1. 45-year-old Man Trips Over Pothole, Is Crushed to Death by Speeding Truck Near Thane
A 45-year-old man died after he was crushed under a truck at Dwarli Naka on Haji Malang road in Kalyan on Wednesday. Anna (the name as per police records) was a worker at a cow stable.
Passers-by said he fell after stumbling on potholes and the truck behind ran over him. This is the second fatality in Mumbai caused by potholes that have appeared on most roads following heavy, continuous rainfall.
On Saturday, a 40-year-old pillion rider was crushed to death by a speeding private bus after she fell off a two-wheeler that hit a pothole during heavy rains; this incident also took place in Kalyan.
Source: Hindustan Times
2. Chemists, Pharmacists to Protest Against Online Sale of Meds on Monday
Chemists and pharmacists will march to the Food and Drug Administration office in the Bandra Kurla Complex on Monday to protest the sale of medicines online. The protesters claim that the sector not only eats into their business but also poses a danger as several regulated drugs are sold without prescription in the online space.
“This is a very dangerous trend that we are setting as the government has no control over the sale. The Bombay High Court had also questioned the online sale of medicines and asked the government to define the measures taken. But no action has been taken in this regard yet,” said Hukumraj Mehta, president of Maharashtra State Chemist and Druggist Association (MSCDA).
Source: Mumbai Mirror
3. 108 Potholes Await BMC Attention
Despite Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s claim that potholes on city roads have reduced in number, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is yet to tackle scores of them surfacing due to the rain. The civic body has received 473 pothole-related complaints till July 3, of which 108 are yet to be dealt with.
Responding to a query in the Assembly’s ongoing monsoon session on Tuesday, Mr. Fadnavis said there were 14,455 potholes in 2014-15, 5,316 in 2015-16, 4,478 in 2016-17 and 4,044 in 2017-18. This year, BMC data shows 473 complaints were received between June 10 and July 3, of which Andheri (E) had the most at 59, followed by Malad (41) and Bhandup (32).
Source: The Hindu
4. Vasai, Nalasopara Still Struggling for Essentials
More than two days after rains let up and dark clouds looming over Vasai, Virar and Nalasopara cleared, there still was no respite in sight for the thousands of residents who were forced to scrounge for the most basic of necessities – water, food and milk.
The residents, who have been under house arrest without electricity and water supplydue to heavy waterlogging since Monday evening, say they have been left to fend for themselves after running out of food and milk.
With most of the shops still closed, they claim some people were using the situation to fleece consumers.
Source: Mumbai Mirror
5. Mumbai’s Parel Flyover Closed After Water Pipe Bursts; Traffic Snarls up to Dadar
The Parel flyover on Babasaheb Ambedkar Road in central Mumbai was closed for all vehicles on Thursday morning, after a water pipe burst near the entrance of the flyover and flooded the stretch.
Vehicles are now using the busy road below the flyover, which has led to traffic snarls in and around Parel. There’s a backlog now on both ends of the flyover, with a traffic jam extending several kilometres long, all the way to Dadar.
From Arora junction in Matunga, motorists are being asked to take a left turn towards Wadala cross road. There are also diversions at Naigaon cross road, the traffic police said.
Neither civic nor traffic officials could commit on when the flyover would reopen. “We have shut Parel flyover to traffic as of now, until the work is complete. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has not given us an estimate on when work will be completed,” said a traffic police official, who did not wish to be named.
Source: Hindustan Times
6. Body of 24-year-old Who Fell Into Dombivli Drain in Maharashtra Found After More Than 30 Hours
The body of a 24-year old man who fell into a storm water drain in Dombivli, near Mumbai, on Tuesday was recovered finally on Thursday morning.
The Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) fire brigade team and the Thane disaster management cell found Harshad Jimkal’s body in a nullah at Jyoti Nagar in Dombivli’s Ayre village.
“The body was found at the end of Nandivli nullah, where it meets Kopar creek. We believe the body is of the same person who fell into the nullah based on the description given by his relatives,” said Dattatray Shelke, fire officer, KDMC.
Source: Hindustan Times
7. Uproar Over Distributing the Gita in Colleges
Maharashtra government’s nod to the education department’s circular asking non-aided private colleges in Mumbai to distribute copies of the Bhagavad Gita in college libraries has sparked criticism from political parties and social activists. Even as the Congress and the NCP dubbed the move as an attack on country’s secular fabric, education minister Vinod Tawde said it was an idea mooted by a private trust, and the state government has only provided the list.
On Wednesday, the Directorate of Higher Education published a list of 100 colleges accredited by the NAAC with either A or A+ rating, which will get copies of the Hindu scripture for distribution. “This has exposed the state government’s hidden agenda,” said senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan, adding that “the state government wouldn’t have dared without pressure from BJP’s masters, RSS”.
Source: Mumbai Mirror
8. Rupay Debit Card Fraud: Mastermind of Gang That Cheated Foreign Nationals Arrested, Says Police
THE MUMBAI Police Crime Branch on Thursday arrested the alleged mastermind of a gang that cheated foreign nationals by using their debit card details. Bengaluru resident R Manoj Kumar (43) was detained at Chennai airport after he arrived from Malaysia. He would be produced at a local court.
“Kumar had been arrested by Chennai Police for a similar offence. He procured bank details of cardholders by paying off people working at service establishments where the cards had been used to make payments. He later allegedly started visiting countries where he procured these details. We are checking if the current trip to Malaysia was for a similar reason,” an officer said.
Source: The Indian Express
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