Latest news with #BrihanmumbaiMunicipalCorporation
Indian Express
18 hours ago
- Business
- Indian Express
CMO directs BMC to complete land acquisition for Phase 2 of coastal road within 15 days
The chief minister's office has directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to complete the land acquisition for the Phase 2 of the Mumbai Coastal Road project within the next 15 days. For the said project, the BMC has to reclaim 165 hectares of land between Versova and Bhayander in the western suburbs and north Mumbai. In a review meeting held on Friday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also stressed that the project needs to be completed by 2028. Civic officials said that of the total land parcels that need to be acquired, 80% are government lands. 'Many of these lands belong to the fisheries department and revenue department. The proposal for transferring the lands have already been raised with the respective departments. On Friday's meeting it was decided that the ownership of these lands should be transferred to the BMC in the next 15 days for the coastal road project and we will be following up with respective departments,' an official told the Indian Express. 'The parcels mostly include mangrove patches and marshy lands. There will be no reclamation of the sea unlike the first phase of the project,' the official said. The civic officials maintained that the process of changing the reservation of these lands have already been initiated. In Mumbai, vacant land parcels are reserved under the BMC's Development Plan (2034) model. These reservations are made so that the land parcels are earmarked for utilising them for public amenities in the future. In case the said land parcel falls in the alignment of any infrastructure or government project, their reservations are being changed in order to assimilate them for the said project. As part of this project, nearly 60 plots between Goregaon and Dahisar will undergo change of reservation. It was also decided in the meeting that the periphery around the coastal road will be transformed into a modern commercial hub on the lines of the present day Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). The CMO also stated that adequate compensatory plantation of the mangroves should also need to be carried out simultaneously as the construction of the project begins. 'We have acquired the coastal clearances and Union ministry's clearance for this project. After the forest permissions come through, we will approach the Bombay High Court seeking permission to cut mangroves,' the official said. The proposed second phase of the coastal road has been divided into six different packages. Package A will cover 4.5 km between Versova and Bangur Nagar (Goregaon), Package B will cover 1.66 km between Bangur Nagar and Mindspace (Malad). The packages C and D will include twin tunnels–3.9 km long–connecting Mindspace at Malad with Charkop in Kandivali. Package E will be 3.78 km, connecting Charkop with Gorai and the final Package F will be 3.69 km which will connect Gorai with Dahisar. From Dahisar, the civic authorities are constructing another 5.6 km elevated corridor that will extend till Bhayander at Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The overall project will be 25 km long and the total cost of these two projects have been pegged at Rs 20,000 crore. The BMC last year had secured environmental clearances for going ahead with the project and the on-groundwork started this year. The phase two of the coastal road will be a series of underground tunnels, cable-stayed bridge and vehicular interchanges that will improve north-south connectivity. The coastal road will also provide connectivity with the Goregaon Mulund Link Road (GMLR), an east-west connector that is also being constructed by the Mumbai civic body.
News18
2 days ago
- Climate
- News18
Mumbai To Witness Season's Highest Tide Today, BMC Alerts Citizens
Last Updated: The BMC stated that the city will witness the highest tide of this monsoon today (June 26) at around 12.55 pm. The Mumbai civic body on Thursday issued an advisory raising a warning of high tides in the Arabian Sea. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in a social media post on X alerted Mumbaikars against the highest tide of this monsoon and urged the citizens to avoid venturing near the seashore or entering the sea. The BMC stated that the city will witness the highest tide of this monsoon today (June 26) at around 12.55 pm. The height of the tidal wave is expected to reach 4.75 metres. The BMC issued several measures for the safety of the citizens: Avoid visiting the seashore during high tide Do not trust any unverified information or rumours Please follow the instructions given by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Be careful, Be Vigilant! High Tide Advisory Issued For 5 Consecutive Days Earlier this week, the Mumbai civic body issued an advisory warning of high tides in the Arabian Sea over the next five days, with waves expected to rise more than 4.5 metres. It said the disaster management department has already published the dates and timing of the high tides during the four months of monsoon. According to BMC, 19 high tides are expected during the monsoon season between June and September. First Published:
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
Of two new Mahalaxmi ROBs planned, only one underway
Mumbai: Over a decade ago, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) began planning for two alternate bridges to replace the century-old Mahalaxmi station bridge; all these years later, work on only one is underway. The deadline is October 2026, but an extension is on the cards. Mumbai, India. June 24, 2025: View of under-construction Mahalaxmi Cable bridge. Mumbai, India. June 24, 2025. (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo) (RAju Shinde) Like many other British-era bridges in Mumbai, a structural analysis by IIT Bombay in 2016 called for reducing the load on the Mahalaxmi railway over-bridge (ROB), which goes over the station tracks. The current structure is T-shaped, connecting both Worli and Haji Ali from around the Mahalaxmi Race Course to Saat Rasta. In response, the BMC planned two bridges on either side of the old bridge, both leading to Saat Rasta, also called Jacob's Circle. One, at its south, would lead from Keshavrao Khadye Marg (KK Marg), and the other from Dr E Moses Road. Together, they would divert and distribute traffic from the congested junction onto the two arms. After some delays, work orders for both ROBs were passed in 2020, but the work took time to begin as encroachments had to be removed. Yet, when the BMC's budget in February this year listed progress on the bridge as 35%, it was referring only to one of the bridges—the one from KK Marg to Saat Rasta. Work on the second ROB is yet to begin. 'Both bridges are needed,' said Abhijit Bangar, additional municipal commissioner (projects). 'But with the second bridge, there are quite a few buildings and structures coming in its way. The cost of shifting and rehabilitating everything in the way is coming up to be approximately ₹ 200 crore, which is more than the cost of the bridge. Hence, the BMC is yet to take a call on it. It hasn't been scrapped, but we have yet to take a call on whether we will go ahead with the rehabilitation or think of another way to do the bridge.' The bridge from KK Marg to Saat Rasta, a cable-stayed bridge due to the limited road space to accommodate the pillars, has a deadline of October 2026. Meanwhile, in 2022, it was decided that the bridge would be extended until the S bridge in Byculla. There is little argument among commuters that an alternative to the Mahalaxmi station bridge is needed. 'The junction, without a doubt, sees a tremendous amount of traffic,' said Lalit Jogani, a frequent user of the bridge. 'But part of the reason for that is that there are bus stops and taxi stands too close to the junction at the station. Share cabs are piled up at the junction, sometimes double-parking and taking ad-hoc U-turns. If these stands were shifted slightly away, it would help decongest it,' he added. When asked about the alternate bridges, Jogani said, 'The KK Marg bridge will help reduce traffic, but a lot of vehicles also travel from Worli near Famous Studio, for which the other bridge from E Moses Road would be necessary. Till that comes, those vehicles will continue to use the old bridge.' Architect Alan Abraham of Abraham John Architects also agreed on the need for alternatives, but suggested a different, more pedestrian-friendly, plan. 'It is us who initially came up with the idea of the two alternatives to the old Mahalaxmi station bridge, envisioned as underpasses, around a decade ago,' he said, with his plan detailed in a video from 2016. 'After several consultations with the BMC, they have retained the routes of what we planned, but changed them to road-over-bridges, which is the worse option.' Abraham explained that for a bridge going over the railway tracks, a long ramp will be required on either side, which will take up valuable road space, as well as having to axe around 250 trees in the process. 'An underpass is the better option, as it would not require land acquisition, would be far cheaper than the cable-stayed option the BMC is going ahead with, would not compromise the road, and would not add to the concrete clutter above ground. The BMC still has the option to go ahead with an underpass for the yet-to-begin bridge from E Moses Road to Saat Rasta,' he said. But Abraham's plan did not end with the underpasses. Recognising the heavy pedestrian load on the Mahalaxmi bridge, he had proposed a complete pedestrianisation of the T-junction as it stands currently, extending from the Mahalaxmi Race Course. 'Our plan imagined turning the old bridge into a public pedestrianised deck, adding to the continuous green spaces in the city by at least 1.7 acres at Saat Rasta,' he said. 'It also takes into account the several pedestrian nodes around the area, which have been planned poorly, but this would make the walk to the interchanges to the monorail and metro stations far better.' After the new bridges are constructed, a decision will then be made on what will be done with the old bridge. While an official from the BMC's bridge department said it would be re-girdered, Bangar said its fate would have to be decided by the BMC and Railways jointly.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Inquiry must be conducted in rat extermination drive: Ashish Shelar
MUMBAI: The city's public health efforts have come under close scrutiny this week as Ashish Shelar, the suburban district guardian minister, has ordered an inquiry into the Public Health Department's rat killing contract. Despite the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) claim of eliminating 250,000 rats in the past six months, Shelar's review of official data has raised serious doubts about the scale and efficacy of the operation. Inquiry must be conducted in rat extermination drive: Ashish Shelar In a meeting held at Mantralaya on Wednesday, Shelar pressed BMC officials—including additional commissioners Bipin Sharma, Amit Saini, and Abhijit Bangar, along with executive health officer Dr Daksha Shah and other state health and collectorate officers—to provide a detailed account of the rat control drive carried out over the last three months. 'How many wards were covered, and where were these rats disposed of?' he questioned, emphasising that a comprehensive record of the operation appeared to be lacking. With decades of experience in municipal affairs—as a corporator, MLC, and three-term MLA—Shelar commented that he had never witnessed a rat extermination exercise on such a scale, nor the widespread use of cage traps in public areas. The minister's concerns are amplified by conflicting data. Official records indicate that between June 1 and 21, only 1,741 rats were killed using poison, with an additional 2,015 captured via cage traps. This stark discrepancy from the claimed 250,000 rats has cast a pall over the credibility of the reported figures. Terming the operation 'highly suspicious,' Shelar directed the BMC's additional commissioner to launch a rigorous three-month investigation and provide a detailed report, demanding clarity on the number of rats actually exterminated and the methods employed. While rat control remains the chief priority, Shelar also addressed other pressing municipal issues during the meeting. In a separate segment, he instructed officials to draft an action plan for the desilting of Powai, Tulsi, and Vihar lakes—areas now facing increased environmental stress. Powai Lake, which began overflowing as early as June this year, is now threatened by rampant water hyacinth growth due to untreated sewage discharge. The minister emphasised the need for a detailed study on silt management post-desilting and suggested that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds could help expedite the process. Additionally, Shelar called for a rapid shift in fuel usage in bakeries across Mumbai. He proposed a special incentive scheme to phase out coal, diesel, and firewood in favour of eco-friendly fuels. This time-bound initiative, already under judicial scrutiny by the Bombay High Court, aims to reduce air pollution in the city. Financial assistance from both the BMC and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board was recommended to support bakeries still dependent on traditional, polluting fuel sources.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Nearly 60% of bakeries in Mumbai yet to switch to cleaner fuel
With less than a month to meet the deadline, almost 60 percent of the bakeries in Mumbai are yet to switch to cleaner fuels. In a recent survey carried out by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) it has been found that around 340 of the total bakeries in Mumbai or 59% of the total 574 functional bakeries are yet to switch to cleaner fuels. Furthermore, the data shows that 187 bakeries or 32.5% of the total bakeries are currently using cleaner fuels. According to the BMC's data, there are 1,064 licensed bakeries in Mumbai, out of which 490 of them are non-operational while 574 are currently operational. The BMC's survey came two weeks before the deadline of the Bombay High Court's (HC) order, which mandated all bakeries and eateries to switch to cleaner fuel by July 8. The civic body's data was presented in a review meeting that was carried out by Mumbai (Suburban) guardian minister, Ashish Shelar. Civic officials said that of the 340 bakeries which are yet to switch to cleaner fuels 28 bakeries have already initiated the process to switch. 'Of the remaining bakeries, 150 of them have shared their willingness to make the switch. The numbers are being updated in our database and by July 9, we are expecting more bakeries to either switch into the process of conversion or complete the process entirely,' the civic official said. During the review meeting, Shelar said that he suggested that a special incentive scheme for bakers be launched that will be backed by the both BMC and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB). Earlier in February, the Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL) had waived off security deposit for bakers in Mumbai. Since 2022, Mumbai – despite being an island city has been looming under the woes of air pollution. In 2023, the BMC issued the Mumbai Air Pollution Mitigation Plan (MAPMP) in which smoke and emission generated from bakeries and eateries were identified as one of the key sources of Mumbai's air pollution. The BMC's data shows that as of today, bakeries contribute to 6% of Mumbai's overall air quality. 'Even though 6% may not be a very high number, it should be noted that almost all these bakeries are located in densely populated areas like Byculla, Mazgaon, Malad, Santacruz among others. Therefore, their contribution to human beings is actually very hazardous,' said a civic official. At present, the traditional pav – which is a staple food in Mumbai – are baked in ovens (bhattis) which are dome shaped structures made out of brick and mortar, which are suited for wood fires as the sole source of heat. Members from the Bombay Bakers Association (BBA) said that usage of electricity in baking pav is economically unviable and impossible to be used in the dome shaped structures that have a maximum area of 150 square feet.
