Curb on Ola, Uber surge pricing, fire in Bandra: Top five stories from Mumbai
Here are the top five stories from Mumbai you shouldn’t miss
The minimum fare of conventional black and yellow cabs and autorickshaws might rise — to Rs23 and Rs19 instead of Rs22 and Rs18 — if the state government accepts the report of a panel appointed by it to fix the fares for autos and taxis. The free WiFi service at the city’s railway stations is being misused, said an audit report prepared by the Western Railway. While a fire was reported on the 10th floor of La Mer residential building near Mount Mary steps in Mumbai’s upscale suburb of Bandra on Tuesday afternoon, the Nehru Nagar police arrested a 40-year-old man for allegedly attacking a 37-year-old woman with a blade on Monday. The Maharashtra government is struggling with the implementation of its farmer loan waiver scheme as 30 per cent of the data provided by nationalised banks have glaring errors or are incomplete.
Here are today’s top five picks:
1. Auto, taxi fares may rise; curb likely on Ola, Uber surge pricing
The minimum fare of conventional black and yellow cabs and autorickshaws might rise — to Rs23 and Rs19 instead of Rs22 and Rs18 — if the state government accepts the report of a panel appointed by it to fix the fares for autos and taxis. But it is not all bad news. There will also be a restriction on surge pricing by app-based taxi aggregators like Ola and Uber. The report recommends a 2x surge in fares as opposed to the 4x to 5x surge during peak hours currently.
2. Fire in Sachin Tendulkar’s in-laws’ Bandra flat brought under control
A fire was reported on the 10th floor of La Mer residential building near Mount Mary steps in Mumbai’s upscale suburb of Bandra on Tuesday afternoon. The 10th and 11th floor of the building are owned by Sachin Tendulkar’s in-laws. “Tendulkar’s father-in-law was on the 11th floor when the fire broke out, owing to a short-circuit. He vacated the building along with his domestic help. No injuries or casualties were reported,” said Savita Shinde, assistant police inspector, Bandra police station.
3. Mumbaiites, you might lose access to free WiFi at suburban stations
The free WiFi service at the city’s railway stations is being misused, said an audit report prepared by the Western Railway (WR). The report states that people who don’t use the train services stand at the entry and exit points of stations to use the facility, blocking the already overcrowded area for commuters. Free WiFi can be made available only at waiting rooms and near booking counters within the station premises.
4. Mumbai man attacks woman with blade after his son is arrested for raping her daughter
The Nehru Nagar police arrested a 40-year-old man for allegedly attacking a 37-year-old woman with a blade on Monday. The police said that the accused, Shivaji Kamble, was frustrated that his son was arrested for raping the victim’s daughter. The police have arrested the accused and the woman is admitted in the hospital. The police said that the incident took place on Monday evening, after the accused saw the woman near her Kurla residence and attacked her on the face and neck.
5. 30% bank data for Maharashtra farmer loan waivers inaccurate, will delay disbursement
The Maharashtra government is struggling with the implementation of its farmer loan waiver scheme as 30 per cent of the data provided by nationalised banks have glaring errors or are incomplete. The inaccurate data has delayed the waiver of loans as the state’s information technology (IT) department is finding it difficult to verify bank details with applications received from farmers.