SoBo prepares for office-goers to navigate the crowd of protestors

Mumbai authorities prepare for ongoing Maratha protests led by Manoj Jarange Patil, ensuring minimal disruption for office-goers starting Monday.

Mumbai: After a long weekend where streets of SoBo were flooded with supporters of the Maratha leader Manoj Jarange Patil, the state authorities are working overtime to make sure office-goers are not inconvenienced Monday-onwards by the ongoing protest. The administration confesses that the central business district (CBD) at the Nariman Point, or Fort and the nearby areas, may remain clogged as the protest spills into the week.

SoBo prepares for office-goers to navigate the crowd of protestors

Jarange-Patil’s hunger strike began at Mumbai’s Azad Madan on Friday as part of his demand for all Marathas to be included under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category to receive benefits of reservation in government jobs and educational institutions.

Joint commissioner of police (Law and Order) of Mumbai police, Satyanarayan said, “We have strong bandobast (arrangement) in important locations. We will have diversions in some junctions, and we are deploying more manpower.”

As per the estimates of a special branch of the Mumbai police, the protest has drawn a crowd of over 30,000 people along with vehicles from all over Maharashtra. They have converged at the Azad Maidan and the nearby Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Churchgate station, the Marine Drive, and areas of the Mumbai Port Authority. On Sunday many of these protestors stepped into the sea at Marine drive, according to the police. “When we warned them, they called more people to go in the sea,’’ said a police officer.

An officer of the Marine Drive police said, “Monday is the first day when offices are opening. There may not be much of a problem accessing Nariman Point and Mantralaya from Churchgate, but there will be obstacles to reaching the area from CSMT.” The deputy commissioner of police (traffic) of south Mumbai, Prashant Pardeshi said, “We will have to make some changes in traffic patterns. Diversions will be there, but we will keep south Mumbai working.”

With civic workers divided between Ganapati visarjan and the Maratha protests, the BMC has hired a housekeeping firm as per instructions from commissioner Bhushan Gagrani. The firm has deployed 500 additional workers to clean up CSMT, Fort, and other nearby areas, said a BMC official. Additionally, around 800 sanitation workers under the civic body have been posted at Ward A, which includes Azad Maidan and neighbouring areas, to clean up the streets littered with disposable plates and even human faeces. The city police have also deployed a squad in and around the Mantralaya to make sure protestors do not enter the state headquarters.

A western railway officer said that the protestors were not causing trouble at the Churgate station. “They come to the station to visit the toilets, eat, charge their cell phones and rest,” the official said. According to a Central Railway spokesperson services would run as long as their were no disruptions from the protestors. “We have 230 men of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Government Railway Police (GRP), and 94 men from Maharashtra Security Force,” the spokesperson said, but added that more help from the state authorities was essential. “Without state help, it is difficult to ensure smooth running of trains,” the official said.

Jarange-Patil has repeatedly accused BMC officials of not making provisions for drinking water, toilets, and other basic necessities for protestors.

For Monday, the BMC has deployed four ambulances, more than 300 mobile toilets, and 25 drinking water tankers placed at the Azad Maidan, MbPA land, Vashi toll naka, MG Road, and the Air India building. Two teams of the BMC are also fogging the Azad Maidan ground with insecticides.

On Sunday, BEST bus drivers and conductors reported that many protestors were not paying for their bus tickets. The BEST acting general manager Asheesh Sharma said that local disruptions in the area are to be expected. “We have diverted a few routes and curtailed a few,” he added.