This is definitely a good idea set up by the powers that be. The city shall appoint marshals who will police the streets documenting the offences converning civil behaviour and habits committed on a daily basis.

The marshals will carry digital cameras to click those who spit, litter, urinate or wash cars on the streets.Then they will impose fines. In case of possible disputes, citizens can contest fines at the zonal deputy commissioner’s office. [link]

The scheme will only work if these marshals are given some responsibility. The business model also works on splitting costs halfway so that hopefully takes care of corruption.

In uniforms carrying badges of the corporation and their security agency, the marshals would move in their designated wards in jeeps and bikes and would communicate using a walkie-talkie.

Since the charged fine would be imposed in form of tickets, any possible “negotiation” with those it is imposed on is being ruled out. Marshals would be trained not be rude or harsh to people and three complaints of such behaviour would cost them their job. The system also provides for a third party audit by local NGOs of the joint venture.

So the next time you stop to spit, get your car washed on the street or dump garbage, look out. You may be on camera and on your way to a fine and citation.

Bravo the Bison is the mascot of the upcoming World Military Games, to be held in Hyderabad. The games are scheduled from October 14-21, 2007.

The picture below (courtesy DNA) shows the mascot with the Gateway of India in the background.

Bombay will host two events…Sailing and Triathlon.

As anyone worth their palate will attest, some of the most amazing food in Bombay is the cheap roadside kind that a lot of people shun. Yes it can have sometimes questionable hygeine, sourcing etc, but come on, tell me your mouth dosent water at the thought of a vada pav, sheekh boti or bhel and ganna juice.

However it seems that as per a Supreme Court Directive, cooking on roadside pavements will be banned in the coming days.

Initially only three wards are going to be afftected, but if its a success, then the whole city will be engulfed.

Damn the powers that be. Why cant they come up with a working viable solution instead of just banning stuff.

Areas that are going to be test cases include Abdul Rehman Street, Zhaveri Bazaar, Ardeshir Dadi Street, Lokmanya Tilak Road, Matunga, Mahim Causeway and Bandra.

The city witnessed one of the largest mass conversions in modern history this Sunday. This was on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the conversion of Ambedkar to Buddhism.

More than 50,000 people converged on the Mahalaxmi Race Course and after a day of speeches and sermons converted to Buddhism.

This is otherwise good news, except that its been tainted with politics and vote-banks. Depending on who you listen to, the Dalits are doing this to become a stronger voting block, or the politicians are encouraging it to garner support. Ah, politics, always omnipresent in our everyday lives.

As someone who has had his two wheeler towed a few dozen times over many years, this is good news

More than 6.47 lakh twowheeler owners in the city can heave a sigh of relief as the towing vans hired by the traffic police can no more lift their vehicles illegally.

According to Regional Transport Office (RTO) rules, the towing van with private registration numbers (white number plates) are not em powered to lift two-wheelers on their chassis platforms as such vehicles are not registered as public carriers (yellow number plates). Only public vehicles can transport any sort of goods and the towing van can only tow the vehicles and not carry them.

So the next time you see a tow van trying to put any two wheeler on to its flatbed, check the number plates. Even if it not your two wheeler, support your fellow motorist and make sure the tow van is not illegal.

Now that’s one jumbled up mess of wires.

This is why…

In a sheer act of negligence, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) contractors damaged a Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) junction at Andheri-Kurla Road on Friday resulting in disconnection of service to 2,000 subscribers.

MTNL engineers on the site said that heavy excavators involved in digging a large area near the Western Express Highway to lay new pipelines accidentally hit the main MTNL line carrying connections to more than 2,000 telephone subscribers located in Andheri East and Vile Parle (E). [link]

Seriously, this is one more entry in the “Now That’s Fucked Up” category. Every so often, you hear of the most ridiculous events and wonder how we educated smart people put up with trash like this.

The Shiv Sena, is a political party on one limb. With its erstwhile Tiger, now toothless and no new leaders of worth, the party supporters are just out to create a nuisance of themselves for no apparent reason.

Their latest gimmick is to ask all restaurants and shops that have the name Bombay in it to change it to Mumbai.

Shiv Sainiks have ensured that Bombay Blue restaurant at Center One, Vashi will soon be known as ‘Mumbai Blue’. Similarly, every other restaurant in the satellite city with the name Bombay in it will have to rename it to Mumbai within a month’s time. After the party workers broke into a Bombay Blue outlet at a mall in Santacruz and stuck a poster stating Mumbai over Bombay, Blue Foods group has decided to rename all its outlets to ‘Mumbai Blue’ by June 15. [link]

isn’t it enough that they ruined the name of the city and reverted it back, in a somewhat jingoistic nationalist fervour. How do we tolerate this. Personally, I think the restauranters should hire people to bash up the Shiv Sena jerks who come and attack restaurants. Thats the only way they will learn.

Or simply, ban the party, so that it becomes illegal and its wings are clipped.

The above is an image from DNA showing Western Railway workers working through the night to get the track repairs complete before the start of the work week on Monday. For once its great to see work going on in earnest to meet deadlines and cause as little inconvenience as possible.

Great going…..Western Railways.

Strikes are so much a part of our lives day to day. If its not the trains, then its the buses or the taxis. Now it seems even food items are not exempt.

The milkmen in the state have gone on strike. So unless you have your own cow in the back yard, you are out of luck.

For the next two days, people in the city will have to keep their milk cravings aside because milkmen in the state have gone on a strike.

They will neither produce milk, nor sell it in Satara, Kolhapur, Belgaum and Sangli, places from where the city gets its milk.

“We are opposing the government for paying us low rates for acquiring milk. They buy milk from us for Rs 13 per litre and sell it for Rs 25. [link]

So, while we wait for the milkmen to come back to work, can I have my coffee black please.

The city has experienced light showers in a few surrounding areas and the imminent loom of the monsoon clouds is not too far off.

In all this, do you think that the city civic authorities have done a good job. Will we or wont we have another “26th July 2005″

This is an open thread for a couple of days. Please express your thoughts.