National
Thackeray pats BMC as Mumbai struggles to normalize after deluge (Lead)
Mumbai, Aug 30 (IANS) As Mumbai struggled to return to normalcy after Tuesday’s deluge which claimed at least five lives, Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday praised his party-ruled BrihanMumbai Municipal Corp (BMC) for “good work”.
Akin to the great floods of July 2005 when the city was buried under 945 mm of rainfall on a single day, Mumbaikars were mostly left to fend for themselves on Tuesday when it rained about 316 mm, paralyzing the megapolis.
However, Thackeray said all BMC officials and departments did a good job given the extreme rainfall which was not anticipated.
He denied that drainage cleaning work was not completed and blamed the ongoing works on Metro Railway and other mega-projects by multiple agencies with different jurisdictions as partly responsible for the flooding in the city.
Thackeray said that besides some 30,000 civic staffers on duty on Tuesday, Shiv Sainiks, party corporators and legislators were helped people stranded in the city.
Immediately thereafter, Mumbai BJP President Ashish Shelar demanded “an apology” for disrupting the lives of Mumbaikars.
“Where were the people ruling the BMC hiding? In manholes? The BJP leaders and workers helped the people as a duty,” Shelar said.
The Congress and NCP targeted both the Shiv Sena and the BJP for “utter failure” to cope up with the situation.
“Thackeray had said this year Mumbai would not sink during rains. Where have the billions of rupees spent on civic works gone?” asked Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Council Dhanjan Munde of NCP.
Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam demanded that the Shiv Sena should quit the BMC and asked for the resignation of Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta for Tuesday’s deluge when large parts of the city remained under three to five feet of water.
Mumbaikars alleged that the BMC, India’s richest civic body with an annual budget of over Rs 25,000 crore and cash reserves of over Rs 61,000 crore, totally let down the citizens.
Proclaimed the financial powerhouse of the country, Mumbai simply collapses whenever there is 100mm of rains. Losses amount to worth billions of rupees.
Unfazed by the criticism, the Shiv Sena expressed confidence that “Lord Ganesha will protect Mumbai from all such disasters”.
Meanwhile, owing to a series of cancellations, massive delays, diversions of several long-distance trains to and from Mumbai on Western Railway and Central Railway, thousands of passengers continued to be stranded at railway stations and terminals like Borivali, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Bandra, Mumbai Central, Dadar Terminus and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.
Mumbaikars also faced the prospects of a fresh spiraling of prices of fruits, vegetables and essentials owing to short supply from wholesale centres outside Mumbai.
BMC Commissioner Ajoy Mehta said nearly 30,000 BMC staffers were out on Mumbai roads since Tuesday and had cleared 5,000 tonnes of garbage among other things.
On day 2, the suburban train services returned to near normal by late evening, but the regular crowds were missing owing to a holiday declared for schools and colleges. Government servants were given the option to attend office only if feasible.
The IMD has forecast “heavy to very heavy rains in the entire coastal Konkan belt including Mumbai” with wet weather conditions likely to persist till Saturday, though Wednesday largely remained dry.
–IANS
qn/mr
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
Cheers and Cheers: Barzilla’s Joyful Ode to Inclusivity and Celebration
Casino Days Reveal Internal Data on Most Popular Smartphones
Meghalaya Reserves Legalized Gambling and Sports Betting for Tourists
IPL 20202 UPDATE: KXIP vs MI IPL Dream11 Team Prediction for Today Match, Update Point Table of all Team.
In a Live debate AAP leader Syed Asad Abbas hurls abuses to BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
‘India’s Most Wanted’ trailer out Arjun Kapoor on hunt of Osama-Bin-Laden
Time to move on: Sonakshi on Shatrughan’s joining Congress
