The road to apathy
Society proceeds like the ocean. After a disaster, it resumes its wonted level and rhythms; its devouring interests efface all traces of damage.-- Honoré de Balzac.
So shall Mumbai leave the cloudburst behind in such a way, and be apathetic again?
posted by amit varma at 11:09 am
3 Comments:
Mumbaikar's are a selfish lot. There are a few kind soul's in the concrete city whch give the city its Mumbaikar "spirit".
The majority of people don't care for the poor. If someone who appears dressed well faints on the road, immediately a crowd would gather and take the person to the hospital. On the other hand if its someone who belongs to the lower strata of society, one can see the mumbaikar look the other way in indifference.
The Money power is evidenced in all aspects of the Mumbaikar's life. The common man does not make enough money to sustain his family and we hear of real estate appreciation of 25-50% in residential areas.
60% of Mumbai lives in the slums, another 20% lives in the buildings which are crumbling and the rest of the 20% is where there is rapid appreciation.
Its ironic a city of 15 million the mill land renewal will feed the frenzy of the real estate barons instead of housing the people who need it the most. and ofcourse the Mumbaikar will turn a blind eye too it, and get down to his selfish cause of making his living.
If he had civic sense, there would be movements and rallies against the blatant rape of the mumbaikar, instead the mumbaikar will try to catch the 5.12 fast. for thats where half of his life has been spent, in the years gone by.
On the eve of independence day the Mumbaikar has to rise and seek his(and her) own independence from the squalor, apathy and the state of disgust the city has become
The concept of hell on earth can best be depicted by the city we live in. The visible facts are difficult to ignore or be convinced by hypocrisy of the people in power here. The city consists of mostly slums and dilapidated building. People live in the dirt with poor sanitation. Garbage is found on the roadside everywhere. Transportation system is overcrowded. Main roads are congested due to parked cars and wayside hawkers. Children begging, working for pittance is considered part of normal life here. Young girls work as dancers and bargirls. People do not have shelter and sleep on pavements. The rich poor divide is high due to availability of people willing to take up jobs on lesser wages. The decay in values held by the citizens of this city is evident by the misplaced priority of the so-called well off amongst the people here. The priority of the well off people does not seem to be taking along all people of the city. They are concerned with issues pertaining to their life and their environment.
The rulers of the city are convincing the people that every effort is being made for their well being. The rules and regulations prevailing in the city are for their benefit, which will make this city more liveable. Unfortunately the inverse seems to be happening. The city seems to be growing more in slums rather than decent accommodations. The rules like rent control act deters any investment from people willing to put money into decent accommodation for the people. This rule was meant for protection of the tenants from landlords, unfortunately the rulers have not understood implication of the law. The rule like coastal regulation is meant for protection of the coastline from growth of concrete structures. However the need for implementation of the rule in congested place like this city needs to be reviewed.
We must allow the city to grow as a better living place for its citizen. That is only possible if investment is made on the infrastructure of the city. The investment required for the infrastructure cannot be generated by the government, as it itself is cash starved. The next best alternative is to allow entrepreneurs to invest in ventures like low-cost accommodation, water supply, electricity supply, drainage/garbage disposal etc. Government must amend necessary laws to allow the investment by entrepreneurs in the city.
The Laws governing coastline must be waived as one time measure for the purpose of the development of the city. A width of minimum 2 kilometres in the west coast of the city with a length of 50 kilometres must be reclaimed from sea for the settlement of slum dwellers, green belt and express-roadway.
Little doubt, the dude is completely fair.
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