This monsoon, BMC to use concrete to fill potholes

Redo survey of hawkers: Union urges civic body

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The union of hawkers in Mumbai has urged the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to redo its survey on the number of hawkers in the city.

The survey was done in 2014, and needs to be done in every five years, as per street vendors of errant officials," he said. He said the motive behind making the action public was to protect the image of the GST department.

According to the official, three inspectors participated in a fraudulent raid and ab - sconded with Rs11 lakh from a prominent trader. Once their involvement was verified, they were subjected to disciplinary measures.

"The ongoing inquiry which the state police department is conducting against the three inspectors will continue. After hearing them, we decided to dismiss them from service to protect the image of the department," the official added.

E-buses to replace current fleet in Thane

First India Bureau

Thane: The Thane Municipal Corporation plans to replace its entire fleet of more than 300 public transport buses with those powered by electricity in a phased manner, an official said on Wednesday.

First India Bureau

Mumbai: To fill potholes during the monsoon this year, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will implement a new method to fill the potholes.

The civic body usually uses cold-mix technology to fill potholes on Mumbai roads. However, this year it is set to implement a new method that involves usage of rapid concrete. Last year, BMC had carried out a pilot analysis of technique during monsoon.

Officials said that now, pothole pits will be cut in a particular shape, following which concrete will be poured into the pits and left to harden. It will take six hours for the surface of the road to become uniform, said officials. Meanwhile, in a statement, the civic body on Tuesday said they have asked contractors to present offers and design specifications, following which work orders will be issued via tenders.

The survey was done in 2014, and the union said that as per the Street Vendors’ (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, the survey needs to be done every five years. Shashank Rao, Union President, said the BMC’s numbers were flawed.

“As per our understanding, the civic body has accounted for 32,000 hawkers but any common citizen can point out how there are over two lakh hawkers in the city. If the BMC is not accounting for the right number of hawkers, it is presenting a wrong picture to hawkers and citizens,” said Rao. Five years ago, BMC authorities had distributed more than 1.25 lakh forms to hawkers.

HEALTH WATCH

To that end, the civic body has so far introduced 11 e-buses, including a few air-conditioned ones.

Vilas Joshi, chairman of the Thane Municipal Corporation Transport Services, said all its buses running on diesel or compressed natural gas will be gradually replaced with eco-friendly electric buses.

The civic body also plans to introduce dou- as Osho’s “enlightenment day” by his followers, when protesters sought police protection to enter the ashram--and permission that they be allowed to wear the mala while doing so, the report added.

“After our intervention on Tuesday, the followers were allowed to enter Ashram campus with ‘malas’ but today (Wednesday) these followers entered forcefully. A man, who is not a part of followers’ group, became unruly and violent and tried to manhandle police, forcing police to use force to evict him from spot,” said Smartana Patil, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone II).

WOMEN RANSACK GAMBLING DENS, LIQUOR JOINTS

First India Bureau

Thane/Palghar: A video surfaced on social media on Tuesday showing a group of women ransacking what they claimed were gambling dens and liquor joints in Ulhasnagar town of Thane district.

The women, said to be members of a political party, told the media the police had not acted on their complaints against these gambling dens and liquor joints so they decided to themselves take action on these outlets.

The alcohol comprising different brands of foreign liquor has been seized ble-decker e-buses, which can be operated along the Ghodbunder Road route, which has seen rapid development over the past few years, he said. Municipal Commissioner Abhijit Bangar said electric buses require less maintenance and it is cheaper to operate such vehicles than the ones running on fossil fuels.

If properly managed, the transport services can be self-sustainable and even generate revenue for the civic body, he said.

The Ulhasnagar police said no offence has been registered in connection with the incident. Meanwhile, a man was arrested in Vasai city in Palghar district for stocking foreign liquor worth Rs7.50 lakh at a private premises without the requisite permissions. The alcohol, comprising different brands of foreign liquor, has been seized. The accused hails from Kutch in Gujarat, the official said, adding that a case has been registered under the Prohibition Act.