Editorial

Action for good G overnance &N etworking inIndia

April 2019 > A MonthlyNewsletter > For private circulation only

Forward This To All - And All Forward - Together

Our Boston Tea Party man

Mumbaikars 29th April 2019 VOTE YOU MUST!

India is known for so many festivals (tyohars) of all

religions, castes and creeds which are celebrated right through the year. R ight ly, the E lect ion Commission called the Lok Sabha Elections 2019 as Desh Ka Maha Tyohar (the country's biggest festival). Let us all resolve to celebrate this huge festival which the whole country celebrates with great pomp and

thvote on April 29 2019. In the last elections for the first time in 25 years, Mumbai had a comfortably large voting rate of 55%. This time Mumbaikars should go beyond this figure and surprise everyone with a much bigger turn out. To help voters in their decision, A D R ( A s s o c i a t i o n F o r Democratic Reforms) and AGNI as usual will be preparing a Comparative Statement of information as declared by candidates in their sworn affidavits, for each of the six parliamentary constituencies of Mumbai and its suburbs. This statement fulfils the aim of the Supreme Court order of an informed choice to be made by voters.

If due to some reason

mumbaikars do not like any of

the candidates, the Election

Commission, in implementing

the Supreme Court order, has

added on the Electronic Voting

Machines (EVMs), NOTA (None

of the Above) as the last

candidate. Mumbaikars could

select NOTA on the EVMs, BUT

VOTE YOU MUST and celebrate

this extraordinary festival. MMJ

Now Bombay High Court criticises BMC for coastal road

The division bench of Bombay High Court of

Chief Justice Naresh Patil and Justice Nitin Jamdar, said the B M C h a d n o t d o n e i t s

h o m e w o r k p r o p e r l y b e f o r e undertak ing the ambitious

project. The bench came down h e a v i l y o n t h e s t a t e government for lack o f coordination between the departments involved. The court was hearing a PIL filed by Worli Koliwada Nakhwa Matsya Sahakari Society Ltd. against the coastal road project. MMJ

Kolis set to vote NOTA Eeshanpriya MS

IMPACT of opposition to COASTAL ROAD!

AGNI CONDOLENCE RESOLUTION - CAVAS GOBHAI

We, AGNI Trustees, Coordinators and Volunteers, resolve to

record the great value contributed by Cavas Gobhai to our work

for Mumbai, its citizens and a better way of life. His contribution

was in the most basic of all ways of working for Society: thinking in

a more orderly way, assembling resources and putting together a

feasible plan of action. Here was this facilitator of major Corporate Board meetings and originator of new ways to get the best out of them, offering AGNI his services for no charge. He cared about his home city Mumbai. Cavas helped AGNI bring together with us other groups so that citizens could form the numbers that no politics in Mumbai can ignore. We are resolved to honour his twenty years of work with us in a way he would respect: bringing to life in a practical way our name – Action for good Governance and Networking in India. RESOLVED that these sentiments might be conveyed to Cavas' son Dinshaw, his close associate Karen, his caregiver in Boston Mickey and all those who respect his talents and memory.

Austin Nazareth

M o n d a y morning has its b l u e s b u t I turned pale on r e a d i n g t h e n e w s o f t h e passing away of Cavas Gobhai in Boston the previous week. The Boston Tea Party is remembered for a step towards self-governance and Cavas, resident in Boston, USA would invariably on his two trips a year to Bombay and Dahanu, stop over at 10, Fairlawn opposite the Oval Maidan, Mumbai. His coming meant keeping a flask of hot tea ready for him. The tea stimulated him and he in turn would get us to think beyond our boxes on how to overcome the h u r d l e s t o w a r d s G o o d Governance. My meeting Cavas began in 2008 when I joined AGNI (Action for good Governance and Networking in India) and it went on till his last trip to the city close

to his heart, Bombay now M u m b a i . C ava s wa s a consultant and he was a portable office. His session fo r AG N I i n K h a r a n d elsewhere, saw him bring in even a mini printer so that the notes of the meeting were off

the printer before the meeting ended. He would listen and prod, all the while leading the group to agree through all the disagreements. Friends and Admirers visiting Harvard Business School, would make it contd. on Page 4

More than 35,000 voters from Mumbai, all from

the fisherfolk or Koli community living in five koliwadas (fishing villages) along the west coast, may not cast their vote in the Lok Sabha elections.

Traditionally, the Koli community has backed the Shiv Sena in m o s t places. I n s o m e areas, however, the Congress and BJP are popular too. The reason: They believe that three big-ticket projects—the coastal road, the Shivaji memorial and the municipal corporation's 300-acre park, to be constructed by reclaiming the sea off Mumbai's coast, will adversely affect their livelihood, a contd. on Page 4

Community says government, parties indifferent to threat to livelihood by coastal road, Shivaji memorial and Backbay Reclamation park.

2 Mumbai Meri Jaan April 2019

St Stanislaus, Bandra, cares for creation

Waste disposal: Relief for defaulters

Garden Waste Shredding Machine

Swachha Mumbai Abhiyaan

Anna Correa Principal of St Stanislaus High School

Prajakta

Waste Segregation: BMC will now slap fines based on its own bylaws made in the year 2000

Here is a piece of good news for those who are

yet to comply with solid waste management rules. Though the state government has framed by-laws for disposal of waste, keeping the maximum penalty at Rs 15,000, Mumbaikars have been spared the hefty fines. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is imposing fines based on its own bylaws made in the year 2000. The civic body is also framing a draft of solid waste management by-laws to tackle violators who are unable to manage and segregate waste. "The BMC is framing a draft of solid waste management by-laws to tackle defaulters who failed to comply with Solid Waste Management Rules. Moreover, we have our own by-l a w s — S o l i d W a s t e Management By-Law 2000. We are taking action against defaulters based on the provisions of section 368 of the M u m b a i M u n i c i p a l Corporation Act," said Vishwas Shankarwar, Deputy Municipal Commissioner of the Solid W a s t e M a n a g e m e n t department. The by-laws will not only lay emphasis on penalties or fines but will frame rules for the management of b iodegradable and non-biodegradable waste. In December 2000, the state

government had framed by-laws p re s c r i b i n g p e n a l t i e s fo r violations and had sought suggestions from civic bodies on the same. As per the state government's by-laws, first-time offenders will be fined Rs 60 for non-segregation of waste, and the fines will increase to Rs 180 for fourth-time offenders. Bulk generators, who generate more than 100 kg of waste per day, have to pay Rs 5000 for the first time. The penalty, however, increases to Rs 15,000 for a repeat offence. As per these by-laws, the civic bodies can charge Rs 90 as monthly user fee from o f f i c e s a n d c o m m e r c i a l properties. However, many Municipal Corporations have objected to the clauses of these laws. "The situation in each civic body varies, so the user charge and the penalty has to be fixed as per the financial situation of the area," said an officer with the BMC adding, "The BMC doesn't want to take monthly user fee for solid waste management as of now. The commissioner has stated that the corporation has enough funds. Though that might not be t h e c a s e w i t h o t h e r corporations."

MMJ

In January 2019, the Nature Club of our school, St.

Stanislaus High School, was proud to receive the first prize at the Zonal Level Science Exhibition where schools from different wards in Mumbai participated. Earlier, we had won the first place at t h e H w a r d S c i e n c e competition. These awards are a recognition of the stellar work done by our Nature Club and the school itself in preserving and caring for the environment. While green practices are a regular feature of the school's policy, this year we decided to intensify our efforts and with this in mind the theme chosen for the year was “Care for Creation”. It was decided that Class assemblies and all activities would incorporate this theme. Awareness would be created among students and parents about caring for the environment. Here's a look at some of the a c t i v i t i e s t h e s c h o o l organised during the last academic year. Many, of c o u r s e , w e r e o n g o i n g projects:· Garbage segregation:

Separate dustbins in every class. Students are advised and made aware of what constitutes bio-degradable and non-bio degradable waste.

· Composting: Tumbler method being used. Waste generated in the canteen kitchen is used along with leaves. The compost produced is used for gardening.

· E-waste collection: Bins at strategic locations for e-waste. Students told to bring e-waste for recycling to school.

· Tetrapak collection: The school conducted a ”Çut Clean, Collect” Campaign where children and parents were sensitised about the recycling of tetrapaks. Students brought in tetrapaks collected at home and prizes were awarded for the highest collection. The by-products of the tetrapak collection are recycled benches donated to the school. (picture below)

· Anti-littering campaign: A campaign entitled “Fenk mat Stansilite”(?) is a regular feature of the school. The school has eco-commanders, capta ins who admonish students found l ittering. Students have to actively participate in picking litter found on the grounds.

· No plastic: Plastic bags are banned from the school. Students are taught to make paper bags in their craft period for use. This year every student received a cloth bag as a Christmas gift. (Picture attached)

· Co-curricular programs: Two programmes called “Know your plants, grow your plants” and “Plant Detectives”are part of the curriculum to actively enthuse the students about the beautiful world of nature.

· Solar Panels: Solar panels on the roof have considerably reduced the electricity bill. The aim is to add more panels so that we move towards zero bills.

· Fields visits: No picnics happen in the school. Instead students go for outreach programmes or field trips. Some of the trips organised were to a tribal school at Talasari where besides learning tribal culture the boys had an opportunity to participate in paddy plantation.

· Rallies: On contd. on Pg. 3 Bench gifted to Gnanmata sadan at talasari

Mumbai Meri Jaan April 2019 3

Eye Camp in K West Wadala Premier League matches

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After demolition

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for donation received fromAustin Nazareth Rs.500/=

Contd. from Page 2 Gandhi J a y a n t i t h e s t u d e n t s undertook a clean-up drive and a march through Bazaar Road, Jain Mandir Road and Hill Road as a part of Swacch Bharat Campaign. In January this year, the scouts, RSP and N C C o f t h e s c h o o l participated in a Mahaswacch Bharat Rally.

· Clean-up Chimbai beach: The students participated in a clean-up drive at Chimbai a l o n g w i t h t h e N G O “Nature's Guardians”.

· Van Mahotsav is actively celebrated in the school with plantation and distribution of s a p l i n g s , f i l m s o n conservation of nature etc.

· All these activities culminated in #Project Stanart,(Reported in Mumbai Meri Jaan's March 2019 issue) at Stanislaus

School, a programme to create awareness about caring for our common home, the Earth. A painting/drawing competition was organised in which over 2000 Stanislites participated. The winning posters were then digitalised and converted into magnets and badges. They were also painted onto the school wall by artists, students, parents, special needs children, elderly and young parishioners of St. Peter's Church across four days in the month of February.

We are already looking forward to the next academic year. Some of the projects in the pipeline are:· Moving towards zero garbage

on the campus? A possibility?· Encouraging cycling as a means

of transport to school· Other composting techniques. Yes, Stanislites do care for God's Creation!

St Stanislaus, Bandra, cares for creation

Zahida Banatwala

With the efforts of our councillor, Ms Renu

Hansraj, an eye camp for 1200 BMC school ch i ldren at Mukteshwar Devalya road was organized by the Lotus Eye Hospital on on March 18. The camp spanned three days. Ms. S h r a d d h a S h a r m a , t h e Administrator of Lotus Eye, was present for the eye camp. She organized a donor for the camp and announced that she would provide free spectacles and

other treatment free of cost to the children of the school. Ms. Mehjabeen Barwani, member, Juhu Citizens Welfare Group, helped coordinate the event.

Anil Kumar Jain

Wa d a l a ( W ) Citizens Forum

recently organized its i n a u g u r a l C r i c k e t Tournament in the form of Wadala Premier League similar to the IPL. The tournament was held at St . Joseph's School, Wadala and eight teams comprising eight players each participated in the

match. Two groups of four teams were formed and each team played the other in its group and the top 2 teams of both groups went for the semi-finals and

finals. This Premier League was inaugurated by Rev. Fr. Vivian D’souza. The sole purpose of the event was to foster a feeling of brotherhood and promote a sense of community living among the residents of Wadala. The need to unite people and bring them together for a common cause was also one of the

reasons for the event. The event was played with

good sportsmanship and everyone appreciated the f o r m a t a n d t h e

MMJ

The Winners

The Runners up

With the efforts of our councilor Ms Renu

Hansraj BMC officials put up such boards at various places across the ward 69. - Zahida Banatwala MMJ

Nutan Bhalla

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arrangements. Thus to that extent the objectives of the Forum were considered to have been achieved. Looking at the response and feedback from the participants, such events and also other similar social initiatives may be periodically organised by the Forum. The tournament ended with the award of trophies to the winners, Wadala Wizards and r u n n e r s u p , W a d a l a Challengers.

Wadala Premier league

the winning trophy

29th April 2019

Board of Trustees

Chairman & Managing TrusteeD. M. Sukthankar

ConvenorGerson da Cunha

TrusteesCapt. Joe Lobo

Dinesh AhirSharad Kumar

Shyama Kulkarni

Editorial Board

Sharad Kumar [Editor]Pamela Cheema [Asstt. Editor]

Gerson daCunhaShrikant SomanShyama Kulkarni

Email: mmj.agni@gmail.comhttps://sites.google.com/site/ag

nimumbaimerijaan/

Published byAGNI

Chadha Bldg. 1st Flr, Plot No. 95, Wadala (W), Mumbai - 400031

agni.central@gmail.comPh: 2416 5956

www.agnimumbai.in

Printed atAudumber Press, Wadala

4 Mumbai Meri Jaan April 2019

MMJ

AGNI Ward Coordinators

Kolis set to vote NOTA

MMJ

contd. from Page 1 a point to call on him in Boston. Cavas suffered a stroke some time ago on an intercity train to Boston. The conductor of the t r a i n n o t i c e d h e w a s unresponsive. The train was diverted to the nearest station having a hospital within reach. Though we hoped he would recover, this was not to be. He passed away on Thursday, March 7, 2019 under care of his long-time friend and coworker Karen and his physical therapist Mickey. A memorial to Cavas would mean seeking a better quality of life for the city he loved, Mumbai. The General Elections announced yesterday, give us an opportunity to do so on April 29, 2019.

Our Boston Tea Party man

MMJ

contd. from Page 1 situation they say the government is indifferent to. Five koliwadas, which will be directly affected by the projects at Colaba, Worli, Mahim, Juhu and Khar Danda have decided to boycott the elections. Ujjwala Patil, chairperson, Koliwada-Gaothan Vistaar Kruti Samiti said, “The Kolis are the original

inhabitants of Mumbai, who over the years were forced to live in small pockets close to the coast that we now call koliwadas. Mumbai is their home.” Committees representing koliwadas will soon decide if they would call on the entire community spread across 42 koliwadas, to show solidarity towards the koliwadas affected by the projects and boycott elections collectively. Patil said, “As a representative of the Koli community, I will respect the feelings of its members to boycott elections. A collective decision on behalf of all 42 koliwadas is yet to be taken.” The fishermen claim that despite repeated attempts to initiate a dialogue with the BJP-led state government, and the Shiv Sena-led B r i h a n m u m b a i M u n i c i p a l Corporation (BMC), the authorities continue to overlook their demands a n d p o l i t i c i a n s a n d p u b l i c representatives are apathetic. Bhuvaneshwar Dhanu, member of Colaba's Machimar Sarvoday cooperative society and a resident of Cuffe Parade Koliwada at Geeta N a g a r s a i d , “ To d a t e , t h e government has given us nothing in writing. We will vote only if the government agrees to our demands in writing.” The koliwada at Cuffe Parade will be affected by the BMC's Backbay Reclamation Park in the Arabian Sea. For more than three

months now, fishermen from this Koliwada have stalled surveys anchored by BMC-appointed National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) and N a t i o n a l E n v i r o n m e n t a l Engineering Research Institute (NEERI). Dhanu said, “The sea will be reclaimed for the project exactly at the spot where we park our boats. A development of this magnitude will kill our catch. The BMC has assured us it will leave enough space for parking our boats and for accessing the sea, but these promises come from people who do not understand the nature of the sea and its ecosystem.” However, the fisherfolk's t r o u b l e s a r e n o t o n l y prospective. About 157 boats belonging from the Worli Koliwada have been parked ashore for the past two months. These fishermen are out of work as the BMC star ted the construction of a jetty for the c o a s t a l r o a d a t W o r l i . H a r i s h c h a n d r a N a g p o a , chairman, Worli Koliwada Nakva Matsya Vyavasay Cooperative society, said, “We lay our nets in the sea very close to the shore and leave them there overnight. We manage to catch a lot of produce this way. But as the

BMC has begun to ferry machinery into the sea, its tears into our nets.” About 450 families from this koliwada directly depend on fishing to earn their livelihood. Approximately 1,500 families are dependent on allied businesses, such as stitching nets, providing ice for fish preservation, drying fish in the sun daily and selling their produce in the market. In December last year, Worl i fishermen managed to stall the BMC's work on the coastal road, until they were directed to co-operate by the Bombay High Court. Nitesh Patil, Director, Worli Koliwada Nakva Matsya Vyavasay Cooperative Society said, “We are not going to vote this time. In Worli, we have decided to hoist black flags on voting day.”

MMJ

Mumbai Meri Jaan is also available as an e-edition. Those interested in e-edition may send an email to: mmj.agni@gmail.com

giving their email ids. - Editor