3-year-old boy falls into storm water drain, search operation on
Mumbai: A three-year-old boy fell into a storm water drain at Ambedkar Chowk in Malad East Wednesday night and a search operation is currently underway, a civic official said Thursday.
The incident prompted the NCP and the Congress to hit out at the Shiv Sena-ruled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and seek action against the civic officials concerned.
"The incident took place around 10 pm on Wednesday.
The boy, identified as Divyansh, was strolling outside his house when he fell into the drain near Goregaon-Malad Link road," the official of the Disaster Management Unit of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.
"When the boy's mother could not find him, she panicked and raised an alarm. The footage of the CCTV camera installed near the building was checked, in which he was seen falling into the drain," he said.
A search and rescue operation was immediately launched. However, the rescue team has not been able to find the boy so far. Due to the heavy flow of water in the drainage, the boy is feared to have been washed away, the official said.
Hitting out at the BMC, NCP chief spokesman Nawab Malik said the incidents were taking place due to the "negligence" of the civic body.
He demanded that a case be registered against the guilty concerned under IPC section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder).
"A case should be registered against the guilty officials concerned under section 304 of the IPC...plastic manhole cover used by the BMC get washed away. Such incidents are taking place due to the negligence of the corporation," Malik said.
Another senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar also held the BMC responsible for the incident, while its Maharashtra unit chief Jayant Patil asked the civic body whether the value of human life has reduced to "zero".
Patil also asked why the ruling party (Shiv Sena) doesn't pay attention towards such incidents seriously. The Congress demanded that an offence be registered against the BMC.
"Twelve hours have passed, but the civic officials and the fire brigade have not been able to trace the child. Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar was not even aware of the tragic incident," Charan Singh Sapra, Mumbai Congress vice president said.
The civic body has time and again faced flak for not covering manholes and drainages properly, which had led to deaths or accidents in the past.
In August 2017, Dr Deepak Amarapurkar, a well-known gastroenterologist, died after falling into an open manhole while walking down a flooded street in south Mumbai during the heavy downpour. The BMC had later claimed that some local residents had removed the lid of the manhole illegally.
Caught on cam: 3-year-old boy falls into a storm water drain in Goregaon.
— Mumbai Mirror (@MumbaiMirror) July 11, 2019
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Air India resorts to cost-cutting ways amid 'tough times'; layoffs not anticipated
New Delhi/Mumbai (PTI): Hit hard by Pakistan airspace closure and Iran war, Air India has resorted to cost-cutting measures, including holding back annual increments for staff and asking them to cut discretionary spending as well as non-critical expenditures, warning of "tough times".
On Friday, Air India Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director (CEO & MD) Campbell Wilson told the staff it is going to be a "very, very difficult year" if things don't improve on the Middle East front.
A day after the loss-making airline's board discussed various cost-saving steps, Wilson, along with Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Sanjay Sharma and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) Ravindra Kumar GP, addressed the employees during a townhall on Friday where the emphasis on the need to keep a close watch on costs.
With higher jet fuel prices due to the West Asia conflict and airspace curbs, the loss-making airline's expenses have spiralled in recent times and against this backdrop, Sharma also told staffers that FY26 has seen a softening in revenue amid heightened external uncertainties.
Calling for a relentless focus on costs in these tough times, Wilson urged employees to suspend discretionary spending, renegotiate rates where feasible, and defer non-critical expenditures.
"There must be a laser-sharp focus on eliminating wastage and leakages," he said.
Stressing the need to tighten the belt for a while, Wilson sounded optimistic that travel demand would rebound and the industry would continue on its upward path.
CHRO Ravindra Kumar told staff that the airline will proceed with variable pay for the last financial year and continue with planned promotions while noting that annual increments will be deferred by at least one quarter.
"We don't anticipate layoffs," he said.
At the airline's board meeting on Thursday, various cost-saving steps, including likely furloughs, were discussed. The Tata Group-owned airline has around 24,000 employees.
Generally, furlough refers to sending staff on unpaid leaves by companies during a tough financial situation.
During the townhall, CFO Sanjay Sharma said while strong revenue growth and fleet expansion drove financial momentum through FY25, FY26 has seen a softening in revenue amid heightened external uncertainties.
Air India has seen around 40 per cent CAGR (Compounded Annual Growth Rate) in revenue between 2022 and 2025, he added.
The airline was acquired by the Tata Group from the government in January 2022.
The Air India CEO mentioned the external challenges being facing the aviation industry as a whole, including the continued closure of Pakistan airspace that is expected to persist for the foreseeable future and geopolitical conflicts leading to disruptions and airspace closures across West Asia.
Wilson, who is set to step down later this year, also flagged a sharp depreciation of the rupee and a 2.5-3 times increase in jet fuel prices, and added that these factors have adversely affected travel sentiment and consumer confidence, as per the sources.
If the Strait of Hormuz opens, oil prices fall and consumer as well as business confidence come back, there is a decent chance of a solid recovery, Wilson said, adding that unless those circumstances happen, it was going to be "a very, very difficult year".
"I feel somewhat responsible that we ended up with probably the biggest surprise of the year in the external environment which was a full-scale war in our neighbouring region in the Gulf. That has had a huge impact on airspace," he said.
For Air India, Wilson said the situation is compounded by the fact that the airline cannot fly over the neighbouring country and has to take a much longer routing for any west-bound destination.
"Every airline is reporting that they are under some sort of financial pressure as a result of higher fuel prices and economic uncertainty. So, it is unfortunately not a great environment to be running an airline," the Air India CEO said.
The Air India Group -- Air India and Air India Express -- is projected to have incurred more than Rs 22,000 crore loss in the financial year ended March 2026.
At the townhall, Wilson also highlighted various initiatives, including completion of the retrofit of its legacy narrow-body aircraft and rapid network optimisation to redeploy capacity more efficiently.
