Mumbai Weekly

Page 1

Mumbai Weekly

RUN BY THE PHOTOJOURNALISM STUDENTS OF UDAAN SCHOOL OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Feature

People

Pg 5

Pg 2

VOL. 02 ISSUE 02 | MONDAY 11 FEBRUARY, 2013

Culture Pg 7

Mumbai civic body pulls down shanties to widen roads

Residents of Siddharth Nagar, a slum in suburban Mumbai, spent a good part of their afternoon of 7 February gathering their mattresses, kitchenware and other belongings and stacking them outside their homes for fear that these might all get damaged. Authorities from the local municipal corporation had sent a notice around to the slum informing residents that their houses would be demolished that day. In the presence of police officials, representatives of the local civic body tore down eight houses, before negotiations finally stalled the demolition.

According to a municipal official that Mumbai Weekly spoke to, civic authorities had to resort to demolition as resi-

Sports Pg 8

dents had encroached upon one of main roads. In order to widen the road and ease vehicular traffic, authorities thought it necessary to clear the road of shanties. Moreover, he added, slum-dwellers had been told to build houses further away from the main road.

Iqbal Shaikh (22) a resident of Siddharth Nagar, however, said that having grown up in the slum, he had known no other home. 'Every year BMC officials come without prior notice and damage our houses. We have to spend Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 to rebuild the same, ' Iqbal said. Due to the repeated demolitions in the area, Iqbal has quit his job and become a full-time social worker. (Contd. on Pg3)

Right : Residents of Siddharth Nagar, a slum in suburban Mumbai, react against the local municipal corporation officials during a demolition drive on 7 February 2013. Biplov Bhuyan / Mumbai Weekly

Mumbai pollution levels worryingly high

Protestors demand justice for Dalit victims

A view of the suburban Mumbai skyline on 30 January 2013. According to news reports, levels of suspended particulate matter (SPM) have shot up to 286 micrograms per cubic metre (permissible levels are 100 micrograms per cubic metre) since mid-January. Anushree Fadnavis / Mumbai Weekly

Mounting levels of nitrogen oxide and a dip in the mercury are a toxic combination that appear to be in evidence not in just Delhi this winter but in Mumbai too. According to news reports, pollution levels in the city have exceeded the standard limits by two-fold this winter.

News reports indicate that pollution levels have been especially noxious of late. Suspended particulate matter (SPM) has shot up to 286 micrograms per cubic metre while nitrogen oxide levels are as high as 211 micrograms per cubic metre. In an interview to a local daily a Mumbai

Pollution Control Board (MPCB) official is reported to have stated that anything above 100 micrograms of SPM and 80 micrograms of NOx in a cubic metre of air is adverse for the human health.

have written to government agencies requesting the adoption of measures to curb the rising SPM levels.

Experts claim that toxic fumes released by vehicles and burning garbage in the city seem to be the The local municipal cor- major causes of this poration is reported to problem.

A protestor shouts slogans during a rally held on 4 February 2013 in south Mumbai. The rally was organized to demand justice for Dalit victims of recent caste atrocities in the state.Dalits are members of the lowest social status group in the traditional Indian caste system. Anushree Fadnavis / Mumbai Weekly (Contd. on Pg 3)


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.