Indian sports biopics, such as “Mary Kom”, “1983” and “MSD: The Untold Story”, will have open air screenings at the the 49th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI).
The festival, to be held from November 20 to 28 in Goa, will give a hat-tip to the Khelo India initiative this year by recognising the contribution of Indian sportspersons.
This section features a total of six Indian films that are based on the genre of sports biopics, which will also showcase “Gold”, “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag” and “Soorma”.
“Gold” director Reema Kagti and lead Akshay Kumar, “Bhaag…” director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, “Soorma” director Shaad Ali and producer Chitrangda Singh and “1983” director Abrid Shine will be present at the screenings of their films at the international movie gala.
Akshay will also be present at IFFI’s opening ceremony.
The biopics will be screened at Jogger’s Park in Altinho, Panjim and will be open for public.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid tributes to Indian soldiers who fought in World War I and said the country reiterates its commitment towards world peace so that the trail of death and destruction caused by wars does not occur.
“Today, as we mark one hundred years since the end of the horrific First World War, we reiterate our commitment towards world peace and pledge to work to further an atmosphere of harmony and brotherhood so that the trail of death and destruction caused by wars does not occur,” he said in a series of tweets.
He said, India remembers its brave soldiers who fought in WW I.
“This was a war in which India was not directly involved yet our soldiers fought world over, just for the cause of peace,” the prime minister said.
Modi recalled that hehad the honour of paying tributes at the Neuve-Chapelle Memorial in France and at the memorial in Israel’s Haifa, places associated with India’s role in World War I.
“When (Israel) PM Benjamin Netanyahu came to India, we paid tributes at the Teen Murti-Haifa Chowk”, the Prime Minister said.
Candidates failing to put out advertisements listing their criminal records during electioneering could face contempt of court proceedings and those publishing wrong info about their rivals’ criminal antecedents could end up paying penalty for indulging in corrupt practices, the Election Commission has said.
Following a Supreme Court direction, the poll panel had on October 10 made it compulsory for candidates contesting polls to advertise their criminal antecedents in TV channels and newspapers at least three times during electioneering.
The directive comes into force in the assembly elections in five states — Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Telangana — in November-December.
According to the directive, political parties too will have to publicise criminal records of their candidates.
In a set of ‘frequently asked questions’ issued for the five poll-bound states, the commission has made it clear that candidates who do not have criminal record or ongoing cases, need not issue advertisement.
It said the candidates and their parties would have to bear the cost of advertisements and it would form part of their election expenditure.
To the question “what happens if such candidates or such political parties do not publicise in the manner prescribed”, the commission said, “Such failure may be a ground for post-election action like election petition or contempt of Hon’ble Supreme Court.”
Any candidate or voter of a constituency can file an election petition in the high court of that state challenging the election of the winning candidate.
On the issue of “someone publishing false information about criminal cases of another candidate”, the EC said there are already provisions to deal with any case of publication of false statement in relation to a candidate, including Section 171G of the Indian Penal Code which deals with corrupt electoral practices and prescribes a fine for such offences.
The mute attitude of the government concerning the Ayodhya issue will lead the country to disasters as everyone is giving a provocative statement challenging the judiciary system. How daringly the Akhil Bharatiya Sant Samiti (ABSS) held a meeting of over 3,000 Hindu monks and as ascetics from 127 sects and passed a resolution demanding that the government should bring a law or an ordinance for the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The organisation also claimed that three large rallies would be held in Ayodhya, Nagpur, and Bengaluru on November 25 culminating in a fourth in New Delhi on December 9 in support of a new. The government should stop this flood of objections over the judiciary system as soon as much. Otherwise, it will lead to creating communal violence all over the country. I request the government to give some strong instructions to utter over the Ayodhya issue.
– MF Qasmi
2) A dream come true
Sardar Vallabhai Patel’s ‘Statue of Unity’ was inaugurated with much fanfare. The Iron Man of Indian freedom struggle got much-needed acknowledgement for his aggressive approach after 71 years of Independence. It is 182 metres tall and is said to be the tallest statue in the world. The statue is made up of 1,700 tonnes of bronze, 1,850 tonnes of bronze cladding, 70,000 metric tonnes of cement and 24,500 metric tonnes of steel. It took 33 months to complete and was built at a cost of Rs 3,000 crore. Elevators will take tourists up to the statue’s chest, from where they can view the Narmada River and Sardar Sarovar Dam and a bird eye’s view of the city. It was planned out effort by the sculpture and the government supported him in his endeavours.
Height: 182 metres. This makes the statue almost twice the height of the iconic Statue of Liberty in New York.
Location: Around 3.5 km downstream from the Sardar Sarovar Dam, on islet Sadhu, Bet on the bed of the river Narmada.
Cost: Rs 2,989 crore (approx)
Sculptor: Padma Bhushan Ram V. Suthar, a 93-year-old acclaimed sculptor who graduated from the prestigious J.J School of Art in Bombay. He has sculpted masterpieces including that of Mother Chambal at Gandhi Sagar Dam in Madhya Pradesh, equestrian statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Amritsar, and numerous statues of Mahatma Gandhi.
Construction period: 34 months. Work began on December 19, 2015.
Materials consumed: 70,000 tonnes of cement, 18,500 tonnes of reinforcement steel, 6,000 tonnes of structural steel and 1,700 metric tonnes of bronze, which was used for the outer cladding of the structure, according to a government statement.
Specialties: The statue is slender most at the base, which goes against the norms of what other tall statues have followed. The walking pose also opened up a gap of 6.4 metres between the two feet which then had to be tested to withstand wind velocity.
– Nickhil Krishnan
3) Have some patience
The issue of Ram Temple now and again is being raised by the some Hindu Sanghatans while it is under the observation of the Supreme Court. We should wait for the verdict of the SC because we all Indians believe in our Constitution that whatever judgment will be given by the SC, would be acceptable for all religions. I think those people, who are raising voice about the issue of Ram Temple, are disgracing the SC and our Constitution. These people are only trying to benefit their party in the 2019 election. I request the public to keep patience till the SC judgment comes out.
– Tauseef Ahmad
4) History repeats itself
History repeated itself in the politics of Madhya Pradesh, as Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s brother-in-law Sanjay Masani joined Congress in the presence of state Congress president Kamal accusing the BJP of dynastic rule and fielding those with big names rather than those who work for the party. Earlier, in December 2003, after Congress’ rout in the assembly elections, the former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh’s brother Laxman Singh had joined the BJP claiming differences in the family. It indicates which side the wind is blowing. Everybody is fed up of Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led government. The people of MP want a new CM. They want change, as they have given the opportunity to the BJP three times but they could not live up to their expectations. However, such exodus near elections is common which is seen as a political stunt.
– Ibne Qasim
5) Sidak Singh shines
Game of cricket is a sideways game and people look for opportunities to explore their bowling talent by representing the other state to come out shining. Sidak Singh chose this option and represented Puducherry in the U-23 Col CK Nayudu Trophy in Pondicherry. Sidak Singh, who played sever T-20 games for Mumbai in 2015 before shifting base to Puducherry does a Kumble in capturing all the 10 wickets in an innings against lowly place Manipur. His final analysis of 17.5-7-31-10 wickets is a unique feat at this level of the game and hope to figure out in national team soon. He joined the likes of Jim Laker, Anil Kumble, Subhash Gupte, PM Chatterjee, Pradeep Sundaram, Debashish Mohanty. It is a great tribute for the youngster to touch an unique feat with the first season. Left-arm spinners are gifted and now Sidak Singh can go far away to reach many more laurels in the game of cricket as he is just 19 years of age. Sidak Singh shines in a land of spinners.
– C.K. Subramaniam
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
66-year-old Vidyadhar Bhuskute from Mumbai is on a mission — to walk across the country to spread the message of peace and bonhomie. He has started walk from Gandhi Ashram — Ahmedabad to Kolkata (Shanti Nikletan). He will be walking the entire journey going along the coast, via Kanyakumari, covering 7,500 km. During his walk, he will meet and speak to farmers, labourers, students, youths, the orphanages, the old, and many others. He has taken up the patriotic genes from his parents Annasaheb Bhuskute and Sindhutai Bhuskute who were freedom fighters. The seeds of patriotism and social work were sowed back in his childhood and later the seeds only grew into a healthy tree of patriotism. In view of this, Bhurkute started an organization that works for the homeless woman and helps them make a living. He organised lectures of noted social workers and ‘influential’ names through his Annasaheb Bhurkute Manch to create awareness among the masses.
He will be walking the entire journey going along the coast, via Kanyakumari, covering 7,500 km. During his walk, he will meet and speak to farmers, labourers, students, youths, the orphanages, the old and many others. Vidyadhar says he cannot sleep unless I have walked for at least five kilometers in a day. His parents had participated in freedom struggle, were incarcerated and did social work after India got freedom.
Vidyadhar has covered over 8,000 km, crossed 26 rivers in 18 states and seen lush green fields, fascinating waterfalls, and rugged mountain ranges. Vidyadhar’s love for walking existed since childhood as he would walk 5 kms everyday. When he grew up, he would walk from Dombivli to Vangni, CBD Belapur and Vashi on his weekly-offs.
Vidyadhar walks 35 kms everyday and has walked through AP, Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. He thought of taking up these walks as a means to know India as well as to bring people together. Really it’s a challenging task for a man of 66-years-old. Noted personalities including former President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, Senior Editor Kumar Ketkar, Social Activist Medha Patkar, Dr. Kiran Bedi have commended Bhuskute’s work and have extended their support to his mission. His aim is to promote peace, humanity, environmental balance, education, and raise awareness about other issues. His mission is to spread message of peace and humanity and on five main objectives viz. Peace, Environment, real education, female foeticide and humanity. He feels that a generation of freedom fighters have sacrificed their lives to give us freedom and now it’s our turn to get together to make our country stronger.
These walks have enriched him as a person and a human being. He is a true follower of the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Vivekananda. According to him peace is a sign of harmony characterised by lack of violence and lack of fear of violence. According to Vidyadhar peace also suggests the existence of healthy inter-personal relations, prosperity socially or economically, establishment of equality and a working political order that serves the interests of all. Today, when there is a conflict at every level, personal, social, national, and international and as we negotiate the changes and traditions, the means and end of achieving peace are inseparable and peace is the ay and solution of mankind. The ‘Peace’ God means for us is not ‘world peace’ but it means completeness, soundness, prosperity at all levels of our lives. There is no doubt that Vidyadhar’s walk for peace will spread positive energy on both sides of the border.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
The Centre has given consent to the renaming of at least 25 towns and villages across India in the past one year and among the pending proposals is one for the state of West Bengal, according to officials.
Allahabad and Faizabad are the latest additions to the growing list of places that have been renamed.
Several proposals, including the renaming of West Bengal as ‘Bangla’, are pending with the central government. The process is a long-drawn one with the involvement of multiple central ministries and departments.
The Union Home Ministry has given consent to the proposals of name change in 25 villages and towns in different parts of the country in last one year, a senior ministry official told agencies.
The proposals to change the names of Allahabad to Prayagraj and Faizabad to Ayodhya are yet to be received by the ministry from the Uttar Pradesh government, the official said.
Some of the approved name change proposals are: Rajahmundry as Rajamahendravaram in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh; Outer Wheeler as A P J Abdul Kalam Island, situated in Bhadrak district of Odisha; Arikkod as Areekode in Malappura district of Kerala; Pindari as Pandu-Pindara in Jind district of Haryana; and Samphur as Sanphure in Kiphire district of Nagaland.
Other renaming proposals approved by the ministry include Landgewadi to Narsinhagaon in Sangali district of Maharashtra; Garhi Sampla as Ch. Sir Chhotu Ram Nagar in Rohtak district of Haryana; Khatu Kalan village as Bari Khatu in Nagour district of Rajasthan; Mihgawan Chhakka and MihgawanTilia as Mihgawan Sarkar and Mihgawan Ghat respectively in Panna district of MadhyaPradesh and Shukratal Khadar as Sukhtirth Khadar and Shukratal Bangar as SukhtirthBangar in Muzaffarnagar district in Uttar Pradesh.
However, a proposal to change the name of Kacharigaon to Phevima in Dimapur district of Nagaland was rejected by the home ministry recently, the official said.
The home ministry considers such proposals according to the existing guidelines in consultations with agencies concerned, another official said.
The home ministry gives its consent to the change of name of any place after taking no-objections from the Ministry of Railways, Department of Posts and Survey of India.
These organisations have to confirm that there is no such town or village in their records with a name similar to the proposed one. The renaming of a state requires amendment of the Constitution with a simple majority in Parliament. For changing the name of a village or town, an executive order is needed.
The proposal to change the name of West Bengal to ‘Bangla’, as suggested by the state government, was recently forwarded by the home ministry to the Ministry of External Affairs for its opinion as the proposed name sounded similar to the name of neighbouring country Bangladesh, the official said.
On Thursday, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said the state government was considering renaming Ahmedabad as Karnavati and the name change could be effected before next year’s Lok Sabha elections.
BJP leader Raja Singh said on Thursday that the party would “aim” to rename Hyderabad and other cities in the state after the names of great people if it is elected to power in Telangana after the forthcoming assembly polls.
Last year, the Centre had approved the proposal to rename the iconic Mughalsarai railway station to Deen Dayal Upadhyaya (DDU) station after the Jan Sangh leader who was found dead in the railway station in 1968.
Approval was also given to add the word “Maharaj” in Mumbai’s iconic Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. It is now known as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.
The name of any state was changed last time in 2011, when Orissa became Odisha. Names of Bombay was changed to Mumbai in 1995, Madras to Chennai in 1996, Calcutta to Kolkata in 2001.
The central government had approved the renaming of 11 cities of Karnataka, that included Bangalore as Bengaluru, in 2014.
Former Union finance minister P Chidambaram on Sunday asked the Centre what was its “tearing hurry” to “fix” the capital framework of Reserve Bank of India when the ruling dispensation had just four months to complete the term.
In a series of tweets, the senior Congress leader slammed the government for allegedly seeking funds from the RBI despite claiming that its (Centre) fiscal math was correct.
“The NDA government has competed 4 years and 6 months of its term. It has effectively 4 months left. What is the tearing hurry to ‘fix’ the capital framework of RBI?” he said.
Chidambaram said if the government did not need any more money this financial year, why was it “mounting pressure” on the central bank in the last four months of its tenure.
“Why did it keep silent for 4 years and 6 months?” he said.
The Congress leader said the government had claimed that its “fiscal math is correct” and “boasts” that it had given up Rs 70,000 crore of borrowing for 2018-19.
“If so, why does it need money from the reserves of RBI this year?” he said.
The central government had on Friday said it was discussing an “appropriate” size of capital reserves that the central bank must maintain, but denied seeking a massive capital transfer from the RBI.
The RBI has a massive Rs 9.59 lakh crore reserves and the government, if reports are to be believed, wants the central bank to part with a third of that fund — an issue which along with easing of norms for weak banks and raising liquidity has brought the two at loggerheads in recent weeks.
Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg took to Twitter on Friday to clarify that the government was not in any dire need of funds and that there was no proposal to ask the RBI to transfer Rs 3.6 lakh crore.
“There is no proposal to ask RBI to transfer (Rs) 3.6 or (Rs) 1 lakh crore, as speculated,” he tweeted.
“Government’s FD (fiscal deficit) in FY 2013-14 was 5.1 per cent. From 2014-15 onwards, Government has succeeded in bringing it down substantially. We will end the FY 2018-19 with FD of 3.3 per cent. Government has actually foregone (Rs) 70,000 crore of budgeted market borrowing this year,” Garg said.
The official said the only proposal under discussion was to “fix appropriate economic capital framework of RBI”.
Economic capital framework refers to the risk capital required by the central bank while taking into account different risks.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday the version of the Central Vigilance Commission, which was directed to complete within two weeks its preliminary inquiry against CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma, who has been divested of his duties and sent on leave by the Centre.
The hearing assumes significance as Verma, who has a running feud with Special CBI Director Rakesh Asthana, has been appearing before the three-member CVC headed by K V Chowdary and is understood to have given point-wise refusal to all the allegations levelled against him by his deputy.
Verma’s plea, which had been heard by a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi on previous occasions, is now listed for hearing on November 12 before a two-judge bench comprising the CJI and Justice S K Kaul.
The decision that a smaller bench would hear the case has come after the CJI, in his recent informal interaction with journalists, said that on Mondays and Fridays, when the apex court hears miscellaneous cases, only two-judge benches would sit.
The court had appointed former apex court judge A K Patnaik to supervise the ongoing inquiry of CVC against Verma.
Besides issuing notices to the Centre and the CVC on the plea of Verma, the apex court, on October 26, had also set a deadline of two weeks for the CVC to complete the preliminary inquiry against the CBI director.
It had also barred IPS officer M Nageswara Rao, who has been given interim charge of the CBI, from taking any major decision.
The top court on Monday would also peruse the decisions taken by Rao from October 23, including transfer of investigations and change of investigating officers and may pass some appropriate orders on them.
It had said that a list of all the decisions taken by Rao between “October 23, 2018 and up to this hour including decisions with regard to transfer of investigations, change of investigating officer(s) etc will be furnished to the court in a sealed cover on or before November 12, 2018 whereafter orders as would be appropriate will be passed by the court.”
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CVC, had said that the CVC has been conducting an inquiry into the allegations made in the August 24 note/letter of the Cabinet Secretary with regard to Verma.
Besides the plea filed by Verma, the court is also seized of the PIL filed by NGO Common Cause, which has sought a probe by special investigation team against CBI officers including Asthana, and had issued notices to the Centre, CBI, CVC, Asthana, Verma and Rao asking them to respond to it by November 12.
Asthana has also moved the Supreme Court with a separate petition in the matter and has sought removal of Verma from the post of CBI Director.
“We want to see preliminary probe report in 10 days to decide whether it requires further probe,” the bench had said.
The 1984 Sikh massacre in Delhi following the assassination of Indira Gandhi by two Sikh guards is the unhappiest and most painful event. Long back, on November 1, 1984, prepared armed mobs freely roamed the streets of Delhi, killing Sikhs and looting their belongings. After so many years, when BJP took over to power, on Diwali night, Trilokpuri exploded once again. While there is no definitive answer to what led to the flare-up between the Hindus and Muslims, several reasons have been doing the rounds in the media since the news broke. Just days after being hit by communal riots that injured at least 60 persons, Trilokpuri prepared to set an example in communal amity with members of the Hindu community set to lead the area’s four Muharram processions. History of communal violence in India demonstrates that it is closely connected with turning points in high politics. In this case, it happened months after the Hindu nationalist BJP swept into power in Delhi with a historic win. There is not a shred of evidence to link the party to the violence but Historian Mukul Kesavan wonders whether “Hindu activists are testing the waters, testing the limits of the politically possible in the wake of the election”.
All Muslims need to be careful and safe during Muharram — there was an allegation that the Muslims objected to loudspeakers being played at Mata Ki Chowki which is next to a mosque; the riots were a “pre-planned” act; the Delhi Police’s inaction allowed a minor incident to take such ugly extents, and there was a political design behind the flare-up. It’s time we should stop seeing riots as a simple law and order problem. Instead, authorities should go beyond a specific event and try to identify the deeper causes that lead to such blazes. There could be several such causes: discrimination, poverty, high unemployment, poor schools, poor healthcare, housing inadequacy, police brutality, and bias. After the 2011 race riots in Britain, the London School of Economics and the Guardian did a full-scale study — Reading the Riots — of the flare-up and their aftermath. Several of the ‘conditions’ that lead to riots could be true for India too. Take, for example, the relation between certain (especially poor) communities and the police: in the race-riot areas in Britain, researchers found out that there were anger and frustration at the people’s everyday treatment of police. In Trilokpuri, many parents claimed that they took part in the violence to save their sons from police brutality.
Trilokpuri, a sprawling resettlement colony in East Delhi which once made headlines because of the Diwali-eve communal riots, witnessed the mass murder of Sikhs in 1984. Indian politics is based on hatred. This hatred divided the great nation. The further division took place and we see three states. Human love and bonding is very loose. The politicians understand this game and they rule all three independent states with the same theory of divide and rule. Alas! No more noble to play a role of togetherness with love and brotherhood of human being. The world powers are engaged in the same game and world is bleeding with hatred against each other for the sake of power and energy resources. Poor human is afraid of bombs. Even media is hostage to these people. We pray that none of the humans is tortured or killed. Have peace with a new vision of human religion first.
The Mahapanchayat came close on the heels of communal tensions in East Delhi’s Trilokpuri area, even as locals in Bawana said that the change in traditional routes and the decision to take the Muharram procession, also known as Tajiya, through a different route was communicated to the local police and authorities a week ago before the festival. Locals said that the Muslim community on October 24 had come to a consensus on not taking the procession through the usual 2 km route passing through Hindu dominated areas fearing a communal backlash.
Kalyanpuri and Trilokpuri have something in common. They are both emigration colonies created by Mrs. Gandhi to house people displaced by the slum ‘clearances’ that the Congress government masterminded during the Emergency under the direction of Jagmohan and Sanjay Gandhi. Many of the Muslims in Trilokpuri were resettled there when the Turkman Gate bastis were violently cleared. As John Dayal and Ajoy Bose wrote in their book, Delhi Under the Emergency, these resettlement colonies weren’t model neighbourhoods with neat plots, drainage, water supply, schools, playgrounds, parks, and electricity as Sanjay Gandhi claimed: they were tracts of empty land where people literally bulldozed out of their slums were dumped. The thing to remember about these hardscrabble neighbourhoods is that their residents weren’t citizens; they were desperately poor clients dependent on the State and its political operatives for every basic facility and amenity. Nothing was theirs by right; even more, than in the rest of India, their lives depended on the vagaries of local politics and their access patronage and ‘protection’.
The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union staged a demonstration at Delhi Police headquarters raising concerns over the role of Delhi Police in the Trilokpuri riots. The protesters alleged that even after riots broke out, cops failed to take action for hours and in the days that followed arbitrary arrests have only intensified the atmosphere of fear and tension in the area.
Politicians and politics may try to divide people and initiate riots, but the common public of Delhi’s Trilokpuri always try to set an example in communal amity. Muharram is observed by Muslims to mourn the death of Imam Hussein ibn Ali, the grandson of Prophet Mohammad in the battle of Karbala.
Wish Trilokpuri remains united leaving all difference and never again fall victim to the political stunts.
(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)
Like the pre-Diwali days when the city was crippled with a standoff between the drivers’ association and ride-hailing companies Ola and Uber, Mumbaikars’ post festive season days too are going to be paralysed as the city’s biggest taxi union of Kali Peeli (black and yellow) cabs has alarmed to go on protest from November 15 if their fitness certificates are not renewed by the government.
The suffering of the city people doesn’t end here as the strike call off by the Ola and Uber drivers is temporary on the move till November 15. Even though the 13-day agitation was concluded on November 3 after a four-hour-long meeting between the representatives of the private cab drivers, the officials from the Transport Department, and Transport Minister Diwakar Raote, the drivers have forewarned to not be on the roads from November 15 if their demands of higher rates per km, fares based on fuel prices, and better incentives were not accepted.
Noyonika Banerjee, a student of SNDT College stated, “As the Ola and Uber cabs were on strike a few days ago, I’m sure it did get a little difficult for the ones who often travel by cabs but the cabs are important to a lot of people in the city who don’t have the habit of travelling by the local trains.”
The strike that started from October 22, took 22,000 cabs away from the roads. In view of Diwali which was just a few days away during the period, a large part of the city folk who depends on Ola-Uber services had to bear the brunt. The jump of fuel prices since the start of the year was indeed a pain for the countrymen while as per the drivers’ union, cab fares have seen not seen a single penny growth and on grounds of that, the drivers were struggling to meet their expenses even after working for longer hours.
Deepak Savle, a driver associated with one of the ride-hailing giants expressed, “The decision to call off the strike was taken to ease the communication of the Mumbaikars during the festive season. We are working for 14-16 hours a day and still unable to earn enough money to sustain. Political parties fool us with promises of support; they take bribes and leave us midway.”
“If we can think for the city people’s difficulties then why can’t they think of ours? A fixed monthly earning as well as other demands must be fulfilled as soon as possible!” he added.
Kali Peeli taxi drivers on the other hand, who earlier demanded to regulate online aggregators such as Ola and Uber, are now going to stop the services as the fitness certificates of about 5,000 taxis have expired and according to the union members and drivers, the renewal of the same has been delayed since the last two months due to a court order that has directed the transport department to conduct a test that includes testing of brakes at a minimum distance of 250 metres. They have also threatened to dump their vehicles in front of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s bungalow at Malabar Hill on November 15. According to the taxi drivers association, both the government and the transport department paid no heed to the order and harassed the drivers asking them to go to Vashi or Panvel for the job to be done.
On the condition of anonymity, a Kali Peeli taxi driver from Bandra said, “We want the fitness certificates soon but it will cost us a good amount to take our cabs from Mumbai to Vashi or Panvel. The process to provide us with the certificate there is ill-reputed with goons who bully us to shell out money.”
Interior designer Karishma Lama who works in Churchgate said, “After cabs strike was called off, I experienced an increase in the rates. If Ola and Uber go on strike, it would not be a big problem as there is an option of Kali Peeli taxis. But if they also go on strike simultaneously, it is obviously going to affect the Mumbaikars.”
She went on saying, “Even though we have alternatives such as trains and buses, those will also get crowded if cabs and taxis both go on strike together. However, to travel locally in South Mumbai areas, there will be no other option left as that area has no other alternative mode of transportation.”
