So long, farewell? Not yet, Mumbai!

On day 1 of MT Pavit's salvage operation, MiD DAY reached Juhu beach to catch the action, or the lack of it

So long, farewell? Not yet, Mumbai!

On day 1 of MT Pavit's salvage operation, MiD DAY reached Juhu beach to catch the action, or the lack of it

11:00 am
As the waves lash against MT Pavit, a crowd of eager Mumbaikars appears on the beach the day's first batch of ship gazers, who have congregated at the Juhu beach hoping for some action. The group consists mostly of school- and college-goers. Asked about the reason for this weekday visit, they replied, "The ship will be towed away soon, so we decided to come down here and take a look.

12 noon
The crowd swells steadily, eager ship gazers making a beeline for the rocks. The tide is high, and cops have a hard time keeping curious bathers off the water.

1:oo pm
The crowds begin to thin, as disappointed visitors leave, tired of waiting for something interesting to happen.

1:30 pm
A trio come along, showing the guarding cops some documents, along with their photo IDs. Lifeguards escort them up a wooden ladder onto the ship. On board, the experts don boiler suits and begin inspecting the deck.

2:00 pm
Another trio accosts the police, who check their IDs. A ladder is thrown down from the ship, and they make their way up. They begin assisting the existing trio in their inspection work, sans boiler suits. Curious onlookers gather on the shore, and the crowds thicken again.

2:30 pm
Lifeguards erect bamboo posts, and tie them with ropes, cordoning off the area surrounding the ship to ward off curious visitors. Manish Thakur, a lifeguard, explained, "Only the police, lifeguards and employees from the company that owns the ship are allowed near it. Approaching the ship could be dangerous, as there are inflammable substances inside it."

3:00 pm
Workers on the ship pull pipes from one end of the deck to the other, and then tie them up. An official from Great Offshore Limited said, "We are performing all kinds of security checks on the ship. The pipes are being tied up so they don't fall into the sea when the ship is towed away."

4:00 pm
Many foreign tourists appear inquisitive as well. Nathan O'Connel, a tourist from Australia, said, "We heard that a ship was grounded here, and decided to take a look."u00a0 Sanjeeda Shaikh, a visitor, says, "First Wisdom, now Pavit. Mumbai is fast becoming a ship gazer's paradise."

5:00 pm
A man arrives, bearing bags and a suitcase, and heads towards the ship. He generates considerable alarm among policemen and lifeguards. He shows his papers, and all is well again. He boards the ship.

5:45 pm
All disembark from the ship, and a discussion ensues on the beach. A spokesperson from Titan Salvage said, "We have finished work for today. More details will be given to the ship's owners, who will share it with the media."u00a0 Anita Satle said, "My relatives have come from Delhi for Rakhi, and I brought them here to witness the ship's salvage operation. But nothing happened."

Pavit gives Kolis new business
They may have had to hang up their fishing nets temporality, but the fishing community at Versova has thought of a new means of income, setting up a number of stalls to sell refreshments to the hungry and thirsty ship gazers who throng the beach every day.

Ramesh Bhut, a Koli fisherman who has opened tea stall at the beach, said, "We are doing surprisingly good business. I am raking in Rs 500-700 on weekends, and Rs 100 on weekdays."

Mahesh Mangela, another fisherman who sells lemon juice at the beach, said, "The BMC often extract fines from us, but we have been pleading with them. This is a good way to earn, as the govt has banned fishing because of oil spills from MV Rak."