top of page

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.

What’s Left on Your Plate Hurts the Planet

While factories, fossil fuels, and fast fashion are well-known culprits of climate change, another offender is hiding in plain sight—food waste. And we are all guilty of it.

In my last article, we learnt how food is wasted at weddings and other celebrations, national and international conferences, events, etc., where food is served through a buffet system. Buffets are a popular way to celebrate special occasions or enjoy a meal with friends and family. They are also a great way to taste and relish different cuisines without committing to a full meal. This system was introduced in the 17th century in Europe and soon became popular in the USA and other Western countries. In India, the origins of the buffet system can be traced back to the long-standing tradition of communal dining called ‘langar’ in the Sikh temples since the 16th century. However, while the original langar system continues, it has been adopted in modified and commercial settings and has become popular since the 1980s in India. This system of serving meals is most ideal, as it allows the guests or customers to select food of their choice from an array of dishes. Secondly, guests only consume as much of the selected food items as required. No overloading the plates, no overloading their stomachs!. As they have filled up their plates themselves with small portions, they will consume entire portions of food and will make their plates almost ‘clean’, without leaving even a single morsel of food. What a great deal indeed! Unfortunately, this ‘ideal’ way of consuming food is never followed, and lots of food is wasted and discarded in the trash.

 

Impact of food waste on the environment and ecosystems:

 

Tossing away uneaten food may appear like meagre damage to the planet compared to other issues, but the haunting reality is that it is just as harmful. Food waste has multiple negative environmental consequences, from contributing to climate change and depleting resources to polluting water sources and degrading land. These can be summarised as follows:

  • Food, which is discarded at several different sources, finally ends up in landfills or dumping grounds. At the landfills, it begins to rot and eventually releases one of the most potent greenhouse gases, namely methane. Methane significantly contributes to global warming and climate change.

  • The energy used for food production, transportation, storage, and disposal also contributes to the emission of carbon dioxide, which is another major greenhouse gas.

  • Food waste accounts for a substantial portion of global greenhouse gas emissions, estimated at around 8% to 10%.

  • Food waste in landfills produces leachate, a residual liquid of many toxic chemicals, including heavy metals. Such toxins leach and contaminate the underground water sources.

  •  his negatively affects the health of aquatic ecosystems.

  • Increased land use for food production and waste disposal can lead to deforestation and habitat destruction. Deforestation and land degradation associated with food waste can disrupt habitats and harm biodiversity.

  • Food waste is part of a broader system of food production and consumption that can contribute to the over-exploitation of resources and pollution.

 

So, reducing food waste is crucial for mitigating these impacts and creating a more sustainable food system.

To understand how we do it, kindly wait for next week’s article.

Until then, have a nice weekend!

 

(The author is an environmentalist. Views Personal.)

Comments

bottom of page