Mayor Ritu Tawade visited the sports facility

Richa PintoMumbai: Mayor Ritu Tawde on Friday took a swipe at the UBT Shiv Sena while renewing her efforts to bring lions to the Byculla zoo, declaring, “If they brought penguins, we will bring lions.”The Byculla gardens and zoo currently has 25 birds.Worli MLA Aaditya Thackeray backed the proposal to bring penguins to Mumbai zoo, which is the only zoo in the country to have these flightless birds. Eight Humboldt penguins — three male and five female — were brought into Mumbai’s Jijabai Bhosale Udyaan and zoo in Byculla on July 26, 2016. The penguins were brought from Coex Aquarium, Seoul, in South Korea.Tawde said she was even willing to visit Gujarat’s Sakkarbaug Zoo personally if required to expedite the transfer of lions. Tawde said she decided to revive the proposal after learning that the lion enclosure at the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Garden and Zoo remained vacant for four years despite being ready. She has initiated the process to secure the necessary approvals.Zoo authorities said they have informed Sakkarbaug Zoo that they are willing to exchange three pairs of capuchin monkeys for a pair of lions and are awaiting a response from the Gujarat zoo. Officials said they are keen to acquire young lions so they can be bred at the Byculla zoo, helping establish a sustainable captive population. Procuring the capuchin monkeys is expected to cost around Rs 70-80 lakh. Authorities are hopeful the lions could arrive by the end of the year.While the Gujarat zoo is seeking animals in exchange, in the past, Byculla zoo authorities sought that the lions be given to them as a donation. In Jan 2025, the Byculla zoo formally wrote to Gujarat’s principal chief conservator of forests seeking a pair of Asiatic lions as a donation. Earlier proposals also ran into hurdles. On one occasion, Sakkarbaug sought zebras in exchange, but the proposal could not proceed as the Mumbai zoo does not house zebras. In 2019, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis also wrote to the Gujarat chief minister’s office requesting lions for Mumbai, but the move did not fructify.

Residents of Durgeshwari Apartment in Om Nagar noticed that the ageing building had tilted to one side and alerted the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation

Mumbai: Panic gripped residents of a housing society in Nalasopara East on Friday evening after a four-storey building developed a tilt, prompting authorities to evacuate all occupants amid fears of a collapse.The incident took place around 6pm at Durgeshwari Apartment in Om Nagar. Residents noticed that the ageing building had tilted to one side and alerted the Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC). Fire brigade personnel rushed to the spot and launched an evacuation operation after assessing the structure as potentially unsafe.The rescue operation lasted for nearly an hour, during which all residents were safely evacuated. The surrounding area was also cordoned off as a precaution. No injuries were reported.Chief Fire Officer Rohan More of VVCMC said the building is old and nearly half of its residents had already vacated their flats due to its deteriorating condition. “Considering the ongoing monsoon and the possibility of the structure becoming more unstable, we decided to evacuate the remaining occupants as a precautionary measure,” More said.He added that a structural audit would determine whether the building is fit for habitation. “Our preliminary inspection revealed extensive plaster damage and multiple cracks at several locations in the structure. Until the structural audit is completed, it cannot be declared safe for occupancy,” he said.The evacuated residents have been shifted to a municipal relief shelter, where arrangements for accommodation, food and other essential facilities have been made, officials said.