Mumbai waits for Anna, Parel gets a new hospital

Will you be there? “Veteran activist Anna Hazare is expected to reach Mumbai on 26 December to press his demand for a strong Lokpal bill. Team Anna, in a bid to galvanise support for its campaign, is planning to request people to adorn their Christmas trees with the activist’s masks and sport Anna badges and caps. Given that support for the anti-corruption campaign has been pouring in from every nook and cranny of the country, it is expected that the number of people participating in the Mumbai chapter, which kicks off on 27 December, will easily surpass the turnout at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan,” says Times of India.[caption id=“attachment_159061” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Keeping up the tempo. PTI”]  [/caption] As Anna shuttles between Delhi and Mumbai, so do conversations. “Have you noticed how any conversation about how much you love living in Delhi or working in Mumbai invariably degenerates into a Delhi vs Mumbai slanging match. The Delhi folks turn their noses up at the dirt and slush of Mumbai (seriously, what is that smell?). The Mumbai loyalists hold forth on how Delhi has no heart and no time for those with no money or power. Team Delhi sneers about how Mumbai is routinely held to ransom by the Marathi manoos brigade,” comments Hindustan Times. And this time, it’s south Mumbai Vs the suburbs. “So long, Parel has been the address of the best public hospitals in Mumbai. Now, Global Hospital will add a corporate edge to the lane that leads to the 1,800-bedded KEM Hospital, the 500-bedded Tata Memorial Hospital and Wadia women & children’s hospitals. Global will, in the next few weeks, open its doors as the city’s transplant specialty centre. But the Hyderabad-based group isn’t the only one coming up with a hospital in the more-south-than-north Mumbai. Work on Wockhardt Hospital’s new project in Mumbai Central is almost over. “It is right opposite Nair Hospital and is well-connected in terms of transport,” said a doctor. A few days ago, Bangalore-based heart surgeon Devi Shetty announced his group, Narayana Hrudayalaya’s entry into Mumbai,” says Times of India. This is an all-Mumbai, positive story. “Fewer burglaries, dacoities, but a lot more robberies. Efforts made by the Mumbai Police to reduce ‘property offences’ received mixed results this year. While there were fewer burglaries as well as dacoities (where at least five armed persons are involved), 2011 saw more robberies as compared to the past year. Statistics provided by the Mumbai police show the number of burglaries was down to 2,597 this year, as compared to the 2,908 cases that were registered last year. The police attribute to the fact that more housing societies, shops and malls have started taking security measures to safeguard their premises,” says Hindustan Times. Fewer burglaries, but there’s a missing celebrity. “Pakistani actor Veena Malik has reportedly gone ‘missing’ in Mumbai since Friday morning. Malik’s manager Pratiek Mehta said he has informed the Bandra police on Saturday but will wait for another 24 hours before filing a missing person complaint,” says Indian Express. And there’s rioting by an elected representative. “A Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) corporator of ward number 128 was among 19 persons arrested in Pant Nagar, Ghatkopar on Saturday on charges of rioting. They were arrested for damaging a church and assaulting a priest, Fr Prabhakaran. The police are now looking for a builder, Champaran Wardhan, and his son Kunal. The police said the incident took place during a demolition drive in Samraj Nagar,” says Indian Express. And finally, commuter woes won’t go away. “CNG dealers, who had deferred their agitation plan last month, have threatened to go on strike once again as they are not satisfied with the increase in their margins and have decided to reject the proposed hike. The association has been demanding an increase in commission from 87 paise at present to Rs2.50 per kg, but the state-level coordinator has allowed only Rs1.16 per kg,” says DNA.