Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Dinesh Kamath's cartoons on 'Alooramji' that were published in Newsband







Dinesh Kamath's cartoons on 'Alooramji' that were published in Newsband


Dinesh Kamath's cartoons on 'Alooramji' published in Newsband


Dinesh Kamath's Editorials that was published in Newsband


NMMC and illicit mobile towers
New developments in the technological world prove to be a boon to us. But at the same time with the introduction of new technologies, new hazards are also born owing to which our lives can be in danger. Law-makers should be absolutely alert in such a situation. The moment there is a birth of a new technology, these law-makers should immediately and without wasting time come up with new laws that will eliminate all the hazards posed by the introduction of this new technology.
Invention of mobile phone was the best thing that happened to man. But side by side with the invention of mobile phone, there also arose a severe problem posed by unauthorized mobile towers. The high radiation emanating from these towers posed health risk to those staying close to it.
These tower owners should be given certain guidelines by NMMC. The tower owners should be told as to exactly where it is safe to erect a tower, what should be its distance from residential areas, schools, hospitals, educational institutes etc. There should also be guidelines relating to direction of transmitters of towers and the radiation-levels.
The tower owners in Navi Mumbai should compulsorily seek permission from NMMC before erecting the towers. NMMC in turn should see to it that the tower owners construct the towers according to the norms laid down by Department of Telecommunication (DoT). It is not enough for NMMC to come up with policies related to granting permission for erecting a tower to a company. It should also execute those policies. If the policies are just made and not executed, then of what use are these policies?
While granting permission to install a mobile tower NMMC should see to it that antenna is erected in open or public space located away from residential areas, prior consent is taken from the people staying surrounding it, the tower is within a radius of 100 meters from schools and hospitals so that children and patients are not affected by the exposure to electromagnetic field radiations, the tower is not erected in narrow lanes to prevent risks caused by earthquake and other calamities and the transmitters of an antenna is not facing a residential building and also the lower end of antenna is at least three meters above ground.
There are plenty of illicit towers in Navi Mumbai and these towers are just not following the norms laid down by Department of Telecommunication. The question is what is NMMC doing about it?

Monday, November 28, 2011

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial that was published in Newsband


Two problems of Palm Beach Road
Palm Beach Road of Navi Mumbai is in the news for two reasons. One reason is the danger that vehicle drivers on that road have to face. The second reason is the unauthorized buildings that exist along that road.
Navi Mumbai traffic police department will have to take drastic steps to prevent the numbers of accidents that take place on Palm Beach Road. The vehicle drivers tend to speed on this road. This results in many drivers losing control of their vehicles and ramming into other vehicles resulting in life-threatening accidents. To prevent this from happening, the curve of every chowk existing on this road should be widened. The lane for vehicles joining Palm Beach Road should have a divider separating the lane which will make it easy for the vehicles to go ahead without any obstruction of another vehicle coming from behind. Also bollards should be installed at the chowk. Rumble strips with thermoplastic paint and blinking cat eyes will control the speed of the vehicles avoiding any kind of accidents. The rumble strips will make drivers brake their vehicles and slow down for a moment and avoid ramming into other vehicles. A separate bus lane should be made. Space to make this bus lane should be created by shifting the bus stops on this road a few feet backwards. The bus lane should be marked so that there is no congestion when a bus stops there. The length of the divider opposite NRI colony should be increased so that vehicles taking a U-turn will not ram into vehicles coming from the direction of NRI. Crash barriers should be installed at all turns of dividers. All 'kachcha roads' joining Palm Beach Road except the one at Karave should be closed so that vehicles joining the Palm Beach Road from these roads do not fall victim to accidents. The Vashi Bridge on Palm Beach Road should have a signboard mentioning the names of places it goes to.
It appears that there are some unauthorized buildings on Palm Beach Road. It is alleged that FSI theft has taken place along this road. To confirm this matter NMMC should conduct audit test. A random audit test by an outside agency is necessary to douse suspicions. The issue of irregularities at buildings along the road has cropped up quite many times. Either these buildings should regularize their construction or theses structures should be demolished.
It is hoped that NMMC will solve at the earliest these two problems relating to traffic and unauthorized buildings along Palm Beach Road.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial that was published in Newsband


Ideal education system
National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) is the best thing that has happened to students of Navi Mumbai. NIOS, formerly known as National Open School (NOS), was established in November 1989 by the Ministry of Human Resource Development. NIOS provides a number of vocational, life enrichment and community oriented besides general and academic courses at secondary and senior secondary level.
There are many students in our city who are not able to manage pressure built up by the Indian education system. NIOS comes to the rescue of such students. NIOS is meant for students who can't manage pressure created by education system. NIOS is flexible and it is an alternative for students struggling in conventional education.
Our current education system is such that if a student is weak in any one subject he is just unable to clear 10th standard or 12th standard even though he is very good in all the other subjects. This education system expects him to be good in all the subjects. This is a wrong system because a student's weakness in just one subject can ruin his entire future. An ideal education system is the one where a student is allowed to pursue the subjects he is good in and ignore the subjects which he just cannot comprehend. If a student is good in Biology let him go ahead and pursue Biology. He might one day become a Doctor. But if you insist that this student excel in Mathematics too and if the student just hates Maths and can't pass in that subject then you are preventing a Doctor from being born.
Now why does a student who wants to be a Doctor need to know Maths? Or why does a student who wants to be an Engineer need to know Biology? Here lies the flaw in the conventional education system. NIOS rectifies this mistake. NIOS allows the student to take up subjects which he likes, leave aside the subjects he doesn't like, and go ahead in life and become a somebody. While conventional education system can make a student lose his or her self-esteem, NIOS can give all the necessary boost to the self-esteem of the student.
Conventional education system creates pressure on many students. The number of students committing suicide after failing in board exam is increasing every year. The fear of missing out on a year is leading students to take such an extreme decision of ending their lives. In such a situation, NIOS has proven to be a successful option. NIOS enables students to give up subjects that don't appeal to them and look out for the alternatives to continue with their studies. Now this is an ideal education system.

Dinesh Kamath's columns on 'Movie and TV World' that appeared in Newsband


Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial (Make installing of fire equipments compulsory) that was published in Newsband


Make installing of fire equipments compulsory
If fire can be the best friend of man, it can also become the worst enemy. In today's world most of the things run on electricity and this has made man's life very comfortable. But at the same time, his life can be in danger in case things like short circuit etc. happen.
In a developed city like Navi Mumbai which is coming up as per international standard and which has a number of high rises already existing and many still coming up, it is very necessary to make installment of fire equipments for these buildings absolutely mandatory. In keeping with the National Building Code, all residential societies and commercial complexes should install carbon monoxide detectors, smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, escape ladders, fire staircases and fire frames to help fight fire and avert disaster.
The fact is that in many places in Navi Mumbai installing of fire equipments is compulsory and if any builder fails to provide these facilities to the buildings he has constructed then he cannot obtain No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the fire department or Occupation Certificate (OC) from the concerned department. This is a good rule. This rule has made many builders to immediately install fire equipment facilities in their new constructions so that they get both NOC and OC immediately.
But is it enough to install fire equipments only when the new building is constructed? No. It is necessary to check from time to time whether these fire equipments which are installed are still effective even after a passage of time. If they are not effective, their renewal is necessary. In other words, one can't afford to overlook the maintenance of fire safety equipments, which are very essential for the prevention of fire. If these safety equipments are not maintained properly, residential societies are inviting disasters. Regular inspection and annual audits are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of these equipments.
The Fire department should send their men to all the societies and tall buildings in Navi Mumbai to check whether the residents over there are following fire preventive measures and updating fire preventive equipments. It is better to prevent fire from breaking out rather than fight fire after it breaks out. In an advanced city like Navi Mumbai, it is very essential to take all the precautionary measures in advance to prevent fire from breaking out since one has several times come across news items in newspapers which informs about the enormous losses caused by fire break-outs. In order to prevent these losses, every building in the city should install fire safety equipments.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial (Talent and hard work) that was published in Newsband



Talent and hard workThomas Edison was an inventor who said, “Genius is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration". According to him hard work mattered more than smartness or talent. The world of business is full of success stories that bolster his argument. A clerk in a trading firm in Aden went on to become Dhirubhai Ambani. From the ashes of World War II Japan, Akio Morita built Sony. And from Steve Jobs to Mark Zuckerberg, the IT industry is full of examples of those who had nothing more than a vision but went on to change the world. Sure, these people were talented. But it's one thing to come up with ideas, quite another to make them happen. Hard work is the critical input that separates the great from the ordinary.
In cricket Sachin Tendulkar, hailed as arguably the greatest batsman of all times, is the one who believes in putting in lot of hard work. He practices for hours at a stretch. He hasn't given up the habit even after 20 years in the game. Cricketers like Brian Lara and Vinod Kambli who had talents but did not put in hard work have long fallen by the wayside.
Talent is a bonus. But scaling the peak of success is impossible without hard work.
But there are some people who believe that hard work isn't the be all and end all. You either have it or you don't. And if you don't, not all the hard work in the world can make up for it.
Some people are gifted with innate ability that enables them to succeed. No amount of toil by less gifted plodders can help them reach the same heights. Sports is a good arena to judge the truth of this. Take pace bowling in cricket. Today's bowlers live far more strictly regimented lives than bowlers of past decades; they put in hours in the gym as their predecessors never did. But for the most part, pace bowlers today are an embarrassment compared to the fearsomely talented West Indian quickies to Lillee and Thomson, Imran Khan and Ian Botham - most of whom never saw the inside of a gym.
Or take intellectual achievement. In India it is believed that academic education is absolutely necessary. But men who changed the world, like Albert Einstein and Steve Jobs, have had little time for these formal systems. Many of them have been rejected or rejected the system themselves. They have proved that it is not hard work and academic education but the innate talent that is necessary to achieve success.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Top 3 journalists of Navi Mumbai (New Bombay) as rated by an Expert




(From Top to Bottom) Dinesh Kamath (Editor of Newsband), George Mendonca (Reporter of Times of Navi Mumbai) and Zeba Warsia (Managing Editor of NMTV) are rated as top 3 journalists of Navi Mumbai (New Bombay) by an Expert.

Dinesh Kamath rates the newspapers in New Bombay (Navi Mumbai); Newsband is the best newspaper of Navi Mumbai (New Bombay)


Ratings of the newspapers of New Bombay (Navi Mumbai) according to their quality and popularity:
1. Newsband
2 DNA Navi Mumbai
3 Times of Navi Mumbai
4 Sakal Navi Mumbai
5 Aaple Nave Shahar
6 Vashi Times
7 Twin City
8 Other English newspapers
9 All the other Marathi newspapers of Navi Mumbai
10 All the newspapers of Navi Mumbai other than English and Marathi

Thus Newsband is the best and number one newspaper of Navi Mumbai (New Bombay)

Dinesh Kamath's column on 'Movie and TV World' that was published in Newsband

Friday, November 18, 2011

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial (NMMC kills two birds with one stone?) hat was published in Newsband


NMMC to kill two birds with one stone?In 1973, CIDCO had developed open nullah in every residential node of Navi Mumbai in order to drain out the storm water into the creek. Thereafter, several residential colonies had come up and people had started complaining of bad odour coming from the nullahs.
Sector 17 of Vashi too faced this problem. First of all, after the end of monsoon season, the nullahs dry up and emanate a stench till the next rains. As if this is not enough, there is located at Vashi the Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP) and the nullahs stink still more owing to discharge of pollutants flowing from the STP. NMMC then came up with a brilliant idea of not only covering this nullah but also constructing a multistoried parking place after covering the open nullah that extends from Shivaji Chowk to Arenja Corner. NMMC is prepared to spend 5 crore rupees for this project. The multistoried parking lot will house some 200 vehicles for a reasonable parking charge. Fantastic idea!
It was former municipal Commissioner of Navi Mumbai Vijay Nahata who had come up with the idea of covering all open nullahs and sewerage in the city. The present municipal commissioner Bhaskar Wankhede has made a good decision that of implementing his predecessor's idea. That's really great! Wankhede deserves an applaud for initiating this move.
The open nullah at Vashi has in its neighbourhood many housing societies, schools, government and private offices, eateries, offices of MTNL, Mumbai Secondary Board and commercial offices. All these places consist of huge number of people who have to tolerate the stink emanating from these nullahs. Hence NMMC has done a great job by proposing to cover the nullah at Vashi first and foremost and to build over there multi-storied parking lot. Thus NMMC has decided to kill two birds with one stone. If this proposal is approved by Standing Committee and General Assembly, then NMMC will have succeeded in solving problems relating to stinking open nullahs as well as lack of sufficient parking space in Vashi. Well done, NMMC!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial ( Hi-tech security cover is a great idea) that was published in Newsband


Hi-tech security cover is a great ideaIP-based CCTV system will be installed at Panvel railway station. This is a very good idea. This security system will allow security personnel to access live footage of the station area from any computer terminal with an internet connection. Such type of security arrangement is bound to ensure full security at Panvel railway station. This system will strengthen the surveillance mechanism.
In fact, at every sensitive railway station there should be luggage scanners, metal detectors, hand held detectors, door frame detectors, sniffer dog and bomb disposal squads, in addition to closed-circuit television (CCTV) system. Panvel is indeed one of the major stations of New Bombay and deserves all these facilities.
Intelligence Bureau has done a great job by alerting on time all the major railway stations about the possibility of terror attack taking place. In fact, this bureau had a suspicion that terror-related activities were taking place at Kurla and hence it has become necessary to step up security. If such hi-tech security measures are provided to the sensitive railway stations these terror attacks can be forestalled. Panvel railway station is indeed one of the sensitive and vulnerable places and hence it is rightly chosen for installing of hi-tech surveillance mechanism. Panvel today can be given the status of other important places like Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Churchgate. That developed is Panvel today. Hence Panvel should enjoy all the facilities that CST and Churchgate enjoy when it comes to security matters. Panvel is as vulnerable as CST and Churchgate and hence it was a good presence of mind displayed by railway authorities when they chose Panvel for installing of hi-tech security equipments. They rightly foresaw the possibility of Panvel being chosen for future terror attack.
Now that Panvel will soon be equipped with perfect security system, an individual or group who or which have the intention of launching terror attacks will have to think thousand times before making their evil plots materialize. Addition of 200 more home guards for providing additional security cover will strengthen the security system still further.
One must say that this time our security forces have proved to be smarter than the terror plotters. Besides Panvel, Vashi too should get the benefit of hi-tech security system since it is the entrance to Navi Mumbai. Once this is done the residents of city of Navi Mumbai can be rest assured that terror attack is just not possible in their city at least.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial (Give tribals houses fit to live in) that was published in Newsband


Give tribals houses fit to live in
Food, clothes and shelter are primary needs of every man. But yet there exist in India millions of people living below poverty line and being denied these three basic needs. Most of them somehow manage to get food and clothes. But they find it extremely difficult to find proper shelter. Yes, housing problem is prevalent in a big way in India. The worst affected are the tribals who are forced to dwell in the open owing to lack of shelter.
The government had come up with the slogan 'Shelter for all' and this move needs to be lauded. It seems that Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has taken seriously this particular slogan. It is seriously considering the idea of providing shelter for tribal families residing in the city's urban slum. NMMC administration has allocated Rs 9 crore for implementing this mass housing project. This is a good move on the part of NMMC. But the question is will NMMC be able to implement this noble idea?
First thing is NMMC will have to obtain a land owned by MIDC or CIDCO so that they can build these houses over there. Another thing is the proposal needs to be tabled before the general body for its approval. Still another thing is even if NMMC manages to overcome these two hurdles, it should not repeat its past mistake. In the past, NMMC had implemented the Valmiki-Ambedkar Awas Yojana for the tribal families. After these houses were constructed, many tribal families residing in urban slums refused to take possession of the free of cost houses allotted to them simply because area of the rooms was scant and unsuitable for their families. Also unhygienic condition prevailed around these houses. There was garbage accumulation and emanation of unbearable stench. All that these tribals are demanding is spacious houses in which seven to eight members of the family can reside comfortably. Why not provide them such houses?
The Central Government's goal should be not just 'Shelter for All' but 'Standard Shelter for All'. After all, tribals are also human-beings who deserve to enjoy all the human rights.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Dinesh Kamath's column on 'Movie and TV World' that was published in 'Newsband'

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial (Need of more buses in Kharghar) that was published in Newsband


Need of more buses in KhargharKharghar is developing very fast. The residential areas over here are expanding rapidly. The population here is rising day by day. But the bus service here is not at all satisfactory. People in this region have to make use of suburban train services and the few buses that connect to Mumbai.
The growing rush in buses and trains has frustrated the residents over here. The trains are also crowded and it is becoming impossible for many to even board the train. People who have money can afford cabs or rickshaws. But what about those people who can't afford this luxury? Also the auto fares are continuously on the rise. Both Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) and Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) are not bothered about the transport problems faced by the residents here. Had they been even a little concerned, both by now would have introduced few more buses and thus provided relief to the commuters residing in this node.
As far as Kharghar is concerned, there is a need for more buses to ply from sector 15, 16 and 17 to Taloja. This is because the offices of most of the Kharghar residents are located along these routes. There should also be buses connecting to Dadar, Thane and Mulund for the benefit of those Kharghar residents who have their workplaces outside Navi Mumbai.
The question is why NMMT and BEST are not buying new buses to solve this major problem? They should somehow get the government to provide them the necessary funds so that they are in a position to provide enough buses to Kharghar residents particularly since the problems of these people are genuine and need urgent attention.
The plight of Kharghar residents becomes more pathetic when they have to rush to hospitals patients who need urgent medical treatment. There should be enough buses that ply between residential areas of Kharghar and the areas where standard hospitals are located. Consideration should be given especially to those cancer patients who have to travel to Tata Hospital in Parel for treatment.
Kharghar residents who are affected by the problems arising due to scarcity of buses should forward their request for more buses to NMMC's planning department which in turn should work out a perfect solution to this problem by coordinating with the traffic department. This is the only way to solve this major problem.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial (Super cops of Navi Mumbai) that was published in Newsband


Super Cops of Navi MumbaiTwo policemen of Navi Mumbai need to be congratulated. The first one is police commissioner of Navi Mumbai Ahmad Javed. Another one is Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Vijay Patil.
Ahmad Javed should be lauded for showing deep concern for senior citizens of Navi Mumbai. Just recently he interacted with members of Senior Citizens Welfare Association. This was an attempt by him to address their problems. He was kind enough to share with them helpline number and he assured them of prompt help when needed. He rightly asked the senior citizens to register themselves at the nearest police station. Ahmad Javed showed special concern for those senior citizens who are alone and are dependent on servants in the absence of children. They were told to register names of servants with their photographs so that policemen could provide them prompt help whenever they needed. Ahmad Javed has indeed proved that he is an ideal policeman.
Another policeman who needs to be applauded is DCP (Traffic) Vijay Patil who is personally taking stern steps to prevent accidents on Navi Mumbai roads. He took certain corrective measures in this direction which should be appreciated. He was the one who introduced the high masts of floodlights at certain points like the Nerul and CBD bridge. It was he who gave the idea of installing railings at Sanpada, Kamothe and Kharghar for safety of passengers. Vijay Patil also often pores over statistics to have a proper understanding of the pattern of road accidents. His office on the ground floor of Konkan Bhavan is always a beehive of activity with the staff busy calling out figures from a plethora of data files. Vijay Patil also pays surprise visits to take stock of the situation. This forces his staff to always remain alert. He has also worked out short distance routes for NMMT buses for the benefit of the commuters. Sometimes he spends hours in the control room and on other days he is found at traffic junction to check out the movement of vehicular traffic. Hat's off to this super cop too.
Navi Mumbai is in need of such super policemen like Ahmad Javed and Vijay Patil who by personally setting examples have shown all the other policemen as to what exactly the qualities of ideal policemen are.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Dinesh Kamath's column on 'Movie and TV World' that was published in Newsband

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial (Organ donation) that was published in Newsband


Organ donationThe 1994 Human Organ Transplantation Act clearly defines a protocol for handling 'brain-death' in hospitals and allowed cornea collection after home deaths. This was enough for any hospital to boost organ retrieval services for the entire range of transplantable human tissue like corneas, heart valves, kidney, livers, etc.
But yet we find that life-saving kidneys and livers are still in acute short supply. But in the past 17 years, some organ banks working in government hospitals have demonstrated record-setting successes in motivating donors' relatives to offer corneas and skin. NGOs like 'Sunday Friends' in Sion, Mumbai have also learnt to give critical post-death counselling support.
The Brihanmumbai Mahanagar Palika's Sion Hospital which operates India's largest trauma ward have shown that an annual collection of over 200 corneas, a hundred skin donations (for burns victims) and an encouraging number of kidneys and livers is possible
We need organ donation-minded citizen to help out organ-needy unfortunate. Many people who lost loved ones in wards of government hospitals have been increasingly generous in the matter of organ-donation since they understand the value of such type of donation.
But there are some hospitals which remain laggards in introducing organ retrieval procedures. For transplantable human tissue, they largely restrict themselves to collecting blood and using kidneys from live donors with the attendant opportunistic possibility for illegal sourcing/ Organ retrieval and transplant services for the public do not involve any frontier technologies or significant additional capital or labour costs/ All they need is good hospital management.
The new modified Act relating to organ donation has been passed by the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and awaits the president's signature/ It tries to nudge hospital managements into moving towards wider cadaver organ retrieval services and includes stricter punitive measures for illegal transactions. Skin and other 'tissue' are included in the Act.
Standards for dedicated 'Transplant Coordinators' and post-death counselling services in hospitals are on the way. And active government initiative and involvement is promised to replicate ethical transparent organ distribution networks. Let’s hope that this will be enough for a big leap in transplantable cadaver kidneys and livers over the next few years
If the government really means business, it should make policies to encourage organ donation in a big way. Changing the mindsets of doctors and hospital managers is needed. The attitude of the general public in this matter should be changed. The government should spend money to educate the public to donate organs. In fact, the Indian public is ready and has always been ready to donate organs after death in significant numbers.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial (politics and spirituality) that was published in Newsband


Politics and spiritualityPolitics and spirituality must go together. But is it possible? Spirituality and politics are both full-fledged disciplines, both need total involvement. So, each can become involved in the other`s discipline only at the cost of the erosion of his own. The spiritual person will lose his dedication in the realm of politics, while the politician will lose his political interest if he involves himself in spiritual matters.
However, both disciplines are needed to build a better society. If spirituality is inner science, politics is external discipline. We need both. Each must complement the other, while maintaining its own identity.
Spirituality is inner beauty without having external strength, while politics is external strength having little inner beauty. They need each other. The spiritual person must serve as counsellor to the politician, and the politician must serve as booster to the spiritual person. This sharing will benefit both.
The spiritual person is Self-centred; the politician can help him by taking him out of his individual cell, so that he may acquire more experience of human life. The same is true of the politician. Politicians are by nature over-ambitious and this sometimes leads to disaster. It is at this juncture that a spiritual person can give them practical advice which will enable them to curb the over-ambitious side of their nature, making them more realistic.
In the past, the religious gurus used to be advisers to the kings and kings were their supporters. In our present society, in terms of number, we have enough spiritual persons and we have politicians in abundance as well. But, we are not able to benefit from the two because of a lack of sharing process between them.
We need to develop a dual system of education - formal and informal. Formal education can produce educated politicians but we also need all members of society to be spiritualized. This goal cannot be achieved through formal education. There should be an informal type of education whose teachers are spiritual gurus. These gurus can teach our present-day generation through interaction, discourses and dissemination of literature.
Thus politicians and religious leaders can be helpful to one another without interfering in each other’s systems. Thus we need spiritualized politicians and politicized spiritual persons. This will improve our society.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Dinesh Kamath, Editor of Newsband, recovers from illness, resumes duty




Hi,
I've recovered from my illness. I recovered sooner than I had expected, thanks to the strong medicines that doctor had prescribed for me. I am feeling very fresh and okay now. I am happy to be once again in front of my computer and communicating with my readers as usual. It is the good wishes of many of my readers that led to my speedy recovery. Thanks a lot! Bye!

Dinesh Kamath's Editorials (Put an end to noise pollution) hat were published in Newsband


Put an end to noise pollution
Noise pollution is unwanted sound. It is a form of environmental disturbance. Noise pollution is very dangerous for human life as it affects the brains and prolonged exposure to noise may cause blood vessels to contract, sometimes resulting in hypertension. In fact pollution of any kind can cause serious damage to man, animals, birds, aquatic life, crops and vegetation. Noise pollution can affect the brain and make people lose composure and this can lead to heart attacks and strokes in the affected people.
Noise pollution in Navi Mumbai is high especially during festival times. But, however, the city police did a wonderful job in controlling noise pollution during Ganesh Chaturthi. But during Navratri, pandals were berserk with DJs and speaker systems that rattled windowpanes of adjoining building, with not a care for the elderly and sick. In fact, before closing time at 10 pm and 12 midnight, the noise levels were at their peak.
Diwali witnesses unprecedented levels of air and noise pollution. Noise pollution, on account of ever jarring speakers and the over abuse of fire crackers, has become the cause of concern for many, as it is the root cause of various health ailments and unrest. Navi Mumbai especially witnesses high level of noise pollution.
The noise level in some parts of Navi Mumbai is already high due to heavy vehicular traffic, industrial operations and commercial activities. This increases during Diwal. It is important that noise pollution is controlled during Diwali season as due to bursting of fire crackers, the pollution levels go up all time high.
Voluntary organizations should come forward and spread awareness about the noise pollution during Diwali. Children should be taught in school to limit the use of crackers that cause noise pollution. There is a law made by Central government for control of noise pollution but it has been found that the law is rarely enforced. So it is high time this law is applied. Police of Navi Mumbai should stop selling of fire crackers that has sound levels beyond certain specified decibel levels. Also there should be helpline number made available to report high level of noise pollution. Noise pollution can be controlled if the concerned authorities have the will to do so.

Kamothe urgently needs CIDCO's attention

A visit to Kamothe will make you aware of the plight of the residents over here. Kamothe is full of neglected open spots. At one particular spot in Kamothe you will find a large open plot of land surrounded by posh buildings on all sides. This space was once an undeveloped part which later became a dumping ground and now it is a stinking lake with large volume of garbage floating. This lake is now used to throw debris and household waste.
The existence of such a place not only endangers the health of the residents living around it but also it affects the business of the developers who find Kamothe a place where many outsiders want to come and reside or settle down because the residences over there are sold at affordable prices. Many have already come and resided over there. There are residents who have taken big loans and purchased flats over here. These people have no choice but to quietly face the dangers posed by such dirty open spaces.
Kamothe is considered as paradise for builders who are developing multi-crore projects over here. These builders even approached CIDCO's authorities and pleaded to them to do something drastic about these severe problems existing in Kamothe. These builders even pay infrastructure development funds to CIDCO at the time of sanction of any project. What are CIDCO's authorities doing with all these funds? Why don't they utilize these funds to provide all the necessary facilities and amenities to Kamothe region? They are not even bothered about the fact that many parts of Kamothe have become a hell that gives birth to infectious diseases.
As far as Kamothe is concerned, it is high time CIDCO made use of its waste management and health department to get rid of garbage menace and gave relief to the residents over there. At some places in Kamothe the stink is unbearable. The residents keep their windows closed and don't allow their children to play outside lest they fall sick owing to unhygienic surroundings. During monsoon, the situation over here is horrible since the level of accumulated water rises to an extent where it becomes dangerous for residents residing on the ground floors of their buildings. Kamothe also needs proper transport facilities and also medical centers since at present the chances of residents catching malaria or dengue are very high owing to the existence of many open filthy spots over there.
So the residents of Kamothe can do nothing but hope that very soon CIDCO's authorities will feel pity for them and come to their rescue like Gods.



Form a strong auto-passengers' unionThere is no authority or force to control auto-men who refuse to ply according to meters. Why are meter-readers installed in all autorickshaws? They are installed to ensure that passengers are not cheated. Installing of meter-reader was a brainy move on the part of whoever invented it. Meter system was the best thing to happen for auto-passengers.
But auto-men in Navi Mumbai seem to have taken law into their own hands. Many of them don't charge passengers as per meter. They make the passengers pay whatever amount they demand. They are not afraid of Law. That's because they have strong unions which protect and support them. This gives rise to the question as to whether these unions are meant to encourage their members to do whatever they like even criminal things?
RTO officials have launched a crackdown on errant auto-drivers many times. But these actions have failed to bring under control these auto-drivers whose unions are so strong that even political parties have to bow down before them.
In Navi Mumbai many auto-drivers don't care to refer to the meters. They demand any amount they want. Despite several meetings and representations with the authorities no effective steps have been taken to force the driver to use meters. As a result the commuters are forced to travel paying higher fares. Some drivers don't even care to install meters meters in their autos. They settle the fare according to their will. If the passengers question them they use their organizational strength to intimidate passengers. Neither RTO nor policemen seem to have the courage to prevent them from being so high-handed.
What is the solution to this problem relating to these auto-drivers? There is only one solution. It is high-time all the auto-passengers united and formed a union which is much stronger than all the autorickshaw drivers' unions put together. This is the only way to teach these autocratic auto-men a lesson.

Two sides of our world

On one side, the world is a rather nice place to live in - and only becoming better. Despite current economic woes, the world has never been a sunnier place. Rewind 100 years; newspapers were few and far between, accessed largely by privileged men, TV and the internet nowhere in sight, electricity and running water matters of marvel, travel from India to Britain taking months, populations threatened by starvation, epidemics or wars, the world beset with divisions of race, caste, gender and creed - it can't have been too nice. Today, wars have waned, colonialism is firmly contained within the pages of history books, global wealth is far more equitably shared, major diseases stand eradicated, mobiles and social networking sites enable people to communicate thoroughly, international travel takes some hours - and we're all living many years longer to enjoy these developments. Today people harbour a powerful belief in what's possible; leaving behind the dark ages of superstition, myth and discrimination, millions now enjoy a 'can-do' spirit science, rationality and philosophy have bestowed. We live in vibrantly liberal times; Scientists, states and citizens alike are countering global warming with innovation. We live in times where there is freedom and equality, creativity excelled at, the human spirit better-fed and more driven to share resources and solve problems than ever before.
But on the other side life is still nasty and brutish. Just look around you. All you find is a surfeit of urban squalor, traffic chaos, air pollution, raging conflicts over land, water, and so on. For many rural and urban people, life is still an inescapable daily grind. Dwindling farmlands and reduced yields are driving more farmers to cities, themselves bursting at the seams. Behind their glitzy veneer lie sprawling urban slums. The expanding urban poor, living in cheek-by-jowl slums, next to open drains, do not even have proper sanitation facilities. True, they may have mobile phones. But they still can't access decent healthcare. Children and adults continue to fall prey to preventable killer diseases like malaria, diarrhoea, tuberculosis.
Morality and ethics have become passe in a world ruled by profits rather than any lofty credo. We hear about protesting farmers, driven off their lands by powerful political and corporate lobbies; or sweatshop workers agitating for decent wages and work conditions. The world can't be a better place when nations are scrambling for more sophisticated weaponry to kill with greater precision. The threat of terrorism, civilian deaths in war-torn countries have made human lives more dispensable.
Thus these are the two sides of modern world.