Mumbai: A 32-year-old employee of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was found dead in Building No. 9 of the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) project at HDIL Compound, Kurla (West), on Thursday afternoon, police officials said. The incident was reported around 4:30 PM by the V B Nagar Police Station.

According to the police, the deceased has been identified as Rajesh Parmar, a resident of the Ghatkopar area, who worked in the BMC Solid Waste Management (SWM) department, F North Ward.

The body has been sent to the Rajawadi Hospital for postmortem examination. The exact cause of death remains unknown and further investigation is currently underway.

Mumbai: The BMC has received Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance for the reconstruction of a bridge over the Poisar River inlet in Gorai, located in the western suburbs. However, the proposed demolition of the existing 100-meter-long bridge has faced opposition from local residents, as it serves as the only direct access route between the Lower and Upper Koliwada areas.

The three-decade-old bridge, located within the CRZ buffer zone, has been deemed structurally unsafe following a recent audit. Civic authorities have announced its reconstruction at a cost of Rs 4 crore over the next two years.

The new bridge will be sturdier, featuring railings and light poles. However, local fisherfolk and residents have opposed the demolition, arguing that “High tide may isolate Koliwada, leading to a 700-meter beach road detour.”

Residents have voiced concern over the lack of clear information from civic authorities regarding temporary transport plans during the bridge demolition. With no contingency plan in place for high tide, when the coastal road may be submerged, locals are urging officials to consult with the fisherman community and establish a swift, reliable alternative route. They warn that without it, emergency services like ambulances and fire engines could face critical access challenges.

Mumbai: The special NIA court has refused to grant permission to poet and activist Varavara Rao, booked in connection with the case lodged for violence after Elghar Parishad, to travel to Hydrabad for two months for his dental treatment. The court said he can avail treatment in the city’s government hospital as well.

Rao had requested to allow him to travel to Hydrabad for dental operation. The plea was opposed by the prosecution that he is aged 85 years, two months is too much period for the treatment. Medical treatment from well-known doctors is available in Mumbai as well. Medical papers attached alongwith are not that satisfactory.

The court found substance in the prosecution argument that “no such urgency emerges and duration of treatment is too long so as to allow the applicant/accused to go to Hyderabad.”

“If the applicant/accused has financial issue, as contended by defence advocate and even pleaded at some extent in this application also, nevertheless, at Mumbai, there are various dental hospitals run by Bombay Municipal Corporation, Trusts and other Charity institutions, which provide almost free and certainly quite good treatment,” the court said adding that “If according to this applicant/accused, his elder daughter is an Ophthalmological Officer with the Government of Telangana, through her contacts and financial support, dental treatment for the accused can be arranged over here, in Mumbai itself.”