1. 32 FOBs To Be Dismantled in Just 12 Months
Western Railway commuters, brace for chaos. Facing blowback after the collapse of the CSMT foot overbridge (FOB) last month, the authorities have decided to dismantle 32 FOBs in the suburban railway network between Churchgate and Virar over the next year.
The scale of the exercise makes it the biggest such in recent times. However, it also means that for a good portion of this year, commuters will be inconvenienced. The Western Railway (WR) had first commissioned an audit of FOBs following the collapse of the Gokhale bridge’s walkway on July 3 last year, which claimed two lives. A fresh assessment of the structural stability of bridges was ordered after the CSMT FOB crashed on March 14, killing six persons. The audit recommended the dismantling of 32 bridges in phases. Two of these — in Santa Cruz and Jogeshwari—will only be partially razed.
Source: Mumbai Mirror
2. Sena Corporator Killed Over Water Dispute
Shiv Sena corporator Amardeep Rode was Sunday hacked to death allegedly by two of his friends following a scuffle over water in Parbhani district.
“Rode, a corporator with the Parbhani Municipal Corporation, had intervened after some women complained about getting less water from a public tap in the area,” said a police official. “A pit had been dug near the water tap to draw out excess quantities and Rode objected to this. His friend Ravi Gaikwad is reported to have dug the pit and Rode went to ask him about it. An altercation ensued during which Rode tried to attack Gaikwad with an axe.”
Source: Mumbai Mirror
3. MSEDCL, Adani, Tata Power To Hike Electricity Rates From Today
Electricity in the state is set to get more expensive from April 1. While the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) will hike the cost of electricity by 3% for every unit, Tata Power and Adani Electricity — which cater to Mumbaiites only — will increase the price by 2% and 1% respectively from April 1. However, most south Mumbai residents can rejoice as the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) is expected to slash power charges by 3%.
MSEDCL supplies power to more than 2.5 crore residential, commercial and industrial consumers in the state. It supplies power to Kanjurmarg, Bhandup and Mulund in Mumbai suburbs and to the rest of the state, including metropolitan areas of Kalyan, Thane and Navi Mumbai.
Source: Hindustan Times
4. Wildfires Burnt 6,533 Hectares Of Forest In Mumbai, Losses Pegged At ₹90 Crore
The city saw 1,110 fires in its forests, which burned down 6,533 hectares, over five years, according to the Maharashtra forest department’s response to a right to information (RTI) query. The loss of forest resources has been quantified at ₹90 crore.
The query by Mumbai-based environment group Watchdog Foundation revealed data on forest fires across Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Kolhapur, Nashik and Aurangabad regions 2015 and 2019. In Mumbai, the fires were mainly reported at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), Borivli, protected and reserved forests from the Tungareshwar wildlife sanctuary upto Tansa, including the Karnala bird sanctuary and Phansad wildlife sanctuary.
Source: Hindustan Times
5. Maharashtra: Warmer Days Ahead Despite Temperature Drop, Says IMD
The increase in the minimum temperature has led to warmer days in the city despite a drop in the maximum temperature. The minimum temperature recorded on Sunday morning was 24.6 degrees Celsius, two notches above normal. The Met department predicted that the minimum temperature will continue to increase next week.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) continued with a heatwave warning for the Vidarbha region for the next five days. It stated that heatwave conditions are likely to prevail in isolated pockets of Nashik, Ahmednagar, Beed and Parbhani districts on March 31 and April 1.
Source: Mumbai Mirror
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