Under the world: Fading colours

Shiv Sena and the Opposition Congress corporators might be at loggerheads on all issues in BMC,but that hasn’t stopped the Congress to learn a few lessons on discipline from the Sena. Earlier this month,after the Shiv Sena’s party office sent letters to all its corporators to keep full attendance during civic general body meeting,Congress quickly followed suit demanding 100 per cent attendance of its corporators. In fact,Congress went a step forward with its leader Dnyan Raj Nikam asking his colleagues to not only ensure full attendance but also make sure that no family function coincides with the civic general body meeting. Corporators will be exposed to the wrath of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee chairman if they digress from the rule.

Blame game

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has always maintained that the primary responsibility of the under-construction Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar Metro lies with the Reliance Infrastructure-led Mumbai Metro One,the SPV in charge of the project and not the state government or itself. So when there were talks of the Chief Minister visiting Tuesday’s accident site where a labourer was killed and 16 others injured,an official strongly reacted stating there was no need for the CM to visit the site. “Did Anil Ambani or any of Reliance Infra directors bother to visit the site? So,why should the CM go?” It has been five days and the CM hasn’t been to the site yet. It seems the counsel has reached the CM.

The un-police station

Police officers who protect the law expected not to fear anything or anybody. But the officers of Malwani police station are petrified of a group of local women. No wonder then they could not stop these women from assaulting them and creating havoc inside the police station itself. A few days ago,the officers at the police station were trying to solve a dispute between a person and his landlord when these women,who were asked for help by the landlord,entered the police station and started throwing the office files. They didn’t stop at that; they hurled abuses and at them and even beat them up for allegedly not listening to their grouse.

Bhojpuri lessons

A copyright row had the Bombay High Court in a bit of a fix once. A Bhojpuri film maker had alleged that his contemporary had stolen his script. The judge,who could barely say the film’s name right,was suitably worked up by the task at hand. The films were titled ‘Oh bhauji ke sister’ and ‘Tohri behna se byaah Kara Dina’. The court finally appointed a mediator who said he would learn the language and try to settle the dispute.

Erring on caution

That hotels under the Taj Luxury Hotels group,after the 26/11 attacks,have upped their security measures and prefer to stay away from controversies,is a known fact. But at times,such extreme caution is giving its customers anxious moments. For instance,the management of Taj Lands End,Bandra,wanted Viacom 18’s channel Colors,to cancel their press conference at the last minute giving the channel some very anxious moments. When Raj Thackeray’s MNS demanded that Colors’ TV show Sur Kshetra featuring Pakistani artistes be cancelled,the Taj team was not keen to provide a venue for the press conference and threatened to pull out few hours before the event. It took much convincing and a promise to vacate soon after the press conference on part of the channel to use the venue.