Book Review: ‘Mumbai Fights Back’ Offers A Factual Inside Account Of How BMC Tackled Covid-19
· Free Press Journal
One does expect some candid details when the then Additional Commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation decides to write about the fight Mumbai put up against the pandemic six years ago. The book, Mumbai Fights Back: Bureaucrat’s Account of How the Maximum City Took on Covid-19, not just gives us those details, but also gives facts and figures along with incidents where people tried to fool the BMC with fake sprays, etc. Suresh Kakani has written this book along with Sumitra DebRoy to enable the coming generations to counter a similar situation in a better way.
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“Idea was to publish a reference book, a guide, so that, god forbid, if such a situation arises again, then the people on job have handbook to guide them,” says Suresh Kakani, Secretary, State Election Commission. “I was the Additional Commissioner of BMC at that time.”
Chronicle of the pandemic response
‘This book will detail how Mumbai’s health systems built over decades coped with century’s biggest health emergency yet.’ (sic) mentions Kakani in his book. And that book does. In the 18 chapters, it chronicles all three waves of the pandemic and the way BMC progressively fought them.
He says in the book – ‘Misinformation and fear about the emerging virus also led to the unexpected complications.’ (sic). “Our biggest challenge was media and social media,” Kakani agrees during our conversation. “They contributed to the panic.”
Challenges in slum management
Managing the slums, where isolation was nearly impossible, was the next biggest task. “We used all available facilities from hotels to dharamshalas to camps for this,” Kakani tells. The book discusses these strategies in detail. ‘To contain Dharavi’s situation, we needed a mix of short-term and long-term actions. What we did in Dharavi would have also applied to other slum colonies.’ (sic)
Dealing with misinformation and dubious products
What comes as a surprise is the chapter Fending of The Sharks. Kakani mentions that the fad of immunity boosters and other alternatives became a rage and many tried to sell them to the BMC to make them official. ‘One such company tried to sell us a spray with the potency to kill coronavirus…’ (sic). “That’s true. They claimed that it was being used in New Zealand and there was not a single patient there. However, when we suggested that we would like to try it on them and see if they test negative or positive, they refused!” shares Kakani. “Quite a few companies gave certificates from private companies to sell their stuff. But we were clear about our stand and refused to accept anything that was not certified by our government institutions.”
BMC Elections Are Over—Now Mumbai Must Be Governed In Public InterestAn informative account
Mumbai Fights Back: Bureaucrat’s Account of How the Maximum City Took on Covid-19 is a book that will give information to the curious mind who wants to know the facts and figures of how the BMC tackled the pandemic. Suresh Kakani has bared it all in a lucid way that makes it an interesting read.
Book: Mumbai Fights Back: Bureaucrat’s Account of How the Maximum City Took on Covid-19
Author: Suresh Kakani, Sumitra DebRoy
Publisher: Notion Press
Pages: 182
Price: Rs 305