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Mumbai faces another building collapse in Mahim

Rescue personnel of the Mumbai Fire Brigade and local people bring out the dead body of a girl from the rubbles of a collapsed building in suburban Mumbai on 11th June 2013. Debadatta Mallick / Mumbai Weekly (Contd. on Pg. 5)

Pancholi gets arrested for having links in Jiah Khanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s suicide

Police constables take Sooraj Pancholi (son of bollywood actor Aditya Pancholi) into custody for questioning for having links in Jiah Khanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s suicide case at Juhu police station in suburban Mumbai on 11 June 2013. Francis Mascarenahas / Mumbai Weekly

Sooraj Pancholi, son of actor Aditya Pancholi was arrested on 11 June by the Juhu police for allegedly abetting the suicide of actor Jiah Khan.

Jiah had hanged herself from a ceiling fan at her apartment on 3 June. According to media sources the last conversation Jiah had was with

Sooraj was at 10.53 pm that same day. The arrest came after Jiahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mother Rabiya Amin submitted a six page letter detailing the rough relationship

between Sooraj and Jiah. The letter written by Jiah said that Sooraj assaulted, raped and at times hit her in front of other people.

Monsoon arrives early in the city, brings some relief from the heat

A youngster poses for his friend as he stands at Marine Drive in south Mumbai on 23 June 2013. Debadatta Mallick / Mumbai Weekly (Contd. On Pg. 2) As a much welcome relief to the severely drought stricken state of Maharashtra, monsoon showers hit the state a few days ahead of schedule this year, marking the commencement of the rainy season

in early June. In Mumbai, however, the joy that came with the onset of the monsoon was short-lived, as the annual flooding and commuting woes that go hand in hand with this season also began. Many low-

lying areas of the city like parts of Jogeshwari, Mazgaon and Dadar wee water logged owing to heavy rains and train services too, were disrupted. Although media reports claim that the local civic body has tak-

en some precautions like desilting the Mithi river running across the city, setting up a disaster management cell and giving online updates to prevent the repeat of a disaster like the 26 July floods in 2005.

2 PEOPLE

MONDAY, 24 JUNE, 2013

Early monsoons bring joy to Mumbaikars

Youngsters play and splash water in the rain in suburban Mumbai on 14 June 2013. Anushree Fadnavis / Mumbai Weekly

A family walks at Marine drive in south Mumbai on 3 June 2013. Debadatta Mallick / Mumbai Weekly

Youngsters enjoy a game of football in the rain at Shivaji Park in south Mumbai on 9 June 2013. Debadatta Mallick / Mumbai Weekly

Miracle on Wheels

Above: A differently abled dancer practices before the start of the dance performance at the NCPA Theatre in south Mumbai on 7 June 2013. Jayshree Kewalramani / Mumbai Weekly Right: Differently abled dancers from Ability Unlimited foundation perform at NCPA Theatre in south Mumbai on 7 June 2013. Jayshree Kewalramani / Mumbai Weekly

3 METRO MONDAY, 24 JUNE, 2013

Jiah Khan’s condolence meeting

Bollywood actor Aamir Khan (third from left) is seen praying at the condolence meet for Jiah Khan’s (Bollywood actress) death in suburban Mumbai on 8 June 2013. Anushree Fadnavis / Mumbai Weekly Jiah Khan’s condolence meeting was held in suburban Mumbai on 9 June. 2013 which saw various Bollywood actors visiting the grieving family of Jiah Khan. Among Bollywood

celebs, Sanjay Khan, Deepika Padukone, Urvashi Dholakia, Shweta Pandit, Prateik Babbar, Nagma and Aamir Khan attended the condolence meeting. According to media

source Jiah Khan committed suicide in her Juhu Apartment on 3 June. She was found unconscious at about 12 in the night and was declared dead on arrival at Cooper hospital.

Family members of Jiah Khan (Bollywood actor) mourn at her condolence meeting at a public hall in suburban Mumbai on 8 June 2013. Anushree Fadnavis / Mumbai Weekly

Udaan School of Photography celebrates it’s 1st Convocation Day

Above: Students of Udaan School Of Photography pose for the photographers as they celebrate their first convocation at Udaan School Of Photography in south Mumbai on 16 June 2013. Sumedh Sawant / Mumbai Weekly Left: Prathamesh Gokhale poses for the photographer as he receives the “Student Of The Year” at Udaan School Of Photography for 20112012 diploma batch in south Mumbai on 16 June 2013. Ashish Vaishnav / Mumbai Weekly. Udaan School of Photography in Mumbai held its first ever convo-

cation ceremony for its first batch of graduating students on Sunday 16

Eastern Freeway opens up to ease traffic Traf fi c f rom C hem bur t o C hat t rapat i S hi vaj i Term i nus wi l l no l onger be a wor r y as t he new East e rn F reewa y h as

opened up to sm oot hen t raffi c on t hi s rout e. The 17 ki l om et re st ret ch i s si gnal free and and i s sai d t o drast i cal l y

reduc e t ravel t i m e bet ween sout h Mum bai and t he East ern S ubu rbs. The proj ect whi ch was st art ed ba ck i n 2008 has fi nal -

l y fi ni shed a nd has cost t he governm ent a t ot al am ount of Rs. 1,250 cror es (216,000,000 US D).

An aerial view of the newly opened Eastern Freeway is seen in suburban Mumbai on 20 June 2013. The freeway opened on 14 June to ease traffic from Chembur in suburban Mumbai to Fort in south Mumbai. Ashish Vaishnav / Mumbai Weekly

June at the institute premises. The best work of the students was

showcased in the form tography and dedicaof a photography exhi- tion to the course. bition and slideshow. Shailesh Andrade from the photojournalism An interactive session class, received an between the current award for his outstandand graduating batches ing contribution to the preceded the convocaclass publication, the tion ceremony, with Mumbai Weekly and students asking their also the Sportsperson seniors about their exof the Year award. periences as profesPrathamesh Gokhale, sionals in the field received the Best of the since the completion of Best of the Year award, their course. Renowned dubbed as the ‘BOBY commercial photograaward’ by Arko Datta, pher Ian Pereira and faculty member and Soumitra Ghosh, photo director of the school. editor of daily newspaSandeep Dhopate from per DNA, were the the commercial phoguests of honour for tography class was prethe occasion. Diploma sented with the Direccertificates were handtor’s Choice award, ed out to all students while Saarthak Aurora who met the requirefrom the photojournalments of the course. ism class also won the Awards were also Sportsperson of the handed out to recogYear award. nize excellence in pho-

Udhhav Thackeray inaugurates underground water tunnel

Shiv Sena chief Udhhav Thackeray and BMC Municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte share a light moment during the inauguration of the Maroshi to Vakola underground water tunnel in suburban Mumbai on 31 May 2013. Debadatta Mallick / Mumbai Weekly

4 EDITORIAL

MONDAY, 24 JUNE, 2013

OPINION: The woes of Mumbai monsoons

An auto-rickshaw driver pulls his auto-rickshaw through knee-length water in suburban Mumbai on 14 June 2013. Mumbai received an early monsoon this season with roads and streets flooding in certain parts of Mumbai. Francis Mascarenhas / Mumbai Weekly

Debadatta Mallick

F ar from bei ng a wel com e b rea k aft er a l ong peri od of scor chi ng

heat , t he m onsoons prove t o be a curs e fo r Mum bai kars ra t her t han j o y an d respi t e. C urs e, as m ost of t he part of t he ci t y dro wns under kn ee dee p wat er. The re ason i s not t he unexpect ed ar ri val o f t he m onsoon but cl earl y, i t 's be cause o f t he poo r drai nage s yst em

for whi ch t he ci t y of Mum bai fac e t he probl em s o f wat er l oggi ng even a ft er a sho rt peri od of r ai nfal l . Taki ng i nt o account t he fact t h at Mum bai i s now a m ega -ci t y an d hom e t o som e 12 m i l l i on peopl e, i t needs t o b e w el l prepa red fo r heav y rai n fal l s for a sm oot h fl ow

of t ranspo rt an d dai l y l i fe. B ut what act ual l y hap pens i s t he re verse. As t he m ont h of Ma y com es cl ose , t hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a rush t o com pl et e pre m onsoon work whi ch m ost l y i n cl udes cl ea ri ng of drai ns and pat ch i ng or repai ri ng of roads. How ever , as soon as t h e fi rst rai nfal l hi t s t he ci t y, ro ads

m ade wi t h al l t h e engi neeri ng ski l l s and m an aged b y BMC (B ri hanm um bai Muni ci pal C orporat i on ) and ot her agen ci es, devel op pot hol es and m anhol es st art over fl owi ng, whi ch i s no l ess t han a ni ght m are fo r dai l y com m ut ers i n a drowned ci t y.

Accordi ng to B M C s ources a t ot al of 611 pot hol es have bee n report ed t i l l now. B MC had pl anne d t o fi l l 181 i ni t i al l y, but has onl y m anaged t o repai r 23 of t hem . On t he ot her han d B MC recei ved 34 com pl ai nt s of t re e fal l s whi ch l ed t o t raffi c di ve rs i ons .

The curr ent m onsoon season has al read y st art ed t o s how i t s effect s i n t he ci t y. Tr affi c s i gnal s s t art m al funct i oni ng in suburban ar eas of M um bai l i ke Vakol a bri dge, S i on, Dadar and ot her part s of t he ci t y. A cco rdi ng t o t he Indi an Met rol ogi cal Depart m ent sources, on 10t h J une Mum bai recei ved 98 m m of rai n in 12 hours. On t he sam e da y Mum b ai P ol i ce Traffi c Depart m ent i nform ed t hat t he t raffi c aff ect ed for around h al f an hour at t he W est ern Express Hi ghwa y (W EH) f rom Khar t owards Ghodbanda r R oad, whi l e t here was a del a y o f around 20 m i nut es on t he Vi l e P arl e to B andra rout e. On t he Eas t e rn Express Hi ghwa y (EEH) from S i on t o Dadar, t r affi c was hal t ed for al m os t 20 m i nut es and vehi cl es goi ng to B andra from Andh eri had t o fac e a d el a y of al m os t 17 m i nut es , t raffi c depart m ent sources add ed. At t he usual w at er l oggi ng spot s

l i ke Hi ndm at a, Mi l an subwa y, P arel , LB S m arg and Kurl a al so wi t nes s ed t r affi c i s s ues . B es i des t he so -cal l ed v ei n of Mum bai , t he l ocal t rai ns w ere al so affe ct ed due to wat er -l ogged t racks, and runni ng hours l at e, sl owi ng down Mum bi kars. Ext rem e we at her condi t i ons, speci al l y t he m onsoons, are a m aj or conce rn for whi ch t he Governm ent and ci vi c bodi es are responsi bl e and shoul d t ake proper a ct i on. Ever y t i m e t he m edi a quest i ons t he aut hori t i es about t hei r pl ans t o t ackl e t he m onsoons, t he ans wer i s us ual l y i n t he form of a l i s t of repai r wo rks happeni ng i n t he ci t y. The governm ent al ong wi t h B MC shoul d l ook upon t he avai l abl e dat a, proj ect i ons, m odel s, and work on a l ong t erm di sast er m an agem ent proj ect t o put an end t o m onsoon woes i n Mum bai .

The above views are personal views expressed by the author.

POINT OF VIEW: The change is yet to come

Jayshree Kewalramani

If there's one thing that fate of Altaf Mansion, Lucky Compound, Campa Cola Compound and most recently Shakuntala in Mumbra reveal then it's the fact that the dreams of most ordinary Mumbaikars revolve around possessing and living in a house, any house, of their own. Whether that house is legal or liveable appears to be less relevant. Barely two months ago, 72 people residing in Lucky Compound died in a building collapse in Thane. Immediately after the incident the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced their deci-

sion to evacuate and demolish other illegal and unsafe structures across the city. It may sound as if the local authorities had fine plan but scant attention was paid to the plight of the existing residents: how would they be rehabilitated and should they be penalised for the shoddy construction by builders and approvals granted by corrupt public officials? More recently, according to media reports, residents of Shakuntala building claim to have had no knowledge that the local civic body had deemed their building unfit for human habitation. While some expressed rage at the lack of access to such information, other survivors indicated that even with the knowledge their options would be limited simply because most citizens are averse to moving government transit camps. Transit camps, they feel, hardly ever lead elsewhere. So

most citizens preferring remaining in unsafe homes. Just a few days ago Altaf Mansion in Mahim reminded us of just how precarious existence is in this city. The incident has been followed by the usual claims by the civic authorities to investigate into the real causes of the tragedy. Whether it was the material used that was substandard or the building owners who were irresponsible, it is the ordinary citizens who have paid the price. In April the Deputy Commissioner of Thane was arrested after the collapse of the Lucky Compound in Mumbra. There are many others who ought to be investigated and taken to court. But for something truly meaningful to come out of it, people must recognise the fact that these issues affect everyone, across class. Lucky Compound and Altaf Mansion are not isolated cases, nor are they

Rescue workers dig through the remains of a collapsed building in Mahim in suburban Mumbai on 11th June 2013. Sumedh Sawant / Mumbai Weekly disconnected from our lives. Residents of Campa Cola may not suffered due to a collapse but the authorities' decision to demolish flats without occupation certificate

meant that even highrises were not immune to issues that plague the housing and realestate sector in the city. Many a things have been said about the powerful builder-

politician nexus but not enough seems to be done to change it. Jaane bhi do Yaaron, that cult film made in the 1980s on the builder-police-bureaucracy nexus remains as rele-

vant today as it was 30 years, when it first released. Except that we have had economic liberalisation since then and have bought into the promises of greater transparency and accountability.

Yet, it feels as though the more things change the more they remain the same. The above views are personal views expressed by the author.

5 FEATURE

MONDAY, 24 JUNE, 2013

Building Collapse shocks Mumbai again

Firemen attempt to rescue people from Altaf Mansion building in suburban Mumbai on 10 June 2013. A large section of the building collapsed as illegal alterations were made on the ground floor and basement of the building. Prashant Nair / Mumbai Weekly Above: The remains of Altaf Mansion building as seen from a top view after the structure of the building collapsed in Suburban Mumbai on 10 June 2013. Anushree Fadnavis / Mumbai Weekly ations that were made to the pillars on the ground floor and the basement, which were being used as an automobile showroom and a furniture workshop. According to media reports, Merchant, who is also an advo-

A resident reacts after the death of his family member after the Altaf Mansion building collapsed in suburban Mumbai on 11 June 2013. Anushree Fadnavis / Mumbai Weekly

umbai city is recognized globally as the entertainment and trading capital of India. However, when it comes down to infrastructure, it isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the best in the country. After the tragic incident build-

ing collapse in Mumbra (Suburban Mumbai) on the outskirts of Thane, Mumbai is jolted yet again by another building falling in the suburban area of Mahim. A portion of the build-

ing called Aftab Mansion, collapsed on 10 June leaving residents and house owners helpless. A total of six families lived in the building out of which the Lakhas, who lived on the first floor, have lost five

members, while advocate Rizwan Merchant has lost three. Though there is no official confirmation but the residents and locals say that the building collapsed due to the lack of maintenance and illegal alter-

Above: Search and rescue operations underway after a portion of the Altaf mansion building collapsed in suburban Mumbai on 10 June 2013. Francis Mascarenhas / Mumbai Weekly Right: A member of the NDRF (National Disaster Relief Force) walks amongst the rubble of a building collapse in suburban Mumbai on 11 June 2013. Ashish Vaishnav / Mumbai Weekly

cate, had complained about the damages and alterations in Aftab Manzil by alleged owners of the building on the ground floor. He lodged a first information report (FIR) against several per-

sons including the BMC for acting in a negligent manner however; he was informed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) that they have not received his complaints.

He is now making use of Right to Information (RTI) Act to dig out information from the BMC, which could be used against it, to prove that the civic body did not act on his complaints.

6 ECONOMY

MW Monsoon season sees multiple car launches in the city

MONDAY, 24 JUNE, 2013

Indian head of Lamborghini, Pavan Shetty, poses with the Indian head of Fiat-Chrysler, Nagesh Basavanhalli, poses newly launched Gallardo LP550-2 in suburban Mumbai on with the newly launched Fiat Linea T-Jet in south Mumbai on 10 June 2013. Anushree Fadnavis / Mumbai Weekly 18 June 2013. Debadatta Mallick / Mumbai Weekly Mumbai saw a number of new car launches this month with various car manufacturers offering their latest from the automotive world. Starting with Fiat, the company

rolled out three new variants of its Linea T -Jet sedan. Priced from Rs. 787,000911,000, the new sedan is a petrol variant and comes with a turbo charged engine for

that extra mance.

perfor-

Next up is the German car maker Mercedes which launched its newest range of premium hatchback series into the Indian market.

The A-class is said to be targeted towards the youth and it comes in a 2.2 litre diesel engine which is priced at Rs. 2,193,000 and according to sources it is the most fuel efficient

luxury car in India delivering fuel efficiency of 20.6 kilometres per litre. There is also a 1.6 litre petrol version which is priced at Rs. 2,273,000 giving a fuel efficiency of

Indian head of Mercedes, Eberhard Kern, poses with the newly launched Mercedes A-class in suburban Mumbai on 29 May 2013. Prashant Nair / Mumbai Weekly

about 15 kilometres per litre. The A Class is powered by an efficient turbo-charged engine with direct injection and comes with standard ECO start/stop function.

Last but not the least, supercar maker Lamborghini showcased its limited edition version of the Gallardo to mark the 50th anniversary celebrations of the company. The

Gallardo LP550-2 costing Rs. 30,600,000 is for the serious sports car enthusiast said Pavan Shetty, Head of India Operations for Lamborghini.

Salt department issues warning to locals News reports claim that the 500 acre salt pan in Bhandup (a place in suburban Mumbai) has been called off limits as the Centre-run salt department recently declared that it belongs to it. The salt department also sent a warning to the public to not to enter into any sale or lease agreement with regard to the plot.

A salt-pan worker dumps a heap of salt at a salt pan farm in Bhadup in suburban Mumbai on 8 June 2013. According to media reports the salt pan farm has been acquired by the salt department. Ashish Vaishnav / Mumbai Weekly

Gold prices continue to dip

The Centre had originally leased the salt pans, to the Garodia family to manufacture

salt around 60 years ago. According to sources, construction company Shapoorji Pallonji had tied up with the Garodias for development over the land in case the Centre decided to give away salt pans. Sources also claim that Shapoorji was supposed to pay about Rs 5,000,000,000 to the Garodias for development rights. In return the Garodias would also receive 9% of the total built -up area.

Rupee takes a hit as Sensex falls 500 points

Passers-by walk across the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in south Mumbai on 19th June 2013. According media sources the sensex fell by 501.34 points on 20 June 2013. Francis Mascarenhas / Mumbai Weekly

A passenger is seen at the window of a train bearing an advertisement of a jewellery store in suburban Mumbai on 3 June 2013. News reports indicate that gold prices have dropped as the value of Rupee has fallen drastically in the global market. Ashish Vaishnav / Mumbai Weekly

Trading at the stock markets was not pleasant treat for traders as news sources claim that the BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange) tumbled down by 500 points at mid-session making it the biggest intra-day fall since March last year. On June 20 2013, the

sensex fell by 423 points in earl y trade, then a further drop by 501.34 points, to slip below 19,000 point level to trade at 18,744.36 points. Even the National Stock Exchange index Nift y fell below the 5,700 mark line by losing 153.75 points to trade at 5,668.50. Traders sai

d that domestic fundamentals such as record current account deficit and high inflation concerns had put pressure on the rupee. The heavy fall in the stock exchange led to slow trading as the rupee slipped 130 paise to reach an all -

time low of 60 against the dollar on the Interbank Foreign Exchange. This fall made the Federal Reserve highlight the fact that how the country is dependent on foreign capital inflows to fund its current account deficit.

7 CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT MONDAY, 24 JUNE, 2013

Shiamak Davar dance students sweat it out

Members of a dance troupe perform during Shiamak Davar’s Summer Funk Show at Shanmukhanand hall on 6 June 2013. Sumedh Sawant / Mumbai Weekly

Bollywood actress stands up for a good cause

MW Ghanchakkar stars promote film

Vidya Balan and Emraan Hashmi pose during a promotion of their upcoming film Ghanchakkar during India’s best dancing star event on 6 June 2013. Ashish Vaishnav / Mumbai Weekly

Lonely Planet Travel Awards rope in celebrities

Bollywood actress Adah Sharma poses in a cage to protest cruelty against birds in suburban Mumbai on 11 June 2013. Anushree Fadnavis / Mumbai Weekly

Surprise on the sets of India’s Dancing Superstar

Bollywood celebrity, Aditi Rao Hydari poses for photographers during the Lonely Planet Travel awards in south Mumbai on 7 June 2013. The event saw a number of celebrities attending the award ceremony. Francis Mascarenhas / Mumbai Weekly

Song dedicated to save the girl child

Bollywood actor Govinda, dances with contestant Subhranil Paul during a India’s Dancing Superstar show at Filmcity studios in suburban Mumbai on 27th may 2013. Ashish Vaishnav / Mumbai Weekly

Bollywood singer Sunidhi Chauhan poses for the media during the launch of “Betiyaan” a song dedicated to saving the girl child in suburban Mumbai on 5 June 2013. Francis Mascarenhas / Mumbai Weekly

8 SPORTS

MONDAY, 24 JUNE, 2013

Xtreme Invasion festival comes to Mumbai

Zafrin Shah performs a no hander half flip during the Xtreme Invasion event in suburban Mumbai on 6 June 2013. Francis Mascarenhas / Mumbai Weekly

Above: Richie Eisler grinds on the railings during the Xtreme Invasion event in suburban Mumbai on 6 June 2013. Left: Zafrin Shah performs a can can, as photographer Wasuwat Torkaew looks on during the Xtreme Invasion event in suburban Mumbai on 6 June 2013. Francis Mascarenhas / Mumbai Weekly

Mind Games at the International Chess Tournament

Rajasthan Royals seek divine intervention

Above: Rajasthan Royals owners Raj Kundra (left) and Shilpa Shetty (right) walking to Siddhivinayak Temple in suburban Mumbai on 11 June 2013. Anushree Fadnavis / Mumbai Weekly Above and Left: Participants take part in the sixth Mumbai Mayor International chess tournament at National Sports Club of India in south Mumbai on 4 June 2013. Sumedh Sawant / Mumbai Weekly

Right: Rajasthan Royals player Ankit Chavan poses for the media with his wife Neha Sambari, after his wedding in suburban Mumbai on 6 June 2013. Prashant Nair / Mumbai Weekly

hile controversies surrounded the Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament this year, Rajasthan Royals were under a lot of pressure as a number of players were said to be linked with spot fixing. While the Rajasthan Royals owner, Raj Kundra, was seen visiting Sidhhivinayak Mandir with his wife Shilpa Shetty, Indian cricketer Ankit Chavan tied the knot with Nehas Sambari.