Withering City

Mumbai, the city of dreams and of opportunities, the ‘Numero Uno’ city of India till a few years back, the future financial hub of Asia according to some, is stagnating. While other cities like Delhi, Banglore, Pune, are moving ahead by leaps and bounds Mumbai continues to live in the stone age with roads full of potholes, public transport which is so cramped that if animals were transported this way PETA would raise a stink, and filth and encroachment all around.

I keep reading about how other cities have been slowly improving. But it had not prepared me for the shock I got when I went to New Delhi last week for a conference. The infrastructure there is so vastly superior to that in Mumbai. Flyovers dotted the entire stretch of road from the airport to my hotel in Green Park, and all the way to the conference in Pragati Maidan. Further, the roads were 3-5 lanes on each side with proper footpaths and even had side-roads. So wide were the roads that even where the work for Metro phase-2 was going on there was still enough road left for cars to cruise along and there was also some greenery at the sides at many places. In Mumbai we have only a few roads which can match these – the Western and Eastern Express Highways and some small stretches in Sounth Mumbai!!!!

The roads in Delhi were so clean; in comparison Mumbai’s roads are filthy and full of potholes and encroachments, besides being narrow. If only Delhi could improve its law and order situation it would be the city to live in. During 3 days of reading Delhi newspapers there were 7-8 rape cases reported and even a survey which revealed that 80% of women of Delhi feel unsafe even in malls :-O . Even the general law and order situation is said to be bad with everyone linked to some politician or babu and hence having a license to get away with breaking the law.

I think the difference is due to 2 factors – one that Delhi is the National Capital and has a separate government of its own, and that somehow the people there must have shown less apathy to the city’s development than Mumbaikars do (consequently the politicians know they must do some work atleast). Whatever failings Sheila Dikshit might have I think she deserves credit for doing something for the city’s development during the last few years she has been in power. Otherwise this transformation would not have been possible.

In Mumbai the governance system is in shambles. We have multiple agencies doing the same work and they can conveniently blame each other for the lapses. An example is roads where BMC, MMRDA and MREDC all do some work or rather don’t do any, and then blame the others for it. Land development again is controlled by BMC, MMRDA and MHADA. If someone wants to learn how to play passing the buck then please go to Mumbai’s administration.

The corruption in the BMC is so rampant and the hold of the builders, contractors and the goons on the police and administration so strong that it seems to be a herculean task to get anything done right. The only thing the BMC ever does is either dole out more and more FSI to builders or de-reserve land meant for public amenities for private developers. They allowed the development of mill land without the city getting much out of it. We lost a golden opportunity to get some public space. The argument of the mill land owners that the land is theirs so they should have freedom to do whatever they want is a sham. The land was sold to them at low rates in early 1900’s for a purpose – to put up textile mills. If they are not using it for that purpose the land should revert back to the government with some compensation being paid to them.

There is one thing these people are shielding behind – a total lack of transparency and accountability. For example we never get to know how road contracts are being awarded, what are the responsibilities of the contractor, whom do we contact in case the work is not being done properly, etc. Ideally for each work a sign should be put up beside each site mentioning the name of the contractor, how much has the contract been awarded for, what are the timelines within which the work must be completed and who in the BMC is responsible for supervising whether the work is being done properly. So many times I have seen roads dug up with no made progress for days and shoddily made roads which crack in a few days and present another opportunity to award a repair contract to someone. There is absolutely no system of accountability.

The administration is actually opposed to further development of the city. And it makes sense given they have proved incompetent to handle the current development. The expansion of Mumbai port is being opposed on the grounds that it will lead to more congestion. Well, the solution is to go out and build a better transport network rather than oppose the expansion!!!!

Another problem plaguing Mumbai is encroachments. And the politicians like Kripashankar Singh who consider them their vote banks and stall every effort to evict them. So first we had pre-1991 encroachments regularized. Then 1995, 2000 and now our CM has gone a step ahead and plans to make it 2006. Why don’t they just declare that anyone in the country is free to come to Mumbai and encroach anywhere upto 2050 (after which a further extension will be considered favourably). It will save so much of time wasted in deliberating the issue every time even when we know the outcome. To give you an example when airport expansion was underway a minister opposed rehabilitation of slums which had encroached on AAI land and said “The slums will remain here; you can shift the airport elsewhere”

Then there is the filth. Travel on Harbour Line and you will wonder whether this is the city which dreams of being world class. Slams surround the tracks at many places (without doubt they have some politician protecting them) and you have mounds of litter on both sides. It is not just the poor who litter. People throw things out of trains/ buses as if the tracks/ roads are a waste bin. Then you have people spitting ‘paan’ and ‘tambaku’ anywhere and everywhere without looking where they are and who it lands on as long as it is not them or their own house.

And finally there is apathy. No one has time to right any wrong being done, no time to raise a voice. We have had an instance of a rape happening in a train while fellow passengers simply looked on!!! People litter the roads and we simply look on. Rules are broken rampantly and we simply look on helplessly.

I do not accept the argument that since Mumbai is an island there is less scope for expansion and hence it keeps getting more cramped. Common, Vashi and Kandivli today are equidistant from CST/ Churchgate and still people prefer Kandivli to Vashi. And we may have had the trans-harbour link coming up years ago if the administration felt connectivity was such an issue. It has more to do with the mindset than with distance. Where there is a will to grow a city will find a way to do it.

The people of Mumbai need to wake up otherwise their beloved city will continue its slump downwards. Forget Shaghai, it won’t even find a mention in the good cities of India, leave alone the world.

We have a thousand Haneefs

India had no right to make the brouhaha it did about the detention of Haneef in Australia. Here we have thousands of people lodged in our jails waitng for a trial, many even waiting for a chargesheet to be filed against them. Recently one of the bomb blasts accused was acquitted after spending many years in jail. Where is our media when their lives are being wasted without reason?

You cannot deny that Australian legal system functions much better than the one in India. Haneef would have eventually been freed (very soon in all probability). Instead of throwing stones at others we need to first put our house in order.

Selective Justice

The sentencing of Sanjay Dutt brings an end to the saga of India’s worst terror attack. Though it took 14 long years, it is commendable that for once our system managed to punish the guilty (agreed that the main conspirators are still freely roaming, most probably in Pakistan). Whether Sanjay Dutt deserved 6 years in jail or not is also open to debate but this is the first instance where I think there are no allegations against the police or judiciary of partiality or bungling up.

Which makes one think – why can’t other high profile cases be dealt with similarly. Set an example for all. Why is justice being delivered selectively?

Remember the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the 1992 post-Babri riots and the recent 2002 Gujarat carnage? It is 23 years since the 1984 riots. Have the guilty been brought to book? No, some of them sit in parliament today. Then, there can be no denying that the 1992 Mumbai riots were the trigger for the bomb blasts. True, one wrong cannot be righted by another wrong. But both those wrongs should be punished. Only then can the system be called just. But no government has had the political will to make any progress on this. It is a politicl minefield for them and unfortunately even the judiciary seems to have been reluctant to take suo moto action in these cases. And forget about those responsible for the 2002 genocide in Gujarat being punished. If RSS has its way it would happily make that person the Prime Minister of India. So much for justice. Till the time law is applied selectively there will always be dissent amongst those who were denied justice, and I am pretty sure more terrorists will be born. So there is no need to rejoice over the sentencing in th bomb blasts case. On the other hand we need to worry about the repercussions of this 'Selective Justice'

Mumbai meets its Waterloo

It wasn’t 26/7 but it surely washed away BMC’s claims of being prepared for the monsoons. More importantly it put a serious question mark on Mumbai’s dreams of being the next financial hub. A city which shuts down many times during a year can in no way be a financial hub.

The BMC claims helplessness against heavy rains but that is all hogwash. They say where there is a way there is a way. And the major obstacles that stand in the way of Mumbai’s dreams are lack of accountability and transparency and most of all a lack of will to do what it takes.

The BMC claims that Mumbai’s drainage system is capable of draining only 40 mm per hours and if it rains more than that flooding is inevitable. And if it rains during high tide time then even that 40 mm will not drain into the sea. Infact as the images of 30/6 show sea water will flood the city and people can actually fish as they did at Milan Subway on 306 (This was one refreshing sight thanks to Star News)

This begs the question why haven’t we done anything to remedy this. One obvious answer is to increase the capacity of the drainage system. But the BMC says that would take too much money and it is not feasible spend so much just prevent 3-5 days of flooding each year. Hello!!! Do these people understand economics? Each day of flooding means an economic loss of hundreds of crores of rupees which would be prevented if people were able to reach their workplaces. This more than compensates the cost of overhauling the drainage system.

And even if the drainage system cannot be widened have they ever thought of installing high capacity pumps which might be able to draw water through it at say 2-3 times the normal flow and pump it far away into the sea. Ofcourse this would also necessitate throwing the water either far out into the sea or towards the eastern or northern side of the city so that it is not directly against the flow of the sea. I am not an engineer but am pretty sure such a system can be designed. Yes it will involve buying high capacity pumps and require huge power but this is the least expected of a wannabe financial hub.

The other issue is of flooding in many areas even when there is a little bit of rain. Obviously here the problem is that either the water is not able to reach the drainage system or the drains are clogged. Now each a lot of money is spent on declogging the drains. When does this work start? In end of May. Excellent, just when the rains are to arrive. And where is all the silt kept? Just besides the manhole to dry so that when it (unexpectedly) rains the silt is again washed into the very drains it was removed from. How naïve can they get L

So if you are incapable of removing the silt why not prevent it from going into the drain. Well, to BMC’s credit it did try. It banned thin plastic bags which are a major culprit. But it failed miserably in implementing the ban. As a result these bags are back in circulation and must be finding their way into the drains as before. Here I must admit we, the citizens, are the real culprits.

Another problem is open manholes. BMC simply is unable to procure good quality manholes so they break often. And when the manholes do manage to bear the traffic they are stolen. Either way you will find many open manholes which citizens are able to avoid in normal weather but when everything is under water there is no way you can spot them.

Then there are poorly made roads and pavements which give way easily during the rains and make the ordeal of navigating the roads even tougher. Does BMC ever fine those who did that shoddy work? Yeah, I might be doing so but then it gives the contract to (shoddily) rebuild those roads to the same people. You should see the newly built roads and pavements in the suburbs. Even after spending much more time than is really needed to make them the finishing is so poor that you would be inclined to withdraw the engineering degree or whatever those people have obtained.

There are so many simple things which can be done to make life easier for Mumbaikars during the rains. Though the Met Dept fails miserably at giving the next day’s forecast I believe it is very much capable of giving an accurate prediction of rains for the next 1-2 hours. If only a medium was made available for them to get the forecast across to the people. The trains are the lifeline of Mumbai. Surely some system can be designed to prevent flooding on the tracks (like pumps). And the clogged drains, manholes and poor roads can also be taken care of easily. It won’t cost them a single paisa more. Only the BMC officials will have to stop filling their pockets and put their foot down for once. Just watch how the quality of work would improve.

Frankly it all is a matter of will which the administration has failed to show time and again.

Water and Gas

A very pertinent article pointing out how the priorities of developed and developing countries differ and why they should work together to save mother earth

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Editorial/LEADER_ARTICLE_Death_By_Water/articleshow/2041744.cms

LEADER ARTICLE: Death By Water
14 May, 2007 l 0009 hrs ISTlARUN MAIRA

The hottest issue on the planet this summer is climate change by global warming. Several reports have put the issue on the front burner - Al Gore's documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, Nick Stern's assessment of the economic impacts of climate change, and the IPCC's exhaustive analysis of its causes and potential solutions. Leaders must act with haste because they may already be too late. Indian Parliament took up the issue on May 8.

The heightened pressure for action is creating political fissures. The industrial nations acknowledge they have created the problem. While they enhanced their economic might, they overused and misused resources, building a huge stack of green-houses in the earth's atmosphere.

To which, these nations say, the developing nations dare not add any more and therefore must now find new technologies and new ways to develop their economies. "The truth about climate change policy", writes Lawrence Summers, "is that deve- loping countries are where most of the action must be". Their economies are growing and using more energy and natural resources (albeit more frugally than the rich nations when they grew) and in the process many millions are rising out of poverty. In fact, faster economic growth rather than direct assistance to the poor is the mantra that economists like Summers preach. So what is the way out now?

The reality is that climate change is everybody's problem, whosoever caused it. Both rich countries and developing ones will have to change policies and adopt new technologies. While asking their citizens for support to stop further damage to the environment, western leaders ask them, 'What is the world you want to bequeath your grandchildren'? Such an appeal is too far out for India's masses.

They are anxious about their conditions here and now - their jobs, their incomes, and inflation in prices (especially of food). They are also concerned about nutrition, health, and education of the children they already have - not their grandchildren to come. For Indians, in cities and villages, the urgent environmental issue is not the dwindling of polar ice and Himalayan glaciers. It is the water that is no longer flowing in their taps (if they have them), their dwindling rivers and ponds, and the falling water table. For them, water for drinking, cooking, sanitation, and growing food, and not greenhouse gases, is the urgent environmental issue.

The environment (and climate) is a global system. Like God (for the believers), it touches people everywhere. As with God, we must make our connections to the environment and climate in our own ways. Therefore, if we want the issue of climate change to unite and not divide us, we must be free to approach it in ways that matter to each of us, so long as the solutions we find do not prevent others from obtaining theirs.

Delhi's government is struggling to find water for its citizens. It is appealing to neighbouring states that are also strained to find water for their own towns and farmers. Many other Indian states are quarrelling with each other for dwindling water sources which they share. Even in Florida, southern Australia, and western USA - all rich regions of the world - access to water has become a divisive issue between communities and states.

India must take a lead in finding solutions to the global environmental crisis. Indian leaders will need the support of the country's people to make the policy changes required. Issues must be framed appropriately to make the right emotional connections when support is required for tough decisions. For many in India and elsewhere in the developing world, the environmental crisis is immediately and mostly about water. It is not so much about energy and emissions - which form the core of the climate change agenda in western minds.

Therefore, while 'climate change' may be the right way to represent the environmental crisis to people in developed countries, water must take centre stage to win more support from India's masses. Climate change may sound a bit up in the air to people struggling to have water here and now. In fact, the problem of global governance, according to political scientist Robert Dahl, is that decisions about issues like global trade and global warming are being taken by clubs of global elites who are not sufficiently connected with the masses in their own countries.

No doubt, India and China will have to address issues of energy and emissions. Solutions to these problems along with solutions to the water crisis will require innovations and investments. Capital to fund these innovations must flow to developing countries from the developed countries that have accumulated the capital as they grew their economies by processes which, they admit, have damaged the environment.

The rich should consider it their moral responsibility to provide financial support to developing countries on issues concerning global warming - and not adopt a typical financier's approach. Finally, because India, the world's largest democracy, must take the lead in finding practical solutions, its leaders (and the global elite) must consider that sustainable livelihoods and water (along with energy) matter as much or more to its people than abstractions of climate change and economics.

The writer is a management consultant.

Some logic at last

Much has been said in the past few months about the flaws in the Mandal Commission’s conclusion that 52% of India’s population is OBC. For the first time someone has made an attempt to defend it. The writer is SS Gill, member-secretary, Mandal Commission. Read the article at

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Editorial/Counting_caste/articleshow/2019868.cms

SS Gill takes pains to elucidate how the Mandal Commission identified indicators of social backwardness, most of which were economic indicators. He claims the sample was adequate and representative and hence correctly identified the Backward Castes. He then justifies using the 1931 census data to identify their percentage in the population by arguing that the proportion of various groups in the Indian population should have more or less remained the same. So once OBCs have been identified on the basis of ‘objective’ criteria their proportion can then be extrapolated from the 1931 census. Simple!!! But flawed!!

The Mandal survey was carried out in 1978. 30 years have gone by since then and Indians’ average income and standard of living has risen. Many of the castes would no longer qualify as OBC on the basis of the same criteria used by the Mandal Commission.

The second objection of anti-quota protestors is that quota, if any, should be for backward people and not backward castes. The creamy layer of the backward castes should be excluded and by the same logic backward people of the ‘forward’ castes should be eligible for the quota. Neither Mandal Commission nor the Govt. has an answer to this

Now this is news!!!!

A French bulldog feeds a 2-week old baby Bengal tiger, which was rejected by its mother at Shirotori zoo in Japan. The dog is nursing the baby tiger as if it were his biological mother


2 brothers


2 roosters play with a rubber ball in Shenyang, China. They regularly play with the ball ever since the owner found it 3 months ago

Nimra, a one year old cat, sits with her kittens and seven chicks in Amman. Nimra has been taking care of the chicks after their mother's death a month ago

US Hypocricy

"With two carrier strike groups in the Gulf, we're sending clear messages to friends and adversaries alike," – Dick Cheney says in an apparent warning to Iran.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/05/11/cheney-warns-iran-with-_n_48248.html

These kinds of statements will just give more ammo to the hardliners in Iran. Cheney is a fool if he thinks this will intimidate Iran into backing off on the nuclear stand-off.

Which brings me to the issue of who is right on the nuclear weapons issue? As much as I admire so many aspects of American society today and abhor the regressive Arab society, I am very uncomfortable with the US foreign policy and its self-arrogated role of policeman of the world.

When the US and other nuclear powers continue to hold their nuclear weapons it is downright unfair of them to expect others not to pursue the same. Every country, no matter what kind of regime is there, has the right to defend itself and pursue all means for the same. The US has no right to ask Iran or North Korea to abandon their weapons programs, leave alone India and Pakistan. And why is it quiet about Israel’s weapons. Just because it is an ally?

A related issue is the US’s doublespeak on freedom, human rights and democracy. No one should be fooled into believing that the US believes in upholding these. The only thing US foreign policy strives for is US interests which, frankly speaking, is what every country should strive for. And in keeping with this policy the US has ignored human rights violations by allies (Israel being the prime example) and has plotted against democratically elected governments which were anti-US (lots of examples here incl. many South American leftist govts.). It has also propped up and tolerated autocratic regimes friendly to itself. Don’t forget that the US supported Saddam and Iraq up to the Gulf War just because he was anti-Iran. The irony is that Saddam was a dictator and in Iran there was a popular regime which, though not elected, had the people’s support. What was Iran’s crime? That it had thrown out an unpopular ruler who was friendly to the US and put in place a dispensation which was anti-US (what else can you expect if you were the biggest supporter of the unpopular ruler). And we can’t forget it’s misadventure in Afghanistan which has fuelled Islamic terrorists and its continued support for autocratic Pakistan (incl. threatening democratic India with a warship in the 1971 war. Thank God the Russians thwarted them)

The US can say whatever it wants but it doesn’t care a fig about others, it only cares for its self interest. Unfortunately it takes a short-term view on securing its interests and those actions return to haunt it later.

India is no saint on these fronts but I will write about that some other time.

Media's Folly

Today's ET carries an article '166.5 MV - That's Centre's Generous Contribution to help state tide over 6000 MV shortfall'. It calls this an irony and the amount of electricity offered 'ridiculous'.

Hullo!!! Are other states supposed to cut their share of power just because Maharashtra has ignored power for years and according to reports it doesn't look like it is taking it seriously now either. The progress on new power plants in Maharashtra is very slow.

Sometimes the Media in trying to make an article 'sensational' ends up giving a completely wrong picture

Should industries be given free land?

An MLA in Karnataka has once again accused Infosys of being hungry for land. This is an issue which rears its head every once in a while but no one has a solution for it.

The rationale for giving land free or cheap to industries is that once they set up shop they will create employment in that area and also brings other benefits too. The project will not be feasible if they have to pay market prices for the land.

The main argument against this is that years later when the area has developed these companies can sell it off at exorbitant rates thus turning them into real estate companies!! Just look at the mills in Mumbai which got land for free. Today their promoters have shut shop and are selling the land for hundreds of crores. Is this fair? Certainly not.

The solution is to lease the land, not give it away. It can be a long term lease renewable at the option of the company as long as it operates there. No sub-lease rights allowed. Companies will argue that the money they put in to develop the land will go waste if they decide to shift out. To take care of that we can have a clause whereby the property will be sold and the company will get the development cost plus interest from the sale proceeds and the government keeps the rest. Fair enuff.

Another allegation by politicians is that some companies ask for more land than they think is required. Politicians say the state should not be giving land for recreational facilities et al which companies like Infosys provide to the employees. How come they forget all the facilities they have the state provide for them? Also the company may be asking for more land keeping in mind future expansion plans. What if the govt. doesn’t give more land then? It is better to take it all at once. In this case the company should reveal its future plans in advance. It can be given the extra land then with a provision that if it does not develop it as originally envisaged then it will revert back to the government.

Powerless Maharashtra

For years now Maharashtra has been facing a power crisis. The government (whichever party is in power) only makes noises about it but does precious little. They are still pinning their hopes on restarting the Dabhol project which has been a white elephant for long. Agreed an asset has been built and you should try to utilize it. But not if it is going to cost you more over the years than if you build a new plant with coal as the fuel.

But through all this Mumbai has been kept insulated. Though Mumbaikars like me rejoice at this it is blatantly unfair to the rest of Maharashtra. What sin has the rest of Maharashtra committed? I’m sure that if this goes on for some more time there will be major protests against it.

If this goes on it will further weaken Maharashtra attractiveness to industries. Already TN, Gujarat and others are either snapping at its heel or have overtaken it as far as new investments are concerned. It would be sad to see it go the way of West Bengal if things don’t improve.

The Day After Tomorrow

Every day we get news of further evidence of global warming and what its effects are likely to be. The events shown in the movie ‘The Day After Tomorrow’ now seems plausible.

By now majority of people in the US must also have accepted this fact (save a few people in the administration) But the big question is what are we going to do to slow it down? Whose responsibility should it be? Should developed countries bear the sole responsibility or should developing countries pitch in too?

Efforts are on throughout the world to develop greener technologies whether it be in car engines or in industrial processes. But there is large scale focused effort yet. Through the Kyoto Protocol the EU has taken some responsibility but it is not sufficient. At some time the US and developing countries like India and China will have to pitch in. Developing countries need to understand that they will be hardest hit by global warming and hence they must do their bit to prevent it. Developed countries may expect India and China to sacrifice some of their growth for the environment. But I don’t think this will be acceptable to them. Why should they not strive to raise their living standards to those of the West? It is the development of the West that has caused a lot of this damage and they have a right to cause as much. At best they can offer to implement the green technologies developed by the West to lessen the impact of their growth. But these technologies will have to come cheap.

The biggest source of global warming has been found to be methane emissions by cattle but there has been absolutely no effort yet to tackle this source of warming. Surely there will now be research on genetic modifications to reduce this.

Another big source of methane is paddy cultivation. Here again better quality seeds and improved cultivations methods can make a huge difference.

In both these cases India, China, Russia and other developing countries will have to play a major part in reducing emissions.

The time has come for a concerted global effort. We must act fast or we will see our cities drowning very soon

Uniploar cricket world

The world of cricket has become unipolar. There are the others and then there are the Aussies. World Cup 2007 was the most one sided world cup I have seen. While 15 other teams were able to match each other none of them came even close to challenging the Aussies. The Aussies didn’t lose a single match, they didn’t even come close to losing any!!

I don’t believe the other teams were short on talent. But what the others (especially India and Pakistan) lacked was confidence, determination, discipline and attitude.

When Matt Hayden or Ricky Ponting play they don’t have to worry about what will happen if they get out. They know the next guy is as capable as them. He will come out and hammer the opposition. They have confidence in each other’s abilities. Contrast that with India. I’m sure that when Sachin plays he would be thinking that if he gets out and another wicket also falls quickly it will be disaster.

Then there is the question of determination. For the Aussies nothing is impossible. They will keep trying. Other teams have been known to give up easily. I still remember that match where Prabhakar and Mongia faced a run-a-ball target but still played as if they had 50 more overs to bat.

When Aussies bowl they bowl with discipline. McGrath is a classic example. He’s not fast. But he gets it right each time. Bowlers like Sri Lanka’s Malinga are talented but unpredictable. They may bowl 5 good balls in a over but will stray on the 6^th and the batsman will happily punish him for that.

With all this comes an attitude, a belief that they are the best. Way to go Aussies.

Democracy killed in an encounter

The Sohrabuddin case takes a more ghastly turn every day. First we have news that he was killed in a fake encounter. Then we are told his wife and associate were also killed by the police to cover their tracks. And now comes the revelation that his widow might have been raped before being killed. Whether Sohrabuddin was a terrorist or not is irrelevant here. The manner in which all this took place is absolutely wrong. We are a democracy and he should have been caught and charged. We know that most criminals do get away because of our lax system but that is no excuse for this kind of goondaraj. Because here the power to decide is in the hands of a few individuals who may go about killing anyone they want without any fear of being punished.

Despite claims by the accused (and the VHP, Bajrang Dal, etc which I think should be banned outright along with their fundamentalist counterparts in the Mumbai community) that it was a patriotic act the court should go ahead and give the strictest punishment so that it sets a deterrent to future misadventures by overzealous policemen.

This case has also made other states think about the encounter that have taken place within their borders which is a welcome sign. It is no wonder today the people are afraid of the police rather than seeing them as protectors. It is high time steps are taken to correct this.

Truth goes up in smoke

The Slum Rehailitation Scheme (SRS) has been policy which politicians of all hues have endorsed with enthusiasm. And it is not difficult to see why. It had potential to generate huge revenues, for them ofcourse. There have been numerous allegations of irregularities in the scheme to benefit certain builders. I would say any builder who is ready to pay a good price.

Now that a PIL was filed to unearth the alleged corruption and its hearing was due in 3 days we get the news that a major fire broke out in the SRA office and the records destroyed. What a coincidence L And some employees say they were actually told not to come to the office on that day. The SRA CEO even had the temerity to say that suspicions of sabotage were bounds to crop up. Yet bet. With names of top politicians having cropped up and the SRA having been most unhelpful in the case so far what else are we supposed to deduce?

Sadly with the evidence already destroyed this scam will go on merrily

And today they say only some files have been destroyed....Bet those r the files with corruption written all over them

The media and me

You can love the media, hate it, but simply can’t ignore it. Whether it be listening to the radio while driving, reading the newspapers, watching news, sports, serials, etc on TV, seeing movies in theatres, media pervades every part of our life and plays a role in shaping our views, our perceptions, our lifestyle. Whether this is good or bad I don’t know but I guess we have no choice.

I have been addicted to the newspaper since long. The Times of India gives you so much to read. They give you all the news – national, international, even city specific. If you want health tips they have it. Want to know what the celebrities are up to? Bombay Times is there.

TOI even carries a science page where new discoveries and research are reported (my personal favourite). They carry in-depth articles on important issues – SEZs, reservations, global warming, you name it they have it.

TOI has been widely criticized by many people for being a tabloid. They say it promotes crass commercialization, materialism, westernization. I remember one of our STI professors at IIMK also airing this view.

I agree TOI is commercial to the core. No other newspaper carries so many ads. They even have sponsored supplements once in a while. But what is wrong with that? Aren’t newspapers supposed to earn money? And people will only read the ads if they find the ad interesting. No one is being forced to read them.

Another criticism is that it is promoting westernization. One look at Bombay Times and you will say they are right. But again no one is forcing you to read it. It is just another way of life that they are projecting. If you don’t like it why don’t you start a new newspaper and project what you think should be the lifestyle to follow?

I flip through BT and read just the channel guide, the cartoon strips and the health page. It’s West-side Plus supplement gives me information on the state of infrastructure in the western suburbs and the initiatives being taken by citizens/ BMC to improve it. I don’t care a dime where the celebrities partied yesterday!! But I want the rest of the paper.

Every once in a while they give you something entertaining. Take for example the news about a cat which regularly catches and bus and goes to the market (don’t remember which city) or the cat which adopted a mouse or pics of Knut, the polar bear cub in a German zoo or the pic of the world’s smallest and tallest dogs. Some time ago there was an article on how dogs are being taught yoga! These are a welcome break from the daily dose of murders, rapes, allegations and counter-allegations by politicians, scams, etc.

Have loads of time and don’t know what to do? BT & Mumbai Mirror gives you loads of puzzles to keep you occupied for a few hours. They give you an entertainment guide, suggestions on what to do for the weekend, where to eat, etc. These could be handy for many.

All in all I think TOI is dam good J

I don’t watch much of TV. News channels are so repetitive. What I could read in a newspaper in 2 minutes runs on news channels for an hour. And the less said about the Serial Channels the better. The serials are utterly mindless and oh so predictable. But then millions of people do like them so it doesn’t matter to them whether I like the serials or not. They will continue to attract eyeballs for years to come. I watch only the movie channels and Discovery, NGC, History Channel. These are pasia vasool. And yes, sports sometimes. But the Indian cricket team’s consistently bad performances have killed my interest in cricket and I rarely watch the other sports.

Impending SEZ fiasco

The cancellation of the Kalinanagar SEZ and shifting of the Nandigram SEZ were just the first signs of the problems in the SEZ Policy. Soon we had a new policy restricting the SEZ size. And there is more to come.

India’s SEZ policy is another example of us trying to copy someone else’s (read China’s) model without considering the ground realities. SEZs require large contiguous tracts of land. In India this will include some agricultural land as well. There is yet no clear consensus on whether this should happen.

While in China it is easy for the government to acquire land for whatever purpose, the same is not the case in India. There will always be people unwilling to surrender their land, no matter what the price, and enough politicians eager to fuel protests. To top it all the compensation offered in not adequate in most cases.

No doubt SEZs will be beneficial for the economy but the policy needs to be fine-tuned.

Firstly the tax losses due to potential shifting of industries should be plugged. A proper mechanism is needed so that exports and sales to domestic territory are properly measured. And the area in each SEZ that can be developed for residential and commercial purposes should be restricted otherwise SEZs will turn into real estate ventures.

It is imperative that the SEZ policy must have clear guidelines on who will acquire the land – the government or the developer, how a fair price is to be determined, how those unwilling to sell are to be dealt with and how those affected can be made stakeholders. Given the situation I feel the government will have to play a role in land acquisition and also in rehabilitation. What can a private developer do if even one person refuses to sell his land? Only the govt. has the power to displace him. And it must ensure the compensation offered is fair. The policy should also contain provisions on employment to be offered to the displaced people. And all processes must be transparent enough to stand legal scrutiny.

Unless these points are taken care of the SEZs will face many hurdles

Another one

Your Personality Is

Guardian (SJ) You are sensible, down to earth, and goal oriented. Bottom line, you are good at playing by the rules. You tend to be dominant - and you are a natural leader. You are interested in rules and order. Morals are important to you. A hard worker, you give your all at whatever you do. You're very serious, and people often tell you to lighten up. In love, you tend to take things carefully and slowly. At work, you are suited to almost any career - but you excel in leadership positions. With others, you tend to be polite and formal. As far as looks go, you are traditionally attractive. You take good care of yourself. On weekends, you tend to like to do organized activities. In fact, you often organize them!

The Three Question Personality Test

Personality Test

Came across this Blogthing.....Personality Test

Your Personality Profile

You are dignified, spiritual, and wise. Always unsatisfied, you constantly try to better yourself. You are also a seeker of knowledge and often buried in books. You tend to be philosophical, looking for the big picture in life. You dream of inner peace for yourself, your friends, and the world. A good friend, you always give of yourself first.

The World's Shortest Personality Test

Quota Fire

There is no need to celebrate non-implementation of the OBC quota this year. Infact the government will be the one rejoicing. For in politics there is one maxim – implement something once and it will only benefit you for some time. Keep the issue alive and you can rake it up for elections to come. And that is precisely the reason why the UPA govt. hasn’t given the SC a proper reasoning for the OBC quota - because they want to defer implementation and keep the issue alive for some more time. And irrespective of what the courts think the quota will be implemented, maybe next year, maybe after that.

While thinking about the issue several questions come to my mind which, according to me, must be answered before we implement quotas for OBCs

Are quotas needed? If yes, at what level?

No one doubts that the govt. should strive for upliftment of people who have been economically/ socially discriminated against for centuries or have in general been backward. But is it feasible through quotas in education? I don’t think that is quite effective the way it is being implemented. Though it will give them an opportunity to study in some of the best institutions they may still not be able to make the best of it because of their background. They will not have the caliber to compete against the others. It would be better if they had been given good education since the start. But we all know what a sorry state our public education system is in. And their education, even their other needs (mid-days meals, etc), should be subsidized or preferably free.

Something like boarding schools where poor children can spend their school years would be ideal. It would take some convincing to make the parents send their children there but it is worth a try.

At post-graduate level merit should be the only criterion for admission. The govt. can continue to help the underprivileged by paying their fees, even in full.

Who should the quota be for?

Even if we agree that quotas are the only measure available the question arises who should be eligible. Should social backwardness be the criteria? Or economics should rule? A logical answer would be economic backwardness. For, a community which is really socially backward would also be economically backward. Quotas in education, etc would take care of the economic backwardness part.

For social backwardness there are other measures to be taken, awareness to be created among the others that there should be no concept of ‘socially backward’ castes, legal actions to ensure social equality. But this would ruffle the feathers of the rich and powerful upper castes that will cite interference with centuries-old religious traditions and no politician has the will to implement this. We will continue to read about killings of dalits by upper castes for years to come. Hence we have the government insisting that quotas be implemented on the basis of social backwardness because that is the easy way out.

And politics dictates that they cannot leave out the ‘creamy socially backward’ classes from this. Because, the economically backward among the socially backward do not have the capacity to use the quota.

How do we go about convincing people?

Before embarking on any new venture we measure its feasibility. What benefits will it provide? We will evolve certain criteria to measure success/ failure. And monitor the performance. If it works we will try again in future. And it will be so easy to convince anyone to invest in this venture. You have past performance to show!!!!

That is how the govt. should go about the OBC quota issue. First it needs to come up with a definition of OBC. Then measure what is their proportion in the population. And then prove to us why it is going to work. They have the SC/ST example to show. That is, if it has worked. The govt. still does not have any statistics on that.

How do you ensure proper implementation?

Nothing hurts more than watching someone get what he/she does not deserve. The govt. does not have any plan in place to prevent people with forged certificates from availing quotas. This has happened with SC/ST quotas for years. Politicians make money out of this so obviously they won’t choke one of their sources of livelihood. And that is what rankles the opponents of quotas.

Also to avoid opposition the quota should be implemented stage by stage by increasing seats so that the others don’t get affected. You can always argue that it is the duty of the govt. to increase seats anyways and these also should go to all, not just to quota students. But it will hurt less. And the govt should not force quotas into the private sector. It is everyone’s responsibility to strive for upliftment of the under-privileged but it should be voluntary

But it is futile to expect any one in the current political setup to think along these lines. A simple quote comes to my mind ‘A politician is a person who will take the money of the rich and votes of the poor promising to protect them from each other’. And it is absolutely true in India.

Mumbai Passport Office – A case study in operations mismanagement

If anyone wants a case study on operations improvement then there would be nothing better than the functioning of the passport office in Mumbai. You will find so many fail points. The officials there are oblivious to all the ops troubles that any manager would strive to avoid – and you don’t need an MBA degree for that. It’s all common sense. But not to the people running the passport office.

Let’s look at the various aspects of this prime example of operations mismanagement

Online Application

When my sister Tasneem and I had to renew our passports we checked out the website of the passport office. It said that you can apply online if you fall within the jurisdiction of certain office and that list included Mumbai. After filling the online application you have to turn up on the appointed day and time and submit the physical copy. No need to stand in lines. Gone are the days of standing in serpentine queues at the passport office!!! Or so it seemed. So we decided to junk the passport agent and do it ourselves. We applied online and the system said we could submit our form on Apr 19^th at 10.15 AM. Satisfied, we waited for 15 days for our ‘appointment’.

On April 19 when, after a 5 hour nightmare at the passport office, I spoke to the ‘Superintendant – Complaints’ we found out that this system was not applicable in Mumbai. He coolly told us that the new system is only for the Delhi office. ‘Zara website pe padh liya karo’ he said, ‘wahan likha hai’. That is the only time in life I have wished I was in Delhi, not Mumbai!!! I scanned the website later but haven’t been able to find this ‘fine print’ yet. Agar kisi ko mile to please bata dena. Normally forms mein fine print hota hai par hum padhte nahi. Aur yahan yeh log umeed rakhte hai ke hum pehle fine print dhoondege aur fir padhege. Crap. We weren’t the only ones fooled by this. One lady had come happily all the way from Goa because she thought this system made passport issue “DIY’.

Generation of records

For issue of the passport you have to first register (physical or online) with them and then turn up anytime after 2 days from registration for the application. In this age of IT I wonder why it should take 2 days for ‘the record to be generated’ (as the passport office put it) especially for the online application. Hence, when my sister’s application under Tatkal was rejected because they needed the full name of the parents in the form we were told to re-register online and then come back after 2 days. Their system doesn’t have any facility to make changes, not even by the person who registered.

The queue

Every day there are serpentine queues outside the passport office in the morning. People even come at 7 in the morning thinking they will be the first when the office opens at 10. Unfortunately, the agents beat them to this. No no, not the passport agents. But people who make a living by standing in line for you and trading places when the time to go inside the office comes. They charge 100-150 bucks for this. Pretty neat considering that you will save a minimum of 4-5 hours of waiting. They, ofcourse, would be sharing it with the guards who allow them to do this ‘business’.

Inside the Hall

At 9.30 they start allowing people to go inside Hall 1 where there are 19 counters in all. They let in so many people at a time that there is chaos. Lines inter-twine for lack of space. It reminded me of the local trains of Mumbai. Perhaps this was even worse than that. Pushing, shoving, adjusting, that’s how people have to manage. The lines of some of the counters have chairs, others don’t. I wasn’t able to figure out the reason for this.

On all the counters some info is written. But it is wrong - both the purpose of the counter as well as the time till when the counter will remain open. Many people end up standing in the wrong line and then hours of standing go waste when they have to go to the correct line, at the back of it. An example is counter 19 – Reissue under Tatkal. One of the posters on the window reads ‘Fresh/ Minor - Any Counter, Reissue – Counter 19’. And people are supposed to interpret this as Counter 19 is only for reissue of major’s passports under tatkal . For Fresh/ Minor passports under tatkal any other counter will do

Instead of this they should implement a system where everyone gets a number and can sit till his/her number is called.

Misinformation

There are boards inside which mention what documents are needed. But there are so many of them for different kinds of passports (fresh, minor, reissue) that people get confused and read the wrong one.

Nowhere have they mentioned that there is something called a scanning form which is a must for reissue application. Most people find that out in the line and the have to run to get it. Some even discover this at the counter!!!!

Rejects

Maybe half the people are turned away either for lack of some document or the other or due to some mistake in the form. They have to come back some other day and again spend hours at this place. I met a guy who had come for the third time and still they found something missing and asked him to come again. These people expect you to drop everything and spend days waiting in their office. I have never seen such unhelpful officials.

Just think about it. The daily line would be half if people knew what documents are required and how to fill the form correctly!!!!

Reworks

For every minor change in the form the superintendant’s sign is required. And they never check the whole form at one go. If they find a mistake they ask you to change it, get the superintendant’s sign and come back and then the rest of your form will be checked. Some people end up going to him 2-3 times. Hence there is a huge crowd around his table at any time. You have people shuttling between the counter they were at and his table. Such a waste if time.

People getting work done inside

I saw a couple shuttling behind the counters and the superintendants’ table. After ½ an hour they came out smiling. Obviously, they had their work done ‘inside’ while people patiently waited outside.

12.30 PM Deadline

At 12.30 they stop taking people into hall 1. So if anyone has been unlucky enough to wait outside for hours and still his turn didn’t come, well it’s his fault.

Tatkal counter

The Tatkal counter, which is just next to the Superintendant’s table, also ends up serving as the enquiry counter. Everyone who has been asked to get ‘bade saab’s sign’ first enquires there and then proceeds. People also come there for other enquiries. Hence, the processing of applications at this counter takes the longest. The consolation is that atleast the passport comes faster.

Playing to the Gallery

The Abhiash wedding and the accompanying media hype have been a real eye-opener on how the rich and the famous claim to want ‘private marriages’ but in secret crave for the media attention.

I really don’t think that Amitabh Bacchan and his family wanted it to be a private affair. If they had then the wedding would have been conducted how Aamir Khan conducted his. No, here we had the media getting all the pics, all the news. Even Aishwarya’s ‘supposed’ marriages to trees because she is a mangalik!! The media encourages superstitions by reporting such things. Even when the Bacchans visit a temple its news!!!!

And the way the Bacchans have misused their fame is disgusting. First the security provided by Mumbai police at taxpayers’ expense. Then we had the priest of Siddhivinayak Temple sending God’s blessings to Amitabh’s doorstep. Reason – Amitabh goes to Siddhivinayak once a year. Lakhs of people go there every week. Without fail. Do they have God’s blessings sent to them when they get married? Then came the visit to Lord Venkateshwara where thousands of devotees had to wait for hours because the Bacchans were paying their respects to the Lord. Here too they arrived one hour late. Which means the Lord was left without devotees for an entire hour. And then they had a private meeting with the Lord for an hour when devotees normally get a few seconds with him.

Ever since his association with Amar Singh the once affalable Amitabh has been doing such things. Seeig this grand wedding and the associated drama I have lost all respect for Amitabh.

Flashback time

3 months since I started my blog....so much has happened these 3 months - placements, lakshadweep, comvocation, etc....and now I am back home for good...more abt all that later but first......

Today I visited my old farmhouse in Alibaug for the first time after we sold it abt 2 years ago. It brought back memories of the priceless weekends I have spent there over 10 years. Sitting on the jhoola watching the mountains with the cool sea breeze ruffling my hair....Ahh, that was paradise...then there were the marathon card playing sessions.....the nighttimes spent watching the clear, star-studded night sky from top of the water tank...and not to forget cricket in the verandah

It was truly my second home...one which my dad had built and maintained with so much passion....But like all good things this too came to an end 2 yrs ago and today I was merely a visitor to this former home of mine