Mumbai News Live: Congress leaders hold cycle rally to protest against fuel price hike

A fire broke out in a wood factory in Maharashtra's Thane district in the wee hours of Monday. The factory where the blaze erupted is located in Gove village near Bhiwandi town. The fire started around 2 am and soon engulfed the factory, gutting it completely. However, no injuries or casualties have been reported. READ MORE

Congress leaders on Monday organised a cycle rally outside Vidhan Bhavan as a mark of protest against the fuel price hike and to target the Centre. Ahead of the Budget session of the Maharashtra Legislature, state Congress chief Nana Patole along with other leaders paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and then entered the Vidhan Bhavan on bicycles. READ THE FULL STORY HERE

As the minimum fares for autorickshaws and taxis will be hiked by Rs 3 from today, you will also pay more for traffic snarls or waiting at the signals. The waiting charges for autorickshaw will go up from Rs 1.20 per minute to Rs 1.42 per minute, a senior official said on Sunday. Similarly, waiting at signal can push your Kaali-Peeli taxi charges to Rs 1.70 per minutes from the existing Rs 1.50 per minute. READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Photo by SL Shanth Kumar/BCCL

Mira Bhayandar has been witnessing a rise in coronavirus cases for the last few days and on Sunday, 42 persons tested positive for COVID-19. With the latest addition, the number of cumulative positive cases has reached 27,101, according to the official data shared by the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC). Also, within 10 days, the active coronavirus cases in the twin-city have almost doubled. While the active cases in Mira Bhayandar were around 300 on February 20, on Sunday it increased to 607. READ MORE

With the addition of 668 new cases of coronavirus, the infection count in Maharashtra's Thane district has reached 2,64,918, an official said on Monday. Four more deaths due to the viral infection were also reported in the district on Sunday, raising the toll to 6,272, he said. The COVID-19 fatality rate in the district stood at 2.37 per cent, the official said. So far, 2,52,597patients have recovered from the viral infection in the district, reflecting a recovery rate of 95.35 per cent. There are 6,049 active cases in the district at present, the official said. (PTI)

A 70-year-old woman was found murdered in an apartment in Kalyan, police informed on Sunday. They said that the body was found on Saturday (February 27) and that the septuagenarian died as her throat was slit by unknown assailants with a sharp object. The victim has been identified as Hansaben Pravin Thakkar, a resident of Datta Ali, Tilak Chowk in Kalyan West. READ MORE

One person arrested for allegedly sexually harassing an actress in Maharashtra's Mumbai, police said on Sunday. According to the police, "A person has been arrested on allegations of sexual exploitation with the actress. A case has registered under relevant Sections of Indian Panel Court at the Goregaon police station." Further investigation is underway. READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Sweltering heat was felt in the city on Sunday, the last day of February, as winter ended officially. It was a hot Sunday as maximum temperature soared to 36.3 degrees Celsius — almost a four degrees above what it was a day earlier when maximum temperature was 32.6 degrees. The Met has forecast a rise in temperature due to ‘hot and dry north westerly winds’. On February 22 too, the city reported maximum temperatures of 36.3 degree Celsius. READ MORE

In Mumbai, eight vaccination centres - five free municipal facilities and three private hospitals where people will have to pay Rs 250 - will roll out the drive on Monday. Officials said people will be given on-spot registration. The five civic hospitals that will vaccinate citizens are BKC Jumbo Hospital, Bandra; Mulund Jumbo Hospital; Nesco Jumbo Hospital, Goregaon; SevenHills Hospital in Marol; and Dahisar Jumbo Hospital. The three private centres where people can get the shot by paying Rs 250 are H J Doshi Hindu Sabha Hospital in Ghatkopar, K J Somaiya Medical College in Sion and SRCC Children's Hospital at Mahalaxmi.

Distressed over the illness of his parents, a 23-year-old man allegedly died by suicide in Bhiwandi in Thane district, police said. While the deceased Mahesh Patil's father had lost his eyesight, the mother was suffering from stomach ailments. Mahesh, the sole breadwinner in the household, hanged himself in his house on Saturday. (PTI)

A 26-year-old man was arrested for allegedly stabbing his former girlfriend in the abdomen on a busy road at Saki Naka on Saturday evening, after she refused to continue the relationship. As the incident took place barely 100m from her residence, the 22-year-old woman staggered home and her father, an autorickshaw driver, rushed her to Rajawadi Hospital. She was later shifted to Sion hospital, where she had a surgery on Sunday. READ MORE

On the last day of February as the city officially bid goodbye to the winter season, summer heat in Mumbai already started showing up. The city reported a hot Sunday as maximum temperatures were seen soaring to 36.3 degrees Celcius. This was almost a four degree rise compared to a day ago when maximum temperatures were 32.6 degrees. Weathermen said that a rise in the temperatures was forecasted owing to the hot and dry northwesterly winds. READ MORE

For safeguarding the health and safety of all passengers travelling via the airport, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) is re-opening its Terminal 1 (T1) for domestic flight operations with effect from March 10, its officials said recently. Since the advent of the nationwide lockdown in March 2020, operations at T1 were suspended temporarily and were consolidated through Terminal 2 for the convenience of the passengers and stakeholders. READ MORE

On Sunday (February 28), Mumbai reported 1,051 fresh COVID-19 cases and five new deaths due to the virus. The total number of positive cases in the city now stands at 3,25,915, according to information received by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). With five new fatalities, the death toll reached 11,470. Currently, there are 9,715 active cases in Mumbai. The total number of recoveries surged to 3,03,860 with 827 new discharges today. The recovery rate of Mumbai district is 93 per cent. READ MORE

The amount of filth and garbage that’s being unearthed in the ongoing drive to clean-up the mangroves in Airoli, Mumbai – which the state government declared the ‘Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary’ in 2015 – has left even the authorities astounded. The Mangrove and Marine Biodiversity Conservation Foundation of Maharashtra, along with three volunteer groups, started the drive in the last week of December, and has so far removed close to eight tonnes (8,000 kg) of garbage – and there’s still more to go. READ MORE