(mailer of the Concerned Citizens Commission for an enquiry into the Mumbai Floods 2005 - please spread the word and help out/speak out -- we need some truth and change if we're to prevent future calamities and make this city livable .. )

Dear Fellow Citizens of Mumbai:

We were deeply shocked by the events that led to the tragic floods in
Maharashtra which led to the deaths of several hundreds of citizens
in Mumbai and Maharashtra. The formation of the Concerned Citizens'
Commission (CCC): An Enquiry into the Mumbai Floods 2005, was
announced at a press conference on 16 August 16 2005 (please refer
press note below). The initiative is being actively supported by over
30 organisations.

In brief, the CCC is a fact finding mission that will look into the
disaster that befell large parts of Mumbai city on July 26 and in the
following days. The Commission consists of an eminent Panel of nine
members. They will be assisted by NGOs and those who have been
involved in the relief efforts at the grass roots level, as well as
others with knowledge of disaster management, urban planning,
administration, ecology and other relevant fields.

Through a series of public hearings and depositions from common
Mumbaikars, urban planning experts, government officials and others,
the Panel will piece together the events leading up to the tragedy,
identify and hold accountable those responsible for inaction and
mismanagement and make a set of recommendations.

The CCC will look into the causes of the flooding, the response from
government and other agencies and how our future urban planning can
ensure that the damage from future 'natural disasters', compounded by
human factors, can be mitigated. We aim to release the Commission's
finding in the form of a report by 31 October 2005. As one can
imagine, this is no easy task logistically. Fund raising for the CCC
is currently underway.

On behalf of the CCC, we urge your organisation to make a donation of
whatever amount possible. Cheques in favour of Conservation Action
Trust can be sent to CAT, B 502 Glengate, Hiranandani Gardens, Powai.
Mumbai 400076. (Please note we are still waiting for our S. 80G
approval – please make your cheques “A/C Payee Only” – Thanks)


CONCERNED CITIZEN'S COMMISSION (CCC): An Enquiry into the Mumbai
Floods 2005

Few Mumbaikars were left untouched or unaffected by the devastating
floods that hit the city from July 26 onwards. After the grief and
shock has come an overwhelming sense of anger and the urgent need to
know what actually happened, why civic life remained disrupted for so
many days and what lessons can be learned, so that a repeat
catastrophe is avoided.

With this in mind, a coalition of citizen's groups from across the
length and breadth of the city announce the formation of the
Concerned Citizens' Commission: An Enquiry into the Mumbai Floods
2005. The Commission consists of an eminent Panel of nine members.
They will be assisted by NGOs and those who have been involved in the
relief efforts at the grass roots level, as well as others with
knowledge of disaster management, urban planning, administration,
ecology and other relevant fields.

Through a series of public hearings and depositions from common
Mumbaikars, urban planning experts, government officials and others,
the Panel will piece together the events leading up to the tragedy,
identify and hold accountable those responsible for inaction and
mismanagement and make a set of recommendations.

The CCC will also look into the causes of the flooding, the response
from government and other agencies and how our future urban planning
can ensure that the damage from future 'natural disasters',
compounded by human factors, can be mitigated.

The Panel will consist of:

1. Justice P.B. Sawant (Retired Supreme Court Judge)
2. Ms. Teesta Seetalvad (Citizens for Justice and Peace)
3. Mr. Shyam Chainani (Bombay Environmental Action Group)
4. Mr. Sharad Kale (Former Municipal Commissioner of Mumbai)
5. Mr. Nasser Munjee (Expert on Urban Infrastructure)
6. Mr. Darryl D'Monte (Environmental Journalist)
7. Mr. Chandrashekhar Prabhu (Architect and Town Planner)
8. Mr. Datta Ishwalkar (Girni Kamgar Sangharsh Samiti)
9. Mr. Suresh Bhosale


The Terms of Reference of the CCC are:

1. To develop a reliable picture of the floods in Greater Mumbai
and document what actually took place, the extent of damage to lives
and dignity of persons, along with a detailed examination of property
loss and damage, linked critically to the issue of relief and
compensation.

2. To determine the causes and factors that led to the flooding,
including the role of the state executive, government and
administration in implementing the Disaster Management Plan.

3. To understand the role of the MCGB and the State police – in pre-
empting, containing and controlling damage to life and property.

4. To recommend a set of measures to better anticipate natural
calamities and to minimize their impact; as also to ensure that
Disaster Management Plans are implemented more effectively.

5. To identify in particular those responsible for inaction and
hold them accountable.

6. To ensure effective citizen participation in the planning of the
city and in Disaster Management.

7. Any other relevant matters that the Panel may decide to include.

The CCC calls on all those with relevant information to share to send
their submissions to cccmumbaiflood@gmail.com and
cccmumbaiflood@yahoo.co.uk and to CCC, c/o Citizens for Justice and
Peace, Nirant, Juhu Tara Road, Juhu, Mumbai 400 049.

The CCC intends to release its Report within three months. The Report
will then be available to the public to initiate follow up and
remedial action with the State Government, BMC and other relevant
authorities, as well as citizens' groups.


Debi Goenka Cyrus Guzder



The Concerned Citizens' Commission (CCC) is endorsed by the following
groups:

Bombay Environmental Action Group (BEAG)
Citizens For Justice and Peace (CJP)
Girangoan Rozgar Hakk Samiti
Shahid Bhagwat Jadhav Samiti Kendra
Conservation Action Trust
AGNI
National Association of People's Movement (NAPM)
BNHS (Bombay Natural History Society)
NAGAR
Apnalaya
Nivara Hakk Suraksha Samiti
Citispace
Clean Air
Bombay Catholic Sabha
Voice Of The Exploited (VOTE)
All India Catholic Union (AICU)
Friends of Society
SEED
People's Union for Human Rights (PUHR)
KHOJ
National Welfare Society
ACHRA and Welfare Education Trust
All India Human Rights & Citizens Option
Communalism Combat
Mangrove Society of India
Marine Drive Residents Association
Oval Cooperage Residents Association
Nariman Point Residents Association
Nirmala Niketan
Rashtriya Yuva Sangathan
Sarvoday International Trust
Mohalla Committee
Prayas
Apnalaya
Ration Kruti Samiti, Mumbai
Majlis
CRIT (Collective Research Initiatives Trust)
Documentation, Training and Research Centre
Institute for Community Organisation Research

Some folks have gotten together to form the Concerned Citizens Commission to hold citizen hearings in different areas, find out what went wrong, and hold govt. officials accountable for the state of Mumbai, as well as find solutions that can be implemented. This needs to do more than be a formal process of hearings with a report generated thats buried under the hundreds of other "Commission Reports" and the media moves on ton to the next big scoop .. lets hope the media can keep up sustained commentary on constructive movements like this that wish to carry on a sustained effort after the crisis to prevent future disasters like 8/26 ..

i've posted the details of the commission in the next post, and i do hope people contribute in this effort as much as they can - i hope to go to some of the hearings and will post reports about going on's, but really, what do we do and who do we blame -- when it seems like mother nature's out to get us -- and each one of us is too blame -- let's hope we find practical solutions to the problems we're facing, but i really wish to ask - when will we as a species finally gather the strength to ask the really difficult questions -- the questions that really need to be asked if we have any hope of saving the earth from the ravaging we've put her through.. if it's not already too late..

After the Deluge
by Jackson Browne

Some of them were dreamers, some of them were fools,
who were making plans and thinking of the future
With the energy of the innocent, they were gathering
the tools they would need to make their journey back
to nature
When the sand slipped through the opening, and their
hands reached for the golden ring, and their hearts
turned to each other's hearts for refuge
In the troubled years that came before the Deluge

Some of them they knew pleasure, some of them
knew pain, and for some of them it was only the
moment that mattered
On the wild and crazy wings of youth, they went flying
around in the rain, till their feathers once so fine were
torn and tattered
In the end they traded their tired wings, for the
resignation that living brings, they traded love's
bright and fragile glow, for the glitter and the rouge
In a moment, they were swept before the Deluge

So let the music keep your spirits high
Let the buildings keep your children dry
Let creation reveal its secrets by and by
When the light that's lost within us reaches the sky

Some of them were angry, at the way the Earth was
abused, by those men who learned to forge beauty
into power
And in trying to protect us from them, only became
confused, by the magnitude of the fury in the final hour
When the sand was gone and the time arrived,
in the naked dawn only a few survived, and in trying to
understand these things, so simple and so huge
Believed they were meant to live after the Deluge

Went for a 2-day Seminar / Conference on Mumbai Futures and Mumbai Visions organized by PUKAR at the NCPA,,
Fascinating - discussing, among other things, climate change, it's effect on urban infrastructure, similar problems faced by cities elsewhere and what we can do as citizens to improve our lot and make government institutions more accountable..
Also discussed were issues of housing and identity in the city..
Fascinating 2 days - a little exhausted to write a detailed report right now - and really I wouldn't feel qualified to - I hate misquoting people, and that seems to be the job of journalists everywhere.. bluddy fuckall job.
Anyways - will see if I can get them to give me the recording of the event and I'll try to transcribe the whole thing - really, everyone who has any stake in the city should hear and contemplate these things...

Went out for a drive tonight to Marine Drive to pick up a friend staying at the Intercontinental and back to Worli Sea-Face. Saw at least 8 Police Naka Bandis and got stopped twice near Babulnath. LICEEEEENSE!? Kidhar Ja Rahe Ho? Kyon? Bla dee bla...
6 days they musta made no money...
Bombay's back in business, folks...


(while parts of the city are still without electricity and serious fears of epidemics (will post a bunch've info tomorrow about relief organizations and just individuals doing good work - if you know of any send 'em in..))

Anil Ambani apologized today for people not having electricity. AFTER Narayan Rane or someone threatened to ARREST him. With all due fuckin' respect, Mr. Rane, if people are going to be arrested for not doing their job.. I see lotsa whpoliticians in white caps..
What nonsense the whole media circus and the blame-game is ...

To all the folks who're getting on with their lives.. surviving and helping survive..

It's been raining all day again... nothing like Tuesday, but a steady downpour most of the day.. The city looks like it's in the middle of a calamity.. fairly peaceful and clear in South Mumbai, but you can see the worry and anger on people's faces..
Lots of places still messed up and in dire need of help..
It's amazing how the city has still stayed calm, stayed together, not resorted to any large scale crime or trying to take advantage of the situation - not descended into chaos -- but how much longer... ? And how much longer can this land take the brutalization we're subjecting it to?
We really do need to come together as a city and think about where we're going and what we need to do to make it more livable, more sustainable -- it's no longer a matter of choice -- its a matter of survival...