Religion not money will get you a house in Mumbai

It's Mumbai's dark but open secret. Screen writer Anjum Rajabali's first hunt for a home in 1991 took months as he heard the same refrain from real estate brokers: "Sorry Mr Rajabali, no Muslims allowed."

"I said Juhu and the brokers just laughed. They said it was impossible. Large areas were marked out. it was a horrible feeling," says he.

Desperate, Rajabali finally bought a home in the name of his wife - a Hindu. But 13 years later, while looking for a larger home, Rajabali refused to use the same tactic.

"I didn't want to do that. I wanted to be straightforward, let the truth be out. In my own country, I was made to feel like an outsider," says he.

It doesn't matter how much money you have. Top film stars, household names for you and me, as well as TV actors and models almost all have had it tough because of their religion. Almost none of them were willing to say it out loud, evidence of just how sensitive an issue this is.

The film industry, marked by the talents of Mohammad Rafi, Salim-Javed and Khyyam now shows a pattern of Muslim artistes simply not finding a place to stay in Mumbai just another example of the city-wide discrimination against cosmopolitan Muslims who refuse to settle for Muslim-dominated ghettos.

While real estate agents say the problem exists in every locality, the places where Muslims today face maximum resistance from housing societies in upmarket areas.

Real estate agent Prakash Jain says, "In Cuffe Parade, an upmarket neighbourhood in South Mumbai, 90 per cent Muslims will not get in. Brokers just hear the name and if the name is Muslim, they just say no. Without giving a rhyme or reason."

The most cited reasons for rejection, even if often untrue, are that Muslims cut goats in the buildings, eat beef, wear a burqa making others uncomfortable, and are involved with the underworld or terrorism.

Courtesy:ibnlive.com

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Thackeray's diktat: 50% Mumbai flats for locals

Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray has once again played the Marathi card, demanding reservation for Marathi-speaking people in Mumbai apartments and asserting that it's time for a 'Marathi' to become the country's Prime Minister.

Thackeray's diktat came as he celebrated his 82nd birthday on Wednesday. His supporters celebrated the birthday on a grand scale across the state.

Rallies and celebrations are taking place across Maharashtra with Shiv Sainiks organising blood donation camps and yagnas for the well being of their leader.

At Matoshree, the Thackeray's Mumbai residence, visitors are pouring in since the morning to wish the octogenarian leader.

A Thackeray look-alike came all the way from Pune to greet his idol. Several senior leaders and Shiv Sainiks will gather at the Shanmukhananda Hall on Wednesday evening to mark the event.

The Sena chief's new demands came in Wednesday's edition of Saamna, the Shiv Sena's mouthpiece, where Balasaheb also made remarks on Mayawati and Narendra Modi.

In what is seen as a big to woo the Maharashtrian voters, Thackeray asked builders to reserve at least 50 per cent of flats for Marathis in all new residential projects in Mumbai.

"Reserve 50 per cent of the houses for Marathi manush (common man). Otherwise, we will launch an agitation and not allow even a brick to be laid," Thackeray said.

He also said that it's time for a Marathi to take over as the Prime Minister of India. He even dropped the name of a potential candidate, saying Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar was 'prime ministerial material'.

"Pawar who left Congress on the issue of Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin went back to Congress-led United Progressive Alliance for a ministerial berth. I feel a man like him who has mettle and qualities is being wasted there," he added.

Courtesy:ibnlive.com
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ID cards should be made compulsory in Mumba:Shiv Sena

Shiv Sena on Monday sought that ID cards should be made compulsory in Mumbai so that there is a check on ‘outsiders’ in the city.

"The Delhi government has woken up to the threat posed by terrorists," an editorial in the party's mouthpiece Samana said.

Defending the compulsion of ID card, it says if police stops somebody to check his/her identification papers, it does not impinge on person's liberty.

It also congratulated Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit and Delhi police for making ID cards compulsory in the national Capital.

The editorial also rails against ‘floods’ of migrants coming into Mumbai, and futher says ID cards should be made compulsory in every city of the country.

Courtesy:ibnlive.com
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Mumbai molestation: 14 suspects held

The Mumbai police on Thursday night arrested 14 persons in connection with the sexual harassment of two NRI women in the Juhu area on Monday night.

While four have been held on molestation charges, the others have been arrested on unlawful assemble charges, said Joint Commissioner K L Prasad.

Earlier on Thursday evening, the police claimed to have cracked the New Year's eve molestation case after two of the accused surrendered to the police at different police stations.

According to police sources, one Bunty alias Ravi Shukla gave up before the police at Vile Parle police station while the second, identified as Nilesh, surrendered at Juhu police station. The second man came to the police accompanied by his parents.

The police have taken the two into custody and they will be produced in courts on Friday. Some more arrests are likely to be made later on Thursday night.

The two men who gave up to the police are said to be young boys hailing from the Lokhandwala area, close to the JW Mariott Hotel. Police have, however, not confirmed this.

The investigating team is trying to record the statements of the two men in order to ascertain as to what exactly happened on that night. The police are also matching the pictures of the two with those published in a Mumbai newspaper.

The police had earlier offered a reward for any clue on the accused. While it is not clear if the police were tipped in about the accused by any citizen, sources say one lady from the Andheri area had told the police that she had seen some of these boys frequenting her area.

Courtesy:ibnlive.com
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Narayan Rane dismessing the rumours about resignation

Dismissing rumours about his resignation, Maharashtra Revenue Minister Narayan Rane, who has openly criticised Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh's style of functioning, said he is still in the Congress.

On his arrival from Delhi on Saturday night after meeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi, he said, "I have not resigned, it's a rumour. I was carrying my resignation letter (when he went to Delhi) but did not say anything about it to Soniaji."

He also declined to reveal what transpired between him and Sonia Gandhi during the meeting. "I will not speak about what I discussed with Soniaji. I informed her about what I told the media on the functioning of Deshmukh's government in the state," he said.

Rane, who joined Congress after quitting Shiv Sena in 2005, met Gandhi on Saturday after he criticised the chief minister publicly. He also cautioned the Congress high command that Deshmukh's continuance as chief minister would spell doom for the party during the next election in 2009.

Courtesy:timesofindia.com
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Jr Thackeray tries to prove his might

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday used a protest rally to make a political statement.

The rally had been called to protest the repeal of the Urban Land Ceiling Act. ''If anyone tries to hijack Mumbai from Maharashtra, they will be crucified,'' said Uddhav.

He picked up a tempo to march through the streets of central Mumbai. The rally threw the traffic out of gear for some time and blocked the central areas of the city.

The situation worsened in the evening with the beginning of rush hour. Thousands of Shiv Sainiks assembled at the party headquarters in Dadar before marching to the Collector's Office in Bandra - blocking traffic in the entire stretch.

It's the first show of strength since Uddhav took over the reins of the party from his father Bal Thackeray four years ago.

Tired of ruling in the shadow of the Sena patriarch, this was kind of a reminder to his foot soldiers that he is still the boss.

Reacting to Uddhav's bluff, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said, ''They are just doing this to remind people that they exist, because slowly people are forgetting the Shiv Sena. There is no issue at all.''

Courtesy:ndtv.com
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Mumbai police colony in darkness since past two years

Since the past two years, every home in a run-down police colony in Mumbai's western suburb of Malad, has lived in darkness, thanks to the power company, Reliance Energy.

But now, to protest against this civic apathy, the wives of the policemen have decided to take to the streets, despite the fact that they have little support from their husbands who are too afraid to speak out.

"People from Reliance came to us without any notice and they cut our metre. We were not even aware of it," complains Madhavi Angre. "We are hounded by mosquitoes, our children can't study. We don't even get any sleep nor do we get any water.
"
Reliance Energy, when contacted, said they had no option but to cut off the power two years ago because bills worth Rs 7 lakhs were unpaid.
The colony had even illegally tapped into a local transformer, something which even the women admit to having been done.

"We went to them (Reliance Energy) several times and requested them for electricity but we got no help," says Angre. "So, we were forced by Reliance to resort to illegal measures".

Courtesy:ibnlive,com
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USD 60 billion action plan formakeover of Mumbai

Maharashtra government has drawn up an ambitious USD 60 billion (Rs 2.25 lakh crore) action plan for makeover of Mumbai, aimed to convert India's commercial capital into a global financial hub.

"Our government is serious on transforming Mumbai into a global financial centre and the plan is aimed at transforming the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) into a modern urban centre", Vilasrao Deshmukh said in an interview to reporters here on the eve of his Democratic Front government completing three years
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"Call it the 2020 vision if you like. The Rs 2.25 lakh crore-plan would be implemented during the next 10 years", he said
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Areas adjoining Mumbai, like Thane, Navi Mumbai, Vasai-Virar and even part of Raigad district, are included in the MMR

Courtesy:timesofindia.indiatimes.co.
Complete artical HERE.