) pic.twitter.com/6Yz5WB2Tsw

— ANI (@ANI) July 30, 2018

Edited by mid-day online desk with inputs from ANI

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

With eight murders in seven months, 10 attempt to murder cases and hundreds of incidents of assault, gangland has taken over Bhandup. Fed up with Bhandup police's inefficiency, the top brass shunted out Senior Police Inspector Shrinivas Panhale to the Local Arms division on Tuesday. Ramesh Khade has been posted as the new senior Inspector of the police station.

A week ago, Bhandup was rocked by the brutal murder of 17-year-old Sushil Verma. The Std XII student was killed by a group of teens right outside his college in broad daylight on July 26. While the cops arrested three suspects, the murder sparked a debate about inefficient policing.

Senior Police Inspector Shrinivas Panhale 

"We consistently told the cops about the situation turning from bad to worst in Bhandup, but they didn't pay any attention. This resulted in the murder of a 17-year-old, which could have avoided by increasing patrolling," said Ramesh Khanvilkar, Director of RK BEd College, Bhandup. "Due to the police's lethargy, addiction among youngsters in on the rise," he added.

A public meeting was organised on August 2 to discuss the rising crime. Politicians across parties urged the police to take action against Matka rackets active in Bhandup. Residents urged that rigorous policing is key to reducing the crime rate. Sanjay Dina Patil, ex-MP from the NCP, said, "Bhandup is becoming a den for drug peddlers; the police must act to prevent any future incidents."

More money and 'bhais'
The new senior PI now faces the challenge of cleaning up crime in the growing suburb. There are 15 lakh residents in this jurisdiction, a majority of whom live in illegal hutments. Two year ago, the police had started a special drive against gangsters, and found three gunny bags of swords in the forest on the hillside.

A policeman who had earlier served as a senior police at the Bhandup police station, said, "In Bhandup, there is a lot of SRA work, which has brought money to the area. This has become a catalyst for youngsters to turn gangsters. Increasing hutments on the hills makes it more difficult for cops to enter as well." "In such a situation, the police have to physically start patrolling the area, which will curb crime to some extent, and reduce the flow of narcotics — mainly ganja — in the pipeline area," the officer added.

Since last year…
Shrinivas Panhale had taken charge of the Bhandup police station on May 20, 2017, but couldn't manage to curb crime or drug flow. According to police statistics, last year, till August, not a single murder had been reported, while three cases of attempt to murder were filed. But this year, eight murders and 10 attempts to murder have been registered in the same period.

Murder central
July 26: Sushil Verma was killed by teen over an affair with a girl.
May 3: Birbal Gupta killed his wife Neha in front of their kids after an altercation over attending a wedding
April 24: Ganesh Padekar, 45, murdered a 30-year-old who had thrown garbage on him
March 25: Naresh Shetty, 27, out on bail, was murdered over a love affair
March 24: A 17-year-old stabbed Ramji Rajbhar, 27, when he objected to the minor blowing cigarette smoke on him
March 18: A vegetable vendor and his two sons were killed after a fight or where to set up their stall

Also Read: Sacked cop posed as policeman to extort money from couples at Aksa

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Earlier this year, while performing at a military training centre in south Kashmir's Pulwama district, singer Ameya Dabli recalls receiving a disturbing piece of news from the army chief Lt Ranbir Singh. Four terror attacks had taken place at a nearby hillock on the same day. The hill, as he soon learnt, was located less than a kilometre away from the centre.

"The chief said to me, 'Don't worry. We will protect you'. This one reassuring line was enough to allay our fears in that high tension zone," he says. Dabli and his team of musicians went on to deliver a power-packed two-hour performance regaling the audience with musical compositions of poems penned by Kabirdas, Guru Nanak, Amir Khusro and Tulsidas. "We didn't realise how those two hours flew by. You see, that's the power of music," he says. Since then, Dabli has performed at several other conflict regions of the country, including eight districts of Jammu and Kashmir, and four in the Northeast.

Singing for peace
It was three years ago that Dabli, a Bhandup resident, conceptualised Ekam Satt, which are essentially pro bono concerts curated for the Indian Armed Forces and civilians, in order to not just motivate jawans, but also bring peace. Born in a family of music lovers - his mother Anuradha Dabli is a trained classical and light music exponent - the 38-year-old was inducted into singing from the age of seven. "But, the idea to use music as a peace building tool was something that took shape during my last stint as the marketing head of Ronny and Zarina Screvwala's Swades Foundation. Here, I got the opportunity to interact with a lot of non-profits," he says.

Dabli, who holds a robust 15 years of corporate experience as marketing head with the Tata Group, HSBC and Citibank, now straddles a music career along with a venture where he mentors start-ups and NGOs to start their businesses. Till date, he has performed over 1,500 concerts across 15 countries. "Initially, it took us a good six months to curate the songs for Ekam Satt, because we wanted it to be a good blend of sufi, folk and contemporary music. We even got RS Mani, the music arranger of Veer Zaara to help us. But now, it's seamless," he says.

While Dable's pieces comprise the works of legendary poets such as Mirabai, Narsinh Mehta, Khwaja Garib Nawab and Tukaram, the songs are infused with peppy global music styles like hip hop, reggae and opera to make it livelier. "When we approached the Army headquarters in New Delhi with the concept, they loved it and immediately asked us to come on board," he says.

On the shaadi front
Interestingly, Dabli is also a sought-after name when it comes to weddings and sangeet and has performed at the glitzy wedding of Sasha Rawal - sister of Bollywood's leading fashion designer Kunal Rawal - and Samarth Bajaj, and very recently, the engagement of Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal. He has also organised gigs for Kumar Mangalam Birla, David and Lali Dhawan, Aditya Birla and Adi Godrej. "It's not the typical shaadi scene. My forte is the pheras, something that most people don't pay much attention to," he laughs. "I perform something called the signature wedding chants, where I don't just recite mantras, but also provide explanation of the vidhis or rituals," adds Dabli, who perfected his Sanskrit under the tutelage of his father, Professor PV Dabli, a scholar in the language.

Dabli says juggling his entrepreneurial venture with his musical endeavours does test his ability to multi-task. "Sometimes, I don't know which one to focus on more. But that's what happens when you love whatever you do equally," he smiles.

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Ghatkopar has some great food destinations for vegetarian patrons. So when Vedge XPRS, a new Quick-Service-Restaurant (QSR) opened its shutters at Ghatkopar's R-City Mall, we decided to check it out.

The Vedge XPRS offered a vast menu comprising the best of vegan food, including options for Jain guests.

Vedge XPRS serves some delicious quick bites ranging from soups, street food, pizzas, combos, shakes and much more

Humble beginnings…
We tucked ourselves into one corner of the food court and ordered some fries and signature nachos on the recommendation of manager Prathamesh. The Fully Loaded Nachos (Rs 265), their signature dish was crunchy with a generous amount of cheese topping, which made the dish a delight, especially for a nachos fan. The animal style fries (Rs 199) came next with five types of toppings - Peri Peri, Sriracha Mayo, Orange Garlic to name a few. Spoilt for choice, we opted for Jalapeño cheese. The potato fries were fried until lightly golden to make them crispy and topped with finely chopped Jalapenos.

Off coolers and pizzas
Next up, we tried our hands at Con Le Verdure Arrosto (Rs 285), a thin crust pizza. The piping hot 9-inch thin crust pizza was laden with loads of veggies and cheese. With every bite, the pizza just got crunchier and tastier. We surely recommend this one! The chilled coolers we ordered to compliment the pizzas arrived on our table. The Raw Mango (Rs 105) cooler was a soothing experience after our tryst with the fiery fries and nachos, while the Peach Ice Tea (Rs 185) was a refreshing twist. 

Choose from different combos on offer or opt for some authentic Indian street food, Chinese dumplings, and more to satiate one's hunger pangs

Dealing ‘In’ combos and pasta's
It was time for the main course and we opted for a Soup Noodle Combo (Rs 510) that consisted of Man chow soup and wok tossed noodles cooked in burnt chilli basil sauce. The generous portion good enough for two average eaters was served piping hot. We mopped up the dish quickly and went for a Penne Pasta (Rs 255) in a pink sauce. Along with the pink sauce twist, the outlet also offers two other funky options in pasta, cooked in white and red sauce.

We were put away by the colour of the dish and the taste of the pasta also did not meet up to our expectations. We would not recommend this variation of the Italian pasta.

Shaking with ‘Shakes’
We finished our meal on a 'sweet' note by going for their signature shake, the Chocolate Hazelnut (Rs 190) and an Oreo Cookies (Rs 185) shake from their ‘Shake It Up - Shakes’ section of the menu. 

You can even choose to have some chilled coolers and shakes as you shop till you drop at R City Mall in Ghatkopar (W)

Our view
The restaurant offers mouth-watering quick bites at affordable prices with a variety of choices ranging from soups, street food, pizzas, combos, shakes and other popular food items. If you are a foodie and love delicious vegetarian cuisines, then Vedge Xprs is a fabulous place to be.

Where: 3rd Floor, Food Court, R City Mall, LBS Marg, Ghatkopar West, Mumbai
Meal for two: Rs 600 to Rs 1,000
Alcohol served: No
Contact: 022 25175500

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The compound wall collapsed at Kurla railway station near platform no 1 at 9.45 am on Friday. The Central Railway is not affected and trains are running as per schedule. According to Dr. Poonam, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Bhabha hospital, 4 people suffered minor injuries.

The injured identified as Siraj (30), Lakhan Khatal (29), Laxman Patil (40) and Amir Kasin (58) are all stable.

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Close to a week after the September 7 Kurla wall collapse that injured four people, the notorious hawkers who played a part in causing it are back. mid-day observed this on a visit to the site of the incident outside the railway station on Thursday. All of the hawkers are sitting within 150 metres of the railway station, despite a 2017 Bombay High Court ban on the same. The Central Railway (CR) has alerted the BMC about their presence.

Local MLA Mangesh Kudalkar said, "The wall was leaning. I'd alerted the railways in June 2017 and done regular follow-ups, but the issue kept moving from one department to another. And then, this happened," he said. CR had held the hawkers partly responsible for the collapse, saying they'd drilled holes into the structure, thus weakening it. In addition to them, two old trees, whose roots got entangled in the concrete wall had also weakened it.

Railway officials said preliminary inquiry into the collapse had revealed that the wall had been damaged. "This wall is made of brick masonry. Hawkers used the outer face of this wall for hanging their goods on thick nails and hooks and weakened it. Moreover, there are two old peepal trees near this boundary wall. Some roots of these trees also entered this wall, which may have weakened it further. We've already begun work on building a new wall and have also spoken to BMC about the hawkers' issue," said a railway official. mid-day reached out to the civic body, but they remained unavailable.

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I guess it happens to everyone at some point," remarks Ranjeet Adkar about mid-life crisis. The 45-year-old mechanical engineer quit his corporate job to pursue his passion for photography in April this year, after working in the profession for two decades. And in May, he started PhotoWorks, an organisation that conducts photography workshops and walks, and provides basic and advanced training to enthusiasts.

a photograph of schoolchildren from the village

This Saturday, Adkare will be conducting a walk around the colourful Asalpha village, a locality situated in Ghatkopar, which has often been compared to Positano, a popular holiday destination and quaint cliff-side village on southern Italy's Amalfi Coast. But Asalpha wasn't always Positano. Some time ago, it was much like any other slum in Mumbai, morbid with its crumbling walls, and homes as weathered as a book left out in the rain for too long. In 2017, an NGO started a campaign inviting volunteers to re-imagine the village and together, they painted close to 175 walls in the area, as well as murals, transforming the erstwhile slum into a vibrant village, and thereby making it an automatic option for photography.

Ranjeet Adkar

Resounding this, Adkare tells us, "I think there are two reasons why Asalpha attracts people. Firstly, the community is extremely open-minded and welcoming unlike some other places where people tend to say,'Please don't take our photograph.' They are chatty and forthcoming, so it's a fun place to be in.

And secondly, from a photography point of view, it's a place that allows you to truly explore street photography."
Elaborating on why Asalpha is a fertile ground for camera addicts, he shares, "There are narrow lanes, so it is apt for wide-angle photographs. The colours are simply brilliant despite being worn out a little. Then there are children on their way back from schools who are eager to pose, as is the rest of the community. So it's great for candid portraits as well."

On: September 22, 8 am
At: Asalpha village, Ghatkopar West.
Log on to: thephoto.works
Cost: Rs 750

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An unidentified female commuter had a close call after she slipped and almost fell off a moving Mumbai local train. The commuter was standing on the edge of the footboard inside a Mumbai local when she lost her balance and almost fell off the train. However, alert commuters who was standing close managed to grab her hands and pulled her back inside the train to save her life. The entire incident was captured on mobile by a fellow commuter.

A Government Railway Police (GRP) official said that they were investigating the footage to ascertain the identity of the location and the commuters.

Watch video here...

The video has become viral after it was circulated on the social media. In the footage, the girl is seen leaning out of the train and adjusting her earphones when she suddenly loses balance and was about to fall off the train before being pulled back inside by alert fellow commuters.

Also Read: Watch Video: Youth Performs Death-Defying Stunt On Mumbai Local Train

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A 15-year-old girl's dead body was found at a chawl near Samaj Mandir hall at Antop Hill on Monday. According to police sources, they received a call informing about a suicide after which they immediately sent a team with forensics experts at the banquet hall where they found her hanging from a ceiling fan.

An officer said, "We have sent her body to Sion hospital for post-mortem. As of now, we have registered a case of accidental death (ADR). We have not noticed anything suspicious as of now. The post-mortem report will give a clear picture.

Further investigations are on.

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The street food stalls in Mulund have been the fodder for several viral social media videos for their cheese-laden fast food innovations. Although a delight for those who don't pinch the calories, there are hardly any rasta-fare options for non-vegetarians in the leafy suburb. But a trip to Mulund East can solve your greasy grub craving. A whiff of chicken being slow-roasted on rotisserie, and a large crowd waiting on most days, will guide your nose to EFC Shawarma on 90-feet road.

Run by Jayesh Vaity, whom you'll often see shredding chicken with long knives on busy nights, EFC Shawarma is known for their 'lamba' shawarmas (they offer a smaller size too, in both, vegetarian and chicken options). Their vast menu has other options for a full meal such as mutton dum biryani, tandoori kebabs, grilled sandwiches and burgers.

Their most hat-ke section on the menu, however, is chicken bhel, which in a way, is like a deconstructed shawarma. Made with thinly sliced roasted chicken, mayo, veggies, schezwan sauce, cheese and fries, the bhel comes in varieties such as plain and classic special chicken (R80 and R90), and classic cheese schezwan special chicken (R120). The cheese and mayo-laden chicken makes for a meaty meal, which we often use at home, too to fix a sandwich with toasted baguettes. A big draw among the locals, be ready to wait for your treat on busy days.

ON: 11.30 am to 2.30 pm and 5 pm to 11.30 pm
AT: Shop no 5, Center Point, 90 Feet Road, Mulund East.
CALL: 9867850843

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Two labourers were killed on Friday after falling from the eighth floor of an under-construction building here, a disaster control official said. The incident occurred when they were fitting window panes of the Shabari Park building, coming up opposite the RK Studios in Govandi suburb.

Suddenly they lost their balance and fell nearly 80 feet below, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation official said.

Other workers rushed them to the Shatabdi Hospital where they were pronounced dead.

It is not clear if they were wearing safety belts or whether a safety net was installed below to prevent such accidents.

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

A high court order has inadvertently turned the Dadar Parsi Colony into the Dadar Parking colony. Miffed with all kinds of taxis parking in its premises -after they were not allowed to park under the Khodadad flyover - and causing a 'great nuisance' to residents, the colony's residents wrote to the local police and the BMC in November, seeking an end to the issue. They have got no respite yet.

The Bombay High Court disallowed parking underneath flyovers in February 2016 because of security concerns. Because of that, cabbies have shifted from parking underneath the Khodadad Circle flyover to the Colony.

Cabbies have shifted from parking under the flyover to Dadar Parsi Colony

This has angered residents of the iconic community housing enclave in Dadar East, who first sent an anguished letter about their grievances to the Sion Police Station. The letter cited that private taxi aggregators, black and yellow cabs, and other cabs are parking in the colony, causing a, "great nuisance" to residents, especially those of Katrak, Firdoshi, Khareghat and Mancherji Joshi roads within the colony. Their letter went on to say that cabs are being parked haphazardly, blocking traffic within the colony and not giving its residents any space to park their cars.

Residents Darayus (who goes by his first name), Zarine Engineer, Dilly Dalal, Anjali Cooper, Zinobia Schroff, Sunita Davar and Nikhil Desai said, "The problem started after parking under flyovers was stopped by a High Court order. We appreciate this security measure, yet a majority the cabs that used to be parked under the Khodadad flyover have now made Dadar Parsi Colony their home. This has become a free parking spot."

Garden pardon
When mid-day visited the flyover, underneath which cabs used to be parked, it was clear of vehicles and shuttered from one side. The cab booking office though was functional.

A staffer sat at the ticket window for Mumbai-Pune cabs and said sarcastically, "Bageecha bana rahe hain, pareshaan kar diya." (A garden is being made here; we have been troubled because of no parking).

Said Dadar colony resident Dilly Dalal, "We have become a soft target because the community is so peaceful; we do not stoop to rowdy protests or resort to hooliganism." Instead, these Parsis believe in the power of the pen. Another letter was sent in November, to the BMC's assistant engineer of the waterworks department (F/North Ward), which encapsulated residents' arguments about cab parking bringing in social ills.

This letter read, "There is an illegal racket on at Katrak Road Junction. A flower merchant draws water illegally from a toilet meant for shopkeepers and then the cabs are cleaned." Residents pointed out the huge amount of cab washing makes the roads slippery, and has turned the place into "an illegal taxi stand." They stated that cab parking has a domino effect, "it leads to problems like drinking and other anti-social behaviour."

Residents said angrily that, "There is double and triple parking because of these cabs and we have been rendered helpless against this." Desai added, "Despite complaints, the system is not responding to the problem."

Locals were also in no mood to hum 'dil garden, garden ho gaya' when told that a beautiful garden is going to come up under the flyover, which they could access, pointing to at least 14 gardens within the colony itself. Cooper said, "Authorities should have found an alternate and viable parking space before shutting the parking underneath the flyover."

No solution
Amey Gole, the corporator for Dadar Parsi Colony, said he has had several meetings with residents, but nothing has come out of them. Gole added, "I am, in fact, in-charge of the garden coming up underneath the flyover. The design is almost complete; it looks like the streets of Paris."

Gole added, "Having said that, I do know the problems being caused by parked cabs, and have spoken to the police about these. The police though had a negative attitude and said they could not move the cabs out of the colony. Cops have to ensure the cabs move out, not the BMC. We do have other parking spaces in the area. All of this is extremely difficult as I have been repeatedly told there is no solution," finished Gole.

Also read: Mumbai: Construction noise leads to brawl at Dadar Parsi Colony

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By holding on to a tree branch, one-year-old Atharva Barkade survived what could have easily been a fatal fall. Atharva fell from the balcony of his fourth-floor home in Deonar on Thursday morning, after curiously crawling to the edge of it. Luckily, he escaped with a few bruises. Preliminary tests have not indicated any injuries, but he has been admitted in the ICU as a precautionary measure.

The Barkades reside on the fourth floor of Jay Gopi Krishna CHS at Deonar. Around 8:45 am on Thursday, Ajit, Atharva's father, was getting ready to go to work. At the other end of the house, Atharva's grandmother was going to the balcony attached to the living room to put out clothes to dry. Atharva crawled behind her and out of the balcony.

Crawling and falling
Just then, Ajit entered the living room and saw Atharva crawling out of the balcony and yelled when he saw his baby fall from it. "I was cooking when I heard Ajit shouting. All the family members rushed to the living room and he just kept pointing to the balcony," said Anjali, Atharva's aunt. "We all rushed to the ground floor and to our surprise, found Atharva crying and trying to stand up," added Anjali.

The fourth floor balcony from where Atharva fell. Pic/Rajesh Gupta

Ajit and Mangal, Atharva's parents, checked his body for injuries. They were able to only find bruises on his back. But they decided to go for a more professional assessment. "Without giving it a second thought, we rushed to the main road looking for an autorickshaw and took him to a private hospital in Chembur, where we were told that they don't have the facilities to admit a baby. Then, we took him to the Fortis Hospital in Mulund," said Mangal, Atharva's mother.

Admitted in ICU
Atharva has been admitted in the paediatric ICU and currently kept under observation for 48 hours. According to the family, the CT scan and other reports have not shown any internal bleeding. The Govandi Police have made an entry of the incident. They were alerted when Atharva was taken to the hospital. According to cops who examined the spot, "The baby must have fallen on a flexible tree branch and held it until he lost its grip and fell, which reduced his speed. Had he fallen directly on the ground, it could have been fatal." The cops suspect he gripped on the tree first as he was found holding a few leaves after he fell.

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Mumbai city suburbs of Tilak Nagar, located in Chembur faced another fire hazard on Wednesday evening. According to reports, building no 50, which is a multi-storey establishment which is located near Saraswati school caught fire. Four fire engines and water tankers were dispatched to the spot.

More details awaited.

Citizens took to social networking site Twitter quickly to react upon the fire in Tilak Nagar. Here's what some of them had to say.

Again fire outbreak in tilaknagar Chembur building no. 50. #chemburfire @MumbaiPolice @RidlrMUM

— Avantika Shukla (@avi_1801) January 9, 2019

And today another fire broke out in Tilak Nagar. There's absolute chaos due to the parking on roads in the colony. https://t.co/A22wLP1YnN

— Neenu (@kpophustle) January 9, 2019

Unbelievable how often this is happening. Tilak Nagar needs a revisit on fire safety norms!

— Chyrag (@chiragbshah) January 9, 2019

In a similar incident, a fire had broken out at Sadhana Industrial Estate near Mahindra Tower, Worli around 4.30 pm on December 29. Eight fire engines, two fire tenders, seven jumbo tankers were rushed to the spot. The ground-plus three-storey commercial structure was completely engulfed in smoke, said a fire official. Twelve firemen were rushed to the hospital, after they complained of suffocation.

A month ago, a deadly blaze at ESIC Kamgar Hospital at Marol in suburban Andheri had claimed six lives and left more than 30 injured. The building had neither a fire NOC nor occupation certificate. Ten fire tenders and 15 ambulances were rushed to the spot. The fire brigade officials said 147 people were rescued from the hospital, which includes patients as well as staff members.

Also Read: Tilak Nagar fire: Residents to take on MHADA, BMC

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A constable attached to MIDC police station was arrested on Saturday for raping a 20-year-old who was caught stealing chocolates from D-Mart in Powai. The accused, Madhukar Avhad, has been arrested by the Powai police for rape.

The Powai police said, on February 6, they received a call from the D-Mart staff informing them about a woman caught stealing 10 chocolates from the store. Avhad, who was on duty at the time, visited the mall and took a detailed note in writing from the woman that she would not repeat the act. Avhad then took her Aadhaar card details and phone number.

The next day, Avhad called to the woman telling her he would return her Aadhaar card and statement. He then took her to a hotel near Aarey Road saying he would return it to her there.

On reaching the hotel room, Avhad forced himself on her and even took a selfie on her phone. Avhad then refused to return her statement and Aadhaar card telling her to meet him again. On Saturday, the woman's husband saw the selfie on her phone and registered a case of rape against the constable at Powai police station.

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Wadala GRP arrested three persons from the same family for allegedly manhandling and molesting a women constable at GTB Railway station on Saturday morning. The constable was with a Ticket Checker when she caught a woman passenger who was travelling without a ticket in the First class compartment. All the three accused have been arrested.

The alleged incident occurred on Guru Teg Bahadur Railway station of Harbour line on Saturday morning. When a Ticket Checker was checking tickets on a platform when he stopped a 19-year-old Ekta Uppal, a teacher by profession. The checker found that Ekta was travelling without a valid ticket. The TC asked the woman constable present at the station to nab Ekta as she was not ready to pay the fine.

"The woman called her father and asked him to come to the railway station. Meanwhile, Ekta was repeatedly abusing constable. Constable called Senior Inspector of Wadala GRP Rajendra Pal, sending things can go bad," said a police officer. "Senior Inspector with cops reached the spot and asked what's the matter," the officer added.

"The passenger did not have a valid ticket and along with her father and brothers, were abusing constable too. When I tried to intervene they were not calming down. Their errant behavior didn't stop in spite of repeated warnings, therefore we booked all the three," said Rajendra Pal, Senior Inspector, Wadala GRP.

Police have arrested Ekta Uppal (19), Yashraj Uppal (19) and their father Tilakraj Uppal (52) under IPC 354 (Outraging women's modesty) and other relevant sections.

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When disciples of the late Odissi exponent Kelucharan Mohapatra speak of him, they never fail to quote a life lesson he imparted to them. "Practising hard makes you a good dancer. But the day you embrace humility is when you become an artiste," he would say. More than 1,200 km to the south, Chennai-based Aruna Sairam practises a different classical art form, but what ties the Padma Shri awardee to Carnatic music is the same bond of humility.

Born in Mumbai, she was introduced to the music tradition by her mother. Six decades and several accolades later — she received the Sangeetha Kalanidhi award by the Madras Music Academy in January — she remains open to new experiences to keep her music evolving. Back in the city for a concert this evening, caught up with the vocalist.
Edited excerpts from the interview.

How did your years in Mumbai shape you as an artiste?
I was brought up in Dadar Parsi Colony and went to the JB Vachha school. So, I lived in two happy worlds. One at home, where we spoke Tamil and my mother taught me Carnatic music. And one outside, where I enrolled for western music in school, took up Gujarati as a second language, and learnt Hindi and Marathi on the streets. We moved to Chennai in 2000 because that's the headquarters of the style of music I practise, but the cosmopolitan Bombay is what I am.

The first half of my concerts is dedicated to pure Carnatic music — something I learnt from my guru, Smt T Brinda. But I also sing abhangs in a Carnatic rendition. There are songs of Ganpati Visarjan, the hymn Vaishnav Jana To in folk Gujarati... in the last part.

You've also trained under international voice masters.
Since my school days, I had been introduced to the idea that in the West, they have techniques to hone your voice. So, when I felt I was finding it difficult to fully convey my emotions in my voice, I decided to train under them.

You have been performing since you were eight. What keeps you going?
I was in Jerusalem for a concert recently. I took the help of a professor there to learn a Hebrew song. When I sang it, people got emotional because they felt someone had taken the trouble to learn an important part of their culture. This sense of newness keeps me going.

ON Tonight, 7 pm
AT Fine Arts Cultural Centre, RC Marg, Chembur 
CALL 25222988

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A car caught fire on Monday morning just before Suman Nagar junction towards connecting SCLR towards Kurla affecting south-bound traffic.

@RidlrMUM can on fire on sclr near amar mahal entry pic.twitter.com/i9cwiHWbkp

— ghanesh shastri (@ghanesh13) February 18, 2019

The Mumbai police informed the control room and nearest mobile van for support.

#Fire on bridge connecting #SCLR towards Kurla avoid taking it. Use underpass at Amarmahal junction. #Mumbaitraffic @mumbaitraffic @MumbaiPolice pic.twitter.com/OlGWyZD0by

— Sachin Pukale (@spcores) February 18, 2019

It's Amar Mahal Bridge chembur. Kindly rectify. Heavy traffic on spot.

— ST (@Lady_Bheem) February 18, 2019

@RoadsOfMumbai @MirchiJeeturaaj pls note that there is slow bumper to bumber traffic on EEH from Ghatkopar to chembur Amarmahal and onwards...

— TheCritiC (@TheCritiic) February 18, 2019

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"Aye dil hai mushkil jeena yaha, zara bachke zara hatke yehe Mumbai meri jaan." We hum the song in our head, as we alight a train from the Ghatkopar Metro station. We are headed towards Chembur's Via Bombay. This is a city that grew from being a swampland that didn't interest the British East India Company to a bustling port city of the Empire, and eventually India's commercial centre. All of this is on our mind as we check out the menu that will circumnavigate its historic legacy.

We start with a paan pasand (Rs 340), an excellent pour of dark rum, betel leaf, mint, lime, gulkand and soda which is refreshing on the palate without being too sugary. We sip, and soak in its interiors, a green dress circle bar that is lit up and walls done up in frames of old newspaper scans.

From starters, we pick the baida pakoda (Rs 190) a deep-fried snack with a thick coat of gram flour. We wish the batter had been salted and spiced, for we have to resort to the green chutney for flavour. The Bombay duck rawa fry (Rs 275) on the other hand, is shallow fried and coated in semolina. The kick of desi masalas transports us to the streets of Bandra where Koli ladies selling the specialty. The Bhavnagri chillies (rs xx) taste good. It's stuffed with a coconut filling and served with a yummy side of peru dahi, which we feel deserves a special salute.

Baida pakoda

We wash it down with a Bombay gulab (Rs 320). After a fiery dish, the saccharine sweet drink helps, but the Rooh Afza and vodka jugalbandi sends our head into a tizzy. And not in a good way. For mains, we pick the mutton thali (R475), which comes with salad, gajar ka halwa, curd, mutton sukka and curry, daal and chapati. The dish is nowhere near the fare that's whipped up at its humble Maharashtrian counterparts scattered across the city.

(Clockwise from left on Thali) Salad, gajar, dudhi and beetroot halwa, curd, mutton sukka, mutton curry, daal and chapati

One spoonful of the dessert Amar Akbar Anthony (Rs 250), and we wish we had ordered it first. A delicious medley of gajaar, dudhi and beetroot halwa, the sweet treat is laden with ghee; just the way it should be. After all, unless you're calling yourself a health café, desi dishes ought to stick to their original recipes, never mind a dollop or two of extra fat.

Bombay gulaab

And though we loved the halwa, we leave the restaurant wishing the fare was a truer representation of asli Bombaywallah swaad.

AT Via Bombay, Jewel of Chembur, Chembur East 
TIME 12 pm to 3 pm; 7 pm to 11.30 pm
CALL 67099988

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Via Bombay didn't know we were there. The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for meals

In a yet another technical snag, the commuters travelling in Monorail had to face problem on Saturday evening after Monorail services were affected due to issue related to brakes. The technical snag developed between Bharat Petroleum and Mysore Colony stations.

Informing the glitch, on its official Twitter account, Mumbai Monorail said, "We are facing technical difficulties. Dear Mumbaikars, we apologize for the inconvenience. Our technical teams have reached the site and are working to restore the services at the earliest".

We are facing technical difficulties. Dear Mumbaikars, we apologize for the inconvenience.

— Mumbai Monorail (@monorail_mumbai) April 13, 2019

Our technical teams have reached the site and are working to restore the services at the earliest.

— Mumbai Monorail (@monorail_mumbai) April 13, 2019

Following the incident, the monorail was taken to Mysore colony monorail station where passengers were evacuated safely. The authorities plan to take the train to the depot using another train. 

According to authorities, the technical glitches has been attended and full services are expected to be restored in some time.

Skeletal services resumed.
Technical glitches being attended.
Full Services are expected to be restored in some time.

— Mumbai Monorail (@monorail_mumbai) April 13, 2019

More details are awaited.

This is the second incident Monorail has faced within a week. On Wednesday, Monorail was stuck mid-way towards Wadala depot affecting its services. After the passengers were evacuated, the monorail was being transported to the depot but it ceased to move mid-way. Another train was then used to push the monorail further. Since other trains could not use the same alignment, services were shut for about an hour.

The second phase of the Chembur-Wadala-Jacob Circle monorail was flagged off in March 2019.

Also Read: Mumbai: Garland wire glitch delays new Chembur-Wadala-Jacob Circle Monorail services

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A 27-year-old MBBS student committed suicide by jumping off from a high-rise in Thane on Saturday. She was rushed to the hospital, where the doctor declared her dead. The deceased was identified as Dr Shamista Som, daughter of dermatologist Dr Kaberi Som. Police have found a suicide note in which she spoke about the pressure she faced for the preparation of her MD exams.

Shamista was living with her parents on the 12th floor of Glory building in Everest Society at Kolshet. Sources revealed that in 2016, Shamista had completed her MBBS and was preparing for her MD. On Friday night, she had spoken of the stress related to the same with her parents.

Glory building in Everest Society. Pic/Rajesh S. Gupta

"According to the parents, they spoke at length with their daughter and tried to calm her. Afterwards, she told her parents she was going to study," an officer said. Around 5 AM on Saturday, the security guard found her lying in a pool of blood. She was rushed to the hospital, where she was declared dead on arrival.

To mid-day, AV Deshmukh, senior inspector at Koparbaudi police station, said, "We have found a suicide note written by the deceased. The reason behind the suicide seems to be depression. However, we have registered the death as an accident and are inquiring into the case."

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A 58-year-old man was arrested after 11 kg of charas (cannabis resin) was seized from him here in Maharashtra, police said Sunday. Acting on a tip-off, the anti-extortion cell of Thane police laid a trap and apprehended Azimuddin Ahmed Ansari at Kalyan town here on Saturday evening, police spokesperson Sukhada Narkar said in a release.

A search of his bag led to the recovery of nearly 11 kg of charas, worth around Rs 22 lakh, she said. Ansari, a resident of Siwan district in Bihar, had apparently got the contraband from Nepal, Narkar said. A probe was underway to ascertain as to whom he was planning to sell the contraband, she said, adding that the accused was booked under relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

In another incident, the Mumbai Police has effected a massive drugs haul, valued at Rs 1,000 crore and arrested four drug-peddlers, a top official said on Friday.

The Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) swooped on a car parked at Shastri Nagar, in Vile Parle and seized around 100 kg of the banned Fentanyl, which is said to be 50 times more powerful than heroin. According to ANC chief, DCP Shivdeep Lande, following a reliable tip-off to a policeman Santosh Bhalekar about delivery of Fentanyl, the ANC's Azad Maidan Unit laid a trap on Wednesday.

Four drug peddlers were caught with the drugs near the service road outside the Mumbai Airport in Vile Parle East, said Lande, of the biggest success notched by Mumbai Police so far. "We have seized 100 kg of the banned drugs. It is worth around Rs 10 crore/kg and the total seizure is worth around Rs 1,000 crore," Lande said.

The four accused arrested are -- Salim Ismail Dhola, 52 of Ghodapdev and Chandramani Matamani Tiwari, 41 of Kandivali, both in Mumbai, and Sandeep Indrajeet Tiwari and Ghanshyam Ramraj Saroj, both from Nala Sopara town in the adjacent Palghar district. According to the tip-off, Dhola and two others were expected to arrive at a spot in Vakola, Santacruz east around 8.30 p.m. with the drugs consignment which was reportedly being smuggled to a North American country.

The vehicle halted near a tree on the road where a fourth accomplice was already waiting near his scooter for half an hour. After exchanging pleasantries, one of the car occupants came out and handed over a blue coloured container to the man waiting outside. This was the opportune moment when the waiting ANC team struck and caught them red-handed. They also recovered three more blue containers full of the banned drugs from the vehicle.

Later, it was found to be the very high-priced Fentanyl drug, and a mere 25 gm is lethal enough to kill a man, police said. Considered a party drug, with around 20,000 overdose-related deaths in the US in 2016, Fentanyl is basically an anaesthetic medicine, but made illegally into a recreational drug, with a lethal mixture of heroin or cocaine.

On December 27, the accused were booked under relevant sections of the NDPS and IPC acts for the offences, and have been remanded to police custody till January 1, police said.

With inputs from PTI

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Abbas Irani alias Abbas Khan is all smiles in his wedding photographs; there's not a frown or worried line on his face to indicate that the wanted fugitive was at all worried about the police showing up to arrest him. And why would he be? Despite the fact that he was wanted in two separate cases under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), the city police had never bothered to arrest him.

It was no different at his grand wedding celebrations in Kalyan. The notorious conman and chain-snatcher celebrated for three days and got hitched amid much fanfare at his house in Ambivli. However, there was no sign of the police. It was the same in 2017, when he was released on bail after being arrested by the Delhi police. Neither the Mumbai police nor Thane cops bothered to take his custody upon his release, even though he had been wanted under MCOCA since 2016.

Modus operandi
While Abbas is notorious for chain-snatchings, his gang's most common modus operandi is to dupe women by posing as policemen. The gang members impersonate CBI or crime branch officers and target elderly or uneducated women. Claiming that a thief is on the loose, they ask the women to hand over their gold ornaments for safe-keeping and then disappear with the valuables.

Police records show that there are more than 100 cases registered against Abbas and his gang across the country, but somehow, the police can never seem to catch him. There are cases against him in Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, Pune, Bangalore, Kolkata, Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai. As many as 40 cases of theft are registered in Thane alone, and there are more than 30 in Delhi. Sources revealed that the Baroda police are also in pursuit of the crook for stealing a bike just before he headed back to Kalyan for his wedding.

Powerful crime family
Abbas took up crime following in the footsteps of his father, Amjad Irani alias Amjad Khan, who was arrested in 2015 for similar offences and was booked under MCOCA. Police records show that his uncle Ajij Khan is also wanted under MCOCA. A few years ago, Abbas's wedding was called off after the girl's family learned of his criminal background. On January 8, he finally got married amidst his family and fellow gang members.

Sources said that despite the high-profile wedding, Abbas is protected from police action by his family's connections. His gang members Jafar Gulam Hussain, Faisal Ali Yusuf Ali Shaikh, Ali Hasan, Firoj Irani serve as his lookouts. His mother claims she is a member of a powerful political party. The family and gang control a massive network of criminals who have spread out across the country. A senior officer from Mumbai police said only, "It is true, he is wanted in MCOCA cases."

100 Approx no. of cases against Abbas and gang

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A local court has sentenced a man from Mira Road in the district to one year jail for stalking and ca 16-year-old girl nearly six years ago. Special judge Kavita Shirbhate convicted Yogesh Borade, 33, on Friday and also slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on him.

He was held guilty under relevant sections of the IPC and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The incident had taken place late evening on March 18, 2013.

The girl was walking towards her home, when two persons on a two-wheeler waylaid her, prosecutor Rekha Hiwrale told the court. Borade, who was pillion riding, started troubling and abusing the minor.

Later, he got off the vehicle and started walking alongside her and also mildly pushed her, she said. Based on a complaint, the police had booked the accused and later arrested him.

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Three persons were arrested in Bhiwandi in Maharashtra's Thane district for allegedly raping a teenage girl several times, the police said Sunday.

Senior Inspector K D Jadhav of Shanti Nagar police station said the 14-year-old girl was acquainted with one of the accused, Jamil alias Bullan Vali Mohammad Khan (58) as she used to purchase cosmetics from his handcart. "Jamil along with others raped the girl on multiple occasions between June last year and January 9 this year.

She revealed her ordeal to her mother who filed a complaint on Friday," Jadhav said. He identified the others arrested, apart from Jamil, as Shahnavaz Khan (19) and Rizwan Khan (23), adding that a fourth person, Firoz Siddiqui, was wanted in the case.

"We have charged the accused under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. They have been remanded in police custody for six days," he informed.

In another incident, a teenage girl from Bompally village in Telangana's Peddapalli district has filed a rape case against her 24-year-old lover and his two friends, police said Sunday. Police have identified the main accused as Kotte Ranjith. A police officer said Ranjith allegedly maintained physical relations with the girl under the pretext of marrying her.

The officer said Ranjith's friends Methuku Satish (23) and Vykuntam (24) also allegedly raped the girl repeatedly in the last ten months, following which she became pregnant.

"The girl had delivered a stillborn foetus and asked Ranjith to marry her, but he refused and threatened her with dire consequences, following which the victim approached police," he said.

Police have registered an FIR against the trio under section 376 (D) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for gang rape and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. No arrest is made yet.

With inputs from PTI

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A large haul of weapons, including 170 guns, swords, machetes and knives, was found at the shop of a local BJP functionary in Dombivli, the police said on Wednesday. Dhananjay Kulkarni, deputy chief of BJP's Dombivli city unit in Thane district, from whose store the seizure was made, has been arrested, police said. The 170 weapons were found during a raid conducted by the Kalyan Crime Branch at Kulkarni's fashion accessories store in Tilak Nagar on Monday night, the police said. The cops added that he was arrested on Tuesday morning.

A local BJP leader said Kulkarni was the vice-president of the party's Dombivli unit. "Following a tip-off, the raid was conducted at Tapasya House of Fashion, which sells fashion accessories and cosmetics," a police officer said. "The weapons for sale included eight air guns, 10 swords, 38 press button knives, 25 choppers, nine kukris, nine guptis (bladed weapon concealed in a wooden case), five knives, three axes and a sickle," he added. "The seized weapons are collectively worth R1.86 lakh. The outlet has been operating for the past seven months," the officer said.

"Kulkarni had procured the arms from Crawford Market, and Punjab and Rajasthan," he added. The accused was on Tuesday produced before a local court, which remanded him in judicial custody, police said. The NCP has demanded an explanation from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over the arms seizure. State NCP President Jayant Patil said the incident revealed the manner in which the BJP wanted to rule."What kind of riots do the BJP want to incite by using these weapons?" he said.

170
No. of weapons recovered from the shop

Rs 1.86 lakh
Total worth of the weapons

Also Read: Bal Thackeray plotted to kill Sonu Nigam, says Nilesh Rane; Sena MP rubbishes claim

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Thane: A local court sentenced a man to three years rigorous imprisonment for abetting the suicide of his wife but acquitted his mother for lack of evidence in Maharashtra's Thane. District Judge RV Tamhanekar, in a recent order, also fined Bhiwandi-resident Sanjay Waghmare (26) Rs 7000.

Sanjay and his wife Priyanka had married in 2016 and there were frequent fights between the couple as well as the victim and her mother-in-law Jinsabai, said additional public prosecutor Sandhya Mhatre. After one such quarrel on August 30, 2017, Priyanka set herself ablaze, the APP said, adding that she died in a nearby hospital on September 4.

In his order, the judge said, "The accused has caused cruelty to the victim and his act was of such a nature as was likely to drive Priyanka to commit suicide". Sanjay was found guilty of the charges under sections 498A and 306 of the IPC, the APP said.

In a similar incident, the deposition of two minor siblings was considered as significant evidence by a Thane court which awarded five years imprisonment to their 45-year-old father for abetting the suicide of his wife. Assistant Sessions Judge S A Sinha held the accused, Sunil Martand Gaikwad, guilty under IPC sections 306 (abetment of suicide) and 498 A (cruelty) while pronouncing the punishment. The judge also imposed a fine of Rs 15,000 on him.

The prosecution told the court that Gaikwad, a resident of Gorsai village in Thane's Bhiwandi taluka, had married the victim, Vaishali, on May 27, 2005. The couple had a son and a daughter, aged 11 and 10 at present. As per the prosecution, the accused would come home late from work after consuming liquor and then fight with his wife. Fed up with the harassment, the woman hanged herself at her home on June 21, 2017, they said.

In their sworn statements in court, the couple's two children said their father would abuse and beat their mother after consuming liquor. They told the court that on the day of the incident, Gaikwad came home in an inebriated state and abused their mother following which the couple quarrelled. The children then went to sleep. The daughter woke up after some time and saw her mother hanging. She started crying and alerted her brother. On seeing the woman hanging, Gaikwad ran away from the house leaving the children alone, the siblings told the court.

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In a shocking incident, a man allegedly killed his wife on Tuesday over the suspicion of her having an extramarital affair. According to the police, the accused, Kumar Bhaoir (32), used to stay with his wife Veena in Murdagaon area in Uttan. On Tuesday morning, he entered his wife's office in Bhayandar West and allegedly stabbed her more than 16 times and fled from the spot. Later, he surrendered before the Bhayandar police stating that he killed his wife following frequent disputes between the two. 

The deceased was working at a Chartered Accountant’s office situated in Bhayander West. After the incident, she was immediately rushed to the local government hospital where she was declared dead by the doctors. The police have registered a case of murder and have arrested the husband. During the interrogation, they learnt that Kumar had filed a missing complaint of his wife Veena on January 2, 2019, after his wife left the house following an argument with him.

The couple was married for 14 years and had no kids. During the investigation, the Bhayandar police learnt that a missing complaint had been filed earlier this month but Veena returned back on January 10 and was living separately. Kumar doubted her character and thought she was having an extra material affair with another person. He tried to get in touch with her but was unsuccessful. 

On Tuesday, he learnt that she showed up at her workplace. At around 10:30 am, the accused showed up at Venkateshwara Cooperative Housing Society near Bhayandar station and initiated a conversation with her. Soon it turned into a heated argument and the accused, who was carrying a sharp knife, stabbed her multiple times until she fell to the ground. He then fled from the crime scene and went to the police station to surrender himself. Veena was rushed to the local government hospital by her colleagues where she was declared dead before admission. 

“We have booked and arrested Kumar under section 302 of IPC and will produce him before the court,” said police R. Jadhav, Police Inspector, Bhayandar police station.

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A group of protesters in Nalasopara blocked the railway tracks on Saturday morning to protest and rage out against the Pulwama terrorist attack in Kashmir that took lives of many CRPF soldiers.

Pic courtesy/mid-day Photo team


Pic courtesy/mid-day Photo team

The protesters went on to block the tracks at Nalasopara which obstructed the movement of plying trains in the area. Government Railway Police (GRP) and Railway Protection Force (RPF) are in the process of evacuating the protesters from the tracks to ensure smooth commuting again. The protest has affected the train services on the Western line.

Pic courtesy/Vinod Kumar Menon

Pic courtesy/Vinod Kumar Menon

Pic courtesy/mid-day Photo team

Pic courtesy/mid-day Photo team

The protesters along with some office-goers gathered in large numbers and raised slogans against the terrorists. Pulwama terror attack on February 14, 2019 was one of the deadliest terror attacks on security forces in the valley in over a decade. Over 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were martyred in Awantipora area of Kashmir on Thursday. The incident took place when a convoy of 2,547 CRPF personnel were travelling in 78 vehicles from the transit camp in Jammu and headed to Srinagar. 

Also Read: Maharashtra ticket collector suspended for raising pro-Pakistan slogan

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Eleven years since work began on the fifth and sixth railway lines between Diva and Thane, the project still awaits completion. Certain to miss its March 2019 deadline, the project across nine kilometres, has been facing several hurdles since its inception. mid-day took a walk along the stretch this week to get the ground report.

Rapid work at stations
Near Diva, on the line towards CSMT, space still needs to be created near the existing level-crossing for the new lines, and rails will have to be aligned to the old tracks. Slightly ahead, work of levelling land next to the mangroves is being done in patches while work on Mumbra station is being done at a rapid pace.

After Mumbra, the new line bypasses the existing line to cross over the creek and the highway with a rail-overbridge. The line from this point to the new Kalwa station is complete with work on the station under process. Between Kalwa and Thane, the major bridges have been completed, but work of building walls and levelling is still under process at certain places.

'Too many hurdles'
Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) officials said that there have been delays because of too many external hurdles and complications. "The alignment meant rehabilitating people, with the involvement of numerous state government bodies," a senior official said. An MRVC spokesperson said that the project should be completed in 2019 itself.

The 2008 project
The project, which was sanctioned in 2008 as part of MUTP 2B, is crucial for the Central Railway as it will segregate the outstation and local train rail corridors and thus decongest the line. It has already missed deadlines in December 2015 and December 2017.

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Motorists who travel from Mumbai to Thane are in for good news as the traffic of Mumbai city is going to unclog. With these bridges, motorists are likely to face fewer traffic problems in the city.

In order to beat the slow-moving traffic on Eastern Expressway, commuters can use the internal flyovers constructed over LBS Marg near Castle Mill and MG Road at Naupada.

Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray inaugurated the two bridges on Sunday which was built by MMRDA under intercity flyover project plan.

The time taken to exit the city using the new flyovers will be lesser as compared to the existing one, which is currently over clogged because of the movement of heavy vehicles and ongoing Metro and Kopri bridge widening work.

Noise and view barriers have been installed on the two newly inaugurated bridges.

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A Maharashtra government official was Thursday sentenced to 16 months rigorous imprisonment by a court in the neighbouring Raigad district for accepting a bribe.

Raigad Additional District Judge BC Kamble convicted Ashik Bharti, a deputy engineer with the Kharbhoomi Sarvekshan and Anveshan Department of Pen, under the Prevention of Corruption Act and fined him Rs 5,000, said a senior Anti-Corruption Bureau official.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (ACB) Mahesh Patil said Bharti had demanded Rs 5 lakh from a contractor to get his bills cleared. The contractor approached the ACB following which a trap was laid on November 6, 2015, and Bharti was nabbed while accepting Rs 1 lakh, Patil said.

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Four-year-old Mayank Patil, who underwent a liver transplant at Jupiter Hospital, Thane, was discharged on Thursday, after over a thousand donors from across India and overseas helped his family by contributing through crowd-funding platforms. Nearly R16.5 lakh was raised overnight through social media, after mid-day's story on Wednesday, 'Hellish health turn for Nashik family'.

The management of Jupiter Hospital had also extended support to the family. They waived off half the billing amount and stood by their quotation given to Mayank's father at the time of the transplant, Rs 15 lakh. The hospital was paid around Rs 18.45 lakh (Rs 16.50 collected from milaap, Rs 1.45 lakh from trusts and charitable institutions, and Rs 1 lakh from the Chief Minister's Fund).

"Unfortunately, in Mayank's case, his stay and treatment in the hospital prolonged due to certain complications. In all cases of post-operative complications in pediatric transplant patients, Jupiter Hospital, as a policy, waives off the amount incurred in the bill beyond the pre-fixed package cost. In an effort to relieve the family from any stress related to money, our team also raised a substantial amount through various foundations and trusts that the hospital was following up with," said the hospital spokesperson.

Mayank will have to go to Jupiter Hospital for regular check-ups. Pic/Sameer Markande

"We are grateful to the Good Samaritans who have generously donated and helped us in getting back the smile on the little child's face. The additional funds that have been collected through these funds, will be used for the medicines and follow-ups once Mayank goes home," added the hospital spokesperson.

Donations overnight
mid-day readers from Mumbai and overseas had contacted Harish Patil, Mayank's father, who directed them to the milaap portal (a crowd-funding platform), which had started an online campaign. The portal collected almost Rs 16.50 lakh overnight, donated by 1,142 Good Samaritans from India and overseas for Mayank. Anoj Viswanathan, president and co-founder milaap said, "The kindness of strangers was the miracle that saved Mayank's life. The entire amount of nearly R16.50 lakh was raised overnight through social media. It is extremely heartening how the world stepped forward to help the Patils."

Asked if people still can donate for Mayank, the portal spokesperson replied in the negative, stating, "Since we have already collected more than the required funds, the page will be paused for any further donations." Another crowd-funding portal, Ketto, collected R15,175 contributed by eight donors, which will be given to the parents soon. "This is one of the most amazing examples of how the community nowadays steps up to help families with financial problems," said Varun Sheth, CEO Ketto. Some Good Samaritans even visited Jupiter Hospital to give financial support to Harish. Rishi Gangoli, senior manager at ESPN, and his colleagues, contributed Rs 30,000, a cheque for which was handed to Harish.

Doctor overwhelmed, too
Dr Gaurav Chaubal, Chief Liver Transplant Surgeon at Jupiter Hospital said, "We have asked Mayank's parents to get him to hospital for a regular follow-up at least for next one month and have advised them to give him only home cooked food. I am also overwhelmed to see such an amazing number of people come forward overnight to help the cause."

'Every paisa for Mayank'
Both Harish, 35, and Jyoti, 29, Mayank's parents, are overwhelmed with the financial support that they received. "We had only heard that Mumbaikars have a heart that cares. We are grateful to every donor who opened his/her heart for my Mayank. We will always be indebted to them," said an emotional Harish.

Harish also thanked this newspaper for highlighting Mayank's case. When it was suggested that he could get Jyoti's reconstructive surgery performed through these funds, Harish responded firmly saying, "This money has come from people who have read about my son's health condition. I will ensure that every paisa is only used for his treatment. I will work hard and raise funds for my wife's surgery." He has rented a place in Ulhasnagar at Rs 3,500 a month, to take Mayank to the hospital for regular check ups.

1,142
No. of donors who came forward to help Mayank

Rs 18.45 lakh
Entire amount donated by Good Samaritans, trusts, charitable institutions and the CM's fund

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A 32-year-old woman clerk of a school in Thane district of Maharashtra has been booked for allegedly misappropriating students' fee to the tune of nearly Rs 6 lakh, police said on Tuesday. According to a complaint filed by the private school's management, the accused, a resident of Dombivli town, allegedly deleted receipts from the institution's accounting software of fees collected by her from 61 students between January and December 2018, a police spokesperson said.

Based on the complaint, the police on Monday booked the accused under IPC Sections 408 (criminal breach of trust), 420, (cheating) and 468 (forgery), the official said. No arrest was made so far, the police said, adding that a probe was underway in the case.

In another incident, a 22-year-old man was arrested from Jharkhand for allegedly cheating an 'Indian Idol' participant of Rs 1.7 lakh on the pretext of debit card verification by posing as a bank executive, police said.

The accused, Rajkumar Jaynarayan Mandal, was arrested by the Sion police with the help of Cyber Cell of the Mumbai police, an official said. Mandal had phoned Avanti Patel (23), who participated in the singing reality show 'Indian Idol' last year, and her sister posing as an executive of a public sector bank, he said.

While talking to them, the accused obtained their bank details and debit card passwords. He then fraudulently withdrew Rs 1.7 lakh from Patel's and her sister's accounts and transferred the money to other bank accounts and Paytm, a digital wallet, he said.

The incident came to light when the singer realised that she has been cheated and lodged a complaint with the Sion police, the official said. During the investigation, the police traced the phone call to Jharkhand and also got details of the accounts in which the siphoned off money was deposited, he said. A police team went to Jharkhand and apprehended the accused from there, he said.

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A group of 22 people from Mumbai and Thane district went for a picnic at Tandulwadi Fort in Palghar district where they lost their way out of the jungle in the dark. They called up the police control for help and the local Safale police of Palghar district rushed to their rescue and escorted them out safely.

According to the Safale police sources, "A group of 22 people from Mumbai and Thane district visited Tandulwadi Fort situated in Safale Palghar district for a trek on Saturday where they decided to walk through the jungle around 7:30 pm but after sunset, they lost their way out of the jungle.

Fearing of being lost, they contacted the police control for help and senior inspector Sandeep Sanap from Safale police station despatched a team of officers to their rescue. Constable SU Solkhe, SB Bhavar, NL Dhongde reached the spot at around 9 pm and rescued the group. Their respective parents were contacted after which they were returned home safely," said Hemant Katkar PRO of Palghar district police.

Also Read: Six rescued, one missing as tugboat capsizes off Mumbai

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A day before the tournament, the engineer came to the ground and said, 'Let's clear this ground so that they can have a kick-about.' I told him that football is not just about kicking a ball, it is about playing a sport. Then the contractor started laughing. His job is not to laugh at us. And what was he trying to get at by laughing? That we can't achieve anything?'" Salma Ansari tells us, about the jibes they encountered before organising the most important event of Parcham, an NGO she co-founded, last Sunday. Ansari's organisation is a Mumbra-based women's collective that works extensively with marginalised communities.

The ground the engineer was referring to is an empty plot adjacent to Mumbra's Maulana Azad Stadium. It is a space that Parcham fought for, to build a safe space for women where they can exercise their right to play. When we arrive at Mumbra's MM Valley, where the ground is located, four members of the NGO are ready to get the ball rolling in their sports shoes and black jerseys. Workers and tractors are busy clearing out the rubble from the space and levelling the ground with laal mitti. "People asked us, 'Yeh kaisa ground hai? Stadium ki tarah nahi hai.' But we knew why it is important for us to play here and once we did, not a single person cared about the state it was in," Muskaan Sayed, 20, tells us.

A day after receiving the petty comments, Ansari and her team organised and inaugurated the first women's-only Fatema Bi Savitri Bai Football Tournament in the playground meant solely for women. It was in 2012 that Parcham first collaborated with the Maharashtra Mahila Parishad, who helped them practise football in a small ground near Shankar Mandir. "But after some time, we noticed that boys would come there, play cricket, throw balls around and just not move. Then we started a campaign to get a separate ground and gathered 900 signatures from women all over Mumbra. We then took it to our MLA, Jitendra Awhad. The processing took about a year before everything was finalised on paper, and we finally got this five-acre space which is listed as a recreational ground in the Development Plan. We applied for a special reservation for girls and women through the Thane Municipal Corporation," Ansari says.

Work is scheduled to be completed by May 1, when the ground's management will be handed over to the NGO. "It is the first ground in India that will be only for women. We want to provide facilities for football and basketball. We will also make arrangements for security, washrooms, changing rooms and a gymnasium," Awhad of NCP shares, though when we ask him about the funds that have been allocated for this project, the MLA doesn't comment.

Parcham has been instrumental in introducing football to Mumbra. There was no trace of the game before 2012. With their own academy comprising 20 members, the NGO has been in talks with the Western India Football Association for training.

The ground, Awhad has said, will be called Fatima Savitri Stadium. But the women have suggested naming it Fatima Bi Savitri Bai Stadium. "That's because Fatima and Savitri can be anyone's name. When you add the 'Bi' and 'Bai', only then do you recall history — which also tells you that these two [eminent educators] were friends. We want to celebrate their friendship," Ansari says, with Sayed adding, "We also want the religious divide to end. This name itself is impactful. If in the past, they could be friends, then why is there so much hatred now? We don't want to just play football; we want to overcome all of this one in one shot."

Although the collective will primarily focus on football, the space is open to women and girls to play and hang out in. Ansari adds, "That being said, general spaces that are open to both men and women should not be ignored, and we will practise there, too. This ground, though, is for those whose parents tell their daughters, 'Tu logon ke saamne jaa kar khelegi? Mat jaa'."

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When we watched Chennai-born American artist Sid Sriram perform his album, Entropy, in the city a few months ago, we didn't know what to expect. We hadn't heard of the artist, and we thought he was going to perform what has been come to be loosely referred to as "fusion". But the show, replete with trippy visuals, was an experience that combined Indian classical and his alternative music aesthetic quite seamlessly. "I think this album is pretty unique in how organically the different influences have all come together. It's a journey filled with energy."

When we ask him what he would say if he had to describe his music to someone who has never heard it before, he explains, "My music is very visual. I'm a huge Jackson Pollock [an American artist known to be of the pioneers of the abstract expressionist movement] fan, and I think the best way to describe my music would be some kind of a sonic parallel to his visual work. It's a cross section where pop/soul, my Carnatic roots and ambient/lo-fi electronic music clash together."

But what is the starting point to create such "fusion"? "The starting point is always an emotional trigger. Once I get that hook, I turn my mind off and channel whatever waves are moving through me. I've learned to get out of my own way and let the universe do its thing."

WHERE: The Habitat, 4th floor, (Hotel Unicontinental), Road Number 3, Khar West
WHEN: February 23, 9 pm
COST: R500
LOG ON TO: insider.in

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We believe that the most important lesson our generation has learnt is that basic is good; enough for fashion labels to have a sub-category of basic apparel and Instagram to source gifs and stickers that say "basic". This (should) transcend to food as well, because at the end of the day, nothing beats sasta and tikau. And so, Kalina's Chindian eatery, King Chilli, has risen above the glitzy culinary offerings of BKC that are high on the glam quotient but not easy on the pocket.

We have been ordering in from what is easily one of the neighbourhood's favourite haunts for months. But a week ago, we learnt that it has launched in a new avatar with a larger dining area not far from the space it started in five years ago. So, on a Sunday night, we finally step out to pay the place a visit.

At the corner of St Mary's Chowk, a brand new shade covers the space. Potted plants line the shack-like eatery and a tawdry magenta curtain, which we identify — having spotted hawkers selling it for '150 at the roadside Monday market — serves as the door. Inside, chairs and tables that evoke the memory of Nilkamal furniture makes for the seating space, along with three booths with slightly plusher sofas that offer some privacy but are rickety all the same.

We join a queue that comprises Catholic aunties in their Sunday frocks and roadside Romeos in their Gully-Boy-inspired garb waiting outside the restaurant. The crowd is substantial, but fast moving, so we get a table in five minutes.

Tom yum

Our partner, who is whining about a sore throat, calls for a tom yum soup (Rs 139) while we order the crackling spinach chicken (Rs 285) and kung pao potato (Rs 174) to begin with, and a chicken in chilly oyster sauce (Rs 295), veg pad Thai noodles (Rs 190) and chicken North East pot rice (Rs 249) for the mains.

Kung pao potato

We find how nothing about the tom yum soup being Thai cute: adrak replaces galangal, nimbu takes the place of kaffir lime and its identifiable piquant broth-y flavour has transformed into a chatpata and fiery soup with a strong kick of spice. The addition of finely chopped dhaniya is equally endearing. Tom yum or not, it works. The chicken appetiser is enjoyable in that the meat itself is juicy and hot. The crackling spinach that it comes with is nice, too, but perhaps could have been elevated with a stronger dose of garlic. We relish the kung pao potatoes and find the use of wedges quite cool: it adds a certain girth to the dish. The lightly toasted whole cashews lend a mild sweetness, marrying the dish with its inherent tanginess.

Chicken in oyster chilli sauce 

The pot rice has a smoky hotness that is likely to have come from the overuse of chilli powder. This dish leaves two out of the four people at the table gasping for breath. We are still undecided about the preparation and could only safely say that we did not hate it. The pad thai noodles are a slight let-down having been overcooked this time. However, the chicken in oyster chilly sauce, a staple for us from the eatery, helps liven up the noodles.

We eat quickly despite the shortcomings of the mains and that's where King Chilli actually passes the test. It's the kind of eatery that may have a few botch-ups, but will remain the go-to place (as is evident from the queue even as we leave the restaurant an hour and a half later) for Kalina's humble diners, including us. What we mean is, where else could we have afforded an end-of-the-month double date for a total cost of Rs 1,522 and take home doggy bags? Only a sasta and tikau place, right?

TIME 11.30 am to 3.30 pm; 7 pm to 11.30 pm
AT King Chilli, near St Mary's Chowk, Kalina, Santacruz East.
CALL 9833487217

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King Chilli didn't know we were there. The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for meals

Fancy cycling to the beautiful beaches of Gorai? Want to pedal away on roads lined with mangrove trees before you park your bike in front of sea-facing rocks? Then sign up for an event called Cycling- The Adventurous Islands of Mumbai. And apart from the exercise you get, you can also take in sights like the Golbal Vipassana Pagoda and Uttam Lighthouse.

ON March 3, 6 am to 1 pm
MEET AT Borivali Biryani Centre, Shimpoli Chikuwadi, Borivali West 
CALL 9833376765
Cost Rs 2,500 (for rented cycles)

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