A day in the life of Niranjan Hiranandani: Morning Home to Powai
Cinematographer: Shaina Anand
Duration: 00:35:50; Aspect Ratio: 1.778:1; Hue: 38.017; Saturation: 0.017; Lightness: 0.380; Volume: 0.074; Cuts per Minute: 13.139; Words per Minute: 80.703
Summary: Niranjan Hiranandani, MD of Hiranadani construction takes a chauffeur driven car from his home on Malabar hill to his Headquarters in Powai. He leaves home and takes more than 6 new flyovers to cover the roughly 42 km distance to Powai.
teherautó
OK... No, the draft copy... We'll get the draft copy and the GRR too... OK... OK... No, is the draft copy being done or is it now what (?)
No, you tell him. There's that one document which we have already got completed, you just study it and then see if you can get it registered. So we'll discuss that all... That conveyance for that assignment (?) of that Borivali one... (?)...
SA: Even the phone call bit was nice cause I got you (just?)
SA: Nice
NA: Good morning, good morning, tell me. What's happening? Ya. In fact good, I'm slightly delayed so I'm just leaving from home. Ok, so that's is fine. Bhagwan Ghode was supposed to come in and then we were supposed to meet Vicky Sharma. So before that I have to have a meeting with Bhagwan. So just find out what is his program (?). Ya... Ok. No, I'll come back to you.
NA: What time of clock is it now? Ok... So, how have you been?
NH: Ok
NH: Ok... That's good... No, I think, as long as, I guess (?) keep happy and over a period of time it has to keep on working.
So the kids are with Melanie?
NH: How are you now? Really! Wow! I know (inaudible)... Anyway, Mumma was also remembering you, so you give her a ring. Oh you did. Ok. Ya, she was saying, is he alright, did you phone and find out whether he's alright. I said, I did send message and did try to phone on the birthday but I could get across on that day, so I sent an SMS (inaudible)...
So any plans? You've been travelling a lot in the US? And you get a new (?) and a new exposure.
A day in the life of Niranjan Hiranandani. Annotated by Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan.
GBGB andolan
TV_NH
(inaudible)
So how is Melanie, how is Casey doing? How is Neil?
Sorry.
(inaudible)
Hello. Usha bhen, Flat no. 9
Flat no. 9, first floor.
Listen, get me a pen.
Hello... 235249
NH: And Smita is fine. She is doing ok, so you don't have to worry about her. Daddy is doing very well also. In-between he was not well for a couple of days, about 2-3 weeks but now he's perfectly fine and doing extremely well. Ok. Oh good. Lets keep in touch. Thank you, bye.
NH: So this is for whom?
SA: This... I'll explain to you, let me just get your...
NH: Mugshot.
SA: Ya, from the lift... floors.
TV_NH
"I am the captain of this ship. You are welcome to swab the decks and polish the brass and I will pay you. But there is nowhere you can live here. You have to spend the night overboard, swimming the shark-infested seas. If you are still there tomorrow morning, report at 8 for another day's work. Don't be late, because there are a dozen others eager to take your place at even lower wages."
- (c.f. Patel, S.B. (2005). Housing Policies for Mumbai. Economic and Political Weekly August 13, 2005, pp. 3669-3675.)
In 2005 Greater Mumbai had 81 police inspectors and 4,413 police constables living in slums – a striking example of perfectly legal employees living in illegal tenements.
54 % of the Mumbai's population, the acclaimed financial capital of the country, lives in slums which occupy only 10 % of the city's land i.e. nearly 60 lakh people live in slums or foot-paths. There is a contest between numerous economic, regional and religious groups for ownership and control over the resources available in the city. The ruling class has been partially successful in convincing the public that those staying in the slums are 'encroachers' who not only "encroach" over land and public property, but also consume services like water and electricity without paying for them. Thus they are a burden on society.
However, looking at the matter closely, one finds that it is not the non- availability of resources which is a problem, but the excessive concentration of resources in the hands of a very few, which is the real reason for the perceived shortages.
Next
NH: At what time? ok... At what time will it get done? When should we sit down? I'm a little late. I'll reach at 10 :45am, say around 11am. At what time is he going to be be coming? (?). So what should we do? I just to understand it. I'll just take 2 mins. So we'll anyhow make time for that, otherwise just keep those plans and papers on my table, in my room. And just tell somebody, Joshi or someone, to just inform me. Because right now I'm telling him no. So what is your program after that? Hello.
SA: Speak Marathi also.
NH: You'll see me speaking in three languages at least.
SA: Ya
NH: It does help and gives a lot of comfort, I don't know why.
Ok.
Shoulder movement, they have said, but it's some pendulum kind of exercises where the hand is down and that movement is there.
That part is started.
No... That is three weeks, they have said.
That's right, pendulum and after next week they have suggested some other small exercises, with a stick and things like that. So that (?) is given, but nothing to be started yet. I think next week onwards or so it will be there, after two weeks. So that's fine.
And what else, how are things going?
What is the overall thing?
Yes... Ok.
How many posted a week, or...
5-6 a week...
Oh, that sounds good.
Ok good. Where are you going?
Have a nice trip.
Yes, after that.
Yes, they don't want to stretch that.
Yes (?)
Ok
Yes, I'm coming.
TV_NH
Landgrab
Mill
Redevelopment
Previous
One of the biggest tragedies faced by the people of Mumbai has been the closure of the textile mills of Central Mumbai. Notwithstanding the fact that business considerations required the mills to be modernised, yet the mill-owners did not modernise their mills because they had set their eyes on the most expensive real estate in the world i.e. the mill lands. In the process, while the mills shut down one after another, lakhs of people were unemployed and fell into despair. The wives of the otherwise well-paid mill workers had to take on menial jobs such as washing utensils and sweeping floors in the houses of rich people or starve. Obviously, equity never demanded such a raw deal for the mill workers.
Amidst, such poverty and despair, mill lands were sold. This process gave birth to many scams. One such scam, is that of the sale of an 11-acre Jupiter Mills plot of land which was sold by the NTC in July 2005. When the NTC issued tenders for sale of land it declared in the tender forms that FSI would be about 59,903 sq. m. ( i.e. about 6.4 lakh sq. feet). Based on this FSI, Indiabulls placed a bid of 276 crores for an FSI of this 6.4 lakh sq. feet. However, once the mill was taken over by Indiabulls, the FSI was doubled to 2.66. As per section 26 of the Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act, 1976, for any sale of land permission of the Competent Authority, ULC was required. In this case, land was sold without permission. The land taken over by India Bulls falls under the reservation of Residential Zone and thus before constructing malls or IT offices they were supposed to build small houses for the poor which they have not. As per experts, the current value of the proposed development project is more than Rs 4500 crores while Indiabulls had acquired the same property for only Rs 450 crores. The workers who were rendered jobless because of the closing of the mills are still to get any of the benefits that they were promised while the corporates and builders are making thousands of crores of rupees by converting the erstwhile mills into real estate projects.
By engaging in such fraud, Mill lands spread across 600 acres in the heart of the city have been diverted for the construction of Malls, Shopping complexes and offices for corporates.
Next
NH: Actually it's one of the holiday seasons otherwise this whole place is packed up by traffic. This whole road is packed up with traffic, full.
SA: At this hour.
NH: At this hour. But because the schools are closed and, schools are closed as well as people have left for holidays.
SA: For gaon (village).
Parel
NH: Actually the travel is not really fully representative. This is the wrong season to show peak traffic, to be honest.
NH: Actually the travel is not really fully representative. This is the wrong season to show peak traffic, to be honest.
SA: Now, how long does it take you, at this hour?
NH: See when I leave at quarter to nine, it would take about 50 minutes to really reach.
SA: And Powai is how many kilometres from...
NH: What's the kilometre range? Exactly, I wouldn't know, but it's about, should be about 40... 35 kilometres.
SA: So if you do that in about 50, you're making...
NH: Pretty good time.
SA: Good time, if you escape in time.
NH: Escape in time. Today also we make it in a hour but we'll make it in a hour because of...
SA: Holiday season.
NH: Holiday season. No schools and holiday season. So both ways you really are in a different ball game.
SA: Are there particular days of the week that get worse, or not really?
NH: I would say, somehow the other... Monday, of course, is always a lot of traffic, and I think, somewhere (?), you suddenly find Wednesday or Thursday just banking up to more traffic in the morning.
SA: And, what's the average time in a day that you end spending in a car, given that you have trips in all over this large city, not the financial city.
NH: I think in minimum average time I would be in the car would be two and a half hours, really. So it's one hour going, one and a half hours coming, another half an hour to go back home from Nariman Point.
SA: And in terms of a map of Mumbai, there's Nariman Point to Powai and then there's Thane.
NH: Yes, Thane is also the other part of it which I go, which is 50 kilometres. You have to do a lot of it, but basically I took a choice of staying in down town because of the family. But if I decided to stay in Powai, I have a house there. So, it's nothing something which I could not do.
SA: And does a lot of your work get done therefore, on the roads so to speak.
NH: Yes and no, because I had a lot of calls, as you can see, finishing (?), and now with the Blackberry and the emails and that being done possible it's really easy to do.
Excuse me.
(on the phone) Hello, Hello.
So it's really something which is...
SA: So there's another mobility which is...
NH: So I think the Blackberry really changed a lot... the mobile, of course, and the SMS's really have changed life, and I think the Blackberry has added and compounded the problems of being able to get the emails on your thing.
SA: On the move.
NH: And another thing is, of course, the address book and the emails are kind of available to you, and becomes much easier to (??) what is really needed to be done. You can reply them.. and things into order. So, I think, a lot of things get done because you have these equipment in the car today, so it's much easier today than it used to be earlier. So even if you're are spending 5-10 minutes more in the traffic, it's really not of much consequence, except that it does stress you a little bit if you are late. And beyond that, I think, one is used to the whole thing. So you carry multiple gadgets and things like that which help you to do so. And it also syncs my diary with my secretary, so a lot amount of knowledge is passed on to her without really having to discuss anything with her. So it's quite easy to do a lot of work. Earlier...
SA: So you really don't need to take a laptop, it's just the Blackberry?
NH: The Blackberry nearly does it. So ya, I don't need a laptop in the car, at least. So, it's not something which I plan to do.
Let's see if this is from the Radio FM.
(on the phone) Hello.
Haanji How are you? I'm fine. So how is everything? Yes, correct. So tell me...
blackberry
NH: Agreed. We'll talk later. Fiona building (?)
There's one appartment sold to Ajay Bhushan Pandey, in Fiona Building. I think we have charged interest. That interest can be charged but it has to be charged at the bank rate instead of the rate which we normally charge. And may not be able to do (?), so just ask him to bring the details to him when I come in to the office. Fiona Building, Ajay Bhushan Pandey.
NH: Some of the car time really gets passed because I administer the hospital, and lot of the work I finish in the hospital, in the morning (?) travelling. Also, I look after 17 colleges in Mumbai, and something or the other is a problem some college, every morning. So we have to attend to it, and I've tried to finish it before I reach my office so that, that doesn't bundle up with the rest of the real estate work that I do. Also, there are issues of 8 schools, that I manage, and assist 2 temples for the work of development and redevelopment of the temples. So all this is really, the car time is really, the travel time is very important, and the utility of having 2 phones and Blackberry, and SMS's do really help. So you're really on job the moment you get into the car. So it's really not as bad as it would be, but sometimes you get late and the traffic is too intense, that's the time when you get stressed, because you have so many people, back to back, wanting to meet you, or you have given commitment to people who have travelled from so much distance to come and see you. So those are the problems which you really face, but, I guess, it's not so bad really.
SA: What's your take on just the city, in general?
NH: I think it's one of the best cities in the world, and really the kind of professionalism in the city is unbelievable. It's really good, because people in this city are given credit of not whether belong to an ex-family, or they belong to an ex- community, but actually because of what they are able to do and achieve. So all of us, who have been born in this city or people who come into this city, really can benefit or come up in life simple because they are very professional or good in their working business. So that's the main thing.
SA: But then... Recently one read... What's the company that does these ratings? I forget, but they rated India as among the worst cities to conduct business in along some global standards.
NH: Yes, I think as far as infrastructure is concerned there are still concerns about Mumbai. The power situation is really sad...
SA: Which was never the case.
NH: Which was never the case, really.
SA: This was supposed to be the city without....
NH: And there has been problems relating to traffic, and we have not been able to handle the highest amount floods ever in the history of Mumbai, year before last. And so issues are definitely there, but try and remember, we had a bomb blast and within two the city was back and running, we had a bomb blast where the trains were affected and within two days all the trains were up and running. So I think the issues are really that there is a resilience about the city, a professionalism about the city, which is second to none anywhere in the world. I think the governments really need to look at the issue of infrastructure in more consolidated sort of way, and I they did probably all the rest of the problems would also fall into place.
NH: But at the same time I don't think we are second to anybody in terms of being able to achieve matters. You have the financial centre of India, and probably the region, in Mumbai. You have a large number of foreign banks, financial institutions, you have a lot of corporate head offices of the biggest industrial giants in the country, whether it's Ratan Tata, or it's Ambani family, or it's the Ruia's, or it is so many of the other top end industrialists, they all have chosen Mumbai to be their Home and residence.
Since 1990s with the country taking a turn towards neo liberal policies and their implementation within the framework of Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization, the corporates - real estate developers - contractors - financial institutions have got an upper hand in getting a preference over the Constitutional rights of citizens. This has resulted in profit is being given preference over people and wealth concentration over social and economic justice.
The prime examples of this are land encroaching projects - be it land grab in the name of setting up SEZs or the 104 MoUs related to mining or allied activities signed by one single state Orissa or the displacemmet of lakhs in the name of development.
It is definitely these pro-corporate and pro-market features of the cunning Indian state that attract not only people like Hiranandani or Ambani brothers but also TNCs like Coca Cola and Wal Mart – who then say "There is something about this country..."
TV_NH
NH: And unless they didn't didn't find it worthwhile they wouldn't have stayed here. They have a choice of being anywhere in the world, forget India. So I think there is something about the country which really ticks and moves.
NH: So I don't see that as an issue. The other major benefit about Mumbai is the fact that you can very, very intelligent people to work for you.
NH: And I think a large number of companies who are coming to Mumbai, India, are looking for these brains to be used by them lucratively. I've known many banks and financial institutions who have set up back office in India and find that the processing in India is better than their front office in their respective countries, and they find it value for money and great benefit in terms of outsourcing large amount of this work to this country. So I think it's a very positive thing about Mumbai.
SA: True.
There's a joke that... It's my joke, I think, and my friends.
Let me get the shot.
Sorry.
That the flooding and the power problems happened because of Reliance.
NH: Oh!
SA: Ya, in one sense, I mean, the city was very badly dug up because they... Actually, this is Bandra for example, one week it's fibre cable
lagana to put, next week it's gas pipe
lagana to put and third week it's something else, and it's not coordinated even though it's under one big monolith. And the power, that we in the suburbs pay just ludicrous amount for electricity that we never (??).
NH: Sure
NH: I mean, we are very fortunate that we have electricity round the clock in Mumbai, and we have (?) (?) electricity off in all these... 50 years. So I think, the city is still great and in the neighbouring city like Navi Mumbai or Thane, you have 4 hours power off. So I think, Mumbai still gleams and shines, and out shines everybody else.
SA: ...your paying which is 25. Now we could pay maybe a little more if we include a larger studio in it but...
NH: And this studio work is only for yourself.
SA: Ya, it's not a commercial (space?). It's our studio, as in, as artist's we wake up and we move to that room and we work. But it's very well equipped because both of us work with technology.
NH: Ya Raman... yes... ya...
NH: (?) I have no problem in meeting him outside but I'm just wondering whether we should... Just talk to Nikhil, what we should do, ask him what he wants.
Just talk to Nikhil and phone me back.
Want to stop the car.
(to the driver) Just stop the car at the side, ahead. Signal that you are stopping ahead because there are cars behind.
(to Shaina) Now what you can do is that probably come on this side, till about 2-3 kilometres, and then you want to hop of to the other, because after we turn left...
NH: No I just... It was a problem 18 years ago and it used to get re-dislocated of and on. So finally I decided that I'll get operated, about a year and a half ago, when the next time it gets dislocated. Then it didn't get dislocated. So the problem just then disappeared and recovered only a month ago, so I decided to get operated. So on the 1st of May, last (?) years ago, I got operated.
SA: So now lots of physio and...
NH: The usual... But it's easy because lot part of this north-south travel has got flyovers, there is connectivity, they are going to put 5 new flyovers on this road which I'm travelling in the next one year.
SA:
NH: No, these flyovers are now 3 years old... 5 years old. But the new 3 or 4 flyovers are coming at Sion junction, at the Sion hospital, at the Bharatmata, at the Hindmata and at Chembur junction where the traffic was congested today. So what has really happened is that though development of infrastructure is taking place, it's not taking place fast enough. The population and the number of cars coming and hitting the streets are far more than what they are in this (?).
SA: Do you know what is happening with the Peddar Road flyover? Is it forever postponed or...?
NH: Well I think, the government is too scared reaslly to do it and the same they want to do it because it's needed.
SA: You think it's needed?
NH: It is needed but it's a difficult proposition because when you have so much of objection, the politicians do get a little worried.
(on the phone) Hello. Ya, good morning (?), tell me.
Haan... Ji... Jihow much height did you clear?
Yes
Which general manager?
Where? Bombay or Delhi?
Yes.
Previous
As asked by His Excellency Mr. Hiranandani, the person on the other end of the phone met the Minister's P.A. and raised the issue of MMRDA report dated February 14th 2008 which said that in the context of gross violations by Hiranandani Developers the entire land of 230 acres should be taken back by the State Government. What transpired in the meeting would remain a mystery, but what we know is that on 31st March 2008 the Urban Development Department headed by the the Chief Minister Shri Vilasrao Deshmukh set aside the above-mentioned report and substituted bigger penalties by a meagre amount of Rs. 3 crores.
Next
TV_NH
NH: I'll phone him.
So meet the minister's PA... What's his name?... Chopra... meet Chopra.
Ok.
One of the biggest tragedies faced by the people of Mumbai has been the closure of the textile mills of Central Mumbai. Notwithstanding the fact that business considerations required the mills to be modernised, yet the mill-owners did not modernise their mills because they had set their eyes on the most expensive real estate in the world i.e. the mill lands. In the process, while the mills shut down one after another, lakhs of people were unemployed and fell into despair. The wives of the otherwise well-paid mill workers had to take on menial jobs such as washing utensils and sweeping floors in the houses of rich people or starve. Obviously, equity never demanded such a raw deal for the mill workers.
Amidst, such poverty and despair, mill lands were sold. This process gave birth to many scams. One such scam, is that of the sale of an 11-acre Jupiter Mills plot of land which was sold by the NTC in July 2005. When the NTC issued tenders for sale of land it declared in the tender forms that FSI would be about 59,903 sq. m. ( i.e. about 6.4 lakh sq. feet). Based on this FSI, Indiabulls placed a bid of 276 crores for an FSI of this 6.4 lakh sq. feet. However, once the mill was taken over by Indiabulls, the FSI was doubled to 2.66. As per section 26 of the Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act, 1976, for any sale of land permission of the Competent Authority, ULC was required. In this case, land was sold without permission. The land taken over by India Bulls falls under the reservation of Residential Zone and thus before constructing malls or IT offices they were supposed to build small houses for the poor which they have not. As per experts, the current value of the proposed development project is more than Rs 4500 crores while Indiabulls had acquired the same property for only Rs 450 crores. The workers who were rendered jobless because of the closing of the mills are still to get any of the benefits that they were promised while the corporates and builders are making thousands of crores of rupees by converting the erstwhile mills into real estate projects.
By engaging in such fraud, Mill lands spread across 600 acres in the heart of the city have been diverted for the construction of Malls, Shopping complexes and offices for corporates.
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