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Mumbai Police HQ on terrorists’ list?

Are terrorists planning on doing the dirty with the Mumbai Police Commissioner’s office? Our Police chief seems to think so.

The Mumbai Police anticipates trouble.

As per a directive issued to his men by Mumbai Police Commissioner Dr Satyapal Singh, there may be a threat to the Mumbai Police Headquarters located near Crawford Market, south Mumbai. “All vehicles arriving at the HQ must be asked to slow down even before they approach the main gate, and once at the gate, they must be thoroughly screened,” his missive says.

The directive comes on the heels of the recent serial blasts at Hyderabad on February 21. Following the blasts, Delhi and Mumbai were immediately put on high alert by security agencies. However, the Mumbai Police HQ has surely received a specific threat, which has prompted this action.

This move is aimed at vehicles loitering outside the HQ as well.

Meanwhile, a non-bailable warrant (NBW) has been issued against Indian Mujahideen (IM) founder Yasin Bhatkal – IM is believed to be behind the Hyderabad blasts. A Delhi court issued the NBW today against Bhatkal and nine other operatives of the IM.

(Picture courtesy mumbailocal.net)

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Raise IT exemption limit, says the salaried class

Survey across the country’s metros and Tier II cities reveals that people want more exemptions on HRA, transport allowance and health.

Budget 2013-2014 will soon be upon us, and people are already awaiting news of new tax slabs. However, a comprehensive survey by the Associated Chamber of Commerce (ASSOCHAM) across the country reveals that a vast majority of the salaried class employed in a host of trade and industry sectors wants Finance Minister P Chidambaram to raise the exemption limit of income tax to at least Rs 3,00,000.

The survey reveals that people also want him to increase deductions such as medical and educational allowances in the Union Budget, so that they are left with more purchasing power.

The survey was conducted in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Pune, Chandigarh and Dehradun, and was titled, ‘Budget 2013: Common man’s expectations from the FM’. About 2,500 employees from different sectors were covered by the survey from each city.

Over 89 per cent of respondents said that the slab of tax-free income has not moved up in line with real inflation. “The current basic exemption limit of Rs 2,00,000 should be increased to at least Rs 3,00,000, with the exemption limit for women going up to Rs 3,50,000. This will increase the purchasing power of individuals and stimulate demand,” the survey reads.

“Pushing the basic exemption limit will also align it with the proposals made by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Direct Taxes Code (DTC)”, the survey noted.

With increasing healthcare costs, the existing tax free limit of Rs 15,000 should be increased to Rs 50,000; the same also needs to be considered in the Budget, said 89 per cent of respondents.

The transportation allowance granted by employers to employees (for commuting between the place of work and residence) is tax-free to the extent of Rs 800 per month. This limit was fixed more than a decade ago, and definitely needs to be revised upwards to at least Rs 3,000 per month, given the rising commuting costs across the country, finds the survey.

“Additional benefits related to housing, the deduction limit for payment of interest (on self occupied property) has remained constant at Rs 1,50,000 since 2001. There is an increase in property prices and accordingly the amount of loan. An increase in the exemption limit to Rs 2,50,000 will be a welcome change.

“Section 80C of the IT Act provides a deduction of Rs 1,00,000 for certain investments. This provision helps people in making forced savings that helps them in the future. A common man expects this limit to be increased to Rs 2,00,000 with sub-limit of Rs 50,000 exclusively for insurance and pension,” says DS Rawat, Secretary General, ASSOCHAM.

The survey was able to target employees from 18 broad sectors, with maximum share contributed by employees from IT/ITes sector (17 per cent). 11 per cent of the respondents came from financial services. Employees working in engineering and telecom sector contributed 9 per cent and 8 per cent respectively in the questionnaire. Nearly 6 per cent of the employees belonged from market research/KPO and media background each.

Around 55 per cent of the survey respondents fall under the age bracket of 25 to 29 years, followed by 30 to 39 years (26 per cent), 40 to 49 years (16 per cent), 50 to 59 years (2 per cent) and 60 to 65 years.

“Investments in infrastructure bonds are currently not allowed as a deduction up to Rs 20,000. These bonds have proved to be quite popular and the limit should be increased to Rs 50,000, considering that the Government needs massive funds for the development of the infrastructure sector and also the lock in period be restricted to five years,” added 82 per cent of respondents.

Over 71 per cent of respondents demanded for national pension system (NPS) brought under the EEE (exempt-exempt-exempt) as against EET (exempt-exempt-tax) at present. This means that investors get a tax exemption at all three stages of investment, appreciation and withdrawal.

(Picture courtesy profit.ndtv.com)

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How about a library for slum children?

Artist Sharmila Samant’s ‘Nidus’, a mobile library for slum children, will provide free books for those who can’t buy them.
by Nidhi Qazi

Sharmila Samant is truly a people’s artist, and a very humble one, to boot. In fact, she refused to share pictures of herself, asking us instead to focus on her current project – she is building ‘Nidus’, a mobile library in Annabhau Sathe Nagar, a slum area in Mankhurd.

Sharmila is an artist who got involved with the Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao (GBGB) Andolan in 2005. At the time, the last thing she had thought was that her association would last so long; not only has it lasted till date, and with several projects to her credit, she is back to doing what she does best – making people’s lives better through the arts.

And now, Nidus, The Mobile Library is waiting to start.

Nidus – the word literally means ‘seed’, but Sharmila’s plan is to make it a seed of learning – will serve the children living in the slum and “will operationalise as soon as possible,” says Sharmila. “I am in talks with the inhabitants of the area and they have been receptive to the idea. The kids of the volunteers of the GBGB Andolan have also welcomed the idea of a mobile library van as they do feel the need for a library.”

How did she come up with the idea? “The problem is that BMC school kids get free books till Class 10, but once they are through, they have to buy books. Now that for most is not affordable, so we have kids dropping out of academics. Identifying this gap, I thought of starting a library which would stock books – both academic and non-academic,” she says.

The mobile library will run inside a van and will be full of windows and displays. Sharmila is also involving other artists in her brainstorming for the design of the mobile library. She has started getting books for the library, most of them being contributed by the people she networks with. The books will be for academic purpose and leisure reading.

“A mobile library is a beautiful means of sharing of knowledge which transports and then transforms people,” adds Sharmila. Looking for funding, she is also in search of a team to run the initiative. In her words, she needs both – insiders, i.e. community people as they can provide proper need-based analysis, and outsiders as they can provide resources and help to implement the idea effectively.

Sharmila adds, “There has been a lot of emphasis on roti, kapda and makaan but what about shiksha? Had education been given due focus, the former three essentials could have been easy to acquire.”

The ultimate success of this initiative is its closing down, feels the artist. “I want that one day, the kids of the area should take control of this library and eventually it should close down. That day I will feel I have succeeded.”

Prior to this, Sharmila has designed the very innovative ‘bag desk’, which is a bag-desk: it is a  bag that unfolds into a desk for the classroom, and a charpoy at home.

“The proceeds received from Busan Biennale helped me manufacture the product I had designed.  Around 45 such bag desks were made and distributed to the students free of cost,” says Sharmila. Busan Biennale is an international arts festival intended to present contemporary art in a more accessible way to the general public.

The bag desk also had adjustable legs of aluminium, which could be adjusted according to the seating a student took; i.e. from low floor to a height. Are students using these desks still? “From what I heard, many parents sold the aluminum legs of the product to as that would have fetched them good money,” says Sharmila.

Her other project was the ‘well lamp’ in 2010, which she successfully sold at the Kala Ghoda Festival and used the proceeds to address the problem of lack of fresh water. She helped people dug up four wells and the water thus generated could be used for daily chores. “The initiative came at a time when politicians were busy wooing the vote bank. Thus the positive outcome of the initiative was that the BMC came up with as many as 150 taps for the people to use. Our project ended its utility, paving the way for better drinking conditions for the community,” says Sharmila.

To help Sharmila with her mobile library project for the children of Annabhau Nagar Slum, send us an email at editor@themetrognome.in and we’ll ask Sharmila to contact you.

(Pictures courtesy Sharmila Samant. Featured image is a file picture)

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Only ‘patrolling’ now for couples’ safety on seashores

But cops insist that the move is for the couples’ safety and not to infringe on their privacy. Okay, then.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

If you’re looking for some ‘quiet time’ with your partner at one of the city’s beaches, don’t look for a spot away from the crowd. You might as well mill about with others and go home early, because couples sitting at isolated spots are soon going to have the cops breathing down their necks and shattering any privacy they might have hoped to get.

Recently, Thane was rocked by reports of how policemen were rounding up couples out of doors after dark or meeting in relatively isolated places, before taking them to the police station and calling their parents. Just when the outrage over those incidents was dying down, the Mumbai Police announced its plan to remove couples sitting alone at the city’s beaches.

Following protests against this move, however, Mumbai Police Commissioner Dr Satyapal Singh changed the plan from summarily ejecting, to merely increasing vigilance on couples spending time alone on seashores or isolated inlets.

However, they still insist that this is not moral policing but a move to ensure safety for couples. Dr Singh has still not elaborated on what the police will do in case they see people sitting far away into the sea – if the couples are not asked to leave, will the patrolling cops wait and keep vigil till the couples leave?

“The seashores of Girgaon, Worli, Marine Drive, Bandra Bandstand and Juhu attract a lot of people. Couples generally visit these places and sit on the rocks when the sea is at low tide, for privacy,” a press release from the police says. “Such couples sitting in isolation may encourage criminals to target them and assault them for money or valuables. There is also the fear that girls may be sexually assaulted in such cases.”

However, it seems that though the recent Delhi gang rape case may have spurred the Mumbai Police into providing security to the citizenry, the cops seem more worried about the after-effects of such an incident occurring in Mumbai and causing law and order issues. “In view of the Delhi gang rape case, if such an incident were to happen in Mumbai, the citizens of Mumbai would feel insecure and the resulting protest demonstrations would cause a law and order situation in the city. To prevent this, the numbers of policemen keeping vigil along the seashores of Girgaon, Worli, Marine Drive, Bandra Bandstand and Juhu are being increased,” the cops say.

Like we said, don’t move away from the crowds unless you want some quiet time with the cops.

Is this move aimed at policing criminals or is it designed to keep a watch over couples? Tell us what you think.

(Picture courtesy tasveerz.wordpress.com)

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Delhi gang rape spurs purchases of CCTVs

Chinese CCTVs are imported the most; all metros and major cities in India figure in the just-released ASSOCHAM survey report.

A major news event can have off-shoots in several other places. Following the brutal gang rape and subsequent death of a 23-year-0ld medical student in Delhi last month, a survey reveals that the import and demand of Chinese closed circuit television (CCTV) and surveillance cameras have dramatically shot up.

According to a survey released by Associated Chamber of Commerce (ASSOCHAM) yesterday, which was carried out over a period of a month starting from December 20, 2012 and involved interactions with about 200 stakeholders in security (traders, manufacters, etc.), “Over half of the traders said that there is negligible manufacturing of CCTV cameras in the country and thus they import the same from countries like China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Israel and also from the US and Europe, as their products are not only cheap but these countries being leading hardware manufacturers, their products are based on latest technologies and thus are more preferred by the customers over domestically manufactured CCTVs.”

“The need for safety and security in almost every walk of life has fuelled an overwhelming demand for CCTV cameras and more so after the Munirka gang rape incident, as hostels, paying guest accommodations, hotels and places alike in cosmopolitan cities are installing surveillance gadgets to keep a check on the movements of both inhabitants and potential stalkers,” said DS Rawat, Secretary General, ASSOCHAM.

The survey was carried out in the metros of the country and big cities – Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kanpur, Lucknow and Pune, as these State capitals and cities comprise a large number of men and women “from various tier II, III cities, districts and rural areas in search of job opportunities, which also makes these centres prone to crime.”

A majority of respondents are said to have claimed that even most of the indigenous enterprises import all the components of surveillance equipment from abroad, assembling them and selling them under their brand names. In terms of sales, the Chinese CCTVs sell the most. “Respondents said their sales have increased by over 60 to 70 per cent during the course of last one month itself,” the survey says.

Lack of government support, absence of regulatory framework, large investments and outdated technology are key reasons holding back domestic electronic companies from venturing into the CCTV domain leading to increased dependence upon imported material, highlights ASSOCHAM. According to their analysis, the video surveillance and CCTV market in India is growing at a compounded annual growth rate of about 30 per cent, and is likely to cross Rs 2,200 crore by year 2015.

Asia accounts for nearly 35 per cent of the global CCTV market with a share of over Rs 27,000 crore.

The CCTV camera industry is set to emerge as a huge market in the next few years in wake of rising demands from sectors like the hospitality industry, services, healthcare, retail and transportation. Currently, parts of northern India account for maximum number of security installations, followed by west, south and east India.

(Picture courtesy 2mcctv.com)

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It’s going to be a cold week

Brace yourselves and don’t pack away your sweaters. Weather department estimates that Mumbai’s current chill may last all this week.

The current chill you are experiencing in Mumbai is set to continue over the coming days. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) contends that the cold breezy conditions that the city is currently facing will remain for a few days owing to cold winds blowing from the North.

In fact, minimum temperatures in the city today are expected to touch 15 Degree Celsius – that’s even lower than last night’s temperatures.

The IMD says that an extra-tropical storm has just passed over Jammu and Kashmir, bringing sudden snow and sleet rain, but though the storm has passed, the cold winds continue to blow. Another cold spell is expected to hit next week, if similar weather conditions hit J&K again. As per the IMD website, maximum temperatures recorded on Sunday were 31 Degree Celsius at Colaba and 30.8 Degree Celsius at Santacruz, while minimum temperatures were 17 Degree Celsius and 12.6 Degree Celsius respectively. No major departures are expected in prevailing weather conditions for 48 hours.

You know what this means. Do keep your winter woollies at hand this week.

(Picture courtesy tcpalm.com)

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