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No speed limits this year

Maharashtra sees over 70,000 road accidents every year. However, government may not enforce speed limits on vehicles this year.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Given that speeding is a major cause for several road accidents in the city and the state, it is becoming increasingly necessary to have a speed-control mechanism installed on vehicles that speed. The state government, too, wishes to introduce speed governors in heavy vehicles to check rising incidents of road accidents. However, a government-appointed panel set up to recommend speed limits for various vehicles needs another two months to finalise its recommendations.

In the light of this development, it is obvious that speed limits will probably not be imposed this year.

A speed governor is a device that is attached to the vehicle’s gearbox. Sensors capture the speed of the vehicle, and the governor automatically slows down the vehicle if it overshoots its pre-set speed limit. The government wants buses, trucks and other heavy vehicles to have speed governors  installed – the original plan was to have this decision implemented this year, however, with the panel requiring more time, it is likely that the move will not be final before next year.

When the decision to impose speed restrictions on heavy vehicles was first announced, transporters and bus owners had strongly objected to the idea. Accordingly, the government set up a panel early this year to study the objections raised, and which was expected to submit its report by September 1 this year. However, the panel did not meet this deadline and has now asked for two more months.

If all had gone to plan, the transport department could have introduced speed limits and speed governors from September 2012 onwards.

Accidental state

As per a Government Resolution (GR) from the state’s Home Department issued last week, Maharashtra’s state and national highway see a high 70,000 vehicular accidents every year. “Arising from these accidents, at least 12,000 people lose their lives, while 40,000-45,000 people are injured every year. The rising numbers of accidents and the resultant loss to life has made it necessary to bring about preventive measures at the earliest,” the GR says.

Additionally, in order to monitor the successful implementation of all the state government decisions taken to reduce the numbers of accidents, a committee comprising Minister of State for Home, Satej Patil, Minister of State for Transport, Gulabrao Deokar, Minister of State for Public Works Department, Ranjit Kamble, and Minister of State for Health, Fauzia Khan, has been set up.

(Picture courtesy flickrhivemind.net) 

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The Mayor’s not happy with Wadia Hospital

After an infant was stolen from Nowrosjee Wadia Hospital, the Mayor says the BMC might reconsider the hospital’s lease conditions.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

It’s been five days since Jasmine Naik’s day-old son was stolen from the Parel-based Nowrosjee Wadia Maternity Hospital, allegedly by a woman who had been hovering near the ward for two whole days before she made away with the baby, but there has been no breakthrough in the case. While the distraught mother has refused to vacate her bed till her son is found, the hospital received a sharp rebuke from the city’s Mayor, Sunil Prabhu.

Prabhu, who visited the hospital on Saturday to meet with Jasmine and her family, spoke with the media after the meeting and said, “The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has leased out the plot of land on which the Hospital stands, subject to certain rules and conditions. However, the Hospital has repeatedly gone back on these, and if this continues, the BMC will be forced to rethink about the land that has been given to the Hospital.”

The BMC and The Wadia Trust jointly run the maternity hospital and the Bai Jerbai Wadia Children’s Hospital since the year 1928, but in recent times, the two have been locked in a bitter dispute over allocation of funds for the repairs of the Children’s Hospital. The building has been closed for repairs after being certified unsafe. It was built over 80 years ago.

The Mayor added, “Time and time again, the BMC has asked the Trust to install an adequate number of CCTV cameras all over the premises, but they have not installed a single device till date. Every year, the BMC grants a certain amount to the Hospital’s trustees for the smooth running of the hospital. But what we find is very different.

On the pretext of repairs, the Hospital management has kept a large part of the premises closed for a long time now. Residents and patients have often complained of the space constraint here. Besides, the Hospital is not providing the best medical care and services to patients. We (BMC) have often asked them to employ more security guards, but there are only four men guarding the entire premises. It is unfortunate that a little child was stolen so easily from a packed ward, all due to negligence on the part of the Hospital.”

How should civic and government hospitals step up security to prevent infants being stolen? Send us your ideas to editor@themetrognome and we will take them to Mayor Sunil Prabhu on your behalf.

 

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Want Spain to invest? Learn Spanish

State government will introduce Spanish learning classes in the state’s universities to create a business-friendly environment between Spain and Maharashtra.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

It’s not just enough to have a forward-thinking approach to global trends and a knack for getting foreign investment – one must also know the language of the country one is seeking to develop business ties with. Or so the Maharashtra government thinks.

Two days ago, a delegation of ministers from Spain arrived on a two-day visit to Maharashtra, and met with the State Governor K Shankarnarayan and also the Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan. During the meeting, Chavan is said to have told the delegation that in order to have a fruitful business association with Spain, the government would suggest the starting of Spanish language classes across all universities in Maharashtra.

“This will help remove any obstacles that Spanish companies might face in setting up business in Maharashtra,” Chavan said.

Why business with Spain?

Chavan said that with Mumbai as the state’s financial centre, and Maharashtra accounting for at least 35 per cent of foreign investment in the country, it was imperative that Spain look at Maharashtra as an investment destination, considering that the technical know-how, manpower and resources for a successful partnership were already available.

“We have always given due importance to the development of infrastructure for transport, housing, power and ports, primarily. Spain should invest in Maharashtra,” he said. To this, Spain’s external affairs minister Jose Manuel Garcia Margalo said that his country would assist in Maharashtra’s upcoming telecom, transport and power projects, apart from promising to study the feasibility of undertaking a high-speed railway corridor for Maharashtra.

 

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Attack a cop, lose everything

Mumbai police will compile an offender’s report, make it tough to get employment, or leave the country without court permission.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

The next time you have an altercation with a cop in Mumbai, count backwards from 50 or chant this: ‘I. Will not. Hit. This man.’ Exercising restraint, whatever the provocation, might make you really angry at yourself for a while, but it will save you from more serious consequences.

Last week, Mumbai Police Commissioner Dr Satyapal Singh issued a circular that effectively binds those assaulting cops in a series of ever-increasing troubles – miscreants might lose their passports and driving licenses, they may find it difficult to get work if they are registered with the Employment Exchange, they will need court clearance to leave the country, and will even suffer the ignominy of having lookout notices issued in their names at airports. If this wasn’t enough, the police can even request concerned authorities to not renew miscreants’ driving licenses, rental and other agreements and the accused will never get a police verification certificate when seeking employment.

The circular was issued after deliberating on the recent Azad Maidan attacks, when rioters turned on police personnel on duty. However, incidents of citizens having altercations with cops and assaulting them are on the rise, feels Dr Singh. In the circular, he says, “There is a possibility that the morale of the police force will be lowered if such attacks are allowed to continue without punishment. Attacking the police, who are the custodians of law, is like waging an attack on the state government itself.”

He adds, “The general public will feel that if the police cannot protect themselves, how can they protect the citizens? Hence, it is important that apart from the usual legal procedures that the police follow in the event of an assault, other deterrents are meted out to these criminals.” Hence, he recommends that such miscreants be taught a lesson by making things difficult for him/her in daily life.

Once caught and taken to the police station, a comprehensive report of the accused will be prepared, says Dr Singh. The report will contain the person’s fingerprints, photograph, residential and professional details, and copies of his PAN card, Aadhar card, passport, driving license and fire arms license (if any). The DCP of that zone will then sign off on the report and empower it to be sent with details of his crime to the passport issuing office, the Employment Exchange, all domestic and international airports (in the form of a Lookout Notice), the RTO and the person’s current place of employment.

That’s not all. Dr Singh says, “The police can refuse to issue character certificates or no-objection certificates to such a person. Further, the relevant RTO will be instructed to immediately cancel the person’s driving license or renewal request, and the company where the person is currently employed will be directed to mention this crime in their confidential reports.”

What do you think of this move? Write to us at editor@themetrognome.in with your thoughts. 

 (Picture courtesy www.thehindu.com)

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Mumbai is state’s murder capital

However, police records show marginal dip in overall murder cases in 2011, more men are murdered in State than women.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

With the murder of model-actor Bidushi Dash Barde in Andheri on Monday this week, the spotlight is again on the safety and security of women in their own homes. However, a look at police figures compiled for Maharashtra and Mumbai reveals that incidences of murders (overall) have marginally gone down in 2011 as compared to 2010.

Interestingly, more men than women have been murdered in Maharashtra in 2011; the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) state that in every age group except the 10 to 15 age group, there were more men murdered than women in every age group. The biggest difference was in the 30 to 50 years age group, where 826 men were murdered, as opposed to 292 women.

However, Mumbai is the murder capital of the state, with 203 murders recorded in 2011, out of a total of 2,818 murders for Maharashtra. Thane is a distant second at 127 murders in the same year, followed by Nagpur (114) and Pune (110).

Crimes against women

Crimes against women (comprising sexual crimes, trafficking and abduction) have gone up in Mumbai in the last year. This year, the city has been rocked by sensational murder cases, in which women were killed in their own homes. Some of these cases include the murder of 25-year-old lawyer Pallavi Puryakastha by her building’s watchman, Suzanne Rodrigues’ death by stabbing in her home in Marve Road, and senior citizen Sarla Vasudevan’s killing at her VP Road residence. Bidushi Dash-Barde’s killing at her Andheri home is the newest addition to this list.

(Picture courtesy bharatchugh.files.wordpress.com)

 

 

 

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‘Nothing happens in India unless legally enforced’

A follow-up on our story on the demand for a separate university for the physically impaired, and what it entails.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Yesterday, we reported that a delegation from the National Association for the Blind (NAB) had visited the Maharashtra State Governor K Shankarnarayan last week, on the occasion of White Cane Day, and during the discussion, a demand for a separate university for the visually and physically disabled had been put up by the NAB state head, Rameshwar Kalantari.

Speaking to The Metrognome from Nashik, Kalantari said, “There was a reason for this demand. There are several colleges and universities in the state, but they all cater to normal people without any disabilities. Even the study material and courses are designed for normal people, which is why several disabled students drop out of the education system after class 10. This is especially true of visually-impaired students.”

He explained that a lack of textbooks and study material in Braille beyond class 10 is a big deterrent for visually-challenged students. “We have to prepare CDs that recite the lessons for them, and they require computers or other recording equipment to replay the material. It is very expensive to produce higher studies’ textbooks in Braille, because of the volume of material to be reproduced. Also, the books are very heavy to carry,” he said.

He stressed the need for the inclusion of such courses in the curricula that would encourage disabled

students to pursue such courses as social work, music, physiotherapy and others, which are difficult at the current moment. “There is also the problem of disabled-friendly infrastructure to be put in place all over the country, especially in government buildings and educational institutions. In our country, unfortunately, nothing happens unless there is a legal compulsion to do something. These things will be implemented only if bureaucrats make it compulsory,” he said.

Kalantari further argued that if there could be separate universities for women (such as the SNDT University and colleges in Mumbai), the demand for a separate university for the disabled was a justified one. “Yes, there is an argument against it, that it will isolate this class of students from mainstream education. But it needs to be done for the purposes of their education. It is a pity that the country has only one such university at Chitrapur in Uttar Pradesh.”

He added that the Governor has asked him to send a formal letter to forward to the government soon, and he is currently in the process of drafting it.

(Picture courtesy www.bauk.org.uk)

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