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It is common for Indian politicians, cutting across political parties to splurge precious resources to build monuments to further their political careers at the cost of the hapless needy poor. ‘In the absence of affordable accommodation, the poorest of poor patients taking treatment at Tata Memorial Hospital in Parel, Mumbai have made the space under Hindmata bridge their home. The Hindmata flyover is almost like a post-operative ward of Tata Memorial,’ Mumbai Mirror reported prominently on 15 January, 2020. Tata Memorial, one of the largest cancer treatment institutes in India, gets 65,000 new cancer patients every year and another 4,50,000 for follow ups. As per Dr. Shripad Banavali, director, academics and professor of paediatric and medical oncology, Tata Memorial, over 80 percent of the hospital’s patients are from states other than Maharashtra and nearly all of them are poor. Dr. Banavali also said that with the support of various organizations and generous donors t

16 January, 2020 Regulating the regulators On 11 January, 2020 at least 8 persons were killed and several others were injured, six of them grievously, due to a massive blast that occurred at ANK Pharma, MIDC, Boisar, 100 km from Mumbai. The factory manufactured ammonium nitrate, an explosive and a combustible substance used to produce fertilizer. The disturbing fact is, though there were four regulatory authorities- special planning authority under MIDC, labour department, MIDC fire department and Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health, to implement the guidelines related to industrial safety and labour norms as per Factory Act, 1948, this worst accident happened. Major accidents keep happening at alarming intervals, not only in Maharashtra but also in other states. As per Labour and Employment Ministry, everyday 47 factory workers are injured and 3 die in accidents. In three years, 2014 to 2016, 3562 workers lost their lives and 51,124 were injured in accidents that