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Truckers' day off
Drivers and cleaners take a break, but hope to get on the road soon.
BY A STAFF REPORTER

It was a day out for the drivers and cleaners of trucks and tempos in the city. The Mumbai High Court's decision to ban trucks that were more than 15 years old did not go well with these vehicle owners. Since many of these truckers have nothing to fall back on, they simply went off the road early this week.

At Dana Bunder there was an eerie silence. All you could see were lines of parked trucks lying idle. If you looked under the trucks you would spot the drivers catching 40 winks away from the blazing sun. The more enthusiastic ones sat and enjoyed a game of cards.

Babu has been driving a truck for the last 8 years but on Tuesday he sat in Surat Galli doing nothing. "I get paid Rs. 3,500 per month by my employer. But now with this strike, I worry about how I will manage to survive."

For the hundreds of drivers and cleaners, it was a helpless situation. They are merely employees and it is their employer who has to bear the brunt of the problems. "Tuesday was the first day of the strike and we don't know how long it is expected to continue. Many of us don't have alternate jobs, this is it, so it becomes very difficult," said a group of drivers huddled together playing cards and chatting away.

"Our families will starve..., said Aziz another driver. I don't know for how long this is expected to continue." He lamented that he was edgy after one day of not working and worries about what will happen if the strike is prolonged.

Meanwhile, the truck owners have decided to appeal in the apex court. A spokesperson for the Maharashtra Rajya Motor Malak Sangh, an association that comprises 67 truck owners informed that they have made a representation in the Supreme Court to speed up the proceedings. He added that the judgement has affected over 60,000 truck and tempo drivers.

The truck owners who seemed to be angry over the judgement argued that the court did not give them enough time to phase out their vehicles. One owner alleged that the vested interest of truck manufacturers lie behind the whole issue and suggested that it's a ploy to boost the sales of their vehicles.

The spokesperson added that a mere 20 per cent of the vehicles are less than 15 years old which will also be discarded from January 1, 2004. He said that the judge rejected the plea of truckers about replacement of engines of old trucks even though the petitioners had agreed to it.

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Air-conditioning dealers

Top Beats Air Conditioners
Jay Apt. Linking Rd
Santacruz (W).
Mumbai-400056
Tel. No. 2660 6099
This company is 22-year-old and is managed by Mr. Alkesh K. Makhija. They are into car and room airconditioners. They also give airconditioners on instalment basis. They also service all branded & non-branded air conditioners. It is open from Monday-Saturday from 9-7 p.m.

Jibson Enterprises
A/14, Kalpak Estate,
Antop Hills,
Mumbai-400 037
Tel. No. 4017257/ 4020589
Managed by Mr. N.K. Mathew, this 10-year-old company is authorised dealer of Amtrex, Hitachi. They are also into repairs and services of air conditioners. They are open from Monday-Saturday between 9-5.30 p.m..

Sterling Air Conditioning & Refrigeration
Devidayal Compound,
Tulsiram Gupta Mill Estate, Darkukhana Masjid bunder
Mumbai-400 009
Tel. No. 23720865
Mr. C.P. Menon manages this 20-year-old company. They sell various air conditioners such as spilt, multi spilt, windows & package unites. They do repairs and services of air conditioners. It is open from Monday to Saturday between 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m..

Weatherite Air Conditioning Pvt. Ltd.
J.B. Patel Rd.,
Elphinstone Rd.,
Mumbai-400 013
Tel. No. 24375978.
Managed by Mrs. K. Barucha, this is a 25-year- old company. They sell as well as repair. They keep various kinds of air conditioners such as spilt windows, multi spilt etc. Air conditioners are also available on hire. They are open from Monday to Saturday between 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m..

Information provided by ask me Call 2411 1111

The good work continues at Masina Hospital
BY INDIRA RODERICKS

Not many know this. That Masina Hospital at Byculla is a heritage building, a palace actually where David Sassoon (the same of David Sassoon Library) lived. He used to have a stable at the palace where he kept horses. That stable is now the Out Patient Department.

Dr. Hormasji Masina was his doctor who treated a few patients at a clinic nearby. But when Mr. Sassoon heard of the work that the good doctor did he decided to hand over his palace and the sprawling grounds called 'Sans Souci' where Dr. Masina could treat more patients. With the help of his wife Jerbai, funds from charitable institutions and individuals poured in. The hospital was named 'Masina Hospital' and a trust was formed with prominent persons on its board for proper administration and application of funds donated by the generous public.

One hundred years later, the good work at the hospital continues. There is still the board of trustees who manage the affairs of the hospital. Dr. D. M. Gamadia is the Medical Advisor, Dr. Rajesh Nikam is the Chief Administrative Officer and Maj. (Retd) Zareen Cyrusi is the Officer on Special Duty.

From 4 beds in 1902 to 250 beds, the hospital boasts of the state-of-the-art equipment and facilities. There are three individual buildings within the complex of the hospital. The main heritage building houses the administrative offices and the out patients department. The Kharas Memorial Centre is a three-storeyed building which has the Burns Ward, the ICU, the diabetic centre, four operation theatres, the male and female general wards, the paediatric ward and the neo-natal department. The third building is the Moos Memorial Clinic with the psychiatric ward and the Parsi general ward for male and female patients.

Dr. Nikam said that the hospital has always been cosmopolitian and patients come from all over. "We are exclusive Parsi wards for the community, many of whom are treated free. But if patients cannot pay, the hospital gives them a concession. It is not easy, but we are charitable in that sense."

It's not only the hospital facilities that the administration pays attention to. The gardens and grounds around certainly add to the serenity of the institution. "We take great pride in our garden, it's as important to us as the hospital," he said.

Medical Administrator Dr. Gamadia said the hospital will soon have its own blood bank with components and a renovated radiology and sonography department. But that is not all, he continued. Part of the expansion plans also include a renal centre with a complete kidney and dialysis unit and a critically sick unit.

Dr. Gamadia who has been part of Masina Hospital for 33 years said the progress at the hospital depends on the availability of funds. "It is important to bring the hospital to a standard that is among the best in the city. What is important for a hospital is the staff. We have a great team of doctors both residential and honorary who are proud to be part of this institution. That is what makes the difference to an institution like ours."

know your city no.91

Now there are two cameras for the first two all-correct entries drawn out of a hat. Whether you are a Bombayman or a Mumbaikar, you should be able to solve this. Send your answers to: Bombay First, Afternoon House, 6, Nanabhai Lane, Flora Fountain, Mumbai-400 001. You can post them or deliver them by hand. Enter the lane next to the American Dry Fruit Store, ask for Afternoon House.

ORIGINAL COUPON - A prominent building that is now a well known city library. Can you guess the name of the institution?

Results of Know Your City-90
The institution in the photograph was Anjuman Islam High School located opposite CST. The school was built sometime between 1890 to 1892.

THE TWO LUCKY WINNERS ARE:

Robert D'Souza, Tripathi Chawl, Near Paras Nagar, Jogeshwari, Mumbai 400 060;

Bharat Desai, Chandralok, J. S. Road, Dahisar West, Mumbai 400 068.

(Winners with proper identification are requested to collect their prizes from the Afternoon office.)

Hakone Championships end in a close finish
BY A STAFF REPORTER

Physically challenged children from the city's schools had a field day at the 3rd Hakone Go-Karting Championships which was held last week at the Hakone Go-Karting Sports Centre at Hiranandani Gardens, Powai. For the children of the Koshish School of the Hearing Impaired, Sanskardham Vidyalaya and Save the Children Foundation, it was a first-time experience.

This is an annual event and aims to bring out the true spirit of adventure among the less fortunate physically challenged children. The enthusiasm and determination of the children visible during the event was proof of their underlying talent which enables them to do things beyond their reach.

The children were between the ages of 12 to 16 years. They were given rigorous training three days before the competition (there were two races, one for the girls and one for the boys), during this time the quarter finalists were short-listed.

Cheering the children were a host of Bollywood stars. There was Ruby Bhatia who flagged off the finals and handed over the coveted trophies. Others present were newcomer Zayed Khan, Sharad Kapoor, Juhi Babbar, Rahul Bhatt, Kabir, Varun Badola and Manini De. Mrs. Priti Hiranandani who organised the event and Dr. L.H. Hiranandani also graced the event.

Said Mrs. Hiranandani, "These children have the spirit and drive to excel and the fact that they can participate and compete in a challenging motorsport like Go-karting proves that they are second to none."

"The last two championships have been greatly successful in encouraging these children and creating an awareness about the various challenges that they face and how they are capable of overcoming them. Each year we have tried to bring out and reinforce the confidence in them and through this championship we look forward to doing the same next year," she continued. Hakone has three different tracks for different categories of karters, the cadet track is for young budding karters, the professional track is for senior starters and finally there's the championship track which is the longest karting track in the country.

Experience the wild with Cathay Pacific
BY A STAFF REPORTER

On Monday, April 4, the 10th Cathay Pacific International Wilderness Experience Programme will be held at the Soonabai Pirojsha Godrej Marine Ecology Centre, Vikhroli. This annual programme aims at bringing youngsters between the age group of 16 to 18 years to study the environment and understand the various cultures and traditions across Asia.

This is the first day of the workshop where there will be presentations by Vivek Kulkarni, Reefwatch, a nature trail and a talk on marine conservation. The second day of the workshop will be held on April 14, at the Conservation Education Centre where the participants will make their presentations.

The winning team will be selected, the members of which will undergo interviews for the final selection of two participants.The winners will then embark on an all expense paid trip representing India at the Cathay Pacific International Wilderness Experience Programme, at the Entabeni Game Reserve, South Africa.