Mumbai: Mayor Ritu Tawde Calls Women’s Reservation Bill ‘Good News’, Targets Opposition After Lok Sabha Rejection

Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde described the Women’s Reservation Bill as “good news for women,” particularly for those without a political background, even as the proposed legislation failed to secure passage in the Lok Sabha. Speaking to the media after the development, Tawde emphasised the significance of the bill and criticised the opposition for resisting it.

In her interaction, Tawde highlighted that the bill symbolised an opportunity for women who have worked their way up without political lineage. She credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing forward what she termed a “restoration of women’s rights.”

“The Women’s Reservation Bill was very good news for us women. Those of us who do not come from a political background have worked hard to come forward. This was a restoration of our rights, brought by the PM Narendra Modi,” she said.

Elaborating on the potential impact of the bill, Tawde stated that its passage would have ensured wider representation and respect for women across all levels of governance, from municipal bodies to the state legislature and Parliament. “Because of this, women were expected to get representation and respect in the Vidhan Sabha, Lok Sabha, and from the municipality level to the state level,” she added.

The mayor also took a swipe at the opposition, alleging that leaders including Rahul Gandhi and his party were seen opposing a measure that she believes would have empowered women politically.

The development comes after the Lok Sabha, on April 11, rejected the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill. A total of 528 members participated in the voting, with 298 in favour and 230 against. However, the bill fell short of the required two-thirds majority, 326 votes, needed for a constitutional amendment.

The proposed legislation sought to expand the strength of the House from 543 to 850 seats and enable delimitation based on data from the post-2026 Census. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present in the House during the voting process.

Under the Mumbai B Department, recently, the ‘B’ Department of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation took action against 9 unauthorized shops, iron pillars installed on the road for parking of unauthorized vehicles, unauthorized nameplates of shops and other encroachments in Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Marg and Dongri area. This action was taken under the guidance of Deputy Commissioner (Zone 1) Chanda Jadhav and led by Assistant Commissioner Yogesh Desai. It was found that unauthorized shops and encroachments on the footpath in Vallabhbhai Patel Marg and Dongri area in ‘B’ Department were causing hindrance to pedestrians. In this backdrop, the Conservation, Encroachment Removal and Licensing Departments working under the ‘B’ Administrative Division (Ward) of the Municipal Corporation jointly conducted a drive. During this operation, 9 unauthorized shops, encroachments on the footpath, unauthorized additional constructions of shops, iron pillars installed on the road for parking of unauthorized vehicles and unauthorized name plates of shops were removed. During this, eviction action was also taken against unauthorized hawkers in the area.

Officers and employees of the Conservation, Encroachment Removal, Licensing and Solid Waste Management Department working under the ‘B’ Administrative Division participated in this operation. Adequate security was deployed by the Dongri Police Station at that time.

Meanwhile, the administration is making it clear that regular action will continue against unauthorized constructions and unauthorized hawkers.

Mumbai, April 17: Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide has directed the administration of King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital, Parel, to strengthen healthcare delivery through effective implementation of the Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) and expansion of advanced medical facilities.

Bhide visited the hospital on Friday—her first visit after taking charge as Commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. During the visit, she emphasised the need for a technology-driven, patient-friendly system to ensure quicker access to treatment and government healthcare schemes. She instructed department heads to actively use HMIS dashboards for monitoring patient data, medical reports, and service delivery.

Reviewing ongoing projects and infrastructure upgrades, Bhide stressed the importance of enhancing hospital capacity, including increasing bed strength and upgrading facilities across departments. She also called for better integration of central and state health schemes to ensure timely benefits for patients.

A key highlight of the visit was the proposal to introduce multi-specialty robotic surgery facilities through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.

She also suggested co-locating critical services such as operation theatres and diagnostic labs to reduce patient waiting time, and exploring underground spaces for housing heavy equipment like MRI and CT scan machines.

To address the growing patient load at KEM Hospital, Bhide directed officials to strengthen nearby healthcare centres and suburban hospitals so they can handle primary care cases. This, she said, would help ease pressure on major hospitals and enable them to focus on critical treatments.

She further recommended reviving a patient referral linkage system between major and suburban hospitals to ensure better distribution of cases and more efficient healthcare delivery across Mumbai.

The review meeting was attended by senior officials, including Deputy Commissioner (Public Health) Sharad Ughade and Dean Dr Sangeeta Rawat, along with heads of various departments.