Tag: maharashtra government

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Kharcha paani

Rs 3,00,000 for acid attack victims

State Government okays a ‘Victim Compensation Scheme’ for those affected by grievous attacks or accidents. Acid attack victims are included.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

The recent case of a college student, Monica More, falling in the gap between a local train and the train tracks and losing both her arms in the process, is drawing much criticism on the Central Railway and the Government. CR, especially, was quick to react after the incident by probing the accident spot.

Meanwhile, the State Government is looking at compensating victims of crimes. Today, in a cabinet meeting at the Mantralaya, Mumbai, the Government approved a ‘Victim Compensation Scheme’ for those affected by crime in the city and the State. As per the scheme, anybody fatally hurt or rendered immobile as the result of a crime will be compensated by the Government. Interestingly, victims of acid attacks are also included in the Scheme.

As per the Scheme, which will be monitored and operationalised by the State Home Department, families of victims that die in a crime will receive Rs 2 lakh as compensation. Similarly, those who suffer permanent disability will receive Rs 50,000. Victims of acid attacks will receive Rs 3,00,000 as compensation.

The State will also offer emergency hospitalisation compensation up to Rs 15,000 and pay Rs 2,000 towards funerals.

What do you think of this scheme? Tell us in the comments section below.

(Picture courtesy www.theguardian.com)

Categories
Big story

Maharashtra promulgates superstition ordinance

Read the full text of the promulgated ordinance; was pushed through after Dr Narendra Dabholkar’s murder in Pune last week.
by The Editors | editor@themetrogome.in

Everybody’s in for it now. At least, those who are in the business of black magic, superstition, being holy and possessing curative powers, or simply people who still believe in human sacrifice, or the practice of inflicting pain on others to achieve success or make money, are truly in for it in the State of Maharashtra.

Unfortunately, it took the murder of activist and key anti-superstition luminary in the State, Dr Narendra Dabholkar, last week in Pune, for the Government to finally get going on pushing the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and Other Inhuman and Aghori Practices Bill, 2011, which has been pending with the Legislative Assembly for two years now. However, in light of recent events, the Government feels that, “from the implementation point of view, the Government considers it expedient to make a law, after modifying certain provisions of the Bill, by promulgating an Ordinance.” (Read the full document as ratified by the State Governor today, below).

As per the Ordinance, any person indulging in acts of superstition, black magic and sacrifice, apart from other related acts, will be liable for the severest punishment. Charges made out in these cases will be non-bailable and cognisable. A special authority is to be set up to monitor such acts and to ensure that the process of prosecution is handled well.

black magic ordinance 26.8.2013 English

(Picture courtesy unseenrajasthanparanormal.blogspot.com)

 

Categories
Overdose

Bar bar dekho…

What did shutting down of dance bars accomplish? Since when have laws determined what society will or will not do?
by Jatin Sharma

Jatin SharmaA recent Supreme Court judgement now allows dance bars to be run in Maharashtra. Needless to say, several bar dancers and bar owners rejoiced at the judgement – bar dancers and activists have constantly been alleging that dancers were forced into prostitution because of the Government’s decision to close down dance bars. However, the State Government alleged that dance bars were the operating units of the flesh trade. But now that the SC verdict is out, it’s going to be the Supreme court v/s the Maharashtra Government. Whatever the end result may be, the Government is not going to make it easy for the dance bars to operate in the state.

I am very interested in the politics of moral policing. How every time our netas stand up to make our society better, tell us how we should behave and how they know what a perfect society is. As an aside, isn’t stopping corruption and not laundering money also something that speak of an honest society?

However, what’s funny is that these kind of judgements neither create nor dismantle a society. Every time the Government makes a decision bar dancersthat is repressive (or liberating, according to the Government) we see the country go up in arms against it and celebrate when the decision is knocked down. I feel that decisions like these are nothing but just a temporary flutter. A measure of a strong society is not made by how many dance bars it has or how people are being forced to stay out of them. A strong society is determined by how many repressive laws it has to follow, where people don’t have to be told at every step about what is right and wrong.

Even now, the decision is quite convoluted as the Supreme Court has set certain conditions for dance bars to run:
1) Dancers should not wear tight or provocative clothes. (no Mallika Sherawat-type clothes, those are exclusive to her)
2) The clients should not throw money notes on the dancers (so no Vaastav movie repeats on the dance floors)
3) There needs to be a railing behind which the dancers will dance (now this is interesting, an added dimension to the see-but-don’t-touch rule of dance bars)

Our politicians need to understand that everything need not be caged and guarded by rules for it to work. What is the point of our democracy if one section of workers has to wait for a Supreme Court judgement for them to go back to work? And who are we kidding? India has been extremely progressive in the past, but now due to the controlling nature of our Governments, we are turning into a crazed, backward nation. We are making a mockery of our citizens every time we ask them to not kiss, not to have sex or not to even think about it. Emotions are like springs, the more we are trying to suppress them, the more they spring up from somewhere else.

bar dancers and clientsThe Government has a huge task to lead society by example and educate people with their own actions, rather than spoonfeed every thought that was born in some regressive era. Can they really claim that shutting down dance bars made men less sleazy? Can they really claim that shutting down dance bars made eve-teasing and human trafficking diminish? Can they really claim that shutting down dance bars did not further drive antisocial elements into the market, as there was more money to spend?

Just like in Gujarat, where alcohol is available despite all ‘Dry State’ claims, it’s a proven fact the moment something is banned, miscreants become more powerful by taking advantage of the ban and entering the banned business, as they become more profitable with the help of a few corrupt police officials. We need to remember that none of the ‘bad’ things that the society gravitates towards will go away by a simple judgement or a ban. A judgement or ban only decides whether it will benefit the Government, and whether an activity will run in the open or once the shutters are down.

Jatin Sharma is a media professional who doesn’t want to grow up, because if he grows up, he will be like everybody else.

(Pictures courtesy indiatoday.intoday.in, thehindu.com, in.reuters.com)

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Learn

“In Mumbai Region, 40% of us are living in ‘Campa Cola'”

Ramesh Prabhu, Chairman of the Maharashtra Societies Welfare Association, writes to the Maharashtra Government on the Campa Cola building society demolition issue.

“As Mumbai awaits with bated breath for some kind of miraculous intervention to save the 94 families of Campa Cola Compound from being dis-housed, these middle-class families are like the administration’s scapegoats. They represent all of us. As they wait for the raised axe to fall on their necks, my heart goes out to them with sympathy, and I am filled with worry with what will befall the rest of us. I am not competent to comment on the legality or the judicial wisdom of this decision; surely, the Supreme Court knows best. But I would like to ask some questions to no one in particular.

Why only Campa Cola Compound? What about the rest of Mumbai, where over 40 per cent of occupied residential buildings don’t have BMC’s mandatory Occupation Certificates? It is reckoned that at least  6,000 buildings are paying double for municipal water, which means they are not authorised. Many unauthorised structures are routinely regularised on payment of penalties… but there are many more that are not yet regularised for various reasons. Will this axe fall on them also?

And why only Mumbai? What about Thane, Mumbra, Ulhasnagar etc. where thousands of unauthorised (and often unsafe) structures are standing — a disaster waiting to happen?

In all these places, builders have have sold the flats, made off with the life savings of crores of families, worth several thousand crore rupees. Dozens of MPs, MLAs and Corporators from all political parties are routinely the accomplices of these builders, as are the bureaucrats.

As it happened with the three builders of the seven buildings of Campa Cola Compound, developers perpetrate the crime and usually go scot-free. Thousands of architects and contractors who mastermind such unauthorised buildings will also never be caught.

The municipal officials, State Government bureaucrats and police officials who turned a blind eye to the goings on are unlikely to be punished.

Needless to say, no one may point a finger at the judiciary, which willy-nilly allowed cases to drag on for decades and created a perfect window of opportunity for all the illegalities to build up.

When the time comes to for buildings to be demolished, it will be you and me — the common man — who will be running helplessly from pillar to post like the residents of Campa Cola Compound are doing today.

I have no easy solutions to offer. Major surgery is required in the entire MMR region, and that will not be a bloodless and painless process.

But may I humbly urge the State Government and Legislature to frame a humane policy to deal with unsafe buildings first, before demolishing sound structures like the Campa Cola buildings? May I humbly urge Maharashtra Government to avoid shirking its responsibility, and letting municipalities take their own decisions?

If a comprehensive and humane “demolition policy” is not framed, a humanitarian crisis looms large before at least 40 per cent of us in the years to come. Until such a policy is framed, I cannot help feeling that we all are Campa Cola building residents, waiting for our houses to be demolished for one reason or another.

Yours sincerely,
Ramesh Prabhu
Chairman
Maharashtra Societies Welfare Association

The Supreme Court today stayed the demolition notice and gave the affected building residents five months to vacate the premises. The threat of demolition still looms, however.

(Pictures courtesy chandivali.com, mid-day.com)

Categories
Learn

Mumbai to get a law university

Mumbai, Nagpur and Aurangabad to get their own law universities, on similar lines as the existing one based at Bengaluru. Maharashtra State-based students will pay very nominal fees.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

On a day when the ongoing Session of the State Legislature drew to a close, the State Government okayed a number of key proposals – the key one being the in-principle approval of three National law universities for the State. These universities will be located at Mumbai, Nagpur and Aurangabad.

The Maharashtra National Law Universities in all three locations are to be fully operational in the next three years, with the first one to come up at Aurangabad. A site in Uttan has been approved for the Mumbai Law University. As per a release from the Chief Minister’s office, issued this evening, it seems that a sum of over Rs 75 crore has been set aside for the project. The Government expects that the Universities will be operational by the 2014-2015 academic year.

The release also said that each University will have about 120 students, and Maharashtra-based students will pay nominal fees for their studies. Additionally, reservations for seats will be decided as per the provisions outlined in the Constitution of India.

(Picture courtesy mopolaw.com) 

Categories
Big story

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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