What will it take?

What will it take to improve our city?

A little before midnight, a sharp thud disturbed the stillness of the night. Rushing out to the balconey, we found huge flames reaching out towards us. Scary but true. The top floor of the neighbouring building was burning down right in front of our eyes.

A call to the Fire Brigade remained unanswered for 15 rings and a call to the local Police station was kept on call transfer for another 15 minutes. Luckily someone had managed to contact the elusive fire brigade and the huge , bulky vehicle steamed up the narrow and steep road. There was no way the fire engine could enter the building premises because the little space around the building was filled with the residents' cars. So all it could do was wait outside and spray water as high as the pressure would allow . It was sheer luck that the wind was quiet last night. It was sheer luck that none of the embers fell on the cars below. It was sheer luck that the fire was contained in the building and did not spread to the tinder boxes that seemed dangerously close.



For years the neighbourhood has been clamouring for new buildings to stop coming into existance. But we are told that the politicians want the money that the builders offer them as bribes to allow them to bend the rules. The builders tell us most blatantly that if we can satiate the insatiable appetites of the politicians then the construction will automatically stop.

Why should we pay for a politician who does not care for us? Aren't our taxes enough to protect our interests?

Last year we had a warning in the form of a deluge. This was not the first. We have had tremors, outbreaks of lepto , power shortages and even riots.

But still our politicians seem to think that we people of Mumbai do not deserve better.

What will it take for them to realise that the local MP is supposed to serve the locals who elect him and not work only towards filling his own pocket.http://pps23bmsnspaces