It has been raining non stop since last Thursday night in Mumbai. I haven’t ventured out of the house since Saturday, when i got home all soaked – after wading through god knows what ….

It has, gotten worse or better. the skies are over cast. the winds chilly. and it is raining non stop. no pause. I am sure that the roads are shredded

Today, I worked from home… I can manage the rains quite easily. We were working on 26/7 – waded through waist high water to reach film city to shoot … what I cannot handle are shredded roads.

This monsoons have been the worst as far as my health has been concerned. The whole body hurts with the effort of keeping the car steady through the potholes.

The BMC has failed. Its corporators and management has not delivered. Elections are in 2012. Time to vote in a new local self government. And make them accountable.

Have been reading about Adolf D’Souza an independent corporator from Juhu. He has done phenomenal work in representing the people.

. His biggest success was clearing the Irla nullah that drains excess water into the Arabian Sea. The office of a private security business and other encroachments were blocking it, but with memories of the 26/7 deluge still fresh, over 150 residents, among them several actors, protested outside the home of Revenue Minister Narayan Rane, who had stayed the demolition order. Under pressure, the government carried out the demolition.The 47-year-old Juhu corporator strongly believes in empowering every citizen to be a mini-corporator, by guiding people about whom to call, or write a letter to in the corporation. He meets area sabha representatives after office hours at his home office. The sabhas in Juhu put forth their problems to corporation officials every month after collecting them through SMSes or notes sent by people.

Maybe, that is the problem with the urban middle class – they think that BMC elections are below their dignity. They don’t vote. they crib. And then then they take a lit candle for a walk.
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The road my corporator Subhash Sawant got built. The photograph is that of JB Nagar road … the road was, until three years ago, an unmitigated disaster. The gutters would over flow, there was uncollected garbage everywhere. there were street shops encroaching on the pavement. Shops that would encroach on the road. I used to dread going to JB Nagar – and it is a three minute walk from my house.

Now, it has an asphalt road. Gutters that are regularly silted. Garbage that is collected regularly. Pavements to walk on. Street vendors have an area of their own – making shopping relatively easy. There are potted plants, space for parking – and it is fun to visit …