An online newspaper run by the photojournalism students of Udaan School of Photography
8
Mumbai Weekly Candlelight vigil held for Nepal Earthquake victims Students hold placards and can- dles in Mumbai on 29 April 2015. Kartik Avatani/Mumbai Weekly Students from various college participated in a candle march held in Mumbai on April 29, 2015, as a tribute to Nepal earthquake victims. Students were seen holding placards which said - ‘ Pray for Nepal ’, ‘ Every day is a new beginning ’ & ‘ Our hearts go out to Nepal ’. They also of- fered their prayers to the victims and paid tributes to those who lost their lives. The earthquake, which has shaken the whole country of Nepal, hit on April 25, 2015 fol- lowed by several af- tershocks. The death toll has been reported to have reached over 8000 with more than 14000 injured. As the government in Nepal is still unable to reach many mountain- ous regions, it is hard to say the exact death toll. As told to Reu- ters by PM Sushil Koirala, the death toll may reach up to 10000, as information on casualties and damage from far flung villages and towns is yet to come. Metro Pg 3 Sports Pg 8 Feature Pg 5 People Pg 2 Well known Bollywood ac- tor Salman Khan was found guilty by Sessions Court in the famous ‘ Hit & Run ’ case, which killed one per- son and injured four others. He was sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of ₹25000. Mum- bai Sessions Court Judge DW Deshpande, on 6 May, found Salman Khan guilty of all eight charges against him, including the more se- rious charge under Section 304(II) of the Indian Penal Code for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. After the verdict the actor ’ s legal team brought in senior counsel Harish Salve to plead the High Court for an interim bail which was granted. The counsel argued that since a copy of the court judgment was not available, bail should be granted till 8 May as per newspaper reports. The case has been in the media lime- light ever since the actor crashed his car into a bakery on Hill Road, Bandra, kill- ing one and injuring 4 other people sleeping on the foot- path. As per the statement given to police by Ravindra Patil, Salman ’ s bodyguard on the night of accident, the actor was not in the state to drive the car, according to newspaper reports. In a huge relief to Bollywood super- star Salman Khan, the Bom- bay High Court, on 8 May, suspended his 5 - year sen- tence in the hit - and - run case and granted him bail pend- ing his appeal against con- viction. The judge told him to surrender before the trial court and fill the fresh bail bond of ₹30000. The court will issue next directions on 15 June, and the hearing on actor's appeal will take place in the month of July. Salman Khan gets leaves his residence a day before the verdict in Mumbai on 5 May 2015. Kartik Avatani/Mumbai Weekly Three firemen killed in a massive fire in Kalbadevi Three firemen were killed when a part of a building col- lapsed after catching fire in South Mumbai ’ s Kalbadevi area on 9 May 2015. Accord- ing to newspaper reports, the fire started at around 4:30 pm in the electric meter room on the ground floor of the Gokul Niwas building. A part of the building was un- dergoing repairs as the build- ing was almost 50 years old. Five fire engines were pre- sent there to control the situ- ation. The first fire engine came after 45 minutes be- cause of the narrow lanes and busy markets of that area. The cylinder blast worsened the situation. The firemen who died on the spot were identified as assistant divi- sional officer SW Rane and station officer MN Desai … continued on page 3 Firefighters try to control the blaze in Kalbadevi, Mumbai on 9 May 2015. The first fire engine could reach the incident spot only after 45 minutes due to the narrow lanes and market. Kartik Avatani/Mumbai Weekly People panic as the policemen try to control the crowd after the fire goes out of control, Mumbai on 9 May 2015. Kartik Avatani/Mumbai Weekly Salman Khan sentenced to five years in jail, out on bail ‘Alleged’ Drug Dealer gets policed by Mumbai crowd People harass the Nigerian national in presence of railway police in Ghatkopar station, Mumbai on 11 May 2015. Satyabrata Tripathy/Mumbai Weekly Mumbai saw moral policing being doled out on the streets to a Nigerian national, at Ghatkopar station, on the sus- picion of a local Crime Branch officer travelling in the same train, as an ‘alleged’ drug dealer. The man’s be- havior in the local train creat- ed suspicion. When the train approached the station, the officer tried to apprehend the man, but he tried to run away. With the help of the crowd who manhandled, the officer caught him. After interroga- tion, he was found clean and released. The officer refused to provide details to the Mumbai Weekly photogra- pher present at the scene.
Transcript
Mumbai Weekly
Candlelight vigil held for Nepal Earthquake victims
Students hold placards and can-
dles in Mumbai on 29 April
2015. Kartik Avatani/Mumbai
Weekly
Students from various
college participated
in a candle march
held in Mumbai on
April 29, 2015, as a
tribute to Nepal
earthquake victims.
Students were seen
holding placards
which said - ‘Pray for
Nepal’, ‘Every day is
a new beginning’ &
‘Our hearts go out to
Nepal’. They also of-
fered their prayers to
the victims and paid
tributes to those who
lost their lives. The
earthquake, which has
shaken the whole
country of Nepal, hit
on April 25, 2015 fol-
lowed by several af-
tershocks. The death
toll has been reported
to have reached over
8000 with more than
14000 injured. As the
government in Nepal
is still unable to
reach many mountain-
ous regions, it is hard
to say the exact death
toll. As told to Reu-
ters by PM Sushil
Koirala, the death toll
may reach up to
10000, as information
on casualties and
damage from far
flung villages and
towns is yet to come.
Metro
Pg 3
Sports
Pg 8
Feature
Pg 5
People
Pg 2
Well known Bollywood ac-
tor Salman Khan was found
guilty by Sessions Court in
the famous ‘Hit & Run’
case, which killed one per-
son and injured four others.
He was sentenced to five
years rigorous imprisonment
and a fine of ₹25000. Mum-
bai Sessions Court Judge
DW Deshpande, on 6 May,
found Salman Khan guilty of
all eight charges against
him, including the more se-
rious charge under Section
304(II) of the Indian Penal
Code for culpable homicide
not amounting to murder.
After the verdict the actor’s
legal team brought in senior
counsel Harish Salve to
plead the High Court for an
interim bail which was
granted. The counsel argued
that since a copy of the
court judgment was not
available, bail should be
granted till 8 May as per
newspaper reports. The case
has been in the media lime-
light ever since the actor
crashed his car into a bakery
on Hill Road, Bandra, kill-
ing one and injuring 4 other
people sleeping on the foot-
path. As per the statement
given to police by Ravindra
Patil, Salman’s bodyguard
on the night of accident, the
actor was not in the state to
drive the car, according to
newspaper reports. In a huge
relief to Bollywood super-
star Salman Khan, the Bom-
bay High Court, on 8 May,
suspended his 5-year sen-
tence in the hit-and-run case
and granted him bail pend-
ing his appeal against con-
viction. The judge told him
to surrender before the trial
court and fill the fresh bail
bond of ₹30000. The court
will issue next directions on
15 June, and the hearing on
actor's appeal will take place
i n t h e m o n t h o f J u l y . Salman Khan gets leaves his residence a day before the verdict in Mumbai on 5 May
2015. Kartik Avatani/Mumbai Weekly
Three firemen killed in a massive fire in Kalbadevi
Three firemen were killed
when a part of a building col-
lapsed after catching fire in
South Mumbai’s Kalbadevi
area on 9 May 2015. Accord-
ing to newspaper reports, the
fire started at around 4:30
pm in the electric meter room
on the ground floor of the
Gokul Niwas building. A
part of the building was un-
dergoing repairs as the build-
ing was almost 50 years old.
Five fire engines were pre-
sent there to control the situ-
ation. The first fire engine
came after 45 minutes be-
cause of the narrow lanes and
busy markets of that area.
The cylinder blast worsened
the situation. The firemen
who died on the spot were
identified as assistant divi-
sional officer SW Rane and
station officer MN Desai…
continued on page 3 Firefighters try to control the blaze in Kalbadevi, Mumbai on 9 May 2015. The first fire engine could reach the incident
spot only after 45 minutes due to the narrow lanes and market. Kartik Avatani/Mumbai Weekly
People panic as the policemen try to control the crowd after
the fire goes out of control, Mumbai on 9 May 2015. Kartik
Avatani/Mumbai Weekly
Salman Khan sentenced to five years in jail, out on bail
‘Alleged’ Drug Dealer gets policed by Mumbai crowd
People harass the Nigerian national in presence of railway
police in Ghatkopar station, Mumbai on 11 May 2015.
Satyabrata Tripathy/Mumbai Weekly
Mumbai saw moral policing
being doled out on the streets
to a Nigerian national, at
Ghatkopar station, on the sus-
picion of a local Crime
Branch officer travelling in
the same train, as an ‘alleged’
drug dealer. The man’s be-
havior in the local train creat-
ed suspicion. When the train
approached the station, the
officer tried to apprehend the
man, but he tried to run away.
With the help of the crowd
who manhandled, the officer
caught him. After interroga-
tion, he was found clean and
released. The officer refused
to provide details to the
Mumbai Weekly photogra-
pher present at the scene.
2 PEOPLE MW MONDAY, 18 MAY, 2015
A tale of sleeping on the street
A man sleeps beside the road while a car passes by near Byculla, Mumbai on 15 May
2015. Mrinmoy Choudhury/Mumbai Weekly
Above: Homeless people sleep on the street ignoring imminent danger of a vehic-
ular mishap in Byculla, Mumbai on 15 May 2015. Pranav Akkala/Mumbai Weekly
Below: A woman sits as other people sleep beside the road near Byculla, Mumbai
on 15 May 2015. Pranav Akkala/Mumbai Weekly
Homeless people sleep on the street in Mumbai on 14 May 2015. Pratik Chorge/
Mumbai Weekly
A woman and her child sleep on the street in Byculla, Mumbai on 17 May 2015. Pratik
Chorge/Mumbai Weekly
A man sleeps on the divider in the middle of the road next to moving traffic in Mumbai
on 13 May 2015. Pranav Akkala/Mumbai Weekly
3 METRO MW MONDAY, 18 MAY, 2015
Commuter falls from moving train, dies due to apathy
A man fell from a moving train a few metres after
Chunabhatti railway sta-tion on 25 April 2015 at around 11 am. The train
was stopped and the loco
pilot informed officials at Chunabhatti about the in-
cident after which the train proceeded. In an act of utter negligence, no
one from the railway sta-
tion appeared at the scene to help even after thirty
minutes of receiving in-formation although the station is not even 100
metres away. Locals and
other passengers were un-willing to help and the
man passed away by the time railway staff arrived on the scene. Some money
and a phone number were
retrieved from the man’s clothes. The identity of
the man could not be found immediately as there were no identifica-
tion papers on person and
the number was not reach-able. The body was sent
to Sion Hospital for au-topsy. The man was later identified as Prakash
Sonawane aged 30 years.
Local residents and passengers watch the man who fell-off a local train near Chunabhatti rail-
way station. Railway officials were late to respond to the situation even after receiving infor-
mation about the incident. Satyabrata Tripathy/Mumbai Weekly
Railway medical attendants carry the dead body of the man who died on the spot.
Help arrived only thirty minutes after the railway officials were informed. Satyabrata
Tripathy/Mumbai Weekly
RPF cop manhandles a senior citizen
An R.P.F policeman manhandles a senior citizen amidst people waiting in a queue outside Malad Rail-
way Station, Mumbai on 1 April 2015. Sudden surge in the crowd was seen as the Indian railways has
revised advance reservation period for booking accommodation in trains from 60 days to 120 days.
Kartik Avatani/Mumbai Weekly
A severely burnt firemen at the Kalbadevi fire being rushed
to the hospital for treatment Kartik Avatani/Mumbai Weekly
Continued from page 1…
The other two fire officials,
city’s fire brigade chief Sunil
Nesrikar and deputy chief fire
officer SG Amin, suffered
50% and 90% severe burns
respectively. They were admit-
ted to National Burns Centre
at Airoli. Sudhir Amin died on
13 May, 2015 at around 4:15
pm after battling for his life
for six days at National Burns
Centre in Airoli. It was report-
ed that he died due to multiple
organ failure. He was admitted
in the ICU and was on ventila-
tor the whole time. Amin's
body was brought to Byculla
Fire Station at around 8 pm for
colleagues and other people
to offer their respects, the
same day. Amin, who was
awarded the President's Gold
Medal for meritorious services
during the November, 2008,
Mumbai terror attacks, was on
May 11 belatedly granted a
promotion due since over five
months by the BMC. The oth-
er fireman, Sunil Nesrikar is
reported to be still critical ac-
cording to newspaper reports.
Three firemen killed in a massive
blaze
Mumbai celebrates Maharashtra Day
Mumbai celebrated the in-
ception of its statehood on 1
May 2015, marking the oc-
casion as Maharashtra Day
at Shivaji Park. Maharash-
tra came into formation on
1st May in 1960. Before at-
taining statehood, Maha-
rashtra was part of a super
state that included present
day Gujarati-speaking areas
of Saurashtra and Kutch
along with Marathi-
speaking areas of
Marathwada which was col-
lectively known as the
‘Bombay State’. A wide-
spread movement called
Samyukta Maharashtra An-
dolan was instrumental in
the achievement of the sta-
tus of statehood for Maha-
rashtra. Each year parades
and celebrations are held at
Shivaji Park with a lot of
pomp and gaiety among
crowds. Shivaji Park was
bustling with activity since
morning on 1st May, as the
entire city’s uniformed men
from all armed services
such as the State Reserve
Police Force (SRPF), Brin-
hanmumbai command force,
home guards, civil defence,
fire brigade and city police
were gathered in full regalia
ready for their elaborate
display. The procession was
inaugurated by the Gover-
nor of Maharashtra, Chen-
namaneni Vidyasagar Rao.
Maharashtra home-guards stand in attention on the occasion of Maharashtra Day celebrations at Shivaji Park, Dadar in Mumbai on 1 May 2015. Pratik Chorge/
Mumbai Weekly
4 EDITORIAL MW
OPINION: Beef ban - Preservation of cattle or religious propaganda?
POINT OF VIEW: Running for 13 years and more...
Salman Kahn returns to his residence in Bandra prior to the day of his verdict in Mumbai on 5 May 2015. Kartik Avatani/
Mumbai Weekly
conv ic t ion in two days
t i l l J u l y, wha t t oo k 13
yea rs o f t r a i l s . G iv ing
a new twi s t t o t he case ,
t he wi tnes s on wh ee l s ,
Kamaal Kh an i s t he
new t a r ge t now. From
the uproar on soc i a l
med ia and suppo r t o f
t he f i lm f r a t e rn i t y t o
t he dance and ce l eb ra -
t i on ou t s ide Sa lman 's
r es idence , uncond i t i on -
a l was the suppo r t he
rece ived . Bu t t h i s
ques t ions the fac t t ha t
i f i t wasn ' t Sa l man
Khan , t he sup er s t a r o f
Bo l l yw ood , wou l d a l l
t h i s suppor t f rom
across t he coun t r y s t i l l
be t he r e? As man y
twee t abou t Sa lman be-
ing a go od gu y a t
hea r t , i t b r ings in no -
t i ce a l l t he ph i l an -
th rop ic ac t s Sa l man
d id , bu t ev iden t l y on l y
af t e r 2002 (Bein g Hu-
man s t a r t ed in 2008 ) . I t
p roved no th ing b u t a
mas t e r s t rok e o f t h e PR
Campaign as Sa lman ’ s
l aw yer was seen s ing-
ing the son g o f ch ar i t y
work to mak e the Judge
reduce the quan tu m of
sen tence . Bu t no r a i sed
a r gument chan ges the
fac t t h a t an inno cen t
man was k i l l ed on the
foo tpa th tha t n igh t . In
fac t t he r ea l a r gu ment
i s how fa r t he ac to r
p lans to run f rom th i s
Jayati Kataria
rea l i t y? The on e man
a rm y, super co p , he ro -
l i ke f i gu re po r t r a yed in
mov ies accoun t as h i s
move to c l ea r h i s c r im-
ina l ac t s i nd i rec t l y ,
t hough the 'Rob in Hood
Pande y' i nhumanl y f l ed
f rom the Cr ime scene
when accused in r e a l i t y
hav ing t rus t i n t he co r -
rup t s ys t em and the
power o f mone y and
pos i t i on to se t t l e
t h ings ; and i s s t i l l run -
n ing , a r e p roo fs o f
coward i ce and sh ame-
l es sness . Does the ac -
to r wan t s t o se t t he ex -
ample fo r c r imina l s - t o -
be , g iv in g ou t a c l ea r
message tha t power o f
money and pos i t i on
was and i s , s t i l l above
l aw and humani t y? As
man y p ower l es s peop le
a re s t i l l wa i t i n g fo r
ba i l wh ich the ac to r
go t i n two days . Bu t i f
h i s r ea l l i f e i s t o be
po r t ra yed on Ree l ,
doub t fu l i s t he p ra i se
fo r t he ch arac t e r . On
the o ther hand , t h e no t
much t aken in co ns id -
e ra t ion v i c t ims o f t he
inc iden t , Abdu l l ah
Rauf Sha ikh , M annu
Khan , Mohamad K al im
Pa than , Mus l im Sha ikh
on reco rd sa ys , t hey
don ' t w an t Conv ic t ion
bu t Compensa t ion ac -
coun t ing to t he fac t
t ha t i t ’s been 13 long
yea rs and conv ic t ion
w o n ’ t m a k e m u c h d i f -
f e r e n c e i n t h e v i c -
t i m ' s l i f e n o w , a s i t
c o u l d h a v e m a d e e a r -
l i e r , a s m a n y s e e
‘ j u s t i c e d e l a y e d i s
j u s t i c e d e n i e d ’ . M a y -
b e , S a l m a n d i d c h a n g e
a f t e r t h e i n c i d e n t ;
p e r h a p s , h e d i d a l o t
o f c h a r i t y w o r k t o
c o m p e n s a t e h i s c r i m e
b u t e v i d e n t l y , n o h e l p
w a s o f f e r e d t o t h e
v i c t i m s i n l a s t 1 3
y e a r s . A t t h e e n d o n e
q u e s t i o n s t h e f a c t i f
i t i s t h e 3 0 0 c r o r e
m o v i e p r o j e c t s r i d i n g
o n h i m , h i s h u m a n i -
t a r i a n w o r k o r h i s S u -
p e r S t a r i m a g e t h a t
c o n e d t h e p u b l i c t o
r a i s e h i m a t a p e d e s -
t a l s o h i g h t o r e a s o n s
o u t t h e f a c t t h a t k i l l -
i n g a n i n n o c e n t i s a
' h e i n o u s c r i m e ' a n d a
c h a r a c t e r f l a w . A r e
w e t o o b l i n d e d w i t h
h i s c h a r a c t e r s i n m o v -
i e s t h a t i t o v e r p o w e r s
t h e g r o u n d r e a l i t y a n d
a r e w i l l i n g t o f o r g i v e
h i m ? I t a l s o q u e s t i o n s
t h e b l i n d f o l d o f j u s -
t i c e i n o u r c o u n t r y ;
a r e t h e o b s o l e t e l a w s
f u l l o f l o o p h o l e s o r i s
t h e m o n e y t h a t c r e -
a t e s h o l e s i n t h e
p o c k e t o f l a w ?
T h e a b o v e v i e w s a r e
p e r s o n a l v i e w s e x -
p r e s s e d b y t h e a u -t h o r o f t h i s a r t i c l e .
MONDAY, 18 MAY, 2015
c e i v i n g t h e P r e s i d e n t ’ s
g o a h e a d w h i c h h a s b e e n
p e n d i n g s i n c e n i n e t e e n
ye a r s w h e n t h e b i l l w a s
f i r s t s u b m i t t e d t o t h e
P r e s i d e n t f o r a p p r o v a l o n
3 0 J a n u a r y 1 9 9 6 . T h e b a n
e x p r e s s l y p r o h i b i t s t h e
s a l e , c o n s u m p t i o n a n d
p o s s e s s i o n o f t h e m e a t o f
c o w s , b u l l s a n d b u l l o c k s .
N o w t h e q u e s t i o n a r i s e s
w h e r e o n e m i g h t a s k ,
“ W h y d o e s t h e b a n o n l y
a p p l y t o b e e f a n d n o t
p r o m o t i n g v e g e t a r i a n i s m
i n g e n e r a l ? ” T h e g o v e r n -
m e n t s t a t e s t h a t t h e b a n
i s f o r t h e c o n s e r v a t i o n o f
c a t t l e u n d e r t h e M a h a -
r a s h t r a A n i m a l P r e s e r v a -
t i o n b i l l , 1 9 9 5 . T h i s
d o e s n ’ t e x p l a i n w h y t h e
p o s s e s s i o n o r c o n s u m p -
t i o n o f m e a t o f c o w s
s l a u g h t e r e d o u t s i d e M a -
h a r a s h t r a s h o u l d b e
d e e m e d i l l e g a l a s c o w s
s l a u g h t e r e d o u t s i d e t h e
s t a t e d o n o t h a m p e r t h e
p r e s e r v a t i o n o f t h e
s t a t e ’ s c a t t l e i n a n y w a y .
T h e b a n l e d t o a l o t o f
u n e m p l o ym e n t a n d t h e
s t a t e h a s n o t m a d e a l t e r -
n a t i v e e m p l o ym e n t a r -
r a n g e m e n t s o f t h e h u n -
d r e d s o f p e o p l e
w o r k i n g i n s l a u g h t e r
h o u s e s i n t h e c i t y
w h o w e r e a f f e c t e d
b y t h e b a n . A r o u n d
1 0 , 0 0 0 c o w s , b u l l s
a n d b u l l o c k s u s e d t o
b e s l a u g h t e r e d i n
t h e c i t y b e f o r e t h e
b a n . P e t i t i o n s h a v e
b e e n f i l e d s t a t i n g
t h a t t h e l a w i n f r i n g -
e s o n b a s i c h u m a n
r i g h t s . T h e p e t i t i o n s
s t a t e t h a t e v e r y m a n
h a s t h e r i g h t t o e a t
m e a t a n d a r g u e t h a t
b e e f i s a r i c h s o u r c e
o f p r o t e i n . S o m e a s k
w h y b e e f c a n ’ t b e
i m p o r t e d f r o m o t h e r
s t a t e s . W h y h a s t h e
s t a t e t e r m e d c o n s e r -
v a t i o n o f c a t t l e a s
t h e r e a s o n f o r t h e
b a n a n d w h y a r e
o t h e r a n i m a l s e x -
c l u d e d f r o m t h e
b a n ? W h y a r e n ’ t
o t h e r a n i m a l s s t i l l
b e i n g s l a u g h t e r e d
n o t p a r t o f M a h a -
r a s h t r a A n i m a l
P r e s e r v a t i o n A c t ,
1 9 9 5 ? T o a n s w e r a l l
t h e s e q u e s t i o n s , o n e
m i g h t o n l y a s s u m e
r e l i g i o u s p r o p a g a n -
d a a s t h e r o o t o f t h e
b a n . W h e n t h e c o u n -
t r y i s b u i l t a s a
s e c u l a r s t a t e , h o w
c a n t h i s a c t o f r e -
l i g i o u s p a r t i a l i t y
b e j u s t i f i e d ?
The above views are per-
sonal views expressed by
the author of this article .
A man feeds a cow with crushed wheat balls in Kaanchpada, Malad, Mumbai on 5 May 2015. Kartik Avatani/Mumbai Weekly
Pranav Akkala
T h e
M a h a r a s h -
t r a g o v t .
r e c e n t l y
b a n n e d
b e e f i n
t h e s t a t e
a f t e r r e -
of Sa lman Khan ' s f ans
over t he conv i c t ion o f
t he ac to r i n t h e H i t and
Run case 2002 , as High
Cour t suspended the
S hort
lived was the
faith people
beheld in the
Justice of our
count r y as
shor t was
the out rage
5 FEATURE MW MONDAY, 18 MAY, 2015
A day at the salt pans
In 1930, Mahatma
Gandhi turned salt in-
to a powerful symbol
of freedom for Indi-
ans. These salt pans
are mostly located in
the coastal areas of
Gujarat , Maharashtra,
Tamil Nadu etc. In
Mumbai itself, these
salt pans are stretched
over an area of 5000
acres which is nine
t imes the size of de-
funct mill lands.
These salt pans along
with its thick man-
grove forest are con-
sidered as i ts defence
against ocean floods.
The salt pans are open
only for the month of
September ti ll May.
Being the seasonal
work, the salt pan
workers are left unem-
ployed for the rest of
the months. The work
at salt pan starts at 3
am. Most of the work-
ers here are not locals.
They have come from
the villages of Guja-
rat , Panvel, Karjat ,
Dahanu, and Palghar.
Their work requires
them to stay near salt
pans in small huts.
The working habitat is
not very suitable for
people to stay as most
them are in isolated
places. With no proper
electrici ty and water
around, the worker
suffers a lot . Also
there is no doctor pro-
vided to them in case
of emergency. Most of
these workers possess
skin issues because of
working there. While
fulfi ll ing India ’s salt
needs comes at a
price, as the salt pan
workers face problems
such as abnormally
thin legs which be-
come so stiff that even
after death, they do
not burn in the funeral
pyre. Their legs are
then collected by their
relatives and buried
separately in a small
grave with salt so that
they can decompose
naturally. They are
given shoes and
gloves to protect
themselves but i t ’s of
no use. The monsoon
takes their employ-
ment for that period.
With no choice left ,
they have to return
back to their places
and search for other
options of work. Mum-
bai Weekly photogra-
phers Pratik Chorge
and Kartik Avatani
took turns to spend
t ime at the salt pans.
6 BUSINESS & ECONOMY MW
Want more? Shell out more!
A plane takes off into the air while two boys gaze at it in Mumbai on 26 April 2015. Pratik Chorge/Mumbai Weekly
Airlines operating out of the
country have now been al-
lowed to charge customers
for the preferred seat of
choice apart from other an-
cillary services. DGCA or
Directorate General of Civil
Aviation recently finalised
on this decision in order to
boost the fail in growth of
the aviation industry and to
simultaneously provide the
consumer with freedom of
choosing services they wish
to avail and paying only for
those. “Considering the fact
that unbundling of services
and charges thereto has the
potential to make basic fare
more affordable and pro-
vides consumer an option of
paying for the services
which he/she wishes to
avail," was mentioned in a
recent circular of DGCA,
according to newspaper re-
ports. Unbundled services
would be a fixed rate and
would not be subject to
change in order to increase
the affordability of air travel
in the country. However,
airlines have been allowed
to charge for extra luggage,
preferential seating, meal/
snack/drink charges (except
drinking water), airline
lounges, check-in baggage,
sports equipment, musical
instrument carriage and spe-
cial declaration of valuable
baggage. Seat selection was
earlier limited to a percent-
age of the seats in the air-
plane which has now been
made applicable on all seats.
FCI scraps storage policy due to poor grain quality
Women clean food grains near a Chawl in Dana Bundar, Mumbai on 09 May 2015.
Kartik Avatani/Mumbai Weekly
30k crore “avoidable loss” for Indian Railways
Maintenance workers work on a train bogie in a railway workshop in Sandhrust road,
Mumbai on 18 May 2015. Pratik Chorge/Mumbai Weekly
According to newspaper reports, Indian Railways lost nearly
₹30,000 crores (approx. 4.7 bil-lion USD), failing to adhere to strict regulations and balances
based on the transport of iron ore, which was indicated in the recent report issued by the
Comptroller and Auditor Gen-eral (CAG) of India. Dual Freight Policy (DFP) has laid
down two specific categoriza-tions for the transport of iron ore, based on its usage. Iron ore used
in domestic consumption is charged a freight rate that is a
third of the rate charged for iron ore meant for exports. Separa-tion of the freight rates helps to
control the price of iron ore con-sumed within the country and to stay in accordance to internation-
al ore prices for which higher revenues can be generated by increasing the freight rate for the
iron ore to be exported. Negli-gence in obtaining and verifying proper documentation for iron
ore during loading/unloading by the Indian railways has led to a
loss amounting to ₹29,237 crores (approx. 4.5 billion USD), as iron ore meant for exports was
also passed under the ore meant for domestic consumption which resulted in such heavy losses.
This failure in revenue of the Indian Railways also appears at a time when the Indian
Govt. refused a recent proposal to privatize the rail-road trans-portation within the country.
State-run fuel retailers raised petrol price by ₹3.13 a litre and diesel by ₹2.71, on May 15, 2015. The price was re-ported to be increase due to increase in the rate of international crude rates and falling of the rupee against the dollar. The increased rates will vary in different states, de-pending upon their local
taxes. After the latest revision, petrol costs 74.12 ₹/ltr in Mumbai and diesel ₹59.86 from May 16, 2015. This is the fourth increase in fuel prices this year and second in a row in the last 15 days. The rates were last hiked on May 1. On March 1, petrol price increased by ₹3.18 and diesel by ₹3.09. Be-
fore that, petrol had be-come costlier by 82 pai-se and diesel by 61 paise on February 16. Over-all, petrol prices had been reduced by ₹17.11 a litre in 10 reductions between last August and this February. D i e s e l p r i c e s w e r e b r o u gh t d o w n b y ₹ 1 2 . 9 6 in s ix cu t s b e t w een l a s t O c -t o b e r an d Feb r u a r y .
The second hike in petrol and diesel prices
An attendant picks up a fuel nozzle in Mumbai on 09 May 2015. Kartik Avatani/
Mumbai Weekly
Mumbai: Another hike in auto, taxi fare
A n o t h e r h i k e i n t h e
f a r e o f a u t o r i c k s h a w
a n d t a x i s i n M u m b a i
h a s b e e n a n n o u n c e d
a n d w i l l b e e f f e c t i v e
f r o m J u n e 1 , 2 0 1 5 .
T h e M u m b a i M e t r o p o l -
i t a n R e g i o n T r a n s p o r t
A u t h o r i t y ( M M R T A )
t o o k a d e c i s i o n i n -
c r e a s e t h e p r i c e b y ₹ 1 .
O n c e t h e B o m b a y h i g h
c o u r t g i v e s a n o d t o
t h e d e c i s i o n , t h e n e w
r a t e s w i l l b e a p p l i c a -
b l e n e x t m o n t h . T h i s
i s t h e s e c o n d f a r e r e -
v i s i o n f o r a u t o r i c k -
s h a w s a n d t a x i s i n l e s s
t h a n a ye a r . T h e l a s t
r e v i s i o n w a s i n A u g u s t
2 0 1 4 — a u t o f a r e h a d
i n c r e a s e d f r o m ₹ 1 5 t o
₹ 1 7 a n d t a x i f a r e h a d
g o n e u p f r o m ₹ 1 9 t o
₹ 2 1 a c c o r d i n g t o
n e w s p a p e r r e p o r t s .
The Food Corporation of
India (FCI) has decided
to supply wheat which
has been procured from
farmers to Public Distri-
bution System (PDS).
The quality of grain is
impacted by the unsea-
sonal rains. The FCI will
follow the practice of
‘First In First Out’ policy
as the procured wheat
can’t be stored for long
according to newspaper
reports. Due to rains, the
grain suffers lusture loss
due to which pesticides
cannot be used to store
the crop for longer peri-
od. Hence the food minis-
try has given relaxation
in quality norms of wheat
with respect to lusture
loss. Till now, 22.5 mil-
lion tons of wheat has
been purchased by FCI
and state owned agencies.
A customer pays an auto-rickshaw driver for the ride in Mumbai on 18 May 2015. Nupur
Bandre/Mumbai Weekly
MONDAY, 18 MAY, 2015
7 ARTS, CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT MW MONDAY, 18 MAY, 2015
Vijay Ghate’s performance at the Sanskruti arts festival 2015 held in Thane on
26 April 2015. Sneha Kharabe/Mumbai weekly
Rahul ram, a bass guitarist and a vocalist for Indian Ocean sings during their performance in San-
skruti arts festival 2015 held in Thane on 25 April 2015. Pratik Chorge/Mumbai Weekly
Keeping traditions alive
The festival was organized by
Sanskruti Yuva Pratishthan Trust
whose chairman is MLA Pratap
Sarnaik.The festival ran for 3
days from 24 April 2015 to 26
april 2015 at Upvan lake Thane.
Chief Minister Devendra
Fadnavis inaugurated the event on
24 April 2015. On the last day
Grammy award winner Pt. Vish-
wa Mohan Bhatt performs Mohan
Veena along with Pt. Vijay Ghate
who played tabla. Environment
Minister Ramdas Kadam also
came as Chief Guest for the
event. He appreciated the ef-
fort taken by Pratap Sarnaik
to organize the event and al-
so declared to provide two
crore for the Upvan Lake im-
provements within 8 days.
Shakuntalabai Nagarkar, a famous Lavani danc-
er performs at Sangeet Bari organized at
Prabodhan Thackrey mini theatre in Borivali,
Mumbai on 30 April 2015. Kartik Avatani /
Mumbai Weekly.
Mumbai enjoyed Lavani per-
formance by a noted Lavani
dancer Shakuntalabai Na-
garkar on 30 April 2015. She
gained immense popularity as
a lead dancer in Lavani and
Tamasha performing with the
troupe of Shri Keshav Rao
Badge, a well-known folk
singer and dancer who himself
was honored by Sangeet Natak
Academy with its award.
Lavani is performed to the
beats of dholak and table. It is
noted for its powerful rhythm
and erotic sentiment. The
word Lavani is derived from
the word lavanya which means
beauty and is performed by
wearing a nine– yard long sa-
ris and adorned with jewelry.
‘Aamchi’ Mumbai celebrates International dance day
A participant at the dance competition practices his moves before performing on the stage in Carter road amphitheatre, Bandra, Mumbai on 29
April 2015. Pratik Chorge/Mumbai Weekly
High hopes for ‘Piku’
The team of the movie ‘Piku’ pose for photographs during a promotional event at JW Marriot in Juhu,
Mumbai on 2 May 2015. Kartik Avatani/Mumbai Weekly
T h e In t e r n a t i o n a l D a n c e
D a y w as c e l eb r a t e d o n 2 9
A p r i l , 2 0 1 5 w o r l d w i d e .
O n t h e o cc a s i o n , T h e R o -
t a r ac t C l u b o f J a i H i n d
co l l a g e o r g an i z ed a s t r e e t
d an ce co m p e t i t i o n ‘ T h e
S t r e e t s 2 0 1 5 ’ a t t h e C a r t e r
r o a d a m p h i t h ea t r e i n
B an d r a . A h u g e c r o w d w a s
s ee n a t t h e ev en t . V a r i o u s
c r ew s f r o m a l l o v e r M u m -
b a i c am e t o p a r t i c i p a t e i n
i t . T h e t h r e e g r o u p s q u a l i -
f i ed f o r t h e f i n a l e b u t D y-
n am i c D an ce c r ew em e r g e
a s t h e u l t i m a t e w i n n e r o f
‘ T h e S t r ee t s 2 0 1 5 ’ . T h e
In t e r n a t i o n a l D an ce D a y
w as i n t r o d u ce d i n 1 9 8 2 b y
In t e r n a t i o n a l D an c e C o u n -
c i l an d ce l eb r a t e d ev e r y
ye a r o n 2 9 Ap r i l a c ro s s
t h e wo r l d . T h e p u r p o s e o f
t h e s e ev en t s i s t o a t t r a c t
p eo p l e t o t h e a r t o f d an c e
e s p ec i a l l y t h o s e w h o a r e
n ew t o i t . In 2 0 1 4 , a r o u n d
5 0 c l a s s i c a l d an c e r s go t
t o g e t h e r t o p e r f o r m a
f l a s h m o b a t C h en n a i an d
p e r f o r m e d d an c e . I t i s
s a i d t o b e t h e f i r s t f l a s h
m o b o f c l a s s i c a l d a n c -
e r s f o r t h e s a m e e v e n t .
Sanskruti Arts Festival enthralls Mumbai & Thane residents
