Baba: No hawkers in 45 days

Hawkers menace at Bandra station

Built in 1888 during the British Raj and serving through the century with only a recent makeover that aimed at restoring and maintaining the structure, Bandra station can be cited as the division to two very contrasting worlds with the west end boasting the most prime suburban properties while the east end still remains dominated by shanties and illegal constructions.

And even though efforts have been made to clean up the station, it has been to no avail. As the division point, Bandra station seems to face the worst of both sides with hawkers clogging the entire western entrance all the way up-to the BEST depot while the eastern entrance looks like it was built on stilts between colonies of four storey slums. Such was the resistance met by railway officials that they decided to build the eastern ticket counter on the first floor instead of the designated space on the ground floor, as it was encroached upon by slums. On the western end, the menacing hawkers are cleared off periodically however their absence is short-lived and they can be seen migrating back within a span of two to three days since their eviction.

Meena Iyer, a commuter from BKC shares her opinion on the situation. “One trip down the skywalk and its evident that the problem cannot be addressed by merely the railway officials, but needs other civic authorities to intervene as the encroachers find support in the already existing slums, most of which extend half way up-to the western express highway.” Bandra resident Rafael Dias adds, “We need to find a permanent solution like segregated barricades which will clearly mark out walking and vehicle routes and will also be treated as no hawking zones with daily checks from the authorities.”

Gazebo at Carter Road

The Carter Road beautification project has seen continual development over the recent years making it one of the most sought after places for local residents as well as revellers, who are seen engaging in varied activities right from the quintessential daily exercise routine to socialising. An ambitious project that saw the rocky sea face converted into a well planned promenade with ample amounts of landscaping, seating areas and a walking/jogging path, the promenade has been growing ever since its inception and has successfully overcome various hurdles in its extension plans with a new section that extends up-to the solar panel equipped gazebo at the Danda end. We spoke to Madhu Poplai, an integral member in the beautification process, on the new layout and all that has been done to maintain the promenade.

Layout: The new sector boasts of a more personalised seating arrangement with single seats facing each other instead of the usual benches as well as curved seating areas along the promenade that seem to accentuate its conversation quotient. There is a life-size chess board that’s a part of the promenade and the theme is continued into the table tops.

Gazebo: Constructed as a recreational area for the local kolis, it sports an L shaped seating area with solar panels attached on the roof. The power generated from this alternate energy source will be utilised to light up the gazebo area and flower beds on this newly extended sector of the promenade.

Maintenance:  The managing committee is in the midst of securing five years rights to the maintenance of the promenade which needs to be granted by the KBS foundation. The funding will come through sponsorships by individuals or organisations.

Ground Zero: Take a walk down the promenade and you will notice a set of security guards patrolling the entire stretch. Although it may not look like much, a conversation with Mr. Singh who is part of the team revealed a good deal of planning that has gone into the project. Mr. Singh talks about taking care of the promenade and the effort that goes into it…

Bifurcation: The entire stretch is split into five zones starting from Cafe Coffee Day and progressing to the fifth zone near Otters Club.

Workforce: Each zone has a security guard patrolling its perimeters and is required to keep a vigil for any suspicious activities as well as maintaining the peace by keeping miscreants at bay. Police can be involved as per case.

Shifts: Besides the early morning walkers, the promenade is empty through the day and afternoons as the scorching sun deters most people. Maintenance workers usually work on keeping things in shape during this time and the guards are usually resting. Evenings are the peak time and the shift only truly ends once the entire promenade is deserted.

– Sheldon D’souza

Pet safety during Diwali

Any pet owner will tell you that Diwali is easily one of the toughest times for pets and stray animals. The crackers and noise can put a lot of animals under stress and sadly, the number of dogs that get lost and injured during this season is extremely high.

Here are some tips on keeping your pet safe:

• Keep pets indoors: This reduces their chances of running away. Most pets opt for a quiet, dark place but ensure that the area is free from anything that may injure your pet.
• Use a leash: If you must be outside with your pet, keep the pet on a leash or in carrier at all times.
• Keep them away: Pets (especially curious cats)  may try to sniff (or eat) fireworks, and fur can easily catch fire if too close to the fireworks.
• Opt for early walks: Take pet for a walk before the crackers start.
• Identity: Make sure your pet wears a collar with contact information in case they manage to get out of the house.

 

EXPERT ADVICE: Veterinarian Dr. Warren D’Mello says, “Dogs at home should be kept sheltered. Keep the TV or radio on to drown out the noise of the crackers. In extreme cases only, if the dog cannot bear the crackers, then talk to your vet about medication. If you see an unknown stray dog running around it’s best to avoid doing anything in that state because they might be unpredictable.

– Glynda Alves

Does the fun stop at 10PM?

Fireworks and Diwali go hand in hand and while there are loads of people who love bursting crackers, there are also a lot of people who feel that the noise pollution is too much. We ask some societies in Bandra how they plan to strike a balance.

Sheldon Vaz from Garda Cottage, Khaiber (Hill Road) says, “Fireworks are a joyous and dangerous, so we will be taking precautions to see that no-one is disturbed by  not allowing rockets to be lit on ground level and using the terrace instead.”

Brazino D’Souza from Rebello House (Hill Road) adds that even though his building is off the main road they will stop bursting crackers at 10pm. He says, “Since our society is located off the main road it wouldn’t be any sot of a disruption to anybody, but we will keep to the deadline nevertheless because we are quiet close to Holy Family Hospital which is a Silent Zone.”

Mr Sukumar Shetty from Prarthana Co-operative (Pali Naka) will also ensure that the 10pm deadline is met. He says, “The festive season has its share of responsibilities and we will be looking at adhering to these for a safe and peaceful Diwali. The 10pm rule will be exerted when it comes to explosive fireworks.”

Sadly however, public spaces will continue to have people bursting crackers as police say that there are no rules banning this.  Satyavan Savhan from Khar police station says, “There aren’t any laws broken by people using fireworks on the promenades, it’s a matter of tolerance and some of the elderly citizens seem to get disturbed by the crackers. Ideally if people stuck to non-explosive fireworks like sparklers while at a public place it would be much better as they would enjoy the festivities without disrupting anyone’s routine.”

– Sheldon D’souza

Will Bandra residents vote this week?

With the elections all set to take place this week we catch up with some Bandra residents and find out if they will be heading to vote. Read on…

RAY LORENZ FERNANDEZ

No, since i haven’t received my voter’s id with the name spelt correctly as of yet.

CLINTON MABEN

I will be voting in this election and I’m hoping to see development on the infrastructural front as our local roads are very bad and the new paving projects don’t seem to be holding up.

SHOAIB MANSURI

I will vote in these elections and am looking forward to a solution for the market goers like a dedicated hawking zone so that both parties are happy, many of the roads too are in urgent need of repair.

REAGAN FERNANDES

I haven’t decided on which candidate will recieve my vote, however this time around Baba Siddiqui will face strong competition from Ashish Shelar who has had a great track record in Khar for his ability to execute infrastructural projects.

Mehboob studio to undergo facelift

The legendary Mehboob Studio that for decades has had superstars flocking in and out of is reportedly going to undergo a major makeover. The managing director of the studio Iqbal Khan was reported saying that while there are plans to renovate Mehboob Studios, nothing has been finalized as yet. First, the plans have to be approved by the shareholders an only once that is done can makeover plans move forward.

So what’s in store for Mehboob Studios? Iqbal says, “We would like to go in for the state-of-art technologies used worldwide. We would want to change our lighting system, renovate one of the stages that were burnt down, and provide the latest technologies for shooting purposes. We want everything to be automated.”

He adds, “We have a staff of 20 at the studio. Sometimes, they end up doing work manually like holding the lights and standing for long hours in uncomfortable positions. I fear for them. Hence, there’s a need for putting automated mechanisms in place all around the studio. We also want the studio to look modern, and not outdated.”

Traffic Stopper

Last week, Reclamation saw a crowd like never before. It wasn’t eager patrons for the Bandra fair but rather angered residents on the traffic problems caused by the new Bandra Worli Sea Link.

Over a hundred residents blocked roads near Lilavati Hospital to oppose the traffic congestion in the narrow by-lanes thanks to the sealink. Residents said that even though they have complained to the authorities, the traffic police and their local civic body no one has taken their demands seriously and hence, residents had to resort to a protest.

The two hour long protest managed to stop all traffic entering the by lanes and demanded that traffic from the Sealink should pass through the Arun Kumar Vaidya Road and join Krishen Chander Road.

Around 80 per cent of the residents in that area are senior citizens and have very often met with minor accidents because of the two-way traffic distribution.

“It was really bad before but now the Sealink has made it even worse! It used to be a relatively quiet road but now we can’t even step out to go for a walk or to the shops. It’s becoming impossible to walk safely and the noise is getting unbearable. Considering there is a hospital near by these factors should really be looked into,” says Reclamation resident Rahul Rao.

Residents also protested against the unauthorised encroachments on the Lilavati road which makes the road even narrower!

Joint Commissioner of Traffic, Sanjay Barve, has called the residents for a meeting.

Waking Up the Suburb

Every now and then it’s nice to see a Bandra resident stand up and do something for the betterment of his suburb. But rather than bore people with talks about what’s happening around them and what they should do, he’s made it into an evening of song and dance.

Organiser and brainchild of this event Dereyk Talker says, “It’s about time we wake up Bandra and stop turning a blind eye.”

During the course of the evening there will be music, dance and skits on a number of civic issues that Bandra faces such as slums, traffic, hawkers, illegal demolition, coastal belt deterioration etc.

“As a Bandraite we need to stand for our rights, we need to stand up for what’s right, we need to make that pledge that we will get out  on election day and vote. We will not tolerate corruption, we will not vote for a criminal, we will vote for a positive change in Bandra, we will make our presence heard and felt.  Because if you don’t you do not have the right to ask for a better Bandra,” says Talker.

So this Friday, wake up to the various civic issues plaguing Bandra through music, dance and drama.

Where: Rang Sharda Auditoriuim (bandra reclamation),
When: 11th September,  7.30 pm

Free Passes available at: Mount Carmel Church, St. Peter’s Church, At. Andrews Church, Al’s Tatoo parlour

Bandstand gets beautiful

Bandstand residents will start seeing a change in their adjoining promenade as last Sunday funds were finally allotted for the beautification process.

Archana Sharma who is a part of the Bandstand ALM says, “We got a lot of complaints from residents who kept falling down because of the tiles on the promenade and certain parts of the promenade were breaking down. So we approached local MLA Baba Siddiqui for funds to redo and beautify the promenade.”

“The local residents and ALM of Bandstand approached me with their requests and I’ve spoken to the various authorities and they have sanctioned Rs. 1.30 lakhs for both Bandstand and Carter road promenades. The Bandstand promenade has been sanctioned Rs. 50lakh,” says Siddiqui.

Robin Nath of the Bandra Bandstand Residents Trust (BBRT) says, “Now that the funds have been sanctioned we’re starting with the plans for the beautification process, Mr. P K Das is handling the beautification process. We’re trying to get a new look for the Bandstand promenade.”

The work is scheduled to start in a month’s time and should be done by November.