Bush pays visit; Mumbai continues to live in fear of epidemic, crime

It just cannot get worse than this as far as crime is concerned. “A 99-year-old Santacruz resident was robbed at knife-point on Monday evening by three unknown persons. The trio barged into the residence of Abdul Kadar Noor Mohammed Moghul and managed to flee with two silver coins and cash,” says The Indian Express. Was one of the victims of the horrific  Amboli murders questioned by the police as he was battling for life? “In response to an inquiry requested by Benjamin Fernandez, the brother of Amboli murder victim Reuben, as to why the police questioned Reuben while he was in the ICCU at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, zonal DCP Pratap Dighavkar said that no such interrogation took place,” The Times of India says. Meanwhile, there was progress in the investigations. [caption id=“attachment_125812” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“In Maharashtra, more disturbingly, one in three persons is struck by the twin epidemic. Reuters”]  [/caption] The DN Nagar police on Monday proceeded to record the statements of eyewitnesses in the Amboli murders, where two youth, Keenan Santos and Reuben Fernandez, were killed after they got into an altercation with eve-teaser,” says DNA. It cannot get worse than this as far as health is concerned. “One in every five Indian adults living in urban cities suffers not only from hypertension but also diabetes. In Maharashtra, more disturbingly, one in three persons is struck by the twin epidemic. These are some of the highlights of India’s largest clinic-based survey to assess the prevalence of diabetes and hypertension. The findings of the study, called Screening India’s Twin Epidemic (SITE), were announced on Monday in Mumbai,” reported the _Times of Indi_a. George Bush is in town and security is high in south Mumbai. “Former US President George W Bush arrived in Mumbai on Monday evening on a “personal visit” and checked into the iconic Taj Mahal hotel in South Mumbai. “A private jet carrying Bush and his entourage landed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport sometime back. He is in Mumbai for some personal work,” a senior IPS official said,” says The Hindustan Times. Why does this surprise anyone? Expensive flats are tough to sell, according to a study. “Soaring real estate prices are scaring away home buyers in Mumbai. On November 3, HT had reported that the number of unsold flats in Mumbai has touched a record 32,000. It is now learnt that approximately 20,000 (68%) of these flats are priced at more than Rs1 crore. In contrast, a mere 2% are priced in the Rs25 lakh-Rs50 lakh range.These are the findings of Liases Foras, a leading non-brokerage firm that researches trends in the real estate market, says The Hindustan Times. For days they got no water – and when they do, they’re scared to drink it. “A day after the civic administration claimed to have repaired the twin Tansa pipeline burst at Nana Chowk junction, parts of South Mumbai are getting contaminated water with a yellow tinge,” reports Indian Express. And finally, the price of something comes down – the tickets to the West Indies – India test match at Mumbai. “The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has decided to slash ticket prices for the third Test between India and West Indies to try and draw larger crowds to the Wankhede Stadium. The decision comes after the low attendances during the recent India-England ODI series - 13,000 tickets were sold at the Wankhede Stadium, which seats 33,000,” says espncricinfo.