Mumbai Underground: Non- Transferable

Claw and order
It is not uncommon for stray dogs to make police stations their temporary homes. These mongrels come and go as they please and are occasionally fed by policemen on duty. But Nagpada police station is home to a cat, who occupies a place of pride, the couch, outside senior inspector Nandkumar Mhetar’s cabin. The female cat, who has not yet been named, was adopted two years ago after losing an eye in a fight with a dog. “She walked into the police station bleeding from one eye. We rushed her to the animal hospital in Parel. After surgery, we brought her back to live with us,” says a constable. In December, the cat was again admitted to the hospital, this time with a fever, and her treatment was entirely paid for by the Nagpada police station staff. Back home now, the cat gets an affectionate pat behind the ear by cops going in and out of Mhetar’s cabin.

Perils of fame
In a terror case that has been in court for eight years, a police witness recently failed to recognise an accused present in court. However, in a separate case, this is not a problem — the accused is actor Salman Khan. In the 12-year-old 2002 hit-and-run case, witnesses do not need to see the actor in court to identify him. Recently, when a doctor witness was asked whether he knew who the accused was, the judge recorded his answer in the order saying, “Yes, I know Salman Khan. He is a a very well-known filmstar”. This, despite the actor being given exemption from attending the trial due to personal reasons. The doctor was a key witness in the case, and he deposed in court that he noticed that the actor was smelling of alcohol, 12 hours after the actor allegedly rammed his car into a pavement in Bandra, which resulted in the death of one and injury to four others sleeping there.

‘Bending’ the rules?
State environment minister Ramdas Kadam along with Mayor Snehal Ambekar went to inspect the Mithi river works this week and following them was an entourage of around 25 cars with senior officials from the environment department, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) as well as the suburban collector’s office. Hopping from one site along the river to another, the cars created huge traffic jams in the already congested Kurla and BKC roads. Further, at each stop, the haphazard double and triple parking of the officials’ cars on busy roads blocked roads even when they were not in motion. Himself frustrated by the traffic, one of the senior officials commented, “We were so much better off under the British. At least, there was some order,” he said, drawing sniggers from his contemporaries.

‘Cold’ case
It wasn’t fatigue or work that made Maharashtra Chief Secretary Swadheen Kshatriya want to opt out of the delegation to Davos for the World Economic Forum. It was Switzerland’s freezing cold temperature. When Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that Kshatriya would be leading a delegation to Davos, he did everything possible to be kept out of the team. “Sir, why me?” he asked Fadnavis, to which Fadnavis said, “How can we lead the Maharashtra team without the Chief Secretary?” The senior bureaucrat who is well-versed in all the subjects and presentations that were made during Davos, couldn’t bear to be subjected to the harsh winter at Davos. He said, “I only hope I don’t freeze at Davos.” Now that he is back in Mumbai, warm and comfortable, he can finally heave a sigh of relief.