Articles by Sabah Virani
Fire in Santacruz East hotel kills three
The victims were Indigo Airlines passengers on their way to Nairobi, who were put up at the hotel by the airline because their flight was delayed

Updated on Aug 28, 2023 12:37 AM IST
Gym trainer beats the odds to make it to international powerlifting championship
While he trains rigorously for two and a half hours a day for five days a week for the upcoming battle, he is fighting another battle: with Crohn’s disease, a type of inflammatory bowel disease

Updated on Aug 22, 2023 12:22 AM IST
Chandivali residents go on hunger strike for 90 feet road
Residents of Chandivali in Mumbai went on a hunger strike to demand better roads. They currently spend 45 minutes to an hour to traverse a 15-minute road to get to Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road. The planned 90 feet road, which would ease their struggles, remains incomplete. The residents are demanding the completion of the road and a specific timeline for the construction plan. Despite a protest in February and promises from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, no progress has been made. The residents are frustrated with the lack of attention from their representatives and plan to continue their fight.

Updated on Aug 21, 2023 12:24 AM IST
16 months on, family of manual scavenging victim gets compensation
21-year-old Suraj Raju Madhve’s family on Thursday received ₹10 lakh compensation from the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) as mandated under the Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013

Updated on Aug 19, 2023 12:44 AM IST
Dead rest uneasy as graveyards run out of space
In a space-jammed city and suburbs, the pattern of opening and closing did not work for a graveyard – the existing body had not fully decomposed.

Updated on Aug 17, 2023 12:50 AM IST
BMC appoints committee to probe amputation of two-month-old baby’s hand at KEM
The four-member internal committee comprises Dr Harish Pathak, academic dean and head of the forensic medicine department, Dr Mohan Desai, professor and head of the orthopaedic department, Dr Sunil Karande, professor and head of the paediatric department and Dr Anjali Rajadhaksha, professor, medicine department

Updated on Aug 12, 2023 11:27 PM IST
Lack of space prompts reopening of graveyards in Govandi
The graveyards had been shut due to bodies turning up in a partially decomposed state even after the minimum required time for decomposition stipulated by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Even though the same continues, lack of grave space has prompted this action.

Updated on Aug 11, 2023 12:59 AM IST
Promised SRA flats in 2006, residents are still stuck in a transit camp
As with any project that goes into redevelopment, several senior citizens here have spent the last leg of their lives waiting for a new home. “When am I going to see this house with my own eyes before I leave it to my daughter?” asked 80-year-old Kamla Mishra, who lives alone in a room on the first floor

Updated on Aug 07, 2023 12:33 AM IST
Residents march to ward offices over various issues
Hundreds of protestors in Mumbai took to the streets to protest against issues such as bad roads, potholes, waterlogging, and polluted drains. The protests were organized by the city unit of Congress at all 24 ward offices in the city. The primary issue highlighted was the lack of water supply and poor quality of water in certain areas. The protestors met with ward officers to submit their complaints.

Updated on Aug 06, 2023 12:44 AM IST
Housing societies and schools join fight against plastic waste
Students at Navy Public School in Colaba have taken an oath to segregate and recycle their plastic waste, with the support of the surrounding Navy Nagar buildings. The initiative is part of the monthly Plastic Recyclothon organized by NGO Project Mumbai, which aims to change people's attitudes towards single-use plastic. Other building collectives, corporates, and schools across the city are also participating in the initiative. The Rotary Club of Mumbai Lakers in Powai has been collecting low-grade and multi-layer plastic for recycling since 2020, collecting 25 tons so far. Project Mumbai funds the plastic collection and recycling through CSR initiatives.

Updated on Aug 05, 2023 12:27 AM IST
, Mumbai
Sabah ViraniMedha Patkar approaches human rights commission against ‘inhuman’ Ambujwadi demolition
Patkar submitted the complaint before the Commission on August 1 along with three residents of the slums, Raju Dnyanba Manmothe, Shameem Fareed Khan, and Sabera Mehamud Khan, the first two of whom are drivers and the latter a labourer

Updated on Aug 03, 2023 01:05 AM IST
‘Nitin Desai brought high level of creative input to his designs’
The team from Bengal Club had planned to meet Desai soon to discuss this year’s project. “I can’t think ahead now. Desai always had designs or ideas ready,” he said. “He had an exceptional eye for detail. He often suggested a few minor changes which were imp

Updated on Aug 03, 2023 12:57 AM IST
After M East ward, Muslim graveyards face space crunch in N Ward
Muslim cemeteries in Mumbai's N Ward, including Ghatkopar and Chembur, are facing a space crunch, with the Pankeshah Baba Muslim Cemetery full and the Kamraj Nagar Cemetery only having space for 50 more burials. The Pankeshah Baba Muslim Cemetery has been reusing old graves that are a year old, while the Kamraj Nagar Cemetery is facing a shortage of space since the closure of the Rafi Nagar graveyard. The Muslim population in the area has increased, leading to the need for additional burial space.

Updated on Aug 02, 2023 12:52 AM IST
Train shooting victim’s family demand job for kin
The younger brothers of Asghar Ali Shaikh, a victim of the Jaipur-Mumbai Central Express shooting, have demanded a job to support his family. The family has been given compensation of ?10 lakh and asked to submit a written request for a job. However, they are unsure of whom to address the letter to and what kind of job they can seek. Asghar Ali had boarded the train to find work in Mumbai to support his wife and five children. His extended family is now at the Borivali Railway Police station seeking compensation and a job for his family.

Updated on Aug 02, 2023 12:49 AM IST
Herbal supplement toxicity lands patient in hospital
Lured by their promise of healing her diabetes, Clarissa D’mello, a 51-year-old Bhandup resident, started taking herbal supplements she discovered via WhatsApp in January 2023. They didn’t reduce her sugar levels but left her with a severe case of lead poisoning

Updated on Aug 01, 2023 12:55 AM IST
Portion of 45-yr-old abandoned bldg collapses on Carter Road; no casualties
Local authorities and emergency services rushed to the site to assess the situation and ensure the safety of nearby residents. The damaged portion of the compound wall was cordoned off, and officials are closely monitoring the situation to prevent any further collapse or accidents

Updated on Jul 31, 2023 12:30 AM IST
Landslide hits residential building in Andheri; no casualties reported
The ground-plus seven-storeyed Ram Baug Cooperative Housing Society on Mahakali Caves Road, was hit by the mudslide at 2am. It damaged several flats in the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) building with 163 one-room-kitchen apartments

Updated on Jul 26, 2023 12:33 AM IST
Pushed to the margins: Ambujwadi residents demand roof over heads amid harsh rainfall
On Saturday, a bulldozer visited the area again to dig a trench for a boundary wall at the borders of the settlement, scaring the residents that more of their belongings were under threat. The women stepped in its way and attempted to block it, following which eleven people – eight women and three men – were taken to the police station

Updated on Jul 25, 2023 12:35 AM IST
City sees first dengue death this season
Mumbai records first dengue death of the season as a 49-year-old woman dies at Bombay Hospital; rise in dengue and viral fever cases reported by doctors.

Updated on Jul 24, 2023 12:33 AM IST
Relic of Pope John Paul II to be taken on tour in Mumbai
A relic of Pope John Paul II, a portion of a wooden cross, is on a five-day tour in Mumbai, visiting various churches in the city. The tour aims to venerate the Pope's love for young people and promote prayer and positive change in their lives. Pope John Paul II was the head of the Catholic Church from 1978 to 2005 and was the first non-Italian Pope in over 400 years.

Updated on Jul 19, 2023 12:38 AM IST
Gloom descends over Malwani as bodies of 3 drowned boys found at Marve Creek
While Ajay’s body was recovered from the mangrove towards Manori, Shubham’s body was found at the spot of drowning. Jaiswal’s body was recovered near a transmission tower 200 metres from the spot. The bodies were taken to Shatabdi Hospital in Kandivali, where they were declared dead. The Malwani police said that after postmortem, the bodies were handed over to their families.

Updated on Jul 18, 2023 12:35 AM IST
From robotics to farming, six new initiatives for BMC schools
‘Living Greens’, an NGO partnering with Project Mumbai, in the farming initiative, set up six vegetable beds fitted with a drip irrigation system on the terrace of the school and seeded them with lauki, karela, tomato, toriya, bhindi, and spinach. “Apart from training students, the idea is to teach them why organic farming is needed and is beneficial for the environment,” said Prateek from Living Greens

Updated on Jul 16, 2023 12:30 AM IST
‘What exactly is UCC?’: Communities show concern over uniformity, transparency
Uncertainty over UCC looms among various communities even after the Law Commission extended the last date to submit their views on it.

Updated on Jul 15, 2023 04:48 AM IST
BMC agrees to test the soil of Govandi graveyard
Harshad Kale, deputy municipal commissioner of Zone 5, has agreed to the demands of Govandi residents, including soil testing at the Rafi Nagar Kabristan. The meeting also discussed the restructuring of the cemetery and the need for more graveyard space in the area. The Development Plan lists three reserved plots, but there are challenges in acquiring and preparing them. The DMC has asked citizens to prepare a report on the required grave space in the area.

Updated on Jul 14, 2023 12:51 AM IST
, Mumbai
Sabah ViraniUrban Company partners protest permanent ID blocking due to ‘unfair rating system’
The company’s official response reads, “We had recently asked a few partners who were not meeting the marketplace standards despite multiple prior notices and re-trainings, to part ways with the marketplace

Updated on Jul 13, 2023 12:30 AM IST
Justice evades ‘manual scavenging’ victims
A social organization has accused the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) of omitting sections of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation (PEMSR) Act, 2013, from FIRs related to the deaths of three sanitation workers last month. The organization, Jan Haq Sangharsh Samiti (JHSS), claimed that the workers were engaged in manual scavenging without proper safety gear, in violation of the law. Four contractors and supervisors have been arrested and charged, but without reference to the Manual Scavenging Act. JHSS argues that the Act would recognize the workers and their work and also bring into play the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, if the victims belong to the SC/ST community.

Updated on Jul 11, 2023 01:06 AM IST
Govandi graveyard to remain closed as more partially decomposed bodies found
More partially decomposed bodies have been found at the Rafi Nagar graveyard in Mumbai, leading to its continued closure. The bodies may not be decomposing due to being buried in polythene because of Covid. Residents have raised concerns about the soil used in the graveyard, which they claim is mixed with debris and unsuitable for decomposition. Activists have demanded that the soil be tested, and the results made public. The nearby Shia Muslim graveyard has not experienced the same issue. The BMC will examine another portion of the graves in the next 10 to 15 days.

Updated on Jul 05, 2023 12:56 AM IST
City’s only functioning doppler radar conks again amid heavy rains
A doppler radar scans the cloud bands and gives updates about rain every 15 to 20 minutes. It typically has a range of 250 kilometres

Updated on Jun 28, 2023 07:28 AM IST
Shivaji Park ice seller feels the chills as residents spar over his trade
A senior civic official from BMC’s anti-encroachment department that carried out the action, said, “We acted on a complaint from Shivaji Park police station regarding ice being stored on municipal space, which is not allowed. Hence, we broke the ice block. We will keep a watch on this space”

Updated on Jun 27, 2023 07:28 AM IST
Four arrested for death of two sanitation workers inside nullah
Four people, including two labour contractors and two supervisors, have been arrested for the death of two sanitation workers who were electrocuted while carrying out routine water flow tests in a sewerage tunnel in Mumbai. The private labour contractor, who brought the workers to the city but has not been arrested, has verbally agreed to pay compensation of INR10 lakh each to both victims and transport the bodies to their village in Bihar.

Updated on Jun 26, 2023 12:49 AM IST