Mumbai Rains Highlights: IMD sounds yellow alert for Mumbai, Thane; heavy rains with gusty winds possible in the city (2024)

A fire broke out in the canteen of a cinema hall in the Dadar area, but no one was injured in the incident, a fire official said.

The blaze erupted in the canteen of single-screen Chitra Cinema around 3.15 pm and was put out in 10 minutes, the official said.

A fire engine and water tanker were pressed into service, and moviegoers and staffers were asked to vacate the premises, he said. The official said no one was injured, and the exact cause of the blaze was yet to be ascertained.

Central Railway is using ultramodern borescope cameras to trace dead rodents in the lobby and designated areas for motormen and train managers at the sprawling Chhatrapatai Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.

The move came after those using these lobbies, who are part of the frontline force of the railway network, complained of severe stench from dead rats.

A borescope camera, also called an inspection camera, is used extensively for non-destructive testing of equipment and infrastructure when the target area is inaccessible by other means. "Two borescope cameras were used to scan the ceiling area of the lobby. Many dead rats were found, which were then removed. We also found dead rats behind the false ceiling near the toilet and washroom. Samples from the dead rats and water in the area has been sent for analysis," an official told PTI.

Eleven newly-elected legislators took oath as members of the Maharashtra legislative council at the Vidhan Bhavan.

The BJP won five seats, while the Shiv Sena and NCP bagged two seats each. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress won one seat each, while PWP leader Jayant Patil, backed by the NCP (SP), lost.

BJP MLCs Pankaja Munde, Parinay f*cke, Yogesh Tilekar, Amit Gorkhe, and Sadabhau Khot, NCP's Rajesh Vitekar and party general secretary Shivajirao Garje, Shiv Sena's Bhawana Gawali and Krupal Tumane, were sworn in.

Congress's Pradnya Satav and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Milind Narvekar also took oath at the central hall of the state legislature.

In the 24 hour cycle ending at 8.25 am Sunday morning, India Meteorological Department's Santacruze observatory recorded 9 mm of rainfall, while the coastal observatory at Colaba recorded 4 mm.

The BMC's Automatic Weather System (AWS) recorded an average of 5 mm of rainfall in western suburbs, 11 mm in island city and 8 mm in the eastern suburbs.

Eleven newly-elected legislators took oath as members of the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) at the Vidhan Bhavan on Sunday.

The ruling Mahayuti alliance of the BJP, Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) won all the nine seats it contested in polls to 11 seats of the state legislative council held on July 12.

The MLCs who took oath Sunday are BJP's Pankaja Munde, Parinay f*cke, Yogesh Tilekar, Amit Gorkhe, and Sadabhau Khot, NCP's Rajesh Vitekar and party general secretary Shivajirao Garje, Shiv Sena's Bhawana Gawali and Krupal Tumane, Congress's Pradnya Satav and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Milind Narvekar.

Demonstrators on Sunday commemorated the 100th Sunday of Save Aarey Forest protest, demanding to stop reckless deforestation in the name of development in the Aarey forest region, in Mumbai.

(Express Photos by Sankhadeep Banerjee)

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) Sunday has sounded yellow alert for Mumbai and Thane, with the possibility of heavy rains in isolated places, accompanied by gusty winds.

Mumbai and its suburbs will witness moderate showers today. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to be around 30 and 25 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Come September, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is eyeing to make the internal streets at Kala Ghoda ‘pedestrian-only’, restricting vehicular movement, during the weekends.

While the plan seeks to subsequently ‘pedestrianise’ the lanes and bar vehicles permanently, senior civic officials said the project will be implemented on a trial basis during the weekends in a bid to gauge public response and familiarise visitors with the concept.

According to BMC officials, the civil work on the beautification plans is also slated to commence after the monsoon.

Home to popular eateries, shops, art galleries and iconic structures, including the Rhythm House, Kala Ghoda is a crucial art precinct in the city.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday sought central assistance for infrastructure projects in the state to ensure the timely completion and interlinking of rivers in the drought-prone Marathwada region.

Speaking at a meeting of the NITI Aayog Governing Council in Delhi, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he cited projects like the Nashik-Pune and Chiplun-Karad rail lines, Thane Metro, Mumbai funnel zone and cluster redevelopment to seek central funds.

Shinde also highlighted various welfare schemes initiated by his government for the common man.

Shinde said water from west-flowing rivers also needs to be diverted to the Godavari basin for which Rs 14,040 crore is required.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday said there are many schemes for which allocations have been made for Maharashtra in the 2024-25 Union budget, including those related to infrastructure.

He was responding to criticism from opposition parties that Maharashtra had got a raw deal in the budget tabled in Parliament by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on July 23.

Addressing a press conference, Goyal, who is Lok Sabha MP from Mumbai North, said the budget is for a developed India and is inclusive, impactful, and innovative.

"I want to assure people of Mumbai and Maharashtra that there are many schemes under which allocations have been made for the state in the budget," the Union Commerce minister said.

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said on Saturday the state treasury has no money even as Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who also holds the finance and planning portfolio, said money will never be a problem to implement the Mahayuti government’s ambitious Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme.

“The state treasury has no money…It is possible that one or two installments will be given before the Assembly elections to turn public opinion in their favour,” said Sharad Pawar while talking at a book release at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Saturday.

Sharad Pawar’s jibe comes at a time when his estranged nephew is rejecting reports about his department’s negative note to implement the Ladki Bahin scheme, citing financial burden.

After clocking in over 2,000mm of rainfall since the onset of the monsoon, the city is in for moderate showers in the upcoming days, predicted the India Meteorological Department (IMD). While the weather bureau has sounded a yellow alert for Mumbai and Thane on Sunday, no warnings have been issued in the metropolis starting Monday.

Despite a yellow alert in place in the district, the city has been witnessing light rain with the IMD’s Colaba station receiving 5mm while Santacruz observatory recorded ‘trace’ rainfall between Friday and Saturday morning. In meteorology, trace denotes that while the amount of downpour was greater than zero, the proportions were too little to be registered by standard units of measurement.

Meanwhile, the BMC’s automatic weather station data showed that the island city division and eastern suburbs received an average 3mm rain while the western suburbs merely registered 2mm.

The Bombay High Court came down heavily on Satara police for seeking action against a professor who referred to late activist Govind Pansare's book "Shivaji Kon Hota" while pacifying agitated students during an event.

The court questioned the police as to what kind of democracy this was and asked whether an offence was made against the professor.

The division bench of Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Prithviraj K Chavan was hearing a plea by Dr Mrunalini Aher who challenged a letter sent by the sub-inspector of a police station in Satara district in August 2023.

The plea was disposed of on Friday after police told the court the letter would be unconditionally withdrawn

While the search was on, the police said they received a call informing them that the dead body of a woman was found in the bushes near the railway station.

A team was sent to the spot and subsequently, the remains were rushed to the hospital. “The woman was identified by her family at the hospital following which a case of murder was registered,” said an officer from the Uran police station.

Speaking with the media persons, Shinde’s father said that a person identified as Dawood Shaikh killed his daughter. The police said that the murder could be a case of a one-sided love affair gone wrong.

A senior police officer said, “The body has not been chopped into pieces but we have found multiple stab injuries on her stomach. We have registered a case of murder and if medical reports reveal that she was raped before being killed, we will add appropriate sections to the FIR.”

An officer said, “The woman had gone missing on Thursday morning after leaving home for the office.”

When the family members could not get in touch with her, they started looking for her and when they failed, they reported a missing complaint at the Uran police station late on Thursday.

While the search was on, the police said they received a call informing them that a dead body of a woman was found in the bushes near the railway station.

A 20-year-old woman was stabbed to death by an unknown person in Navi Mumbai’s Uran and her remains were found dumped inside the bushes near the railway station late on Friday. The police suspect that her jilted lover, who is currently on the run, has murdered her.

According to the police, the deceased has been identified as Yashshri Shinde who lived with her family in Uran. She worked in a company in Belapur. Read More

The Nagpur customs department has seized a tiger skin from Jalgaon in north Maharashtra and detained six persons, an official release said.

Acting on a tip-off, officers of Nagpur Customs with the assistance of Pune Customs (Preventive) intercepted a wildlife smuggling racket on Friday, it said.

A case was registered under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, against the detained men, allegedly involved in the racket.

The Forest Department, Jalgaon, will conduct further probe, the release added.

A 20-year-old was brutally stabbed to death, allegedly by her boyfriend, and her body was dumped in the bushes near a railway station in Navi Mumbai, police said on Saturday. Her body was later taken to the Indira Gandhi Hospital in Uran.

The girl named Yashshri Sindhe was a resident of Uran. (Express Photo by Narendra Vaskar)

A 20-year-old was stabbed to death, allegedly by her boyfriend, and her body was dumped in the bushes near Uran Railway Station in Navi Mumbai, police said on Saturday.

According to news agency ANI, Rajendra Kote, Inspector of Uran Police Station said, “Today at around 2 am, our police station received a call that the body of a girl was lying in the bushes in front of Uran railway station. After investigation, we found out that it was a girl of about 20 years. Someone had stabbed her and left her there. We have registered a case and further investigation is underway. The girl named Yashshri Sindhe was a resident of Uran.”

A woman Naxalite booked for a murder and an attack on security forces and carrying a reward of Rs 8 lakh surrendered before the police and CRPF in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district on Saturday, officials said.

Rina Narote, alias Lalita, was a commander of the ‘Tailor Team' and was responsible for logistics in the entire Gadchiroli Division of the CPI (Maoist), police said in a release.

The 36-year-old woman Naxalite, a resident of Gadchiroli, is named in a murder case and an attack on security personnel, it said.

The Maharashtra government had announced a reward of Rs 8 lakh for her capture. She surrendered before police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officials, it said.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday wished Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on his 64th birthday.

Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, said on X that he and Thackeray would work together towards Maharashtra's development and the fight for justice for every Indian.

The Congress, Sena (UBT), and NCP (SP) are partners in the Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra and constituents of the opposition bloc INDIA.

In Mumbai, workers and leaders of Sena (UBT) flocked to Matoshree, Thackeray's home in the city's Bandra area, to extend birthday wishes to him.

Ahead of Maharashtra assembly polls, the Ajit Pawar-led NCP will launch a 'Jan Samman Yatra' under the party's state unit chief Sunil Tatkare from Sunday.

Addressing a press conference, NCP MLC Shivajirao Garje and party spokesperson Anand Paranjape said the aim of the Jan Samman Yatra, which will travel through all districts in the state, is to connect with people, address their issues, and showcase the party's efforts to disseminate government schemes as well as strengthen its organizational structure.

The initiative will focus on engaging with the public and informing them about welfare programmes and the application process, Paranjape said.

(Express Photos by Narendra Vaskar)

Three persons were killed and two others injured after a four-story residential building collapsed in Navi Mumbai's CBD Belapur area early on Saturday, officials said.

The two injured persons were pulled out alive from under the rubble after the incident that occurred at 4.50 am in Shahbaz village, they said, adding that the scale of the tragedy could have been bigger had 52 other residents of the building not been evacuated in time after cracks were noticed in it in the wee hours.

According to a report by the news agency PTI, "The four-story building with 13 residential units and three shops collapsed early this morning. A man and a woman who were trapped under the rubble were rescued and admitted to a hospital," Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) Commissioner Kailas Shinde said.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who was in Delhi for Niti Aayog's governing council meeting, spoke to the Navi Mumbai municipal commissioner and directed him that necessary assistance be provided to the injured and affected persons, an official release by the Thane district administration said.

Five wagons of a goods train derailed in the yard of Western Railway's (WR) Boisar station, some 100 kilometres from Mumbai, on Saturday morning, though the incident had no impact on rail traffic, officials said.

Five wagons of the train, which was loaded with containers, derailed at 6:45 am, they said.

"No one was injured in the incident. There was no impact on the movement of suburban or long-distance trains as it occurred inside the yard. The derailment took place when the train was moving after being loaded with containers," WR chief public relations officer Vinit Abhishek said.

This is the second derailment on Western Railway's network in Mumbai division in less than 10 days.

On July 19, A goods train derailed at Dungri station near Valsad in Gujarat. Incidentally, it happened when railway minister Ashwini Vaishnav was chairing a review meeting at WR's Churchgate headquarters.

The body of a 26-year-old man, who was swept away by floodwaters on July 24 when torrential downpours pounded Pune, was recovered by the fire brigade on Saturday, an official said.

With the recovery of the body of Akshay Salunkhe, a resident from the Katraj area, the death toll in rain-related incidents in Pune on Wednesday has risen to six, said officials.

According to the fire department official, a man went missing after being swept away by floodwaters in Katraj amid heavy rains on Wednesday. The incident was reported to the fire department's control room around 6 pm, he said.

“Around 10 am today (Saturday), the man's body was discovered under the Dengale bridge near the municipal corporation building. With the help of lifeguards, fire department personnel fished out the body and handed it over to the police,” the official said.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday discussed the flood situation in Kolhapur with the local administration and directed them to provide all help to citizens.

He asked officials to coordinate with the Karnataka government on the discharge of water from the Almatti Dam in the neighbouring state.

Heavy rains have resulted in the Panchganga River flowing above the danger mark, with the possibility of further rise in the dam level, officials said.

Shinde, who discussed the flood situation with the Kolhapur collector Amol Yedge, said two teams of NDRF and a team from the Indian Army have been pressed into service for assistance in this period.

A four-storey residential building collapsed in Navi Mumbai’s CBD Belapur area early on Saturday, claiming the life of one person.

“The four-storey building with several residential units and three shops collapsed early this morning. Fifty-two residents, including 13 children, were evacuated. A man and a woman who were trapped under the rubble were rescued and admitted to a hospital, while search efforts continue for the remaining individuals,” Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) Commissioner Kailas Shinde said earlier this morning.

Home kitchen-turned-Vile Parle-based delivery kitchen, Pass The Salt, has spread its wings and taken flight, resulting in a new ‘pizza café’ in Fort.

Helmed by self-taught chef Kruti Sanghvi and her husband Vishal Shah, the café in Kala Ghoda specialises in Chicago-style double crust deep dish pizza and signature thin crust pizza. The deep dish is a 2-inch tall pizza with a thick dough base, a generous layer of cheese and toppings, another thin layer of dough, and a chunky tomato sauce on top. We tried the San Gennaro (Rs 1,150 for 7”), which was filled with onions, roasted red peppers, banana peppers, black olives, and green jalapeños, and found it indulgent.

From their thin crust selection, we opted for the Hawaiian Barbeque (Rs 750, 9”). Though this writer is not a fan of pineapple on pizza, this Vienna-style pizza impressed with pineapple marinated in a spicy masala and paired with grilled onion rings, red paprika and mozzarella. (Read More)

Exactly a year ago, in July 2023, the BJP and Shinde’s Shiv Sena gave a red carpet welcome to Ajit Pawar and his team of 41 legislators that created a massive fissure in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and joined the ruling Mahayuti coalition in Maharashtra. Ajit Pawar was lavishly rewarded for his change in political leanings and was made the deputy Chief Minister and bestowed with the all-important finance portfolio which was then with deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis.

However, today, both the BJP and the NCP under Ajit Pawar find themselves in a catch-22 situation with the relationship between the two fraught with problems, especially in the wake of the upcoming Assembly polls in Maharashtra. A few days after the BJP’s conclave in Pune, Ajit Pawar flew to Delhi and met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday, which according to the BJP and NCP, was part of seat-sharing talks for Assembly polls which is likely in October. The next day he also called on Fadnavis in Mumbai. (Read More)

Ahead of the NITI Aayog meeting, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said on Saturday that the Chief Ministers of the INDIA bloc will not be attending. He criticised the agency for failing to keep pace with the country’s development.

"CMs of INDIA alliance will not go to NITI Aayog meeting. It is almost decided. Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin had earlier said he would not go, Arvind Kejriwal is in jail, Telangana CM and there are other CMs who do not want to go because NITI Aayog is not keeping pace with the country's development, you must have seen this in the budget and NITI Aayog's work," he said

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has slapped a penalty of Rs 50.53 lakh on 32 contractors who were found delaying pothole repair works even as heavy rain has led to several potholes emerging across city roads.

In each of the city’s 227 municipal wards, the BMC has deployed one sub-engineer to supervise the pothole filling work that is being done by the contractors. Besides this, ahead of monsoon, the BMC also appointed 18 contractors to fix potholes during the rainy season across all the 24 municipal wards. (Read More)

A four-storey residential building collapsed in Navi Mumbai's CBD Belapur area early on Saturday and two persons were rescued, while a search operation is underway to find three others who are feared trapped under the rubble, officials said.

The incident occurred at 4.10 am in Shahbaz village, they said.

"The four-storey building with several residential units and three shops collapsed early this morning. Fifty-two residents, including 13 children, were evacuated. A man and a woman who were trapped under the rubble were rescued and admitted to a hospital, while search efforts continue for the remaining individuals," Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) Commissioner Kailas Shinde said.

The collapsed building was just 10 years old, he said.

With rainfall activities subsiding in Mumbai, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for the city. It forecasts moderate rainfall throughout Mumbai and its suburbs, with heavy rain expected in isolated areas.

The minimum temperature is anticipated to be around 25 degrees Celsius, while the maximum may reach 31 degrees Celsius.