Funny vehicle parking! Initiatives funnier!

My roving eye caught some very interesting sights this time which saw indifferent styles of parking areas carved out in the town. All these different parking areas display a totally wrong and illogical thinking of the executors.

Who could have imagined parking a four-wheeler or a two-wheeler on the busy Rajpur Road right at the Dilaram Bazar crossing (next to Water Works Building) in the middle of the road? Sound awkward isn’t it? Yes, it’s true, now two and four wheelers are being freely parked on the crossing in the newly carved out parking area.

It amazes, who are the think-tank who devices such schemes? Certainly these initiatives are funnily innovative and truly out of some junk box! Where on earth is parking done in the middle of a busy road and that to at a crossing?

As if the Dilaram Bazar intersection was too wide that a slice of the road here is now occupied by vehicle in the already congested space.

Imagine how unsafe will be for someone in the first place to slide his car in the so-called parking area along the busy Rajpur Road which has a continuous flow of heavy traffic with an equally congested crossing. Trying to squeeze in the parking along the road will definitely hinder the traffic however good the policing are since the traffic flow far exceeds the breadth of the road. Also chances are of vehicles bumping into each other at the slightest error. 

Upon parking the passengers of the parked vehicle will again throw open another risk for self of crossing the road amidst the busy traffic.

This kind of parking at Dilaram Crossing on Rajpur Road can also lead to serious security issues as the intersection is one of the busiest and important ones where all the VIP, VVIP and senior government functionaries pass through several times a day while on way to the Governor’s House, Chief Minister House, the Circuit House, Survey of India and other important government and private establishments.

The same model of parking carved out at the busy Clock Tower area (along the Sardar Patel Park boundary and footpath). Here too not thinking of the tight road space and heavy traffic flow throughout the day a four-wheeler vehicle parking space created. This is a big nuisance at the place which unfortunately is the heart of the city and anyone coming to Dehradun has to pass through this area. Instead of keeping heavy traffic flow easy without congestions a parking has squeezed the space and turning it into an accident prone zone.

Due to the parking at the Clock Tower a major part of the recently beautified Sardar Patel Park has gone invisible being blocked by parked vehicles. Likewise the footpath created for the pedestrians along the park is now conveniently occupied by beggars and daily wage workers as few pedestrian want to walk through a passage encroached by vehicles and unwelcome occupants. What a mess created by the so-called town planners and administration think-tanks!

Another very funny idea of parking carved out by the administration and/or the police department is the encroachment on the space outside the Exit gate of the GPO opening towards the Digvijay Cinema. Here even more unthinkable idea has been implemented. The GPO Exit gate is now shut and a two-wheeler parking carved here for exclusively women. A woman constable also guards this parking to make sure only women park their two wheelers here.  

One cannot understand how can an “Exit” Gate of a public building like the GPO used by thousands of people daily be blocked or taken over for implementing some stupid idea. God forbid, if there is an emergency how will the people trapped in the GPO compound and building be evacuated from a single gate that too crowded by hawkers and market traffic? Has any body thought of this?

It is equally strange and surprising that the Post Master General whose office is also in the GPO building has not raised his voice against the shutting of their exit gate.

Take the case of the double layered big parking at the MDDA Complex right at Clock Tower which was created to accommodate hundreds of vehicles coming here. This parking is heavily misused. The main aim of this parking was to decongest the road all around the Clock Tower but with the new road side parking the old problem is regenerated.

One witnesses an interesting story here too. While most of the MDDA Complex parking remains full anytime you go simply because some people living in the vicinity and/or the occupants of the Complex have permanently parked their many vehicles 24x7x365 days. Is there no norm to see no permanent stationing of any vehicle allowed at a public parking space? The authorities should at least some time inspect the state of affairs of public property as good governance.

While it is good that the local administration and the police department is thinking of creating added parking space but not in an unsystematic way compromising safety and security. The law should intervene to scrap such unreasonable planning and schemes of the administration in the interest of all. 

Undoubtedly, parking is one of the essential components of development plans of any city but not in the following ways:

1)    Obstruction of traffic (Parking obstructing movement of vehicles on road)

2)    Obstruction of pedestrian movement (Parking in pavements)

3)    Parking in No-parking area/zone (Parking in areas prevented)

4)    Wrongful parking (Parking in a wrongful way, Angular parking in Parallel parking areas)

The indifferent parking areas created in Dehradun mtch all the aforesaid points.

There are many other examples across Dehradun where indifferent parking areas created. The government should take up this issue on an urgent basis to bring things to order otherwise it will only repent if some unexpected happens because of these ridiculous ideas.

Festive Greetings!

Happy Guru Gobind Singh ji Jayanti

and

Merry Christmas!

Incrediable! 175 years of City Board Mussoorie truly a momentous occasion!

Strolling on the Mall on a leisure trip with family on Sunday away and ahead of the usual New Year chaos as a result of the flocking tourists and traffic jams which the Queen of hills - Mussoorie is usually throttled with every year, I came across some attractions cited in this piece.

While there is a joyful humming across Mussoorie anytime you go, I could feel a festive mood among the localities definitely in preparation for the week-long fifth edition of Mussoorie Winterline Carnival 2017 organised by the Uttarakhand government and supported by several public/private organisations and state departments that commenced on December 25. Mussoorie certainly has a unique flavor, whether it’s the locales, its people or the culture each a catalyst that unwind and leave one longing for more. Impressed by the pristine beauty of the place Captain Frederick Young of the East India Company had made this place his home in 1820. The name Mussoorie is often attributed to 'mansoor', a shrub indigenous to the area. The town is often called 'Mansoori' by most Indians.

For those less familiar on what the winter line carnival is all about and why is it organized in Mussoorie, well! The unique phenomenon of nature visible only at Mussoorie in India is the “Winter Line”, the Carnival’s reason.

Winter Line viewed when the setting sun drops behind the imaginary horizon overlooking the Doon valley. The horizon is a mauve and grey coloured strip with yellow and orange line at the upper end of the strip. The myriad colours make for a pretty picture that leaves the spectators spell-bound. The winter line appears for four months from mid October to end of February. It is one of the most captivating sights of the mountainous regions that have a long valley extending beyond them to the south-west. Mussoorie is truly blessed by nature and shares this rare distinction with Switzerland.

To popularize winter line the carnival is organised offering a power packed week-long programme focusing on local artists, culture, folk dance, musical events, gathering of poets, food festival, marathons, nature walk, bird watching trails, games for children, adventure sports, wellness and eco activities, and street plays by local artists. The rustic event in many forms is fast catching up with the tourists. Holding it during Christmas and New Year celebration times gets it a good attendance of visitors.

The writer in front of the poster 

What really caught my attention in Mussoorie was a small banner with a big message placed near the Mahatma Gandhi Chowk. The lone banner invited all to a pictorial exhibition on “175 years of City Board Mussoorie” now a Nagar Palika, the oldest municipal corporation in India. The City Board Mussoorie has been in existence since the eighteenth century, its first Chairman Mr. Fruth Major elected in 1850.

The City Board or Nagar Palika is the urban local body constituted as per the constitutional provisions in the Constitution of India that takes care of the civic amenities, maintenance of public places, registrations and horticulture of the area under jurisdiction.

I felt flabbergasted to see how such a big event going ahead in such an unnoticed way and low-key. This event is big enough and important to go in annuls of the history as one of national significance. I searched on the public domain to find more information of this landmark event but failed to gather any. Why such a lack-luster attitude by the government is a matter of serious pondering.

Show casing some of the rarest photographs of Mussoorie through a pictorial exhibition on 175 years of the Nagar Palika and Mussoorie will undoubtedly be an unmatched display of photography depicting the glimpses of the past and the History of Mussoorie over the ages. This should have been the focal point of the 2017 edition of the carnival properly advertised across the country with proper events lined up and not be a small part of the carnival.

It will be befitting on the 175th anniversary if the government offers separate space in the Town Hall or elsewhere in the hill town to create a permanent museum where the such rare photography collection and documentation of Mussoorie be preserved for public viewing all through the year.

175 years by Mussoorie Nagar Palika is truly a momentous occasion that need solemnization in a better and most dignified and grandeur way at the highest levels of the State to portray to the world the importance India gives to its local civic bodies over the ages. It also jells well with the ongoing Swachh Bharat Abhiyan of the government that aims towards sanitation, clean up the streets, roads and infrastructure of India's cities, smaller towns, and rural areas.

Viewing the pictorial gallery of some of the rarest photographs of Mussoorie during the 2017 Winterline Carnival will take the visitors to the golden era of the last two centuries of the hill town and unfold the glorious journey of the City Board Mussoorie (Nagar Palika).

A good move, if it works!

The Delhi Government is soon likely to come out with a policy to incentivise people willing to shift from fossil fuels as an energy source to electric (energy) vehicles as per the Transport Minister, Mr Kailash Gahlot.

“Cost of electric buses at Rs 2.75 crore is way too high and unsustainable, I would request the central government for more subsidy along with financial and technical help,” said Mr Gahlot while addressing an International Conference on ‘Electric vehicles: Future road map for India.

He also said that since electric vehicles are all about charging, clarity on power tariff becomes very important for quoting the rates. “I think we should look towards subsidy on the power to be consumed by electric vehicles.”

The transport minister added that it is imperative to bring down cost of electric vehicles to make it affordable and viable for public transport.

He also sought clarity on Union Government's FAME Scheme (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles), a program of incentives offered to EV buyers to help improve adoption and sales.

“Even under the FAME scheme, there are lot of gaps and there is lot of ambiguity, like for instance there is no clarity amid manufacturers when asked whether or not they would qualify in the kilometer scheme,” said the Delhi Transport Minister.

“More clarity in this regard will help us move swiftly,” he added.

Seeking guidance to expedite process of procuring electric buses in Delhi, Mr Gahlot urged the electric vehicle manufacturers to come forward and advise on how to move ahead in this regard. “Delhi government is very keen and more than willing to induct electric buses, we are open to every idea, suggestion which can help us place orders as fast as possible, we are absolutely ready.”

He however said that it is a challenge for Delhi Government to bring in electric buses as the entire infrastructure and ecosystem needs to be created. As such he advised the industry leaders to provide for complete solution instead of just focusing on selling the electric vehicles.

Mr Gahlot further said that while Delhi Government has already given commitment to induct 100 electric buses, it is willing to increase the fleet to 1,000 as soon as possible.

“If we have to really change the entire ecosystem and push this scheme then I wish the central government would have given the liberty to place 1,000 electric buses to each state,” he said.

India's think-tank the NITI Aayog CEO, Mr Amitabh Kant impressed upon the need to bring in better technologies like electric vehicles in India’s automobile and auto component sector to ensure better quality of life for its citizens.

Highlighting the importance of the sector, Mr Kant said that automobile and auto component sector contributes about 7.2 per cent to India’s overall gross domestic product (GDP), creates over 30 million jobs and almost 25 per cent of its total manufacturing is exported abroad.

“So whatever we do we must understand that the role of automobile and auto component sector must continue to grow and expand, to be a job creator, to be a GDP contributor and to play a major role in exports,” added the NITI Aayog CEO.

He said that in the electric vehicular segment, objective is to accelerate the pace while ensuring that India maintains its size and scale, its GDP share, employment share and that is possible only if we are able to produce to size and scale.

“We will continue to support this movement in a very big way, we will continue to support all OEM and Indian manufacturers, we would like major disruptions to take place in India, we would like interoperable charging systems and we would like to support EVs by a vast range of initiatives like lower road taxes and push them and the government will act as a catalyst to support this entire movement so that automobile and auto component sector continues to play a very major and significant role in India’s GDP, job creation as well as exports,” said Mr Kant.

“As a policy framework this cuts across several departments - Ministry of Road Transport, Power, Heavy Industries but we in NITI Aayog will continue to coordinate and drive this movement,” he said further.

“The change is inevitable but we should do it in a manner where we do not disturb combustion vehicle manufacturing, we should do to size and scale which will enable India to become center for manufacturing, battery manufacturing for usage as well as for exports,” he added. “It is possible to do this in India is because our per-capita usage of car is still very low.”

India has largest number of malnourished children in the world; 50% children in India undernourished: study

Over the decade, there has been an overall reduction in the infant mortality rates and under-five mortality rate in India, yet the country is housing about 50% of undernourished children of the world, reveals a joint study undertaken by Indian Industry body ASSOCHAM and EY.

The study on ‘Bridging the gap: Tapping the agriculture potential for optimum nutrition’ has revealed that towards the end of 2015, 40% of the Indian children were undernourished.

About 37% of our under-five children are underweight, 39% are stunted, 21% are wasted and 8% are severely acutely malnourished, adds the joint study.

While the percentage of stunted children under five reduced from 48% in 2005-06 to 39% cent in 2015-16, the percentage of children who are wasted increased slightly from 19.8% to 21%.

The prevalence of underweight children was higher (38%) in rural areas compared to urban cities (29%). Only about 10% children under the age 6-23 months were reported to receive an adequate diet. This inequality in access is accentuated by the stark state level disparity in nutritional status.

For children 1-5 years of age, the prevalence of underweight children ranged from 42% in the Jharkhand, followed by Bihar, MP and UP with 37%, 36% and 34.1% respectively, to 14.1% in Manipur.15 The prevalence of stunting ranged from 50.4% in UP to 19.4% in Kerala. Arunachal Pradesh had the highest levels of wasting with 19% and Sikkim had the lowest level with 5%.

While various forms of under nutrition are predominant in rural India, urban India is faced with the challenge of over nutrition. India is ranked as the third most obese nation of the world after US and China and is called the diabetes capital of the world, with about 69.2 million people living with it as per the 2015 data by WHO. During 2005—15, there was a considerable increase in the percentage of overweight/obese men from about 9% to 19% and overweight/obese from about 13% to 21%.

While 50.4% are in UP followed by Bihar 49.4%, Jharkhand 47.4%, Chattisgarh 43%, Meghalya 42.9%, Gujarat 41.6%, MP 41.5%, Assam 40.6%, India 38.7%, Odisha 38.2%, Haryana 36.5%, Rajasthan 36.4%, Maharashtra 35.4%, AP 35.4%, WB 34.7%, Karnataka 34.2%, HP 34.2%, Uttarakhand 34%, Manipur 33.2%, JK 31.7%, Tirpura 31%, Punjab 30.5%, Delhi 29.1%, Nagaland 29.1%, Arunachal Pradesh 28.4%, Sikkim 28%, Mizoram 26.9%, Tamil Nadu 23.3%, Goa 21.3%, Kerala 19.4%, mentioned the study.

The double burden of malnutrition stresses upon the urgent need to address policy challenges beyond health. The policy needs to focus on reducing health and social inequities within populations, raising educational attainment and providing WASH facilities as well as secured jobs to ensure access to services. The double burden of malnutrition can be seen from the lens of a dual opportunity for double returns. Programs and policies that aim to address this nutrition burden present a double-win situation.

India continues to consume non-nutritious, non-balanced food either in the form of under nutrition, over nutrition or micro nutrient deficiencies. It is important to understand that malnutrition derives not just from a lack of food but from a diverse set of interlinked processes linking health, care, education, sanitation and hygiene, access to resources, women’s empowerment and more. The choices that individuals make regarding foods to produce and market and the diets they consume have a direct bearing on nutrition outcomes. Similarly, the availability of nutritious food in markets plays an equally significant role in motivating the community to make the right choices.

Up to half of milk, fruits & veggies produced in India goes waste due to poor cold chain infra: Study

Despite India being world’s largest producer for milk and second largest producer of fruits and vegetables, about 40 to 50 per cent of the total production valued of $440 billion (bn) ends up wasting, noted a recent ASSOCHAM-MRSS India study.

ASSOCHAM is the fountainhead of knowledge for Indian industry, which is all set to redefine the dynamics of growth and development in the Knowledge Based Economy.

“India has about 6,300 cold storage facilities with a capacity of 30.11 million metric tons, which are only able to store about 11 per cent of the country’s total perishable produce,” said ASSOCHAM secretary general while releasing the study in New Delhi today.

Highlighting that about 60 per cent of this capacity is spread across states of UP, West Bengal, Gujarat and Punjab, the ASSOCHAM-MRSS India joint study noted, “The situation is severe in southern part of India due to unavailability of cold storage units, moreover as the climate is far more hot and humid.”

The study estimated that cold chain market in India valued at $167.24 bn in 2016 is projected to reach $234.49 bn by 2020. The cold chain market has grown steadily in the last few years and this trend is projected to continue until 2020.

While there are many positive changes in Indian cold chain market, however high operating costs is a major roadblock for sector’s overall growth.

“Shortage of adequate infrastructure, lack of trained personnel, outdated technology and inconsistent power supply are other major obstacles in growth of cold chain infrastructure in India,” according to the ASSOCHAM secretary general.

He added that setting up cold-chain involves higher infrastructure cost for operations. “Given the expected growth in grocery retail to $847.9 bn by 2020 from $500 bn in 2012, there are some changes expected by the industry as a whole to ensure three significant areas of handling food collection, storage and transportation to be more cost effective for retailers.”

Technology interventions like GPS and sensors be used to centrally monitor and track the temperature, position of truck to ensure better control on product quality.

While retail cold chain as a sector is currently struggling to be more efficient, there is a lot of headroom for improvement with the help of operational and technology level changes which can be brought into the overall system.

By implementing self-updating and hosted computer systems, cloud storage offers many benefits to warehousing include cutting down on maintenance, infrastructure and labour costs that come from installation and upgrading of warehouse management systems.

The industry should be switching the man-to-goods process to goods-to-man, machines like these are just an example of how robotics can be used to revolutionise logistics.

Indian travel tourism industry to grow by 2.5%

The travel and tourism industry has supported in 2016 over 25, 400,000 jobs i.e., 5.8 percent of the total employment and has tremendous potential to rise by 2.5 percent provided the budgetary allocation was enhanced from the current 0.9% of the total allocation to at least 0.15% in 2018-19 as per a study of India’s business association the ASSOCHAM. It has proposed developmental interventions including tourism infrastructure development and the emergence of tourism themes.

The study says the formation of National Tourism Authority (NTA) also needs to be taken up on priority and position it as an important authority. NTA could be the nodal agency for several activities like investment promotion, marketing, escalation resolutions, capturing and dissemination of more real-time tourism statistics, developmental planning and implementation coordination, extending support to State counterparts etc.

Tourism sector should be accorded lower GST slabs to make the Indian tourism industry more competitive as compared to other affordable global destinations according to the report.

Also, India is fast developing into a medical and wellness tourism hub of Asia because of superior quality healthcare services at a low treatment cost. Treatment of major surgeries in India costs approximately 20 percent of that in developed countries. Creation of Medical hubs through PPP will boost medical tourism. Wellness tourism should be promoted by marketing indigenous methodologies such as Yoga and Ayurveda.

The total contribution of Travel & Tourism to Indian GDP was US$ 208.9 Bn, 9.6 percent of GDP in 2016, and is forecast to rise by 6.7 percent in 2017 and 10.0 percent of GDP in 2027. Further Travel & Tourism investment in 2016 accounted for 5.7 percent of total investment (USD34.0bn). It should rise by 4.5 percent in 2017, and rise by 5.7 percent p.a. over the next ten years to US$ 61.8bn in 2027, 5.7 percent of total.

India’s tourism and foreign income earnings are direct function of its Air Service Agreements. India has Bilateral Air Service Agreements, and follows a liberal Air Transport Policy relating to inbound international tourist charter operations. Although the policy on inbound charters is hassle-free, operators face issues with airport infrastructure, slots and delays in obtaining permissions from India’s Director General Civil Aviation and other bodies which has a detrimental impact on the tourism.

India witnessed 8 Mn foreign tourist arrivals in CY2015, which has grown at a CAGR of ~6.0 percent during the period from CY2007 to CY2015. As per Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) estimates, the number of foreign tourist arrivals is expected to rise up to 12 million by CY2019, growing at a CAGR of 9.2 percent.

Its time for zero tolerance to curb nuisance!

Practically every day the newspapers report of road accidents where school/college students usually are the victims of their own fault. Worst is to read if the victims succumb to road injuries. Really dreadful! God knows the trauma the families of the deceased have to pass through.

Yes, the context of this piece is precisely the horrendous way the teenagers or at times kids not even in their teenage seen zooming left, right and centre on bikes and scooters on heavy traffic road and crowded areas some to their colleges/schools and most for merry-making and hooliganism. Believing their acts will impress others portray stupidity of the first order. Awful is when you see them without helmet the basic safety head-gear for any two-wheeler rider and pillion. Surprising but many of these youngsters coming from literate background don’t realise the fatal consequences they can meet as a result of overlooking safety norms. Parents too, usually, are responsible for such acts of their children.

Most of the deaths of the rider and pillion in road accidents involving reckless driving are due to head injuries. These could be averted with helmets.

One cannot understand what children derive by acts of overlooking safety issues for one lapse and it’s the end. So if this mindless act is to impress the opposite sex, what use it is if the actor is gone forever!

You may have noticed the youngsters today fancy hanging the helmets more on their arms while riding to wearing it. Some even wear helmets in a very indifferent fashion that juts on the forehead simply to fool themselves more than the cops. The pillion rider however feels privileged having not to wear the helmet as it is not mandatory by law.

A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head from injuries and not to fool the cop or just because it’s wearing is not mandatory. The safety is of you!

Wanting to know the reason for reckless driving I found while interacting with some boys and girls the reason simply laughable! I learnt they do this for sheer fantasies while others because of poor time management.

Not properly timing their travel to reach school or after school classes in hurry while speeding gets prone to accidents. A very indifferent explanation also came up by many youngsters who avoid helmets. This lot for the sake of retaining their hair style to impress the opposite sex prefer discarding it. How silly! Risking life to meaningless fashion!

The point I am trying to make here is the growing carelessness about road safety and rash driving among the young boys and girls mostly in their teens as seen in the town and elsewhere in the country. As aware citizens it is the joint duty of all to see how this be checked.

While many schools, colleges, parents  and even the Regional Transport Office or Regional Transport Authority (RTO/RTA) people in the recent past have started impressing on road safety, safe driving and awareness about wearing helmet through seminars and personal interactions as result of increasing road accidents involving youngsters, all the appeals are unfortunately going to deaf ears. Its time stringent methods needed to control this worrisome issue which not only is a threat to the offender but to other innocent people on road who fall prey to such nuisance.

The one solution besides the ongoing traffic and road safety and road sense education/awareness campaigns that may set things right is a need to devise a sensor for two wheelers that may buzz aloud if the rider speeding beyond a limit. This can alert everyone around and the traffic cops as well. It will also be a humiliation to the rider riding a vehicle signalling alert.

To make sure the sensors are not disconnected to avoid buzzing the connection is so made that it links to the ignition. If one fiddles with the gadget to tamper it the vehicle won’t start. This is devisable for sure. It may sound a bit absurd at this moment but is practically possible if the government wants.

All two wheelers may have this devise in-built during manufacture; however for the existing ones it be retrofitted. This will ease to check all two-wheelers by the Regional Transport Office or Regional Transport Authority (RTO/RTA) and the cops.

You may remember in early nineteen nineties two wheelers and many four-wheelers in our country did not have indicator lights as it was not mandatory by law then. It was a result of the many accidents that came to fore because of indicators that the government made it mandatory for all vehicles to have them. The existing vehicles made to retrofit the lights. I still remember having had to install two ugly-looking frog eyed kind indicators on the front and rear of my scooter. Likewise, when the CNG/LPG kits made mandatory in certain States, the existing vehicles made to retrofit them. So retrofitting is possible.

Similarly, in an era of digital technology galore, where talks of sensors, nano, micro chip abuzz on even the new currency notes after demonetisation or for the matter the growing of cloud computing capable of storage of unimaginable volumes of data and similar other such amazing examples which were practically unthinkable off till some time back why can’t sensors a device which detect or measures a physical property not come to saving lives.

Its time Uttarakhand emerge as a model state and raise voice on this important issue which be replicated across the country to save reckless riders and those not using helmets from untimely death in road accidents.

Coupled with the technology aspect, the devising of a sensor to check speed, the administration and the public should adopt a “zero tolerance” policy to end undesirable conduct against the erring youngsters. While the cops do their bit, the public should also come forward to tell the traffic management cell via some toll-free number providing the vehicle registration details of reckless drivers for necessary action by the law.

   

As an apt add-on to a “zero tolerance” policy the government must make it mandatory for all school and colleges going youngsters to have their hairs cut the army recruits style. For girls oily hair plaits be made mandatory. If the youngsters do not listen the civilised way, this will instil discipline and keep them away from wrong notion and fantasies. When hairs for which some youngsters crave for be chopped off the problem to some extend be weeded out. With small hairs and oily plaits they will prefer wearing helmet to taking it off. Any youngster below 20 years if found riding a two-wheeler with improper hair cut or without plaited hairs be penalised and their driving licence confiscated.

The therapy of hair cut the military style or any clumsy form is successful in Europe and the US. Parents in these countries use this method as a cure for their naughty and misbehaving kids. Its time for India to try this therapy! We need it more than anyone else!

For the kid’s not even in the teenage bracket, those found ignoring the rules and riding two-wheelers there parents be first penalised and put behind bars for few days as a lesson for exposing their children to accidents and creating nuisance for the public.

All that suggested as measures for road safety; rash driving and use of helmets may sound absurd and laughable at this point of time but definitely a way to tackle the grave problem of rising road accidents involving youngsters.

If necessary the government can adopt the above stated measures even for adults also many of whom overlook traffic rules and regulations.

To carry out this kind of exercise necessary legislation be put in place failing which the problem will only rise in the future. If we want a safe India, the government has to think on these and similar other lines as priority issue.

Judicious approach needed for planning public welfare schemes

I read in the local newspapers of the Doon a few days back about some citizens raising voice against the ongoing beautification of section of Rajpur Road with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) local representatives. ADB is involved with this project. While raising the issue was okay there needs to be concrete points of argument for a meaningful dialogue least the issue fizzles out. This is exactly what I could gauge reading the news item.

At a discussion where the subject opposed for a good cause one needs firm footing with logical facts than go astray and dilute the subject. While issues such as opposing opening food joints or warning the developers of restraining cutting trees on the stretch under beautification are important yet monotonous to ears. These holds no gravity for no one will dare cut trees on large-scale openly or accommodate food joints and end up in a muddle or even prosecution. If the government wants trees felled, they have pretty good development excuses which refrain comments. The past has proved of this.

In fact a more appropriate talk of the discussion by the enlightened citizens with the ADB should have been to suggest winding up of the ongoing meaningless Rajpur Road beautification as the area is already beautiful and serene with natural settings.

With no ill towards anyone and in the interest of the region I feel miserable is the town planning and landscaping going on at some places which include section of Rajpur Road. Pity but “Funny Schemes” implemented in the name of beautification. God know who is the real brain behind these silly schemes.

Tell me who on earth may like to relax by a busy highway side! No sensible person or a family may want to sit on a narrow patch of land aside a busy, dusty highway to relax while driving en-route the area or leisurely sit there on a sunny day of the winters. I am yet to see such foolish blokes’. The only ones doing such an act will be someone either off his rockers or one who has to make an emergency stop, none others. Yes, reference relates to the Rajpur Road roadside beautification work.

You may wonder what I am trying to point out in my argument. Drive down ahead of National Institute for the Visually Handicapped (Blind School) on the busy highway section of the Rajpur Road and you will see stone tiles being fixed with some landscaping on both sides of the narrow road on its still narrower side paths stretching up to the Mussoorie diversion in Rajpur. At first it appeared the side section of the busy road tiled to broaden it only to later realise the fancy tiles and landscaping was with a different intent.

The area being tiled for a few months now was already a green patch for ages with trees providing a natural setting. In a bid to make it artificially fancy to natural setting, stone tiles lay with easy chairs and benches placed for converting the section into a relaxing spot for the passer-by’s, pedestrians and tourists on way to Mussoorie.

This artificially landscaping will lead to many environmental, sanitation, human safety and traffic management issues.

The basic questions that arise in the first instance are why the natural setting compromised to an artificial one? Why stone tiles fixed up to the tree trunks or up to very near to them is another question. Embedding the lower part of the tree trunk with stone tiles or concrete can hinder the growth of a plant which can ultimately even perish.

From the safety angle too if passer-by’s and tourists flocking to relax here on the benches or even stop-by can become an accident prone area as zooming vehicles come and go towards Rajpur and Mussoorie. Neither the road nor the side patch is broad enough to accommodate people halting here. Landscaping and tiling this area will tempt anyone to stop.

There be severe issues related to traffic chaos on this stretch of the road as the stopping vehicles are bound to cause erratic parking by people getting down for relaxing, obstructing the smooth flow of the traffic. This means unnecessarily turning this patch into a bottle neck with all adversities.

To cap it all, most amazing fact is this relaxing zone covers area even next to the President of India’s Estate. People merrily having grub and dirtying the place right in front of the President of India’s mansion will be pathetic. Will security issues as a result of this not be a concern? It is time a serious pondering needed by the administration on all such ongoing and up-coming projects besides the Rajpur Road beautification in question.

What my friends (the group of enlightened citizens mentioned above) have argued with the ADB that I have mentioned holds little or no good at all. Asking for not allowing food joints will invariably come true the other way. Those relaxing or stopping here will definitely munch food articles only to spoil the place causing another concern of sanitation and cleanliness. So even if no food-joints set up here, this place once paved, will attract temporary eateries.

As for sounding warning to the developers of this stretch of the road to restrict chopping of trees it again holds no good. One will never dare openly chop so many trees. If large numbers of trees felling required as we have seen in the past on the pretext of development, the government know the ways.

So the only argument that sums it up all is the outright scraping of the worthless project, saving precious tax papers money, environment and a host of other issues related to it.  

How such works carried out without a proper study of all pros and cones is surprising. For an organisation like the ADB its involvement in such works engrossed with so many lacunae does not speak high. The government should also debate before giving its go-ahead for such schemes. Beauty does not lie in artificial artefacts. True beauty is in simplicity. Simplicity means not disturbing the natural environs with which this region endowed with. Our real beauty is in our natural environment, let it stay that way. Needs to save our environment and green surrounding and not destroy it is required.

Mahatma tamed his anger for ultimate peace

The world remembers Mahatma Gandhi with reverence and gratitude for showing people the path of peace to do and crack the toughest.

Without writing anything beyond on the magnanimous personality, the father of the nation, I would just share a different aspect of his life that we all may have known of but worth emulating. I recently came across the some extracts from the book “Gift of Anger” authored by Arun Gandhi the fifth grandson of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi or “Mahatma Gandhi” that talks of the ten extraordinary life lessons that he learnt during his two-year stay at Sevagram Ashram, Wardha as a child.

While the other nine you have to read through the book, the one aspect that stood out which I want to share is a great quality of how Gandhiji converted his anger into gift. The book vividly describes this quality of the Mahatma as it says, “We have learnt to abuse the power of anger that cause death, destruction, but anger could be a powerful and useful emotion if we learn to channel the energy constructively”. We all know how against the toughest circumstances of India’s independence struggle where anybody could have lost his cool, the Mahatma treaded the path with ease not that he did not experience extreme emotions like anger but made that a tool of his strength.

What astonished me of the above lines of the book was that while Mahatma Gandhi synonymous to peace or better known as an apostle of peace was hot minded like any usual human being but what stood him apart was the control he had on the reign of his temperament. He firmly gripped it to not let the emotions rule him.

When Gandhiji faced injustice in South Africa he moved to anger but instead of abusing the emotion, he chose to use it to find a solution. The book vividly touches on how anger if used intelligently help focus on the problem. When we abuse anger, we focus on the object or person we are angry with. As civilised humans, we need to learn to focus on the problem and not the person the message of the book.

Undoubtedly the root of all the evil that we see and experience today is anger. According to Arun Gandhi one great lesson he has imbibed from his grandfather that he has highlighted is the need to channel anger such that it ultimately does good to harm. In a flash of anger, one does things and says things that can change the course of the life. Once done, we usually regret on them but to no use as it is too late by then. Every one needs to ponder on this unsaid message of Mahatma Gandhi according to the author.

Harvard University findings on the subject too say more than eighty percent of the violence we experience is due to anger. So, if we learn to use this emotion intelligently, we can reduce violence by eighty percent. Learning to harness the energy of anger for constructive purposes is a lifelong exercise, priceless!

Let us all resolve on the birth anniversary of the father of the nation to shun anger by way of intelligently putting it in ways to reap benefit from this emotion to solve problem rather than aggravate them. If we are able to understand this quality of the Mahatma it will be a big homage to his soul and our personal selves. 

More on how Mahatma Gandhi took control on his anger can be more explicitly read in Arun Gandhi’s “Gift of Anger”.  

Hello! Who is going to clean this filth?

It sometimes appears to me, and most will agree, that the ongoing and much hyped “Swachh Bharat Abhiyan” launched by government with the good intent to educate the masses about cleanliness is becoming a farce because of those who want to come to the lime light to meet their ulterior motives than social service. This curt statement does not in any way belittle the government’s priority programme or the work of those who are selflessly working for this cause without any reward or recognition or for that matter the school children who through their bit towards Socially Useful Productive Work religiously follow Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

While I practice and spread the word for the need of cleanliness by one and all, it hurts if some act as spoil sport.

“Swachh Bharat Abhiyan” is a campaign by the Government of India to keep the streets; roads and infrastructure of the country in urban and rural areas clean as also spread the education for the need of sanitation.

I feel its time every one should shun the fellows who are misusing this very pious mission towards cleanliness and sanitation. Needless to say they be sternly questioned by the people at large if not prosecuted by the law for their double standards of posing to work for the cause of cleanliness and on the other hand being the first to deface the surrounding. It is because of this ongoing double standards and a question being posed to me the other day by a young child on why the city looks so shabby with dangling political party posters, cut-outs and flags that he sees for many days now while going and coming from the school, I was rendered speechless. While I did not lie about the situation, I also did not painting a dismal picture of the hard realty to discourage him. Unable to digest what the little child had asked, I felt like penning this piece.

A visit by any big political leaders of a political outfit and the city is horribly splashed with worthless posters, hoardings, cloth banners, cut-outs, welcome gates, political party flags and what not put up all over the place not in few hundreds, but countless in number.

Coupled with this, the most annoying are the choking of all major roads by political party supporters and their vehicles flouting every civic and traffic management rules and systems creating hell for every one, yet going scot-free.

With their party flag (clumsy tin plates) jutted out of the bonnets, every owner of such vehicle considers himself authorized to flout rules and regulations. How ridiculous! I am sure this is far away from the ideology of any party which does not encourage this.

It has been around a week since a renowned political party leader had visited the Doon Valley for taking stock of his party functionaries. A visit of this nature should have been at the party office or at a convention centre where he could have addressed his party workers if the numbers were too large. Certainly such gatherings should not have been in the heart of the city, as the public has nothing to do with this. But what a disgrace, in the name of welcoming the dignitary the entire city faced absolute chaos for two days the leader was here and even before his arrival, everything appeared topsy-turvy.

Traffic advisories in the newspapers about not leaving the house unless absolutely necessary because of traffic and blocking/re-routing of major roads within the city were deplorable.  Why should one restrict going out because of some unworthy cause? Also, if the crowd was going to get big because of a particular dignitary’s visit it should not have been hosted in the heart of the city in the first place.

Worst is the aftermath of the visit. Days after the visit, the city still looks defaced from all corners. Till today the countless numbers of posters, hoardings, cloth banners, cut-outs, welcome gates, political party flags placed to welcome the dignitary are still dangling all over the place, be it the leading roads of the city, public and residential buildings, street light poles, signage, etc, providing the most ugly look one can imagine. One such cloth welcome gate or a banner with its broken strings came flying on my wind screen while I was driving on the busy Rajpur Road. That was really very annoying and put me off. This could have led to an accident also! 

This reflects how well Uttarakhand is actually after the Prime Minister’s dream project “Swachh Bharat Abhiyan” or readying itself for a “Smart City”.

The question is who is going to clean this filth? Is it not the duty of the volunteers of the political party who defaced the city to have come forward willingly to clean it?

Some of the known faces and local political leaders seen on the dangling posters on the roads and other places should have taken this task on priority, as a moral duty and as law-abiding legislators. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is not just sweeping the roads to appear in newspapers and media as guardians of cleanliness. Clean up of filth like this is also a part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. It is time the lesson of true cleanliness and its real meaning be taught to the political party workers first before percolating it down to the masses.

Dehradun cannot be a good “Smart City” if this is the kind of attitude of its leaders. It is time to wake up, least the Prime Minister whose dream project and mission is the “Swachh Bharat Abhiyan” spots those who breach the mission’s objectives.

The great comedy show!

Kaun Banega Crorepati popularly known as “KBC” Indian television's biggest general awareness/knowledge show aired in India by Sony Television is based on the United Kingdom game show - Who wants to be a Millionaire?

Back with the ninth season that commenced late last month hosted by India’s biggest superstar, Mr. Amitabh Bachchan undoubtedly creates magic with the iconic phrases “Deviyon aur Sajjano” and “Lock kiya jaye”.

KBC over the years has become a platform where the common man’s dream finds its voice. A platform where one can make big money simply by general awareness and knowledge if selected. The selection process by the organizers is very thorough, stringent and cumbersome to draw the best brains to showcase to the world.

The show has scaled unimaginable levels of popularity among the Indian masses since its inception over fifteen years back with every season and episodes drawing high TRP (Television Rating Point) for the broadcasting channel.

Having said this, without prejudice to anybody, in lighter vein I feel this season of the KBC is turning out as a “Great Comedy Show”. It appears the KBC is eyeing to take the space of the recently off air The Kapil Sharma Comedy Show on the Sony TV Channel to entertain audience with humorous characters having extremely poor or no IQ level selected as contestants. It surprises beyond imagination seeing the low knowledge base of the participants that have appeared so far in this season. Needless to say but it speaks low of selection criteria as well. It is also difficult to digest how such low knowledge and IQ base candidates could clear the KBC's stringent and cumbersome tests.

This season has witnessed most of the contestants reaching the “Hot Seat” of the KBC to play the game with superstar Mr. Bachchan having poor general and basic knowledge with at times no clue of happenings around them.

Watching the KBC show with my family for the past two weeks since it started, we have been continuously amused to witness not one but many comic characters that have appeared in the game show for reason of their poor general knowledge, indifferent behavior, posing funnily, acting funnily and above all showing their silliness while answering questions.

I am sure many among you must have noticed this and got equally amused witnessing the programme. Seeing these characters one enjoy the moment but it definitely lower the show standards.

I could not resist writing this piece and sharing with all the September 12 episode of the KBC which was one of the unique ones of this season due to the absurd answers provided by a contestant not less than a comic character. While I enjoyed it thoroughly laughing my heads off, rolling with laughter and not feeling absence of Kapil Sharma Show it certainly has dented reputation of the programme in my eyes.

What surprised, the contestant almost illiterate (introduced to have just the basic education with absolutely no worldly exposure limited to just milking cows and working in fields as daily chores) grabbing the Hot Seat. How that contestant cleared all the stringent screening levels pre-event and selected by the KBC team to appear among the ten contestants of that day is questionable.

Stupidly giggle sitting before Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, the limits reached when that contestant asked to tell the shape of the Indian national flag i.e whether it was Rectangular, Square and other shapes as mentioned in the question. This preliminary question went off head. After, much thinking, funnily posing, the contestant appeared clueless of what the question meant though repeated in Hindi and English for the ease of understanding. To the surprise of all the answer pointed out to “Square” as the shape of the Indian national flag. Dazed with the reply and IQ the host Mr. Bachchan virtually thumped his head in utter dismay.

It is disgraceful that a citizen of this country does not even know the shape of the national flag and playing in the KBC.

Not wanting to end the game on a stupid note Mr.Bachchan coaxed the contestant to take a lifeline if the answer was not known. Stupidity did not end here, instead of heeding to the advice of the host of taking a lifeline the contestant then point on “Rectangle” to be the answer, which though correct was a mere fluke. The entire sequence of this was so hilarious that anybody watching would have broken into laughter.

On being later asked by Mr.Bachchan why the lifeline was not opted the reply was to save it from being wasted. How silly!

It appeared Mr.Bachchan too was in a dilemma on this issue. The perplexed host asked the contestant how the tough fastest finger first question to reach the Hot Seat answered that too first among all; the contestant was unable to give a proper reply. It was an obvious fluke!

The laughter show with this candidate did not end here; the next question posed was very basic and pertained to a game played by four players. The answers were Chess, Ludo, Kabbadi and Kho-Kho. Totally zapped once again with the question it was first pointed as “Kabbaddi” and later “Chess” as the answers. The exercise to give clue again began by the host. Annoyingly with unwanted courtesy smile on face Mr. Bachchan asked to opt for a lifeline in the event the answer was not known. At the last moment a life line though provided the right answer in “Ludo” the candidate was really unworthy of the place.

The question is if a contestant does not have the basic knowledge to even recognize the shape of the national flag or is unable to answer a question as easy as the game of Ludo it is an amazing thing how he/she got selected for a show of the caliber of the KBC? I hope the popularity of KBC does not diminish with such incidences in the future. 

Law by India soon to prevent abuse in NRI marriages

Laws to protect Indian women who are abandoned by their NRI (non-resident Indian) husbands or foreign partners will be finalized soon according to the Secretary, Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India while speaking at the 2nd Conference on Women at Workplace organized by the industry body ASSOCHAM.

India has taken a lead role in gender budgeting in the world. Effort are also required for training and skill upgradation of women in traditional, new and emerging areas to promote women’s employment in both organised/unorganised sectors including entrepreneurial development..

About 100 women achievers (first) will be honoured by government of India in November at Hyderabad where Ivanka Trump may also be likely to join according to the Secretary, Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India.

Implementation of suitable strategies and women friendly laws will ensure that women have equal opportunities to enter and enjoy decent work in a just and favourable environment, including fair and equal wages, social security measures, and occupational safety and health measures.

Gender equality is critical for the development of any country. Removing barriers that prevent women from having the same access as men to education, economic opportunities and productive inputs have led to board productivity gains, which are all the more important in a more competitive and globalised world today, the Secretary added.

India has been ranked 87 out of 144 countries on the latest World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Report 2016. But in the economic sphere, much work remains to be done as India ranks 136 in this pillar out of 144 countries, said the Secretary.

The progress toward gender equality in respect of participation in economic activities seems to have stalled. In 2011, the workforce participation rate at all India level is 25.51% for women as compared to 53.26% for men. While there is no urban-rural gap for males (53%), there is considerable rural-urban gap for females, when workforce participation rate for rural women is 30% it in only 15.4% for urban women.

The government is working on women’s hostels soon for widows and women in distress in India. So, the working women hostels have also the provision for widows and women in distress. Women form an integral part of the Indian workforce. They need to be equal partners in the society for them to be equal participants in work. Women have to contend with discriminatory laws, institutions and attitudes that restrict their leadership and full participation in public life. Women are also disadvantaged by unequal access to the resources needed to become effective leaders.

The Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India has declared October 15th to be observed as Women Farmer’s Day. Women can make enormous contributions to economies, whether in businesses, on farms, as entrepreneurs or employees, or by doing unpaid care work at home the minister said.

Cambrian Hall’s pride General Bipin Rawat

It’s nostalgic writing about your school. I have many fond memories of Cambrian Hall where I studied over three decades back. Engaged in selfless service, this institution has contributed much to the lives of countless with alumni in all walks of life doing the school proud.

Cambrian Hall has stood the test of time and maintained its place as numero Uno education institution of the Doon Valley since its establishment in 1954. What distinguishes it from others in its class is in its low profile that it has always maintained since inception yet creating an unequaled mark in education and extra co-curricula’s for children. The school has truly lived-up to its motto “To Greater Heights”.

Amazing one will be to read, the school has never unduly hyped its profile to sieve off money from the parents on the pretext of education. Unfortunately this is a sly practice and tactic of many establishments these days that have cropped up bearing fancy names with no ethics. Cambrian Hall has always treaded the ethical path; the reason of its strength and the cause of its standing tall on no false pretext.

In its journey over the years the school has performed exceptionally well on all the fronts with many of its alumni touching heights that inspires all. One such alumnus is General Bipin Rawat, UYSM, AVSM, YSM, SM, VSM the present Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army. General Rawat studied here in the early nineteen seventies many years senior to me.

A man of his stature shouldering enormous responsibilities of defense of the country coming to Cambrian Hall on its Founder’s Day September 9, 2017 reflects his love and respect for the school's founder and the institution where foundation of his early education laid. Today every Cambrianite seems excited to meet him while he comes to the school this weekend. I hope to recount with him some old memories.

In making of personalities as General Rawat, besides the teachers of those days (none of whom are present now) the founder of the school Late Col. Shashi Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana needs obeisance and reverence for such breed of educationists and human beings are getting rare now.

Every alumni and present day students of Cambrian Hall stands indebted to the visionary founder. The present school management has taken on the path shown by late Col.Shashi to give selflessly for the cause of education.

The Rana family needs salutation for their contribution to education and establishing an educational institution par excellence.

What makes me especially proud, as an ex-Cambrinate is the fact that besides the good education I received at this school in the seventies and early eighties this great institution has always been a ‘school of choice’ for my entire family. For the simple reason that education being imparted here with no pomp and shows my family’s affiliation with this school stretches from back 1970 to date. 

It is a matter of delight that Cambrian Hall has always led other schools of the town when it came to its illustrious alumni and specially those in the defense forces doing the country proud. Needless to say, Cambrianites have also reached commanding positions in other defense wings be it Navy, Air Force or allied forces besides Army over the years while some are on their way up the ladder. The list of alumni in other fields and walks of life both nationally and internationally is equally impressive.

Cambrian Hall prides itself of the ethics imbibed in every child over the years. General Rawat with many honors, awards of gallantry and distinguished services to the nation is an example.

Besides his exemplary valor, I feel connected to General Rawat on the intellectual front especially as regards his interest for writing. It is possibly in the genes of the children of the seventies and eighties (before the internet era) and because of the encouragement by the schools at that time that they developed an interest for reading and writing.

General Rawat, I learnt is an avid writer and has authored many articles on National Security and Leadership published in various journals and publications. He also has completed his research on military media strategic studies and awarded the Doctorate of Philosophy few years’ back.

Born in Pauri Garhwal district in a Rajput family that has served army since generations, General Rawat got commissioned in the Indian Army in 1978 from Indian Military Academy, Dehradun where he passed out with the Sword of Honour presented to the most meritorious cadet. “Like father, like son”, General Rawat treaded on the path of his father who too served the Indian Army and held the rank of Lieutenant General.

General Rawat’s coming and addressing Cambrian Hall will undoubtedly raise a self-pride among the present staff and teachers as also ignite a spark among the students to take on the path of serving the nation as done by him over the years. I am sure his lessons of life will be worth emulating. Cambrian Hall is proud of its alumni General Bipin Rawat and looks forward to welcoming him on September 9, 2017 at the school.