A day after the Ministry of Home Affairs issued orders to facilitate the transportation of people stranded due to the lockdown between states by road, the Maharashtra government has told district collectors to execute the evacuation plan. Three senior Mantralaya bureaucrats will supervise the mass exercise that is expected to kick-start from May 4.

Other than the state-arranged facility, people who want to travel to their home states have been allowed to hire transport or use their own vehicles.

BUT every person will have to register with the government, procure documents for the same and undergo mandatory medical assessment before moving out. People could travel in groups but not without adhering to COVID-19 guidelines. Persons with COVID-19-like symptoms will not be allowed to travel but sent to quarantine and treatment. People who don't produce fitness certificates will not be allowed to travel.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray instructed the administration to take utmost care in implementing the plan, because a couple of lakh people are expected to be moved between far-flung places. The CM has repeatedly asked the Centre to operate special trains to transport migrant workers and might reiterate the appeal once the extended lockdown is lifted in some places, and relaxed in some places barring red zones.

Thackeray deputed Additional Chief Secretary (revenue) Dr Nitin Karir, Principal Secretary (woman and child welfare) I S Kundan and Director of State Disaster Management Abhay Yavalkar, to supervise the travel plan in which stranded people from Maharashtra will also be brought back home from other states. Other than district collectors, Yavalkar has also been authorised to issue travel permits. Many district collectors have the data of migrant workers who were stopped at inter-district borders. The workers are staying in state-provided shelters where they get food and medical care. The unconfirmed number of stranded migrants in Maharashtra is over 6 lakh and at least half of these are willing to go home. However, the number of migrants going out of Maharashtra will be much higher than the people coming here from other states.

Buses ready for transportation

Sources said the Maharashtra government was in talks with other states to make the arrangements and share the enormous cost of travel. The cost issue will factor as Maharashtra will deploy some buses to transport people where Maharashtrians are not stranded.

Stranded students from Kota maintain social distance as they walk out of a bus depot upon their arrival in Ahmedabad on April 23. Pic/ PTI

The state transport company has readied over 10,000 buses to be sent to hundreds of destinations. These buses will take migrants from Maharashtra to other states and ferry Maharashtrians back. The process is expected to take some time, so people who make arrangements on their own, might get through earlier than the people who depend solely on the home state's support.

What the stranded should do

• Contact your district collector’s office to register passenger names/residential address/phone numbers, vehicle (if you have it or hired one), travel route and expected travel time so that you are given transit passes and your names are forwarded to your home states for cross-checking on arrival.
• You may also contact the State Disaster Management Cell @ 022-22027990, 022-22023039 and E-mail to controlroom@maharashtra.gov.in
• The vehicles must be sanitised and passengers seated in accordance with social distancing norms
• You will undergo a mandatory 14-day home quarantine. You will be sent to institutional quarantine if symptoms show.
• You will be compulsorily asked to download Arogya Setu mobile app in order to facilitate tracking of your health and movement in quarantine

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Amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Mumbai, Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Zone IV) on Wednesday wrote to Addl CP West Region Manoj Kumar Sharma, demanding stricter implementation of rules in the containment zones between Bandra and Andheri, especially the slum areas in the belt.

These include Nehru Nagar (Juhu police station), Samta Nagar and Junaid Nagar (DN Nagar), CD Barfiwala Road and Juhu Galli (DN Nagar), Gaondevi Dongri, Gilbert Hill and Dhangarwadi (DN Nagar), Versova Village (Versova), Kranti Nagar, Anand Nagar, and Behraum Baug (Oshiwara). The municipal authority observed "that there is no fall in the rate of positively tested patients and are rather increasing. It appears that existing lockdown measures are inadequate," the communication said.

It asked local authorities to ensure that the localities, local pockets and chawls are strictly sealed and locked down to have effective control on spreading Coronavirus in these localities.

"This office has frequently informed senior inspectors of respective police stations regarding containment of areas in their respective jurisdictions on a day to day basis as and when positive cases are traced in particular localities," the letter read.

Sharma told mid-day that "the police have already increased patrolling in these areas and deployed more number of officials."

'Lack of individual toilets'

DCP Abhishek Trimukhe said, "We have barricaded these designated red zones and are ensuring that there is limited access. Only the government ration shops and medicine shops are allowed to be kept open. All other shops in red zones will remain closed. However, the main challenge in these slum pockets is that there are no independent toilets within the red zone itself. There needs to be a toilet facility otherwise people will keep venturing out of their homes to use the toilet. How can we keep denying people the need to use the toilet?"

Cops make the rounds of slum areas every day

He pointed out: "There is a heavy space constraint in these slum areas, as opposed to building societies, where containment is very good. The lanes are very narrow in some slum pockets and the population density is high."

Identification system required

Trimukhe said that the police had asked BMC to have some sort of identification procedure for people who are residents of these red zones. "Since the population of these areas is very high, a designated identification system would make it easier to identify and segregate people," he said adding that community meetings have been held with residents to explain the guidelines to them.

'Can't sit inside tiny homes all day'

Senior PI of Oshiwara police station Dayanand Bangar echoed Trimukhe's concerns. "People are always saying that they are either going to get medicines or buy milk but the biggest problem is that of common toilets," he said.

"Residents of these slum areas, who live in a 10x10 house, cannot sit at home all day," he said, adding that in areas like Kranti Nagar, there is zero growth of COVID-19 cases. "Even though this is a red zone, there are currently no positive patients here.

Seven people, who had gone for treatment, and are now back."

1.4k
No. of containment zones in city

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THE city's congested areas continue to see a rapid increase in the number of Containment Zones (CZ) as a result of positive cases in such areas across wards. Out of the total 1,391 CZs in the city, 779 (56 per cent) are in high density areas.

While the southern part of the city — Worli, Dharavi and Byculla has been the centre of COVID-19 cases, in the past 10 days, the northern and eastern part of the city have also seen CZs rise. The Kurla-Chembur belt in Eastern suburbs and the Jogeshwari-Andheri belt in western suburbs, together have nearly 25 per cent of the city's CZs. Out of the 1,391 active CZs, these two together have 322. Byculla too has seen a significant rise.

In the L ward, comprising Kurla and Chembur, CZs increased from 58 to 176 in the past 10 days, with 140 being in congested areas. Most parts of the ward are slum pockets. Assistant Commissioner Manish Valanju was unavailable for comment.

K West ward, comprising Jogeshwari to Vileparle West, has 146 active CZs, of which 92 are in congested areas like slums and gaonthans. The local ward officer said that the number is high because of the sealing of small pockets and not whole areas. "We are closing access to smaller areas instead of closing large chunks. It helps manage essential services. Hence the numbers are high," said Vishwas Mote, assistant commissioner of the K West ward. He added that the most number of CZs are in congested areas like Gilbert Hill, Behram Baug, Gillette Nagar, Anand Nagar and Versova Koliwada.

E ward, that comprises Byculla, has over 100 CZs, of which 37 are in congested areas. Dharavi (G North), Parel-Worli (G South) and Santacruz E to Bandra E (H East) also have a high number of CZs.

The above six wards have 721 CZs, of which 430 are in congested areas. "The increased cases in congested areas is the outcome of the targeted approach for identification of COVID-19 suspects and testing," said a senior BMC officer. The officer added that the strategy includes proactive contact-tracing, containing pockets, house-to-house surveys of contained pockets, fever camps and identifying suspected cases.

Doctors wearing PPE suits prepare to enter Jijamata Nagar, a containment zone in Worli. Pic/ Ashish Raje

Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner, said, There is a personal, social and economical angle to containment zones. If we can quarantine high-risk contacts from these zones and people follow basic hygiene and social distancing, the lockdown can be eased to some extent. It will also benefit society at large and will even be helpful for the economy. There are secondary industries in congested areas which provide raw material or services to mainstream industries. If the number of positive patients comes down in places like Dharavi, it will surely help the economy of the entire city."

Mumbai's Containment Zones (CZ)

Active CZs: 1,391
Released: 318

Wards with high CZs (on April 18 and April 28)

L: 58 and 176
K West: 59 and146
E: 53 and123
G South: 81 and 92
H East: 53 and96
G north: 15 and 88

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At a time when Maharashtra Governor, Bhagat Singh Koshyari is being blamed for delaying granting a legislative council membership to Chief Minister, Uddhav Thackeray, the former has recommended the Election Commission of India (ECI) to schedule elections to the nine vacant seats of the Council as early as possible.

The request made on Thursday is quite significant because Thackeray must get elected to either house before May 27 if he were to continue in office and give Maharashtra a stable government in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi constituents have also asked the governor and ECI to hold elections if nomination under the governor's quota wasn't possible. The nine seats fell vacant on April 24 but the commission postponed the elections because of the pandemic.

In his letter, the governor has said that the lockdown has been relaxed in many ways and hence the elections to the council seats could be held under certain guidelines.

Welcoming the move, Opposition leader, Devendra Fadnavis said, "This would be constitutional because the members would be elected in due process and it would also adhere to a norm that the governor's nominee should be made a CM or minister."

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Despite strict instructions from the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) and the state government, most private clinics in the area continue to remain shut. While patients are finding it really difficult to get treatment for other ailments, physicians claim that non-availability of PPE kits and sanitisation of clinics were their biggest challenges.

Following several complaints, Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner, Sanjay Kumar through his official twitter handle appealed to doctors on humanitarian grounds to remain open. The tweet says, "A humble and humanitarian request to all the doctors having private clinics to open up their clinics for non COVID-19 treatments... We are ready to extend all out support for the purpose."

Speaking about the problems doctors were facing, Dr Chetan Chhajed, orthopaedic surgeon, Navi Mumbai, said, "I run a private hospital in Kamothe, which is open but we face a threat to our lives because of the unavailability of PPE kits. They are not available. We have somehow arranged for some masks for our staff but the local authorities are not sanitising the clinic. We allow only patients with serious conditions to visit the clinic, the rest are given consultation online. Another problem is that no transport is available and not all patients have vehicles."

Dr. Pratik Phake runs a private clinic in old Panvel, which has been declared a containment zone. He gives appointments to his patients in advance and opens his clinic twice a week for three hours. Speaking to mid-day, he said, "The non- availability of PPE kits, thermal guns, housekeeping staff and medicines are challenges. Some shops are selling PPE kits and thermal guns at very high price, which needs to be looked into. Apart from this, sanitising the clinic is a major problem."
Meanwhile, Dr N Yewale, who runs a private clinic in Kamothe, said, "The society where our clinic is has locked its gate and we are not getting water supply, which is why I have shut the centre and have been speaking to patients over the phone. Maybe the society people are scared. Unavailability of PPE kits and sanitising of the clinic are other challenges."

Similar situation in city

The doctors in Mumbai are facing similar issues and despite warnings of legal action from the BMC, they haven't opened their clinics.

National vice-president, IMA headquarters, Dr Anil Pachnekar, who has his clinic in Dharavi, said, "Doctors in Mumbai have smaller clinics where it is difficult to follow social-distancing rules. The doctors are also scared due to the lack of PPE kits and N95 masks." "Different types of patients visit doctors' clinics and not all of them wear masks and use hand sanitizers. In such a situation, the clinic should be sanitised by the local municipal corporation," Dr Pachnekar added.

'Help the society'

When contacted, Navi Mumbai Municipal Commissioner, Annasaheb Misal told mid-day, "This is my appeal to all doctors to help the society and keep their clinics open for the people in need. The PPE kits are available in the market and we will extend full support to them. We have not taken any action yet and don't force us to do so."

"Many clinics have resumed operations. The health department is checking nursing homes first. Today itself 15 nursing homes restarted their services," said Dr. Daksha Shah, executive health officer, BMC. Speaking about the health issues he has been facing, Kharghar resident, Abrar Chaudhary said, "I have a neurospine problem since almost a year and I get my primary treatment from Bombay Hospital. I have been consulting some local doctors in Navi Mumbai but due to the lockdown they are not available at their clinics. They do undertake online consultations but respond as per their wish. I have swelling all over and am unable to walk without a support. Doctors need to check me first before prescribing medicines."

Worli resident, Anurag Singh, said, "It has been very difficult to find a doctor in our locality. A couple of days ago I had fever but when I went to my personal physician's clinic, it was closed."

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After an engineer in the G north ward tested positive for COVID-19, water supply to residents of Dadar-Mahim is likely to be disrupted for a while. The entire team in charge of repairing the water pipeline has been quarantined.

The engineers and workers of G north ward offices were on essential duty of ensuring water supply, but one of them tested positive for COVID-19 late Tuesday night.

"He was on duty of repairing the water pipeline in Dharavi. In all likelihood, that is how he contracted the virus," one of the employees said.

Soon after the engineer tested positive, the BMC health department quarantined the entire team on April 29, Wednesday, to avoid further transmission. The repair work will restart only after the team gets the all-clear, which will take a while.

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Four more cases of Coronavirus were reported from the APMC market — three in the vegetable and one in the grain market — on Thursday, increasing the uncertainty about the operation of the wholesale grain and vegetable market.

The infected include three traders and one purchaser. APMC already has 24 traders and 16 staff, including security guards, NMMC doctors and a pharmacist, in home-quarantine after they came in contact with an infected person. Besides, 14 others from the market are infected. The spike also raises concerns about the steps taken by the APMC committee to combat the spread of the virus at the cost of nearly a crore.

Shivaji Daund, commissioner of the Konkan division, said, "We are awaiting the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation's (NMMC) report on the latest positive cases. Accordingly, we will decide on whether to continue the operations."

A crore spent on precautions

Shashikant Shinde, APMC elected committee member and Mathadi workers union leader said, "Last week, six positive cases were reported at a hotel within APMC premises. It was decided that the market would shut down but due to government pressure, the decision was changed and only the hotel was sealed. Vegetable trucks are directly entering Mumbai. Very few trucks with vegetables, grains, fruits, spices, visit APMC."

Shinde added that according to the government APMC is an essential service and hence cannot be shut down. "I had recently suggested that we keep the market open for just three days of the week. The suggestion was turned down."

Highly placed APMC officials said the committee has spent nearly R1 crore to set up disinfectant spraying machines, a war room, and to get the market cleaned twice a week. Another nearly R50 lakh was spent to make alternative arrangements for 402 stalls for vegetable and fruit vendors in Kharghar, but that won't be utilised as traders feel the market in Vashi is already set.

Market insiders said, "We are using disinfectants and have thermal scanners at the main entrance but nothing can detect asymptomatic false-positive carriers of COVID-19. People coming in contact with such carriers are testing positive. The number will only increase in the coming days."

Another elected member of the APMC committee said, "Another problem is traders placing orders for multiple trucks full of produce.

"We allow only three hundred trucks to enter APMC per day and 300 are parked at the terminal waiting for entry. This shows that some traders are keen on making money during a pandemic."

Security officer infected

Last week, a 50-year-old security officer attached to the Maharashtra Security Board and deployed at APMC, tested positive. Five security guards, three officers, and two clerks attached to the fruit market had come in contact with him and were sent to home-quarantine.

"We were tested two days ago. The report will come in another two days. We are asymptomatic and are in home quarantine. The security officer used to attend meetings and take rounds of the fruit market," said Ishwar Masram, deputy secretary of the fruit market, who is also in home quarantine.

Sources within the market said, "Though it is not clear how the security officer got infected, the buzz in the market is that he attended a meeting organised by a state minister who is recuperating after getting infected. Our concern is that it is practically difficult to trace whom the concerned person came in contact with unless the person has downloaded the government's Ayush application that maps positive patients and their contacts."

"APMC has a staff of 550 people. The concern is that if one tests positive, 10 to 15 people contacts will have to be traced and tested. This means the number of working men will reduce as everyone will have to be quarantined," said Shirish Badgujar, assistant secretary APMC.

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While the COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), the Navi Mumbai police department is having a tough time dealing with rumours. In last four days, rumours claiming Janta Curfew or a complete lockdown resulted in a panic-like situation in various parts of Navi Mumbai. However, alert cops managed to tackle the misinformation by alerting the citizens and booked two people.

Despite the systematic management and strategy, COVID-19 cases in NMMC and Panvel Municipal Corporation area are on the rise with more than 250 cases in Navi Mumbai Police Commissionerate area.

"On the night of April 27, a message was posted on a WhatsApp group that, as cases of Coronavirus had increased in Kamothe, to break the chain, a complete lockdown or Janta Curfew was announced from April 30 to May 3. The message further said that only medical shops and hospitals would function," an officer from Kamothe police station said.

"A police officer was part of the group who alerted us and we immediately started verifying the message which was fake. So we summoned the group admins Amol Shitole and Ganesh Shinde, who were questioned and booked," added the officer.

But as a result of the message, on April 28, several residents came out to buy groceries and other household items. To contain the situation, cops went to every shop and stores to assure people.

The same panic-like situation was observed at Kopar Khairane and Juinagar on Wednesday, after the same message with the name of 'Corona Nirmulan Samiti' went viral – with the only difference being the location. As soon as the message went viral, grocery stores ran dry within a few hours. "We don't know the origin of these messages. But some people deliberately spread such messages, which not only spreads panic but also hampers our tireless work of almost a month" a senior police officer said.

Speaking with mid-day, Sanjay Kumar, Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner said, "We have noticed the spread of messages in the social media groups of non-existent curfew and are dealing strongly with such rumour mongers. People should keep track of official accounts and words about such important decisions."

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While many doctors have been complaining about the non-availability of safety equipment when they examine COVID-19 patients, a businessman has come to their aid by creating a cabin for such examinations, where they need not use PPEs.

The 38-year-old Vile Parle-based man has created an 'OPD' cabin that is divided into two sections for the doctor and patient. The doctor can examine the patient without using a mask or PPE as she/he does not come into direct contact with the patient, and can immediately sanitise the cabin after this. The businessman, Jatin Shah, gave one of the cabins free of cost to the Balasaheb Thackeray Trauma Care Centre at Jogeshwari last week, and every day doctors examine at least a 100 people in it.

Shah is involved with the aluminum industry and has used the material and glass to make the cabin. He has also donated 40 cabins to the Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka governments to examine people at the states' borders.

Shah said, "I saw many videos on social media about the challenges doctors have been facing while treating COVID-19 patients. So I decided to invent something that would help them. Within two days I created this cabin and gave it to the Jogeshwari-based trauma care centre free of cost with the help of an NGO."

Jatin Shah, the businessman

Shah said, "At the borders, 4-6 hours after testing when the report comes, if a traveller is found to be COVID-19 positive, doctors send her/him to hospital and if any patient is found negative, she/he is allowed to enter the state. I took the help of Wipro general electric, which finalised the design of this cabin and asked the Seva trust in Mumbai to contact the hospital and get the cabin approved," Shah added.

Doctor speak

"The cabin is really useful. We sent our four labourers to Shah's factory to help him construct this cabin. We also issued a letter to him from hospital superintendent Vidhya Mane. Within two days he manufactured it and gave it to us," said Dr Rangnath Jawhar of Balasaheb Thackeray Trauma Care Centre.

Features of the cabin

The cabin is 8X4 ft and divided into two spaces separated by glass. One section is used by the doctor and the other by the patient. Screening equipment including a digital thermometer and a fever gun kept inside. Both sides have a mike and speaker. A 20 lt tank stores disinfectant which gets sprayed inside

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The police remand of the 101 accused arrested in the barbaric killing of two priests and their cab driver in Palghar district last month, was extended for another 14 days on Thursday in connection with the attack on police officers on April 16.

They were produced before the Dahanu Magistrate court in the afternoon as their police remand expired on Thursday. Magistrate O B Kulkarni sent all the accused to additional police remand of 14 days. They have been charged with attempt to murder for attacking the cops while they were headed to the lynching site.

Lawyers headed by advocate Parmanand Ojha appeared before the court on behalf of deceased Chikne Maharaj, 70, Sushil Giri, 35, and driver Nilesh Tilghate, 30.

The police had on April 17 apprehended 110 people and arrested 101 of them, and sent them in police remand in connection with the murder of the three men. The nine other accused are juvenile and currently at Bhiwandi juvenile home. "Since the 14-day police remand ended on Thursday, I requested the court not to grant them bail instead send them into judicial custody," said Ojha.

Police search for others involved in the lynching at Gadchinchale village. File pic

The CID officials requested that the accused be sent to police remand for the murder attempt on cops and obstructing the work of police officials. None of the advocates appeared on behalf of the accused.

Advocate Ojha alleged that the trio became victims of a huge conspiracy against them. "There was no rumour before the incident and the priests and the driver were well aware of the internal routes to Gujarat from Mumbai. But their vehicle was turned back at a check post bordering with Dadra and Nagar Haveli," he said.

But crucial eye-witness Sonudaji Borsa told mid-day that a rumour of a child lifting gang was doing the rounds of the village. "Two nights before the incident, people gathered at our forest check post and forced me to step out saying a child lifting gang was active in the area. People often used to shout 'chor ayaa, chor ayaa' unnecessarily to trigger panic among villagers who would gather in large numbers," Borsa said.

Not the first mob attack

Sources said incidents of villagers creating unrest to raise their voice against government officials are very common here. "In December 1998, a mob in Gadchinchale village attacked forest officials and a State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) team acting against timber smugglers. Two men were caught but they screamed for help and a large number of villagers surrounded the forest officials and SRPF personnel," said an officer from Palghar police. The mob assaulted the officials and snatched the rifle of SRPF constable Vikram Valvi.

One of the priests killed in the April 16 incident. File pic

"Regional forest officer Digambar Manohar Dahibhavkar had registered an FIR against the mob at Kasa police station on December 22, 1998. Four people including Lohu Kanoja, Sonu Pilena, Tulja Pilena and Madu Kanoja were named in the FIR," said the officer. After the case was registered, all the villagers abandoned their homes just like they have done now. "The police later managed to arrest five absconders," said the officer. They also recovered the snatched rifle. "The four accused named in the FIR were arrested on August 9, 2012. Several accused are still at large," said the officer, adding that there have many such incidents that reveal the aggressive nature of Gadchinchale residents who have no fear of the law.

"The villagers clearly say 'yaha mehnat karke khana milta hai aur jail me bina mehnat ka' (here, we have to work for food, but in jail it's for free)," said the officer.

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A swimming pool maintenance employee working at the Bombay Presidency Radio Club (BPRC) in Colaba amid the Coronavirus lockdown died of electrocution on Thursday. Ramchandra Bhuneshwar's body was seen floating in the swimming pool by another staffer.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Sangramsinh Nishandar said an Accidental Death Report has been filed. "Prima facie, a 42-year-old man in charge of maintaining the swimming pool at Colaba's Radio Club died of electrocution. We have registered a case under Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code against Radio Club officials and the contractor for breaking lockdown norms," he said.

Senior police inspector of Colaba police Shivaji Phadtare said Bhuneshwar was taking water out of the pool with the help of an electric pump when he got electrocuted.
Sources said that Bhuneshwar, a contractual employee, was asked by his contractor Babu Khomrekar to clean the water of the swimming pool a week ago. "At the time of conducting the panchnama, Khomrekar was called by Colaba police. He told the police that Adi Mistry, a Managing Committee Member working as the Chairman of Swimming Pool and Gym at the Radio Club, told him to get Bhuneshwar to change the pool water," a source working at the Radio Club said.

Bhuneshwar is survived by wife, Vimal, two daughters and a six-year-old son. His relative, Siddhant Gaikwad, said, "Bhuneshwar was asked to continue maintenance work at Radio Club's swimming pool even during the lockdown. He lives in Murud Janjira. When no permanent staff is working at the club, why was he forced to continue his work?"

President of Radio Club, Harish Kumar Garg, said, "I am not aware how Bhuneshwar died and what was he doing at the Radio Club amid a lockdown as I am a 72-year-old man and I have been staying home."

Ramchandra Bhuneshwar

Sources said nearly a dozen Radio Club employees living at the premises spoke to the Colaba police during the panchanama. "Committee members forced these workers to leave the club amid the lockdown because they spoke to the police," source added.

Club members speak

Advocate Ravi Goenka, a member of the club, said, "We all are following the lockdown rules and sitting at home. And the rich and powerful people who are on the committee of tony clubs (i.e Radio Club) call staff to work in spite of the lockdown."

The Radio Club committee refused to answer calls. A club member said angrily, "Calling in staff to work is exploitation and violation of the lockdown."

Several members expressed surprise that the pool was filled with water and not drained as no one swims there amid the lockdown. Another member said, "We do not want this brushed away as an Accidental Death Report. A poor employee has lost his life, let us get to the bottom of this through a thorough investigation."

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Ahead of the crucial Legislative Council election in the state, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday paid a courtesy visit to Raj Bhavan here on the occasion of Maharashtra Day and met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. Their meeting lasted for around 20 minutes. The move comes at a time when the Election Commission of India (ECI) is scheduled to hold a meeting over elections to the Legislative Council in Maharashtra. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 9.30 am today. Every year, Governor and Chief Minister meet on Maharashtra Day in a traditional parade at Shivaji Park but this year the celebrations are curtailed due to COVID-19. So, the Chief Minister went to Raj Bhavan to call on the Governor, a CMO official said.

Earlier, Governor Koshyari had requested the ECI for the election to nine seats of the Legislative Council in the state. The Governor has made the request in a letter to the Election Commission, to fill the 9 seats in the legislative council, that has been lying vacant from April 24, "with a view to ending the current uncertainty in the state." He has stated that the Central government has announced many relaxation measures regarding the enforcement of lockdown in the country. As such the elections to the council seats can be held with certain guidelines, said Koshyari.

"Since Chief Minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray is not a member of either house of the State Legislature, he needs to get elected to the Council before May 27," he added. Earlier, Election Commission had withheld the election process for these 9 seats in view of the COVID-19 situation in the country. This came after Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi about his nomination to the State Legislative Council. According to sources, Thackeray sought Prime Minister Modi's help, saying if it doesn't happen, he will have to resign.

Prior to that, the Maharashtra Cabinet had on April 28 once again had asked Governor Koshyari to nominate Chief Minister Thackeray to the State Legislative Council.

Before that on April 9, the state cabinet had recommended Thackeray's name for one of the two vacant MLC seats that were to be nominated by Koshyari to the Legislative Council to avoid a constitutional crisis.

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Enforcing prohibitory orders strictly, the Maharashtra police have registered over 85,500 offences against lockdown violators across the state and arrested 16,962 people so far, an official said on Thursday. While combating COVID-19 and enforcing lockdown since late March, police have registered offences under section 188 of IPC against 85,586 persons, who violated prohibitory orders, he said. Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code is related to disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant.

Also, 16,962 people were arrested for violation of lockdown-related norms, he said. During the period, at least 161 police personnel, 21 of them officers, have tested coronavirus positive, he said. At least 167 cases of assault on police have been filed in the state in which 580 accused persons have been arrested so far, he said. Police have registered 1,237 offences of illegal transportation and seized more than 50,000 vehicles during the lockdown period, he said.

Police collected Rs 3.02 crore as fine for various offences during the period, he said. At least 622 persons were detained by police for violation of quarantine norms, he added.

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We will go ahead with patience and caution, said Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday asserting that the state government will give relaxations in lockdown after May 3 seeing the condition of specific areas.

"We will surely give relaxations after May 3 seeing the condition of specific areas but be cautious and co-operate, else whatever we have achieved in the past few days will be lost. So, we will go ahead with patience and caution," Thackeray said.

"I want people to not panic about COVID-19. It's only about starting the treatment on time. From few days old babies to 83 years old people have recovered and gone home. People on ventilators have also recovered well," he said.

The ongoing lockdown, which was imposed to contain coronavirus is scheduled to end on May 3. Maharashtra as the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country and the state's tally stands at 10,498.

The Chief Minister said that lockdown is working as a "circuit breaker".

"Yes cases are rising but most of the cases are of the contacts. And most are already in quarantine. And fortunately, 75-80 per cent people are asymptomatic of the disease so we are putting them in quarantine," he said.

The Chief Minister also wished the people of the state on the occasion of Maharashtra Foundation Day and Labour Day.

"I remember what my father and grandfather told me about the struggle of getting Mumbai in Maharashtra. I visited Jitata Chowk today and it was a unique experience as I visited it for the first time as the Chief Minister of the state for which martyrs had sacrificed their lives," he said.

"My father, grandfather and uncle were part of that Maharashtra andolan (movement). I remembered everyone who contributed for the formation of this state. I pay my respects to all of them before speaking to you," he said.

"We had decided that this foundation day will be celebrated with great enthusiasm at the time when our government was formed. But we are helpless. Even I had to go there with masks on my face," he added.

"I remember 2010 when we celebrated 50th Anniversary of Maharashtra state. I remember everyone's presence. Especially, I remember Lata tai's performance when she sang a historical song. Many people came and go but Maharashtra is as it was," he added.

"Even Aurangzeb had to accept that Maharashtra will not bow before him, he tried for 27 years. I am Chief Minister of such state and I am proud of it," he said.

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There are at least 160 firefighters who are working indefatigably to sanitise the streets and buildings in these times.

A report in this paper detailed how fire brigade personnel are divided into 32 teams and are sanitising more than 3,000 spots in the city, including, of course, hospitals and other places. The service has pressed its machinery into effect but it is in the end, the human chain that is driving the humongous effort of sanitising a teeming, and impossibly crowded city.

Let us recalibrate some aspects of our life and living, post these measures. One of those must be a more conscious effort to fighting fires. Let us make things easier for these firemen. This means working fire equipment in residential buildings. Do press upon the housing society committee that it is absolutely non-negotiable that they have firefighting equipment in the building premises.

We must also have residents attending the drill and familiarising themselves with the working of fire extinguishers, otherwise, the installation is merely cosmetic.

Learn from credible websites about what constitutes as the first response during fires. Knowledge about how to react first, before the experts reach, is important.

Try to keep stairwells and passages free in all buildings for a getaway in case of fire. Landlords of commercial buildings must check if compounds can be de-congested for easier access in case of fire. Easier said than done in a city where every inch of space is a luxury, but some method to the parking madness may be effective to some degree.

Small measures can go some way to make life easier for our firefighters. A more concerted effort is needed, so that we become allies with our men in blue, who are today preoccupied with protecting us in a different way.

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Since the lockdown began, nearly 750 people staying in around 125 shanties at Bandra Bandstand, have spent every night sleeping on or near the rocks outside their houses until the tide comes in, forcing them to crowd back inside. On an average, there are eight members in a shanty at Ganesh Nagar, along the seashore.

Unable to stay together in their small dwellings, they have been forced to spend time near or on the rocks by the sea, till the tide rises, in an attempt at social distancing. The people have been residing in the area since 1986 and have Aadhaar, ration and PAN cards etc. They have been getting SMS alerts to pay their electricity bills. They want the government to give them concessions regarding electricity, and many of the migrants there want to go back home to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, etc.

Until the tide comes in

The secretary of Ganesh Nagar Rahiwasi Sangh, Jeetendra Pareva said, "There was no space crunch in these houses as the working members would be out for most of the day. But due to the lockdown, the dwellings are overcrowded. Now a few members sleep inside the house and others come out to sleep on the rocks. We do this at night and in the afternoon. We change our sleeping locations as per the high tide. The water reaches right upto our door steps during high tide. We have learnt to sleep according to it," said Pareva.

Residents say only the men sleep outside on or near the rocks. Pics/Sameer Markande

Most of the residents are people who work as gardeners, drivers, maids, etc in the nearby bungalows of film stars. However, they claim neither the film stars nor the government have come forward to help them till date.

The locals also claim they have to defecate in the open as there is no public toilet facility in the area except for one meant for tourists, which is air-conditioned, and charges R10.

"It becomes tough for us to answer nature's call during the rainy season, as the rocks become slippery and many people lose their balance and get hurt. Fortunately none of us have fallen into the sea and drowned. Many political leaders have promised us toilets but nothing has been done. Who will pay R10 to use an AC toilet when we don't have ACs even at home?" asked Pareva.

Chose safety over money

The residents claimed that they have stopped working due to the lockdown, but their employees in the bungalows have been trying their best to lure them back. "These people have been offering us huge sums of money to resume work. A few of us were tempted as the offers were lucrative. But we had a meeting. But we conducted a meeting with all the residents and dissuaded everybody from going anywhere during the lockdown," said Ganga Bhagwat Singh, the president of Ganesh Nagar Rahiwasi Sangh.

The residents of hutments at Bandstand are forced to spend nights sleeping near or on the rocks until the tide comes in, to avoid overcrowding in their tiny houses

"Thankfully there is not a single case of COVID-19 in this slum. If someone goes out to work and gets infected, we could all get infected. So everyone got convinced and rejected the offers. We are also not allowing any outsider to enter our dwellings," added Singh.

Most of the occupants of these overcrowded dwellings are from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, and said they want to go to their homes in Patna, Allahabad, Jaunpur, etc.

Jobless with no money

Another reason they spend time on the rocks, is that they don't have television. "After the lockdown, the validity of cable connections expired in nearly 90 per cent houses in this slum. So the youngsters are forced to come out in the open for better network for their smart phones."

"We requested the service provider to resume the service but he said it will be possible after online payment. So we are helpless regarding this as well. Also, most of us are jobless so how can we pay for cable TV?" Pareva added. So far they haven't had a problem with food. Residents claimed former MLA Baba Siddiqui and Corporator Asif Zakaria have been giving them rations and packed food. Special arrangement for food has also been made by the duo for those observing roza in the holy month of Ramadan.

With the government allowing travel between states, the migrants in the shanties are hopeful of going back home.

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It took the BMC a full week to quarantine over two dozen high-risk patients, including the family of a Govandi resident who was posthumously found to have COVID-19. Right after the woman's death on Sunday, six neighbours got themselves tested at a fever camp and four returned positive over the next few days.

The woman, 55, was admitted at Rajawadi Hospital on April 24 and died on Sunday. A local social group identified 21 people as her high-risk contacts with symptoms.

While protocol states that family members and high-risk contacts should be tested and quarantined immediately, around 25 people were isolated at Vishnu Nagar in Mahul village only on Friday.

Of the six that visited the Mankhurd fever camp on Monday, one tested positive on Wednesday and was quarantined, two on Thursday. One positive diabetic patient is still at home as they require heightened care at a hospital.

Shankar Patil, president of the Govandi-based social group Rahul Seva Mandal, who highlighted the case in an email to CM Uddhav Thackeray on April 29, said, "The woman already had hypertension and diabetes. Later, her relatives, some family members and neighbours started showing symptoms. All live in Lumbini Baug in Panchsheel chawl so it is impossible to practise social distancing. They also use common toilets."

A neighbour whose husband has tested positive

The mandal had conducted its survey in the chawl on Saturday. Shankar said, "Had they not decided to get themselves tested, it would have been impossible to contain the spread."

'BMC's efforts taking time'

A neighbour — whose husband is one of the positive patients — went to the fever camp on Friday. She has a fever of almost 103°C. "We did not know that the woman had COVID-19. My husband, cousins and other family members took care of her as she already had diabetes," she said.

"After her death, BMC visited the chawl to take the names of high-risk contacts and said they will visit again the next day but no one came. All 21 people should have been quarantined immediately."

The BMC set up a fever camp at the neighbouring KC International School only on Friday

"We usually go out to buy vegetables and if we are positive, we don't want to spread the disease. Most of the people who tested positive were showing mild symptoms. They don't have too high a fever or difficulty breathing," she said. "I understand if the government doesn't test or quarantine neighbours, but at least test those who live in the same house. BMC is doing its work — but it is slow. We cannot directly blame them."

'Testing symptomatic cases'

M East ward Assistant Commissioner Sudhanshu Dwivedi said efforts was doubled at the fever camp in KC International School on Friday. When asked about the lack of testing of high-risk contacts, he said, "The ICMR guidelines say only symptomatic cases need to be tested. Earlier, we had set up a fever camp in a one-km radius of the chawl. It was in Govandi but in surrounding areas such as Deonar, Lotus Colony, etc. We also barricaded the chawl on Saturday, a day after the deceased woman was taken to Rajawadi."

"We also sent out Community Health Volunteers to check on residents' health. They told residents that if anyone is feeling symptomatic, they should visit the nearest fever camp and contact them. The whole process takes five to seven days." He added: "The six people found positive had gone to a BMC fever camp but in a different area. We test only symptomatic patients."

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We remember walking into Le 15 Café in Colaba on a late evening craving a gooey chocolate brownie. They had run out by then but a familiar voice from behind the counter told us if we weren't in a hurry, she'd bake a fresh batch. That was Pooja Dhingra, in her black and pink uniform and contagious smile, even at the fag end of a tiring service day.

Lodged opposite Ling's Pavilion, patrons to the Parisian café had many such stories to share, as seen with the thank you notes left on tissue paper. In 2015, Dhingra coaxed chef Pablo Naranjo Agular into moving to Mumbai from Colombia to create the savoury menu for the café. Their social media posts of sunny-side ups, waffles and tartine were drool-worthy enough to make followers land up for a meal.

'Uncertain times'

The lockdown and subsequent slump in business has pushed Dhingra to take the tough call of shuttering the café for good. "These are uncertain times and everyone has to look at the vision of their companies to decide the road ahead. Unfortunately for us, that meant to cut down our overheads to ensure we can keep the dessert business going. The challenges we predicted were low walk-ins, high rentals and the onset of the monsoon and a general slow-down of business," said Dhingra.

The café has been profitable for three years while the company has been profitable for six months. "We are operating from a central kitchen and servicing outlets. With a predicted decrease in revenue, it wouldn't make sense to keep this space going," reasoned Dhingra. For her, it's all guesswork about how long until the economy picks up. "What will change is how people dine out, and the emergence of social distancing that means reducing covers and higher deliveries," she said. Le15 at Lower Parel and Bandra will function as usual when the lockdown ends.

'A live organism'

When we call Naranjo in his home in Colombia, he is baking bread. His voice gives away the mood. Kneading dough might possibly help deal with the news. "A restaurant is a live organism that needs to feed, enjoy, rest, sleep and start all over again the next day. If you are not nourishing it, it suffers a lot. Coronavirus is showing us that reality," sighs Naranjo. "The time at the café was everything. I poured my heart and soul into it. I remember the times when Pooja would ask me to take a day off. But I would still show up on my off day. When I saw her love towards the business, it worked the same way for me. It's how we managed what we built together," he reminisces.

Dhingra is working on absorbing some of her staff. "We are working on an e-cookbook to raise funds for the team," she shares, signing off, "I dreamt of having a café since I was 16. I built it piece by piece with all my savings. Every memory will stay with me for life."

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Apart from being one of those areas in Mumbai, which has recorded the most number of COVID-19 cases, Dharavi seems to have come up with a bigger challenge now. According to ground workers, contact tracing has become a task in the slum due to incomplete addresses and wrong contact details.

A number of factors have led to the continuous rise in cases in Dharavi. One of them is the difficulty in following social-distancing rules, as it is a densely populated area. But if contact tracing becomes difficult, then it might become another point of concern.

On Friday, a team of officials, who visited the slum to trace a suspected COVID-19 patient, had to return without any success because the person could not be found. mid-day's photographer, who was at the spot, found out that it was because of an incomplete address. There have been instances of officials looking for people with minimal information about them.

Ground difficulties

"This does lead to situations where the person cannot be traced. In this specific case, the address was as vague as that the person lived behind a building in Dharavi. We reached the building and found a person of the same name but not the one we were looking for. There were no house number or road details. Most of the times the method we follow to reach a person is by asking around due to vague location details. Even mobile numbers are not correct sometimes," shared an official.

It has also been found that in some cases the numbers given by people are incorrect. The official further said that sometimes it's a task to trace contacts, as the details provided are vague and sometimes even incorrect.

'No such issue'

However, G-North ward officer, Kiran Dighavkar denied facing any such problem. He said, "There is no issue in tracing at all. It is not very difficult. Information regarding a person's location can be found out. There can be a rare case like this one but haven't received any complaint stating that it's an issue."

"We are also screening senior citizens by checking them with oximeter. We have appealed to about 350 private clinics to remain open and are providing them with PPE for free. If anybody is suspected to be a COVID-19 patient, he/she is sent to institutional quarantine for further tests. Until now more than 1,800 persons have been quarantined and currently 600 are in institutional quarantine. In fact, we hope to makeinstitutional quarantine possible for maximum number of people. Numbers will increase for another week and then we can expect the curve to flatten," added Dighavkar.

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While the BMC has issued an order for 100 per cent attendance of its employees, municipal corporations in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) want its residents to stay away from the city. The corporations are working on a plan to restrict the transmission of COVID-19 through residents who regularly go to Mumbai for essential services.

The plan is still in a primary mode but the corporations are likely ask service providers to make accommodation available for its employees near their respective work areas.

MMR, which includes Thane, Thane rural, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivali, Ulhasnagar, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Mira-Bhayandar, Palghar, Vasai-Virar, and Panvel Corporation, collectively has 1,159 patients, way below that in Mumbai which has close to 7,000.

"Nearly one lakh people travel to Mumbai from MMR every day for their jobs under essential services like banks, hospitals, and BMC. So if these areas maintain minimum contact with Mumbai, the transmission of COVID in MMR will be low," said a bureaucrat from the region.

"The number of positive patients in our area has gone up because of some residents who work at a private hospital in Mumbai. We are going to ask private hospitals to arrange for stay facilities for them," said a commissioner of one of these corporations. The civic body has identified 36 employees who work with the hospital.

The ideal situation is to create accommodation facilities for the employees near the work area. The chances of transmission increase due to travel. We are speaking to BMC," said a civic officer from MMR. Alternatively, he said, respective corporations could prepare Care Centres outside their residential areas for these employees who visit Mumbai daily. The administration is also thinking of a 15-day work, 15-day off policy for these employees.

While the MMR region comes under the red zone, some activities can start here if the number of patients go down. A list of migrants in each district – Thane, Palghar and Raigad — is also being prepared so they can go to their states safely.

Number of patients (as on April 30)

Mumbai – 7,061
Thane rural – 48
Thane – 412
Navi Mumbai – 174
Kalyan-Dombivali – 163
Ulhasnagar – 3
Bhiwandi-Nizampur – 17
Mira-Bhayandar – 126
Palghar – 41
Vasai-Virar – 128
Panvel – 47

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Three time MLA from Bandra West, politician Baba Siddique and son Maharashtra's youngest MLA from Bandra East Zeeshan Siddique reach out during the outbreak of the coronavirus where the city is experiencing a lockdown which is affecting lakhs of families. Zeeshan and his dad Baba Siddique are immensely contributing and working round the clock to provide relief to lakhs of needy families who are affected due to the lockdown.

Their efforts have reached an important milestone of 1.25 lac families across Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra. Recognition has also come from none other than Salman Khan , who has tweeted about their efforts. "We are running 5 community kitchens which are feeding approximately 4000 people daily, around 32 tons of groceries come in daily and a team of 150 people which includes, drivers, loaders, packers and delivery men work together for this cause. We are also reaching out to needy people from different parts of Maharashtra" says Baba Siddique.

The father and son duo have provided grocery kits to 50,000 families in Bandra West and 58,000 families in Bandra East. While Zeeshan who on his part is leaving no stone unturned, said "We are giving grocery kits with essentials like rice, dal, salt, oil, tea and sugar which is being packed and delivered by my team in my constituency and across the city ." he adds that "I'm also getting lot of requests on social media from different states, different political parties and social activists, we make sure these requests are fulfilled in Mumbai."

Though it's a never-ending task, Baba and Zeeshan's charity distribution network, supported by a dedicated team are putting in every effort to keep their social commitment of endeavouring no one sleeps hungry.

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When speaking of Indian mythology, the focus is on the stories, symbols and rituals of major religions such as Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism. We ignore the mythologies of the various tribal communities of India, who have lived in the subcontinent long before the arrival of Aryan migrants. Their stories are fascinating.
The Santals found in Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand speak of how humans emerged from the egg of a goose and a gander, created by the gods, which included the High God, Thakur-Dev, the smaller spirits known as Bongas. In the beginning, they say the whole world was water, until the earthworms collected earth and placed it on the back of a turtle. Did this story inspire the Hindu idea of the earth on a turtle upheld by elephants?

The Korkus, scattered across the states of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, tell the story of a deer pursued by their ancestors that disappeared in a mountain cave. While waiting outside the cave, they were met by an ascetic, who gave them some rice to eat. The ascetic then introduced himself as Shiva and asked them to permanently settle down as farmers, not hunters. Another story recounts how Ravana strayed into the scenic but unpopulated forests. When he prayed to Shiva to populate those forests with people, Shiva directed his messenger, the crow, Kageshwar, to collect red soil from the hilly region. Shiva made two statues from the soil, of a man and a woman. However, before Shiva could infuse them with life, an angry Indra got his horses to destroy the statues. This, in turn, angered Shiva, who made two dogs out of the red soil, infused them with life and drove Indra's horses away. Shiva then remade the two human statues and infused life into them. Known as Moola and Moolis, they are the ancestors of the Korku tribe. The Korku worship Shiva, Ravana and the dog. And the driving away of Indra does allude to some rejection of 'civilised' Aryans, though Shiva himself is a Vedic god.

The Baigas are a tribe dispersed across Madhya Pradesh. They say that in the beginning, there was only water all around and no land. Then, Brahma made land in the midst of the water. Immediately, two people emerged from the land—one a brahman and the other a sadhu Naga Baiga. Brahma gave the brahmin some paper to start studying and writing. He gave the Baiga a tangiya, or a sickle. He also gave the Baiga some kodo and kutki grains and ordered him to start farming. From that day on, the Baigas have been farming, while brahmins focussed on getting educated.

Because there are over 500 tribes in India, and each one has a unique mythology, their mythology is often ignored when studying wider trends and patterns. They are often seen as being simpler, etiological (explaining causes), sometimes proto-history, but rarely having deep psychological insight. This could be the prejudice of the researcher or simply the nature of tribes, where the focus is less on introspection and more on ritual rhythms of life. It is easy to see the influence of Hindu lore on tribal mythologies, but the reverse flow is also true.

Stories of boars raising earth from the bottom of the sea found in Vedas could very well have tribal origins.

The author writes and lectures on the relevance of mythology in modern times. Reach him at devdutt.pattanaik@mid-day.com

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While the authorities may struggle to get the rest of the city to follow social distancing and lockdown norms, one area in the city which is on board with their plan—and in fact, implementing stricter measures without being forced to—is Cuffe Parade's Machhimar Colony. The residents of this fishing colony have sealed their society, not allowing anyone to step out unless it's absolutely necessary. The residents have also decided not to fish until May 3.

The colony decided upon these strict measures after a resident was sent into quarantine on April 20, after coming into contact with a positive patient. The resident eventually tested negative.

There are a total of six fishing colonies in the Cuffe Parade-Colaba area—Machhimar Colony, Machhimar Nagar, Bhai Bandarkar Machhimar Nagar, Sagar Sanidhya Machhimar Nagar, Shivshrishti Machhimar Nagar and Shiv Shastri Machhimar Nagar. The residents of all these areas have decided to seal the colony, without any prompt from
the government.

Bhuneshwar Dhanu, advisor of Machhimar Sarvodaya Sanstha Private Limited, Cuffe Parade-Colaba, says, "Only those involved in essential services are being allowed to step out. Besides this, a team comprising youths from the colony has been formed. They stand at the gate and go buy any items that are required, without charging anyone."

Jayesh Bhoir, a resident of Machimar Colony, says, "We go to the dock after fishing, but crowds gather and so following rules of social distancing are tough. Therefore, we decided to lock ourselves in."

Chanda Jadhav, A Ward officer, says, "It is good that the people of Machhimar Colony are following the lockdown in their colony. Similarly, if all Mumbaikars adhered to the rules, we will be able to beat the Coronavirus."

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A day after the number of deaths dropped, Mumbai's death toll rose to 27 deaths on Saturday, the highest number recorded in a single day. The city's count of new cases was also high, as slum areas like Dharavi recorded 89 new cases in a single day.

Maharashtra reported 36 deaths on Saturday and 27 of them occurred in Mumbai, three in Pune, three in Amravati and one each in Vasai-Virar and Aurangabad. State health officials said that in addition to the 27 COVID-19 related deaths in Mumbai, a resident of West Bengal also died in the city. Civic officials said that 20 of those patients were suffering from other ailments including hypertension and diabetes and 15 of the patients were in the age group of 40-59 years.

Civic officials stated that 89 new cases were reported in Dharavi on Saturday and 38 new cases on Friday which took the total count of cases in the area up to 496. Among other areas, Kumbharwada continued to be a hot spot with 16 new cases in two days while Kunchikurve Nagar had 10 new cases. Apart from Dharavi, 17 new cases were reported in Mahim over the past two days which included two patients from the fisherman colony, and 13 new cases in Dadar.

Civic officials of G South ward, which had the highest number of cases, reported that 30 new cases were confirmed on Saturday. "The situation is better at the Worli Koliwada and Jijamata Nagar. However, there are a number of cases emerging from the BDD chawl and Prem Nagar," said Sharad Ughade, assistant municipal commissioner of G South ward. When asked if the restrictions at Worli Koliwada that has been sealed for several weeks will be relaxed, Ughade added that they will take a decision next week.

Two engineers in the maintenance department of Nair Hospital also tested positive. Dr Mohan Joshi, who is in-charge of Nair Hospital, confirmed the news and said, "These engineers did not come in contact with any COVID patients, they caught the infection from the areas where they live."

State health officials said that Maharashtra reported 790 new cases and of them, 547 of them were from Mumbai, and the city now has 8,359 cases. In areas across the state, 121 patients were discharged after a full recovery. Till date, Maharashtra has had 12,296 confirmed cases and 521 deaths.

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The Mumbai Police’s social media pages are gaining popularly among netizens for their epic memes during the lockdown imposed due to Coronavirus outbreak. After taking inspiration from Bollywood and popular series streaming online for some of their recent memes, the police department has now turned to Potterverse for some meme-spiration to explain their followers why it is important to stay at home.

In the Mumbai Police’s recent post on their Instagram account, they have shared what Hermoine Granger would say in her sassy way to explain the necessity to stay at home. The caption for the post read, “You already know Hermione's reaction if you step out unnecessarily during the lockdown,” while asking the ‘magical folks of Mumbai’ to stay at home. The message displayed in the clip will make you think twice step out of the house

 

 

 

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You already know Hermione's reaction if you step out unnecessarily during the lockdown. Just #StayHome magical folks of Mumbai to win 'The Battle' against corona #BattleOfMumbaikars

A post shared by Mumbai Police (@mumbaipolice) onMay 1, 2020 at 10:26pm PDT

The clip shared on Saturday managed to garner 61,407  likes with many Potterheads relating to the post and calling the Mumbai police’s social media page the ‘coolest’. A user said, “Mumbai's Auror Department got no muggles.” Another user said, “Wish we could just expeliamus the virus. One more user said, “Harry Potter post on the day of Battle of Hogwarts?! You guys won my heart!”

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As many 137 people suffering from coronavirus have recovered and discharged in the city on Saturday, said Mumbai's Public Health Department. "With 547 new cases of coronavirus and 27 deaths which were reported today, the total count in the city has spiked to 8,172 and deaths to 322," said the Public Health Department. It further said, "137 patients were discharged on Saturday and a total 1,704 patients have recovered in Mumbai till now."

According to the latest data issued by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), 15 more people tested positive for the coronavirus in Mahim on Saturday. With this, the total number of cases in Mahim stands at 52. However, no death has been reported from Dharavi in the last two days, said the BMC officials, adding that "38 people have tested positive today, taking the total number of cases in Dharavi to 496."

The deaths in Dharavi stand at 18. As per Pune's Health Department officials, the toll in Pune district has increased to 103 after three more deaths were reported today. Meanwhile, as many as 56 people -- suffering from coronavirus -- recovered and discharged from a hospital in Thane district.

"The 56 COVID-19 patients were discharged today from a hospital in Mira Bhayandar, Thane after they recovered from the disease," said the hospital authorities. The State Health Department said that a total of 790 new cases of coronavirus and 36 deaths have been confirmed in the State.

According to an official statement, with 790 new COVID-19 cases, the total number of cases in the State has spiked to 12,296 and the cumulative toll stands at 521.

The statement further read that 121 COVID-19 patients were discharged in other parts of the State on Saturday and a total of 2,000 people have been discharged till date.

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Coronavirus has brought everyone down to their knees, especially those who are suffering with ailments such as diabetes.

COVID-19 had mad eits way in the BEST department but the discharge of three conducters proved to be a silver lining, especially for the one who had diabetes.

The conductor was discharged from the hospital on Saturday morning, according to a report in The Times of India.

The conductor was admitted to the hospital on April 18 and even though his condition was deteriorating, he battled against all odds and recovered withing 2 weeks.

BEST cheif medical officer, Dr Anil Kumar Singhal said, "We are happy about our Corona survivor who was discharged with a negative report and sound health, and expect more recoveries in coming days."

Six more BEST staff detected positive for Coronavirus on Saturday, taking the total number from 29 to 35.

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You gasped on hearing that Reliance Industries Limited has slashed the salary of its employees. You feel this will have all companies, including yours, to follow suit, for they will think India's numero uno business house must know the strategy of surviving the Coronavirus-induced lockdown and its aftermath. Soon, EMI, the abbreviation of equated monthly instalment, would swim before your eyes, just the way your head would when your solar plexus was socked in high school.

You binged on loans to own at the same time the house you live in, the four-wheeler you drive around, and the latest model of mobile phones and laptops your family members use. These are yours as long as you pay the EMIs, which you committed to because you assumed your income will rise every year. On hearing about Reliance's decision, you totted up your EMIs to figure out at what percentage cut in your salary you would not fail to pay them. You decided to reduce certain types of expenditure, such as not dining out as frequently as you did.

You are anxious, even scared of the future, you accept.

In reality, though, you have been subliminally anxious ever since India turned into an EMI nation post-liberalisation. You have handled the stress of paying your EMIs by exchanging the pleasures of consumption for submissiveness at office. You have endured your nasty boss because you have an EMI to pay, precisely also why you have not opposed unethical practices at office. You were tempted to quit at times, but you did not because your EMI overload implied you could not do without a salary for even a month, the minimum time required to get another job. A submissive middle class has turned the EMI nation into a reactionary one, evident from our politics.

You are not an exception. I spoke to a loan manager of a leading private bank, who services 1,000 clients. On average, these borrowers have an EMI commitment of R60,000 to R70,000 on home loans. Of his clients, 60 per cent live in hypothecated houses, the remaining in rented accommodation even as they pay EMIs on houses still under construction. Surely, their monthly income must be three times their EMI? "No," the loan manager said. "At least 30 per cent of them will default on payment."

Economic boom is a function of consumption on credit. With salary-cuts and paucity of jobs, credit and consumption shrink and, therefore, also the economy. Yes, you have been caught on the wrong side of history. A 2015 survey of the Pew Charitable Trusts in America showed that the Silent Generation (born between 1928 and 1945) and Baby Boomers (1946-1964) were more likely than the Generation X (1965-1980) and Millennials (1981-1997) to say that debts enhanced their life. Why?

The Pew report explained, "They experienced the Great Recession [beginning 2007-08] acutely. Millennials came of age during the period and saw that high levels of debt took a toll on households' immediate financial security and prevented them from saving enough for later, and Gen Xers endured the loss of housing wealth and other consequences of the recession at higher rates than many other Americans."

In different cultures, epochal events, as the recession was to Americans, influence consumers differently. Leo Burnett's managing director, Dheeraj Sinha, wrote a remarkable paper in 2014 – Three Generations, One Big Market: A New Segmentation of India – in which he said the Indian market comprises the Partition generation, the Transition Generation, and the No-Strings Generation. These, roughly, are the Indian equivalents of Baby Boomers, the Gen X and Millennials.

The Partition Generation experienced the epochal event of India's division and Independence, but their hopes of an upswing in life were dashed. This had them pine for stability and security, of living within their means. They eschewed debts. For the Transition Generation, liberalisation was the epochal event. Negotiating between tradition and modernity, they did not think enjoyment was a sin. Yet they also taught themselves to fly "high with feet on the ground." Their high EMIs, in today's gloom, will likely have them think that their parents were wise to have lived within their means.

The No-Strings Generation, born in affluence, finds stability a yawn, divides life and work between what is boring and not boring, and prefers to manipulate the system than rebel against it. Sinha said to me that he expects the No-Strings dudes to continue borrowing for a phone or laptop, even to buy a motorcycle, than take an Uber post-lockdown, post-COVID-19 to evade the contagion.

There is always a possibility that COVID-19 could turn out to be an epochal event and alter the mindset of No-Strings and Transition Generations, both saddled with high EMIs. They will have no choice but to believe, like Ernest Hemingway's protagonist in the Old Man and the Sea, that "man can be destroyed but never defeated." They will undoubtedly struggle and discover, perhaps, a new way of living – and borrowing and spending."

The writer is a senior journalist

Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com

The views expressed in this column are the individual's and don't represent those of the paper

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Tired, hungry, thirsty, dejected and with blistered feet, hundreds of children and adults are currently trudging along the Mumbai-Nashik highway, in the hope that they will reach their hometowns in UP. Most of these daily wage workers had already begun their journey by the time the government decided to ply special trains to repatriate them.

But others began to walk towards their hometowns, uncertain and confused about train services, not knowing how to arrange the required documents or procure medical certificates.

Ashok Kumar and Ganesh Sahani's families are walking from Panvel to Basti, UP

The media has labelled it as the greatest exodus in India since the partition. The workers have been walking from Bhayandar, Bhiwandi, Ulhasnagar, Panvel, Taloja and other places, unable to wait any further for the lockdown to be lifted.

mid-day on Saturday spoke to several migrants who have been walking along the Mumbai-Nashik-Agra highway even from before the announcement of the third extension to the lockdown. Some have walked to Nashik in the hopes of boarding a train.

Vishwanath Shinde's aunt, 70, has lost her entire family so he had brought her to stay with him. Pics/Rajesh Gupta

Ashok Kumar, 27, and his family, including three children aged one to six, had walked 70 km from Panvel to Bhiwandi. The family, which used to work at a construction site till their owner suffered heavy losses and abandoned them, are headed to Uttar Pradesh's Basti district. Asked why the family started walking with children in the scorching heat instead of waiting for the government to start train services, Kumar said, "Kisko achcha lagta hai bachchon ke saath itna dur chalne ke liye? Mai aapko majburi bata nahi sakta. We were starving. I swear on my children that nobody from the government was helping us with food. Some people helped us with 15 days of ration, but how long would they do that?" Kumar and his family decided to walk home when they had only a few hundred rupees left. "We used to send money to our elderly parents and now they are sending it to us, so we can reach home safely. We don't know where these trains will leave from and what is to be done to get into them. Instead we will walk this way, may be someone will give us a lift."

'We'll die at home'
Kumar was accompanied by his friend Ganesh Sahani, who also belongs to Basti and worked at the same place. Sahani also has a 6-year-old child. He told mid-day, "We'll walk instead of starving our kids. On the way someone will help us. If we have to die, we will die in our home."

Sunil Yadav and friends rushed to this reporter's car asking for food. Team mid-day didn't have any but at the same time another car stopped there and offered them food

Kumar told mid-day on Sunday over phone that he had reached Jhansi, but Sahani's family did not make it. They were intercepted by police and taken to a quarantine centre in Nashik. "We were lucky as there was no place in the police vehicle. We stayed at the Nashik vegetable market for a night. After walking for 180 km, some people helped us with food and shelter. The next morning a vegetable supplier from UP accommodated my family in his truck and now we have reached Jhansi."

The heartwrenching stories continued. Another daily-wage labourer who belongs to Maharashtra's Akola district, was walking with his family, carrying his 70-year-old disabled aunt. Vishwanath Shinde, 45, worked with a road contractor in Navi Mumbai. He stays with his wife, two children, his sister who is blind and his disabled aunt, Vachelabai Nahi. We met Shinde near Kalyan. "Everyone is dead in my aunt's family and she is alone. So I brought her to stay with us in Mumbai. I carry her in my arms like a child. We stop every few kilometres to rest," he said.

Sumit and Sarita Dangar are walking with their child and say they have no money

Shinde, who used to earn R700 a day, said, "I don't have a single paisa to afford any transport from here. The government said it will send buses, it will send trains. There are people walking on the roads here. They can send the buses here. Will they send them after we die?"

Sumit and Sarita Dangar were walking with their 6-year-old daughter to Washim. Sumit had come to Navi Mumbai just four days before the lockdown was announced to work at a construction site. " I thought things will get better after May 3 but nothing is going to change. We both earned R800 every day. But all our savings have gone, so we decided to leave the city. Once we reach home the villagers will send us to a quarantine centre for 14 days which is compulsory."

Doctors from Kongaon Medical Practitioners' Association have set up a camp to help the migrants with basic medicines. Pics/Rajesh Gupta

'No help from govt'
Several youngsters are also walking to UP. Of one such group, 14 members worked in Bhayandar and belong to Siddharth Nagar district in Uttar Pradesh. They had heard of a special train to Gorakhpur from Nashik, and started walking there to catch it. "If we can't catch it, we will walk to our home town. No help has come from the government. It's the people who have been helping us even on the highway," said Sunil Yadav. Another group from Prayagraj working in Ulhasnagar, which has a big migrant population, also left for Nashik hoping to board the special train. The group belongs to Prayagraj. "Some trains will go to Lucknow. We have walked for a whole night for almost 50 km to reach Nashik on time. We are starving. Our parents sent some money so we can reach home. We will fight until we are alive," said Munnalal.

Migrants avoid trains
On Sunday, Sunil Yadav called this reporter to say they would continue to walk. "We had checked with people in Bhayandar about special trains. But they said they are facing difficulties to get their names registered, as there are thousands of people. They have been asked to get medical certificates and pay for tickets as well. After listening to all this, we kept walking and have now crossed Nashik," said Sunil Yadav.

Vinod Yadav, a tailor from Bhayandar, and his friends had by Saturday morning reached Kalyan Phata. "We started walking hoping to board a train. But some people told us about the formalities. We don't have a single rupee. How will we pay for tickets?" he said.

Doctors' camp on highway
In the midst of this humanitarian crisis, three doctors from the Kongaon Medical Practitioners' Association have set up a camp on the highway with medicines, which include pain killers, paracetamol and ORS. "We have been holding this camp for the past three days from 6 am to 9 pm for the migrants. We also provide food to them. Almost 500 people have benefitted every day," said Dr Bharat Patil.

"This is the time we must help each other. We have been taking their temperature as well," said Dr Kishore Singh.

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With the Railways levying a surcharge of Rs 50 on the normal second-class fare on the special trains, activists and politicians on Sunday, were wondering aloud why this was so.

"It is unfair that Railways is charging migrants for transport to their homes. The Centre is spending so much on free food, shelter and treatment, it could have also waived train fare for migrants with no money or job," said Ajit Shenoy of Mumbai Mobility Forum (MMF).

Rakesh Doshi, who along with hundreds others travelled home on Saturday night, asked why the Centre or the Railways couldn't absorb the cost. "These are difficult times. Everyone is short of money. The Railways contributed R151 crore to the PM CARES Fund, but is charging migrants train fare," another migrant, who is also an activist, said. Another MMF member asked, "I want to know if those airlifted from China and Iran were charged or was it a free flight back home? If they weren't charged, then the special train ride should be free."

Railway officials said it was not charging migrants, as the tickets are not being issued to individuals, but the state governments are looking at the aspect of ticketing. A spokesperson said tickets were booked by the district administration and every state has its own policy.

"While many states are bearing the cost, NGOs are contributing in others, and fare was collected from the migrants in some states. And no additional charge was levied. Only the regular superfast surcharge was added to the fare. The train is carrying 50 per cent of the capacity and returning empty. Also the ticket fare includes meals and bottled water. The fare is basic, not exorbitant," a spokesperson said. Another official said, "Practically speaking, if the trains are run free, there will be chaos and that there won't be any accountability and documentation".

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Energy Minister Dr Nitin Raut has written to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, requesting that the state government bear the cost of the migrants' tickets.

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Revising the COVID-19 lockdown guidelines further, the state government has allowed stand-alone liquor shops to reopen in Mumbai and its metropolitan areas from Monday.

However, shops in the demarcated containment zones in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), will remain shut. Permit rooms and restaurants serving alcohol have not been allowed to operate.

The order for liquor shops also applies to Pune Metropolitan Region and other red zones. The shops will have to comply with strict measures such as social distancing.

The local authorities like municipal chiefs and district collectors have been tasked with deciding the number of shops in each area for preventing mass gathering.

This information is subject to guidelines/conditions in the state government's notification dated 02.05.2020. Imaging/Uday Mohite/Suhas Kale

Sources said the state government has convinced the Centre despite national restrictions on non-essential business in red zones.

The Centre was told red zones had non-containment clusters that were unaffected. Liquor production and sale will also replenish the state's depleted coffers.

Several ruling leaders and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray have been demanding the opening of liquor shops for revenue's sake.

Alcohol retail shops will be open from 10 am to 6 pm. Only sealed (bottled) liquor is allowed to be sold. The shops will have to work on 50% staff strength and the employees will have to be tested for body temperature and other symptoms.

Liquor factories, which give maximum revenue on site, have also been allowed to start production. Thermal screening of staff and access control will be required.

In addition, urban standalone shops selling non-essential commodities like clothes, footwear, stationery, electronic and electrical/domestic appliances will be opened in non-containment zones, but only 5 shops will operate in one lane/street. Spas, barber shops and salons will not open in red zones.

"Medical shops and and grocers will not have a five-shop restriction and no restrictions on business hours," said Bhushan Gagrani, principal secretary, in-charge of media relations for COVID-19 mitigation plan.

Travel by air, train and metro, inter-state road movement, opening of educational institutions, hotels and malls, places of worship and large gathering will not be allowed anywhere.

However, goods supply will not be affected. Industry with access control and urban industry have been allowed in orange and green zones.

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With the death of one more employee this weekend, the toll of BEST employees succumbing to COVID-19 is two, while four have recovered and have been discharged.

Sources said that an employee from the transport engineering department of Backbay bus depot died at KEM Hospital.

"The employee had reported to work and has been listed on duty until April 21, after which he fell ill. This clearly shows he laid his life working for the BEST Undertaking. His next of kin should be offered a job in the BEST and his family should be given an amount of R1 crore out of medical insurance," Shashank Sharad Rao, general secretary of the BEST Workers' Union said.

A BEST spokesperson confirmed the development and said the employee was suffering from high blood pressure and had been absent from work since April 22. He tested positive for Coronavirus on May 1 and died on May 3.

The first employee BEST lost to Coronavirus was a foreman working for the electric supply branch. He tested positive for Coronavirus on April 2. Since March 16, he had been admitted to a private hospital and had kidney-related ailments. He resumed work at Wadala depot on March 20 after and worked till March 22, after which he died.

On the other hand, there have been success stories too. A BEST spokesperson said a BEST bus conductor, who was diabetic, was admitted with COVID-19 since April 18. He recovered and was recently discharged. Another employee residing at the Parel staff quarters has also recovered. In addition, BEST has seen no positive cases since May 1.

BEST in numbers

. 30: No. of employees recuperating from COVID-19
. 8,865: No. of employees tested
. 1,500: No. of high-risk employees told to stay home
. 400: No. of employees recommended home-quarantine as a precaution

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Over the past six days, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has recorded a total of 124 COVID-19 deaths, almost double of the toll recorded between April 22 and April 27 (59), making it one of the major causes of concern for the city. With four BMC workers succumbing to the viral infection in the last two days, 21 deaths were reported just on Sunday.

Of the 124 deaths, 60 are in the age group of 40 to 60 years, three are aged below 40, and the remaining 61 are above 60 years of age. As per the civic body's data, 2,144 new cases and 59 deaths were reported between April 22 and April 27. Another 3,024 cases got added between April 28 and May 3. Meanwhile, 441 new cases were reported on Sunday taking the city's tally to 8,613.

Sources in the BMC said that they had formed a four-tier system to deal with the COVID-19 cases. Around 2,000 asymptomatic patients have been shifted from hospitals to COVID-19 quarantine centres across the city so that the health workers can focus on the treatment of serious patients.

Meanwhile, the number of patients in Dharavi is also increasing by the day. On Sunday, 94 new cases and two deaths were reported in the area. So far, the total number of patients in the largest slum of the city has reached 590 with 20 deaths. Mahim has reported 16 new cases with the total being 68 in the area.

Four BMC workers die
A total of four BMC workers, including a BEST staff, involved in fieldwork related to COVID-19 have died over the past two days.

A 46-year-old staff was working in the labour ward of civic-run Shatabdi Hospital in Govandi, where a pregnant woman had tested positive for the virus. The worker was a high-risk contact and had tested positive for the virus too, after which he was admitted to Rajawadi hospital in Ghatkopar. However, he succumbed to the infection on Saturday.

One motor loader, 49, working with the solid waste management department in BMC died due to the viral infection on Saturday. Another worker of N ward and deputed at the MCMCR training unit in Powai for COVID-19 related work died the same day.

Speaking to mid-day, Ramakant Bane, general secretary of the municipal union, said, "The workers are worried about their and their family members' health. With the growing number of COVID-19 cases, the BMC should test their workers on priority."

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Civil society organisations and independent researchers from all over the country have prepared a report explaining how the lockdown is adversely affecting tribal communities and forest dwellers amid an acute lack of awareness. It will be presented before the central and various state governments this week."

The assessment is prepared by civil society organisations and independent researchers who are working with tribals and forest dwellers. These include Campaign for Survival and Dignity (Chandigarh), Soumitra Ghosh of the All India Forum for Forest Movement (AIFFM), Neema Pathak Broome of Kalpavriksh, Pune, Tushar Dash and Sushmita (independent researchers), among several others. Work on the report has been in the pipeline ever since the enforcement of the lockdown measures on March 24.

Representative image:  tribal villagers in Jharkhand, Picture: Sushmita

Remote location a challenge

According to the report, lack of information among the tribals and forest dwellers about the pandemic and about the required protective measures is a major issue in tribal areas. "Tribal settlements are located remotely, thereby making it particularly difficult for information to reach there," reads the report. "The reverse migration from cities and urban areas also raises concern about spreading of the virus in tribal areas."

The report highlights how a lack of proper healthcare facilities and low testing numbers of tribal populations increases the risk of infection and how the lockdown has affected collection, use and sale of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) by tribals and forest dwellers. It also includes recommendations to the Centre on how to combat the issue and help the communities in need.

Representative image:  tribal villagers in Jharkhand, Picture: Sushmita

Speaking with mid-day, independent researcher Sushmita said: "COVID-19 impacts people with compromised health conditions and low immunity. This increases risks of infection amid the tribal populations living in deprivation. Testing and monitoring of the disease is inadequate and is mostly limited to urban areas. Providing testing facilities in tribal areas is a major challenge."

According to independent researcher Tushar Das, "The lockdown has affected collection, use and sale of MFP by tribals and forest dwellers. An estimated 100 million forest dwellers depend on MFP for food, shelter, medicines and cash income. The MFP collection season from April to June provides major income support to tribals (almost 60 per cent of the annual collection takes place during this period) and, unfortunately, it coincides with the lockdown. The trading and value chain of Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFPs) has been completely disrupted under the lockdown as traders are not willing to buy NTFPs in the current situation."

The report recommends
According to both, Sushmita and Tushar, the Central government is yet to come up with a comprehensive COVID-19 response programme for tribal communities. The report recommends the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) set up a COVID-19 response cell and give specific guidelines to address the problems of tribals and forest dwellers. "The MoTA should also ensure that district and sub-district level officers are well informed about all relevant guidelines and orders related to COVID-19 regularly and ensure that these are complied with," Sushmita said.

"The Centre should coordinate with the state governments to provide immediate relief to the tribal communities by ensuring information and awareness, providing health care and testing facilities in the tribal areas, support for MFP collection and sale," Tushar added.

100
Approx. no. of forest dwellers, in millions, depending on Minor Forest Produce

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Around 200 stray dogs have died in Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai due to dehydration, insufficient food and nutrition since the beginning of the lockdown, an Andheri-based NGO, Save The Paws has said.

With stray dogs increasingly fighting each other over food, in one such incident, nine puppies died in MIDC area last week. The puppies were eating on the road and another stray dog bit them all and snatched the food. Seriously injured, the puppies later died.

Speaking to mid-day, Poonam Gidwani, founder of Save the Paws, said, "The lockdown's worst effect has been on the animals. They are not getting enough food."

Lakhs of stray cats and dogs, monkeys, birds, cows and other semi-domesticated animals in India depend on food waste from markets, restaurants and grocery shops. With COVID-19 having locked people inside their homes and several establishments shutting down, strays are having a hard time finding food.

Most of the updates about cats and dogs dying of starvation have come from Aarey Milk Colony and Film City.

Gidwani added, "We have received reports from Aarey about animals dying of starvation. The lockdown has also stopped incomes. As such, feeders of stray animals too are finding it hard to spend on these animals." The NGO visits locations to verify animal deaths and also facilitates disposing of their remains.

Save The Paws is being helped by the Reliance Foundation with food for stray cats and dogs, fodder for stray cattle and grain for birds.

Bollywood lends a hand
Celebrities like Rohit Shetty, Farah Khan and Preeti Simoes too are helping Save The Paws provide foods for stray animals. Every Sunday, Save The Paws supplies animal food enough for a week to feeders in Film City and Aarey. Simoes said, "My aim is that not a single animal should sleep hungry. Each animal should get sufficient food as they are part of our planet."

How you can help
"It is easy to help animals in your area. After every meal, if rice or roti is left, don't throw it away. Take the food in a sheet of newspaper and keep it by the roadside. Dogs, cats and other stray animals will eat it. Don't waste food," Gidwani said.

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Major Anuj Sood, 31, one of the five officers killed in an encounter with terrorists at a village in Rajwar forests of North Kashmir, had already completed his operational tenure in the Valley and was about to get a new posting when the lockdown happened. As a result, Sood, who lived in Pune with his wife Aakriti, had to continue his tenure in Kashmir.

Speaking to mid-day over phone from Dharamshala, Aakriti, daughter of a retired Marine Commando from Indian Navy, Commander Kashmira Singh, said, “He was posted in J&K and the last time I saw him was on November 30, 2019.” Aakriti, who worked as an HR professional in a French company in Pune, resigned in March and left for Dharamshala with her father on March 17, as Major Sood was supposed to get a new posting.

However, due to the lockdown he had to continue with his tenure in the Valley. Aakriti and Major Sood became friends and got married on September 29, 2017.

“A few days after the marriage, Major Sood left to join duty in J&K,” said Commander (retd) Singh. Major Sood's father is a retired Army officer and lives in Chandigarh where his mortal remains will be taken on Monday to conduct his final rites. He is survived by his parents and two sisters, Shruti, who is settled in Australia and Harshita, who is a captain in the Indian Army.

Speaking to mid-day, his father, brigadier (retd) Chanderkant Sood, said he received the news of his death around 8.30 am on Sunday. “He had come on leave in November to attend a family wedding and then returned to join work in December. Though his tenure in the Valley was already over, it got extended due to the lockdown. But we were in constant touch with each other over phone and WhatsApp. Three days ago we spoke over the phone,” he added. Due to his father's transferable job, Major Sood studied in the Army public schools in Delhi, Luckow, Jaunpur, etc. “He always wanted to serve the nation as a defence officer and also wished to study in the same school where I completed my education. He joined the National Defence Academy (NDA) in July 2008. He completed his NDA training in May 2011 and the training for Indian Military Academy on June 9, 2012,” added Brigadier (retd) Sood.

“My younger daughter Harshita is also in the Indian Army and posted in Rajouri. She is a national level shooter and at present she is undergoing a training in Mau,” he said. The parents and wife of Major Sood are in touch with the defence personnel in J&K for regular updates about the ongoing operation there.

30
Day in November 2019 that Major Sood last met his wife

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In giving Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray a new lease of life in the CM's office by way of asking the Election Commission of India (ECI) to hold legislative council polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has kept the battle between the state government and governor raging. A timely request made to Prime Minister Narendra Modi has helped the CM survive a chair scare, and his party has profusely thanked the Centre for facilitating the legislative council's biennial elections. However, the Sena and its Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners have been forced to accept that the Raj Bhavan holds the ultimate right to reject the Cabinet's recommendation, that the CM be made a legislator under the governor's quota, in the circumstances he (the governor) found fit for refusal. The BJP has also averted a situation wherein it could have been blamed by the people for playing 'brutal' politics by collapsing the government in the time of a grave health crisis.

A game fixed?
The events that finally led to the CM's relief seemed to be orchestrated delicately. Actually, the Sena offered it on a platter to the BJP which created a pressure cooker-like situation, in which the rival teams ended up doing the unexpected. The verdict in this game is varied. For some, the Sena has won. For some, the BJP is the victor because it hurt Sena's pride. But people in the know say the game was fixed at the last moment to appear like a tie, and insist that the next rounds of the game will be rather interesting. The Raj Bhavan should be elated because it was converted into an execution hub with its control strings being manoeuvred in New Delhi, which also honoured Bhagat Singh Koshyari's consistent say. The state BJP leaders who are alleged to be hand-in-glove with the Raj Bhavan may also have a reason to feel somewhat contented because they were able to get even with the Sena, if not successful in completely decimating a friend-turned-foe.

With its West Bengal and Delhi counterparts already in the news, Maharashtra's Raj Bhavan shot into the limelight after a decade, since it installed the BJP's 'sunrise' government late last year. The government fell in three days because the coalition didn't have the numbers, and the Supreme Court acted very swiftly to direct the conduct of proceedings that went against the BJP's plan. And then Uddhav became the first from the Thackeray family, to govern the state directly from the CMO, and his son Aaditya also achieved yet another first for the family, when he got elected as an MLA. A period of six months since then has set many precedents like formation of an axis of three parties that are ideologically so different.

All seats available in the council of ministers were filled, though it perhaps isn't the first in the state's political history, but it surely was an aberration because it hadn't happened in the recent past.

However, most of the precedents were set in the past one month. The CM, unlike some of his predecessors, chose to not contest Council polls that were held after he assumed the office, or asked a party MLA to vacate a seat for him by facilitating a by-election for him. The unexpected novel Coronavirus pandemic compounded the CM's political difficulties when the biennial elections were deferred in the wake of the health scare. If pandemic-related eventualities are considered, then, ifs and buts shouldn't really hold ground to blame the CM for making wrong decisions. Left with no option, the Cabinet twice recommended twice Thackeray for the governor's quota, but the governor refused citing a similar denial in December. So far, a governor's nominee hadn't become a CM. And here, the BJP seemed to have trapped the Sena tiger.

But Thackeray, maybe prompted by his friends in the BJP, relied on an all-effective hotline to PM Modi. Writing on the CM's prospects of making to the legislature in the previous column, I had said that a lot would depend on how much Thackeray has been able to covertly repair the fracture that upset the Sena-BJP applecart six months ago. We will have to see how the BJP-Sena relationship shapes up in the future.

More precedents set
Few other precedents we set after the PM-CM talks. The political veterans haven't recalled any occasion when the Raj Bhavan recommended to the ECI, the holding of Assembly or Council elections. They haven't dug out a trace of political parties asking the governor to make such a recommendation to the ECI. This time, not only the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party, but the CM also petitioned the governor in this regard. If that was not enough, the Maharashtra Chief Secretary voluntarily assured the ECI that the state machinery was well-equipped to hold the polls for which the candidates and 288 MLAs should be travelling to Mumbai, to file nominations and vote in the lockdown or lockdown-like situation.

All this happened in just one day. To top it all, the ECI convened an emergency meeting next morning with its chief participating from abroad. Within hours, the elections were scheduled. It is anybody's guess why events took such dramatic turns overnight.

So, can we say all is well that ends well? Well, we may say so when we're fighting a deadly pandemic which has its epicentre in Maharashtra, especially Mumbai, which is the country's powerhouse. It seems the political foes who share ideology have put aside the differences in bad times. Henceforth, we would like the CM and PM to talk frequently to ensure public good. Politics can wait.

Dharmendra Jore is political editor, mid-day. He tweets @dharmendrajore Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com

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Shivam Misra from Khar, founder and managing partner of Walnut & Co, a strategy and market access consulting firm in Singapore, flew from Budapest to Kathmandu, for business meetings in early March, but due to COVID-19, he found himself locked in Kathmandu.

"When I landed, Nepal had around six novel COVID-19 cases. I had no clue that Nepal or India may move towards a lockdown," said Misra, adding, "Some reports citing official figures say there are approximately 12,000 Indians stranded in Nepal. There are a huge number of labourers stuck here, being looked after by the Indian Embassy." He has been living at the Marriott in Kathmandu with nine other guests.

He said, "The Indian officials at the embassy have been stupendous. They have put forward my case to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). They have always been accessible on email or phone. I do feel a twinge when I think of family back home, but one has to be patient. Gaurav Aggarwal, in charge of this property, has been wonderful too, inviting me to his home, which helps dispel the homesickness a little." The entrepreneur's days in Kathmandu are full of, "reading, writing and exercise. I walk through the hotel property. I am a photographer; portraiture and fashion being my forte." Misra said, "The downtime taught me that we are in a mindless race. This may teach us to value what is true. My lens will now capture human stories differently."

When not behind a business desk, Misra will be thinking of "conscious capitalism. This is not socialism, for without capitalism the economy cannot grow. I will, though, recalibrate a more fair distribution of wages and a more equitable distribution of wealth."

Biz whiz Narayan Murthy spoke about how he changed his philosophy from socialism supporter to 'compassionate capitalist' after an unsavoury incident abroad. Misra's changing mindset too proves that we may come out of this pandemic altered in our hearts and minds.

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Due to the lockdown, migrant workers who were stranded in Mumbai are being sent back to their villages. Today, the Mumbai Police sent 25 migrant workers from the city to Rajasthan. This is the first bus to transport migrant workers from Mumbai to their village.

According to Mumbai Police, the 25 people are from Jalore district in Rajasthan. All of these individuals were residing in South Mumbai and are migrant workers. The workers had requested the Mumbai Police that they be sent to their village, due to which, the Police has issued a permit to go to Rajasthan. The fare of the bus will be paid by the workers themselves which is nearly Rs 6,000 per person.

The people travelling in this bus are from Jalore district. They all formed their own groups and sent an application to the police, after which they were given a permit.

Dharmendra Singh is from Jalore district of Rajasthan and was working at a cloth merchant's in South Mumbai but the work stopped due to the lockdown. Singh had applied to the MRA Marg police station after which the police arranged for a bus for him to go back to his village. Dharmendra Singh said that he was stuck in Mumbai due to the lockdown and is thankful to Mumbai Police.

Hansraj Chaudhary, who is from Jalore district, said, "I used to work at a stationery shop in Bora Bazar and the work stopped after the lockdown. There was no source of earning and it was causing problems."

DCP Zone 1 Sangram Singh Nishandar told mid-day, "These people applied to go to their village after which we gave them a permit. They got their own medical assistance and now they are going back to their village."

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Amid the rising number of coronavirus cases in the city, on Monday, Mumbai's Air Quality Index (AQI) stood in the poor category as the AQI dropped to 133, as per AQI India. The poor category of air quality in Mumbai is an indicator that such air quality can provide difficulty in breathing.

Air Quality Index (AQI) across different parts of Mumbai

According to AQI India, an AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 is moderate, 101-200 poor, 201-300 unhealthy, 301-400 severe and 401-500 is marked as hazardous. While Mumbai's overall air quality was poor, several parts of the city including Bandra (31 AQI), Worli (42 AQI), Powai (24 AQI), Kurla (44 AQI) reported good air quality. Sion, on the other hand reported AQI of 1094 which as per the AQI parameter is hazardous.

A snapshot of Air Quality Index (AQI) across different cities in India

In other cities of the country such as Delhi (83 AQI), Ahmedabad (90 AQI), Bengaluru (101 AQI) reported moderate air quality which is acceptable for healty adults but may pose a threat to senstive individuals as per the parameter reading.

Data sourced from aqi.in

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The Shiv Sneh Co-operative Housing Society in Pratiksha Nagar, Sion, has been dealt another blow as the much-needed building repair work has come to a halt twice in past few months. The repairs initially came to a halt last September, when the Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative Bank (PMC) found itself in trouble. The society had R85 lakh in its Sion branch, which they haven't received yet. In March, when the society once again started the repair work using funds from their other bank account, it had to be stopped due to the lockdown over the COVID-19 spread as Pratiksha Nagar is in the red zone. Now with the work pending, the residents are worried about their fate this monsoon.

Kashinath Rokade, secretary of the society said, "We have been told that pre-monsoon work can be started, but are awaiting for the lockdown to be called off after May 17, and the contractor has assured us he will get the waterproofing done within two to three weeks, with some interior work. The painting of exterior building can be done post monsoon."

The 166 (flat and commercial shop) owners attached to the four wings (A,B,C,D) of the building were all set to abide by the structural consultants audit report and promptly floated bids calling in for tenders, which took almost four to five months of hard work starting February 2019. Finally they zeroed in on the contractor, M/s Viswakarma Civil Constructions, Kalwa, Thane and selected them to carry out repairs, civil work including waterproofing and painting work for a total consideration of approximately R52 lakh, as per their tender, explained society chairman Mahesh Adate.

Rokade showing the state of the repairs in October 2019

Repairs were on
Adate added, "The building was to undergo repairs for the first time since it was handed over to the society by MHADA in 2008 and since then office bearers were collecting repair funds under monthly maintenance of approximately R1,800 from members. A huge corpus of nearly R85 lakh, in the form of Fixed Deposits and other savings, were in the society's name with the PMC, Sion branch."

The society had even issued work order to M/s Viswakarma paying an advance of R5 lakh, as against the contract signed. Since August 15, the scaffoldings were put across the building structures, and work of removing old plaster was in process. As per the contract the entire work was to be completed within four months time period.

Adate added, "Most of the occupants in the building (nearly 80 percent) are working class people which include senior citizens, who have been residing her for over a decade."

According to Adate, MHADA had issued a lottery for this MIG (Middle Income Group) way back in 2005 for a consideration of R10 lakh - R11 lakh including stamp duty and registration, where each flat is around 450 sq feet carpet and commercial outlets allotted admeasuring 150-160 sq feet (Carpet). In 2008, MHADA handed over the building to the society and since then the society has been collecting funds for repairs.

PMC scam shocking
Adate said, "We were taken by surprise, when we learnt about the abrupt directives from RBI putting restrictions on PMC bank. We had to arrange for funds, as the contractor had already sent a letter seeking clearance of additional fund for carrying out the work, and we were left in the lurch."

When asked why the society does not have any other bank account, besides the one with PMC bank and Maharashtra Co-operative Bank, the society office bearers said, "We have always been told that under the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Act, housing societies should mandatorily have accounts only with co-operative banks, hence we abided by the rules. Also our society accountant had no problem banking with PMC, everything was going on smoothly, till last week."

When informed that society accounts can be opened in nationalised banks too, they said, "We are ready to open a new account with a nationalised bank, provided PMC transfers all our society funds there."

When asked how they will finish the remaining payment, Adate added, "We will have to start taking contributions from members. Also we have not got any response to the legal notice issued to PMC Bank on behalf of our society. We may contemplate taking the matter to the consumer court against PMC Bank."

He said that nearly 25 societies in Pratiksha Nagar have deposited money with PMC bank and the whole figure may be in crores of rupees.

Expert speak
Senior property lawyer Vinod Sampat said, "The Reserve Bank of India has been forced to take drastic action against PMC bank, this will result in a financial cut to be taken by each of the societies who had deposited their funds. As far as legal action by the affected cooperative society against PMC bank goes, I am afraid that the provisions of the banking regulation act will supersede it and the financial losses, being caused to it (the society)."

"The need of the day is that harsh laws be framed, whereby doing a wrongful act is made as a deterrent to persons who fail to perform their duty with criminal intent. Punishment should be awarded by courts in a short span of time in such financial frauds, so that a strong message is sent out. The law should not remain a paper tiger," he added.

Rs 85 lakh
What the society's account in PMC Bank holds

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Eight residents of Panchsheel chawl in Govandi — who were classified as high-risk patients after they came in contact with a deceased 55-year-old woman, whose death was posthumously ruled as due to COVID-19 tested positive on Sunday evening.

These high-risk patients had been kept at a quarantine facility in Mahul over the weekend and after their results came, they were shifted to an isloation centre in Shivaji Nagar. "The reports came in yesterday (Sunday) at 6 pm while we were still in Mahul," one of the eight people who have tested positive said.

"All of us were classified as high-risk patients. We will have to stay here for the next 14 days. This place is much better than the quarantine facility in Mahul. There we would only get vada pav to eat and the place had water issues. The doctors here asked us what our symptoms, but not many of us have a fever. We have been allotted rooms here and two people can stay in one room," the patient added.

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When Simon Lewis and his family — wife Irene, daughter Melissa and son-in-law Stephen Alexander — got ready for a five-day holiday to Sri Lanka, it was to be a short break from work routine.

Simon, a Dahisar native, said, "On March 11, we called the Sri Lankan Embassy in Colombo, because we did have some qualms about the Coronavirus, but the official reassured us that all was well in Sri Lanka, flights were operational, and we could certainly fly."

On March 14, the family flew to Sri Lanka. Simon said, "We had return tickets on Air India on March 20. A day before we got a message saying that the flight was cancelled and rescheduled to March 21. Then, that flight got cancelled without explanation or apology!"

The Lewis' then booked flights on Sri Lankan Airlines for March 26 which got cancelled too, because of the lockdown. They have not got refunds. They have now been in Sri Lanka for more than 40 days without a clue about when they will return.

Simon, 62, is a Marketing Director with a pharma and aerosol company. He said the family is now, "living in a house on rent in Negombo," a small beach town close to the Bandaranaike International Airport. "We are going about our daily life with severe difficulties. We do not have any contacts over here. Our expenses have skyrocketed. Bank transfers are also a problem. As a businessman, it is humiliating to beg the bank to transfer funds. I need to pay salaries to my staff and process my pending payments so that I do not incur penalties."

Multifold challenges
Simon's wife Irene, 61, said they are also "finding it difficult to source Ayurvedic medicine for psoriasis." Stress and a food allergy have aggravated her condition. Her daughter Melissa added, "We are stranded here for 45 days and have registered with the Indian Embassy but no one has checked on us even once." The media professional is concerned about being laid off from work. Sri Lanka has been in lockdown too, so it is difficult for them to access their daily provisions.

Stephen Alexander, freelance TV/film director, said, "I have lost out on a lot of projects due to the lockdown. Being stranded here is aggravating an already very difficult situation. Missed deadlines mean no income. There is no respite from the Embassy or the government." A weak internet connection adds to their work woes.
The Lewis family added that Pakistan nationals have returned home on rescue flights, Indonesians have gone home too, but Indians are stranded.

No response
There are a number of seafarers from Tamil Nadu who are also suffering here. "We read that those in the Gulf were brought back to India. Why not us? We who pay our
taxes to the government," they questioned.

An official from the High Commission of India in Colombo stated, "We have no information with reference to rescue flights. Since we have no inputs, I cannot give you any information," he finished.

45
No. of days the family has been stranded in Sri Lanka

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With the rising number of COVID-19 positive patients in Navi Mumbai, the Navi Mumbai municipal commissioner last week asked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to accommodate its employees in the city. The Navi Mumbai police commissioner on Monday, however, added to it by saying that if the cases continued to rise in the satellite city due to residents travelling to Mumbai for work, the administration will have to "force employers to accommodate their employees" in the city.

The Corona patient tally in Navi Mumbai jumped massively last week with more than 180 new cases reported in just seven days. The doubling rate of patients slid from 11 days to just six days within a week. This became a major cause of concern for NMMC and the police. According to the NMMC, of the last 180 cases, 90 per cent are related to employees working in essential services and travelling from Navi Mumbai to Mumbai every day.

In a Facebook message on Sunday evening, NMMC Commissioner Annasaheb Misal said, "We have raised this issue in a video conference with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and also conveyed the same to BMC Commissioner Pravin Pardeshi. The BMC has agreed and will be asking hospitals and BEST to convey it to their employees."

The matter, however, escalated on Monday when Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Kumar took to Twitter. "All people in essential services are requested to desist from commuting daily to Mumbai and back. Only visit if your job is crucial. Ask your employer to make arrangements nearby. Otherwise, you are exposing your family to COVID-19. One person infected 14 of his family members," he tweeted, adding that if the trend continued, "we have to force the employer to make arrangements at the workplace."

Around 4,000 to 5,000 bankers travel every day from Navi Mumbai to Mumbai with the banks rotating 33 per cent of their staff every day and exposing all employees to the public in a week’s time. "The same goes for doctors and the police. We request all the authorities concerned to look into it," Kumar said.

He also spoke of the infection spreading in Vashi’s APMC market. "Many vendors and merchants travel to Navi Mumbai from nearby towns and villages. We are making a list of such people and will ask them to stay in Navi Mumbai so that there won’t be any further spread."

‘Taking utmost care’
A senior officer of Mumbai Police commented on the tweet saying the police were endangering their lives for more than 12 hours a day. "We are taking utmost care regarding our personnel but if they carry the infection, it will be an unfortunate but inevitable thing. One should not get too picky while saving their jurisdiction,"
he said.

4.5k
No. of bankers who travel daily to city

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On day 1 of the extended lockdown till May 17, Mumbai Police on Monday took to Twitter to share the importance of staying home amid the COVID-19 crisis. Giving a novel twist to one of the popular games during coronavirus lockdown, Mumbai Police latest meme inspired by Ludo struck a chord with netizens.

At times, it’s better to not try your luck. Staying at home is your best bet against Coronavirus. #GameOfLife #TakingOnCorona pic.twitter.com/v7KEmyjQic

— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) May 4, 2020

While sharing the Ludo-inspired meme, Mumbai Police said, "At times, it's better to not try your luck. Staying at home is your best bet against novel coronavirus. #GameOfLife #TakingOnCorona." The latest post by Mumbai Police urged people to stay home and not to try their luck by venturing out amid the coronavirus crisis.

Salute To Our Corona Warriors 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏😊😊😊👏👏👏👏
A Huge Respect 🙏🙏🙏😊😊👏👏#IndiaSalutesCoronaWarriors

— Aaryen Tiwari (@AaryenTiwari) May 4, 2020

In the post, one can see tokens of all the four players inside the house with the COVID-19 virus occupying the place on the path of the Ludo board. While sharing the coronavirus twist Ludo game post with their followers, Mumbai Police sent a strong message showing how staying at home can be the only safe bet the COVID-19 epidemic.

Best example for current situation

— Pooja Chauhan (@PoojaCh39757719) May 4, 2020

Mumbai Police also put a hard hitting caption on the picture which read, "The safest place to be is IN #TakingOnCorona." Since being shared online, the post has garnered over 600 likes and about 5,000 re-tweets. Even Bollywood actress Parineeti Chopra retweeted the post with heart emoticons of various colours. Besides Parineeti, hundreds of users lauded Mumbai Police's unique take on creating awareness on the importance of being home amid lockdown.

pic.twitter.com/6yEFDqcHRi

— Parth (@PresidentPique) May 4, 2020

One user commented, "Best example for current situation," while another user said, "So creative my god!." A third user wrote, "Kudos to ur creative team!!!." Lauding the Mumbai Police a fourth user said, "We will prefer to staying at home only."

Here's how netizens reacted to Mumbai Police's twist to Ludo game:

Thank you very much to all the police system. No matter how big the crisis is from now on, only the police system will stand before us as God.

— Sandip Jondhale (@SandipJondhale6) May 4, 2020

So creative my god!!🍁😍🙏

— Sonam Upadhyay (@Sonam22Upa) May 4, 2020

At times, it’s better to not try your luck. Staying at home is your best bet against Coronavirus. #GameOfLife #TakingOnCorona pic.twitter.com/v7KEmyjQic

— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) May 4, 2020

At times, it’s better to not try your luck. Staying at home is your best bet against Coronavirus. #GameOfLife #TakingOnCorona pic.twitter.com/v7KEmyjQic

— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) May 4, 2020

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Just a day after the Navi Mumbai police said that they might have to force employers to accommodate those going to Mumbai for work in the city, the Kalyan-Dombivali and Ulhasnagar civic bodies said that travelling to Mumbai would be prohibited from May 8 till further notice. Both corporations have started gathering information about employees who go to the city for work and will share it with the Brihanmumbai Muncipal Corporation (BMC).

With Mumbai becoming the epicentre of the COVID-19 infection, the civic bodies have observed that most positive cases are of people who travel to Mumbai for work, which includes police officers, BMC workers, bank and hospital employees, and their close contacts. The municipal commissioners had raised the issue with the chief minister during a video conference. Civic chief Pravin Pardeshi had assured that the process of accommodating BMC employees in nearby hotels would be initiated and other companies would also be told to do the same.

On Tuesday, the Kalyan-Dombivli and Ulhasnagar municipal corporations released a circular saying that May 8 was the deadline for employers to make arrangements in Mumbai, so that they don't have to travel every day. Both the corporations have issued email ids through which they are collecting details of employees.

Vijay Suryavanshi, KDMC commissioner, said, "This trend is worrisome. During our assessment we found that more than 50 per cent cases in the corporation area are due to such travellers. We understand that they travel to provide essential services in the city but rise in positive cases needs to stop. Till now we have received details of 100 employees. The data will be handed over to the BMC so that they can arrange for accommodation." He said that as far as employees of banks and private companies were concerned, the BMC had clarified that the respective firms would have to arrange for accommodation.

Send in the details

. For Ulhasnagar residents (govt employees) - covid19.umc.gov@gmail.com
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A fire broke out in an apartment on the sixth floor of the Atlas building on Napean Sea Road on Tuesday morning. While the occupants managed to rush down to safety, two women on the upper floors got stuck and were rescued by the fire brigade personnel.

The Mumbai Fire Brigade said the fire was reported at 4.41 am and they reached the site at 4.55 am with three fire engines, four jumbo tankers and one turntable ladder. However, they faced hurdles as the road leading to the building was packed because of parking.

"The team reached on time, but there several vehicles were parked on the road, blocking fire fighting vehicles' way to the building," said local corporator Jyotsna Mehta.

The firemen then went to the opposite building and were able to douse the flames after almost four hours. Deputy Fire Officer A J Mishra also pointed out that the parking was one of the major hurdle in the operation. "There was a strong wind too," he said. "We got a water connection and started operation from the opposite building to stop the vertical spread of the fire. So the major casualty averted," he said, adding that the fire was brought under control around 8.40 am.

A fireman said, "The residents left all the doors of the flat open. So it was difficult to search the origin of the fire. Besides, there wasn't a fire fighting system inside the building that is more than 30 years old."

The cause of the fire is not known.

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Thousands of migrant daily wagers working in the power looms of Thane district, thronged the State Transport Bus depot at Bhiwandi on Tuesday, after learning that they would have to register with the police there in order to board trains headed for their hometowns. But in their focus and desperation to finally head home, they threw caution to the wind and did not follow social distancing.

Mid-day witnessed the chaotic scene and spoke to the workers desperate to go back to their home towns in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

The migrants stood in a long winding queue at the bus depot. Pics/Hanif Patel

The ST bus depot was packed with the workers who started thronging the ST Bus depot at 3 am and it was crowded by 7 am. "We were told that forms are being filled up at the ST Bus Depot. So we came to get registered," said Jiaullah Ansari, a native of Bihar.

'No social distancing'
"We are starving and have no work after the lockdown, as all the power looms are shut. The owners of power looms have switched off their cellphones and some have blocked our numbers. Jab khane ko ek dana nahi ho na sahab, to social distancing aur Coronavirus sab fake lagta hai (When there's nothing to eat, Sir, social distancing and Coronavirus seem fake)," said Nasirullah Ansari, a native of Patna.

Some of the power loom workers tried to shield themselves from the sun

The police were seen trying to coax the migrant workers to maintain social distancing. Around 9:30 am a team attached to Nizampura police station and traffic police headed by Senior Inspector Rajendra Mayne of Bhiwandi Traffic dispersed the crowd.

The workers complained that no authority explained to them the registration process. "We have been standing since 3 am and its 10 am now but no one has told us when the registration will be done," said Ram Narayan Thakur, a native of Bihar.

The cops said the workers will have to give their name, mobile number, Aadhaar card copy and they will get an SMS alert or a call by the Talathi office to tell them the date of their journey.

'What about us?'
mid-day also met workers who are from Nepal. "Since I am from Nepal, I don't have an Aadhaar card. How will I travel to my native place? No one has the answer to my question," said Indradev, another worker.

His friend Ram Narayan Pal, also a native of Nepal said, I don't know if I will be able to see my family members."

The police, however, said the situation was in control. "We are facing challenges but everything is under control." said Rajkumar Shinde, DCP Bhiwandi.

"In Bhiwandi we have one of the largest populations of migrant workers, whose livelihood is dependent on power looms. Since they are shut the workers have been finding it very difficult to survive and now as some trains are moving to their native places, they are coming out in large numbers to leave the city as early possible," said another police officer.

3,000
No. of power loom workers who gathered at the ST bus depot

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The state's count of COVID-19 cases crossed 15,500 on Tuesday and 635 of the cases were reported in Mumbai. Addressing issues faced by dialysis patients who are not getting access to healthcare, the civic body directed dialysis centres in the city to not refuse patients or insist on COVID-19 tests.

While existing norms dictate that only symptomatic patients can be tested, the regulations exclude pregnant women, dialysis patients, those seeking IVF or having a scheduled surgery since many private hospitals have made it mandatory for all patients to get themselves tested. Civic officials said that directives have been issued to all dialysis centres not to insist on COVID-19 testing for patients who require dialysis.

"They can advise COVID-19 testing for suspected symptomatic patients or to those who are close contacts of COVID-19 patients. They should follow all precautions while giving the service. The dialysis should not be delayed for want of test results," said an official.

The civic body has also issued notices to all private nursing homes, hospitals and medical practitioners to reopen and provide medical help while adhering to the COVID-19 guidelines. Apart from private doctors, migrant labourers will now also be able to get their medical certificate from municipal dispensaries and peripheral hospitals.

The count of cases in Dharavi continued to rise with 33 new cases, taking the total to 665. Nine cases were reported from 90 Feet Road and five from Indiranagar. Civic officials said more than 83,500 people have been screened, of which 2,380 were placed in quarantine centres. Nine other cases were reported from Mahim and two from Dadar. In L ward (includes areas like Kurla), the total count crossed 600 and on Tuesday, 26 new cases were reported. Civic officials said that the cases were largely from dense slum pockets in areas like LBS Road and Narayan Nagar.

State health officials said there were 984 new cases in the state and the tally now stands at 15,525 cases. There were 34 deaths reported in Maharashtra, of which 26 were recorded in Mumbai, six in Pune and one each in Aurangabad and Kolhapur.

Mumbai now has 9,945 cases and 387 deaths while the state's death toll stands at 617. Civic officials said that out of the 26 deaths reported on Tuesday, six of them occurred between May 1 and 2 and 22 of the patients were suffering from other ailments. Two of the patients who died were below the age of 40 years while 13 patients were in the age group of 40-60 years.

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A 90-year-old woman was discharged from the civil hospital here in Maharashtra on Tuesday after recovering from COVID-19, the district administration said. Besides, a seven-month-old boy tested positive for coronavirus in Mira-Bhayander township of Thane district. The district on Tuesday reported 121 new COVID-19 cases, taking its tally to 1,399, an official release said. These include 452 cases from Thane municipal limits, 395 from Navi Mumbai, 224 from Kalyan-Dombivali, 189 from MiraBhayander, 50 from Thane rural, 42 from Badlapur, 20 from Bhiwandi-Nizampur, 16 from Ulhasnagar and 11 from Ambernath municipal limits.

So far, the district has recorded 38 deaths due to the disease, the release said. It also said that 11 coronavirus positive cases reported from Kalyan-Dombivali on Tuesday included five policemen, it said. Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Commissioner Vijay Suryavanshi on Tuesday said residents of the area working in Mumbai will not be allowed to leave or enter Kalyan from May 8 in view of the rising number of COVID-19 cases.

BJP MP from Bhiwandi, Kapil Patil, urged Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray that those from the powerloom town working in the essential services in Mumbai be accommodated
near their workplace. In the Mira Bhayander township, the local civic body had earlier only allowed milk and medicine shops to open. But, in an amended order issued on Tuesday, it allowed photocopy outlets to also open in order to facilitate migrant labourers to compile their documents for obtaining permission to travel to their native places.

Besides, an official release said the CIDCO exhibition centre in Navi Mumbai has been taken over the by local civic body to convert it into a COVID-19 treatment facility and accommodate 1,200 patients.

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