News Analysis India

Tag: Mumbai

  • Mumbai sees 288 COVID-19 cases, one fatality; 532 recover

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Mumbai on Sunday reported 288 fresh coronavirus cases and one fatality due to the viral infection, taking the tally to 10,54,050 and the death toll to 16,683, the city civic body said.

    A total of 532 patients recovered on Sunday, which raised the number of recoveries in Mumbai so far to 10,31,836, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said in a statement.

    Mumbai is now left with 2,667 active cases, it said. Of the 288 new cases, 88 per cent or 253 cases were asymptomatic while 35 patients were admitted to hospitals. 13 patients are on Oxygen support, the statement said.

    Of the total 36,889 beds in hospitals in Mumbai, 1,027 remained occupied (by COVID-199 patients). With 39,938 new tests, the number of samples examined so far in Mumbai went up to 1,58,06,279, the BMC said. The case recovery rate of Mumbai stands at 98 per cent as of Sunday.

    The case doubling rate is 1,397 days. The city is free of active containment zones. Mumbai’s case positivity rate is 0.7 per cent, BMC commissioner I S Chahal said.

  • ‘Bulli Bai’ app case complainant receives threat calls on her phone, Mumbai cyber cops launch probe

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Mumbai Police’s cyber department registered a Non-Cognizable (NC) offence against an unidentified person after a complainant in the “Bulli Bai” app case told them that she had received threat calls on her phone, an official said on Monday.

    The complainant told the police that the caller threatened her over the phone and asked why she revealed their names and filed FIR against them, the official at the Cyber police station in the Bandra Kurla Complex said.

    An NC case was registered against an unidentified person on Saturday, he added.

    He said the police are investigating how the caller got the mobile phone number of the complainant.

    No FIR was registered and further investigation is underway, the official added.

    The case pertains to the creation of the ‘Bulli Bai’ app, which targeted Muslim women by putting up their images online for “auction”.

    Mumbai cyber police had arrested Shweta Singh and Mayank Rawal from Uttarakhand and Vishal Kumar Jha from Bengaluru.

    The Delhi police’s special cell, which has also registered an FIR in the case, on January 6 arrested one Niraj Bishnoi from Assam.

    According to the police, Bishnoi was the main creator of the app.

  • Mumbai reports 20,971 fresh Covid cases, mayor says CM to decide on further curbs soon

    By Online Desk

    Mumbai on Friday reported 20,971 new Covid infections and 84% of the cases were asymptomatic, according to the civic body data. 

    In the last 24 hours, the city also reported six deaths. With the cases crossing the 20,000-mark every day, the question of more restrictions is looming large. 

    Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar, however, said there has been no decision on night curfew. A final call on imposing further restrictions, which ministers have so far ruled out, will only be taken after CM Uddhav Thackeray’s meeting with PM Modi, the mayor said.

    There is no immediate need for imposing lockdown or additional restrictions in Mumbai as the bed occupancy rate, oxygen requirement and number of Covid deaths are low, municipal commissioner Iqbal Chahal said on Friday.

    During the first and second wave the decision to impose lockdown was taken on the basis of case positivity rate, but this criterion cannot be applied for the third wave which started on December 21, 2021, Chahal told a Marathi news channel.

    No further restrictions were needed to be imposed on travel by local trains as only fully vaccinated people are being allowed to board the trains, he said.

    ALSO READ | 7-day home quarantine a must for all international flyers coming to India: Centre

    “The criterion in the first and second wave was the positivity rate. But in this wave of Omicron variant of the virus, two new criteria should be occupancy of hospital beds and oxygen requirement,” Chahal said.

    The administration has so far imposed only a few restrictions such as the ban on the assembly of five or more persons during nighttime and the shutting of schools in the city, he said.

    Of over 20,000 people who tested positive for coronavirus in Mumbai on Thursday, only 1,180 were hospitalised and 110 were on oxygen support, the BMC chief said.

    As many as 5,900 out of 35,000 hospital beds are occupied at present, he said. “At least 83% of beds are currently vacant and oxygen requirement is not even 10%. During the second wave, we used 235 MT of oxygen (per day). Considering these factors, there is no need for lockdown in the current situation,” Chahal said.

    “Lockdown cannot be imposed only on the basis of numbers (Covid cases). It depends on how many beds are vacant in our hospitals, how much oxygen is required and how many deaths are taking place. These are more important,” he added.

    He conceded that since December 21 last year the positivity rate has gone up significantly. But in the last 16 days, the city recorded only 17 deaths. Active cases have crossed one lakh, but the death rate is only one per day, he said.

    “We are keeping a close eye on the situation. I personally review things three to four times a day,” the commissioner said.

  • Covid-19: Maharashtra CM holds emergency review meeting with task force

    By ANI

    MUMBAI: An emergency meeting of the Maharashtra Covid-19 Task Force is underway and is chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

    The meeting was held in view of rising Covid-19 cases in the state.

    The Mumbai Police on Thursday has imposed Section 144 in the city starting from Thursday till January 7. As per the new Covid-19 restrictions, prohibition has been placed on New Year’s celebrations, parties in any closed or open space including restaurants, hotels, bars, pubs, resorts and clubs from December 30 to January 7. 

  • Omicron cases surges in India; night curfews in 8 states, 3 UTs

    By Online Desk

    NEW DELHI: Mumbai on Tuesday recorded 70 percent cases of Omicron variant, higher than yesterday, while Delhi witnessed 50 percent increase.

    Mumbai has reported over 1000 cases for the first time in months, with 1,377 cases reported on Tuesday. Yesterday, the city had recorded 803 cases. Meanwhile, 338 people have recovered from the disease on Tuesday. The number of fresh cases in Maharashtra stood at 2,172.

    Delhi reported 496 fresh cases as against the 331 cases reported yesterday. The national capital reported one death. According to reports, a yellow alert has been sounded in Delhi and some restrictions imposed under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in view of rising number of Covid cases in the city.

    Punjab has banned entry of not fully vaccinated people from January 15 in public places.

    Delhi, Karnataka, UP, MP, Assam, Haryana and Kerala, Uttarakhand, Puducherry, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu have imposed night curfews so far.

    In Uttarakhand, Chief Secretary Dr SS Sandhu on Tuesday instructed all the District Magistrates (DMs) to create containment zones and impose various restrictions on basis of population and population density in the view of an increase in COVID-19 cases and the danger of its Omicron variant.

    As per a release from the state government, he has instructed all the District Magistrates to take special steps for the protection and safety of people against COVID-19 and its recently-discovered Omicron variant.

    He has instructed the district magistrates to follow the preventive measures and restrictions in accordance with the instructions issued by the Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. He said that keeping a constant watch on the cases of COVID-19 in all the districts.

    Sandhu has directed all the DMs to ensure the continuation of containment strategy, testing, contact tracing, isolation, surveillance, adequate clinical management, vaccination and COVID-19 appropriate behaviour.

    “He has instructed to take steps like night curfew, ban on overcrowding, reducing the number of marriages and funerals, limiting the number in offices, industries and public transport in case of increase in Covid cases. Instructions were given that strict compliance of Containment Zone, Buffer Zone etc. should be ensured,” added the release.

    The Chief Secretary has also stressed sending samples for door to door case search and genome sequencing at the earliest, along with conducting COVID testing as per the guidelines of ICMR and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. Instructions have been given to conduct contact tracing of people and testing as per the guidelines of ICMR. He added that sampling and monitoring of travellers from abroad should be done on priority.

    Sandhu has given instructions to keep the district-level control rooms and their numbers in active mode. Along with this, instructions have also been given to ensure 100 per cent coverage of COVID-19 vaccination along with the availability of an adequate number of isolation beds, oxygen beds and ICU beds.

    The Chief Secretary has also directed to conduct continuous campaigns for public awareness about the wearing of masks and COVID behaviour among the general public. 

    (With inputs from ANI)

  • Omicron cases surges in India; yellow alert for Delhi

    By Online Desk

    NEW DELHI: Mumbai on Tuesday recorded 70 percent cases of Omicron variant, higher than yesterday, while Delhi witnessed 50 percent increase.

    Mumbai has reported over 1000 cases for the first time in months, with 1,377 cases reported on Tuesday. Yesterday, the city had recorded 803 cases. Meanwhile, 338 people have recovered from the disease on Tuesday. The number of fresh cases in Maharashtra stood at 2,172.

    Delhi reported 496 fresh cases as against the 331 cases reported yesterday. The national capital reported one death. According to reports, a yellow alert has been sounded in Delhi and some restrictions imposed under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in view of rising number of Covid cases in the city.

    Punjab has banned entry of not fully vaccinated people from January 15 in public places.

    Delhi, Karnataka, UP, MP, Assam, Haryana and Kerala, Uttarakhand, Puducherry, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu have imposed night curfews so far.

    In Uttarakhand, Chief Secretary Dr SS Sandhu on Tuesday instructed all the District Magistrates (DMs) to create containment zones and impose various restrictions on basis of population and population density in the view of an increase in COVID-19 cases and the danger of its Omicron variant.

    As per a release from the state government, he has instructed all the District Magistrates to take special steps for the protection and safety of people against COVID-19 and its recently-discovered Omicron variant.

    He has instructed the district magistrates to follow the preventive measures and restrictions in accordance with the instructions issued by the Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. He said that keeping a constant watch on the cases of COVID-19 in all the districts.

    Sandhu has directed all the DMs to ensure the continuation of containment strategy, testing, contact tracing, isolation, surveillance, adequate clinical management, vaccination and COVID-19 appropriate behaviour.

    “He has instructed to take steps like night curfew, ban on overcrowding, reducing the number of marriages and funerals, limiting the number in offices, industries and public transport in case of increase in Covid cases. Instructions were given that strict compliance of Containment Zone, Buffer Zone etc. should be ensured,” added the release.

    The Chief Secretary has also stressed sending samples for door to door case search and genome sequencing at the earliest, along with conducting COVID testing as per the guidelines of ICMR and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. Instructions have been given to conduct contact tracing of people and testing as per the guidelines of ICMR. He added that sampling and monitoring of travellers from abroad should be done on priority.

    Sandhu has given instructions to keep the district-level control rooms and their numbers in active mode. Along with this, instructions have also been given to ensure 100 per cent coverage of COVID-19 vaccination along with the availability of an adequate number of isolation beds, oxygen beds and ICU beds.

    The Chief Secretary has also directed to conduct continuous campaigns for public awareness about the wearing of masks and COVID behaviour among the general public. 

    (With inputs from ANI)

  • Maharashtra man who returned from South Africa tests positive for Omicron variant; first case in state: official

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: A 33-year-old man from Thane district near Mumbai who had arrived at the Delhi airport from South Africa via Dubai before flying to the Maharashtra capital has tested positive for the Omicron variant of coronavirus, making him the first such case in Maharashtra and fourth in India, officials said on Saturday.

    He had arrived in Delhi on November 23 and had given his samples for COVID-19 testing at the Delhi airport. He had then taken a flight to Mumbai, official sources said in Delhi.

    ALSO READ: Karnataka seeks info on treatment protocol, three cases at a spot to be considered a cluster

    he man has a mild fever but no other symptoms of COVID-19 infection are seen in him, an official statement said. Cases with the Omicron variant have already been detected in Karnataka and Gujarat.

    “A man from Kalyan Dombivli municipal corporation area has tested positive for the Omicron variant of COVID-19. He is the first official case of the Omicron variant in the state,” Maharashtra health department director Dr Archana Patil told PTI in Mumbai.

    “He came with a group of four people. We are tracing and tracking them. Their RT-PCR test, as well as genome sequencing, will be done,” she said.

    In a statement, the Maharashtra health department said the infected man, a resident of the KDMC area, has not yet taken any vaccine. He is admitted to a COVID care centre in Dombivli.

    “He returned from South Africa on November 24 to Mumbai via Dubai and Delhi. He has a mild fever but no other symptoms of COVID-19 infection are seen,” the department said.

    ALSO READ: Gujarat man found infected with Omicron variant of COVID after returning from Zimbabwe, India’s tally at three

    ll the 12 persons (relatives and co-travellers of the infected man) who were considered as “high risk” have been traced and tested for COVID-19. Their results are negative. Another 23 persons, including fellow passengers of the infected man, have tested negative as well, the department said.

    Meanwhile, a 60-year-old resident of Pune in Maharashtra has tested positive for coronavirus after returning from Zambia but his genome sequencing revealed that he was infected with a Delta variant sub-lineage, it said. A KDMC official said the man who tested positive for the Omicron variant is an engineer.

    “Six persons who had travelled from different countries to Dombivli-Kalyan area have tested positive for coronavirus so far and isolated,” said Dr Pratibha Panpatil, chief of Epidemic Control Cell, KDMC.

    Four of them are from Nigeria and one each is from Russia and Nepal. “The condition of all the six is stable. They are asymptomatic and none of them had come from high-risk countries,” Dr Panpatil said.

    According to the Maharashtra health department, 3,839 passengers who arrived from the “high risk” countries at the Mumbai international airport have undergone RT-PCR test along with 344 out of the 17,107 passengers who had arrived from other countries.

    So far, only eight persons who landed in Mumbai have tested positive for COVID-19, it said. Amid concerns over the Omicron strain, the Maharashtra health department has appealed to people not to panic.

    ALSO WATCH

  • SC protects ex-Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh from arrest in criminal cases lodged against him in Maharashtra

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Monday granted protection from arrest to former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh in criminal cases lodged against him in Maharashtra and sought responses from the state government, its DGP and the CBI on his plea.

    Singh, who had accused the then Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh of corruption, has alleged frame up in criminal cases.

    Besides seeking protection from coercive steps, Singh has sought CBI probe into the entire issue involving him.

    A bench comprising Justices S K Kaul and M M Sundresh issued notices to the Maharashtra government, its DGP Sanjay Pande and the CBI on Singh’s plea.

    “Issue notice. Returnable on December 6. In the meantime, the petitioner shall join the investigation and shall not be arrested,” the bench ordered.

  • Sending ‘dirty messages’ to fiancée is not an insult to her modesty: Mumbai Sessions Court

    By Online Desk

    A sessions court in Mumbai acquitted a 36-year-old man, a decade after he was booked for cheating and raping a woman under the pretext of marriage. The court observed that sending ‘obscene messages’ to a woman one is going to marry cannot be termed as insulting her modesty.

    The court stated that sending “obscene messages” during the premarital period “may give happiness”.

    “If at all those are not liked by the other side, it has discretion with it to convey its displeasure to the other side, and the other side generally avoids a repeat of such a mistake. The purpose was to put up his expectation before her, to arouse her with similar feeling of sex, which may give happiness even to her, etc. But in no way those SMSs can be said as were sent to insult her modesty,” the court said.

    According to the reports from TOI, the woman had lodged an FIR in 2010. The couple had met on a matrimonial site in 2007 and tried to marry despite opposition from the mother of the accused.

    After the proposed marriage, she refused to let him stay in neither of the homes. Following which the accused broke up the relationship in 2010.

    The court, which acquitted the man of rape charges, said that breaking the promise to marry someone cannot be termed cheating or rape.

    The court said, “He had even been to Arya Samaj Hall with mangalsutra but it was the quarrel on the ground of stay after marriage and thereafter, by getting tired of his indecisiveness and getting surrendered before his mother’s wish and failing to handle and tackle the problem stood before him in proper manner, he came back. But it is certainly not the case of false promise of marriage. It is the case of failure to make substantial efforts.”

    The court stated that it was not mandatory for the woman to have allowed the accused to have a physical relationship with her prior to the wedding.

    The woman opted for sex, believing blindly that they would tie the knot, despite she was aware of opposition from the family of the accused, the court said.

    The court said, “Even after respecting emotions of the informant (woman), respecting her fighting for justice for 11 years or more, this court is of humble opinion that this is not a case which would show that the offence of rape has been committed.”

  • Srinagar joins UNESCO network of creative cities; gets praise from PM

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR/NEW DELHI: Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, has joined the UNESCO’s network of creative cities, the world body announced on Monday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailing the inclusion as a “fitting recognition” for the vibrant cultural ethos of the old city.

    It has been designated as a creative city of craft and folk arts, it said.

    Worldwide, 49 new cities have joined the UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network (UCCN) following their designation by UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, in recognition of their commitment to placing culture and creativity at the heart of their development and to sharing knowledge and good practices, the UNESCO said in a statement.

    Prime Minister Modi congratulated people of Jammu and Kashmir on the achievement.

    Delighted that beautiful Srinagar joins the @UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) with a special mention for its craft and folk art. It is a fitting recognition for the vibrant cultural ethos of Srinagar. Congratulations to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
    — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 8, 2021
    “Delighted that beautiful Srinagar joins the @UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) with a special mention for its craft and folk art. It is a fitting recognition for the vibrant cultural ethos of Srinagar. Congratulations to the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” he tweeted.

    Srinagar joins Chennai and Varanasi – UNESCO Cities of music; Jaipur – UNESCO city of crafts and folk arts; Mumbai – UNESCO city of film and Hyderabad – UNESCO City of gastronomy, UNESCO New Delhi Office said in a statement.

    The network now numbers 295 cities reaching 90 countries that invest in culture and creativity – crafts and folk art, design, film, gastronomy, literature, media arts, and music – to advance sustainable urban development, the world body said.

    “A new urban model needs to be developed in every city, with its architects, town planners, landscapers and citizens. We are urging everyone to work with states to reinforce the international cooperation between cities which UNESCO wishes to promote,” said UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay.

    UNESCO New Delhi Director Eric Falt offered words of praise to all those who worked on the candidacy of Srinagar.

    “I would like to offer my warm congratulations to India and especially to Srinagar. This a great recognition of the vitality of the arts and crafts sector in Srinagar,” he was quoted as saying in the statement.

    By joining the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN), cities commit to sharing their best practices and developing partnerships involving the public and private sectors as well as civil society in order to strengthen the creation, production, distribution and dissemination of cultural activities, goods and services, the world body said.

    They also pledge to develop hubs of creativity and innovation and broaden opportunities for creators and professionals in the cultural sector, it said.

    Newly-designated creative cities such as Bohicon, Doha and Jakarta will join forces with existing member cities including Brazzaville, Dubai, Mexico City and Montréal to develop innovative urban policies and solutions that place people and sustainability at the centre of the development process, echoing the urban solutions launched by the UNESCO Cities Platform on the occasion of the World Cities Day 2021, the UNESCO said.

    The collaborative spirit of the UCCN’s members is reflected in the publication UNESCO Creative Cities’ Response to COVID-19 in 2020, it added.

    This year, too, the Network is collecting and disseminating information about the culture and creativity-based responses to COVID-19 that have been taken by members of the Network, which UNESCO will publish as part of its continued support to cities’ recovery from the pandemic, the statement said.

    The erstwhile unified state of Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated into union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh in 2019.

    Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha also took to Twitter to hail the city’s inclusion in the list.

    “Srinagar included in @UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the crafts & folk art category. It is ultimate recognition for artisans & weavers of J&K. Congratulations to entire J&K team, @Junaid_Mattu Ji, @AtharAamirKhan & thanks to @EduMinOfIndia, @MinOfCultureGoI for all the support,” he tweeted.

    “Grateful to Hon’ble PM @narendramodi for always giving special priority to J&K. Dossier of exceptionally rich art & craft legacy of Srinagar was meticulously prepared & submitted in June this year by @SMC_Srinagar with help of Kashmir INTACH,” Sinha also tweeted.

    Earlier in the day, Mayor of Srinagar, Junaid Azim Mattu, made a series of tweets on the city joining the list, and also thanked people who were involved in the application process.

    “What a proud moment for Srinagar! After sustained, collective efforts – Srinagar is now on the International Arts & Crafts Map and very prominently! Encouragement from the Hon’ble PM makes it even more special!,” he tweeted.