Latest news with #VipulSaxena
Indian Express
13-06-2025
- General
- Indian Express
After Air India crash, BMC likely to expedite upgrading Versova waste facility to curb bird-hit risks
In light of the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, the Mumbai civic body is likely to expedite work on modernising a solid waste Refuse Transfer Station (RTS) at Versova, which is located at a distance of 8 km from the airport, to prevent incidents like bird strikes on aircraft. An RTS is a waste processing site that serves for the temporary deposition and aggregation of solid waste. There are four RTS facilities in Mumbai, at Mahalaxmi, Kurla, Versova and Gorai. Civic officials said that solid waste from the municipal wards is being brought to these facilities, where they are dumped before being transported to the landfill in Deonar and Kanjurmarg's waste processing facility. These facilities are open land parcels that receive an average of 400 metric tonnes (MT) to 800 MT volume of waste daily. The waste is usually stacked in open piles before it is transported in trucks and dumpers, as a result of which these facilities attract birds like crows and vultures, which usually hover at a lower altitude, often posing a risk to aircraft. 'The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and airport authorities have been holding frequent meetings on this matter with an emphasis being made to ensure the solid waste that lies there is cleared in a way so that it does not attract any birds,' a senior civic official told The Indian Express on Friday. The Versova RTS is located 8 km from the Mumbai airport and is spread over an 8,000 square metre area and handles an average of 400-450 MT of solid waste daily. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) guidelines mandate that open landfills should be set up at a minimum 20 km distance (10 km in special cases) from airports and airbases. 'However, there is no such…criteria applicable for setting up waste processing facilities,' read the CPCB guidelines published in 2019. 'Considering the Versova RTS is closest to the airport, we have mooted a proposal to upgrade the facility. As part of the modernisation approach, the entire land parcel will be covered with nets, and roofs will be erected to prevent birds from flocking there. We will also introduce a system of making this place odour-free, considering there are residential buildings nearby,' the official added. Civic officials said that the upgrade plan is in the final stages, and once a detailed project report (DPR) is approved, the BMC will float a tender for upgrading the Versova RTS. In 2023, the civic body floated the Expressions of Interest (EoI) to upgrade two RTS facilities located at Mahalaxmi and Gorai. Meanwhile, aviation experts have shared concerns about having landfills and waste facility centres close to airports. 'Birds are hazardous to aircraft safety. When a bird hits the wing of the aircraft, it creates a dent, causing a stability problem. If a bird accidentally enters one of the engines, it fails substantially,' Vipul Saxena, an aviation expert, told The Indian Express. 'The Indian Aircraft Rules, 1937, clearly mentions that setting up facilities like meat shops, fishing facilities, etc., should be prohibited around an airport since these attract birds which pose a risk to aircraft. Therefore, municipal bodies should ensure that these compliances are implemented at the ground level,' Saxena added.
Indian Express
01-05-2025
- Indian Express
Solving Crime: How an informer's tip-off about ‘special salt' helped Mumbai police bust party drugs racket, seize contraband worth Rs 24 crore
The Mumbai police are known for cracking serious crimes, high-profile cases, and keeping a check on organised crime syndicates using their extensive network of khabaris (informers). With the help of reliable information shared by such informers, the city police have carried out several successful operations. In one such instance around 13 years ago, the Mumbai Crime Branch busted a party drugs racket, leading to the seizure of contraband worth nearly Rs 24 crore, while working on a reliable khabari's tip-off about a 'special salt' being sold in the market. From Civil Engineering to a pharma company The Crime Branch's investigation into this narcotics case is linked to Vipul Saxena, a resident of Bihar's Samastipur district. A diploma holder in Civil Engineering, Saxena came to Mumbai in 2007 with a dream of making it big. He tried his luck in the real estate sector and worked hard, but didn't get much success. This prompted him to switch to the pharmaceutical sector, and he joined a pharma company. While working at the pharma company, Saxena read about medicines and drugs on the Internet. During this time, he also discovered that there is a high demand for amphetamine, a psychotropic substance and also a party drug. According to the police, Saxena also came in contact with some pharmaceutical companies in Bengaluru during his stint at the company. He selected one of the medicine-producing companies, which was on the verge of shutting down. Saxena convinced a few people working at the company, and allegedly got a large amount of amphetamine cooked at the Bengaluru company's factory at a cheaper cost. He then started making a list of dealers who would buy amphetamine from him. Soon, he allegedly dispatched samples of the synthetic party drug to the dealers, but none of them showed any interest, citing its extremely poor quality. And, the packets of amphetamine remained at Saxena's office in Goregaon. Salt vs salt A youngster who worked at a tailoring shop next to Saxena's office would often frequent his office. During one of his visits to the office, he observed that Saxena covered the white crystal powder packets with some clothes as if he were hiding them. This prompted the young man to realise that the packets contained some sort of 'special salt', and that it was expensive. He then decided to steal a packet, and sell it. While Saxena was out one day, the young man stole one packet from his office, and put a similar-looking packet of common salt, which he had bought from a grocery store. He cut open the stolen packet but couldn't figure out what it was. He realised it was a sort of drug, but had no idea that the packet he was holding in his hand was worth lakhs of rupees. The young man then, in desperation to sell it, started looking for customers in the market, spreading the word that he had a big stock of a 'special salt'. While he was looking to sell the drugs, a police informer got to know about it, and tipped off a Crime Branch officer about the 'special salt'. The police then nabbed the youngster, and when they asked him about the antecedents of the packet, he led them to Saxena's Goregaon office. From there, the police seized amphetamine worth nearly Rs 24 crore. Saxena was subsequently arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, he secured bail in the case after months. Crime Branch sources said the contraband seized from Saxena's office also had the 'real' salt packet that the young man had kept there as a cover for his theft.
