Run by the students of Udaan
MumbaiWeekly Volume 01 Issue 12
metro
MONDAY, 16 APRIL 2012
feature
sports
entertainment
Mumbai auto rickshaws go on strike are to increase the minimum fare by Rupees ers and owners went on five and the fare for every subsequent kiloa state wide indefinite strike starting from 16 meter by Rupees two. There is also the deApril 2012. The strike is with a demand for a mand for a new formula for auto fare based on raise in the fare. The Maharashtra state gov- the consumer price inernment has decided to dex, and that a committee is to be formed for increase auto fares for this purpose. the second time in six According to Rao, the months already on 13 April. The government strike is planned on April 16 so that all the hiked the minimum schools and colleges are auto rickshaw fare by done with their examiRupee 1, effectively nations and the students from 20 April 2012. There is also a demand do not suffer from the strike. But in a turn of for raise in the fare of subsequent kilometers, events, many of Mumbut it was not approved bai's auto rickshaw unions have welcomed the by the government. government's decision The indefinite strike of the fare hike, and are from 16 April was annow opposing the strike nounced by Sharad call by Sharad Rao. Rao, the president of Auto rickshaw Owners Demands are being met partly by the governand Drivers Action Committee, which is a ment, as it also appointed a one man commitbody of local unions from different parts of tee for revision of the the state. The demands fare formulas. Meter down: A man walks past parked auto rickshaws during the strike by rickshaw drivers and owners in Mumbai on 16 April, 2012. Shailesh Andrade / Mumbai Weekly
Auto rickshaw driv-
Mumbai prepares for crisis
Now, a machine to clean „Mithi‟ river!
Onlookers watch Mumbai‟s Mithi river getting cleaned on 12 April, 2012 Pratham Gokhale / Mumbai Weekly
Another advantage of this robotic machinery Municipal Corporation is that it is controlled by only one person (BMC) tested a new robot for desilting the sitting inside a cockpit. The deputy chief engiMithi river and the neer of storm water drains of Mumbai on drains department 12 April 2012. (BMC), Mr. Vijay The sewage department of BMC demon- Golwalkar, said to the media, “The device strated the multipurwas bought to modernpose machine on a ize the BMC‟s desiltsection of the Mithi river. The robot, man- ing mechanism. It has ufactured by the Euro- several advantages in pean company Kaiser, comparison to the regis a multipurpose exca- ular JCB, Poclain and vating vehicle, which other dredger machines currently used reduces the use of more than three sepa- by the civic body. It can be used to lift rate machines.
The Brihanmumbai
Civil Defense personnel enact a terror attack scenario during a mock drill to educate people on how to tackle situations like bomb blasts and natural calamities in Mumbai on 16 April, 2012. Pratham Gokhale / Mumbai Weekly statement, "The purpose of the civil defence is to minifence Society carried out a mize the effect of loss of mock drill in Mumbai on 16 human life and property durApril 2012. ing disaster. Moreover it A Civil Defence Society is a helps to boost the morale of group of people, officially people." sanctioned by the governThe organisation had worked ment, to guide people with on situations like the superbasic safety measures during cyclone of Orissa (1999), a situation of crisis - like Gujarat earth quake (2001) terror attack, earth quake or and Tsanami (2004). During flood. the Mumbai terror attacks, According to the offcial 225 officers and volunteers
Members of the Civil De-
of the civil defence group were in action, mentions the official statement. In India, the Civil Defence Act was passed in 1968. However, in England, such groups have been existing and working since the time of second World War. All class, religion and category people are volunteer of civil defence.IT professionals, businessmen, housewives, students, teachers etc.
were involved in the organization actively. A free training of first aid, fire fighting, rescue, emergency lifting method, nuclear, biological, chemical disasters are given in courses so that the trained volunteers can save life of themselves and others. Mumbai Weekly photographer Pratham Gokhale covered this mock drill. More images on page 2.
heavy things, excavate roads and even cut trees.” The monsoons will start looming over the city by mid June-July, and the BMC is taking serious desilting measures to reduce the flooding of drains in the city during the rainy season. The Kaiser robotic machinery costs around Rupees 8 crore (approximately USD 1.5 million), including three years of operational and maintenance charges.