Remembering Ajit, Monica, Sunil, Reshma, Rohinton, Sanjay, Rita, Neeti, Uday, Samar, Pankaj, Anand, Mrs. Randhawa, Vishnu, Neelam, Gunjan and all the others - RIP
What should we do, going forward ......
1. Take good care of the 10x10 = 100 sq ft around each one of us.
2. Facilitate the progress of good leaders at every level because good leaders may not necessarily be politically savvy or inclined.
3. Let policy development result from a bottom up approach - focus more on good management practices - particularly at a macro level.
4. Don't vote and then sit back. Be proactive and make development a public agenda.
5. Hope for the best, pray hard and respect & care for human/animal/plant/environment capital that we have.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Municipal Elections in Mumbai
--- On Thu, 3/3/11, Deepak Tralshawala dtralshawala (at) yahoo (dot) com wrote:
8th November 2011.
Hi Friends,
Please spread the word.
I wrote this piece on March 11, 2011. 8 months down the line this is even more relevant. I am forwarding it again, with a few modifications.
Is Bombay beyond redemption? Looking at the number of PILs filed against the BMC in the Bombay High Court it would certainly seem so. Potholes, dirty drinking water, illegal constructions, indiscriminate digging up of roads, mangrove hacking, traffic nightmares – you name it, the Bombay High Court is seized of the matter.
What is going wrong in the BMC?
We know the answers. No, let us not use polite terms. It’s high time we called a spade a spade. Pure and simple, Bombay has buckled under its own weight of greed, pelf, sloth and corruption. We are governed by people who would not get employed as daily-wage workers in the BMC. In perfect co-ordination and unity of purpose our elected representatives from the Congress, BJP-SS, MNS etc, and the BMC officials have collectively brutalised, raped and destroyed the city. Take a look at the performance of our beloved glorious municipal councillors as on March 2011 in just “A” Ward:
Name Attendance QuestionsAsked Money Spent
Geeta Kanojia 132/175 8 Rs. 98,92,171/-
Vijaya Dhulla 147/208 2 Rs. 95,80,775/-
Vinod Shekhar 192/273 111 Rs. 91,27,221/-
PremaSingh 171/186 0 Rs. 1,00,46,153/-
Only Vinod Shekhar out of the above is a graduate, has asked the most questions, and spent the least (on what, is another issue). The others have barely scraped through SSC. Take a look at the money spent by them on civic amenities, education and health – and ask yourselves “WHERE HAS THIS MONEY GONE?" Your first guess will be the right answer. These figures have been taken from praja.org. Visit this site. It will be a revelation. The story is similar in other Wards as well.
So, why am I sharing these stats with you?
Simple. It’s time we took matters in our hands. Enough is really enough. The civic polls are round the corner, around February 2012. We must identify a few persons in our localities who are concerned about the all-pervading rot, persuade them to stand as candidates, back them, and spread the word. Fortunately, we now have - thanks to the Anna Movement - some Independents, and organisations like Lok Satta Party (LSP) and Mumbai 227 who are fielding educated and committed citizens with terrific background. Please back them.
DO NOT VOTE FOR THE Congress, BJP, SS, MNS, etc. They possess not an iota of Integrity, and are Intellectually and Morally utterly bankrupt.
Once upon a time not very long ago our city guardians were those venerable Parsi gentlemen whose statues adorn the Flora Fountain, Metro and Gowalia Tank areas. They made Bombay what it was by showing the way. We too can, and we must. It is time.
If this mail makes sense please forward it to your friends, with a request to forward it in turn to theirs. This is a first in a small series of messages. It doesn't matter if you do not reside in Mumbai. Please do forward it to your friends who may be Mumbai-ites
Incidentally, there is an excellent candidate from South Mumbai. More about him next time.
Please forward this onwards. And please do write in with your comments.
Deepak Tralshawala
8th November 2011.
Hi Friends,
Please spread the word.
I wrote this piece on March 11, 2011. 8 months down the line this is even more relevant. I am forwarding it again, with a few modifications.
Is Bombay beyond redemption? Looking at the number of PILs filed against the BMC in the Bombay High Court it would certainly seem so. Potholes, dirty drinking water, illegal constructions, indiscriminate digging up of roads, mangrove hacking, traffic nightmares – you name it, the Bombay High Court is seized of the matter.
What is going wrong in the BMC?
We know the answers. No, let us not use polite terms. It’s high time we called a spade a spade. Pure and simple, Bombay has buckled under its own weight of greed, pelf, sloth and corruption. We are governed by people who would not get employed as daily-wage workers in the BMC. In perfect co-ordination and unity of purpose our elected representatives from the Congress, BJP-SS, MNS etc, and the BMC officials have collectively brutalised, raped and destroyed the city. Take a look at the performance of our beloved glorious municipal councillors as on March 2011 in just “A” Ward:
Name Attendance QuestionsAsked Money Spent
Geeta Kanojia 132/175 8 Rs. 98,92,171/-
Vijaya Dhulla 147/208 2 Rs. 95,80,775/-
Vinod Shekhar 192/273 111 Rs. 91,27,221/-
PremaSingh 171/186 0 Rs. 1,00,46,153/-
Only Vinod Shekhar out of the above is a graduate, has asked the most questions, and spent the least (on what, is another issue). The others have barely scraped through SSC. Take a look at the money spent by them on civic amenities, education and health – and ask yourselves “WHERE HAS THIS MONEY GONE?" Your first guess will be the right answer. These figures have been taken from praja.org. Visit this site. It will be a revelation. The story is similar in other Wards as well.
So, why am I sharing these stats with you?
Simple. It’s time we took matters in our hands. Enough is really enough. The civic polls are round the corner, around February 2012. We must identify a few persons in our localities who are concerned about the all-pervading rot, persuade them to stand as candidates, back them, and spread the word. Fortunately, we now have - thanks to the Anna Movement - some Independents, and organisations like Lok Satta Party (LSP) and Mumbai 227 who are fielding educated and committed citizens with terrific background. Please back them.
DO NOT VOTE FOR THE Congress, BJP, SS, MNS, etc. They possess not an iota of Integrity, and are Intellectually and Morally utterly bankrupt.
Once upon a time not very long ago our city guardians were those venerable Parsi gentlemen whose statues adorn the Flora Fountain, Metro and Gowalia Tank areas. They made Bombay what it was by showing the way. We too can, and we must. It is time.
If this mail makes sense please forward it to your friends, with a request to forward it in turn to theirs. This is a first in a small series of messages. It doesn't matter if you do not reside in Mumbai. Please do forward it to your friends who may be Mumbai-ites
Incidentally, there is an excellent candidate from South Mumbai. More about him next time.
Please forward this onwards. And please do write in with your comments.
Deepak Tralshawala
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Monday, August 1, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Builders cant sell parking lots
Builders can't sell parking lots
(The Hindustan Times: 20-07-11)
Author: Naresh Kamath
You will no longer have to pay hefty amounts to secure a parking lot in your residential society. As per an order issued by the state cooperative department, the society, and not the builder, will have the right to allot parking lots and similar open spaces. The order was issued based on a Supreme
Court (SC) verdict, which had come down heavily on the sale of the parking lots by builders, a practice the SC termed ‘illegal’.
So far, builders have been charging flat purchasers exorbitant amounts for parking lots.
“The law clearly states that open spaces are the property of the society members, and not of the builders,” said Vinod Sampat, a lawyer specialising in real estate matters. He said that the state cooperative department has given clear directions to not recognise the rights of allottees in both, open as well as stilt parking spaces, which a few flat purchasers may have purchased from the builder. By implication, the order could be a problem in cases where people have purchased parking lots from builders, but the society management does not acknowledge the sale.
In several cases, builders have made it compulsory for homebuyers to purchase parking lots along with apartments. Currently, a single parking lot is priced around Rs3 lakh in suburbs, while it can go up to Rs 30 lakh in the island city. In some cases, flat owners have bought multiple parking lots, causing inconvenience to other members of the society.
Predictably, the builder lobby has expressed its disappointment over the order.
“This will cause chaos, as we allot parking lots as per the requirement of flat owners,” said Lalit Kumar Jain, chairman and managing director, Kumar Builders.
A similar argument was made by Rajesh Vardhan, Managing Director, Vardhaman Group who claimed that a substantial amount goes into creating parking lots. “Builders will neglect parking lots if their right to sell these is snatched,” Vardhan said.
Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/tabloid-news/mumbai/Builders-can-t-sell-parking-lots/Article1-723233.aspx
(The Hindustan Times: 20-07-11)
Author: Naresh Kamath
You will no longer have to pay hefty amounts to secure a parking lot in your residential society. As per an order issued by the state cooperative department, the society, and not the builder, will have the right to allot parking lots and similar open spaces. The order was issued based on a Supreme
Court (SC) verdict, which had come down heavily on the sale of the parking lots by builders, a practice the SC termed ‘illegal’.
So far, builders have been charging flat purchasers exorbitant amounts for parking lots.
“The law clearly states that open spaces are the property of the society members, and not of the builders,” said Vinod Sampat, a lawyer specialising in real estate matters. He said that the state cooperative department has given clear directions to not recognise the rights of allottees in both, open as well as stilt parking spaces, which a few flat purchasers may have purchased from the builder. By implication, the order could be a problem in cases where people have purchased parking lots from builders, but the society management does not acknowledge the sale.
In several cases, builders have made it compulsory for homebuyers to purchase parking lots along with apartments. Currently, a single parking lot is priced around Rs3 lakh in suburbs, while it can go up to Rs 30 lakh in the island city. In some cases, flat owners have bought multiple parking lots, causing inconvenience to other members of the society.
Predictably, the builder lobby has expressed its disappointment over the order.
“This will cause chaos, as we allot parking lots as per the requirement of flat owners,” said Lalit Kumar Jain, chairman and managing director, Kumar Builders.
A similar argument was made by Rajesh Vardhan, Managing Director, Vardhaman Group who claimed that a substantial amount goes into creating parking lots. “Builders will neglect parking lots if their right to sell these is snatched,” Vardhan said.
Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/tabloid-news/mumbai/Builders-can-t-sell-parking-lots/Article1-723233.aspx
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Analysis First understand the dynamics of terrorism then fight it
Analysis First understand the dynamics of terrorism then fight it
(DNA: 18-07-11)
Author: Julio Ribeiro
The one question that is constantly being asked by every Mumbaikar is why the police were not able to prevent another terrorist attack in the city. Many commentators on television channels have vented their anger on the police as well as the political leadership.The Opposition leaders, including LK Advani, have blamed the government for a “policy failure”, without spelling out what they would do which this government is not seen to be doing.
Having tasted terrorism in the Punjab between 1986 and 1989 I think I have some firsthand knowledge of the subject. The type of anger I notice here is the same as that Hindus in Punjab used to exhibit at the height of terrorism there. At first, not understanding the dynamics of terrorism, I thought that if we made a list of the various terrorist groups and their foot soldiers and eliminated or captured them, we would put an end to the menace!
Alas, we were wrong.Terrorist leaders and their followers if caught or killed, are soon replaced by other brainwashed young men. In fact, many criminal elements also join the fray.
We soon learnt that the only real answer to terrorism is the classical response advocated by people who had experienced it in other parts of the world — go after the brainwashed cadre with single-minded determination and kill or capture them but, simultaneously win over the hearts and minds of the community to which the terrorists belong.
It is only when the Jat Sikhs in the villages of the Punjab turned against these boys that we could wave goodbye to terrorism in that state.Something like this has to be tried out with the Muslim community in Mumbai. Most Muslims are self-employed artisans or traders and they have nothing to do with the terrorists or their cause.
The Mohalla Committee Movement has been attempting to bring Hindus and Muslims to understand each other by constant meetings in their own localities.The movement has also associated the police with this venture because unless the minority community feels confident that the police will not take sides and will not be unjust they are not likely to come round.
It is absolutely impossible for any police or government in the world to prevent a terrorist strike of the type that occurred in Mumbai on 13/7 unless there was pinpoint intelligence available.Such intelligence is likely to come by if citizens, mainly of the minority community, have more confidence in the police.
This brings me to the second part of this article and that is the willingness of the police at the thana level to take heed of gossip or information passed on to them. Unfortunately, the police force is not the same as that which was in 25 to 30 years ago. Corruption has become more endemic and even some senior officers have fallen prey to the menace.
There is a general fall in values concomitant with the falling morals in our society. Much of it stems from political corruption emanating from electoral politics. When politicians insist on running the force by dabbling in transfers and other establishment matters you have a situation when the control slips out of the hand of the man who should be in charge i.e. the commissioner of police.
The proposed police reforms had concentrated on this one ill that ails the body politic. If we can separate the politician from daily policing and appoint only the best people at the top of the hierarchy the delivery system would certainly improve exponentially.
On 13/7 the police did perform much, much better than they did on 26/11.The only criticism I heard was that they were not able to control the crowds at the sites of the blasts.This is a perennial problem in the country and not only in Mumbai.
Since the use of force has to be avoided the only solution I can think of is to use loudspeakers to announce constantly that there is a danger of another explosion and also that the scenes of crimes need to be preserved for tracing the culprits.
I have heard demands that home minister RR Patil should be asked to resign. This demand should be ignored for the simple reason that Patil could not have anticipated or prevented the attack.
What is required is a quick response and the capture of the culprits as early as possible followed by exemplary punishment in quick time. Our judicial process takes ages to accomplish what it is meant to even in such serious cases!
What Patil should do is not to cave in to the demands of his colleagues for transfers and postings. Patil himself is not known to be corrupt, like some previous home ministers. But Patil tends to deal directly with junior officials which he should refrain from doing because that disrupts the hierarchical structure and shakes the very foundations of police discipline.
Another public demand is that VIP security should be trimmed so that there are more policemen on the roads rather than pandering to oversized egos. The chief minister had taken his decision but had put it on a hold because of unreasonable pressure from sundry politicians. He would be appreciated if he overruled these gentlemen and went ahead with his resolve to take away these status symbols.
—The author is the former Mumbai commissioner of police
Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/analysis_analysis-first-understand-the-dynamics-of-terrorism-then-fight-it_1566807
(DNA: 18-07-11)
Author: Julio Ribeiro
The one question that is constantly being asked by every Mumbaikar is why the police were not able to prevent another terrorist attack in the city. Many commentators on television channels have vented their anger on the police as well as the political leadership.The Opposition leaders, including LK Advani, have blamed the government for a “policy failure”, without spelling out what they would do which this government is not seen to be doing.
Having tasted terrorism in the Punjab between 1986 and 1989 I think I have some firsthand knowledge of the subject. The type of anger I notice here is the same as that Hindus in Punjab used to exhibit at the height of terrorism there. At first, not understanding the dynamics of terrorism, I thought that if we made a list of the various terrorist groups and their foot soldiers and eliminated or captured them, we would put an end to the menace!
Alas, we were wrong.Terrorist leaders and their followers if caught or killed, are soon replaced by other brainwashed young men. In fact, many criminal elements also join the fray.
We soon learnt that the only real answer to terrorism is the classical response advocated by people who had experienced it in other parts of the world — go after the brainwashed cadre with single-minded determination and kill or capture them but, simultaneously win over the hearts and minds of the community to which the terrorists belong.
It is only when the Jat Sikhs in the villages of the Punjab turned against these boys that we could wave goodbye to terrorism in that state.Something like this has to be tried out with the Muslim community in Mumbai. Most Muslims are self-employed artisans or traders and they have nothing to do with the terrorists or their cause.
The Mohalla Committee Movement has been attempting to bring Hindus and Muslims to understand each other by constant meetings in their own localities.The movement has also associated the police with this venture because unless the minority community feels confident that the police will not take sides and will not be unjust they are not likely to come round.
It is absolutely impossible for any police or government in the world to prevent a terrorist strike of the type that occurred in Mumbai on 13/7 unless there was pinpoint intelligence available.Such intelligence is likely to come by if citizens, mainly of the minority community, have more confidence in the police.
This brings me to the second part of this article and that is the willingness of the police at the thana level to take heed of gossip or information passed on to them. Unfortunately, the police force is not the same as that which was in 25 to 30 years ago. Corruption has become more endemic and even some senior officers have fallen prey to the menace.
There is a general fall in values concomitant with the falling morals in our society. Much of it stems from political corruption emanating from electoral politics. When politicians insist on running the force by dabbling in transfers and other establishment matters you have a situation when the control slips out of the hand of the man who should be in charge i.e. the commissioner of police.
The proposed police reforms had concentrated on this one ill that ails the body politic. If we can separate the politician from daily policing and appoint only the best people at the top of the hierarchy the delivery system would certainly improve exponentially.
On 13/7 the police did perform much, much better than they did on 26/11.The only criticism I heard was that they were not able to control the crowds at the sites of the blasts.This is a perennial problem in the country and not only in Mumbai.
Since the use of force has to be avoided the only solution I can think of is to use loudspeakers to announce constantly that there is a danger of another explosion and also that the scenes of crimes need to be preserved for tracing the culprits.
I have heard demands that home minister RR Patil should be asked to resign. This demand should be ignored for the simple reason that Patil could not have anticipated or prevented the attack.
What is required is a quick response and the capture of the culprits as early as possible followed by exemplary punishment in quick time. Our judicial process takes ages to accomplish what it is meant to even in such serious cases!
What Patil should do is not to cave in to the demands of his colleagues for transfers and postings. Patil himself is not known to be corrupt, like some previous home ministers. But Patil tends to deal directly with junior officials which he should refrain from doing because that disrupts the hierarchical structure and shakes the very foundations of police discipline.
Another public demand is that VIP security should be trimmed so that there are more policemen on the roads rather than pandering to oversized egos. The chief minister had taken his decision but had put it on a hold because of unreasonable pressure from sundry politicians. He would be appreciated if he overruled these gentlemen and went ahead with his resolve to take away these status symbols.
—The author is the former Mumbai commissioner of police
Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/analysis_analysis-first-understand-the-dynamics-of-terrorism-then-fight-it_1566807
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Sad.
The breakaway group from all religions is called terrorism.
18 dead
131 admitted
26 discharged
82 stable
23 critical
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Audacity of Marvel Builders. Dont throw stones when you live in a glass house!
-The above advertisement appeared in the Time of India Mumbai Pune Property Supplement on 17-Jun-2011. Marvel Builders have some audacity! See the truth at http://bit.ly/jwFzIU !
a. What does it imply?
b. Is it a hit at the rest of the builder community claiming
superiority of Marvel over others?
c. Is it a suitable brand building approach?
d. IS IT FACTUALLY CORRECT - one just has to see the Imperial Marvel B
case at http://rajivbee.shutterfly.com/pictures/42!
Fiasco in South Mumbai! Are our emergency ops efficient?
Couldn't have a rubber dinghy been sent out? How well equipped are we?
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Mumbai Marathon 2011
It took 5 minutes for them to reach the Marine Plaza Hotel at Marine Drive. They were there by 7:45am
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)