Year-ender 2020: Biggest headlines from Mumbai

A commuter in Mumbai reads Mid-Day. Pic/AFP

The COVID-19 induced lockdown kept Mumbai, the city that never sleeps, behind closed doors, but some major happenings made headlines this year. As we wrap up the year, here's a look at the biggest headlines from the city.

Aarey declared reserve forest

The Maharashtra government decided to reserve 600-acres of flora and fauna-filled Aarey land near the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) to create a protected forest area. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said the lush green forest in the middle of the concrete jungle will be the first of its kind in the world.

The Aarey colony protests began on October 5, 2019, after the Bombay High Court allowed the state to cut nearly 2,500 trees to build a car shed for the Mumbai Metro. The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRCL) began to cut down trees in the area merely hours after the HC order, a move that faced resistance from citizens and environmental activists. The Mumbai police arrested close to 29 people on charges of allegedly obstructing and assaulting police personnel.

Sushant Singh Rajput's death

On June 14, Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found hanging from the ceiling in his home in Bandra, Mumbai. The case, which was initially registered as "accidental death", spiralled into murder, abetment to suicide and money laundering. Although Sushant's postmortem report suggested no instances of foul play, struggle or external injuries, his father KK Singh filed a report against his partner Rhea Chakraborty and her family, including brother Showik Chakraborty, for abetment of suicide.

Uddhav Thackeray took oath as member of Legislative Council

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray took oath as a member of the Legislative Council after he was elected unopposed to the legislature. Thackeray was chosen as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra in November 2019, but he was not a member of either Houses in the state legislature.

Thackeray's election to the legislature came after weeks of uncertainty when he finally dialed up Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention to conduct the MLC elections.

The state cabinet had initially recommended that Thackeray be nominated by the Governor to the Council from his quota. Despite sending two recommendations, Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari did not nominate Thackeray to the Upper House of the legislature and was criticised by the ruling Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

BMC partly demolishes Kangana Ranaut's office

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) demolished portions of actor Kangana Ranaut's office at Pali Hill in Mumbai after giving a 24-hour notice to remove allegedly unauthorised constructions. Amid thick police security, the civic staff came with hammers and bulldozers, and demolished parts of the buildings. The Bombay High Court later stayed the demolition on a petition filed by the actor's lawyer, Rizwan Siddiqui.

Arnab Goswami arrested in abetment to suicide case

Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami was arrested on November 4 in connection with the abetment of suicide case of architect Anvay Naik and his mother Kumud Naik on May 5, 2018, for alleged non-payment of dues by Goswami. He was sent to 14-day judicial custody by a lower court later that day. Goswami moved the Bombay High Court for interim bail. The Bombay High Court rejected Goswami's plea and observed that the victim's rights are as important as that of the accused. Goswami finally moved the Supreme Court and was granted bail in the case.

Mumbai's first AC local train

The first air-conditioned local train started running on the main lines, but the response to it, which otherwise would have been impressive, remained woefully poor on the first day. Access was only for essential workers. There were just 22 people who took the train the entire day. The poor commuter count was also due to the fact that one needs a special pass just for the AC local as it has its own fare structure.

First COVID-19 death in Mumbai

A 64-year-old COVID-19 patient died at Mumbai's Kasturba Hospital on March 17. This was the first coronavirus-related death reported in Maharashtra. With this, the number of novel coronavirus related deaths in India rose to three. Previously, two COVID-19 related deaths (one each in Delhi and Karnataka) were reported. The 64-year-old patient had reportedly travelled to Dubai and was tested positive.

Fire at City Centre Mall

A major fire broke out at the City Centre mall in Mumbai Central area on October 22. According to reports, the fire started in a shop on the second floor of the mall. Later, the fire was declared Level 5. Around 3,500 people residing in the adjacent 55-floor building - Orchid Tower - were evacuated for safety. Around 24 fire engines and 250 firemen were able to douse the fire after 56 hours. Two firemen sustained injuries during the firefighting operation and were shifted to a hospital. They were later treated and discharged.