26 December,2024 05:59 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Pic/BMC
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) marked Veer Bal Diwas on Thursday with a tribute to the bravery and sacrifice of Sahibzade Baba Zorawar Singh ji and Sahibzade Baba Fateh Singh ji, the young sons of Guru Gobind Singh ji.
In its official statement, BMC stated that Deputy Commissioner (Education), Dr Prachi Jambhekar, paid floral tributes to the statues of the Sahibzadas at the Mumbai Mayor's Hall in the civic body headquarters. Deputy Commissioner Pramod Kumar was also present during the ceremony.
The commemoration honored nine-year-old Zorawar Singh ji and six-year-old Fateh Singh ji, who sacrificed their lives for the protection of the country and Dharma, said BMC. The day also coincides with Children's Day, celebrated to recognise the extraordinary bravery, valor, and selflessness of these young heroes.
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The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has granted bakeries a one-year deadline to abandon firewood and use either electricity or piped natural gas (PNG).
Notices have been issued to 650 Mumbai bakeries currently using wood as fuel. An official from the Mumbai civic body's environment department said, "We have issued notices to 650 bakeries using firewood for their ovens. They have been ordered to convert their ovens to electric or PNG within a year. This timeline accounts for the cost implications and the various permissions required."
The official added, "Burning wood in ovens is a significant contributor to pollution in Mumbai. We have started inspections across all wards, and wherever we find bakeries using firewood, we have served notices." The BMC team is also consulting experts from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board on the matter. On August 22, mid-day published a report by the Bombay Environmental Action Group (BEAG) highlighting that over 47.10 per cent of bakeries use firewood.
According to the report, BEAG surveyed nearly 200 bakeries out of the 628 registered with the BMC. These bakeries primarily use scrap wood from old furniture and dilapidated buildings because it is cheaper than logwood. Larger bakeries consume 250-300 kg of wood daily, while the average consumption for wood-fired bakeries is around 130 kg per day. To process 20 kg of flour, 4 to 5 kg of wood is typically required. The cost of scrap wood ranges from R4 to 5 per kg, while logwood costs R10 to 12 per kg. BEAG submitted its findings to the BMC in August 2024.
