A Muslim ghetto town, Mumbra, in the suburb of Mumbai could have been a model town, if the Muslims had not been discriminated against by the communal government of Mumbai City and Maharashtra State. Hundreds and thousands of supposed 'illegal' buildings all over the city and suburbs of greater Mumbai, are made legal through the very outset by the authorities through under the table exchange. However, for Muslim entrepreneurs, even that route is closed. So there remains no alternative for the so-called dropout 'builders' other than to take the 'criminal' routes. They are forced to remain outside of the legal and official framework. Mumbra could have been a planned city, just like Sharad Pawar's LAVASA. But Muslims have no political clout and no access to bank finances. They are forced to work with whatever means available to them, to make a living. At least they are getting employment for themselves and their workers. If they had finances available like the Bohra communities' Bhendi Bazaar Project, they could have come out with flying colors with their flair for entrepreneurship. The politically correct analysis in Free Press Journal, by Zeeshan Shaikh, falls short of taking the wider and deeper issues that surrounds the upcoming of a new ghetto in the suburb of Mumbai city. The disaster of the crash of a 7-story building could have been avoided if the authorities had cooperated with the genuine need of hundreds and thousands of families uprooted in Mumbai riots. Since Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is still ruled by the same Shiv Sena, that had unleashed the post-Babri riots of Bombay, the gulf between the two communities is still wide and glaring. Muslims are never given an inch lest they catch up and make a success of their existence in the burgeoning city of Mumbai.
The situation can easily be compared to the civil
disobedience movement of Mahatma Gandhi, who had realised that without
an anti-British movement, Indians will never get their rights. Since all
doors to legitimate progress and survival is closed to Muslims, the
wider implication of this uncharted and unplanned movement of 'Civil
Disobedience' against a institutionally adverse government, has to be
recognised as such and the ruling oligarchs and civic administration
should shed their prejudices against their Muslim compatriots and treat
them at equal footing with all others.
Ghulam Muhammed, Mumbai
THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL - MUMBAIMumbai April 24, 2013 12:07:59 AM | By Zeeshan Shaikh
A town where even school dropouts are builders!
Mumbra : It is
hard to believe that in Mumbra there are 25 builders below the age of 20
who are flourishing in the illegal construction industry and are also
living a lavish lifestyle by selling flats constructed in a few months.
Most of them are school or college drop outs and joined the race of
becoming rich to fulfill their increasing demands.
Mumbra
could be the only city in India, where construction industry has
builders below the age of 20 in huge numbers. “In Mumbra everyone wants
to grow as fast as possible and Mumbra is the only city in the state
where a person can become a builder by just investing Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5
lakh,” said Hussain Syed, a theatre artiste and a resident of Mumbra.
According to Syed, there are around 250
builders who are working full-time in construction business and there
are more than 700 of their accomplices who are working for them as a
sleeping partner. Among these 250 odd developers, around 25 individuals
who are flourishing in the illegal construction business and their age
is below 20, added Syed.
“These under-20s youth do not belong
from a well to do family and most of them are school or college drop
outs. At some point of time these youths were handed some cash by their
family members and they selected the easiest path of constructing
illegal towers in the vicinity”, said Syed.
One of these builders, Feroze Khan, 19,
who has a light growing moustache on his face every evening visits Sahil
Hotel, located on the main road of Kausa, with his white Honda Activa.
While speaking to FPJ Khan said, “I was not interested in studies due to
which I flunked my SSC board exams. My father after seeing my result
informed me that he had saved Rs 3 lakh for my further studies, as he
wanted me to become an engineer”. After observing the construction boom
in the vicinity, Khan requested his father to allow him to enter the
construction business with Rs 3 lakh in 2009, when he was just
15-year-old. Till 2013, Khan had developed more than five illegal
buildings with three ongoing illegal construction which is stopped after
the mishap.
According to Khan, “It is easy to enter
the illegal construction industry of Mumbra, as these developers have a
famous roadside restaurant, Sahil, which is famously known as the
junction where deals worth of crores take place in few minutes. Every
evening the G+1 restaurant, owned by a local corporator, is full of
builders finalising their deals, politicians waiting for their share,
contractors waiting for their money, TMC officials are also bribed at
the same place and even police officials also halt there to take their
envelopes full of cash.
“In the words of K P Naik, suspended
senior police inspector of Diager police station, Sahil Hotel, is a
Vidhan Bhavan of builders,” said a police official requesting anonymity.
“If anyone wants to enter the illegal
construction industry of Mumbra, the locals advise him to start visiting
Sahil Hotel and pay bills, bring pan, buy a cigarette for big
developers,” said Khan.
“It is the most easiest and safest way
to catch hold of one group from Sahil and flourish in the market of
construction. Even I found a group in Sahil hotel who were ready to take
me as a partner with Rs 3 lakh,” added Khan.
“What great would I have done after
becoming an engineer, I would be employed under some firm working nine
to five for some pennies. Today more than 150 people are employed under
me and the construction business is worth doing some other business,”
said Khan.
Apart from Sahil Hotel, these under-20
youths have discovered a small restaurant, Sugar and Spice which is a
stone’s throw away from Sahil. Luxurious cars and bikes are parked every
evening at Sugar and Spice, where these youths show off their power to
each other with their accessories and clothes
every day.
Ehsaan Dalvi, a professor and a resident
of Mumbra said, “These youths are not at all interested in education
and are looking for easy money by any means. The illegal construction
industry provides them the way to earn easy money, and they are
completely disabled to approach municipal corporation for legal
construction work”.
Khan and his bunch of business partners
who like to spend their nights in Konkan Palace or Bhiwandi Dhaba hardly
showed any remorse over the death of 74 people but were in a worried
condition for their blocked investment.
Zeeshan Shaikh
No comments:
Post a Comment