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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.

Mumbai Ferry Tragedy – A Straw That Needs to be Weighed

Updated: Dec 23, 2024

Mumbai Ferry Tragedy

Mumbai ferry incident on 18th Dec resulting in loss of over 13 lives reminds how imperfect things can get even in fair weather and broad day-light. It is a sad day for Mumbai ferry services which have been operating for over 100 years with a reasonably decent safety record. It is also a sad day for the Indian Navy, with CNS Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi offering condolences and ordering an enquiry.


CAN OF WORMS

Indian maritime regulators (Directorate General of Shipping and State Maritime boards) should see this as a significant straw and not wait for the camel’s back to break.


MV Herald of Free enterprise (HOF) English channel passenger ferry, sank in a matter of 90 seconds killing 193 persons (passengers/crew) just about 0.7 Km from Zeebrugge berth (Belgium) in 1987. There seems to be a need to revisit and learn lessons from history.


Life saving appliance (Life jackets, Life boats, Life rafts etc) on board ships are designed for a ‘distress’ scenario or foreseeable worst case scenario and not for bizarre incidents such as this. The manner in which the high speed supposedly a Naval MARCOS boat hit the passenger ferry at about 60 km/hr speed (About 30 knots) is almost like a missile for the wooden tender boats. With just few seconds to act it is unlikely that passengers will be level headed in that moment of distress and wear life jackets with their head above their shoulders.


The fact that the boat had passengers in excess of their certified capacity is not something extra-ordinary East of the Suez. This however, does reflect the inadequate monitoring and control measures by Maharashtra Maritime Board, the authority which surveys a boat before a license is issued by Mumbai port trust.


Is it a case of poor accountability and responsibility by Mr Somebody, Mr Everybody, Mr Anybody OR Mr. NOBODY?


Upgrading the Kali Peeli Taxis of Mumbai Harbour

The incident is an eye opener and an opportunity for the age old kali peeli taxi's (wooden boats) of Mumbai harbour, operating for over 100 yrs, to be upgraded to modern fibre glass boats with AIS fitted on them for digital tracking, to match the 21st century Atal Setu trans harbour link bridge over the harbour.


Mumbai, India’s maritime hub, needs to set the trend and align with international standards for other Indian ports to follow.


Further as a matter of safety and good seamanship practice, all passengers travelling in boats which do not have life rafts and/or life boats, should don the life jackets prior boarding and hand-over at destination on or prior disembarking.


Cricket is to be played in Wankhede Stadium not Marine Drive Sea trails are conducted in open sea not in and around port channels where ships and boats are navigating and certainly not in Port limits.


Naval standards of safety are profound given the number of drills they conduct each day, thus giving a Safety talk to Naval personnel is like selling ice to an Eskimo. However, the claim of “double failure” of Engine and Steering is hard to swallow for any mariner.


Some questions that come to the mind of every mariner are:

- Who was at the Helm of the speed boat (experience and qualifications)?

- Why was Emergency STOP not activated if Engines were a problem?

- If steering was not working then how was the craft being manoeuvred in a zig-zag and circular manner prior impact, since this is not possible without a functional rudder?

- Who and how was permission given for sea trials in port limits?


Navy has a lot to answer, since this incident involves a civil craft (Boat) and civilian passengers, thus it will be prudent for Navy and investigators to come out with the facts. Any cover up is unlikely to remain under wraps for long. Thus if SOP’s have been ignored and if heads have to roll, then so be it.


American born safety research scientist William Heinrich would be turning in his grave if his 1931 accident triangle theory is ignored.


(The author is a Shipping and Marine consultant. Member Singapore Shipping Association and empanelled with IMO as a specialist consultant. View personal.)

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