Latest news with #AshishShelar
Mint
3 days ago
- Health
- Mint
Covid-19: Active cases in India near 4,000; Delhi reports 47 infections, 20 test positive in Mumbai
Covid-19 cases in India: The number of active Covid-19 cases have increased in India, with the country recording a gradual uptick in infections over the past few weeks. As per data by the Union Ministry of Health on Monday, June 2, the number of Covid-19 cases in India is nearing 4,000. 1. India reported 203 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, according to health ministry data on Monday. This is a dip from yesterday's numbers, which stood at 363. However, India's active Covid-19 cases have increased to 3,961 as of today. 2. Four new Covid-related deaths have been reported over the past 24 hours, with one each in Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Maharashtra. In Delhi, a 22-year-old woman who was being treated pulmonary Koch's/ post tuberculosis lung disease/ Bilateral lower respiratory tract infection has died. A 25-year-old man in Tamil Nadu with bronchial asthma and severe acute tubular injury, and incidental Covid positive status has also died. 3. Delhi reported 47 new Covid-19 cases over the past 24 hours, while the total number of active cases now stand at 483. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had last week said that 19 Covid patients are hospitalised in Delhi but urged the public not to panic. 4. Maharashtra saw 59 new cases of Covid-19 over the past 24 hours, with 20 of them being in Mumbai alone. The number of active Covid-19 cases in the state now stands at 494. As many as 369 patients have recovered from the infection amid the recent surge. 5. Amid the recent Covid-19 uptick, Maharashtra minister Ashish Shelar on Monday held a meeting to assess the situation in Mumbai. He urged 'high risk individuals' to follow protocols, wearing masks. He also asked them to consider re-vaccination, but reassured that there is no need to panic. 6. As many as 87 new Covid-19 cases have been recorded in Karnataka since Sunday, data showed. This has pushed the state's active Covid cases count to 311, with the positivity rate standing at 17.11 per cent. 7. Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Monday said that the state is prepared for any eventuality related to Covid-19. 'This Covid has got mild infections, not very serious impact. But we are alert, and we have ensured that we are ready for any eventuality. All our infrastructure – oxygen, beds, ventilators – all of them are being updated and ensured that in any emergency, we should have all kinds of provisions. So, that way, we are ready,' he was quoted as saying by PTI. 8. West Bengal has meanwhile recorded 44 new Covid-19 cases, officials said on Monday. As of June 2, the total number of active Covid-19 cases stand at 331, with nine patients recovering from the viral infection. Over the past seven days, 319 people in Bengal have tested positive for Covid. 9. The number of active Covid-19 cases in Odisha rose to 15 as three more persons tested positive for the disease, data showed on Monday. 'The situation is not alarming... it to totally under control. There is no need to panic,' the state's Public Health Director Nilakantha Mishra told reporters. 10. A man who recently travelled to Uttar Pradesh has tested positive for Covid in Punjab's Ferozepur, officials said on Monday. The man, a railway employee, has a recent travel history to Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh and has been advised home isolation for now.
Hans India
3 days ago
- General
- Hans India
Formulate robust monsoon contingency plan for crowded Metro stations: Maha Minister tells officials
Mumbai Suburban District Guardian Minister Ashish Shelar on Monday directed authorities responsible for Mumbai Metro, including the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to conduct thorough safety audits of ongoing metro construction sites and ensure uninterrupted Wi-Fi connectivity in underground metro stations. He further stressed the need for a robust contingency plan in case of emergencies or disruptions in metro services, particularly at high-footfall stations like Andheri and Ghatkopar. The plan must include coordination with the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and BrihanMumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) to facilitate smooth passenger evacuation and provide immediate alternative transport options. At the high-level meeting to assess the city's readiness ahead of the monsoon, minister Shelar further directed that the authorities responsible for Mumbai Metro, including the MMRDA, must not only maintain seamless coordination among themselves but also ensure constant communication and coordination with the BMC. He emphasized that instead of indulging in blame games, all the agencies must work as one united team. Shelar's directive comes days after the Acharya Atre Chowk Metro station, on the Aqua Line (Line 3), flooded in the first heavy rains of the season last Monday. The water seepage was reported when the concrete water-retaining wall constructed at an under-construction entry/exit collapsed due to a sudden ingress of water. The minister's office in a release said that a comprehensive presentation was made during the meeting outlining the monsoon preparedness measures completed so far. Both MMRDA and Maha Metro have established dedicated emergency control rooms, with teams deployed round-the-clock to respond to any crisis. A pothole-filling system has been put in place for each project site, while 114 km of road barricades have been cleared to ease traffic flow. Additionally, 19 ambulances have been strategically deployed and pumps installed at 107 key locations across the city. After the Metro preparedness meeting, Minister Shelar chaired another meeting with officials from the State Health Department, BMC and the Directorate of Medical Education to review the current Covid-19 situation in Mumbai, including case trends and healthcare system readiness. 'While new cases are being reported, there is no cause for alarm. However, high-risk individuals, particularly those with diabetes, hypertension or serious underlying health conditions, are advised to wear masks and consider getting re-vaccinated as a precautionary measure,' he said. He assured that coordination with central health agencies is ongoing, and that both the state health machinery and BMC are functioning as per the advisories issued by the Government of India.
United News of India
6 days ago
- Business
- United News of India
Mumbai Suburban District Planning Committee reviews schemes worth Rs 1144 crores
States » West Mumbai,May 30 (UNI) A meeting of Mumbai Suburban District Planning Committee was held under the chairmanship of Guardian Minister and Minister of Information, Technology and Cultural Affairs Adv. Ashish Shelar on Friday. In this meeting, detailed discussions were held on the implementation of schemes for 2024-25, analysis of expenditure and planning of new schemes for 2025-26. Out of the Rs 1088.77 crore available for approved works in the last financial year, 99.8 percent i.e. Rs 1086.75 crore was distributed to various agencies. On this occasion, information was given on the proposed schemes worth Rs 1144.02 crores for 2025-26. This includes Rs 1066 crores for the General Scheme, Rs 71 crores for the Scheduled Caste Sub-Scheme, and Rs 7.02 crores for schemes outside the Tribal Sub-Scheme area. The new proposals specifically include slum upgrading, strengthening of the police system, women and child welfare, and non-conventional energy initiatives. UNI VKB SSP
The Print
29-05-2025
- Climate
- The Print
Mantralaya to Marine Drive, why South Mumbai spots that have never seen flooding went underwater
As a result, areas like Mantralaya, Kemps Corner, Flora Fountain, Colaba, and Marine Drive saw roads nearly turn into pools. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was also caught off guard after monsoon arrived earlier than its expected date of 11 June this year. And, while several parts of South Mumbai have seen waterlogging in the past during 'heavy rainfall' events, described by India Meteorological Department (IMD) as rainfall between 64 and 124 mm, several areas in the district, including Nariman Point, received over 200 mm of rain between midnight and 11 am Monday. Mumbai: Heavy monsoon rains that lashed Mumbai Monday inundated several areas of South Mumbai for the first time. In addition to record rainfall, the waterlogging is attributed to a number of civic issues, including the metro project, blocked drains, and non-functional water pumps at stations. 'We were surprised that some locations which never saw waterlogging got waterlogged. Some locations were expected, but something like Mantralaya, Metro Cinemas was not expected. We were surprised. These are not traditional flooding spots,' BMC Assistant Municipal Commissioner Abhijit Bangar told ThePrint. On Wednesday, Mumbai suburban guardian minister and BJP Mumbai president Ashish Shelar visited the BMC office and held meetings with senior officials to take stock of the situation. Later, while speaking to the media, he said Mumbaikars had to suffer because of certain contractors and senior officers. 'We have spoken to the BMC commissioner, and he accepted that there was an issue with desilting work as well as the water pumps' functionality and availability. BJP will make sure that it stands with BMC and Mumbaikars and gets this work done in the next 8 days,' Shelar said, adding that the commissioner had given assurances in that regard. He said that a delegation of BJP ex-corporator and functionaries and himself had also asked for a white paper from the civic body's commissioner on the BMC's expenses on various projects in the last two decades. Reasons for the flooding On Monday, amid heavy rainfall, new flood-prone areas emerged in South Mumbai with people seen wading through knee-deep water across the district, including Colaba, Metro cinemas, Cuffe Parade, Mantralaya, Churchgate station. After the floods on 26 July 2005, the last time some of these areas were inundated was in August 2020, when, according to the IMD, Colaba saw nearly 225 mm of rainfall in just 9 hours. The flooding was particularly surprising given that South Mumbai's drainage system, built by the British over 140 years ago, has a capacity of 50 mm rainfall per hour, as compared to the 25 mm rainfall per hour across the rest of Mumbai. Town planner Sulakshana Mahajan, while speaking to ThePrint, said that flooding in areas like Mantralaya, which are reclaimed areas and have better planned roads than low-lying lying areas, was unprecedented. 'Town planning is quite neglected, as more than experts, the political class decides what to do. Climate change is a reality, and it has changed the rain pattern in Mumbai. It is complicated,' said Mahajan. Furthermore, some of the waterlogging could have been avoided had dewatering pumps, essential for flood-prone areas, been working. Bangar admitted that pumps in areas like Hindmata, Gandhi Market, Chunabhatti and Masjid Bunder were not fully operational, leading to waterlogging. 'These water pumping stations were not fully operational, leading to waterlogging in these areas. This all was avoidable.' Last year, the BMC reduced the number of pumps across Mumbai from 481 to 417, where some were not required, while others could help the civic body cut its expenditures. It spends Rs 150 crore annually on water pumps, according to the data from the civic body. Bangar told ThePrint that there will be 15 vehicle-mounted pumps available for South Mumbai by next week. These can then be used to deal with flooding emergencies as and when they arise. He also suspected that road works and their debris could be other reasons why certain spots were flooded. For instance, Bangar said debris and garbage from the ongoing road works near Oval Maidan had choked the nearby drains and contributed to the waterlogging near Mantralaya. Among other reasons, BMC is also now assessing incomplete cleaning (desilting) of drains. According to Bangar, 94 percent work was complete for major drains, but only 54 percent of the Mithi river, a crucial drainage channel, and 70 percent of minor drains across Mumbai, including South Mumbai, had been completed. The Mithi river desilting project is currently under the scanner of the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai Police, which is investigating an alleged scam in the allocation of its tenders. Two of the three contractors were accused of the scam. 'That you know and the third one (contractor), we have blacklisted because we found erroneous practices with the contractor. And so, our pace there has slowed down and we need to increase it,' he said. However, Bangar denied that the concretisation of the road project, undertaken by BMC, was one of the reasons for waterlogging. 'Of 1,174 roads that we had dug up for concretisation, we have finished concrete work on 1,170 roads. Now, on some of the roads, curing work is remaining, which we intend to do in the next 8 days. And that work requires water. So rains won't hamper it,' he said. Also Read: How Mumbai civic body is using AI to hold contractors accountable during pre-monsoon desilting Focus on metro line Mahajan said the work of the underground metro line could also be a reason. 'While constructing the underground metro, I doubt there has been any coordination between the BMC and MMRC (Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation), the nodal agency, regarding drainage pipelines and stormwater. For the metro, it is dug up deep, so whether it is done properly or not is the question.' On Monday, the Acharya Atre Chowk metro station of the partially opened Metro 3 line—from Aarey JVLR to Acharya Atre Chowk—was shut down after it flooded This drew criticism since the second leg of this underground metro—BKC to Acharya Atre Chowk—had started operating just two weeks ago. On Tuesday, in a video statement, Ashwini Bhide, the managing director of the MMRC, said that the station flooded after 11 lakh litres of water from the stormwater drain that had collected in a pit near the exit of the metro station gushed into the station. This, she said, occurred because a combination of high tide and heavy rainfall led the drains to back-charge instead of draining into the sea. 'Acharya Atre Chowk station, which is the terminal station of the commissioned stretch, now has two entry-exits functioning, whereas the station actually has six entry-exits and work on the remaining ones is still ongoing and is likely to be completed in the next two-three months,' she added. She further said that, while there was a bund wall in place to temporarily protect from floods, it could not handle this 'unprecedented' deluge. Firstly, let's be clear — 90 mm of rain is not an extreme event for Mumbai. This is the kind of rainfall the city experiences every monsoon, every year. Secondly, isn't it the core responsibility of @MumbaiMetro3 to plan for extreme events? Because if infrastructure starts… — Prof. Varsha Eknath Gaikwad (@VarshaEGaikwad) May 27, 2025 On Monday, MP and Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad questioned the rush to inaugurate the metro line when work was not completed 'Why were these checks and balances not done? Why wasn't enough precaution taken? How can people trust underground metro travel on heavy rain days? The government must answer, it must fix responsibility. We don't want hyped inaugurations, but basic safety and functionality,' she said on X. A day later, responding to Bhide's statement, Gaikwad said, in a post on X, 'If infrastructure starts collapsing under routine rainfall, what exactly are we planning for? The officer here is admitting that the flood prevention bund wall they had built was not built for this kind of situation… This isn't just negligence — it's institutional impunity.' Politics over flooding Opposition parties Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress lashed out at the BJP-led Mahayuti government, holding it responsible for the flooding. While speaking to the media Monday, Shiv Sena (UBT) Aaditya Thackeray accused the Maharashtra government of corruption, questing why areas like Hindmata and Gandhi Nagar, which were made made to be flood-free earlier, were inundated. In a post on X, Monday, he further asked why the newly built road in Kemps Corner caved in, how water got into the metro 3 line, and how waterlogging was reported inside KEM hospital on Nepean Sea Road. 'Why does the BJP hate Mumbai so much? Why does the BJP want to finish Mumbai? The Road scam that I have been exposing—Today we see that Mumbai is suffering due to this scam.' Thackeray has alleged corruption in the road concretisation projects, claiming that a few contractors were favoured. We are seeing absolute absence of governance in Maharashtra today. Mumbai has collapsed in the rains, and it's only May. Last week, it was Andheri Subway and Saki Naka that was flooded. Today, it is South and Central Mumbai facing the brunt of the BMC being controlled by bjp… — Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) May 26, 2025 'The State Government MUST initiate a fair probe into this incompetence,' he added. However, speaking to the media Wednesday, BJP leader Shelar said the Thackerays were responsible for the current conditions, claiming that they misruled Mumbai through the BMC for 25 years. 'Where has the money gone that was used for the BRIMSTOWAD (Brihanmumbai Storm Water Drain System project) to protect Mumbai from flooding? Why are you fooling the people of Mumbai?' asked Shelar. The BRIMSTOWAD project, which began in 2005 to improve the city's storm water drainage system, has been ongoing ever since. It included the rehabilitation and augmentation of drains, widening and deepening of nullahs, and construction of pumping stations. (Edited by Sanya Mathur) Also Read: Big win for citizens' campaign as BMC set to finally clean up Powai lake after years of govt inaction
Time of India
28-05-2025
- Climate
- Time of India
80 new flooding spots, most of them in SoBo, identified after Monday downpour
Mumbai: Of the 120 waterlogging complaints registered with the municipality following Monday's downpour, the highest were from A and B wards — 23 and 22, respectively— in south Mumbai covering areas such as Crawford Market, Churchgate station, and Ballard Estate, showed an internal BMC analysis report. Notably, 80 of the 120 locations were new flooding spots, which civic officials attributed to the unusually heavy rainfall — ranging from 77mm to 104mm — particularly between 9am and 10am on Monday. The new waterlogging-prone areas included the road outside Metro Cinema, Metro Junction, Crawford Market, Ballard Estate Road, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Nagar near the Ford showroom, Ghol Masjid, SGS Road at Chowpatty, the stretch from Azad Maidan to Metro, Cuffe Parade Police Colony, Navy Nagar BEST Depot, Ganesh Murti Nagar Gully No. 9, Churchgate station, Mantralaya office premises and the subway near St Xavier's College. Other affected sites included Dr D N Road opposite Siddharth College, 4th Pasta Lane, Mantralaya Junction, the stretch from Cumballa Hill Junction to Pedder Road, especially on the flyover near Jaslok Hospital, and Harkisandas Hospital. According to BMC's internal remarks, despite stormwater drains being operational, the high tide at 10.30am prevented proper drainage. In some places, such as Churchgate, St Xavier's subway, and Ballard Estate, the water could not be discharged efficiently due to tide-induced backflow. During a Wednesday debriefing, BMC chief Bhushan Gagrani pulled up civic officials for poor preparedness during Monday's downpour, especially in south Mumbai, and ordered a review of dewatering systems to assess the need for more pumps at new flood-prone spots. Later, guardian minister of Mumbai Suburban district Ashish Shelar, along with a delegation of former corporators, met Gagrani and urged the release of a white paper detailing the Rs 1 lakh crore spent over the past 20 years on various projects, including BRIMSTOWAD. Meanwhile, a day after issuing a yellow alert for Mumbai, indicating moderate to heavy rainfall, till Friday morning, the IMD, in its 5-day forecast released on Wednesday afternoon, said the yellow alert will be in place only till Thursday morning.
