Mumbai used to be a lovely city, or so my mother tells me. Actually, it was still quite all right a decade ago, when I used to travel to Matunga daily from Mulund to attend classes at Ruparel.
While the indomitable spirit of the Kattar Mumbaikars scintillates at such low points in Mumbai's history, it can hardly be allowed to overshadow the fact that tragedy did occur, a tragedy that could have been prevented.
That the city's drainage is wanting is common knowledge. There are landslides in low lying areas every year. Just as the tsunami caught the Tamils unawares, we have been caught napping in this case. And while we have had the gumption to step up to the occasion and wear our camaraderie on our sleeve, it begs the question - Why should we allow such a pathetic situation to arise in the first place?
Comparisons to Singapore, Shanghai and Tokyo are not even required. We are not answerable to them. Isn't the government falling short in the eyes of the very people that elected it to power. Having to withstand an inept government for 5 years is one thing, it's quite another having to pay for one with your life.
It's high time BMC elections were fought on Public Utilities planks.
