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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 11:29:11 am

Shinde dilutes demand

Likely to be content with Deputy Mayor’s post in Mumbai Mumbai: In a decisive shift that redraws the power dynamics of Maharashtra’s urban politics, the standoff over the prestigious Mumbai Mayor’s post has ended with a strategic compromise. Following days of resort politics and intense backroom negotiations, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has reportedly diluted its demand for the top job in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), settling instead for the Deputy Mayor’s post. This...

Shinde dilutes demand

Likely to be content with Deputy Mayor’s post in Mumbai Mumbai: In a decisive shift that redraws the power dynamics of Maharashtra’s urban politics, the standoff over the prestigious Mumbai Mayor’s post has ended with a strategic compromise. Following days of resort politics and intense backroom negotiations, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has reportedly diluted its demand for the top job in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), settling instead for the Deputy Mayor’s post. This development, confirmed by high-ranking party insiders, follows the realization that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) effectively ceded its claims on the Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) to protect the alliance, facilitating a “Mumbai for BJP, Kalyan for Shinde” power-sharing formula. The compromise marks a complete role reversal between the BJP and the Shiv Sena. Both the political parties were in alliance with each other for over 25 years before 2017 civic polls. Back then the BJP used to get the post of Deputy Mayor while the Shiv Sena always enjoyed the mayor’s position. In 2017 a surging BJP (82 seats) had paused its aggression to support the undivided Shiv Sena (84 seats), preferring to be out of power in the Corporation to keep the saffron alliance intact. Today, the numbers dictate a different reality. In the recently concluded elections BJP emerged as the single largest party in Mumbai with 89 seats, while the Shinde faction secured 29. Although the Shinde faction acted as the “kingmaker”—pushing the alliance past the majority mark of 114—the sheer numerical gap made their claim to the mayor’s post untenable in the long run. KDMC Factor The catalyst for this truce lies 40 kilometers north of Mumbai in Kalyan-Dombivali, a region considered the impregnable fortress of Eknath Shinde and his son, MP Shrikant Shinde. While the BJP performed exceptionally well in KDMC, winning 50 seats compared to the Shinde faction’s 53, the lotter for the reservation of mayor’s post in KDMC turned the tables decisively in favor of Shiv Sena there. In the lottery, the KDMC mayor’ post went to be reserved for the Scheduled Tribe candidate. The BJP doesn’t have any such candidate among elected corporatros in KDMC. This cleared the way for Shiv Sena. Also, the Shiv Sena tied hands with the MNS in the corporation effectively weakening the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s alliance with them. Party insiders suggest that once it became clear the BJP would not pursue the KDMC Mayor’s chair—effectively acknowledging it as Shinde’s fiefdom—he agreed to scale down his demands in the capital. “We have practically no hope of installing a BJP Mayor in Kalyan-Dombivali without shattering the alliance locally,” a Mumbai BJP secretary admitted and added, “Letting the KDMC become Shinde’s home turf is the price for securing the Mumbai Mayor’s bungalow for a BJP corporator for the first time in history.” The formal elections for the Mayoral posts are scheduled for later this month. While the opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA)—led by the Shiv Sena (UBT)—has vowed to field candidates, the arithmetic heavily favors the ruling alliance. For Eknath Shinde, accepting the Deputy Mayor’s post in Mumbai is a tactical retreat. It allows him to consolidate his power in the MMR belt (Thane and Kalyan) while remaining a partner in Mumbai’s governance. For the BJP, this is a crowning moment; after playing second fiddle in the BMC for decades, they are poised to finally install their own “First Citizen” of Mumbai.

Do’s and Don’ts of Biocomposting

Updated: Feb 18, 2025

Biocomposting

In my last week’s article, I had given a brief account of some of the activities of NGO Paryavaran Dakshata Mandal and about the green living consultancy. I hope that you have already started thinking about segregating your household waste and starting composting of the ‘wet’ waste in your own house. Paryavaran Dakshata Mandal is providing a container called “Magic Basket’ for this purpose. It’s a normal basket available in the market. But at PDM, they have made it ready for home composting. Name Magic Basket’ sounds interesting . Right? The reason is once you set up this basket and make it ready for composting, You will find that this basket will never ‘overflow’ with the waste your dumping in. How come? As we keep on dumping biodegradable or wet waste over and over again, it gets decomposed all by itself. So no matter how much volume of wet waste you add, it readily gets degraded into fine, granular compost which is your final product. You can then ‘harvest’ it and use it for your own plants, give it to your neighours.. and still there is surplus if remains, use it for your community garden.


With this, I wish you all the very best for your composting journey. Always remember, you are doing a great job and are contributing your bit for conservation of nature.


However, there are some precautions you have to take while taking up this composting project.


Do’s of biocomposting:

Mix greens and browns: Maintain a balanced ratio of nitrogen-rich 'green' materials (vegetable, fruit waste) with carbon-rich ‘brown; materials (leaves, cardboard) to facilitate proper decomposition.

Chop materials: Shred or chop larger materials like fruit peels, larger stalks of leafy vegetables, and similar components. This will provide greater surface area for those bacteria so as to speed up the composting process.

Keep it moist:

Regularly check the moisture level of your compost pile, ensuring it's damp but not soggy.

Turn the pile: Aerate your compost by turning it over with a fork every few weeks to allow oxygen to reach all parts of the pile.

Bury food scraps: When adding food scraps, cover them with a layer of brown material to prevent pests and odors.

Use a suitable compost bin: Choose a compost bin with adequate ventilation and drainage. This magic basket is quite suitable for this purpose.


Don’ts of biocomposting:

Add meat and dairy: Avoid adding meat, bones, dairy products, and fatty foods as they attract pests and decompose slowly.

Include pet waste: Do not compost pet feces or cat litter as they can contain harmful bacteria.

Add diseased plants: Avoid composting plant material with diseases or pests, as they can spread to healthy plants.

Compost treated wood: Do not add wood treated with chemicals or preservatives.

Use excessive amounts of citrus: While citrus peels can be composted, use them sparingly as their acidity can inhibit decomposition.

Add glossy paper or plastic: Avoid adding shiny paper, plastic, or stickers as they will not break down.

Over-compact the pile: Ensure your compost pile has adequate air circulation by not packing materials too tightly. For any queries and assistance regarding the Magic Baskets, please contact Paryavaran Dakshata Mandal at following numbers.


Paryavaran Dakshata Mandal Dombivali: 9833046634

Paryavaran Dakshata Mandal Thane: 9372358454


(The author is an environmentalist. Views personal.)

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