Latest news with #BMC-appointed
Time of India
28-05-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Coastal Rd Breach Candy parking lot pit to be filled
Mumbai: Nearly seven months after BMC-appointed contractors excavated a 6,000 sq metre pit for a proposed underground car park along the Coastal Road interchange at Breach Candy, the site is set to be backfilled. "We were awaiting approval, as the plan for the car park was scrapped. Now the area will be filled up to the high tide line," said a civic official. The project was shelved following strong opposition from locals, who feared that a new parking facility would worsen traffic congestion in the area. But the large pit dug for the project remained untouched. Earlier this year, residents flagged concerns over water accumulation in the excavated pit, warning that it could become a mosquito breeding ground. "After the downpour earlier this week, the pit filled up again. If the water isn't drained soon, it could pose a serious health risk," said Nigum Lakhani, a resident of a building facing the site. Walkers at the nearby Amarsons Park have also reported a spike in mosquito nuisance, with many now avoiding the open space where they would usually unwind after their daily walk. Kavita Chawla, a Breach Candy resident whose flat overlooks the Coastal Road, said the stagnant water has been a persistent issue. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Bolsas nos olhos? (Tente isso hoje à noite) Revista Saúde & Beleza Saiba Mais Undo "It's been there for months now and this large pit remains open as such. We need urgent action," she said. The plan for the 246-space underground car park was dropped earlier this year. Protests began in Oct last year, soon after excavation work started. The underground car park was originally envisioned as a two-level facility with a surface car lift.
Hindustan Times
24-05-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Fear, not funds, keeps doctors away from Sewri TB Hospital's IRCU
Mumbai: Despite monthly salaries of up to ₹2 lakh on offer, Mumbai's premier TB facility struggles to staff its critical care unit as doctors shy away from the high-risk environment. More than a year after it was built, the Intensivist Respiratory Care Unit (IRCU) at Mumbai's Sewri TB Hospital lies largely idle—not for lack of funds or infrastructure, but due to a more insidious obstacle: fear. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has offered salaries ranging from ₹1.25 lakh to ₹2 lakh per month—well above average for public-sector intensivists—to staff the IRCU. Yet, despite three rounds of recruitment since 2024, the city's largest TB hospital has failed to fill these critical positions. 'It isn't about the money,' admitted a senior BMC health official on condition of anonymity. 'Doctors are simply hesitant to work in a TB hospital. There is a fear of infection, although with proper diet and adherence to protocols, the risk is minimal.' That fear, however, is far from unfounded. Since 2000, more than 160 staffers at Sewri TB Hospital have contracted tuberculosis while on duty. At least 75 have died—an unsettling statistic that continues to cast a long shadow over the facility's recruitment efforts. The 1,000-bed hospital, which sees 55,000 to 60,000 TB cases annually—the highest in Maharashtra—had long lacked a dedicated ICU. Critical patients with respiratory failure were routinely referred to already-overburdened tertiary hospitals such as JJ, Sion, and KEM, often sending families into a desperate scramble for ICU beds. To alleviate this pressure, the IRCU was commissioned and became operationally ready in February 2024. But it remains underutilised. Of the three intensivists needed to run the unit at full capacity, only one is currently in place—supported by a skeletal team in the hospital's older, three-bed ICU. Two doctors were hired last October following earlier recruitment drives, but one resigned within three months citing personal reasons. A fresh advertisement was issued again this May, seeking three intensivists. The response has once again been tepid. The salary structure BMC is offering is generous- ₹1.25 lakh for those with at least one year of post-graduate experience, scaling up to ₹2 lakh for doctors with over eight years of experience. Yet, the danger posed by high exposure to drug-resistant TB strains continues to deter applicants. Hospital officials stress that while the IRCU lacks staff, the overall medical team is not short-handed. 'We currently have one intensivist and one anaesthetist, five chest physicians, four MOIs, 21 deputed doctors, and 16 BMC-appointed medical officers,' said a senior official. 'Most of them have specialised training or postgraduate diplomas.' Still, the situation is far from ideal. The old ICU admits around 20 to 30 patients each month. Without the new IRCU fully functional, the hospital cannot meet the rising demand for respiratory critical care. An internal source suggested that long-term solutions lie in structural reforms rather than short-term recruitment drives. 'In 2019, we managed to perform major surgeries with ICU doctors earning ₹75,000 and support from honorary consultants. What we lack now is administrative will,' the source said. 'Introducing DNB and diploma courses would attract junior doctors and senior faculty alike, building a pipeline of expertise and finally allowing this hospital to deliver the critical care our patients desperately need.'
Indian Express
06-05-2025
- Automotive
- Indian Express
After 15 years, BMC to replace fleet of garbage compactors
After nearly 15 years, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is set to replace its existing fleet of garbage compactor trucks. These trucks are responsible for daily collection of municipal solid waste (MSW) from residential societies, commercial establishments, and informal housing settlements spread across 25 municipal wards. The existing fleet comprises 1,300 trucks, divided into three categories: large compactors, mini compactors, and side-loading mini compactors. The new fleet will feature lesser trucks, as the new vehicles will have a capacity to carry heavier, bigger payloads. According to civic officials the new fleet will comprise 800 vehicles including EVs. Mumbai on a daily basis produces 6,500 metric tonnes (MT) of MSW. These trucks collect the waste, following which they are transported to the waste processing center at Kanjurmarg and Deonar dumpyard. According to civic authorities, the brand-new large compactors will have a maximum carrying capacity of 18,500 kg, while its predecessor had a maximum capacity of 16,200 kg. Medium compactors will have a maximum capacity of 12,000 kg instead of their earlier 9,000 kg, while small compactors will have a maximum capacity of 2,590 kg compared to its previous 1,850 kg capacity. The new compactors will be colour coded, with large compactors being yellow in colour, while the medium compactors will be white. The small compactors will be cyan and black. At present, all compactors are green. The mini compactors will also run on EV instead of diesel. The BMC is set to float a Rs 4,000 crore tender to acquire these vehicles and deploy them on the streets. Civic officials said that the BMC will opt for a service-based contract with a maximum number of wards instead of a hiring model, which will be cost-effective by 25%. In a hiring model, the contractual agency would only supply the vehicles, while the responsibility of manpower would be with the BMC. 'The new contract will be service-based, under which a single agency will be responsible for the collection and transportation of waste as well as of the manpower loading the waste and maintaining the vehicles. The new vehicles will be state-of-the-art modern-day vehicles, and the appointed agency will also be responsible for maintenance of the vehicles,' Ashwini Joshi, additional municipal commissioner, told reporters on Tuesday. Joshi also maintained that of the total number of vehicles deployed, around 15% will be electric vehicles (EV). Furthermore, Joshi also stated that the labourers that are responsible for segregating and loading waste into the compactors will be supplied by the contractual agency. While the BMC-appointed labourers will be responsible for cleaning and sweeping the streets and roads. 'As a measure against dust mitigation, the BMC is carrying out sweeping and cleaning of roads at least twice every day. Since this is a mammoth task, it has been decided to use the existing manpower in Mumbai, and the laborers responsible for loading waste into compactors to depute for sweeping roads now. As a result, there will be no loss of work for the BMC-appointed labourers,' Joshi said. She also added that the civic officials have spoken with the municipal labor union before finalising the project.
