Mumbai underground: WHERE’S THE SUPERHERO?

TILL WE MEET AGAIN…
Bureaucratic processes are known to take ages, but even a period of 11 years does not seem like a long interval between meetings for the Maharashtra Animal Welfare Board. The last meeting of the board, which falls under the department of animal husbandry, was held in October 2002. Naturally, members of the newly-constituted board, which include animal welfare activists and vets from across the state, were overjoyed when they received letters informing them of a meeting on July 9. But their joy was short-lived as, on the much awaited day, the members were suddenly informed that the meeting was postponed to July 16. The board members’ chagrin escalated when, on July 16, they were once again informed that the meeting was cancelled without a fresh date. Looks like the state is proving the Animal Welfare Board of India is right in saying that “most of the state animal welfare boards, including in Maharashtra, have remained only on paper.”

WASTE POLICING
Deputy municipal commissioner Prakash Patil has, for long, expressed his frustration at Mumbai’s lack of civic sense when it comes to solid waste management. While shrugging off the BMC’s own misgivings in handling the city’s garbage problem, Patil said citizens must view the civic body’s hardline stance on littering and segregation positively. He then went on to equate the solid waste management department to the Mumbai Police. “People may fear the police, but they don’t complain when they are fined and prosecuted for disobeying the law. So when our staff does the same, why should there be a problem? We are also policing so that the city can be clean and green,” he said.

A CHANGED MAN
A senior officer with the Thane police recently learned the effects of playing with the proverbial fire the hard way. When reports of four Kalyan youths joining the jihad in Iraq started doing the rounds, media personnel flocked to the cop’s office and he gladly obliged with sound bytes and interviews through the morning. By afternoon, however, he was called  for an emergency meeting and came back a changed man. Reporters, who went to meet him in the evening, were met with a stony face and repeated claims of him having scant knowledge of the matter. It was, however, evident that he had been told to rein in his enthusiasm in a case that was being investigated by central agencies.

‘SALE-ING’ THROUGH
The ‘sale’ season announced by most of the city malls may have come as a boon to shopaholics, but it seems to have created an added burden for police of Mumbai and its extended suburbs. Roads leading up to major malls over the weekends have been choc-a-bloc with vehicles ferrying enthusiastic shoppers. The enthusiasm, however, spells doom for the police, who are being forced to deploy added personnel to handle the surging crowds. Recently the roads leading to a well known Vashi mall witnessed a traffic jam, which extended for half a kilometre with cars taking over 45 minutes to clear that distance. An additional force was deployed to clear the logjam. While delighted shoppers were gushing with enthusiasm once they managed to reach the mall, the deployed policemen were left fuming over the traffic snarl outside.