Mumbai 10th July 2006. The Janmat Abhiyaan crusade against the city's bad roads and open manholes has now been taken one step further. From 10th July 2006, JANMAT along with campaign partner LOKSATTA, Maharastra's premier daily newspaper, continues the campaign with a silent protest against the open manholes by spotting Mumbai's 10 most dangerous manholes and deploying human banners that will be stationed at each of the spot asking the authorities as to when these manholes would be covered ?. The channel will also make arrangements to het the common man's view on the issue.
It is a well-known agenda of the BMC, that once work is done on manholes, the BMC never replaces the lids on time, leading to scores of unaccounted deaths by drowning during waterlogging. Recently, a suo moto action was accepted by Mumbai High Court, based on a complaint filed by Dr Sandeep Rane in 2005. The High Court accepted a PIL on this issue. On 7th June 2006, the High Court ordered the BMC and Thane Municipal Corporation to complete the repairs within 7 days. Instead of getting the work done, the BMC applied for an affidavit stating that the repair work was already carried out.
In actual reality, lot was left to be desired. When Janmat's team visited hot spots as recently as Tuesday, 27th June in areas ranging from Bandra to Dahisar, hundreds of manhole covers were found missing, with no repair work attempted at all. So what was the BMC affidavit all about? It appears that contempt of court is small change for BMC.
The Janmat Abhiyaan launched recently throughout the city of Mumbai has received a very positive response from concerned citizens who have left their imprint in the widespread signature campaign they had undertaken. Many celebs from Bollywood and the TV industry joined in to extend their hand of support for a better Mumbai. Known for its in-depth and prompt reportage, JANMAT along with LOKSATTA, has gone a step ahead and will continue in it's fight for a better Mumbai to make a change in the way citizens engage with their leaders and make them accountable for their actions.
JANMAT has taken upon itself not to stop at only promoting news and views but instead go beyond the obvious. The channel has gone BEYOND NEWS; to occupy a space that takes the active support of the citizens to change the way governance is handled in India.
List of 10 dangerous manhole spots:
- Vile Parle (E), Western Express Highway.
- MMRDA Office, Western Express Highway, Towards Vakola
- Juhu Circle
- Kandivaili, S.V Road
- Dahisar, Western Express Highway, (3 Manholes)
- The Hub Mall
- Andheri Flyover
- Mith Chowky signal, Malad
- Milan Subway, Vile Parle
- Borivali, S.V. Road
Launched in November with a vision to empower every Indian, 'Janmat' provides an opportunity for a pro-active working for a resolution of issues. India's first 24-hour views channel, Janmat, makes the audience the hero.
For further information please contact:
Rina Dasgupta: 9821142424
Verus Ferreira: 9819510183
Riddhi Kapadia: 9867390985
