Solution to Mumbai's problems ?

Major Points made at the AGNI Meeting Last Sunday (7th August 2005).

1.0 - Authorities must be held accountable and must apologize to Mumbaikars for the 26th July Man-Made Murders and the Mess.

2.0 - It was not only Mumbai but other cities in Maharashtra that suffered great damage.

3.0 - No Co-ordination between different government agencies even at this stage.

4.0 - Relief Material Distribution is happening on political grounds.

5.0 - Just as the 1992 Harshad Mehta scam led to the formation of SEBI and the regulation of the financial markets, hopefully, this crisis would also have a silver lining in the future.

6.0 - It was just a co-incidence that the 26th July cloudburst was over Santacruz and hence the Met Department (which measures rainfall at Colaba and Santacruz only) measured 944 mm of rain. It is possible that past years may have even received more rain in diffferent parts of the city which the Met Department was not able to measure.

7.0 - Tinakar Committee Report of 1994 had described the Governnment of Maharashtra
in 9 words - " For the Builder, By the Builder, Of the Builder".

8.0 - Tax benefits must not only be given to the Builders but also to People. More than 1/3rd Population lives on Ground Floor and 10 lac families were affected.

9.0 - The governance of the different institutions managing the city and it's processes need a drastic overhaul.

10.0 - The whole of Mumbai is paying the price for the regularisation and condonement of irregular policies, practices done in the name of the poor.

11.0 - Disaster Management Plans must be done from the Ground Level ALM upwards and not in a Top-Down Fashion from Mantralaya.