Mumbai:

After lakhs of cricket fans gave a rousing welcome to their beloved World Cup-winning Team India, thousands who trudged back home late on Thursday night had to return barefoot.

The wild and frenzied jamborees were witnessed, starting from Nariman Point, on the Marine Drive, the Wankhede Stadium at Churchgate of the victory parade, and many other locations from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport to south Mumbai.

After greeting Team India, and clicking photos and selfies, thousands who were present at Marine Drive for the open bus victory parade prepared to go back home but discovered that they had lost their footwear in the melee.

Dead exhausted after the screaming, shouting and merrymaking in the darkness with bouts of rain, the crowds were raring to reach their homes, some even as far as the distant suburbs of Mumbai and beyond in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), so they didn’t bother to retrieve them.

A sea of cricket fans gathered at Marine Drive in Mumbai until late last night to welcome the Indian Cricket Team after their victory in the T20 Cricket World Cup 2024.

After the grand welcome and once the crowd dispersed, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) conducted… pic.twitter.com/JruPxUAfLo

— माझी Mumbai, आपली BMC (@mybmc) July 5, 2024

As the crowds cleared by midnight, an army of over 100 conservancy staffers of the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) trooped out for a special clean-up operation that lasted till dawn on Marine Drive, almost five km long from Nariman Point till Chowpatty that was chock-a-block.

Not surprisingly, the BMC teams collected loads of extra garbage, filling up two huge dumpers – and another five jeeps with thousands of singles/pairs of different varieties of footwear that were lost last night!

This ‘unique collection’ comprised of slippers, sandals, shoes, sneakers, canvas shoes, moccasins, loafers, et al.

A compactor and dumper along with the 100 staffers of the Solid Waste Management Department, picked up all the garbage, helped by many NGO volunteers chipping in the efforts to unveil a spic-and-span Marine Drive on Friday morning.

A neat Marine Drive greeted the usual crowds of morning walkers, joggers and strollers and the outcome impressed even industrialist Anand Mahindra, who tweeted his appreciation.

Besides the footwear, the cleaners collected a large number of food wraps, water bottles, bags and other personal articles that may have been forgotten or lost in the massive sea of humanity.

From the waste scooped up the BMC decided to send the five jeeploads of footwear directly for reprocessing, though officials could not immediately confirm if they had collected similar stuff from the vicinity of the stadium or the route from CSMIA to Nariman Point.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was facilitating vaccine production in the country during the pandemic, the then-MVA government in the state was indulging in alleged scams.

Addressing the first mega rally of the BJP in Mumbai, where voting in the Lok Sabha polls will take place on May 20, Fadnavis claimed he would bring out a list of alleged scams that took place in the city civic body BMC and during the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) regime (Nov 2019-June 2022).

“There was a great opportunity for the (MVA) dispensation in the state during the COVID-19 pandemic to demonstrate leadership. PM Modi was leading from the front and provided resources and raw materials to scientists to make the vaccine (against COVID-19).

“But they (MVA government) were indulging in scams like irregularities in supply of ‘khichadi’ (meal for labourers, homeless people) and procurement of body bags. They are ‘kafan chor’ (coffin thief) who did not even spare the dead in their plunder,” alleged the BJP leader, hitting out at his rivals.

The opposition MVA consists of the Shiv Sena (UBT), the Congress and the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar).

“I will soon come out with a list of their scams. I will ask people to wait for sometime so that I can elaborate on their deeds,” said Mr Fadnavis, who holds the home portfolio.

BJP Lok Sabha nominees Piyush Goyal (Mumbai North), Ujjwal Nikam (Mumbai North West) and Mihir Kotecha (Mumbai North East) were present at the rally along with the party’s city unit president Ashish Shelar.

Without naming Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray, Fadnavis said, “Now a days, the standard of his speeches has gone down. He should not forget he is the chief of a political party. I want to warn those who use foul language against us that we can respond to their criticism more severely.” The deputy CM noted that the Shiv Sena under Thackeray’s leadership failed to bring mega projects in the metropolis despite controlling the cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for years.

“The BMC’s functioning was always under their control, but they could not bring any mega project for the benefit of citizens of Mumbai. Prime Minister Modi gave projects like metro rail, STPs (Sewage Treatment Plants), Trans Harbour Link (Atal Setu), Coastal Road, the new international airport in Navi Mumbai and helped Mumbai local trains to get better. What is their contribution in any of these projects?” he wondered.

Mumbai has half a dozen Lok Sabha seats and all of them will vote in the fifth phase.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

A fire broke out at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) Pise Water Pumping Station Monday evening, leading to a significant impact on water supply across several parts of Mumbai.

According to a civic official, the incident has impacted the water supply in the eastern suburbs, as well as the water supply from Golanji, Fosbery, Raoli, and Bhandarwada reservoirs in the city.

Consequently, there will be no water supply in these areas for the next 24 hours. Additionally, the water supply pressure in the western suburbs and other parts of Mumbai may also be affected, said the official.

A fire broke out at BMC’s Pise Water Pumping Station, today evening. This incident has impacted the water supply in the eastern part of eastern suburbs, as well as the water supply from Golanji, Fosbery, Raoli, and Bhandarwada reservoirs in the city. Consequently, there will be… pic.twitter.com/5JIoDJSK9z

— माझी Mumbai, आपली BMC (@mybmc) February 26, 2024

As per the civic official, the BMC administration has urged citizens to cooperate and utilize water resources judiciously since the prompt cooperation of residents is essential to mitigate the impact of the disruption and ensure that essential water services can be restored as swiftly as possible.

A fire broke out at BMC’s Pise Water Pumping Station on 26th February 2024. As a result, the water supply in the eastern part of the eastern suburbs, Trombay Low Level Reservoir, Trombay High Level Reservoir, Ghatkopar Low Level Reservoir, F South, and F North Ward, as well as…

— माझी Mumbai, आपली BMC (@mybmc) February 26, 2024

Efforts are underway to address the situation and restore normalcy to the water supply system in the affected areas.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)