Articles by Sabah Virani
Wood-based chimney smoke of bakery troubling residents in Madanpura
Shahid Shaikh, a resident of Mumbai, has been plagued by toxic smoke from a bakery chimney outside his house. Despite complaints, the BMC has failed to take action, leaving Shaikh to seal up his house at a cost of ₹1.5 lakh. The bakery owner claims switching to cleaner fuel would be expensive. Bakeries in Mumbai have been ordered to shift to cleaner fuels, but many continue to use wood and charcoal, contributing to air pollution. The BMC has promised to send a flying squad to the bakery to issue notices.
Updated on Dec 02, 2023 08:06 AM IST
Sabah Virani
8 hurt as four houses collapse after gas cylinder explosion in Chembur; 11 rescued
Gas cylinder explosion in Mumbai's Chembur area causes four chawl houses to collapse, injuring eight people. Two residents in critical condition.
Updated on Nov 30, 2023 06:40 AM IST
Sabah Virani
Once bewitching, Bandra Reclamation promenade is now falling apart
Senior citizens in Mumbai are facing hazardous conditions on the Bandra-Worli Sea Link Promenade due to broken pathways, dust, and trash. The promenade also lacks necessary facilities such as toilets. Watchmen employed to guard the area are also facing difficulties, including a lack of proper rooms and basic resources, as well as delayed salary payments. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Limited, which maintains the promenade, has stated that work to improve the situation has begun and will be completed in a month and a half.
Updated on Nov 29, 2023 07:42 AM IST
Sabah Virani
For Mumbai’s East Indians, singing competitions a way of preserving their culture
There are around 88 East Indian associations in Mumbai and surrounding areas like Vasai, Bhaindar, Uttan and Gorai, and almost every one of them holds a singing competition, or more
Updated on Nov 27, 2023 08:10 AM IST
Sabah Virani
Once a littered patch, Napean Greens to debut as hub for community events today
The transformation of the patch came about on account of a competition titled ‘Mumbai Street Labs’ held almost four years ago by the research non-profit World Resources Institute
Updated on Nov 26, 2023 06:42 AM IST
Sabah Virani
Amazon workers in Mumbai join countrywide protest
Amazon workers in Mumbai protested for a minimum wage of ₹25,000, abolition of targets, seating arrangements, and other benefits. The protest was part of a nationwide campaign organized by the Amazon India Workers Association. Around 50 workers participated, including gig workers from other companies. The workers expressed grievances about long hours, high targets, and lack of rest breaks. They also demanded regulations to prevent harassment of female employees and compensation for workplace accidents. Amazon India refuted the allegations, stating that they offer good pay and benefits.
Updated on Nov 25, 2023 08:10 AM IST
Sabah Virani
Fire in MHADA transit camp, eleven suffocate
Ninety-two-year-old Kamini Bane, who is hard of hearing, was woken at around 3.30 am to panic in her house. Fire alarms were blaring, smoke was fast filling the corridors of the building, and soon the electricity went out. Living on the fourth floor, she, her 70-year-old daughter, and her grandchildren needed a way out
Updated on Nov 24, 2023 08:46 AM IST
Sabah Virani
A fear of two families: Babies they cling on to are not theirs
The families have taken DNA tests to prove that the babies they are currently caring for are not their own.
Updated on Nov 22, 2023 08:50 AM IST
Sabah Virani
2 families, a shared anxiety: A fear their babies are swapped
While one of the families is on the cusp of getting to the truth on December 4, the other family faces a long-winded fight.
Updated on Nov 22, 2023 06:26 AM IST
Sabah Virani, mumbai
BMC receives 53 waste burning plaints in 9 days
53 grievances regarding burning waste have been registered with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's helpline number, with the highest number of complaints coming from the G North ward. The corporation is facing challenges in catching offenders and resolving the complaints.
Updated on Nov 21, 2023 07:36 AM IST
Sabah Virani
13 youngsters from the slums tell their story through art
Part of the Nazaria Art Collective, Alfisha and her classmates have been on an art-fuelled journey for the past 18 months. Their second exhibition, at the Kathiwada City House in Worli on Sunday, showcased their photography, zines, rap videos and short films
Updated on Nov 20, 2023 06:14 AM IST
Sabah Virani
Fellowship trains slum youth to fight for their right to basic services
18-year-old Varun Chandalia fought for water connections in Mumbai's Siddharth Nagar slum. Now, he's part of a fellowship to fight for basic services.
Updated on Nov 17, 2023 07:38 AM IST
Sabah Virani
Fire strikes residential and manufacturing units in Byculla West, goods scorched
The workers and fire officials on the site preliminarily estimated there were around four to five of the manufacturing units in the area, some of whom had two to three makeshift storeys and were roofed by iron sheets
Updated on Nov 16, 2023 07:52 AM IST
Sabah Virani
Crackers on Diwali drive sharp drop in air quality
PM2.5 concentrations reached 500 at six air quality index (AQI) monitoring stations – BKC, Byculla, Chembur, Kherwadi in Bandra East, Deonar, and Mindspace in Malad West
Updated on Nov 15, 2023 06:02 PM IST
Sabah Virani
580 BMC sanitation workers win case for job permanency after 24 years
After a fight of 24 years, this dismal situation looks like it might finally change. On November 8, the Bombay high court upheld an industrial court’s 2021 order recognising the 580 workers as permanent
Updated on Nov 13, 2023 05:42 AM IST
Sabah Virani
State govt brings in minimum legal size for 54 fish varieties
The state government of Maharashtra has set a minimum legal size for 54 commercially important fish species to ensure sustainable fishing practices. Fishermen caught selling or catching fish below the minimum size face a penalty of ₹1 lakh. Awareness campaigns will be conducted before penalties are applied.
Updated on Nov 11, 2023 07:36 AM IST
Sabah Virani, Mumbai
95-year-old woman dead after fire breaks out at her flat in Vile Parle
While the cause of the fire was not known yet, a fire brigade official said the electric wiring, electric installation, TV, refrigerator, wooden furniture, wooden doors, false ceiling, household articles, food articles, and more in the flat were burned to scorch
Updated on Nov 11, 2023 07:30 AM IST
Sabah Virani
As traffic woes grow, Bandra residents meet cops
This is easier said than done. Not many come forward to volunteer, Haridas Kiledar, police inspector, said. One of the few, Anita Lobo, a Bandra resident, who has been volunteering for 20 years. “I come across many people who pick fights with me, just because they don’t want to follow the rules,’ said Lobo. “My motivation to continue volunteering is to make people follow the rules and regulations. No one wants to do the work; they just have complaints”
Updated on Nov 10, 2023 08:16 AM IST
Sabah Virani
Toll waiver for Mulund’s Hari Om Nagar residents on the cards
Residents of Hari Om Nagar in Mulund, Mumbai may no longer have to pay toll to cross the plaza on the Eastern Express Highway, according to local MLA Mihir Kotecha. Kotecha met with deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation to begin the process of toll exemption for the residents. The residents have been fighting the issue for years and currently pay a discounted toll of ₹1,500 per quarter.
Updated on Nov 08, 2023 08:12 AM IST
Sabah Virani, Mumbai
Shivaji Park grabs eyeballs, while other areas choke
Lastly, the assistant commissioner of the G north ward, Prashant Sapkale, informed that a committee – including an expert from IIT or VJTI -- would be formed to investigate and arrive at a solution. After this is sanctioned by the municipal commissioner, tenders will be floated and work start after December 6
Updated on Nov 07, 2023 07:22 AM IST
Sabah Virani
Matharpacady residents fight for the old gaothan
The village is dominated by the East Indian Christians where residents have easy camaraderie given their shared history. “I know everyone here. People turn to me for help all the time,” she added, evident in the way people slipped into chit-chats after the sombre march
Updated on Nov 04, 2023 06:50 AM IST
Sabah Virani
Forest dept razes 123 slum tenements in Dahisar
The forest department in Mumbai has completed a three-day demolition drive in Dahisar's Ganpat Patil Nagar, razing 123 tenements on reserved forest land. The area was previously occupied by mangroves. The families who lived in the tenements are now homeless and struggling to find shelter and basic amenities. Environmentalists welcomed the demolition and hope that the mangroves will be restored in the area. The forest department is constructing a fence to prevent further encroachment.
Updated on Nov 03, 2023 08:30 AM IST
Sabah Virani
Anti-smog guns likely to be deployed only by May 2024
The Brihanmumbai Mumbai Corporation (BMC) announced the deployment of 30 anti-smog guns to tackle air pollution in Mumbai, but they will not be available until May 2024. Experts argue that the guns are a waste of resources and ineffective in reducing pollution.
Updated on Oct 31, 2023 06:36 AM IST
Sabah Virani
BMC issues stop work notice to builder for flouting air pollution guidelines
The guidelines, which were issued on October 25, 2023, include several measures that construction sites must take to minimise their impact on air quality.
Updated on Oct 30, 2023 11:58 AM IST
Sabah Virani
End of a long ride: Mumbai bids adieu to its last Premier Padmini
The Premier Padmini was introduced as a cab in Mumbai in 1964, and their numbers kept increasing till October 29, 2003.
Updated on Oct 30, 2023 06:58 AM IST
Sabah Virani
For want of a home, Goregaon fire survivors stuck in school
Another resident, Sanjay Chougule, who was the secretary of the building, claimed that the repair works of the building were going at a slow pace. The state of the structure was almost the same as it was three weeks ago, with the carcasses of the burnt vehicles still present in the parking lot and soot covering the walls in the building
Updated on Oct 28, 2023 07:06 AM IST
Sabah Virani
Good on paper, guidelines need proper implementation
Experts believe that the new air pollution guidelines in Mumbai are a step in the right direction, but implementation and enforcement will be key. They suggest that better monitoring, including video surveillance and technology to track pollution levels, is necessary. Some experts express doubt about the effectiveness of the guidelines, pointing out that similar measures in the past have not been properly implemented. They also highlight that the guidelines only address pollution from the construction sector and that other sources of pollution, such as vehicular emissions and burning of garbage, need to be addressed as well.
Updated on Oct 26, 2023 08:26 AM IST
Sabah Virani
87 sanitation workers wait for ₹6 lakh in arrears each from KDMC
Sanitation workers in Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation have been denied their rightful arrears and benefits, including minimum wage and bonuses. The workers are demanding what they are owed and have staged a protest. The municipal corporation has promised to submit a proposal of their demands within 10 days.
Updated on Oct 25, 2023 07:56 AM IST
Sabah Virani, Mumbai
They were assured houses in Dussehra, now hope for Diwali luck
Thousands of former mill workers in Mumbai are still waiting for the houses they were promised in 2016. Delays in paperwork, changes in government, and the repurposing of ready homes as quarantine centers due to COVID-19 have all contributed to the delay. The houses, which were supposed to be handed over on Dussehra, are now expected to be completed by November. However, many workers are skeptical and concerned about the prolonged wait and the deteriorated condition of the houses. MHADA, the housing authority, still needs to find land to build houses for the remaining beneficiaries.
Updated on Oct 25, 2023 07:42 AM IST
Sabah Virani
Frustrated by congested Akurli road, 11-year-old pens letter to MLA to fix traffic jams
Over 60 residents first met with the MLA Bhatkhalkar on Saturday, explaining the issue. This was followed by a meeting on Monday morning, with the MLA, the BMC’s ward officer, the ACP, and traffic in charge, Rane
Updated on Oct 24, 2023 08:40 AM IST
Sabah Virani