MUMBAI: According to the Malad-Kandivali Residents Forum (MKRF), cases of Pneumonia, Asthma, Bronchitis, TB and even COPD have shot up in the Ganesh Nagar Malwani belt, which, after Dharavi has one of the largest slum and shanty population in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. In terms of air pollution too, the locality is very polluted and there are various other civic issues like garbage and general health care.

To reduce air pollution, the Malad-Kandivali Residents Forum team along with its chairman Dr Pranav Kabra at a press interaction, held last week at the Raksha Multispeciality Hospital at Malad had made a demand for a boarding point for Metro commuters at the Charkop car-shed in suburban Mumbai as according to them this move will greatly help reduce the traffic congestion in the Malad-Kandivali belt.The residents held a meeting later on which was attended by several people.

Says Dr Pranav Kabra, “cases of Pneumonia, Asthma, Bronchitis, long viral fever with chronic cough have shot up and children as well as adults are affected with cough that lasts from 2 to 4 weeks. Both kids and adults are equally affected by these ailments.

According to Rajesh Singh a mobile phone retailer who is a member of the MKRF, three members of his family were affected with long cough. Singh lives at Gate No. 5 at Malwani.

Sonia Alvares, a kindergarten teacher from Marve, also with the MKRF, has a similar tale to narrate.

Dr Kabra who runs a prominent hospital in the locality – Raksha Multispeciality Hospital, attributes these respiratory ailments and diseases primarily to the high air pollution in the area.

MUMBAI: Led by Cardiac expert and Physician Dr Pranav Kabra the residents of Malad-Kandivali which includes the localities of Orlem, Malwani, Kharodi, Marve, Aksa, Madh, Jankalyan, Ganesh Nagar, Charkop, Ekta Nagar and others have taken upon themselves to drastically reduce the traffic congestion and air pollution in their neighbourhood and have chalked out a list of ‘things to do’.

According to Dr Pranav Kabra who runs the Raksha Multispeciality Hospital at Charkop Naka at Malad, one of the main reasons for air pollution is the huge number of 2 and 3 wheelers plying in the area. There are several bottlenecks in the area, but Hindustan Naka and Mith Chowky experience traffic snarls almost throughout the day with 2-km long bumper-to-bumper traffic during peak hours.

Dr Kabra is campaigning for a boarding point for commuters residing in the area, at the Charkop Metro car-shed, which in his opinion will greatly reduce the traffic problems of Link Road at Malad, Malwani and Kandivali.

According to Dr Kabra, more than 5000 people travel daily from Malwani itself toward Andheri on the up line and a similar number on the down line going toward Borivali and Dahisar. These people could literally walk across to the Metro car-shed at Charkop and use the Metro instead of going to Mith Chowky or Hindustan Naka to board the Metro. This will greatly reduce the dependence on 3-wheelers and reduce air pollution, he says.

Dr Kabra along with other residents will meet several senior Maharashtra government officials including the CM and the Dy CM next week to put forth their request. They have already written to the Metro authorities and are hoping for a favourable reply.

With several meetings planned with local residents, Dr Kabra and his team have decided to fight on to ensure their campaign reaches its logical end.

MUMBAI: The Malad-Kandivali Residents Forum (MKRF) – an umbrella citizens initiative representing residents of Orlem, Malwani, Marve, Aksa, Madh, Charkop, Jankalyan, Ganesh Nagar and surrounding areas will meet the CM, DCM, several senior Maharashtra government and Metro officials including Ministers in the coming week.

“We have sought an appointment with the local MLA Aslam Shaikh to update him about the issue and will be meeting him over the weekend,” Dr Pranav Kabra who is spearheading the MKRF said.

Speaking at a press conference held at the Raksha Multispeciality Hospital on Thursday, Dr Pranav Kabra – along with other members reiterated the need for a boarding point for local commuters at the Charkop Metro car-shed as it would greatly reduce traffic congestion

On behalf of hundreds of residents of the Malwani-Charkop area in suburban Mumbai Dr Pranav Kabra who runs the Raksha Multispeciality Hospital at Charkop Naka near the Atharwa College, had written to the Mumbai Metro Authority requesting for a boarding point or Metro Station at the Metro car-shed at Charkop.

According to Dr Kabra,”The area around the Mith Chowky as well Hindustan Naka Metro Stations is one of the most congested in terms of traffic. Further Malwani and Charkop are among the most polluted (in terms of air pollution) pockets in Mumbai suburbs. If a boarding point or mini-station is set up at the Charkop carshed area, without entering the actual carshed premises, hundreds if not thousands of people living at Malwani, Kharodi, Jankalyan Nagar, Ganesh Nagar, Bhoomi Park, Marve and adjoining areas can just walk up to the boarding point at Charkop without having to board a bus or auto rickshaw. Traffic congestion is primarily due to the hundreds of auto rickshaws in the locality and if the Metro boarding point is less than 200 to 300 meters away, hundreds of commuters will just walk across. It will greatly reduce the traffic congestion on Link Road, Mith Chowky, Marve Road, Hindustan Naka and further reduce air pollution in the area as the number of autos plying in the area is likely to come down.“

The residents who have formed an umbrella group under the guidance of Dr Kabra called Malad-Kandivali Residents Forum have decided to further press for a boarding point or mini station and will even lead a delegation to the Mumbai Metro Authority in the coming days.

“We have sent the Metro Authority an informal email. Let us see what the response is. A group of us will also meet the concerned authorities in the coming days and press for our demand, which is really beneficial for the locality in the coming months and years as the population of the Malwani-Charkop locality and the Malad-Kandivali belt is growing at a rapid pace,” Dr Kabra opined.

According to Mrs Gulshan P K  of the MKRF, more than 5000 people from the locality commute towards Andheri West, Oshiwara as well as Borivali and Dahisar on the down line each day. “It will greatly benefit these people and help in a myriad of ways, not to forget the reduction in pollution levels,” she said.

According to their report, the MKRF Forum has claimed that local, air-polluting traffic of 2 & 3 wheelers will be reduced by more than 50% if the move is implemented.

“Spinal cord problems as well as other medical, orthopedic, respiratory (Asthma, COPD, Pneumonia, etc) and muscular pain issues, which are prevalent in the locality, will be greatly reduced,” Dr Kabra opined.

MUMBAI, (ANI): The democracy of the country is being pushed towards the gallows and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections would be the last if the entire opposition does not come together, ‘Saamana’, the official mouthpiece of the Uddhav Thackeray’s faction said on Wednesday.

The Marathi publication, while referring to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s call on the Opposition to get united against BJP, stated, “The appeal made by Kumar to the Congress to take initiative for the unity of the opposition, is significant. Nitish Kumar has expressed confidence that if the Opposition is united properly, the BJP would be all out at 100 in the upcoming general elections.”

The editorial further suggested that now is the time for the Opposition to unite instead of thinking about the next Prime Ministerial candidate. It further said that the Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and his questions on Adani row in Parliament “disrobed” the PM.

“Who will be the prime ministerial candidate for the year 2024 can be decided later. Rahul Gandhi’s leadership has grown stronger and matured through the ‘Bharat Jodo’ journey. First his yatra and then his attack on the Modi-Adani friendship issue in Parliament session,” Saamana said. It further slammed the Union government, accusing it of “misusing” the central agencies.

“Such a policy is being adopted to ‘break, destroy and rule’ and openly misuse the investigation agencies be it the Election Commission or the courts. They broke the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra first and ‘sold’ the bow and arrow symbol to the rebel group by declaring it as the real ‘Shiv Sena’. In case of infighting within the party, the symbol is either frozen or allowed to remain with the original party. It is clearly visible here that the rebels have bought it,” it argued.

Former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray received a major blow after the Election Commission of India on Friday allotted the “Shiv Sena” name and its symbol “bow and arrow” to the ruling faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

While the Uddhav faction has moved the Supreme Court challenging the EC’s decision on the fate of the original Sena name and symbol, the ruling faction has already filed a caveat in the apex court.

Both the factions have been at loggerheads over the ‘bow and arrow’ symbol since Shinde revolted against Thackeray along with a band of loyalist MLAs, MPs and leaders last year.

The revolt eventually led to the demise of the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government after it was reduced to a minority following the desertion of sitting MLAs to the Shinde camp. (ANI)

MUMBAI, (PTI): Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said the state government has asked the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) to reconsider its decision to change the syllabus for its exams from this year.

If the commission — which holds competitive exams for government jobs — did not reconsider, the government might move a court, he said. MPSC students are agitating against the commission’s decision to introduce new syllabus from 2023. They want it deferred till 2025, stating that students are not prepared enough to tackle the new syllabus.

”MPSC is an autonomous body, and the state government can not give a direction to it,” Fadnavis said.

But the commission did respond to the state government’s earlier letter, and informed that after a discussion, its members were of the view that the syllabus be implemented from this year, he said.

Notably, Fadnavis himself had earlier backed the MPSC’s decision, saying that sooner or later the new syllabus would have to be introduced and there was not point in deferring it.

On Tuesday, he said Chief Minister Eknath Shinde spoke to the MPSC stating that the decision can not be accepted and apprise it of the disappointment among students.

”We told them that no one is opposed to the new syllabus but the demand is that it should be implemented from 2025. The CM has sent them another letter asking them to reconsider their decision. I am sure they will reconsider, but if they do not, the state government will have to think about options like moving a court because we have to stand by the students,” Fadnavis said.

”We can not disappoint students as they are our future,” he added.

The MPSC has decided to adopt the descriptive question paper pattern instead of the existing objective one from this year, which students are opposing. (PTI)

MUMBAI, (PTI): The Maharashtra government on Wednesday informed the Bombay High Court that it would not proceed with the process of delimitation of wards with respect to the cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation till further hearing of a plea against the reduction of wards in the civic body.

The court posted the matter for hearing on December 20.

A division bench of Justices S V Gangapurwala and A S Doctor was hearing two petitions filed by two former councillors, challenging an ordinance issued by the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government reducing the number of directly elected councillors within the limits of the BMC from 236 to 227.

Senior counsel Vikram Nankani, appearing for the state government, told the court on Wednesday that till the next date of hearing, the government would not proceed with the delimitation process with regard to the BMC.

The bench accepted this statement and said the apprehension of the petitioners has been addressed. The HC posted the matter for hearing on December 20.

In November 2021, the then Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by Uddhav Thackeray decided to increase the number of BMC wards from 227 to 236.

The MVA government collapsed in June this year. Later, Shiv Sena MLA Eknath Shinde formed government with the Bharatiya Janata Party’s support.

In August, the Shinde government issued an ordinance bringing back the number to 227.

Former BMC councillors Raju Pednekar and Sameer Desai in their petitions challenged this decision and said it had sought to put the clock back.

The state Urban Development Department in an affidavit filed on Wednesday said the petitions have been filed with “ulterior motives” and ought to be dismissed with exemplary cost.

“The malafide and political influence behind filing of the present petitions is evident,” it said.

The government further said the reason why it felt the number of wards need not be increased was that the population rise was miniscule.

“As per the Census of 2011, increasing the number of councillors from 227 to 236 was found to be insufficient,” it said.

The State Election Commission in its affidavit filed on Wednesday in response to the petitions said in 2021, when the seats were increased by the Maharashtra government from 227 to 236, the SEC had to scrap the work already done by it with regard to the pre-election process and restart it.

It said the previous MVA government then amended the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act by which powers of the SEC for delimitation were withdrawn and the power was entrusted with the state.

The amendment was challenged in the Supreme Court and the issue is still pending.

“In August 2022, the present Maharashtra government issued an ordinance by which the number of wards was once again reduced from 236 to 227. This ordinance has also been challenged in the Supreme Court,” the affidavit said. (PTI)

MUMBAI, (PTI): A Mumbai-based doctor claimed on Friday that murder-victim Shraddha Walkar had consulted him last year about her depression as well as her live-in partner Aaftab Amin Poonawala’s violent behaviour.

Dr Pranav Kabra, who runs a multi-speciality hospital in suburban Malad, told PTI that he received a call from a woman who identified herself as Shraddha Walkar in February 2021.

Walkar worked in a call centre in the same area.

Though he did not normally offer consultation on phone without knowing the patient, he decided to hear her out as she gave the reference of a social worker he knew, Kabra said.

“She told me about her depression, and the anger management and violence issues of her boyfriend. I told her we do not consult or diagnose first-time patients on the phone, but since there was COVID threat, she said she would not be able to visit the hospital personally,” he said.

Dr Kabra then told her that they needed to carry out a psychiatric evaluation and psychiatric and psychological tests for both, her boyfriend and herself.

“She was hesitant to come to the hospital for various reasons, but told me on the phone that her boyfriend Aaftab got very violent even for minor reasons or small fights or misunderstandings, and she was worried that he might harm her or himself or both of them,” he added.

Walkar also told him that her boyfriend was behaving very weirdly of late and was always on the phone and chatting on WhatsApp.

“I suggested she and her boyfriend do yoga and other deep breathing exercises and try to visit me as soon as possible. I also suggested she meet a counsellor and discuss the issue,” Dr Kabra said.

But she never met him, he added.

She had disclosed her as well as her boyfriend’s name, and therefore when he saw the news of her gruesome killing on TV earlier this month, he realized that she was possibly the same person, Dr Kabra said.

“Unfortunately, it was too late,” he added.

According to police, Walkar and Poonawala worked in the same call centre in Mumbai but later shifted to Delhi as their families were opposed to their relationship.

Poonawala allegedly strangled Walkar, 27, on May 18 and sawed her body into 35 pieces which he kept in a fridge for almost three weeks at his residence in South Delhi’s Mehrauli before dumping them across the city. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, (ANI): In a major development in the Shraddha murder case, Delhi Police is likely to write to the dating app Bumble to seek details of accused Aftab’s profile to find out the details of women who visited him.

Notably, Aftab had met Shraddha on this dating app.

According to the sources, the Delhi Police wants to ascertain if any of the women Aftab dated on the app could be a possible reason behind Shraddha’s alleged murder. “Delhi Police may write to Bumble to get details of Aftab’s profile to find details of women who visited him in his house when Shraddha’s body was still in the refrigerator. Police are looking at the possibility if any of these women could be a reason behind this killing,” the police sources said.

Bumble’s headquarter is in Texas, USA. Earlier today, Delhi police, having already recovered around 12 suspected body parts disposed off by Aftab, the accused in the Shraddha murder case, on Sunday, brought him to the jungle area on Tuesday with an aim to recover other body parts, according to police sources.

The samples recovered so far have been sent for examination to ascertain if they are all human remains, according to police sources. “Around 12 samples recovered of remains suspected to be of a human, have been picked up by forensic experts and sent to confirm if they’re all human remains. They’ll be sent to match with DNA samples of her father,” the sources said on Tuesday.

According to the sources the head is yet to be recovered. Earlier today, the father of Shraddha Walker, a Maharashtra girl who was allegedly murdered by her live-in partner Aftab in the national capital, on Tuesday demanded a death penalty for the accused while also suspecting a “love jihad” angle behind the incident.

Speaking to ANI, Shraddha’s father, Vikas Walker said, “I suspected a love jihad angle. We demand the death penalty for Aftab. I trust Delhi Police and the probe is moving in the right direction. Shraddha was close to her uncle and didn’t talk to me much. I was never in touch with Aftab. I lodged the first complaint in Mumbai’s Vasai.” I had spoken to Shraddha last in 2021. I used to take information about her from her friend. She did not talk to me much. I did not know that she had shifted to Delhi. Her friend told me that she is in Delhi. I thought that she was in Bangaluru. Aftab has got a lot of time to finish the evidence.

Delhi Police probe into the Shraddha Walker murder case has revealed that the accused Aftab Poonawalla was a food blogger who used to work at a call centre in the national capital. The police are now investigating if he had rented a flat in Delhi’s Chhatarpur area as part of a conspiracy to kill the victim. The police investigation has also revealed that the couple had frequent fights.

According to police sources, before shifting to Delhi in 2022, the couple had come into a relationship in 2019. They stayed in Maharashtra for some time but used to visit various places as part of their travel plans. According to the police, they went to hill stations in March-April. Both of them had travelled to Himachal Pradesh for a few days in May and stayed together where they met a man who lived in Delhi’s Chhatarpur. As per reports, upon shifting to Delhi, they had initially stayed at the flat of the same Man whom they met in Himachal. However, the stay did not change the situation between them.

Later, Aftab rented a flat in Chhatarpur where he shifted with Shraddha. She was reportedly strangled to death on May 18 in the Chhatarpur flat. The police have come to know that the room was taken on rent a few days before the murder.

“It is also a matter of investigation whether Aftab had already hatched a conspiracy to kill her,” the police sources said. The accused told the police during interrogation that he used to take the pieces of the dead body to the disposal at 2:00 am due to the little movement of people at this hour.

The police have come to know that the accused Aftab has done his graduation and lived in Mumbai with his family. “Looking at Aftab’s social media, it is known that he had also done food blogging for some time, although no video had come about his blogging for a long time. His last post came in the month of February, after which there was no activity on the profile. He has more than 28,000 followers on his Instagram,” the sources said.

According to the police, till some time back both Shraddha and Aftab used to work in the call centre. “It is learned that after the murder, Aftab used to come back home by 6-7 pm and then used to take the pieces of the dead body kept in the fridge there for disposal. The accused used to carry the pieces of the carcass in a black foil but had thrown the pieces out of the foil in the forest, making it difficult to ascertain if the pieces were thrown or the remains were due to animal hunting,” the sources said.

Delhi Police solved a six-month-old blind murder case, and arrested a man for allegedly killing his 28-year-old live-in partner, chopping her body into 35 pieces and disposing of them at different places in and around the national capital. The accused identified as Aftab Amin Poonawalla (28), a resident of Mumbai, was caught on Saturday on the basis of the deceased’s father’s complaint and has been sent to police remand for five days, the police said on Monday.

Aftab and Shraddha met on a dating site and later moved in together at a rented accommodation in Chhatarpur. Delhi police received a complaint from Shraddha’father and registered an FIR on November 10. Police said that Aftab, after searching on Google, cleaned blood stained from the floor with some chemicals and disposed of stained clothes. He shifted the body in the bathroom and bought a refrigerator from a nearby shop. Later, he chopped the body into small pieces and put them in the fridge.

Officials said that Shraddha Walker (27) from Mumbai, met the Aftab while working at a call center in Mumbai. “The two got together via a dating app in Mumbai. They were in a live-in relationship for three years and had shifted to Delhi. Soon after the two shifted to Delhi, Shraddha started pressurizing the man to marry her,” Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), South Delhi Ankit Chauhan told ANI.

“The two quarreled frequently and it used to get out of control. In this particular instance that occurred on May 18, the man lost his temper and strangled her,” said Chouhan. “The accused told us that he chopped her into pieces and disposed of her parts in nearby areas in the jungle area of Chhatarpur Enclave. He has been arrested and an investigation is going on,” added DCP Chouhan.

Aftab allegedly chopped her body into 35 pieces, bought a refrigerator and kept them in it. He later started disposing of the body pieces at different locations in and around Delhi during night hours for the next 18 days, said sources. Sources further said, Aftab used to sleep every day in the same room where he had chopped the body after killing Shraddha. He used to see the face after keeping it in the fridge. Aftab had cleaned the fridge after disposing the body parts.

Sources said Aftab had relations with many girls even before Shraddha. Before committing the crime, he also watched many crime movies and web series, including the American crime drama series Dexter. In September, Shraddha’s friend informed her family that there was no contact with Shradhha for the last two and a half months and her mobile number was also switched off. Her family also checked her social media accounts and found no updates during this period.

In November, Shraddha’s father Vikash Madan Walker, a resident of Palghar (Maharashtra), approached Mumbai police and lodged a missing person complaint. During the initial investigation, Shraddha’s last location was found in Delhi, and on the basis of this, the case was transferred to Delhi police.

Shraddha’s father told the police about his daughter’s relationship with Aftab and suspected his involvement in his daughter’s absence. During the investigation, it was found that Aaftab and Shraddha had come to Delhi and started living in a rented apartment in the Chhatarpur Pahadi area. The police during the course of the investigation, traced Aftab and nabbed him.

Aftab, during questioning, confessed to the crime and said that they fought often as Shraddha was pressurizing him for marriage. “The accused has been arrested and a case under IPC sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of an offence committed) has been registered at Mehrauli police station,” officials said.

Police also recovered some bones from Aftab’s rented flat and officials said that the efforts to recover the remaining parts of the body were on. (ANI)