MOM-VIOLENCE IS INCREASING IN MUMBAI

8 manhandle engineer, ransack ward office
Nitasha Natu | TNN

Mumbai: Eight activists of an NGO, Swabhimaan, were arrested by the Andheri police on Tuesday, after they blackened a civic engineer’s face and trashed his office at the K-East ward. The activists were protesting against water theft and illegal connections in Gundavali, Andheri East. Swabhimaan is run by Congress revenue minister Narayan Rane’s son, Nitesh.
“Around 200-250 activists had gathered at the K-East ward office, looking for ward officer Ranjit Dhakane, but he was out. They then entered the office of assistant engineer (hydraulic department) Tarang Kumar and argued with him. The activists had brought black ink cans along. They manhandled Kumar and smeared ink on his face, before damaging phones and PCs. They also smashed table glass and shot the entire incident on video. We have booked them for rioting and assaulting a government servant,’’ a police official said.
According to the activists, they had met Dhakne and Kumar on Monday and showed them videos of water being sold illegally at Gundavali. “There are residents who haven’t had a water connection for over three years now. In the same area, the water mafia has obtained multiple connections and illegally sell water. The water mafia has occupied vacant houses and stored large drums of water. It is sold on per bucket basis and rates are fixed,’’ said Agnelo Fernandez, Mumbai head of the NGO.
Dhakane had promised to visit the area on Tuesday. But when he did not turn up, the activists landed at the K-East ward office. Policemen were present at the ward office, both on Monday and Tuesday.
Additional municipal commissioner Anil Diggikar told TOI, “We will meet the police commissioner to find out if protection can be provided to our hydraulic department staff.’’

BMC WATER DEPT STAFF DEMAND SECURITY

Municipal employees at Andheri went on a strike on Wednesday to protest the assault on a water department engineer by a group of people on Tuesday. They are now demanding security for water department officials across the city.
The protestors, who were agitating against the water shortage in the city, attacked engineer Tarang Kumar who was present in the water department at that time. They assaulted and blackened his face with ink. Angry ward staffers announced stop work on Wednesday and met the municipal commissioner Swadhin Kshatriya later in the day and demanded security for civic officials.
“We cannot work like this. With the water scarcity in the city, such instances may occur often. There should be some way out to counter such attacks,” said Sainath Rajadhyaksh, general secretary of Brihanmumbai Municipal Engineers Association Union. The civic chief has assured the engineers’ union that they will take the matter to a higher level to resolve the issue.
Senior officials from the water department will be meeting top police officers to study the requirement of the police force. “Even the police department is short staffed. They will first assess the exact security requirement. Priority will be given to those wards where the water crisis is acute,” said a senior civic official.
Engineers from the water department were supported by AGNI, a non-governmental organisation. “We have extended our support to these engineers as they are being made scapegoats. Why don’t these so-called activists try such tactics with corporators who are allegedly involved in water tanker mafias?” said James John, AGNI member from Andheri.
LAW FOR DOCTORS
The state has passed The Maharashtra Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property) Act, 2009 to book people who attack doctors and other medical workers. Municipal engineers want a similar law.

SHAME ON OUR DEMOCRACY

Water dept engineers to get police protection
Following the third incident of violence against a water dept employee on Tuesday, police will provide security at ward offices
GEETA DESAI


In the third incident of violence in less than two months against an employee of the BMC’s water department, the face of an engineer was blackened by 200-odd residents who held an agitation outside the K-East Ward office at Andheri (E) on Tuesday. The incident which was prompted by the water crisis, has led to the municipal commissioner seeking police protection for water dept employees.
The incident which saw water works engineer Tarang Kumar at the receiving end of the residents’ ire, has shocked the water department. The furious engineers of the western suburbs have decided to gather on Wednesday at the K-East Ward office, in a show of solidarity to protest the incident.
Just last month Hydraulic Engineer Dinesh Gondalia was assaulted at the BMC headquarters, and a few days later a pump operator from Deonar was assaulted in the eastern suburbs due to the water crisis.
So much so, Municipal Commissioner Swadhin Kshatriya has now asked Police Commissioner D Sivanandhan to provide security to the engineers of all the 24 civic wards, which he has agreed to.
“Our engineers cannot work under the pressure and are in constant fear of attacks,” said Anil Diggikar, additional municipal commissioner.
Meanwhile, water department engineers of western suburbs have decided not to work on Wednesday and gather at the Andheri office to show solidarity. “Enough is enough. We will seek justice. We are going to represent our case to the commissioner,” said an engineer.
“All the officers are very tense. They are working for the city. They are just employees of the organisation and are not policy makers. No one should take us for granted. We work relentlessly day and night but still incur the wrath of the people,” said Gondalia.
On Tuesday, the residents were agitating against the short supply as well as the illegal selling of water in their area. Furious that ward officer, Ranjit Dhakane, was not present even when he had been informed a day earlier, a few activists approached Tarang Kumar and blackened his face. An offence was registered against four activists who were later arrested by the Andheri police.
Joint Commissioner (Law and Order) Himanshu Roy confirmed the meeting with the municipal commissioner. He said that though the meeting was planned earlier, the issue was relevant as the incident happened the same day.
“We had a discussion and decided to give them protection,” said Roy.


Protesters blacken the face of an engineer at BMC’s hydraulic department at Andheri on Tuesday

DETAILS OF MP FUND USED (NORTH WEST CONSTITUENCY) GURUDAS KAMAT

RS.200 LACS FUND – SPENT RS.71.50 LACS TILL NOW. BALANCE RS.128.50 LACS

196 illegal hoardings welcome Didi

196 illegal hoardings welcome Didi
NIRMAL MENON

Nearly 200 illegal hoardings were put up on a 1.5-km stretch between Andheri flyover and Andheri station (East) to welcome Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday.
Of the 196 flex hoardings, 50 were placed between the southern and northern entry points of Andheri East. Near the upcoming HDIL commercial complex Kaledonia on the Sahar road, there were 43 hoardings. The clutter density of hoardings on this belt was as high as one every seven metres.
The hoardings came up despite the Maharashtra Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 1995 that clearly says that they are illegal, and offenders can be imprisoned for up to three months and fined Rs 2,000.
The BMC, however, pretended that they didn’t know about the hoardings until Saturday morning. “The hoardings came up because of a Railway function. We don’t know when they were put up, but will see to it that all of them are removed,” said Ranjeet Dhakane, ward officer, K-East ward.
Social activists, however, say that this is a regular practice—municipal authorities first turn a blind eye when political party workers put up illegal hoardings, and then use public money to remove them.
“The concerned departments remove the banners only after the function is over. There is a clear understanding between them and the law-breakers,” said James John of the Action for Good Governance and Networking in India (AGNI).