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Massive diabetes awareness drive in Mumbai today

BMC and CII join hands for ‘Drive against diabetes’ across city; want to screen 2,00,000 Mumbaikars across the city today.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

With World Diabetes Day around the corner, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) launched a  ‘Drive against Diabetes’ campaign yesterday. The public private partnership model hopes to mobilise people to join the fight against diabetes – they are aiming to screen at least 2,00,000 people across the city today.

Corporates like Apollo Hospitals, Apollo Munich, OneTouch, Abbott, SANOFI and several others have come forward to support the initiative. Screening centres will be marked by blue balloons – citizens must simply walk in and ask to be screened.

Prabhu said, “Today, diabetes is one of the major conditions affecting people’s health and lifestyle. It is estimated that by 2030, the diabetic population will be around 10 crore. Out of which 6.2 per cent are expected to be suffering from diabetes and 15 per cent from blood pressure. Within India, Mumbai is leading this race to the top – the city experiences a hectic work culture, high levels of stress and fewer sleeping hours. During the drive, we expect that even if 10,000 to 12,000 people are tested positive for diabetes, we will incorporate that in the MCGM’s database and an SMS alert will be sent to them after three months suggesting the next level of detailed diagnostics. The testing of 2,00,000 people in a single drive is a record in itself, but I will be happy if 5,00,000 people are tested in the next drive and fewer are diagnosed positive for diabetes.”

The BMC had started a drive against diabetes in 2011, when 21,700 people were diagnosed with diabetes at the dispensary level. Currently, there are more than 86,000 diabetics on the BMC database. “Of these, 15 per cent who are at the initial stage [of the disease] are being suggested lifestyle modifications and 61 per cent and 22 per cent detected with controlled and uncontrolled diabetes respectively are under the MCGM medical care programme,” says Manisha Patankar-Mhaiskar, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Western suburbs). “But the ambition is to create awareness of diabetes and not to focus on numbers,” she adds.

Over 500 screening centres will be set up today across the BMC’s ward offices and in over 40 member companies of CII (Reliance, Larsen & Toubro, ICICI, Star Indian, Mahindra, Bajaj, Blue Dart, etc.), chemists, pharmacists and public places in Mumbai that will target to screen over 2,00,000 individuals reaching out to the workforce as well as the larger community. Blue balloons will identify these centres. Over 700 paramedics will also be mobilised across Mumbai to test individuals across industries. The private sector has come forward to provide screening kits including glucometers, strips, swabs, lancets, information booklets and questionnaires alongside training and capacity building for the paramedics.

“This drive will generate significant data which will help understand the incidence and prevalence of diabetes,” Patankar-Mhaiskar says. “It will be analysed to generate a final report on the state of diabetes prevalence in Mumbai, generic recommendations on the way forward as well as lessons learnt during this massive community led drive. Such a report will be useful to policy makers, programme officers, healthcare providers as well as other agencies working in the area of diabetes.”

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Campa Cola residents form human chain to protest

Faced with demolition of their homes, residents are thinking up new ways to get the Government’s attention to their plight.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

In an attempt to save their homes from demolition and to protest the demolition orders, Campa Cola residents and their supporters yesterday came out in large numbers and formed a human chain at Worli Sea Face, starting from Flora Signal to Bandra-Worli Sea Link.

“We do not want our families to become homeless with no roof over their heads. We will continue to protest in whatever way possible to save our homes,” said a Campa Cola resident.

Nandini Mehta, another resident said, Campa Cola said “Today the residents are faced with a situation that they have to demolish not only the homes that are beyond the permissible limit but 46 per cent of what has been asked to demolish is within the FSI limit, which as per the laws of the State, can be regularised with a penalty. The residents are therefore requesting the Chief Minister through this demonstration that he exercises his discretionary powers as the head of the legislative machinery and pass an ordinance to save the homes that are within the permissible FSI.”

Human chain at Worli sea faceThe residents of Campa Cola have found support from various political parties and people across religious faith supporting their cause.

What’s happening at Campa Cola? 

The Campa Cola apartments were constructed on land leased to Pure Drinks Ltd in 1955, which was permitted by the BMC in 1980 to develop it for residential purposes. Without getting the plans approved, Pure Drinks along with builders Yusuf Patel, BK Gupta and PSB Construction Co. erected seven buildings, two of which were highrises of 17 and 20 stories. During the construction period, the authorities issued notices to the builders to stop the work. The builders were fined and they paid the penalty and resumed work. After the construction was completed, nobody prevented the buyers from occupying their apartments or the buildings from forming co-operative housing societies.

Claiming ignorance of these violations, the current residents bought apartments in the building believing that they would get the occupation certificates in due course, as was the norm 25 years ago. Since 2005, the residents have been in litigation with the BMC, trying to defend their homes and save their families from being thrown to the streets.

What do you think of the Campa Cola demolition issue? Tell us in the comments section below.

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100 beds for injured Govindas

Today, all revelry comes to the fore with Gopalkala and dahi handi. The BMC has announced 100 beds for casualties.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

It’s that time of the year again. Today, most of Mumbai will move around in a big mass taking in the sight of several grown men ascend higher and higher into the air, standing atop sturdy human shoulders, reaching out with excited hands and shining eyes towards a pot of dahi, money and other things.

dahi handiEvery year, Mumbai celebrates Gokulashtami with great gusto, and the city also collectively feels sorry for those Govindas who crash to the ground during their many attempts to get at the pot and suffer fractures, or worse, death. Every year, as prize money rises and the handis are tied higher and higher to add to the thrill of the chase, we hear of several Govindas suffering major injuries and wonder why they do it all.

But since the spirit of the festival refuses to abate, the BMC is going all out to ensure that there are adequate beds and medical facilities available for those sustaining injuries today. As per a press release issued by the BMC’s publicity department, “At least 100 beds will be made available at the city’s prominent civic and Government-run hospitals. Smaller hospitals have also been instructed to be on standby to admit any casualties.”

According to the BMC’s directives, the Sion-based LTMG Hospital and the Parel-based KEM Hospital will reserve 40 beds each for injured Govindas. The Mumbai Central-based Nair Hospital will reserve 20 beds. Additionally, civic hospitals in each ward in the city will have 10 beds reserved.

(Pictures courtesy www.cuisinecuisine.com, www.indiatvnews.com)

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SMSes to remind Mumbaikars on eco-friendly Ganpati

BMC is, once again, stressing on eco-friendly Ganesh idols and less banners this year. Question is, are the citizens listening?
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Ganesh Chaturthi is still two months away; September 9, to be exact. But preparations for the Raja of Mumbai are already underway, with idols being prepared and readied for private residences and public pandals all over the city.

And like every year, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is exhorting citizens to opt for eco-friendly idols, not Plaster of Paris (POP) ones.

Eco friendly idolsTo this effect, says Mayor Sunil Prabhu (in pic on left, inspecting eco-friendly idols in Vile Parle), the BMC will also send out regular text messages to people in Mumbai to create awareness of the issue – recently, the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Prithviraj Chavan and Ajit Pawar, had taken the phone route to send personalised voice messages asking people to save water during Holi. Prabhu says, “Apart from sending text messages, we are hoping to create awareness about the many benefits of purchasing eco-friendly Ganesh idols.

Not only do these idols dissolve completely during visarjan, thus sparing us the horrifying spectacle of half-dissolved POP idols still left behind in the city’s major water bodies, but these idols afford employment to several women’s groups and marginalised sections in society. We are even charting out a plan to go door-to-door in the city to ask people to buy eco-friendly idols – they are just as beautiful without any of the environmental hazards associated with POP idols.”

Interestingly, despite repeated requests every year, the city’s major Ganpati pandals still boast of POP murtis.

The BMC is also going to insist on only two banners announcing each sarvajanik Ganpati in the area, and will take strict action against those who festoon the streets with lots of banners.

(Pictures courtesy festivals.iloveindia.com, BMC)

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Kharcha paani

Lingerie mannequin issue makes shops see red

The Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association is asking for zero interference from the BMC in displaying lingerie inside shops.
Viren Shahby Viren Shah, FRTWA President

It is quite strange that Ms Ritu Tawde, a BJP Corporator, has proposed the banning of mannequins wearing lingerie or displays of lingerie on the roadside, and not inside the showroom.

We from the FRTWA (Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association) have always objected to anything being sold on the footpath by hawkers or through any illegal stalls. The BMC has only a few thousand license holders who are supposed to sell in a 1 metre x 1 metre area only, and in that area too, they cannot keep or display mannequins and sell any garments. This means that in any case, it is illegal to sell anything on the footpath, a resolution that is passed by the House, and the BMC does not need any separate resolution for this.

We support their action on roadside mannequins and displays.

Our objection is to the proposed ban on display within our shop premises. This should not be stopped or prevented, as it is our right as shop owners to display and sell the products. If we get any complaint from our customers at large, then we will look into the issue, but we cannot solve any such potential complaint by forcefully being prevented from our right of business and right of freedom to sell the products.

Since the time this issue first came into light, we have written two letters to the BMC Commissioner, the Chief Minister and the Mayor, and requested them to not take any decision in this regard without consulting with us. After all, we are the affected party, and any restriction that affects our business interests must be imposed only after discussing it with us and taking us into confidence.

Regards,

Viren Shah, President,

FRTWA

What do you think of the proposed ban on the lingerie display on mannequins in Mumbai? Tell us in the comments section below.

(Pictures courtesy photogallery.indiatimes.com, deccanchronicle.com)

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Everything’s in a (road’s) name

Your elected representatives in the BMC are asking more questions about road renaming, rather than things like repairs and sanitation.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

The monsoons should be upon us in the next month, and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is working hard to repair roads that are riddled with potholes and need general repairs. With more and more complaints coming from the citizens, it logically follows that the city’s elected representatives – its municipal councillors – will also take most of the complaints from their wards to the ward committee meetings.

Not necessarily.

A white paper released recently by NGO Praja Foundation recently reveals that of the questions raised by municipal councillors based on citizens’ complaints, the maximum numbers of questions pertained to renaming of roads and chowks in the city. The paper, titled White Paper On Report Of Working Of Ward Committees In The City Of Mumbai And Civic Problems Registered By Citizens, sheds light on the complaints by citizens against the quality and quantity of related questions asked by councillors in the BMC ward committee meetings. “The maximum number of questions asked by elected representatives in ward committee meetings during the year 2012 were on renaming of roads and chowks – a hefty 127 questions!” says the summary accompanying the paper.

The last such study was conducted by Praja in 2010, to similar results. “Some four years ago, when Praja Foundation had issued a White Paper on civic issues, we had found it shocking that of the plethora of problems facing the city of Mumbai, the maximum number of questions asked by the municipal councillors were on the renaming of roads,” the summary says. “In the calender year 2012, BMC received 29,852 complaints related to roads, potholes etc. The 227 elected representatives together asked 100 questions on roads, repairs, etc. However, the maximum number of questions asked by elected representatives in ward committee meetings during this year were on renaming of roads and chowks,” the paper adds.

“Unless municipal councillors learn to interpret data and raise valid, pertinent questions in the ward committee meetings, they are falling far short of the expectations the citizens elected them for. Should our elected representatives be taking the Corporation to task over the citizen’s complaints or should they be only asking the Municipal Commissioner to change names of roads and chowks?”

Incidentally, citizens have complained the most about roads in 2012 – there were 29,852 complaints received (as against 5,177 complaints in 2011). There were 16,194 complaints about drainage, 6,562 complaints against solid waste management and 6,215 water supply complaints.

(Pictures courtesy www.mid-day.com, mumbai-pushpa.blogspot.com) 

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