Latest news with #AnilGalgali


Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
Contractor to pay 10L for flooding at Metro stn
Mumbai: A major waterlogging incident at Acharya Atre Chowk Metro station during the May 26 downpour exposed serious lapses in disaster preparedness by the contractor Dogus-Soma JV, which was penalised Rs 10 lakh for negligence. The flooding, which brought Metro Line 3 services to a halt, was triggered by a breach in a temporary cement precast wall — part of a fire barrier at Entry/Exit B2 — allowing rainwater and debris to gush into the station's concourse and platform areas. The water damaged architectural interiors and seeped into sensitive systems — signalling, telecom, electrical, and the station control room. An RTI query filed by activist Anil Galgali unearthed these details, including a show-cause notice issued by chief project manager-1 Rajesh Kumar Mittal to the contractor. Metro authorities termed it a "freak incident" and confirmed that the contractor carried out all repair work within five days. No action is being considered against officials or other agencies involved. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai A preliminary report revealed that although a dewatering system — equipped with multiple pumps — was installed at the affected EE-B3 area, the operator failed to activate it in time, resulting in water accumulation. —Manthan Mehta


Time of India
6 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Pigeon feeding causes health risks and traffic nuisance, complain residents in Mumbai; welcome Maharashtra government decision to shut kabutarkhanas
Mumbai: Maharashtra govt's decision to shut down kabutarkhanas was long overdue, especially given the city's surging population and resulting congestion, said many citizens. According to RTI activist Anil Galgali, kabutarkhanas may have served a purpose when Mumbai was less populated, but they have now become a traffic and hygiene nuisance. "With the city's massive population growth, these kabutarkhanas only add to street congestion as large crowds gather to feed pigeons," Galgali said. In Khar, where residents have fought a prolonged battle to curb this issue, Anandini Thakoor, managing trustee of the Khar Residents Association, said they were forced to hire a security guard to deter people from feeding pigeons near the railway station. "We tried reasoning with grain merchants, but it didn't work. One of our trustees stepped in to fund a guard, who, with police support, helped restrict pigeon feeding. Residents have even slipped on pigeon droppings," she said, recounting how the kabutarkhana demolition finally happened in Sept 2022, prompted by repeated complaints of pigeon droppings. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai In Andheri Lokhandwala, the problem has persisted for years. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Did You Know Luxury Hotel Prices in 2025 Could Be So Low? Expertinspector Learn More Undo Rakesh Coelho, a local, said pigeon feathers and droppings are proven health hazards. "Authorities should have intervened much earlier. Pigeon feeding isn't just limited to one spot — birds spread across the area, affecting entire localities," he said. Some of them get hit by cars, also said a resident. Deepak Devrukhkar of the Dadar Vyapari Sangh suggested a more balanced approach. "Relocating kabutarkhanas to less populated areas could be a solution. In Dadar, for instance, the kabutarkhana sits in one of the most congested zones. Its removal will greatly improve traffic flow," he said. BMC has never banned feeding of pigeons, but civic rules stipulate a Rs 500 penalty for feeding animals/birds in non-designated areas. In Oct 2019, several joggers slipped on Worli Seaface promenade due to pigeon feed and droppings. In response, BMC briefly deployed clean-up marshals at the site between 6am and 6pm daily to maintain hygiene and deter pigeon feeding.


Time of India
25-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
BMC slashes Worli tower cost by Rs 37cr as Mumbai activist questions expense
Mumbai: In a rare decision, BMC has slashed by Rs 37 crore the cost of a 29-storey commercial office building proposed to come up on its asphalt plant and testing lab premises in Worli, following a complaint by an RTI activist about the 'exorbitant' robotic parking planned for 450 vehicles in the redevelopment project. After cancelling the original Rs 525-crore tender, BMC issued a fresh Rs 488-crore tender in May. The biggest cost cut was in the robotic parking system — from Rs 96 crore to Rs 72 crore. RTI activist Anil Galgali told TOI that he had red-flagged the inflated cost of the robotic parking system in the Worli tower project in Aug 2024. "I wrote to the chief minister flagging off the issue and pointing out that it is provided at a lesser rate in other metro cities," he said. On June 19, BMC wrote to Galgali informing him that the tender was cancelled following his complaint. "Thereafter, the estimated cost of the new robotic parking system was determined at Rs 72 crore in consultation with the re-appointed project management technical advisor and executive engineer (Traffic Control)," stated the letter. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai A civic official said the plot currently houses BMC's asphalt plant and material testing lab in three ground-floor structures. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với sàn môi giới tin cậy IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo As per the redevelopment plan, floors 1 to 13 will have shuttle and robotic parking for 450 vehicles with automated retrieval systems, floors 14 to 17 will house advanced material testing laboratories and vigilance department offices for multi-product testing, floors 18 and 19 will have road department offices with a real-time road monitoring command centre and floors 20 to 29 will have ready-to-move-in offices, excluding furniture, for commercial realisation for BMC. "Shuttle and robotic parking systems and stack parking are to be constructed and provided with 20 years of overall. The facility will be for the laboratory testing facility staffers and those who would occupy the office spaces on the top floors," said the civic official, adding: "The tendering process is on, and we plan to finalise the same by next month."


Time of India
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
60% of e-challan grievances of motorists fined in 13 mths rejected, shows RTI reply
Mumbai: Around 60% of the grievances raised by motorists regarding e-challans issued to them by the traffic police between Jan 2024 and Feb 2025 were rejected, according to the response given by the department to an RTI plea by activist Anil Galgali. The response stated that of the over 1.8 lakh complaints received, around 1.1 lakh were rejected. As per the One State One Challan portal, Mumbai Traffic Police imposed Rs 556 crore in fines against motorists violating traffic rules between Jan 2024 and Feb 2025. Grievances regarding e-challans are reviewed at the multimedia cell at Worli traffic headquarters. Evidence in the form of images of the vehicle at-fault are studied before making a conclusion. If the images are unclear, the complaint is forwarded to the traffic division concerned for verification. The final decision as to whether to uphold or cancel the challan is made after receiving its report. "Citizens should be given fair opportunity to explain their side, and each complaint must undergo thorough and objective scrutiny," said Galgali. tnn


Time of India
05-05-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Ride refusal: 29k auto, taxi drivers face licence suspension
Mumbai: Over 48,000 auto and taxi drivers were issued challans over a fortnight for traffic rule violations , including refusal to ply, as part of a massive crackdown, said traffic police on Monday. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The action came in the wake of a rash of complaints by commuters that despite a fare hike in Feb, a section of auto and taxi drivers has continued to refuse rides. As part of a special campaign from April 18-May 4, under the supervision of JCP (traffic) Anil Kumbhare, 28,814 challans were issued for refusal to ply, 1,164 for not wearing uniform, 6,268 for carrying more passengers than permitted, and 12,171 for other violations. A police officer said Rs 40.3 lakh was collected in fines. "The process of suspension of licences for 28,814 auto and taxi drivers for refusal to ply is ongoing at the RTO (regional transport office)," he said. The RTO, besides addressing police cases for suspension of licences, also conducted its own drive in the past few months. An official from the Andheri RTO said that in the western suburbs, 4,553 auto drivers were booked recently and prosecuted for various offences. This included 89 for refusals, eight drivers for demanding excess or inflated fares, 164 for ferrying passengers more than the authorised capacity of the vehicle, two for rigged meters, 11 for rude behaviour, and 4,285 for other offences, such as driving without proper uniform and/or badges and flouting Motor Vehicles Rules. Autos' minimum fare was hiked by Rs 3 to Rs 26 on Feb 1. Auto union leaders said they have cooperated with police and RTO in identifying illegal vehicles and those run by unscrupulous drivers without uniform and badges in several parts, including Jogeshwari, Andheri and Kurla. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Commuter rights activist Anil Galgali suggested that the transport department change the complaints redress mechanism. Instead of calling up commuters and taking a long time to register a complaint, the authorities should take quick action against errant drivers, he said.