Friday, January 17, 2014


Make all platforms safer in 2 weeks, CR told

Manthan K Mehta & Manoj Badgeri,TNN | Jan 17, 2014, 12.57 AM IST

READ MORE Monika More|Chetan Bakshi|Commissioner of Railway Safety
MUMBAI: Not just Ghatkopar and Thane, Central Railway's Mumbai division has been directed to ensure that there are no abrupt discontinuation (like gaps) or any infringement (like signal poles) on platforms that can endanger the lives of commuters.

 The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) of Central Circle has asked the authorities to comply and submit a report within two weeks.

 Central Railway has finally begun work to fill up the pit at Ghatkopar's platform No 2 through which student Monika More, 16, fell and lost both arms. "We have decided to shift the signal horizontally by 1.5 meters and the junction box from the pit can be shifted to the middle of the tracks," said CR's divisional manager Mukesh Nigam.

 Safety commissioner Chetan Bakshi told TOI: "There is no violation of the Schedule of Dimension (of platforms) in the case of Ghatkopar as the train was stopping well short of the signal. However, such discontinuation of platform is not desirable."

 At Thane, another pit lying unattended for close to two years was finally covered. Workers from the railways' civil works department filled the ditch with debris and levelled it off with cement blocks. By Thursday afternoon, the signal box was also shifted, leaving behind a smooth platform surface.

 The 10ftx3ft ditch was created after signal pole S68 was shifted following a mandate that equipment on platforms must be 4.7m away from the centre of the track.

 Epitomizing railways red tape, the department relocating the signal shifted the pole but didn't move the allied equipment from the platform. It also didn't inform the civil works department and thus the gap was left unattended for almost two years.

 Mumbai: Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) has instructed Central Railway's Mumbai division to ensure that there is neither any abrupt discontinuation of the platform nor should there be any infringement that can endanger the lives of commuters.

 CRS of Central Circle has asked the railway authorities to remove any such abnormalities and submit the report within two weeks.

 CRS Chetan Bakshi told TOI, "There is no violation of the SOD in the case of Ghatkopar as the train was stopping well short of the signal. However, such discontinuation of platform is not desirable."

 Central Railway has already begun work to fill up the pit at Ghatkopar Platform No 2 because which the accident victim Monika More fell and lost both her hands.

 CR's divisional railway manger Mukesh Nigam said, "We have decided to shift the signal horizontally by 1.5 meters and junction box from the pit can be shifted in the middle of the track."

 At Thane, the pit, which was lying unattended for close to two years was finally covered. ailway workers from the civil works departments started work on Wednesday afternoon and filled the ditch with debris and mud and leveled it off with cement blocks. By Thursday afternoon, the signal box was also shifted leaving behind a smooth platform surface.

 A 10 feet x three feet wide ditch was created after signal pole (S68) was shifted away from the tracks following a mandate which said equipments on platforms must be 4.7m away from the centre of the track. "The department involved in relocation of signals shifted the pole but didn't move the allied equipments. They failed also to communicate the same to the civil works department that led to the gap being left unattended.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014


Green tribunal orders restoration of Mithi, Ulhas rivers

TNN | Jan 16, 2014, 04.56 AM IST
READ MORE Indian Institute of Technology Bombay|Ulhas rivers|National Green Tribunal|mithi

MUMBAI: The Pune bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday directed the state pollution board to ensure that rivers Mithi, Waduli, Ulhas and Patalganga are restored to pure forms.

"It has directed the MPCB to submit a plan to the state government and also directed the latter to participate in the effort to restore the rivers," said D Stalin, director, NGO Vanshakti, that has filed a PIL before the NGT

for restoration of Ulhas river. Another NGO Jal Biradari had filed a PIL to restore Mithi river.

The MPCB has been told to deposit money with the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, so that it can monitor pollution levels. "The court has made it clear that if it finds any industry is a threat to the river, it will order its relocation," said Stalin.

Meanwhile, the MMRDA informed the court that the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute had accepted the offer to conduct an environment impact assessment to study whether the blasting of the Mithi river bed can be undertaken.

The NGT sought to know from the MPCB if it had seized the bank guarantees and machineries of defaulting units. It expressed displeasure when it was informed that only eight of the 250 industrial units discharging untreated effluent into Ulhas river had been shut. It directed the MPCB to file a detailed tabular form action taken report and to mention names of defaulting industries in its affidavit. Earlier, the court had asked the MPCB to shut down over 200 industrial units within 30m of Mithi.

The NGT on Wednesday issued bailable warrants for Rs 20,000 each against the municipal commissioner of the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation and the president of the Ambernath municipal council

Four fire brigade ‘mini HQs’ lie vacant for lack of furniture

,TNN | Jan 15, 2014, 02.18 AM IST
READ MORE Fire Brigade|BMC
MUMBAI: Four of the five fire brigade command centres, which were constructed at a cost of Rs 75 crore a few years ago, have been lying vacant only for want of basic furniture. "As the buildings are not being used, they have been damaged by anti-social elements. While locals are dumping garbage on the premises of one such vacant centre, windowpanes have been broken in some of the other buildings," said a senior fire brigade official.

A command centre is like a mini-headquarters, which is used for administrative, better communication, training and capacity building of the force. One command centre controls on an average six to seven fire stations.

Following the deluge on July 26, 2005, the BMC had announced setting up of six command centres—at Mankhurd, Vikroli, Marol, Byculla, Wadala and Borivli. The proposal was fast-tracked after the terror attacks in November 2008 to ensure quick response and capacity building of the fire department. But only five of the six command centres are ready, and of the five only the unit at Wadala is occupied and operational. Construction on the command centre at Marol has not even begun.

Construction at Vikhroli was completed in 2010, but the building remains unoccupied for lack of internal furniture. The other three structures at Mankhurd, Byculla and Borivli share its fate for want of basic furniture, at least a year since the construction. If these centres were operational, the fire brigade could have shifted their staff and machinery from the dilapidated fire stations.

Civic officials admitted the BMC should have estimated the cost of furniture required while allotting the construction work. "Funds were exhausted in construction of the structure. There is no money left for furniture. Now, separate tenders will have to be floated for furnishing the buildings," said a civic official.

With the Byculla command centre not operational, the chief fire officer's office has been shifted to the Wadala unit, which is far from the central control room at Byculla. The senior officer should be based close to the central control room for effective communication and timely response, officials said.

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Udupi hotels are going down the Irani cafe road

Brun, butter, and a bite into history

While most Irani cafes in the city are fighting the battle hard to stay afloat, Sassanian Boulangerie in Dhobi Talao has a reason to celebrate as it completes a century tomorrow

March 20, 2013

Mumbai
Dhara Vora

When Dukes re-introduced its trademark raspberry soda in 2011, it brought the smiles back on the faces of several city residents, who loved their trips to favourite Irani cafés around the corner. These cafés were the perfect place to get one’s fix of this sweet soda.

The eatery sells different types of cakes with special batches made for Christmas and Easter
The fate of these Irani cafés, however, has been on shaky grounds; several have shut down, and chances of their comeback appear slim. In times like these, the news of an Irani café celebrating its 100th birth anniversary comes as a breath of fresh air (freshly baked brun, actually) to those who love the old world charm of the city.

(Left) Adi Yazdabadi and (right) Meheraban Kola with Kola’s daughter Zeenia. Pics/Dhara Vora.
Sassanian Boulangerie near Gol Masjid in Dhobi Talao has much to cheer. “1913 yes…but we don’t know of the specific date, so we are sticking to celebrating it on Navroz tomorrow,” confides 61-year-old Meheraban Kola. Settled in a Polish bentwood chair with a marble-top table, that seated the likes of journalist and writer Behram Contractor (Busy Bee), we sip on our chilled soda, while Kola along with the other partner, 74-year-old Adi Yazdabadi (who resides in the UK) narrate the history of this café named after an ancient Persian empire. Started by Rustom Yazdabadi in 1913 (then known as KR Sassanian), the café had three partners initially, which moved to just the Yazdabadis and the Kolas. It was in 1947 that Kola’s father Khodadad took over the reigns.
Daily bread and butter

Kola, also a one-time college professor, visited the eatery ever since he was kid. Like several other Irani cafés in the city, Sassanian too functioned as a local provision store stocking items of daily necessity, “We sold a lot of Polson butter as we would sell for a smaller margin as compared to other places,” shares Kola. “Meheraban’s father would stock imported chocolates too, stored under his counter cut neatly into pieces, he was lovely person.

The eatery has retained its vintage interiors, which includes this clock that has to be wound everyday
As a kid, I remember he would happily give us kids biscuits for free,” says city historian Deepak Rao, a regular at the eatery since his days as a student at St Xavier’s School and College. Yazdabadi’s younger brother Shahrukh Irani (who passed away last year), ran the store along with Kola.
He was known for his jovial nature and was affectionately called ‘Uncle Sam’ by the eatery’s patrons. “Together, we were called the two fatties of Sassanian,” quips Kola. “I went to the UK for my studies and stayed there; it’s what I wanted to pursue; this wasn’t my cup of tea – I told my mother to let Shahrukh run the café,” recalls Yazdabadi.
Shelf life stories

The eatery would open doors at five am, and their breads and brun pavs would be wiped off the shelves in minutes. The eatery was also a place where horse trainers stopped by before their morning training sessions, “It attracted lots of people during the derby days for tips, as everyone knew it was a joint where owners and trainers would visit,” reminisces Rao. Marine Lines railway station, which was previously located much closer to the café, also helped get customers.

Evolving with the times, Sassanian has also introduced healthier options of Brun but the pudding (right) remains a favourite
But a café can’t survive by just selling chai, bread, omelette and masoor dal. To keep things running, Kola’s wife Ruhangeez assisted him and they turned the café into a boulangerie, selling chicken pattice, vegetarian pattice, pastries, Parsi specialties like dhansak as well as sizzlers and Chinese dishes. The locality with a sizeable Roman Catholic population also demands fresh batches of hot cross buns, cakes, Easter eggs and marzipan during festivals.
Kola, whose children reside in Canada says that after him, he isn’t quite sure about who will man counter at the café, and hopes that it will continue to run, by God’s grace. “He will be the last Parsi standing,” summarises Rao.

At: 98, Marine View, Anandilal Podar Marg, near Metro cinema, Marine Lines
Call: 22006198
Open: 6.30 am to 10 pm

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

90 Udupi eateries shut shop in 2 years

,TNN | Jan 12, 2014, 12.45 AM IST
READ MORE VAT|Udupi eateries|shut shop|fast food chains
MUMBAI: Vijay Kadam does not judge customers who enter the McDonald's outlet near Mulund station and ask for a masala dosa. He simply tells them that Vishwa Mahal, the Udupi restaurant they were looking for, had shut. The image of nostalgic customers makes Sudhakar Shettie, owner of Vishwa Mahal, smile from behind the cash counter at a nearby hotel. "We had to lease out the space a year ago for personal reasons," he says.

All over the city, several Udupi restaurants have begun to lease out their properties to fast food chains and banks. The pace at which they have been shutting down has quickened in recent years due to rising costs and manpower shortage. If, as TOI had reported earlier, 150 restaurants shut between 2007 and 2011, in the past two years alone, 90 have folded up, many of them in south Mumbai, says Shashikant Shetty, secretary of AHAR (Association of Hotels and Restaurants).

Chandrasekhar Shetty, who leased out the premises of his two-year-old establishment 'Flames' in CBD Belapur to McDonald's, says, "Four years ago, the restaurant's gas bill would come to Rs 50,000 a month; today, it is in the region of Rs 4.5 lakh." Besides, for grade two and grade three Udupi hotels, which boast a lower middle- class clientele, competition from roadside hawkers is another concern.

There is fear that several Udupi hotels are threatening to go down the Irani cafe road. Several are therefore now on the verge of shutting down. "They are all on ventilators in the ICU," is how hotelier Shrinivas Shetty puts it.

What's choking these idli-dosa enterpreneurs is not just the hike in various taxes but also red-tapism, says Shrinivas. Getting a registration licence, he explains, involves negotiating at least 45 to 50 municipal departments. "It's probably easier to get clearance for an AK-47," says the disenchanted Shrinivas, who owns the famous Aditi Restaurant in Parel, which made headlines in June this year for adding a footnote in the bill that poked fun at the government's policies. "It was frustration that made me add that footnote," confesses the hotelier, who had to shut down the AC section of his restaurant after the government included all AC eateries in its purview for paying service tax.

Moreover, the enduring image of the Mangalorean waiter with the trademark towel on his shoulder and pencil behind his ear, is growing scarce. "As literacy is growing, the younger generation finds it beneath them to clean tables and floors," says Chandrasekhar Shetty.

"It may not be a profitable transaction but it spares me the headache of finding staff," says the hotelier, adding that even the existing staff from Mangalore is starting to migrate back home since they own houses there and can earn almost as much as they do in Mumbai. Also, since property taxes and other expenses such as electricity and gas have increased, "it is difficult to provide accommodation to staff," says Chandrasekhar who runs hotel Ramakrishna in Vile Parle.

"Since the common man has to pay 5% service tax and 5% VAT for eating in these restaurants now, he prefers eating on the streets instead," says hotelier Santosh Shetty. "So these restaurants are leasing out premises to banks and smaller establishments that promise not only a good rent but also overdraft facilities," adds Santosh who misses the golden period of Udupis in the city, "the time when the mills were alive".

Between 1960 and 1985, idlis and dosas, he recalls, had begun to beat the city's gastronomic staple of 'pav usal and paatal bhaji'. "Though our parents had a nose for business, they did not upgrade their ambience as they lacked confidence," says Santosh, adding that they were nervous about answering customers in English. But education boosted the second generation to graduate to banquet halls and luxurious setups, says Santosh. However, in the mid?nineties, he found himself renting out his Vile Parle restaurant Shri Gurudev to McDonald's, which was looking for a street with busy pedestrian traffic.

Inflation has changed prices on the menu card drastically. "Everything from tomatoes to onions is costly and no one's willing to pay that much," says a hotelier.

Given the scenario, very soon, Udupi restaurants, whose USP was their service, will have to imitate the self?service models of their competitors. "We will have to use disposable plates," says Chandrasekar. Already, some hotels, especially those in the Fort area, are experimenting with it.

"Unless government policies change, we will reach a state where hoteliers won't have food to eat," says Shrinivas. Perhaps it is to avoid such a fate that a busy Udupi hotel in Thane has now taken off its famous warning: "This place is for eating, not meeting."

Saturday, January 4, 2014

-BMC third most trusted-Brand Trust Report 2013.


BMC third most trusted government corporation: Survey

,TNN | Jan 4, 2014, 06.23 PM IST

READ MORE government corporation|Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation|Brand Trust Report 2013
MUMBAI: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has been listed as India's third most trusted government corporation in the Brand Trust Report 2013.

Mayor Sunil Prabhu announced this in a press meet at the civic headquarters on Friday. He hailed the achievement as a tribute to the development works undertaken by the civic body in the city.

The Brand Trust Report, India Study is an annual study based on a primary research conducted across Indian cities based on Trust Research Advisory's proprietary 61-attribute Trust Matrix. The research studies trust attitudes and preferences of brand influencers and also lists the Most Trusted Brands in India based on the Brand Trust Index.

The Brand Trust Report - 2013 has listed 1100 most trusted brands from 211 categories from among the 19000 unique brands generated in the study. Mayor also lauded the civic officials and employees for their contribution to the achievement.

=================================================

ACB cases show graft highest in BMC - Times Of India

articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com › Collections › Bmc‎
Jan 18, 2012 - "In the BMC, corruption is very high but only some cases come out." ... is yet another indicator of the quality of civic service that Mumbai gets.

BMC?riddled with corruption - Mumbai Mirror

www.mumbaimirror.com › Columns‎
Sep 11, 2011 - This refers to '˜Top BMC official held for taking bribe' (MM, September 10). That a top BMC official, Mr Chandrashekhar Rokde - next in rank ...

BMC delayed investigations against 3,500 corrupt employees

www.mid-day.com/.../031113-mumbai-bmc-delayed-investigations-agai...‎
Nov 3, 2013 - http://www.mid-day.com/news/2013/nov/031113-mumbai-bmc-delayed-investigations-against-3500-corrupt-employees.htm.

Corrupt officials and a construction mafia continue to build multi ...

indiatoday.intoday.in › Archive › NATION › October 14, 2013‎
Oct 14, 2013 - According to a survey conducted by the Shiv Sena-led BMC, there are 959 dilapidated buildings in Mumbai's 24 wards. "Every year, before the ...

FROM HISTORY:-MARATHA WARRIORS IN Angria's fleet ATTACKED PORTUGUESE FORT IN BACAIM-1700-(VASAI) MUMBAI NORTH{2]CHAUL-MUMBAI SOUTH

FORT AT VASAI MUMBAI NORTH


FORT AT CHAUL MUMBAI SOUTH

 
View Larger Map




Portuguese soldiers in Asia.

                                

                                            Fall of Bassein, 1739
The commandant of Bassein offered to pay tribute, but the offer was refused; he appealed to the English at first in vain, but he afterwards received from them a loan of £1500 (Rs. 15,000). [Bom. Quar. Rev. IV. 82-83.] The siege was pressed with the greatest skill and perseverance, and Angria's fleet blocked all hope of succour. Still, with the help of some Portuguese lately come from Europe, so gallant was the resistance, little less brilliant than the heroic defences of Diu and Chaul, that before Bassein was taken three months (17th February-16th May) had passed and 5000 Marathas were slain VASAI FORT NOW VASAI FORT 
The garrison was allowed to march out with the honours of war, and those who wished to leave the country were granted eight days in which to collect their property

Except five churches, four in Bassein and one in Salsette, which the Maratha general agreed to spare, every trace of Portuguese rule seemed fated to pass away.


[The conduct of the British in refusing to help the Portugese has been severely blamed (Nairne's Konkan, 83; Bom. Quar. Rev. IV. 82). Portuguese writers go so far as to state that the English supplied the Marathas with engineers and with bombs (Joze de Noronha, 1772, in O. Chron. de Tis. II. 16). According to Grose, who wrote in 1750, the reasons why the English did not help the Portuguese were, ' the foul practices' of the Kandra Jesuits against the English interest in 1720, their remissness in failing to finish the Thana fort, and the danger of enraging the Marathas, whose conduct of the war against the Portuguese deeply impressed the English. Voyage, I. 48-51.]



 As they were no longer able to hold them, the Portuguese offered the English


 Chaul FORT 
and Korlai fort 

on the south bank of the Chaul river. The English could not spare the men to garrison these places, but trusted that by ceding them to the Marathas they would gain their regard, and might be able to arrange terms between the Portuguese and the Marathas. The Portuguese placed their interests in the hands of the English. The negotiation was entrusted to Captain Inchbird, and though the Marathas at first demanded Daman and a share in the Goa customs, as well as Chaul, Inchbird succeeded in satisfying them with Chaul alone. Articles of peace were signed on the 14th of October 1740


  MARATHA ATTACK ONFORT AT VASAI MUMBAI,UNDER ANGRE NORTH  FORT AT CHAUL MUMBAI SOUTH

 Bombay was little prepared to stand such an attack as had been made on Bassein. The town wall was only eleven feet high and could be easily breached by heavy ordnance; there was no ditch, and the trees and houses in front of the wall offered shelter to an attacking force
A ditch was promptly begun, the merchants opening their treasure and subscribing £3000 (Rs. 30,000) ' as much as could be expected in the low state of trade'; all Native troops were forced to take their turn at the work; gentlemen and civilians were provided with arms and encouraged to learn their use; half-castes or topazes were enlisted and their pay was raised; the embodying of a battalion of sepoys was discussed; and the costly and long-delayed work of clearing of its houses and trees a broad space round the town walls was begun. Though the Marathas scoffed at it, threatening to fill it with their slippers, it was the ditch that saved Bombay from attack.

BOMBAY(MUMBAI) CHURCH GATE (FORT GATE NEAR ST THOMAS CHURCH)
for nearly twenty years Bombay lived in fear and trembling. In 1750, Grose laments that the friendly, or, at worst, harmless belt of Portuguese territory that used to guard them from the Marathas was gone. They were face to face with a power, unfriendly at heart, whose officers were always pressing the government to lead them to Bombay, and let them raze its wretched fort and pillage its markets

[Grose gives interesting particulars of these terrible Marathas, who had taken Thana and Bassein, and who held Bombay in the hollow of their hands. Most of them were land-tillers called Kurumbis, of all shades from deep black to light brown, the hill-men fairer than the coast-men. They were clean-limbed and straight, some of them muscular and large bodied, but from their vegetable diet, light, easily overborne in battle both by Moors and by Europeans. Their features were regular, even delicate. They shaved the head except the top-knot and two side curls, which, showing from the helmet, gave them an unmanly look. The rest of their dress was mean, a roll of coarse muslin round the head, a bit of cloth round the middle, and a loose mantle on the shoulders also used as bedding. The officers did not much out figure the men. To look at, no troops were so despicable. The men lived on rice and water carried in a leather bottle; the officers fared little better. Their pay was small, generally in rice, tobacco, salt, or clothes. The horses were small but hardy, clever in rough roads, and needing little fodder. The men were armed with indifferent muskets mostly matchlocks. These they used in bush firing, retreating in haste to the main body when they had let them off. Their chief trust was in their swords and targets. Their swords were of admirable temper, and they were trained swordsmen. European broadswords they held in contempt. Their targets were light and round, swelling to a point and covered with a lacquer, so smooth and hard that it would turn aside a pistol shot, even a musket shot at a little distance. They were amazingly rapid and cunning. The English would have no chance with them. They might pillage Bombay any day. [Grose's Voyage, I. 83. In spite of this Maratha thunder cloud, Bombay was advancing rapidly to wealth and importance.]

 Bombay was no longer the Britons' burying-ground. 

n 1753 (1st December) the Government wrote to the Court; ' The number of inhabitants has so greatly increased that the crowded people are murmuring to have the town enlarged. Some very considerable bankers from Aurangabad and Poona have opened shops to the great advantage of trade.' (Warden's Landed Tenures, 77). This increase in prosperity was partly due to very liberal instructions about attracting strangers to Bombay in a letter from the Court dated 15th March 1748. (See Bom. Quar. Rev. V. 164)



blocked all hope of succour. Still, with the help of some Portuguese lately come from Europe, so gallant was the resistance, little less brilliant than the heroic defences of Diu and Chaul, that before Bassein was taken three months (17th February-16th May) had passed and 5000 Marathas were slain  VASAI FORT NOW VASAI FORT 
The garrison was allowed to march out with the honours of war, and those who wished to leave the country were granted eight days in which to collect their property

Except five churches, four in Bassein and one in Salsette, which the Maratha general agreed to spare, every trace of Portuguese rule seemed fated to pass away.


[The conduct of the British in refusing to help the Portugese has been severely blamed (Nairne's Konkan, 83; Bom. Quar. Rev. IV. 82). Portuguese writers go so far as to state that the English supplied the Marathas with engineers and with bombs (Joze de Noronha, 1772, in O. Chron. de Tis. II. 16). According to Grose, who wrote in 1750, the reasons why the English did not help the Portuguese were, ' the foul practices' of the Kandra Jesuits against the English interest in 1720, their remissness in failing to finish the Thana fort, and the danger of enraging the Marathas, whose conduct of the war against the Portuguese deeply impressed the English. Voyage, I. 48-51.]



 As they were no longer able to hold them, the Portuguese offered the English


 Chaul FORT 
and Korlai fort 

on the south bank of the Chaul river. The English could not spare the men to garrison these places, but trusted that by ceding them to the Marathas they would gain their regard, and might be able to arrange terms between the Portuguese and the Marathas. The Portuguese placed their interests in the hands of the English. The negotiation was entrusted to Captain Inchbird, and though the Marathas at first demanded Daman and a share in the Goa customs, as well as Chaul, Inchbird succeeded in satisfying them with Chaul alone. Articles of peace were signed on the 14th of October 1740




 Bombay was little prepared to stand such an attack as had been made on Bassein. The town wall was only eleven feet high and could be easily breached by heavy ordnance; there was no ditch, and the trees and houses in front of the wall offered shelter to an attacking force
A ditch was promptly begun, the merchants opening their treasure and subscribing £3000 (Rs. 30,000) ' as much as could be expected in the low state of trade'; all Native troops were forced to take their turn at the work; gentlemen and civilians were provided with arms and encouraged to learn their use; half-castes or topazes were enlisted and their pay was raised; the embodying of a battalion of sepoys was discussed; and the costly and long-delayed work of clearing of its houses and trees a broad space round the town walls was begun. Though the Marathas scoffed at it, threatening to fill it with their slippers, it was the ditch that saved Bombay from attack.

for nearly twenty years Bombay lived in fear and trembling. In 1750, Grose laments that the friendly, or, at worst, harmless belt of Portuguese territory that used to guard them from the Marathas was gone. They were face to face with a power, unfriendly at heart, whose officers were always pressing the government to lead them to Bombay, and let them raze its wretched fort and pillage its markets

[Grose gives interesting particulars of these terrible Marathas, who had taken Thana and Bassein, and who held Bombay in the hollow of their hands. Most of them were land-tillers called Kurumbis, of all shades from deep black to light brown, the hill-men fairer than the coast-men. They were clean-limbed and straight, some of them muscular and large bodied, but from their vegetable diet, light, easily overborne in battle both by Moors and by Europeans. Their features were regular, even delicate. They shaved the head except the top-knot and two side curls, which, showing from the helmet, gave them an unmanly look. The rest of their dress was mean, a roll of coarse muslin round the head, a bit of cloth round the middle, and a loose mantle on the shoulders also used as bedding. The officers did not much out figure the men. To look at, no troops were so despicable. The men lived on rice and water carried in a leather bottle; the officers fared little better. Their pay was small, generally in rice, tobacco, salt, or clothes. The horses were small but hardy, clever in rough roads, and needing little fodder. The men were armed with indifferent muskets mostly matchlocks. These they used in bush firing, retreating in haste to the main body when they had let them off. Their chief trust was in their swords and targets. Their swords were of admirable temper, and they were trained swordsmen. European broadswords they held in contempt. Their targets were light and round, swelling to a point and covered with a lacquer, so smooth and hard that it would turn aside a pistol shot, even a musket shot at a little distance. They were amazingly rapid and cunning. The English would have no chance with them. They might pillage Bombay any day. [Grose's Voyage, I. 83. In spite of this Maratha thunder cloud, Bombay was advancing rapidly to wealth and importance.]

 Bombay was no longer the Britons' burying-ground. 

n 1753 (1st December) the Government wrote to the Court; ' The number of inhabitants has so greatly increased that the crowded people are murmuring to have the town enlarged. Some very considerable bankers from Aurangabad and Poona have opened shops to the great advantage of trade.' (Warden's Landed Tenures, 77). This increase in prosperity was partly due to very liberal instructions about attracting strangers to Bombay in a letter from the Court dated 15th March 1748. (See Bom. Quar. Rev. V. 164)



                                                   Fall of Bassein, 1739   The commandant of Bassein offered to pay tribute, but the offer was refused; he appealed to the English at first in vain, but he afterwards received from them a loan of £1500 (Rs. 15,000). [Bom. Quar. Rev. IV. 82-83.] The siege was pressed with the greatest skill and perseverance, and Angria's fleet blocked all hope of succour. Still, with the help of some Portuguese lately come from Europe, so gallant was the resistance, little less brilliant than the heroic defences of Diu and Chaul, that before Bassein was taken three months (17th February-16th May) had passed and 5000 Marathas were slain  VASAI FORT NOW  VASAI FORT    The garrison was allowed to march out with the honours of war, and those who wished to leave the country were granted eight days in which to collect their property     Except five churches, four in Bassein and one in Salsette, which the Maratha general agreed to spare, every trace of Portuguese rule seemed fated to pass away.       [The conduct of the British in refusing to help the Portugese has been severely blamed (Nairne's Konkan, 83; Bom. Quar. Rev. IV. 82). Portuguese writers go so far as to state that the English supplied the Marathas with engineers and with bombs (Joze de Noronha, 1772, in O. Chron. de Tis. II. 16). According to Grose, who wrote in 1750, the reasons why the English did not help the Portuguese were, ' the foul practices' of the Kandra Jesuits against the English interest in 1720, their remissness in failing to finish the Thana fort, and the danger of enraging the Marathas, whose conduct of the war against the Portuguese deeply impressed the English. Voyage, I. 48-51.]        As they were no longer able to hold them, the Portuguese offered the English       Chaul FORT     and Korlai fort      on the south bank of the Chaul river. The English could not spare the men to garrison these places, but trusted that by ceding them to the Marathas they would gain their regard, and might be able to arrange terms between the Portuguese and the Marathas. The Portuguese placed their interests in the hands of the English. The negotiation was entrusted to Captain Inchbird, and though the Marathas at first demanded Daman and a share in the Goa customs, as well as Chaul, Inchbird succeeded in satisfying them with Chaul alone. Articles of peace were signed on the 14th of October 1740          Bombay was little prepared to stand such an attack as had been made on Bassein. The town wall was only eleven feet high and could be easily breached by heavy ordnance; there was no ditch, and the trees and houses in front of the wall offered shelter to an attacking force    A ditch was promptly begun, the merchants opening their treasure and subscribing £3000 (Rs. 30,000) ' as much as could be expected in the low state of trade'; all Native troops were forced to take their turn at the work; gentlemen and civilians were provided with arms and encouraged to learn their use; half-castes or topazes were enlisted and their pay was raised; the embodying of a battalion of sepoys was discussed; and the costly and long-delayed work of clearing of its houses and trees a broad space round the town walls was begun. Though the Marathas scoffed at it, threatening to fill it with their slippers, it was the ditch that saved Bombay from attack.     for nearly twenty years Bombay lived in fear and trembling. In 1750, Grose laments that the friendly, or, at worst, harmless belt of Portuguese territory that used to guard them from the Marathas was gone. They were face to face with a power, unfriendly at heart, whose officers were always pressing the government to lead them to Bombay, and let them raze its wretched fort and pillage its markets      [Grose gives interesting particulars of these terrible Marathas, who had taken Thana and Bassein, and who held Bombay in the hollow of their hands. Most of them were land-tillers called Kurumbis, of all shades from deep black to light brown, the hill-men fairer than the coast-men. They were clean-limbed and straight, some of them muscular and large bodied, but from their vegetable diet, light, easily overborne in battle both by Moors and by Europeans. Their features were regular, even delicate. They shaved the head except the top-knot and two side curls, which, showing from the helmet, gave them an unmanly look. The rest of their dress was mean, a roll of coarse muslin round the head, a bit of cloth round the middle, and a loose mantle on the shoulders also used as bedding. The officers did not much out figure the men. To look at, no troops were so despicable. The men lived on rice and water carried in a leather bottle; the officers fared little better. Their pay was small, generally in rice, tobacco, salt, or clothes. The horses were small but hardy, clever in rough roads, and needing little fodder. The men were armed with indifferent muskets mostly matchlocks. These they used in bush firing, retreating in haste to the main body when they had let them off. Their chief trust was in their swords and targets. Their swords were of admirable temper, and they were trained swordsmen. European broadswords they held in contempt. Their targets were light and round, swelling to a point and covered with a lacquer, so smooth and hard that it would turn aside a pistol shot, even a musket shot at a little distance. They were amazingly rapid and cunning. The English would have no chance with them. They might pillage Bombay any day. [Grose's Voyage, I. 83. In spite of this Maratha thunder cloud, Bombay was advancing rapidly to wealth and importance.]    Bombay was no longer the Britons' burying-ground.      n 1753 (1st December) the Government wrote to the Court; ' The number of inhabitants has so greatly increased that the crowded people are murmuring to have the town enlarged. Some very considerable bankers from Aurangabad and Poona have opened shops to the great advantage of trade.' (Warden's Landed Tenures, 77). This increase in prosperity was partly due to very liberal instructions about attracting strangers to Bombay in a letter from the Court dated 15th March 1748. (See Bom. Quar. Rev. V. 164)

 
 


RWA ‘grabs’ 100m Juhu beach stretch

,TNN | Jan 5, 2014, 04.09 AM IST

READ MORE RWA|Juhu beach|illegal landfilling|Bombay high court

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MUMBAI: A vast stretch of the iconic Juhu beach has been seeing allegedly illegal landfilling with boulders and earth by none other than local residents themselves.
Juhu Citizens' Welfare Group (JCWG), comprising local activists, has angered other residents' groups as well as the Bombay high court-appointed Juhu beach monitoring committee by dumping 80 truckloads of boulders, rocks, stones and earth to landfill an enormous sandy stretch. It has covered a length of 100 metres of the beach without requisite permission from concerned authorities, especially the monitoring panel that came into being in March 2003.
This stretch of the beach, a major tourist attraction, also falls under Coastal Regulatory Zone (1) and dumping of rocks is in gross violation of CRZ rules, says architect PK Das, member of the monitoring panel.
"The question is not about checking beach erosion. It's a high-tide line and rocks are being dumped on a sandy beach. In any case, the court has banned land-filling to check sand erosion. This act would amount to prosecution and even arrest," says Das.
Ashoke Pandit, convenor, Save Open Spaces, has complained to the collector and other concerned authorities against four members of JCWG and sought removal of boulders.
Anil Desai, treasurer, JCWG, though, said the boulders were put up after consulting the suburban collector. "Some severe sand erosion has taken place on the beach last year. We are only taking preventive measures by dumping rocks. All authorities are aware of this, including the collector who has visited the site. All residents and societies have contributed Rs 6-7 lakh for dumping the boulders. Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) is also involved," said Desai.
When contacted, suburban collector Sanjay Deshmukh denied granting any permission to JCWG. "We did not give any permission. Only the HC-appointed committee can issue permissions. We visited the site and told residents that MMB will check erosion by pumping in its funds. They just went ahead and dumped rocks on their own," said Deshmukh.
Desai said residents had consulted IIT-Bombay and proper gabions were installed with wire mesh boxes, which are 1m on all sides. Currently, a board has been put up warning visitors of trucks to dump boulders. "Then, the earth-moving equipment is brought on the beach and rocks are picked up and placed at correct spots."
Pandit said checking sand erosion was the government's job. "Individual citizens' groups cannot get permission to do work on their own and spend from their pockets. It's an absurd kind of vandalism, other than violation of CRZ norms."

TIMES VIEW
Government agencies cannot sit idle when Mumbai's most-visited beach is in danger. Surreptitious encroachment of mangroves, away from public gaze, is one thing; but ignoring something that is happening out in the open, at a place visited by thousands, is akin to encouraging the land-grab. Government agencies need to step in right now.
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