Around 50 students from hostels run by the Social Welfare Department in Mumbai's Worli area have requested the state government to let them go home amid the lockdown.

While the department has ensured that these students are provided with food, a majority of them hail from rural Maharashtra and are scared due to the increasing number of COVID-19 patients in Mumbai — particularly in Worli.

There are three Social Welfare Department-run hostels in Worli's BDD Chawls — building number 116 and 118. While the hostel in building 118 is a boy's hostel, building number 116 has both boys and girls.

Ashok Bansode, resident student

Ashok Bansode, an engineering student who hails from Akkalkot in Solapur said, "Initially, we were getting proper food. But as the cases kept rising in Worli area, restrictions came in place and now we are just being served dal and rice every day. We are also wondering whether or not the department will take responsibility for us."

The hostel management asked the students to get their medical check-ups done before seeking permission to travel home. But considering their financial conditions, nobody has money to arrange for private transportation.

"The way arrangements were done for students in Kota, we should also be given such help. We cannot arrange for our own transportation," Bansode added.

Suraj Kamble, another resident student said, "We should be taken home directly where we can remain in home quarantine. But if we are sent to any institutional quarantine or told to travel through railways, that can put us in danger of contracting the virus. All the Kota students are in home quarantine currently,"

Sachin Bansode, member of Chhatrabharati — a students' organisation which is helping these stranded students to go back home — said, "These students too have the right to go back home. Many of them are from rural parts of Maharashtra and don't have funds to head home on their own. We are in the process of understanding how they can be helped without compromising on safety."

Three
Total no. of Social Welfare Department hostels in BDD chawl

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City-based environmentalist Stalin D has written a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray requesting the Maharashtra State Forest Department and Thane Forest Circle to monitor Aarey Milk Colony against encroachers during the lockdown.

This comes after reports on the depleting green cover in Aarey as trees are being chopped down illegally to build hutments.

Speaking to mid-day, Stalin said the deforestation of Aarey continues unabated without the fear of law. "This is to highlight the ongoing destruction of the forests of Aarey Colony. You are well aware of the facts of the matter pertaining to the ecological importance of Aarey and it has been six long years since citizens and NGOs started fighting to protect this forest. Matters are pending in various courts pertaining to this issue, but there is nothing that stops the government from taking a positive stand to protect Aarey. There is a Supreme Court order which directs that no trees should be cut in Aarey, but this order is being violated on a daily basis," his letter states.

The activist has also alleged that taking advantage of the lockdown, antisocial elements and the slum mafia have seized the opportunity to plunder Aarey.

"We are losing at least 30 trees on a daily basis inside Aarey. Slum-dwellers are expanding encroachments, building illegal temples, clearing the vegetation regularly ever since the lockdown was imposed. We have time and again raised the alarm and intimated the facts to the authorities concerned. But, the Aarey police have not acted on any of the complaints and have instead chosen to beat up citizens who sent them proof of tree chopping and expanding encroachments in the area. The green cover in areas such as the VIP guest house area, the New Zealand hostel forest area, Unit number 13 is steadily depleting. Though the Aarey CEO had got some of the encroachments removed, more spring up in their place," the email states.

He has appealed to the government to issue directions to the Forest Department telling them to monitor the area until the current COVID-19 situation improves.

30
No. of trees cut down illegally in Aarey on a daily basis

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'Goodfather' is one of the biggest Hollywood cult classic of all times. The dialogues in the film are so popular that even Mumbai Police, being themselves, played around with words and used it in their latest post on Instagram, to share the importance of wearing masks.

In the post, the police department shared a meme with a still from the film and played around with its famous line, "I'll make him an offer he can't refuse' to 'I'm gonna offer him a mask he can't refuse.' In the captions, the police wrote, "Your enemy 'corona' always gets strong on 'the mask' you leave behind," with a striking hashtag #GodfathersOfSafety.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mumbai Police (@mumbaipolice) onMay 5, 2020 at 9:05pm PDT

The post, shared on Wednesday garnered 16,459 likes so far. One of the users who double tapped on the post was Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan, who seemed impressed by the creativity of the police department, just like the users who commenting on the post.

A user said, "Suddenly i can't remember what the original line was. Mumbai Police tum bohot acha kaam karta hai." Another user said, "Mumbai Police are now best police in the world... In making memes too!" One more user said, "These guys keep getting better day by day!!"

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The Western Railway has worked intensively on the 2020 pre-monsoon works for Mumbai suburban railway while maintaining proper protocol of COVID-19.

A glimpse of some activities

Tree Trimming: Trimming of tree branches alongside the tracks is being done which are infringing with overhead wires in order to avoid tripping in monsoon. Till now total 158 trees have been trimmed.

Insulator Cleaning: Cleaning of insulators is a major precaution against flashing of the insulator during man soon showering. The fitting of the bridges were also checked where clearance are critical. This will help to avoid tripping in monsoon. Till now total 1,395 insulators have been cleaned.

Insulator cleaning on the left and checking of bridge fittings on the right

Bird Nest Removal: This is the season of bird breeding. The bird used to make nests in OHE structures. These nests are identified during foot patrolling and live line inspections and such identified bird nests are then removed from structures. Till now total 454 bird nests have been removed.

Bird gel: The non-toxic bird deterrent gel is also applied on overhead structures and cantilevers to prevent birds from landing on overhead structures thus avoiding the nests. During locked down bird gel at total 969 points have been applied.

Bird deterrent gel and applying gel below FOB

Cross over checking: Most of the suburban section is having unregulated overhead wires and due to temperature variation, the overhead wire of cross overs may get disturbed. To overcome this problem, all cross overs were checked hot line by tower wagon and 22 of them adjusted in power blocks.

During the lock down period despite availability of only 10-15% of the regular field staff it has been ensured that important works for monsoon preparation are going on as per target in suburban section of CCG-VR section

Sufficient number of point machines have been readied by signal workshop and kept as spare for replacement in case of monsoon flooding. Vulnerable signal boxes have been raised in flood prone areas. Staff have been continuously imparted training for monsoon drills.

Earth-resistance of Telecom installations of Churchgate-Virar Section are being checked and maintained at the desired level.

Routers, Switches, LAN Extenders, wire connections of UTS & PRS are being checked, cleaned & where there is wiring issue same is being replaced. Earth resistance of these equipment are also checked.

Testing & cleaning of Train Indicators for Suburban as well as Mail/Express trains, Public Address System is also being done.

Various equipment installed in Telecom OFC rooms of Churchgate-Virar section are also being cleaned. Checking & cleaning of different cards of these equipment are also in progress.

Power Plants for various Telecom equipment are also being maintained. Process of taking measurement of battery voltage, Charger voltage, AC supply voltage cleaning the connection terminals, cleaning battery-charger etc are in progress.

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A  Utah highway police officer who spotted a car swerving down the freeway thought the driver needed medical attention. But when he asked the driver to pull over, he was in for a surprise to find a five-year-old boy behind the wheels.

The boy was found by the officer sitting at the edge of the seat to reach the brake and accelerator pedals so that he could drive. The officer learnt that the boy had taken the car keys without his parents’ knowledge following an argument with his mother because she refused to buy him Lamborghini. So in the fit of rage, the boy set out with his family car to California to buy a Lamborghini with just USD 3 in his pocket.

Trooper Rick Morgan was quoted by the CBS News as saying that the boy initially did not respond to the lights but pulled over after hearing the siren. "I approached the vehicle and I was expecting to find somebody who needed an ambulance or paramedics," he said.

The Utah Highway Patrol posted the incident on their Twitter page with a photo of the boy seated in the driver’s seat. The tweet reads, “His story is that he left home after an argument with Mom, in which she told him she would not buy him a Lamborghini. He decided he'd take the car and go to California to buy one himself. He might have been short on the purchase amount, as he only had $3 dollars in his wallet.”

His story is that he left home after an argument with Mom, in which she told him she would not buy him a Lamborghini. He decided he'd take the car and go to California to buy one himself. He might have been short on the purchase amount, as he only had $3 dollars in his wallet.

— Utah Highway Patrol (@UTHighwayPatrol) May 4, 2020

The post shared by the patrol department on micro-blogging site garnered more than 3,800 likes and was retweeted over 1,500 times. Users commenting on the post were amused by boy’s wish for a Lamborghini at such an age!

MOM, just buy the boy a Lambo!

— Ben Bushman (@DrBenB) May 4, 2020

How did he know to pull over???

— Jenn Nelson (@JennNel33) May 4, 2020

Right?? How did he know how to drive? Or how to get on the interstate? This is pretty impressive!

— Caysey Douglas (@CayDoug) May 5, 2020

I’m rooting for this little guy. You get that lambo!!

— Heathraawr! (@heathraawr) May 4, 2020

Officer. Have this kids parents contact me. He deserves a Lamborghini ride. pic.twitter.com/yqFDW0VEZi

— George Garib (@GaribGeorge) May 5, 2020

His poor parents! They must have had a nightmare worthy heart attack!

— Scripture Ponder (@TaylorL68881150) May 5, 2020

What do you think about the post?

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The country has been witnessing a surge in Covid-19 cases and to curb that situation, the whole nation has been following the lockdown imposed by the government. The current unprecedented times has left people worried and hence in need of hope and support. In light of this, Radio City, India’s leading radio network, has initiated multiple campaigns across 39 cities to provide hope, entertainment, and support.

Radio City and mid-day joined hands to present the perfect concoction to elevate Mumbaikars’ mood. RJ Palak, during her show Naughty Palak ka Show, connected with famous skincare expert Dr. Jayshree Sharad to share DIY tips; provided tasty and healthy food recipes from famous Chef Ajay Chopra, and brought mental health experts to counsel people and  help them get through this tough time. Additionally, stand-up comedians Atul Khatri and Nishant Tanwar have been adding a dose of laughter and fun to the listeners’ routine, while Vishal Punjabi, Founder of The Wedding Filmer, updated couples about new trends on wedding videos and online weddings.

To promote community culture, Radio City has been hosting a month-long podcast series called ‘Lockdown Rishte Podcast Series’, where Radio City RJs across Hindi speaking markets are broadcasting stories on how we can rediscover and strengthen our relationship with our loved ones. The RJ’s are also requesting citizens to share their stories as well. This podcast also features on radiocity.in

Speaking about the campaigns, Mr. Kartik Kalla, Chief Creative Officer, Radio City, said, “As we all do our bit by staying at home to ensure safety for all, the challenging situations can take a toll on our mindset. Radio City has always led purpose driven campaigns and has found innovative ways to connect with its audience to keep them entertained. These various campaigns across the 39 cities, aim to leverage the power of radio to bring positivity in the society and appreciate our listeners for always supporting us in our initiatives. I would like to reiterate the fact that we all will overcome this situation together. I urge all our listeners to stay home and stay safe!”

Extending the fun quotient down South and adding some stardust with ‘Lockdown Diary’, RJ Sowjanya in Bangalore has been indulging listeners with stories from celebrities like Raghu Dixit, Priyamani, Vijay Prakash, and many more, on how they are spending their time during the quarantine. RJs in Madurai, with the special show called ‘Nanba Calling’ have been acting as a bridge between long lost friends, allowing them to relive their old memories; RJs in Andhra Pradesh are running a special fun audio series about 3 RJs stuck together during lockdown to engage the listeners. In addition to entertaining listeners, Radio City also ensured they went the extra mile by contributing to the society and help people in need. Radio City in Patna, Bihar partnered with the ‘Super-30’ legend Anand Kumar, to provide the gift of education and help students prepare for civil services, IIT/JEE, and other similar exams. Harnessing the true power of radio, RJ Harshil crossed borders by responding to the plea of 20 students stuck in Greece and tweeting about the situation to the Prime Minister of India and Chief Minister of Gujarat. This helped in alerting the Indian Embassy in Greece, who came forward to supply food and provide other basic amenities to ensure the students’ safety and well-being.

Radio City RJs in various cities led donation drives to help the citizens trying to make ends meet during the downtime. In Bangalore, RJ Rajas and RJ Nikitha volunteered to help and provide free meals for the daily wage workers; the RJs in Chennai urged listeners to donate groceries to Chennai Corporation, who distributed it to the people in need. Radio City RJ in Bikaner, Rajasthan addressed the concern of low quality and quantity of ration being distributed in Raajiv Nagar society and worked together with Bikaner Sewa Samiti to help more than 40 families. Extending a helping hand towards the Dabbawallas in Mumbai, Radio City’s ‘Dabbawalle Ka Dabba Bharo’ initiative launched a fundraiser and urged Mumbaikars to contribute and help Dabbawallas.

Leading the campaign in Delhi, RJ Ginnie shared the concerns of a man suffering from brain injury who was not able to provide for his family. Her act of kindness saw Delhiites come in tenfold to donate ration and medicines to his family. On the other hand, RJs in Jalandhar, with the help of local authorities and citizens, prepared 300+ meals daily for the needy and teamed up with NGO Divya Drishti to distribute more than 50 packets of groceries. The Radio City team in U.P. also partnered with NGOs to raise around 5 lakh rupees and distributed more than 50,000 packets of food to the poor people. Additionally, Radio City joined hands with Dainik Jagran Inext and became the first radio station to provide live updates of fresh Covid-19 cases. These efforts have been appreciated by Mr. Ranvendra Pratap Singh, State Minister for Food and Civil Supply, Mr. Jai Pratap, State Minister for Health and Family Welfare, and Mr. Bhupendra Chaudhary, State Minister for Panchayati Raj.

Radio City also conducted various multifaceted national campaigns in the last few months- Concert From Home, Garv Se Ghar Par, and Corona Fighters ko Salaam, across 39 cities of its presence. Radio City also launched a foot tapping anthem called ‘Ghar se na niklenge’, which motivated people to continue staying indoors and urged them to come forward and support the nation by donating to the PM Cares Fund.  Amplifying the core motto of ‘Rag Rag Mein Daude City’, Radio City continues to strengthen the bond with the citizens.

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This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Taking advantage of the Coronavirus pandemic, a number of persons are chopping trees at will in Aarey Milk Colony.

An environmentalist has written a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray red-flagging the goings-on inside the green cover in the city's suburbs.

He stated in a letter speaking for many green activists who have and continue to fight the long Save Aarey battle, that at least 30 trees are being cut inside the forest every day. Some people, taking advantage of the tough times, where resources like police and civic workers have to be deployed elsewhere while numbers climb in the Coronavirus fight, are wreaking wanton destruction inside Aarey.

There are attempts to illegally encroach this precious landmass, building hutments inside.

We need to see quick investigation and action in this matter. Especially as the clock is ticking and every single day means more denudation at Aarey.

One also has to remember that when activists and citizens were fighting pitched battles against the Metro Car Shed at Aarey, it was the Shiv Sena on a battering course against the BJP, shouting that they will save Aarey and that they will not allow trees to be cut.

In a high stakes political game, the Thackerays had posited themselves as the saviours of this green emerald of the suburbs, taking on the Devendra Fadnavis dispensation that was going ahead with the project.

We hope the state government gets into battle mode to save this zone. After all, to be a great green warrior for Aarey means to seek a very quick inquiry and then respond to any and all threats to the space you profess to save, not just for political points but because you believe in the cause and in the welfare of the city.

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The process of sending daily-wage labourers to their hometowns has started, with three trains leaving from Panvel carrying 3,600 people on board so far. But, the long-awaited exercise seems to have mocked all rules of social distancing. While most migrants themselves are unaware of why physical space is critical to maintain, the authorities took them to the railway station in packed buses or police vehicles.

Since last week two trains have left for Madhya Pradesh and one for Bihar. One of the special trains left for Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday night and around 1,200 workers were accommodated in it. The expenses were paid for by the MP government and the food was given to the migrants by local authorities. However, the buses and police vehicles in which they were brought to the station were fully packed. Some people even stood at the door as the seats were occupied. "Bhaiyya ab social distancing ka pata nahi. Bus humko ghar pahucha do. (We don't know what is social distancing. We only want to go home). We are in such trouble. We can't stay here for another day with kids as we don't have enough money to feed our family," said Devendra Saket, a daily wage worker who was brought in a bus with his child and wife from Uran.

'Paid for medical check-ups'

"These are very difficult days and we have been praying to God that no one should suffer like this. We don't have a single rupee in hand and are totally dependent on people and the government for food till we reach home. We were also charged R100 for a medical check-up," he added. Many of the migrants claimed they had to pay Rs 100 per person for medical check-ups which were done at the police stations before they left.

 One of the many buses going to Panvel station that was packed to capacity

Priti Saket, another migrant brought to Panvel from Uran in the same bus along with her husband and six-month-old daughter said, "We don't want to say anything to anyone. We just want our kids to be safe. At least we won't sleep hungry. We were stuck for a month we just want to go home," she said. Priti also said she was charged R100 for a medical check-up.

'Glad to go home'

"I was staying in Kamothe and was quarantined for 14 days and now brought to the station. My medical check-up was done free of cost. The only problem I faced here is food. But at least the government has realises our pain and is sending us back home," said Ankit Goyal, who belongs to Satna district of MP.

"I was trying to register myself since the day it was announced that trains will go from Panvel to MP. I got my medical check-up done, the police helped us in filling the forms and doing other formalities. The buses were fully packed with around 60-70 people, but we are happy that at least now we are going back home," said Prakash Saket, who was traveling to MP.

"Third train left from Panvel today early morning to Habibganj (MP) with 24 coaches and 1,200 passengers. MP Govt bore the ticket charges of passengers, food and water provided by the local authorities. A great team effort of police , railways and revenue Dept." The Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner, Sanjay Kumar, said in his official twitter handle on Thursday.

Asked about the migrants' claims of being charged for medical check-ups, he said they seem to have visited private clinics. "If it was done by private medical practitioners, we can't help," Kumar told mid-day.

Migrants wait to board a train at Panvel station on Wednesday

The authorities are facing several challenges on ground to send the migrants home. "The biggest challenge was issuing medical certificates. Hundreds of migrants have rushed to the police stations, hospital's and private clinics to get medical certificates, exposing themselves to the pandemic. The medical certificate wasn't required, people should have been screened at railway stations and allowed to go. The respective states should arrange isolation facilities for them there," said a senior government officer.

Collector shocked

The Collector of Raigad expressed shock that the migrants were taken to the station without regard for social distancing.

"It is extremely shocking if migrants were taken to railway station in fully packed buses and police vehicles without maintaining social distancing. There are clear guidelines to the administration about the transportation of migrants. I will look into it and ensure that this isn't repeated. We will give fresh instructions to the concerned department," said Nidhi Chaudhary, Collector, Raigad.

Chaudhary also said that a special train to Odisha has been cancelled on Thursday after the Orissa High court's order asked that all citizens re-entering the state had to have certificates specifically saying they were COVID-19 negative. At least 1,200 migrants were ready to leave on Thursday after completing all formalities including general medical check ups.

Around 1.5 lakh migrants stay in Raigad district, of these 66,000 have applied to leave the state. At least 14,000 passes have been issued to stranded tourists and others who are going by their private vehicles with only three persons in one vehicle as per the rules.

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The state government on Thursday barred registered medical practitioners in the city from issuing individual medical fitness certificates to stranded people wishing to return to their home states. It instead told local municipal corporation offices to check the travellers' body temperature using a digital thermometer and examine them for influenza-like symptoms at the time boarding the train.

The screening is to be done free of cost by the municipal corporations through civic/government medical officers or by hiring the services of registered medical practitioners. The revised order has asked local authorities to make a single list of people who don't display any symptoms at the departure point.

State Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta issued an amendment on Thursday that would also apply across the state. It reportedly came owing to the inconvenience caused in the process of procuring individual certificates from registered medical practitioners who charged their respective fees in the absence of a uniform policy. There were reports of some private doctors charging up to Rs 1,500.

Delays not welcome

Apart from higher fees and longer queues at the clinics, the government was faced with the delay in travellers' departure. There was always a possibility of an asymptomatic person developing illness before the journey started or onboard vehicles and trains. Some parent states have also been demanding screening at the time of departure.

"Sadly, the fall-out and possibilities were not thought about before the guidelines were issued last week. A lot of people have suffered financially, physically and mentally. Procuring certificates proved to be a task for the distressed people who didn't have money to eat and travel," said a senior officer working in the migrant movement.

April 30
Day first rule on migrants’ movement was issued

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What started as an effort to get treatment for his diabetic father suspected to have contracted COVID-19 soon turned into a horror story for a 29-year-old who discovered bodies wrapped in plastic on beds in Sion hospital's emergency and COVID-19 ward, while his breathless father was made to share the bed with other patients. A video of the man's experience on April 20 went viral on social media and BJP leader Nitesh Rane tweeted it late on Wednesday.

The video shows bodies wrapped in black-coloured plastic kept on beds right next to patients and their relatives in what is supposed to be a ward in Sion hospital, which has set up a committee to probe the matter.

Screenshot of video taken by kin showing wrapped bodies

The Chembur resident had taken his 63-year-old father to Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital (commonly known as Sion hospital) after he complained of fever and weakness. "My father was having difficulty breathing. I did not want to take him to a government hospital but I had no choice except to go to Sion hospital," he said.

At 1.30 pm at Sion hospital, the man was asked to take his father to the emergency ward. "After an X-ray, the doctor said my father has pneumonia and they were almost certain that he had COVID-19. They cleared a bed and asked him to lie on it. Soon, another woman was told to lie next to him and a senior citizen was told to sit near his feet," the man said. His father was given an oxygen mask to help him breathe.

The video went viral on social media on Wednesday and was tweeted by BJP leader Nitesh Rane

Just when the man was certain he did not want to keep his father at the hospital, he noticed a bed behind a curtain. A closer look revealed a body covered in plastic on the bed. "I was horrified and my father started to panic. The doctors kept saying that they will admit him and shift him to another ward but nothing was happening. Then, a friend of mine arranged a bed at Seven Hills Hospital," he said.

The man was asked to go to ward no. 5 — supposed to be a COVID-19 ward — to sign discharge papers. "Patients' relatives were inside with them in the ward, which is not allowed. I saw at least three beds with bodies piled on them and patients being treated right next to them. We had always heard about how bad government hospitals are. But I never imagined this," he said.

The man took his father to Seven Hills in an ambulance at 6.45 pm, where he is currently being treated and was taken off ventilator support on Wednesday.

Rane has also complained to Maharashtra's Governor and said the hospital has admitted the video is authentic. "The enquiry is pointless since the hospital is aware of what it is doing. This enquiry is a farce. Hospital authorities say that relatives are not collecting bodies and they have no idea about proper disposal of COVID-19 affected bodies. The state has failed to deal with the situation and the Centre should step in," said Rane. He added that the issue is arising from the lack of proper guidelines on the disposal of bodies of COVID-19 patients.

BJP leader Kirit Somaiya complained to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Thursday. "Currently, bodies are being wrapped in plastic due to the shortage of bags for disposal. Relatives and not ready to take the bodies due to which they are kept in the ward. I have asked ICMR to address this issue," he said.

'Enquiry to verify'

Dr Pramod Ingle, acting dean of Sion hospital said, "From the look of the tiles and hallway, it seems like Sion hospital. However, an inquiry will have to verify. A local committee of Sion hospital officials has been set up on Thursday and they have been given 24 hours to submit a report," said Dr Ingle.

Mayor Kishori Pednekar said that the bodies were accumulating since relatives of patients were delaying in collecting them.

"Relatives are not taking bodies. However, if they give permission, the corporation will dispose of the bodies. But now, the bodies will be stored outside the wards," she said.

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A group of 30 civil society organisation have jointly written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, asking for a smooth procedure and free travel for the migrant workers.

Amid the misery and uncertainty brought upon jobless migrants by the third phase of the new Coronavirus-caused lockdown, they wrote, "Migrant workers... are not in a position to afford the travel cost. Moreover, the losses they have incurred due to the delay in their travel are on account of State action, and hence, they shouldn't have to bear the burden of those losses."

Bilal Khan of the Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan, one of the signatories to the letter, said: "Migrant workers are the worst-affected by the mismanagement and short-sighted policy decisions during the lockdown. The government is now forcing stranded labourers to pay for their travel back home. They're being heavily charged by private doctors for medical certificates and local vendors are selling application forms at unreasonably high rates. Our letter has demanded to waive off all travel charges along with other recommendations to ensure safe travel."

He added: "Many states have either refused to or are reluctant to take workers back as Mumbai is a Coronavirus hotspot," he said. "Police stations in Worli, Shivaji Nagar, and Mankhurd are simply not accepting applications."

Bilal said there are 12 lakh registered construction workers in the state but the number will be higher as most are unregistered. He added that migrant workers without ration card have not received food relief. "BMC is supplying khichdi on a small scale. NGOs too are providing food, but their efforts combined with that of the government are still inadequate," he said.

"Some are so traumatised that they have decided never to come back. This will also stress the state with so many unemployed workers. The government must take care of them for at least three months post-lockdown. A relief and rehabilitation plan must be made," Khan said.

'Medical certificates futile'

Apart from the ticket cost, the letter highlights the cost of medical certificates. "The medical certificates are a futile exercise as they have no validity due to reasons stated in the letter," Khan said. Some of the recommendations include reducing panic and ensuring systematic rescue/evacuation. "We have demanded zone-wise transportation of workers from within the city," Khan said.

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Migrant workers continue to suffer amid the lockdown. In the latest incident, hundreds of labourers, who had set out for home on foot, were lathi-charged by police at Kashimira on Thursday. Police chased them away towards the city, and now they have nowhere to go.

Over 250 daily-wagers were headed towards Gujarat when they were stopped by the police on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway near Ghodbunder Road junction. As police rained lathis on them, many ran down the bridge and crossed to the other side. Others ran to hide behind vehicles. A mid-day team witnessed the baton charge that took place on the north-bound Versova bridge on the highway. With no food and to transportation back home, the workers had decided to walk hundreds of kilometres to reach home.

'Don't know where to go'

"Dhobi ke kutte wali haalat ho gayi hai humari… na ghar ke rahe na ghaat ke... kidhar jayein samajh nahin aata (We don't know where to go anymore)," said Baliram Choudhary, who left his rented house at Dahisar East on Thursday to walk home to Maharajganj in UP.

Police lathi charge workers near Ghodbunder Road junction on Thursday

"I filled the form five days ago to take a train home. But I have not received any response. I got a test done for COVID-19 and my report came back negative. I lost my patience and decided to walk home," he added.

"We are stuck at this tri-junction for three hours because the police are not allowing us to cross Versova bridge," said Choudhary, accompanied by his two friends Naushad Ahmed and Sahban Hussain. "We are all tailors and lived together in the rented room. Now, even if we decide to go back, the landlord won't take us back suspecting we may have contracted COVID-19," said Ahmed. "We are now jobless as well as homeless. Police are beating us up and not allowing us to go to our hometowns," said Hussain.

Gita was headed to Nalasopara with her two kids, spouse and a relative

Among the hundreds was Gita, who was headed to Nalasopara with her two kids, husband and a relative. They worked at a construction site before the lockdown. She had planned to go to her relative's place at Nalasopara and then arrange a transportation to UP. "Why are cops chasing us away and beating us? What is our fault?" asked her relative Mukesh.

Youth looted by auto driver

A youth Umesh Paswan had boarded an autorickshaw from Bhayandar for Nalasopara, but the driver and his two friends allegedly snatched his phone and Rs 50 cash. "A few minutes after I took the auto, the driver stopped midway and his two friends came, slapped me and snatched my mobile phone and the cash," said Paswan, who did not file a complaint fearing the police would book him for violating the stay-at-home order. He then decided to walk to Nalasopara where his brother stays.

However, the police have refuted the allegations of lathi charge. "I was present there on Versova bridge and they [migrant workers] were not lathi charged," said Assistant Commissioner of Police Sanjay Kumar, Thane Rural.

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As a precautionary measure against the rising COVID-19 cases in the city, Mumbai got four COVID Care railway stations on Thursday.

The four stations - Mumbai Central, Dadar (western), Bandra Terminus and Panvel are among the 215 stations across the country shortlisted by the Union Health Ministry, where rail isolation coaches will be parked as COVID-19 care centres in case COVID cases continue to rise in the city.

These coaches will act as quarantine and isolation centres for city patients.

A senior official confirmed the development and said considering the possibility of an increase in cases, railway coaches would be put to use. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare chalked out a detailed list on Wednesday night. Elaborating further he said, separate coaches have been planned for suspected and confirmed patients to avoid cross-infection.

"The special train coaches will be cleaned and disinfected as per protocol and handed over to the authorities. Later, officials will map at least one COVID dedicated hospital for each train so that the patient can be shifted in case of an emergency," he said.

"Basic arrangements like ambulances etc for shifting the patient shall be made available by the state with paramedical staff. The train will be provided with watering arrangements, proper electricity connections and maintenance," he added.

He said the contact number of local railway authority would be shared with the state where the train is stationed and wherever required, catering arrangements shall be made by IRCTC/ Commercial Department with Railway Protection Force (RPF) ensuring suitable security. Guidelines have also been issued for proper signage to be placed outside railway stations, platforms and near the location of coaches.

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The state government on Thursday added evaluation of board papers in the list of essential duties for teachers to ensure that results of Std X and XII board exams are declared before June 10 as directed by the Supreme Court. But considering the ground reality, this seems highly improbable as there has been no planning in this regard and teachers are left confused about their travel and other arrangements.

The government circular allows travel for teachers but no details about the travel arrangements have been mentioned. Teachers have also complained that no precautionary measures have been listed for them. The confusion will hamper the deadline, teachers believe.

Rajesh Pandya, President of Teachers Democratic Front (TDF) said that along with local travel, another issue was that of some teachers having left cities to go to their native places. "They cannot be back in time to participate in the evaluation process. Moreover, if any teacher is infected with COVID-19 while on duty, who will take responsibility for it?" he questioned.

Teachers, he said, have been demanding for a long time to be allowed to take the board answer-sheets home for correction. "The COVID numbers weren't so high then. But the government took too long to make the decision," he added.

No evaluation guidelines

Also, areas in the red zones will definitely not be able to get any paper correction work done. The evaluation will happen only in the green zones and the results can't be declared till all the papers are assessed. "The repeaters' examination which is generally held in the month of July will also not be possible this year. There are no guidelines regarding the evaluation of Social Science for Std X, considering that one of the two papers — Geography — was cancelled," said Uday Nare, a teacher at the Hansraj Morarji school in Andheri.

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A 3D printing startup in Mumbai has been accused of not fulfilling its part of the deal in a crowdfunded project initiated by a Delhi-based content creator to provide equipment to frontline health workers.

In March, Kusha Kapila contacted Boson Machines (BM) to provide 3D printed face shields for medical personnel at an initially agreed price of R150, by raising Rs 900,000 on Ketto.

With an industry standard yet to emerge, there were a lot of debates between Kapila and BM over the price and the number of masks to be made for raised amount."We then settled on R19 lakh for 18,000 masks," said Kapila. "Even this meant that a shield would cost Rs 105, which was still higher than the price of other 3D printers. The price was again reduced to Rs 75, before they finally agreed to R60. At the same time, the fundraising goal was also increased to Rs 21 lakh. They already had orders and capacity for 14,500 masks and we wanted to help as much as we could."

Kapila’s tweet tagging Aaditya Thackeray where she called out Boson

Boson was paid around Rs 13 lakh for the 14,500 face shields, and the remaining money was with Ketto, to be paid after the second batch of shields were dispatched.

The story gets muddled at this point, with Kapila taking to Twitter on May 1, accusing the company of not honouring its commitment and claiming even Rs 60 per mask was steep.

"After many enquiries, and [BM co-founders and brothers] Arjun and Parth Panchal's consistent unavailability, they finally sent a cost breakdown that I forwarded to various industry experts for verification."

In another tweet, Kapila alleged BM charged more than market price. Both Kapila and Ketto also claim that BM had been evading their questions.

"As of today, suppliers charge anywhere between Rs 35 and Rs 50 for a shield of the same quality," Kapila told mid-day. "This suggests that BM is trying to profit off this fundraiser. Profiting off a pandemic is shameful and anti-national. For instance, the cost of the plastic frame is quoted as R80 and they could only justify Rs 27. That's a difference of Rs 53. Further, the visor cost is quoted as Rs 30, but we found out that a sheet costs Rs 8. The tally says BM has delivered 10,700 pieces but we don't know if this has actually happened. As of today, Boson owes [me and Ketto] Rs 6,76,000," Kapila said.

By this, Kapila means BM has to return her and Ketto R6,76,000 from the initial Rs 13 lakh paid, as per her calculations. "The last time I spoke to them, which is when we reached a price of Rs 60, they agreed to return the money but later said their CA would get in touch and have ghosted me since," said Kapila.

Parth Panchal. Pic/Facebook, Arjun Panchal. Pic/Twitter

BM claims it has already delivered 10,700 face shields to 19 hospitals and other institutions across the country, including Mumbai's Sion Hospital, Kasturba Hospital, KEM Hospital, Wadia Hospitals—and even the BMC.

In an email to mid-day, BM refers to Ketto Online Ventures Private Limited as the buyer, and not Kapila. "We are unaware of the role of Ms Kusha Kapila with the buyer, M/s Ketto Online Ventures Private Limited, and whether she is authorised to represent the company in commercial matters," it said.

BM also alleged Ketto owes them an outstanding R1,31,063 from the orders that they had already fulfilled.

"We have seen the statement put out by Boson and our legal team is taking necessary steps," said Varun Sheth, of ketto.org.

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Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Friday expressed confidence that Mumbai will see a sharp decline in COVID-19 cases in the next 15 to 20 days. Speaking to PTI, Tope said joint secretary of the Union Health Ministry Lav Agarwal was in the city on Thursday to discuss the situation here. "All ward officers were present at the meeting, which was also attended by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. We discussed corrective measures that were being taken," the minister said.

Agarwal suggested that containment zones be properly demarcated and contact tracing, testing and treatment of positive patients should be done in these areas, Tope said. Early detection will bring down the mortality rate, the minister said, adding that the government plans to increase institutional quarantine facilities. "The Centre wants us to increase disease surveillance in the congested areas to stop the spread of the virus," he said.

With the steps taken by the government, the pandemic will be contained in the next 15 to 20 days in Mumbai, the minister assured. The state government plans to rope in workforce from other departments if the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation falls short of manpower, the minister said, clarifying that there was no shortage of funds.

Of the 17,974 COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, 11,394 were reported from Mumbai alone and the city had recorded 437 deaths from the toll of 694 in the state.

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This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

The Maharashtra government on Friday announced a compensation of Rs 500,000 to the next of kin of all the migrants who were run over by a goods train near Aurangabad. Expressing deep anguish over the incident which killed 16 migrants, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said that all the expenses for the treatment of all those injured in the mishap will be borne by the state government. "We are in constant touch with the Centre to make arrangements for running as many trains as possible for the migrants to return to their homes. I appeal to them not to give up hopes," Thackeray urged.

The Chief Minister said that the victims were working for a steel company in Jalna and were proceeding along the railway lines, apparently to their homes in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh. At night they slept on the railway tracks but early Friday a goods train ran over them, killing 16 and injuring many others.

Thackeray said in the past 4-5 days around 100,000 migrants have reached home safely and more trains are being organized, including from Mumbai, to send the other stranded workers to their respective states.

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In an attempt to prevent smuggling of liquor from neighbouring states during the lockdown, Maharashtra has sealed its borders with them and deployed adequate manpower at a dozen checkposts, an official said on Friday. The move by the excise department has come in the wake of lifting of certain coronavirus-induced curbs, which included allowing reopening of liquor shops. As the demand for alcohol has increased in Maharashtra, there is a possibility of liquor smuggling by inter-state organised syndicates, the official said.

Considering the threat from such syndicates, the excise department has deployed its flying squads and vigilance teams in districts located along the borders with neighbouring states, he said. To avoid any smuggling activity during this period, we have increased our vigil on 12 checkposts and sealed borders with adjoining states," he said. This will help in curbing illegal transportation of liquor or spirit, the official said. With the help of local police, the excise department has initiated action against persons involved in smuggling and transportation of liquor, he said.

Since the lockdown came into force in late March, at least 4,829 offences have been registered for illegal liquor transportation and 438 vehicles seized, he said. Besides, at least 2,104 persons have been arrested so far in such cases, the official said, adding liquor and other material worth Rs 12.63 crore have been seized since the shutdown.

The excise department has started a control room, where people can provide information related to illegal manufacturing or sale of liquor, he said.

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With the cases of coronavirus continuing to surge in Mumbai, the Mumbai Police has been pulling all stops to ensure the safety of the people. The police department has been active not just in the public space but on social media with their public interest messages urging people to respect the lockdown and follow the precautions put in place by the government.

In their latest post on Twitter, the Mumbai Police has posted a series of posters used some of the famous musical bands’ names such as Backstreet Boys, Linkin Park, Oasis and U2 to make sure people follow the lockdown rules.  The police department urged their followers through slogan coined with puns asking people not to visit Linkin Park,  reminding ‘U2’ stay home and that your home is your ‘Oasis’.

The Mumbai Police said in the caption, “Stay indoors, for we are on the streets, playing your favourite safety tunes with our 'Band-o-bast'.

Stay indoors, for we are on the streets, playing your favourite safety tunes with our 'Band-o-bast'. #LockdownPerformance #TakingOnCorona pic.twitter.com/ejPW0Ofbfw

— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) May 7, 2020

The post shared on Thursday morning has garnered more than 1,900 likes and was retweeted 333 times. Users commenting on the post lauded the the police department’s creativity on their social media posts.

You guys have a great taste in music!

— Rudresh Solanki (@rudresh97) May 7, 2020

Huge respect to the person/group of people managing this account and showing his/their creativity even in this tough situation!!
Kudos to the team guys.
More recognition to you all.@MumbaiPolice @OfficeofUT

— Rishabh 🇮🇳 (@Rishabh4593) May 7, 2020

You always amaze with something 😍 new.. it's a pride to b a Mumbaikar and to be safe with Mumbai police 🙏

— roshan bangera (@roshbangera32) May 7, 2020

Creativity level genius 🔥

— Karen P (@Head_in_d_cloud) May 7, 2020

What do you think about this post?

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With the cases of Coronavirus continue to surge in the city, the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) has decided to suspend its operations from May 11 to 17.

The market committee has decided to shut all five markets, that include onion-potato markets, spices, fruits, vegetables and grains. The decision was made as cases among the market participants have been rising in spite of strict guidelines put in place to maintain social distance.

Navi Mumbai mayor Jaywant Sutar had urged the Maharashtra government to shut the APMC Market in a bid to stop the movement of people as many of the customers come from Mumbai to the travel to buy their stock of groceries.

The APMC Market in Vashi is the largest supplier of fruits, vegetables, grains and spices to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

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Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday refuted speculation about the Army being called in in Mumbai which has become a major coronavirus hotspot.

In a live webcast, he said additional manpower may be sought from the Union government if needed so that the state police force gets some respite.

CM Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray addressing the State https://t.co/ZZ65xsR3Oy

— CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) May 8, 2020

Asking people not to believe rumours, the chief minister said the government might ask for additional manpowerfrom the Centre, if needed, to enable the police personnel to take rest in a phased manner. "This doesn't mean that Mumbai will be handed over to the Army. Police personnel are tired after working round-the- clock, some have fallen sick and a few of them have succumbed to the virus. They need rest," Thackeray said.

He also admitted that while the spread of the virus has been contained, the state has not succeeded in breaking the chain of infection yet. Whether the lockdown will be extended or not after May 17 will depend on how far people maintain discipline and follow rules, he said.

"We have to come out of the lockdown one day or the other. We can't be living permanently like this. But to come out of this sooner, you need to follow rules and maintain discipline of social distancing and use face mask," Thackeray said

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It will be interesting to see what happens after police action in the Bois Locker Room case. The Delhi police have booked members of this Instagram group.

A quick search will show that this online avenue had teenage boys exchanging morphed pictures, obscene content and casual references to sexual assaults and gang-rapes. The most disturbing part of this is that many of those references were to their female classmates.

Plenty has been written about action, blame games, threats and the police machinery doing its work, as it should. What is important now is how the accused families react, talk to their children and see that there is a true change in these youngsters.

There cannot be any excuses about what has been done. Parents must make that clear to their children and to themselves that this is wrong.

Now, the group members who have indulged in this will need talking to from family and from professionals, if need be. Let us not forget that this is a life-changing event for all involved.

There has to be intense, hard counselling for the boys involved. What should this be? Who needs to talk to them? Should teachers talk to them? Should one or two members of the family do it? Should professionals start counselling and continue for months? The accent should be that this is not just criminal but completely unacceptable. The shame should not come from police action alone, but the overarching realisation that this kind of talk is certainly not light-hearted but completely reprehensible.

The bigger effort is the acceptance of a gross mistake, no attempt to sweep anything under the carpet and a long, committed and concerted effort to see true transformation. Like the #metoo movement, it should be times-up for this kind of bois locker room talk.

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Despite media reports pointing out the poor handling and care of patients at Sion hospital, the administration seems to have not taken any action yet, as a new video has emerged of Friday evening, showing most patients sharing beds across the casualty ward.

On Friday, mid-day had reported how Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital admitted patients in the ward that had bodies piled on the beds. Earlier, a video had surfaced online, showing a man escaping out of the window due to the pathetic condition of the hospital. While the BMC has initiated an enquiry into the past incidents, the latest video has raised concern about the patients' safety at the hospital.

A 40-year-old woman from Dharavi was recently admitted to the casualty ward of Sion hospital with high fever. "She was given saline and asked to share a bed with another female patient. We don't know what the other patient is suffering from. What kind of isolation is this?" asks the daughter.

A Dharavi resident, 40, is made to share a bed with another patient at Sion hospital

In the video, several beds were seen occupied by at least two patients at a time. A 25-year-old man suffering from high fever was made to lie down with a 45-year-old patient. "I have been made to share a bed with a man who is more than 45 years old. I have been told that the doctor will visit me only in the morning. What if the man beside be is already a COVID-19 patient? Will he not pass on the virus to me?" he questioned while speaking to mid-day. Another patient, Vishnu Sarathi, a 34-year-old resident of Antop Hill was brought to Sion hospital by her neighbours after he complained of stomach pain. He also had high fever. However, the doctors gave him medicine and sent him back home.

Sources in the hospital said they take all the patients to the casualty ward when they arrive and due to lack of beds, they have to sit or lie down beside other patients. In case of fever, we give them medicines and if it subsides, we send them home, said the sources, adding that the rest are admitted. At present, the number of patients in the hospital is higher than that of the beds.

Some hospital staffers, who tested positive for COVID-19 but are asymptomatic, complained that they are being made to share wards with other high-risk patients. "Their report has come back positive but they do not have any symptoms," said one of the staffers.

Patients made to share a bed at Sion hospital

"We have tested positive, but there are no symptoms of COVID-19. We are afraid that our health might suffer by being among the high-risk patients," said another.

A visitor in the hospital was also seen without a mask on Friday, which violates the instructions given by the administration and also poses a risk to others.

Sion hospital Dean Pramod Ingale did not respond to mid-day's requests for comment.

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Forced to agree to discounts due to the aggressive policies of delivery platforms, the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) and its member had started the #Logout campaign last August in protest. While the campaign turned out to be successful to an extent with aggregator platforms forced to change their predatory pricing policies, the NRAI decided to put a definitive plan into action to find a way out. The association has now announced plans to launch an alternative discovery and delivery platform, which will come into force by August-September.

"We realised that this is the new way of doing business [online aggregators] and we cannot ignore it, so let's make it better for us. With this platform, the customer data will be ours, discounts will be decided by the restaurants, and services will be unbundled. Every individual restaurant that gets the order will own the data; NRAI is not the owner of the data. Existing aggregators had become digital landlords. We are not saying that the app will replace the current players overnight, it's just another choice which will be available," says Anurag Katriar, president of NRAI; CEO and executive director of deGustibus Hospitality Pvt Ltd.

The project had been in the works months before COVID-19 hit the industry and all members were of the opinion that a marketplace cannot decide what the buyer and seller should do about the price. The high rate of commission is another concern. Restaurants are also forced to compulsorily buy the full bouquet of services by the platform, for example restaurants cannot use their own delivery fleet despite having one. One of the biggest issues for restaurateurs is that the customer and transaction data is the sole property of the aggregator, something that platforms started utilising to launch and promote their own properties.

Gauri Devidayal, restaurateur

Members of the F&B industry feel positive about the move. "These aggregators have used every situation to their advantage. Even now these guys are trying to raise the commission at a very high percentage. We are more than happy that the organisation is launching this platform which will help us work on a lower commission and reduce our expenses, especially now," said Ryan Tham, owner, The Good Wife, Koko, Foo.

Gauri Devidayal, Co-founder The Table, Magzine Street Kitchen, Iktara, Mei13, Mag St. Bread Co, saod , "The commissions and discounts offered by them were not at all viable for restaurants. This platform will also smoothen the ordering process and remove the need for us to organise a rider when delivering out of our radius."

Meanwhile, NRAI has already collaborated with a tech company to work on this platform, and the money for the platform is also being pumped in by the company; Katriar is tightlipped about the name for now.

Ryan Tham and Avik Chatterjee

Avik Chaterjee, founder, Hoppipola, Episode One, admits that everyone in the industry is in survival mode during lockdown: "Anything that will make us bear lower expenditure will be the best service for us. NRAI is not putting in money in this; this may change in the future. This hasn't been done to spite anyone, it is to protect what's best for our trade and take control of our own business decisions," he says.

Smaller restaurants will benefit the most from this as the platform will allow the owners to accept orders as small as R20 and use their salaried employee for delivery. NRAI is also working on two other tech projects, a loyalty programme, and a platform for transactions which might run parallel to the aggregator platform.

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As Coronavirus cases continue to rise in the city, the civic body has decided to appoint an IAS officer for each of the city's seven zones. The officers have to improve the doubling rate of positive cases from the current 10 days to 20 days by May 17.

There were reports about differences of opinions as no one was assigned a specific work area. Now, with each officer responsible for a smaller area, administration is expected to be smoother. The BMC had six IAS officers, including the municipal commissioner, to run the various departments. The State assigned four more senior ones — three for the civic body and one for the four state-run hospitals — to boost management. In spite of years of experience, there were disagreements among officers and the result was seen in the handling of the pandemic. Sources said that some IAS officers expressed dissatisfaction over the management.

BMC chief till Friday evening, Praveen Pardeshi's order is expected to improve administration and accountability. Each of the city's zones is headed by a Deputy Municipal Commissioner. The newly-assigned officers have to visit their zones every day from morning to 2 pm and be in office till 3 pm. The civic chief is to conduct daily debriefing at 6 pm with focus on reducing the doubling rate.

These officers will supervise mapping of positive cases, contact-tracing, Containment Zones, house-to-house surveys and surveillance, identifying senior citizens with co-morbidities and their further treatment, fever clinics, facilitating private nursing homes, clinics, hospitals, etc., testing of symptomatic persons, CCC1 and CCC2 creation, community participation, etc.

While Abasaheb Jarhad, Suresh Kakani, P Velarasu and Jayashree Bhoj are additional commissioners with the BMC, Manisha Mhisakar, Dr Ramaswami and Ashwini Bhide have been deputed for COVID-19. Prajakta Lavangare has been appointed to handle CSR activities. Joint commissioner Ashutosh Salil is also on COVID-19 duty. Sujata Saunik has appointed to supervise JJ, St. George, GT and Cama Hospitals.

75% attendance in BMC

After initially cutting down employee strength by half, then increasing it to full capacity during the second phase of the lockdown, Pardeshi reduced it again to 75 per cent, barring essential services. The order says social distancing is not being maintained due to 100 per cent attendance. The focus will be on contact-tracing, quarantine centre management, upgrading municipal hospitals and pre-monsoon work. Officers and employees aged over 55 years and suffering from chronic health issues can work from home.

The civic body had been giving a daily allowance of R300 to frontline workers like nurses, doctors and sweepers. It will now give the allowance to assistant commissioners and employees at or below the post of executive engineers too.

Three officers — Pardeshi, Jarhad, and Bhoj were transferred by the government on Friday evening. Their designations remain as the decisions were taken while they held the posts.

Which zone has whom

Zone 1 (Colaba to Malabar hill and Byculla): Abasaheb Jarhad
Zone 2 (Mahalaxmi to Mahim, Chinchpokli to Wadala): Manisha Mhaiskar
Zone 3 (Bandra to Santacruz, Vileparle East to Jogeshwari East): Dr Ramaswami
Zone 4 (Vileparle west to Jogeshwari west, Malad, Kandivali): Suresh Kakani
Zone 5 (Kurla to Chembur, Govandi, Mankhurd): Jayashree Bhoj
Zone 6 (Ghatkopar, Bhandup, Mulund): Ashwini Bhide
Zone 7 (Kandivli to Dahisar): P Velarasu

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With 1,089 confirmed infections on Friday, the total cases of the COVID-19 has increased to 19,063 in Maharashtra, including 12,142 in Mumbai alone. Meanwhile, the total number of cases in Dharavi has crossed 800 and five patients who had died earlier were on Friday confirmed to have the virus.

Civic officials of G North ward said that 25 new infections were reported from Dharavi, including five cases in Matunga Labour Camp. So far 26 people have died of COVID-19 in Dharavi.

One Dadar resident was also among the 25 deaths reported in the city on Friday. Dadar also reported the highest daily spike in cases with 21 infections, including 15 from Kirtikar Market. In Mahim a 93-year-old woman is among the 11 new cases reported on Friday.

The BMC said of the 748 new infections, around 200 patients had tested positive between May 4 and May 6 but their names were added to the list on Friday. The civic officials said several teams are carrying out door-to-door survey for influenza-like symptoms to ensure early identification and treatment of suspected COVID-19 cases.

State health department officials said that across state, 37 new COVID-19 deaths have been recorded, including 10 in Pune and one each in Jalgaon and Amravati. Twenty-seven of them were suffering from other ailments and 17 of them were senior citizens. The total death toll due to COVID-19 in Maharashtra is 731.

Meanwhile, the clinical trial to use plasma therapy to treat COVID-19 patients with serious symptoms is yet to begin as no patient at Nair Hospital fits the criteria set by the Indian Council of Medical Research. Civic officials said majority of the critical patients are admitted at KEM Hospital, so an application was filed last week to include the hospital for the trial. KEM Hospital Dean Dr Hemant Deshmukh said they are expecting the approval from the ICMR in a day or two.

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Days after a video showing patients lying next to dead bodies in a Sion hospital ward went viral, another video showing a COVID-19 patient escaping the hospital through the window surfaced on social media.

In the latest video, a middle-aged man is seen running out of ward no. 5 on the ground floor of the hospital and jumping out of the window. A few minutes later, the man is brought back by the hospital staff. BJP leader Kirit Somaiya shared the video on social media on Friday and sent a written complaint to the civic body demanding action. "The incident took place on May 3 in front of ward no. 5 which is meant for COVID-19 patients. It is the same ward where another video had shown bodies lying on beds," Somaiya said.

Dr Pramod Ingle, acting dean of the hospital, said that the video is authentic but is being shown in a negative light. "Patients of COVID-19 are often under a lot of stress and suffer from psychosis. People react differently to stressful situations. Fortunately, the patient was brought back by a guard wearing a PPE kit," said Dr Ingle. He added that the guard had been congratulated for his good work and the video was from the security footage of the hospital.

Bodies to go to mortuary

The Sion hospital committee probing the video showing bodies kept at Sion hospital's COVID-19 ward has been given a day's extension by Dr Ingle.

The patient seen walking towards the window 

Meanwhile, IAS officer Prajakta Lavangare has been appointed to take charge of Sion and Cooper Hospital. She visited the hospitals on Friday. Dr Ingle said that while the enquiry report is still awaited, a new protocol has been decided to handle bodies of COVID-19 patients.

"The bodies will now be packed in plastic sheets on the bed and then shifted to the mortuary. We have two mortuaries and among them, the bigger one has a capacity to keep around 40 bodies. Families can collect bodies from there," he said adding that currently, there are 11 COVID-19 bodies at the hospital.

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All looked well-organised for the 1,111 passengers of the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (Kurla)-Basti, Uttar Pradesh train that departed on Friday evening. However, chaos erupted amid delays as migrants were hurriedly packed like sardines into buses and transported to LTT, with social distancing forgotten.

The train transporting migrants from Meghwadi and Jogeshwari was the first to leave from the city. Sources said that of the originally 40 buses planned, just a few seemed to be pressed into service.

According to eyewitnesses, in the beginning, every bus had only 30 passengers and eight such buses arrived at LTT. But the process became tedious with just a handful of buses, which then had to make multiple trips to Jogeshwari.

The buses that came after 3:30 pm did not follow social distancing, with some people standing and some sitting on the footboard.

"We woke up at 5 am and were waiting with our kids and luggage. We expected to be taken to CSMT. But at the last minute, after the medical check-ups, we were packed into buses and brought to LTT. The confusion and chaos drained us, but finally, here we are on the train, going back home," a happy Dinesh Jaiswal, group leader of 13 people from Sonwara village said.

"We had filled forms five to six days ago at the local police station and were told last night that we would be taken to CSMT," said Shakil Ahmed, a tailor and painter, and group leader of 27 people from Gonda village.

Another resident, Manish Yadav, said that at the village they will at least stay with their family and struggle along with other villagers. "Mumbai is where we came to earn, but our roots are in the village. We stay well in the village where needs are minimal. With no sight of when the lockdown will lift, we cannot afford to stay in Mumbai at the mercy of free food," Yadav added.

"After they were brought to the railway station, group leaders were given tickets, which cost about R685 per head and then they were lined up and sent to respective coaches. Only two persons were allowed to sit in one bay. The train will reach Basti district on May 9," a railway official said.

Speaking on the last-minute chaos caused due to the change from CSMT to Kurla, Central Railway's chief spokesperson Shivaji Sutar said special trains are being run only on request of state governments. "We run trains if sending and receiving states agree. As per their request, we kept a train ready at LTT Kurla station," he said.

While nodal officer in-charge of the operation Dinesh Desai did not respond to calls, another official said that it would have been difficult to monitor every stage of the operation and these passengers all had a medical check up before embarking on the bus journey, so it was safe for them to be around each other.

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In major relief, the state government has decided that first and second-year students will be promoted to the next year based on performance. However, final year students will have to appear for their final exams which will be conducted between July 1 to 30.

State higher and technical education minister Uday Samant declared the decision through video on Friday providing relief to lakhs of students studying in thousands of colleges affiliated to different universities in the state.

However, the decision to conduct the final year exams will be subject to COVID-19 situation in the state and a decision about the same will be taken on June 20.

Also, a committee has been formed which will decide if the Common Entrance Test (CET) for UG and PG courses can be conducted. The committee is going to table their findings in eight days.

For UG the exam has been scheduled between July 1-19 and July 23-30 for PG courses.

As for students fearing non-compliance of 75 per cent mandatory attendance criteria, Samant said, "All students should be given full attendance for all days of lockdown until now which is 45 days. However even after adding these 45 days if any student is still lagging, the college should consider those cases compassionately. All final year final examination students shall continue studying as their exams will be held in July. It is a question of their career which is why the exams cannot be cancelled."

Explaining the grading system that will be used for first and second-year students, a senior University official said, "This grading will be done with 50:50 formula where 50 per cent marks will be based on internal evaluation or tests held until now before the lockdown and 50 per cent from the performance of the student in the previous year. If previous year's performance is not available, the grading will depend 100 per cent on performance until now in the academic year."

"Moreover students who have pending papers or fail in any subject will have to appear for ATKT exams which the varsities will hold within 120 days from the beginning of the new academic year," he added.

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The state government on Friday directed schools across the state against introducing any fee hike this academic year in view of the crisis. It also asked schools to provide parents with options of instalments to pay the tuition fees and offer online payment services.

The Maharashtra state government's school education department on Friday issued the Government Resolution (GR) in this regard.

"For the academic year 2020-21, schools should not hike fees. If certain services at the school which are currently not offered and are, therefore, reducing the school's expenses, the management must try to reduce the fees. Considering parents' convenience, schools should offer different instalment options to pay the fees instead of asking for a complete annual fee at once. They must also offer online payment services for parents," states the GR which also mentions that this step was taken after receiving several complaints regarding schools forcing parents to pay complete fees at once.

Parents hail move

While the government had earlier suggested instalments for school fees, some schools had offered such options or even reduced fees in some cases. But the decision lacked uniformity and hence the GR was issued.

Anubha Sahai, president of Indiawide Parents' Association, said, "It is an excellent decision by the state government. It clearly states that no school shall force any parent to pay full fees during the lockdown."

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Taking serious note of the report in mid-day about a green activist writing to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray regarding illegal chopping of trees and encroachments in Aarey Colony, the CEO office of Aarey visited the spot and began the procedure of filing an FIR against the culprits.

On May 7, mid-day had reported how a environmentalist Stalin D wrote to Uddhav requesting the forest department and Thane forest circle to monitor Aarey Colony against encroachers during the lockdown.

In his letter to Thackeray, Stalin D also highlighted the fact that on an average, at least 30 trees were being chopped down daily inside Aarey.

"Slum-dwellers are expanding encroachments, building illegal temples, clearing the vegetation regularly ever since the lockdown was imposed. We have time and again raised the alarm and intimated the authorities concerned.

But, the Aarey police have not acted on any of the complaints and instead have chosen to beat up citizens who send them proof of tree chopping and expanding encroachments," the letter stated.

Stalin D told mid-day that he also received a response to the email from Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's office stating that he letter had been sent to the department concerned to take necessary action.

CEO of Aarey Milk Colony Nathu Rathod told mid-day, "We have taken serious note of the illegal encroachments and alleged cutting of trees in Aarey and will be taking the help of the police to book those responsible. Our teams have visited the spot and the procedure of filing the FIR is in progress."

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The civic-run Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking on Friday said it would recruit a kin if any employee dies due to the coronavirus infection while on duty. It would be in the Class II or IV categories depending on the kin's educational qualifications, an official said. "Employment will be provided to the wife or son or unmarried daughter of a deceased employee.

If the person who died is a bachelor, then the job would be given to his brother or unmarried sister," an official said.

So far, 64 BEST employees have tested positive for the virus, including four who died of the infection.

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This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Dear Diana,
I have been friendly with this guy at my work place. He thinks the world of me. I know that he likes me and has even expressed his affections for me. He goes out of his way to help me. At the same time, my parents have found a guy for me. Things are in the talking stage and if it works out, we will get engaged. I have been talking to him on the phone and even gone out with him. I am confused though whether to go ahead with this alliance or should I be with my office colleague. My parents do not know about my office love. Now that things are getting serious and there is talk of an engagement, I told my office guy what is going on at home. He gave me a patient hearing and wished me goodluck. After that day, he has stopped talking to me. It is strictly a professional relationship with him. He used to often drop me home and help at work. He has stopped doing all that. I am feeling terrible. I miss him now, but at home, when talk is about the guy my parents have chosen, I feel I should go with him. All this is leaving me confused.
— Rudaali

Dear Rudaali,
You will have to choose between the two. You cannot be with both. The office guy has decided to move away from your scene. He was serious about you while you were not. As soon as you told him what was happening on the home front, it was a clear indication that you were not interested in him. You need to clear your muddled mind. Sit down and weigh the options, listen to your heart. Once you have found your answer, stick to it. If you feel you are happier with the office guy, you need to tell your family immediately so that they do not make any other plans. If you want to go ahead with their choice, then let your office guy be. He has already moved away, so let him be. Whatever your decision, stick to it and do not have a wavering mind, especially when it comes to choosing a life partner.

Dear Diana,
After being with my guy for two years, he cheated on me with my best friend. They had an affair behind my back. Often, she used to hang out with us, but I did not think that she would steal my guy from me. As soon as I got a whiff of their affair, I stopped talking to her though she did reach out to me, but I never gave in. My guy was a closed chapter of my life. Now, a common friend tells me that my ex guy has cheated on my friend too. I detest her for ruining my love life and leaving me with a broken heart, but at the same time, I feel bad as I have been in a similar situation. I know what she must be undergoing. What should I do? She has been messaging me and telling me what has happened. But I am not paying any heed. Should I mend fences with her?
— Simone

Dear Simone,
Now that both of you are sailing in the same boat, you can share your grief too. If you can forgive and forget, you can reach out to your pal. She is nursing a broken heart while you may have recovered and moved on. If you sympathise with your pal, then you should rekindle the friendship. Are you willing to let bygones be bygones? You need to realise that it was because of a useless guy that things got messed up between you and her. Now that he is no longer on her scene, you should get your pal back besides moving on with your respective lives. Let this guy remain in the distant past.

Dear Diana,
Last week, when I was at my friend’s home, a couple of drinks down, I got carried away. I was at his place for dinner. My pal got a call from his office for some work. One of his office staff members then dropped in with a bunch of documents. He got busy and was at his laptop. His office help and he were going through the papers. My pal’s wife and I then moved to the balcony with our drinks. Their bedroom has an entrance from the balcony. I was quite drunk, but in my senses. As it was windy on the balcony, his wife said we could sit in the bedroom. A few more drinks down and we got carried away. I kissed her, but she did not move away. Nor did she stop me. It was as if she wanted me to make the first move and get physical with me. A few minutes later, we walked back to the living room where her hubby and his office guy were still busy with work. She behaved as if nothing had happened. I, too, kept quiet. Now, I can’t get over her. I crave for her touch even though I am also married.
– Arindam

Illustration/ Uday Mohite

Dear Arindam,
You are playing with fire and you know the consequences. She is your buddy’s wife so you will lose not only a dear pal, but also destroy your marital life. She may have had her reasons to let you on, but when it comes to revealing the truth, she might just put you in the dock. She will then blame you and say that you outraged her modesty. Your friend will then take her word and will not believe what you say. It is better that you get this woman out of your mind. Avoid interacting with her too much. Her hubby is your pal, not she. If she is keeping quiet about it, then let it remain between you two. At the same time, never ever again get yourself in such a situation.

Dear Diana,
I was in a relationship with a girl for four years before we parted ways three years ago. Our break up was quite bitter and obviously we never tried contacting each other after that. Last week, I bumped into her at a shopping mall. I was with my girlfriend and she was with a guy too, but I don’t know if he was her boyfriend. We were in the same store and happened to cross paths. We smiled at each other, but didn’t talk. Now, just seeing her brought back so many memories. I have never had the same emotional connection I had with her and I can’t stop thinking about her. I don’t know if it’s love or just nostalgia, but I can’t get her out of my head. I have been having constant fights with my current girlfriend because she can sense that something is amiss. Please help.
— Abhinav

Illustrastion/Uday Mohite

Dear Abhinav,
Bumping into an ex can get very awkward, but the fact that you can’t stop thinking about her even after just seeing her means that you still have feelings for her. If you were in love with your current girlfriend, meeting your ex flame would have meant nothing to you. So, I feel you should first understand that yourself. Then, talk to your present girlfriend about your feelings because you do owe an explanation to her. Even if both of you decide to take a break or call it off, it will only be for the better. Now, as far as your ex-girlfriend is concerned, try and figure out if she also has feelings for you. There is no point going after her if she is not on the same page as you. Best of luck!

Dear Diana,
My girlfriend has started behaving strange. She has been making several demands which I cannot fulfill. She wants me to buy a house and a car before she commits. I know for sure that she doesn’t care for me like she used to before. I often ask her if it is time to let her go. We have been together for four years. But since the past six months, she seems to have lost interest in me. Or perhaps she is bored of me. Sometimes I wonder if there is someone else on the scene. We have been having constant squabbles. We are no longer on the same page. I have tried to talk to her, but she refuses to listen. I think it is time to let her go. At the same time, she is clinging on and making things difficult for me. What should I do? After all these years, it will be difficult for me. I am already feeling sad and dejected.
— Neerav

Illustration/ Uday Mohite

Dear Neerav,
Your girlfriend is dropping hints, but at the same time is not going her way. You cannot force her to love you. Give yourself a little time to ponder before telling her that it is better that you went your way. Your relationship has reached a plateau. If you do not want to cut off ties with her, take a break in the relationship. You will feel your life is falling apart, but time will heal all wounds. Do not look back, but before that you need to take a decision. If you do decide to let her be in your life, then she will continue with her highhandedness. You need to gain back your self-esteem and find someone who will reciprocate your love. You have given your all to the relationship, but she has not. So why stick around such a girl?

Dear Diana,
I have fallen in love with my best friend's wife. They got married recently. I was attracted to her the day I saw her, just before their wedding. I am single. When I am around with her, I try my best to contain my feelings for her, but I cannot. I keep dropping in at their home on some pretext or the other. I have never had such feelings for any other girl. My buddy is planning to go on a holiday to Goa. A lot of our common pals are also going, so he has also told me to come along. I am scared that I do not do something stupid and make things embarrassing for her. I find my feelings for her getting stronger day-by-day. I keep fantasising about her. She calls me bhaiyya which I detest. At the same time, I would never do anything that would destroy my friendship with my buddy. What do I do? Should I just break my friendship with him?
– Amar

Illustration/Uday Mohite

Dear Amar,
You are well aware that you are playing with fire. She is your buddy's wife, so if you are thinking of a future with her, be ready to get scorched. Remember you are ruining your life, her life, as well as your buddy's life. You may be attracted to her, but you will have to contain your feelings for her. Have you ever wondered how your pal will react? How will you face your buddy when he realises what is on in your mind? A relationship with your pal's wife will only ruin your life. You seem to have let yourself go. It is easy to say that you are attracted to her, but you need to draw the line. She calls you bhaiyya, so she has no clue what is going on. It will come as a shock to her when she realises that you are lusting for her. Banish any such thoughts if you do not want to lose your friend. If you are finding it difficult, limit your interactions with his wife for a while. Also, get going with your life and find someone else.

Dear Diana,
I have been going around with this guy for the last five months. As I am quite a chirpy person, I have lots to tell him. I keep jabbering about everything and anything. He has been giving me a patient hearing. But to my dismay, I have now realised that he has been telling his friends that I talk too much. He tells them that he needs to stuff cotton wool in his ears for peace and tranquility. Some common pals have been telling me that what he is doing is wrong. I find this behaviour of his irritating. Why should he be talking about my inadequacies? I may be a chatterbox, but if he has a problem, he needs to tell me, and not others. I find it strange that he listens to whatever I say and then goes around telling tales behind my back.
— Shreela

Illustration/Uday Mohite

Dear Shreela,
This guy is not telling you anything, but revealing his discomfort to his pals. This is strange, if you two are in a relationship and are serious about each other. It is wrong of him to go around blurting out whatever you tell him to common pals. You have every right to be upset with him. You may be of a cheerful disposition, but he cannot go around talking about your inadequacies to friends. He is ridiculing you and having a hearty laugh with his gang of pals. If you are talking about your personal life, you need to be cautious. You never know what he has been telling others and might blurt out personal details too. At the same time, you need to tell him to refrain from doing it. You need to explain to him that you are telling him stuff in confidence. A relationship is based on trust. If he refuses to change, it is better you go your way.

Dear Diana,
I was friendly with this guy almost a decade ago. We got along well — I could talk to him for hours. There was never any shortage of subjects and I always felt time just flew when I was with him. He was not the outgoing type, but in my presence he opened up. He told me that he was at peace whenever he was with me. We never spoke about the future or where we were heading to. We just talked and talked about everything and anything. From the most routine of stuff to national headlines to religious debates. It was as if we were destined to meet and to talk. I used to always feel I would meet this one guy who would be special. It was him. Our friendship, however, lasted barely a year. I wanted him to be my best buddy, perhaps my only buddy, but he wanted more. He wanted a physical relationship. That's when the problem arose. I had to tell him whether I 'liked' him or 'loved' him. In a fit of anger, he stopped talking to me. I let him be and after that we never spoke again. But I still pine for him after all these years.
— Neesha

Illustration/Uday Mohite

Dear Neesha,
You were genuine in your friendship with him, but this guy wanted more. He was only interested in a physical relation which you were not ready for — or perhaps needed more time to commit yourself to him. If he really cared for you and loved you, he would not have dumped you. It is clear that he did not respect your feelings. You had clearly told him what was on your mind, still he was hellbent on doing what he wanted to. You are better off without this guy — you need someone who respects you. As you got so involved with him, you are still pining for him. He did not give you a chance to seek closure as he just walked off. You are better off without this foolish guy. Over time, you will forget him, so stop thinking about him.

Dear Diana,
I was friendly with this girl for over three years. I met her through common friends and we hit it off well. We started hanging out together and I was extremely comfortable in her company. We would talk for hours and even spoke of a future together. Things were fine till last week, when she dropped a bomb. I received a text message from her telling me that it is all over. I was shocked. I called her umpteen times, but she refused to answer the phone. I sent her hundreds of text messages, but there has been no reply. Common friends tell me that she does not want to see my face. I want to know what wrong did I do her? Why could she have not told me about it? I did not find anything amiss in recent days that could have led her to take such a drastic decision. With no answers, I am a nervous wreck. I keep reading her SMS all day. I am heartbroken and unable to recover from the shock. What do I do?
– Monty

Illustration/ Uday Mohite

Dear Monty,
After being with you all this while, the girl certainly owed you an explanation. She severed ties with you via a text message. This is not done. The least she could have done is to drop hints so that you were prepared for what was coming. You say there were no tell-tale signs. It could be that you were so blinded in your love and trust for her. Or it could be that there was someone else and she hid the truth from you. She was perhaps two-timing you or this girl was plain bored of you. Whatever the cause, she needed to tell you. It will be difficult for you, but this girl does not care for you, so why grieve for the broken relationship? Let her be and time will heal your wounds. Do not keep asking your common friends to find a reason as this will cause more chaos. Next time be wary before you commit to someone.

Sonam Kapoor in a bulky sweater over a dainty dress by Prabal Gurung. Pic/AFP

Style book
* Don't pick a jumper that is too thick as it might make you look bulky and uncool.
* Embrace anti-fit. It goes with all body types. Too tight a sweater dress and you might look like Kim Kardashian from her non-fashionista years.
* Belt a sweater dress if you want to look sleek but skip if you are top heavy.

Pick a pleated skirt (metallic for your evening out) to pair with a long or a short jumper, at seen on Christian Dior's show

* Pair a cropped jumper with wide-legged pants that are cut above the ankle. You can even wear cropped jeans and pair them with embellished flip flops or pool slides for a relaxed day look.
* Contrast is the key — wear an oversized sweater over a pleated or a lace skirt. You can also wear it over a dainty dress.
* For your evening out, wear a metallic or sparkly sweater with a pair of strappy heels. If the temperature drops, add a pair of colourful stockings or above-the-knee preppy socks.

Take a cue from Tommy Hilfiger and wear a glittery jumper as a dress, with stockings or long socks. Pic/Getty images

* To go from baggy to sexy, add a lace peek-out bralet.
* A sweater layered over a buttoned down shirt is a classic pairing; take it to the next level by wearing it over a shirt dress instead. You can wear it with stockings or even ankle length boots. Add a sling bag or a neckpiece to make the look bohemian.
* Wear a chunky neckpiece over a solid coloured jumper and jeans for a hip day look.
Inputs by stylists Shaleena Nathani and Neha Tham

Don't just throw away your old sari, but re-use it by turning it into a kurta or a cushion cover, say experts. Designers Kamaldeep Kaur and Rohini and Dipti Singh have listed down some innovative ways with which you can reuse the old sari.

Representational picture

1. You can make a trendy Anarkali or a kurta out of it which can be teamed with a set of palazzos.

2. If it is a georgette or a chiffon sari, it can be reinvented into a sharara and a dupatta which you can pair with a kurta.

3. If it is a silk sari, then you can make a dupatta out of it and pair it up with a plain solid colour kurta and pants. You can also make cushion covers with it.

4. If it is a Benarasi sari, then you can cut out the border through the entire length, and put it on a plain colour chiffon or georgette sari. You can make cushion covers or dupatta or cloth bags with the rest of it.

5. You can also make lehenga for girls, kurtas, bed runner with the border. Another option can be curtains.

6. Borders from old saris can be re-used on new saris.

7. You can also add a trendy twist to the old sari.

8. You can go for a sleeveless jacket instead of a blouse with the old sari.

9. Ditch the petticoat, and drape the sari over jeans.

10. You can also use two different saris, cut them into halves or use two contrasting dupattas and drape them around like a sari. Add some interesting jewellery to make them stay together.