Tuesday News

Some news items which caught my eye today, which I would like to share with you, with my opinion

1 Yesterday Supreme Court (SC) took a critical view of protests blocking public spaces, putting people to inconvenience. This was in reference to the protestors blocking the road in Shaheen Bagh area in Delhi. SC have sought responses from the Centre and Delhi police, this they have done in response to petition filed by an individual seeking removal of protestors from Shaheen Bagh area.

The petition said lakhs of commuters are being harassed daily due to blockage of the main road connecting Noida-Delhi-Faridabad. This is happening for almost 2 months. The individual first file this petition in Delhi Court where it was dismissed, he then file the same petition in SC, where it has heard by 2 SC judges. The judges commented that ” The protests have been going on for long time. There can not be an indefinite period of protests in a common area, this could be done at an area identified for protests. Can someone block the public road?

Earlier HC had refused to pass any order on this petition which asked if the protestors had an right to stage demonstrations for an indefinite period at a public place of their choice. Now SC has asked for reply from Centre and Delhi police and the matter will be further heard by SC on 17th Feb 2020.

In an other instance SC while acting on letter from a 12 year old bravery award winner, who sought to prevent infants and children being taken to protest site. This was in reference to the death of 4 month old infant at Shaheen Bagh protests. Commenting on this incident Chief Justice of SC  said ” Did 4 months old child went of his own to Shaheen Bagh, and chose to protest.” In the SC, large numbers of advocates representing some women at protest site said these women’s children are being called Pakistani. The CJI did not buy this agreement and said  ” Do  not raise issues irrelevant to the one under scrutiny. We are only considering the death of infant and the issue of stopping children and infants being taken to protest sites.”

The issue of minors protesting in India started in Kashmir, where protestors used to keep minors in the front so that security forces could not open fire and they could hurl stones at security forces. Now if tomorrow security forces or Police try to use force to evict these protestors from Shaheen Bagh then my feeling is here also protestors will use children as their shield.

2 This news is about Mumbai city. Few years back the walk way part 0f Railway Bridge which was part of Fly over connecting Andheri East and Andheri West collapsed during monsoon , which resulted few deaths and casualties. For almost an year the traffic on this fly over was regulated putting motorists to great inconvenience . Now today there is a news that BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), has decided to demolish this bridge and rebuild the same at the cost of Rs 103 Cr.. It means that again the motorists will be put to inconvenience, and this time do not know for how long.  When the portion of bridge collapsed , that time also there was talk of building new bridge . At that stage the cost of new bridge was about Rs 83 Cr, which now is at Rs 103 Cr, which is around 18% higher. It looks like the cost of bridge is much on the higher side, as per my knowledge the bridge over railway mat not be longer than 125 meters and width will be approx 40 t0 45 meters including pedestrian walkway, a steel girder structure  with cement concrete road on top should not cost so much. Even if you add  on to the cost of roads on both the sides, then also cost shown is very high.

I remember few years back there was stampede on the Elphinston Road  (Now Prabhadevi) station’s  bridge over the tracks for commuters during monsoon ,and more than 30 people died in that stampede. That time Railway ministry decided to build much more wider bridge, that time also cost was obtained from BMC’s local contractors. In the end it was decided that Army will be able to build the bridge in much faster way, and work was entrusted to Army. The same bridge was built in 35% of the cost given by contractor and in 25% of time asked by contractors. It only proves that corruption is deeply rooted in all departments of BMC, and hence any worked carried out by  them is very costly.

Friends , what you say in this matter.

Anil Malik

Mumbai, India

11th Feb 2020