Mumbai: The deteriorating state of patient care and administrative chaos at the BMC-run KEM Hospital came to light during a midnight visit. When BMC Health Committee Chairman Harish Bhandarige paid a surprise visit to the hospital, serious lapses were revealed, including widespread delays in the emergency department, doctors’ absence from their duties and rude behavior towards patients’ relatives and public representatives. The chairman has demanded a high-level inquiry into the entire matter and immediate action against the culprits. A patient referred for treatment was brought to the emergency ward of KEM Hospital’s casualty department at 11:00 am. However, the admission process started at 10:30 am after a torturous wait of about nine and a half to ten hours. When Harish Bhandirge tried to contact the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) to enquire about the case, he got a shocking response on the hospital telephone line that whether it was the Chairman of the Health Committee or any other public representative, no calls would be accepted, nor would any referral be made. Bhandirge strongly condemned this behaviour with public representatives, saying it was highly inappropriate and detrimental to the welfare of the patients.
Following the incident over the phone, the Chairman personally visited the hospital at midnight to inspect it, which revealed a shocking fact. It took just two hours for a patient to undergo the initial examination in the casualty department. The expected doctors in the examination room were absent, and the on-call Assistant Medical Officer (AMO) failed to reach for a considerable time despite being called. When questioned, ward nurses and medical officers responded evasively, saying, “We do not answer calls on personal mobile phones; we do not take calls from any public representative.” The Chairperson stressed that it is the primary responsibility of the hospital administration to provide timely information to the relatives of patients and maintain proper communication. During the inspection, a discussion was held with Dr. Harish Pathak, Dean, KEM Hospital, at 1:30 am. He highlighted the challenges faced due to the increasing number of patients and immense pressure on the available doctors. Responding to this, Harish Bhanderge clarified that although the increase in the number of patients is a reality, it does not absolve the administration of its responsibilities. On the contrary, such situations demand strong planning, adequate manpower, effective management and accountable leadership. Patient care should not be compromised under any circumstances. Harish Bhandarge took a dig at the administration, saying that the common citizens trust municipal hospitals and it is their fundamental right to get timely, dignified treatment. He demanded a high-level inquiry into the matter so that those responsible can be held accountable. Furthermore, he issued instructions to immediately re-evaluate the functioning of the emergency department, deploy additional doctors and staff as required and strengthen patient guidance, communication system and administrative accountability. Municipal hospitals act as a lifeline for the common people, and ensuring that every patient gets timely, dignified and quality treatment is the core commitment of the public health system. He warned that no negligence will be tolerated in this regard.

Mumbai, July 17: In a significant breakthrough in a transnational smuggling racket, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) busted an international gold smuggling syndicate and arrested six people, including three Filipinos, officials said on Friday.

The syndicate was allegedly being run with the connivance of private persons working at the airport premises, officials said.

The six arrested accused have been identified as Mumbai residents Himanshu Upadhyay, Mohid Hasan Siddiqui and Feroz Sayyed; and three nationals of the Philippines, Lakim Alimudin Nasser, Benny Lloyd Olivo and Christine Joy Andaya Pornasdoro.

According to DRI, the accused have revealed during interrogation that they were working for a smuggling syndicate that smuggled gold through transit passengers from Dubai and Bangkok to Mumbai, with the help of some people working at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in the city.

Earlier this month, the DRI, in coordination with other agencies including the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), had busted an interstate wildlife trafficking syndicate across West Bengal and Maharashtra.

Several wildlife species, listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, including 15 Slow Lorises, two Binturongs, 28 Star Tortoises, six Egyptian Vultures and two Shikra birds were recovered and rescued.

The Intelligence in the case was developed by DRI, and the matter is now being investigated by the CBI. The six people were subsequently arrested by the CBI.

The DRI has also foiled multiple attempts by passengers arriving from Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Colombo to smuggle protected wildlife into India through international airports.

In these operations, species like Albino Red-eared Turtles, Hypo Zero Bearded Dragons, African Spurred Tortoises, Borneo Pythons, Green Iguanas, Mangrove Monitor Lizards, Argentine Black and White Tegus, Goeldi’s Marmosets, Yellow Cheeked Gibbons, Indonesian Blue Tongued Skinks, Siamang Gibbons, Woolley Monkeys, Silvery Lutungs, Yellow Belly Ball Pythons, Pastel Ball Pythons and other species were seized and rescued.

The total number of seizures in these operations has reached 440.

Mumbai, July 16: A team of Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Greater Mumbai Division conducted a major raid at M/s JK Soap Bazaar, 10/11, Qadir Ismail Estate, Near Momin Colony, Patel Estate Road, Jogeshwari (West), Mumbai – 400102. During the operation conducted on July 14, 2026, it was observed that unlabeled toilet soap was being stored and offered for sale in the establishment. The seized soap lacked statutory information like batch/lot number, date of manufacture, ‘first use’ date, manufacturing license number, and name and address of the manufacturer. Selling cosmetics without such mandatory labelling is a violation of the law. During this operation, toilet soap worth about Rs 10,93,692 was seized, and two samples were collected for analysis as part of the ongoing investigation. The accused in this case is Nabiullah and necessary legal action is being initiated against him. “The Food and Drug Administration gives top priority to the protection of the health of citizens. Making any cosmetic product available for sale in the market without labelling as per the law is a very serious matter. It becomes difficult to verify the source, quality and safety of such products. Therefore, strict legal action will be taken against the violating manufacturers, distributors and sellers.” This warning was given by Takaram Mandhe, Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration, Maharashtra State.