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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Seventy-six mayors ruled BMC since 1931

After four years, Mumbai to salute its first citizen Kishori Pednekar Vishwanath Mahadeshwar Snehal Ambekar Sunil Prabhu Mumbai: As the date for appointing Mumbai’s First Citizen looms closer, various political parties have adopted tough posturing to foist their own person for the coveted post of Mayor – the ‘face’ of the country’s commercial capital. Ruling Mahayuti allies Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena have vowed that the city...

Seventy-six mayors ruled BMC since 1931

After four years, Mumbai to salute its first citizen Kishori Pednekar Vishwanath Mahadeshwar Snehal Ambekar Sunil Prabhu Mumbai: As the date for appointing Mumbai’s First Citizen looms closer, various political parties have adopted tough posturing to foist their own person for the coveted post of Mayor – the ‘face’ of the country’s commercial capital. Ruling Mahayuti allies Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena have vowed that the city will get a ‘Hindu Marathi’ person to head India’s richest civic body, while the Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT)-Maharashtra Navnirman Sena also harbour fond hopes of a miracle that could ensure their own person for the post. The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) optimism stems from expectations of possible political permutations-combinations that could develop with a realignment of forces as the Supreme Court is hearing the cases involving the Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party this week. Catapulted as the largest single party, the BJP hopes to install a first ever party-man as Mayor, but that may not create history. Way back in 1982-1983, a BJP leader Dr. Prabhakar Pai had served in the top post in Mumbai (then Bombay). Incidentally, Dr. Pai hailed from Udupi district of Karnataka, and his appointment came barely a couple of years after the BJP was formed (1980), capping a distinguished career as a city father, said experts. Originally a Congressman, Dr. Pai later shifted to the Bharatiya Janata Party, then back to Congress briefly, founded the Janata Seva Sangh before immersing himself in social activities. Second Administrator The 2026 Mayoral elections have evoked huge interest not only among Mumbaikars but across the country as it comes after nearly four years since the BMC was governed by an Administrator. This was only the second time in the BMC history that an Administrator was named after April 1984-May 1985. On both occasions, there were election-related issues, the first time the elections got delayed for certain reasons and the second time the polling was put off owing to Ward delimitations and OBC quotas as the matter was pending in the courts. From 1931 till 2022, Mumbai has been lorded over by 76 Mayors, men and women, hailing from various regions, backgrounds, castes and communities. They included Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Parsis, Sikhs, even a Jew, etc., truly reflecting the cosmopolitan personality of the coastal city and India’s financial powerhouse. In 1931-1932, the Mayor was a Parsi, J. B. Boman Behram, and others from his community followed like Khurshed Framji Nariman (after whom Nariman Point is named), E. A. Bandukwala, Minoo Masani, B. N. Karanjia and other bigwigs. There were Muslims like Hoosenally Rahimtoola, Sultan M. Chinoy, the legendary Yusuf Meherally, Dr. A. U. Memon and others. The Christian community got a fair share of Mayors with Joseph A. D’Souza – who was Member of Constituent Assembly representing Bombay Province for writing-approving the Constitution of India, M. U. Mascarenhas, P. A. Dias, Simon C. Fernandes, J. Leon D’Souza, et al. A Jew Elijah Moses (1937-1938) and a Sikh M. H. Bedi (1983-1984), served as Mayors, but post-1985, for the past 40 years, nobody from any minority community occupied the august post. During the silver jubilee year of the post, Sulochana M. Modi became the first woman Mayor of Mumbai (1956), and later with tweaks in the rules, many women ruled in this post – Nirmala Samant-Prabhavalkar (1994-1995), Vishakha Raut (997-1998), Dr. Shubha Raul (March 2007-Nov. 2009), Shraddha Jadhav (Dec. 2009-March 2012), Snehal Ambedkar (Sep. 2014-March 2017). The last incumbent (before the Administrator) was a government nurse, Kishori Pednekar (Nov. 2019-March 2022) - who earned the sobriquet of ‘Florence Nightingale’ of Mumbai - as she flitted around in her full white uniform at the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic, earning the admiration of the citizens. Mumbai Mayor – high-profile post The Mumbai Mayor’s post is considered a crucial step in the political ladder and many went on to become MLAs, MPs, state-central ministers, a Lok Sabha Speaker, Chief Ministers and union ministers. The formidable S. K. Patil was Mayor (1949-1952) and later served in the union cabinets of PMs Jawaharlal Nehru, Lah Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi; Dahyabhai V. Patel (1954-1955) was the son of India’s first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel; Manohar Joshi (1976-1977) became the CM of Maharashtra, later union minister and Speaker of Lok Sabha; Chhagan Bhujbal (1985-1986 – 1990-1991) became a Deputy CM.

‘Terror-tagged’ ships sneak into Indian scrapyards

Mumbai – In a development with serious national security implications, several foreign vessels carrying a global ‘terror tag’ have managed to enter Indian waters and dock at domestic ports, bypassing mandatory maritime safety and regulatory checks.


These ships, blacklisted by the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), are allegedly being facilitated by unscrupulous entities and complicit officials — a situation that could further strain Indo-US ties, experts caution.

 

According to official sources, alarm bells rang in recent months when approximately a dozen OFAC-sanctioned vessels quietly made their way to Indian shores.

 

Most of these ships, flagged under foreign nations and some with untraceable origins, docked at Gujarat’s Alang Port—the world’s largest ship-breaking yard—triggering widespread concerns.

 

Among the vessels identified are: Bluefins (Tanzania), GAMA II (Cameroon Isles flag), Inda (origin unspecified), Jasmine (Iran), Nolan (origin unknown), Nirvana (origin unclear), Seas and Wave (both flying the Comoros Isles flag), and others.

 

Maritime insiders warn that globally, hundreds of vessels operate under sanctions due to their shady links, illicit or suspicious activities. Many such vessels are now finding their final destination at Alang Port for dismantling, under the radar of authorities.

 

Shady deals via Shell Cos

The ships are typically offloaded through complex ownership structures. Officials revealed that these vessels are often sold through shell companies — sometimes registered in small island nations or tax havens — managed by fly-by-night operators who disappear after completing the deals.

 

Shockingly, these vessels are sold to Indian ship-breaking firms via simple Memorandums of Agreement (MoAs), with minimal documentation.

 

Copies viewed by this newspaper reveal that while the MoAs bear signatures of buyers and sellers, they omit crucial details such as full names, company information, contact details, bank accounts, and nationalities — raising red flags.

 

“These ships are bought at throwaway prices — often through cash transactions — completely bypassing banking norms and regulatory scrutiny,” a senior official told ‘The Perfect Voice’, preferring anonymity.

 

Tinkering with IMO Nos.

In an effort to avoid detection, the vessels’ IMO (International Maritime Organization) numbers — meant to uniquely identify ships — are reportedly being altered.

 

This tampering allows the tainted vessels to slip through regulatory frameworks and gain clearance from local authorities, allegedly with the support of complicit officials from departments like Customs, the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB), and the GST administration.

 

Each scrap ship transaction reportedly ranges between Rs.5–10 crore, but industry players claim that the unscrupulous breakers make 10-20 fold profits, all off the books — irking legitimate ship recyclers operating under standard norms in Gujarat and Maharashtra.

 

More disturbing are security concerns that such ships may be carrying undeclared hazardous cargo, including arms, explosives, or narcotics.

 

If such apprehensions are true, it could escalate to an international row, if OFAC is in the dark of the ships’ scrapping in Indian yards — and possibly attract sanctions against the local maritime authorities.

 

Officials claim that at least a dozen more OFAC-listed vessels are currently en route to Alang Port and Sosiya Port, and Maritime experts warn that could become another irritant in already-strained Indo-US relations under President Donald Trump.

 

Need for high-level inquiry

As concerns grow, various stakeholders — including law-abiding ship-breakers, port officials, and maritime regulators — call for a comprehensive high-level probe into the matter, the need to pinpoint and punish those responsible for the entry and dismantling of OFAC-sanctioned vessels on Indian ports.

 

USA’s OFAC: Bark worse than the bite?

The OFAC is the financial intelligence & enforcement agency in the US Department of Treasury which imposes and enforces sanctions that are valid globally.

 

They include Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs), comprising individuals or entities OFAC has found to be involved in/or pose a significant risk of committing terror acts, or those who support or are associated with globally dubbed extremists.

 

One of OFAC’s activities is to identify, monitor, and slap sanctions on SDGTs who pose a risk to US and international security through its intel rings in collaboration with various foreign agencies.

 

US citizens or any other non-US nationals who enter into prohibited activities with persons/entities (Specially Designated Nationals – SDNs) figuring on the SDGT list are liable for possible civil-criminal penalties.

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