Mumbai: The city woke up to sunny skies in the morning on Saturday. Mumbai witnessed partially cloudy mornings with rains for the past few days, which resulted in improving the atmosphere’s air quality. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) however predicted clear sunny skies in the city and suburbs in the morning today.

The weather agency also predicted that the city and suburbs will continue to see sunny skies towards the afternoon and by the evening. The temperatures on Saturday are likely to be between 26°C to 31°C.

Mumbai’s temperature on Saturday morning was recorded at 28°C while the humidity was 67%.

Mumbai AQI

As per the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the AQI in Mumbai is currently in the ‘satisfactory’ category, with a reading of 78.

For context, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 is ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 is ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 ‘poor’, 301 to 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 to 500 ‘severe’.

AQI Of Different Areas In Mumbai

Colaba: 58 AQI Satisfactory

Andheri: 56 AQI Satisfactory

Malad: 98 AQI Satisfactory

BKC: 103 AQI Moderate

Borivali: 84 AQI Satisfactory

Mazagaon: 75 AQI Satisfactory

Worli: 47 AQI Satisfactory

Navi Mumbai: 89 AQI Satisfactory

Even as lakhs of people were sitting under the scorching sun at the Khargar International Corporate Park ground last Sunday to witness the Maharashtra Bhushan award event, about 900 persons, including VIPs, were enjoying a lavish buffet laid out in an air-conditioned palace-like lounge behind the dais. The menu included fresh white dhoklas, cocktail batawadas, aluwadi, paneer masala, pitla, matki usal, special pulao, two types of dal, basmati jeera rice, puri, chapati, badam halwa, aamras, shrikhand, ice creams – gadbad, strawberry, chocolate, vanilla, and chilled soft drinks, all unlimited and at the taxpayers’ expense.

Official expenditure on the program was Rs.13.50 crore

The VIPs were given golden color spoons to gorge on the lavish spread. One of the guests told on Thursday that each plate cost ₹1,000. Minister for Culture Sudhir Mungantiwar was one of the VIPs seen in the special lounge. The official expenditure on the program was ₹13.50 crore, but if the money spent on resurfacing the roads, etc., is taken into account, the expense could easily be ₹25 crore.

Arrangements for water were not only inadequate

Outside, there was not even a shade for the visitors who were all followers of Appasaheb Dharmadhikari, who was the recipient of the government award. Arrangements for water were not only inadequate but also not placed at vantage points. Unable to bear the heat, as many as 14 persons died of dehydration. Mungantiwar effectively blamed Dharmadhikari since it was the “social reformer” who suggested the time at 11.00 a.m. Incidentally, Dharmakari spoke for one hour even as his followers were suffering from the blazing heat with nothing to cover their heads. The government has asked the Revenue Secretary Nitin Kareer to probe the tragedy.

Meanwhile, a lawyer from Navi Mumbai, Sachin Thorat (43), has written to the Khargar police to register his FIR against Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Mungantiwar, and others connected with the organization of the awards function. He told FPJ on Thursday that he will file a private complaint with a local court under section 156 (3) of the CrPC if his FIR is not registered in the next few days.

 A 26-year-old man from Haryana died in a multi-vehicle crash that occurred in the US state of Pennsylvania following ice and snow storms across the mid-Atlantic region, local media reported.

Manpreet Singh from Pehowa, Haryana, who had moved to Queens, New York recently, was hit by a truck that was on its way to Indiana.

“The crash occurred around 6.30 a.m. on December 24 near mile marker 64 on Interstate-80 west in Clarion Township,” Clarion County Coroner Dan Shingledecker said.

Singh, who was taken to a hospital in Clarion, Pennsylvania, was pronounced dead at 8.58 a.m.

Shingledecker said the cause of death was blunt force trauma, while the death has been ruled accidental.

Police in Clarion declined to comment citing an active investigation, Explore Clarion reported. Following the accident, a section of the Interstate-80 was shut for approximately 12 hours.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money for his funeral, and provide financial assistance to his parents. According to the fundraiser page, Manpreet was the only child of his parents.