1. 5K Shanties to Go For Rs 300-Cr Cycle Track
In what will be the biggest demolition undertaken by the BMC, 5,225 hutments will be razed near the Tansa pipeline in Kurla to make way for the civic body's Rs 300-crore Green Wheels cycle track project.
The removal of over 5,000 encroachments is a major challenge for Ajitkumar Ambi, assistant commissioner, L Ward, who has planned the demolition in five stages over 12 days, starting on November 6 from Powai. The Tansa pipeline in L Ward in Kurla stretches 9.6 km, from JVLR bridge to Uday Nagar near the Saki Naka metro station up to Rahul Nagar, Chembur.
Source: Mumbai Mirror
2. No Hawking Outside Of Designated Zones: HC
Authorising Municipal Corporation’s action against illegal hawkers, the Bombay High Court has ruled that hawkers can only sell in designated hawking zones in the city and nowhere else. Moreover, the court directed that these zones cannot be in areas “100 metres from any place of worship, holy shrine, educational institutions and hospitals or within 150 metres from any municipal or other markets or from any railway station.” Hawking has also been banned on footbridges and overbridges.
Source: Mumbai Mirror
3. Cylinder Blast At Andheri Restaurant Injures Three
Three persons suffered severe burn injuries when an LPG cylinder exploded in a restaurant at Mahakali caves in Andheri East on Wednesday evening.
According to the police, the blast took place in Vaishnav Dhaba - a local eatery - after there was a reported gas leak. The hotel operated from Kamlesh Apartments.
A senior officer of the fire brigade, who visited the spot, said, "The hotel owner operated from a 64 sqft gala and also had a mezzanine floor. One of the gas cylinders kept on the mezzanine floor started leaking. The hotel owner tried to disperse the gas by switching on the exhaust fan. He also alerted everyone nearby to switch off all the electrical appliances. But the gas that dispersed from the exhaust spread towards a gas stove in the restaurant's kitchen . This is what caused the explosion.''
Source: Mumbai Mirror
4. Indrani Mukerjea Tells Peter In Letter: Don't Talk To Me Or Offer Your Dabba
Even when they are locked away in separate prisons on murder charge and on the verge of divorce, Indrani and Peter Mukerjea continue to have husband-wife squabbles, as evidenced by her latest letter to him. 'Don't talk to me' is what Indrani wrote to him, hurt that he ignores her in public while choosing to share his dabba with her in quiet moments.
Indrani and Peter were arrested in August and November 2015 respectively, on the charge of plotting the murder of her daughter, Sheena Bora. In the two years since, they have been lodged in separate jails - she at Byculla jail, and he at Arthur Road. The only time they come face to face is during trial, and while being escorted to and from the courthouse in the police van.
Source: Mid-day
5. From Protein Shake To A Glass Of Milk
From a 24-hr air-conditioned existence to staring at a groaning ceiling fan, from protein shake and fruits to just a glass of milk, from signing multi-crore business deals to sharing a jail cell with chain-snatchers and burglars — the world turned upside down for hijack hoax accused Birju Kishore Salla in less than 24 hours.
The multimillionaire Mumbai jeweller, a native of Amreli district, got a taste of 'austerity' at Sabarmati Central jail on Wednesday. If only he knew love would make him pay a price as huge as the ignominy of being the first Indian to be booked under the new anti-hijacking law, Salla, 37, may not have dared to place the bomb-letter in the Jet Airways aircraft loo.
Source: Mumbai Mirror
6. Mulund Complex On Edge Over Snakes
Residents of City of Joy, a well-known housing complex in Mulund on the city's suburbs, are spending their days and nights in fear.
Over the past fortnight, snakes have been frequently spotted at the sprawling complex, even climbing on to balconies to give a scare to the residents. Some claimed to have seen the slithering reptiles as high as on the 16th floor.
Source: Mumbai Mirror
7. MMRDA To Clear One Hectare Of Mangroves For Elevated Road Plan
Mumbai will lose another sylvan chunk, as the MMRDA will clear one hectare mangrove forest for the alignment of its link road and flyover connecting Airoli and Thane-Belapur Road.
MMRDA Joint Project Director Dilip Kawatkar said, "The road is a crucial connector that will help to solve the problem of traffic between the two points. We have approached the state Mangroves Cell and the Ministry of Environment and Forests & Climate Change for clearance."
Source: Mid-day
8. Two Months On, 10 AC Electric Buses For BKC Gather Dust In Mumbai’s Best Depots
The new eco-friendly hybrid electric AC buses, bought to improve bus connectivity to Bandra-Kurla Complex, have been gathering dust at BEST depots for almost two months now despite the fact that their launch would benefit scores of passengers.
Sources said the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) intended to launch the buses before Diwali, but it did not work out. Now, the authority is waiting for a date from the chief minister’s office for the launch, an official said, on condition of anonymity.
Source: Hindustan Times
9. Unions Oppose Govt’s New Parameters To Grade Teachers
The BMC's recent circular laying down rules for performances of teachers and principals has struck a sour note with them. Independent and political teachers' unions have now begun to mobilise the widespread discontent and are planning to protest the civic body's move.
In a circular dated October 27, the BMC adopted the Maharashtra government's programme titled 'Pragat Shaikshanik Maharashtra' to improve the quality of education in schools.
Source: Mumbai Mirror