Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot slammed the BJP-led opposition for “indulging in horse-trading” and stated that “everyone is united”.
“Election (Rajya Sabha) is here. It could have been conducted two months back but they had not completed the buying and selling in Gujarat and Rajasthan, so they delayed it. The election is going to be conducted now and the situation is the same,” Gehlot alleged.
“How long will you do politics by indulging in horse-trading? It will not be surprising if Congress gives them a jolt in the time to come. The public can understand everything. Today’s meeting was very fruitful. Everyone is united, we’ll meet again tomorrow,” the Chief Minister added.
The comments of the Chief Minister came after Congress Chief Whip in the state Assembly Mahesh Joshi on Wednesday wrote to Director General of Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) alleging that attempts are being made to destabilise the State Government by luring his party’s MLAs and independent MLAs who support the Government.
“I have come to know through reliable sources that attempts are being made to lure our MLAs and independent MLAs who support us, in order to destabilise the Government,” the letter read.
“It is against the spirit of the constitution and condemnable act. Take action against people who are indulging in such activities,” the letter added.
Congress MLAs along with independent MLAs, who are supporting Gehlot-led government in Rajasthan, attended a meeting at Shiv Vilas Resort in Jaipur over upcoming Rajya Sabha polls.
Three Rajya Sabha seats of Rajasthan are up for election which is scheduled to take place on 19 June. Congress party has 107 MLAs, including six from BSP who changed camps last year. The party has the support of 12 of the 13 Independent MLAs in the 200-member Assembly.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urged Indian industry leaders to set up globally-competitive domestic supply chains and turn the coronavirus crisis into an opportunity to become a self-reliant nation. “This is not the time for a conservative approach. It is time for bold decisions and bold investments,” he said while addressing the 95th annual plenary session of the Indian Chambers of Commerce (ICC) in Kolkata through video conferencing.
“We have to take the Indian economy out of ‘command and control’ and take it towards ‘plug and play’ mode. The coronavirus crisis has given us a pressing reason to turn the corners and become self-reliant. Atmanirbhar Bharat Mission is the reflection of that reason,” the Prime Minister said. While the world is battling coronavirus, India is fighting that too. But there are other issues also. “Flood, locusts, hailstorm, fire in an oil well, small earthquakes, two cyclones — we are fighting all of these together,” he said.
The Prime Minister said he gets a sense that every citizen of the country has resolved to face adversity with determination. “This will be a turning point in our history as we become self-reliant. Atmanirbhar Bharat is the manifestation of the dream every Indian has seen for all these years.” He said the country must exercise restraint on imports to strengthen micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Some of the areas where India can take a lead include medical equipment, defence production, solar panels, batteries, chip manufacturing and aviation.
The government will work on setting up relevant industrial clusters close by for specific local produce of all regions, he said. “These moves will surely turn farmers into producers and their crops into products for the larger market,” the Prime Minister said. At the same time, North-East India can become a major hub for organic farming by creating bamboo and organic product clusters in the region.
India is experiencing another major mission at present — to reduce the use of single-use plastic. This again, said the Prime Minister, is great for all three elements — people, planet and profit. Five years ago, an LED bulb would cost Rs 350. But the same bulb is now available for as little as Rs 50. Modi said this has been a relief on the pockets of people. It is good for the environment.
“So, the planet has also benefitted. And, of course, with mainstreaming of LED bulbs, manufacturers’ profits have also increased,” he said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that more research needs to be done to better understand the extent to which COVID-19 is being spread by people who don’t show symptoms.
“Since early February, we have said that asymptomatic people can transmit COVID-19, but that we need more research to establish the extent of asymptomatic transmission,” the WHO chief said at a virtual press conference from Geneva on Wednesday, a news agency reported.
“That research is ongoing, and we’re seeing more and more research being done,” he added.
Saying that the world has been achieving a lot in knowing the new virus, the WHO chief told reporters that “there’s still a lot we don’t know.”
“WHO’s advice will continue to evolve as new information becomes available,” he said.
Tedros stressed that the most critical way to stop transmission is to find, isolate and test people with symptoms, and trace and quarantine their contacts.
“Many countries have succeeded in suppressing transmission and controlling the virus doing exactly this,” Tedros said.
Meanwhile, Michael Ryan, executive director of WHO Health Emergencies Program, said Wednesday that the COVID-19 pandemic is still evolving.
“If we look at the numbers… this pandemic is still evolving. It is growing in many parts of the world,” he said. “We have deep concerns that health systems of some countries are struggling, under a huge strain and require our support, our help and our solidarity.”
He said, “each and every country has a different combination of risks and opportunities, and it’s really down to national authorities to carefully consider where they are in the pandemic.”
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation issued new guidelines for opening markets and shops in the Mumbai city for full working hours with some conditions.
“Markets and shops in Mumbai, which has seen a steady rise in COVID-19 cases, are now allowed to function for “full working hours” except on Sundays,” the civic body said on Tuesday amending its lockdown guidelines in a major relief for citizens.
However, malls and market complexes will continue to remain shut, it said. The new relaxations, coming into effect immediately, will not be applicable for containment zones. The civic body also clarified that the curfew announced between 9 pm to 5 am by the state government will have to be followed. Notably, the number of COVID-19 cases in Mumbai crossed the 50,000-mark on Monday and the fatality count mounted to 1,702, the state government had said. Markets, market areas and shops will remain open from Monday to Saturday except on Sundays, it stated. Earlier on June 2, the BMC had allowed all markets and shops to remain open between 9 am and 5 pm on conditions that they adhere to lockdown norms like sanitising premises and enforcing social distancing for customers.
The relaxations are complementary with the ‘Mission Begin Again’ or the phase-wise reopening of economic and public activities announced earlier by the government, the BMC said in the circular.
“All shops on the one side of the road/ lane/passage will open for full working hours on one day while all the shops of the other side of the road will remain open on the next day and so on,” the BMC stated in a circular. It said market or shop owners’ associations shall involve themselves for giving effect to the above arrangements and ensure social distancing.
In the latest guidelines, the BMC clarified that no garden or play area equipment, swings and bars will be allowed to operate during the lockdown period, till June 30. Open-air gyms are also not allowed, it stated. The BMC had on June 2 allowed select physical activities like cycling, jogging, running, and walking at parks and beaches between 5 am to 7 pm.
The civic body has already allowed private offices to operate with 10 percent of employees. It had also allowed printing and distribution of newspapers in the city. The civic body also allowed schools and other educational institutions to function for non-teaching purposes like the development of e-content, evaluation of answer sheets and declaration of results.
“However, the inter-district movement of persons within the area of the municipal corporation under the MMR (Mumbai Metropolitan Region) shall be allowed without any restrictions,” as per the revised guidelines. Movement of standard labourers, migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists etc will continue to be regulated as per the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), it said.
Almost in every monsoon, some people give up their lives under the wreckage of old buildings. Between 2001 & 2015, an average of 7 people died per day in Collapse of Structures in the city. Data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) indicates that a total of 38363 people lost their lives due to collapse of various structures between 2001 and 2015. The saga of such tragic deaths continued till 2019, this year Mumbai has many challenges, from Lockdown withdrawals to living with COVID19. Most people lost their lives because of the collapse of residential houses. There are hundreds of people forced to live in these dangerous buildings in spite of every day building fall incidents.
The building walls have deep cracks and the paint is peeling, much portion of the building just sliced and some are standing on temporary supports. But still the people are forced to live here in danger, because they cannot buy or rent a new flat in the neighbourhoods because they are very expensive. Property prices and rent in Mumbai are among the highest in Asia. Many citizens are forced to live in old, dilapidated properties in a land-scarce city where an estimated 60% of its 18 million people live in slums and purlieus.
In the western suburbs, Andheri (west) or the K/West ward has 50 buildings in the C-1 category. As part of its pre-monsoon preparedness, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had identified 791 buildings in the C-1 category — the most dangerous. Of these, it has demolished 186 (23%) buildings and evacuated 117 (14%) buildings as of March-end. buildings as C-2 and C-3. While C-2 buildings require major structural repairs, C-3 need minor repairs. The largest numbers of dilapidated buildings are in L ward or Kurla (113) followed by N ward or Ghatkopar, where 80 buildings are in the C-1 category. However, the BMC demolished only two buildings in L ward and evacuated around 19 others. It is yet to initiate action on 92 buildings. The F/North ward (which includes Matunga, Dadar and Sion) also has 77 structures in the C-1 category.
There are thousands of buildings in Mumbai that are more than 70 years old. Due to an archaic law which limits raising rents, many tenants pay as low as $1-$20 (65 pence-£13) a month, leaving the landlords with little money to invest in repairs and maintenance. No wonder then that 959 buildings have been branded as “dilapidated and dangerous” by the city’s municipality. And every year, a number of these buildings collapse, leading to many deaths.
In a densely populated city where quality, affordable housing is scarce, realtors often cut corners to make what many call substandard buildings, putting the buyers at risk. Though there are nearly half a million pricey apartments which lie vacant as sellers look for rich buyers, millions of middle-class residents get squeezed out to the suburbs and outskirts to live in these hazardous new buildings. The corruption in the housing sector – complex regulation leading to complicity between a section of builders and government workers – worsens matters and leads to poor quality buildings coming up in the city. Corrupt builders build homes without taking mandatory permissions using poor construction material. In many cases, residents get a structural audit done and approach the court to get a stay delaying the demolition further. According to the data, 145 cases are pending with the court and 21 cases are pending with an internal committee.
A structural audit is mandatory for any building, which are more than 30 years old. With limited availability of open land parcels in Mumbai, major developers are now looking at venturing into the redevelopment space. Dilapidated buildings on the verge of collapse are a grim reality for thousands of housing societies across Mumbai. Developers, as an incentive to owners of older buildings, offer additional area, money, and the promise of a new flat with a better amenity. But owners should keep a few things in mind before opting for redevelopment. Housing redevelopment refers to the process of reconstruction of a residential premise by demolition of the existing structure and construction of a new one as per approvals from the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM). It ideally works best when a society is in dire need of extensive repairs but is starved of the necessary funds for it. Developers, on their part, are also on the lookout for properties with unused development rights where they can build a new and higher structure where the additional floors can be sold for a tidy profit. But redevelopment can only take place if 75 percent of the members tender their consent. Over 20,000 housing societies, 17,000 ceased buildings and over 3,000 MHADA (Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority) structures are waiting for redevelopment proposals.
However, while redevelopment may be the latest buzz, citizens argue that developers often tear down old colonial mansions to build luxury towers for the rich. And more often than not, it is often haphazard and done without the consent of society members. The redevelopment process also causes inconvenience to the residents, as they will have to look for alternative places to stay in while the builder demolishes the old building and constructs a new one. Redevelopment is usually burdened with bitterness and complaints of high-handedness and corruption against the Managing Committee of the society, which is why people choose to live in whatever space they have.
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Considering the lockdown amidst the Covid-19 pandemic and its side effects on the overall employment scenario in the country, the Government of India gave explicit instructions to state governments to give maximum employment to villagers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). As a result, almost every state government scaled up the works under MGNREGA and millions of villagers, including migrant labourers who recently returned to their native places, are getting employment and an increased wage under this rural job scheme. In terms of labour engagement and planning under MGNREGA, Rajasthan has shown impressive performance. It gave employment to 50.20 lakh people under MGNREGA on June 8 this week, which means if a family in Rajasthan has 5 members, the job guarantee scheme is providing livelihood to 2.5 crore people in the state. Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh also seem to be performing well.
Undoubtedly, MGNREGA was initiated with the good intention of keeping migration in check and making rural economy strong. It achieved its goal to an extent. It saved the rural Indian economy from getting collapsed during 2008-09 global economic slowdown.
However, MGNREGA witnessed some political disputes over its utility but it has come a long way since its launch and it has successfully proved its worth as a life saver for millions of rural people.
Given below are some facts and figures on the basis of which it can be said with confidence that the overall scheme of MGNREGA has changed for better over the years.
Increased Central Fund
According to an official data of the Government of India, MGNREGA received Rs. 1,91,864 crore as central fund between financial year (FY) 2008-09 and 2013-14, whereas it received an increased amount of Rs. 3,06,953 crore as central fund between FY 2014-15 and FY 2019-20.
More Women Participation
There was only 48% women participation in MGNREGA works during FY 2013-14, but in FY 2019-20 the participation of women work force increased to 55%.
E-Payment of Wages
Earlier, less than 50% work force of MGNREGA received their payments through eFMS (e-payments). But, in FY 2019-20, more than 99% of MGNREGA workers got their wages through e-payments. More than 24 states have implemented NeFMS, which is the system of transferring wages directly into the bank account of MGNREGA workers.
Reduced Number of Registers
Earlier, Gram Panchayats were maintaining on an average 22-29 registers pertaining to MGNREGA. But it is reduced to merely 7 simplified registers now. More than 2.69 lakh Gram Panchayats have already adopted them so far and it has made the maintenance of records easier for lower level bureaucracy.
Enhanced Focus on Agriculture
Before FY 2013-14, there were around 48% focus on agriculture and allied activities under MGNREGA works. But it significantly increased to more than 66% in FY 2019-20 which gave a big boost to the agriculture sector.
Impressive Rate of Completion of Works
The rate of completion of works under MGNREGA has also increased impressively in the last few years. On an average 25 to 30 lakh works were completed every year until FY 2013-14. But, in FY 2019-20, 72.06 lakh works were completed and more than 10 lakh works has already been completed in the current FY 2020-21 so far. Between 2005-06 and 2013-2014, 1.27 crore assets were created, whereas 3.63 crore assets has been created in the relatively short span of 2014-15 to 2019-20.
Improved Process of Job Card Verification
The process of job card verification and updation was sporadic and irregular. But, in recent years, it has improved and 95% of active job cards has been updated and verified in campaign mode. Around 7.62 lakh job cards has been deleted and 34.86 lakh new job cards has been issued.
The above-mentioned facts and figures are telling the story of MGNREGA holistically. The Union government is well aware of the importance of MGNREGA at a crucial juncture when 40 crore strong unorganized workforce is the worst hit because of lockdown arising out of Covid-19 crisis. It had allocated Rs. 61,500 crores for MGNREGA in the Union Budget 2020. Recently, it allocated an additional package of Rs. 40,000 crores for MGNREGA. It should be fully appreciated and we should be optimistic that it will play a major role in the livelihoods of millions of Indians and it will also benefit our economy eventually.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of AFTERNOON VOICE and AFTERNOON VOICE does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
In Maharashtra, which is the worst affected state in the country, the lockdown was extended till June 30 with easing of restrictions and phase-wise resumption of activities. Calling it “Mission Begin Again”, the government allowed all markets, market areas and shops, except malls, to function from June 5 on odd-even basis even as cases in the state crossed 65,000. This will exclude containment zones. The Centre plans to unlock all the economic activities in a phased manner, beginning with the opening of restaurants and malls on June 8. Though the lockdown 5.0 will last till June 30, it is only in containment zones. Also, the night curfew hours for areas outside these zones have been revised to 9 pm to 5 am from the earlier 7 pm to 7 am. In the case of educational institutions, younger children, graduating classes, and students taking exams were allowed to return to schools. Germany has witnessed more than 1,83, 000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and over 8,500 deaths. After a relative containment of the spread of the virus, Italy moved to ease lockdown restriction beginning in early May. According to measures laid out by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, Italy allowed construction, parks, and manufacturing to reopen on May 4, while also allowing people to visit their relatives in limited numbers. It permitted people to move around within regions, individual athletes to resume training and resumption of takeaway services in restaurants from May 4 onwards.
Retail shops, libraries, and museums were allowed to reopen on May 18. Hair salons, bars, dine-in services in restaurants, and travel between regions will also be allowed starting from this week. Restaurants, however, will be required to reduce the number of diners, place tables at a distance, and put plastic sheets to separate diners.
The unlock 1.0, however, will play out differently in most states as they have been given the freedom to prohibit certain activities if they deem fit. But they cannot water down the Centre guidelines. On Sunday, a day before lockdown 4.0 expires, Tamil Nadu announced that it would be extending the lockdown till June 30. Lockdown 5.0 Guidelines & Rules, Coronavirus India Lockdown Unlock 1.0 Guidelines LIVE News Updates: The unlock 1.0, however, will play out differently in most states as they have been given the freedom to prohibit certain activities if they deem fit. But they cannot water down the Centre guidelines. lockdown 4.0, which was imposed to curb the spread of novel coronavirus in the country, ended on May 31, the central government on Saturday announced its plans for a phased reopening of the economy, dubbed as ‘Unlock 1’.
In Phase 1, places of worship, hotels, restaurants, and other hospitality services, and shopping mall will be allowed to reopen with advised precautions. It has been planned to reopen educational institutions in Phase 2, a decision on which will be taken in July.
Similarly, international air travel for passengers, metro rail services, cinema halls, swimming pools, entertainment parks, gymnasiums, theatres, bars, auditoriums, and assembly halls will be reopened in Phase 3.Apart from this, while night curfew will remain in place between 9 pm to 5 am, except for essential activities, states have been allowed to impose suitable restrictions, if deemed necessary.
Most countries that scrambled to put strict nationwide lockdowns to contain the spread of Covid-19 are resorting to gradual reopening in order to avoid sharp spikes in infections that could potentially undo the progress made during the lockdowns.
The US is the worst-affected country across the globe with 17.75 lakh confirmed Covid-19 cases and nearly 1,04, 000 deaths. Most states had been put under some form of lockdown in late March. The growth of cases has varied across states and so has the response as well as the reopening strategy. A majority of states, which began permitting limited activities in early May, have moved for quicker reopening unlike states like New York – the epicentre of the outbreak within the US – which has opted for a more conservative and cautious approach for the exit.
Houses of worship, personal care outlets such as hair salons and retail stores have been allowed to reopen in most of the states. Other non-essential businesses have been allowed to reopen as well in certain states at full capacity, while at least 35 states have allowed restaurant dining and reopening of bars.
In New York, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has followed a 7-metric approach for a phased regional reopening in the state. These metrics include a 14-day decline in net hospitalisations and deaths, availability of beds and ICU beds, and a testing target. It’s only when all the seven parameters are met a county is cleared for reopening. As of Sunday, most regions within the state have entered Phase 2 of reopening, in which personal care outlets will be allowed to reopen along with non-essential construction and manufacturing, and curb side pickup in restaurants and retail stores. Advisories, however, have been issued with regards to the number of employees allowed to work and adherence to social distancing norms. New York City, the worst-affected zone within the state, is still under lockdown and is expected to enter Phase 1 of reopening on June 8.
In late April, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez laid out a lockdown exit strategy consisting of four phases from Phase 0 to 3 with each one lasting for two weeks. Phase 0, which allowed limited outside activities, was planned as a foundation for the transition. Under Phase 1, small businesses were permitted to reopen with precautions such as earmarking specific shopping hours for those over 65 years old. Assemblies of up to 10 people were allowed as well.
Hotels were also allowed to reopen but with specific restrictions on access to common areas and adherence to social distancing. In Phase 2, restaurants were planned to be reopened for interior dining. Similarly, cinemas and theatres were allowed to reopen with limited capacity.
The government also allowed assemblies of up to 50 people in closed spaces and up to 400 people in open spaces. In Phase 3, beginning in the second week of June, all businesses will be allowed to restart with limited restrictions. Spain has recorded 2.39 lakh confirmed cases of Covid-19 and over 27,000 deaths.
The federal government in Germany has left it on states to decide on reopening. The guidelines state that the lockdown will have to be imposed again if cases see a spike in a particular region. People have been told to continue to practice social distancing. People have been allowed to meet each other, however, the limit on the number varies across states. Professional football was allowed to resume in mid-May. Shops and small businesses have been allowed to reopen as well with regulations on capacity and hygiene.
Italy was one of the first nations outside of China to report a massive outbreak of the novel coronavirus in March this year. It has recorded 2,33,000 confirmed cases and over 33,000 deaths. The UK is the worst-affected European country with 2,76,000 confirmed cases and over 38,000 total deaths. Accepting the fact that the fight against the virus is going to continue for a long time, Prime Minister Boris Johnson in early May announced a detailed reopening plan for the nation. People were allowed to go outdoors for sun-bathing, picnic, and meetings in small groups while maintaining social distance. If possible, employees were told to work from home. If they had to go to the office, they were advised to take private means of transport to avoid overcrowding in trains and buses.
As India moves to ease its lockdown norms, one key difference that it has with other countries is that while countries such as in Europe and several states in the US eased restrictions after the daily increase in cases either contracted or stabilised. However, in India’s case, the easing of the lockdown comes at a time when daily reported cases have risen consistently over the past couple of weeks.
The petition, filed by NGO Ezra Foundation through advocates Shashikant Chaudhari and Manoj Kumar Singh, further sought a court-monitored committee for framing guidelines for opening of schools across the state and preparing a list of erring schools that are charging fees, and revoking their registration. NGO moved the Bombay High Court on Monday seeking directions to the state government to refrain from conducting classes – through both online and offline modes – for primary and pre-primary students in the age group of three to 14 years until September.
We spoke to Kanchan Navre mother of a 3-year-old said, “The government and schools are lacking in informing the parents about the future course of action, as this Covid is likely to stay for coming years, how are our children going to attend the schools with the rising cases of Covid-19 in the city. It will be inhuman and unsafe for our children to attend school looking at their weak immunity systems.”
Another parent Prabhakar Shetty said, “There is a lot of confusion on primary school reopening in Mumbai, and online teaching. As parents, we are worried, how small children can cope up and continuously sit on computers. Purchasing of a laptop or computer is another issue as many private employees are being terminated or facing salary crunch. Online training with poor network, frequent disconnections, untrained teachers and parents will only jeopardize the future of our kids.”
The plea also sought that the state should frame guidelines for a “common fee structure” for private schools for the 2020-21 academic year in view of financial problems being faced by the parents due to the lockdown.
“Some parents have opposed reopening of schools but their concerns are not being addressed. Many parents are at their native place at this juncture due to the lockdown and many have become financially weak to afford fees of private schools, which are in several lakhs. In such a situation, parents are not able to pay fees in June or at least the next two to three months. However, schools have issued circular for payment of fees…” the plea said. It is set to be heard later this week.
Actor Sonu Sood, who has been arranging transport for migrant workers stranded in Mumbai and has faced criticism from the Shiv Sena for “enacting a political script written by BJP”, was stopped outside the Bandra Terminus in Mumbai by police from meeting labourers.
A Mumbai Police official said the actor was stopped by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) when he reached the station on Monday night to meet some labourers, and added that they have not received any complaint so far in this connection.
The migrant labourers were supposed to take the Shramik Special train from Bandra Terminus to Uttar Pradesh.
Mumbai’s Nirmal Nagar police station’s senior inspector Shashikant Bhandare told a news agency that “The actor was stopped by the RPF, not by us. He wanted to meet labourers who were going to their native place. We have not received any complaint regarding this till now.”
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday wondered whether the BJP propped up Sonu Sood to “offer help” to migrant workers from north India stranded in Maharashtra amidst the lockdown, with the political motive to show the Uddhav Thackeray government in poor light.
In his weekly column ‘Rokhthok’ in Shiv Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, Sanjay Raut questioned the sudden rise of “Mahatma” Sood on the social scene of Maharashtra during the lockdown.
Mr Raut also referred to an alleged “sting operation” against Sonu Sood ahead of the 2019 general elections, saying he had agreed to promote the BJP-led government at various platforms through his official social media accounts.
However, later that day Chief Minister and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray lauded Sonu Sood’s initiative to arrange buses for stranded migrant workers.
The actor met Uddhav Thackeray at the latter’s residence ‘Matoshree’ in suburban Bandra on Sunday night.
On Monday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh backed Sonu Sood for his work for stranded migrant workers, and questioned the Maharashtra government’s criticism of the actor.
Once upon a time Mumbai was under too much of threat by the underworld honchos, on one hand cops pulled their socks for gunning down terrorists and on the other hand there were gang wars, murders, killings and blasts. The city was shaken and at unrest, this cruel saga of killing innocent people continued in 1993 after the Babri Masjid demolition. The 1993 blasts left 257 people dead, injured 1,400 and delivered a massive blow to Mumbai’s psyche. The bombings were also Mumbai’s first exposure to terror. For decades, the Mumbai noir had been dominated by gold smuggling, with its auxiliary industry of crime and gang warfare.
Dawood Ibrahim, the son of a constable who had then become the city’s most powerful criminal figure, and eventually became India’s most-wanted man and now even Interpol is also in his look out. Ibrahim, along with Tiger Memon, was widely seen as having masterminded these attacks. After damaging the city to its core, they ran out of the country but their counterparts were not only conditioned but also mobilized to execute blasts around the Mumbai. Indeed, terrorism has struck Mumbai most often – a city that also seems to be the least equipped for it.
In 2003, the city froze in terrified episodes, as blasts shamed two other icons, the Gateway of India and the jewellery hub of Zaveri Bazar. The series of blasts kept on occurring thereafter. In 2006, serial blasts tore through its busy suburban train network during peak hour rush, killing more than 180 people. At 18:45 PM on Monday, 2 December 2002, a bomb placed under a seat of a BEST bus exploded near the busy Ghatkopar station. The bomb was placed in the rear of a bus near the station and killed two people and injured over 50. Ghatkopar being the final stop, all the passengers in the bus had just alighted and passengers for the return trip had not yet entered the bus. The people who were killed were those present in the busy bus station area. Later, the police defused an unexploded bomb from another BEST bus in SEEPZ industrial area at Andheri. The convicts in the 25 August 2003 Mumbai bombings, the twin bomb blasts in Zaveri Bazaar and Gateway of India also confessed to planting the unexploded bomb in the bus in SEEPZ area in suburban Mumbai.
The police arrested several suspects for the blast. All were acquitted in the following trials. One of the arrested was Khwaja Yunus, who died in police custody due to cruelty caused by cops. The accused policemen were being tried in a fast track court. Look at the irony, the one who died his death in police custody was not a saint for sure and the police those accused of death were facing legal actions against them.
These cops were under tremendous media and court trials. Some journalists went on calling them corrupts and dirty harries, those days media was divided. Some were hell-bent on emphasizing the human rights for suspects and accused persons in blasts, and some were rational enough in calling it a spread. More than the suspects, those innocents who were killed in the blast too deserved justice. But we all know how our judiciary functions, Mumbai was scared and tarnished in so-called revenge. This was the first in a series of five bombings against the city within a period of fewer than nine months.
Then, in November 2008, there was a 60-hour siege of the city in what turned out to be the largest terror strike in India. Attacks on the railway station, luxury hotels, and a Jewish cultural center claimed 166 lives. It drew Mumbai and India into global terror, and was the true successor to the 1993 bombings, in terms of trauma.
Sachin Vaze was part of the encounter squad with former police inspector Pradeep Sharma, now a Shiv Sena worker who contested and faced a humiliating defeat in 2019 on Sena’s ticked. Retired ACP Praful Bhosle, police inspector Dayanand Nayak and others in the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) of the Mumbai Police. Sachin Vaze, during his tenure with the CIU, was involved in around 63 encounters. He was accused of covering up the custodial death. He has also been charged with creating a scene that Yunus escaped from the custody near Partner in Ahmednagar district while he was taking him to Parbhani for investigation. There were many theories and trials in this case but somewhere, Vaze was boasting confident of his “innocence” in this case. Investigations by the state CID in 2003 found that Vaze’s escape theory was false and that Yunus actually died in police custody. Vaze was suspended for being responsible for Yunus’ death. Later, in 2007, the investigations were getting lengthy and Sachin resigned from the Police force and joined Shiv Sena.
On the night of the 26/11 terror attacks on Mumbai, Vaze was seen driving the car of then Leader of Opposition Ramdas Kadam. It is believed that it was Vaze who had brought it to Kadam’s notice that then Commissioner of Police Hassan Gafoor was sleeping in his official car outside Hotel Trident, where two Pakistani terrorists had struck. His close proxy with Shiv Sena can be one of the prominent reasons that he returned to the department.
Let it be Daya Nayak, Pradeep Sharma, Ravindra Angry or Sachin Vaze, and all other so-called encounter cops, they all have gone through the wrath, and gradually returned to the department. A few among them, later on, resigned from duties and joined politics and faced embarrassing downfall. Some cops’ smarty endeavored into businesses and social services, there are hardly any examples of cops becoming successful politicians in Indian history. But there are several examples to witness, where police and politicians broke bread together.
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Considering the lockdown amidst the Covid-19 pandemic and its side effects on the overall employment scenario in the country, the Government of India gave explicit instructions to state governments to give maximum employment to villagers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). As a result, almost every state government scaled up the works under MGNREGA and millions of villagers, including migrant labourers who recently returned to their native places, are getting employment and an increased wage under this rural job scheme. In terms of labour engagement and planning under MGNREGA, Rajasthan has shown impressive performance. It gave employment to 50.20 lakh people under MGNREGA on June 8 this week, which means if a family in Rajasthan has 5 members, the job guarantee scheme is providing livelihood to 2.5 crore people in the state. Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh also seem to be performing well.
