Dinesh Kamath's news 'More public toilets to be constructed in Navi Mumbai?' that was published in Newsband

More public toilets to be constructed in Navi Mumbai?

By Dinesh Kamath

NAVI MUMBAI: There are chances of more public toilets getting constructed in Navi Mumbai. There was a time when Mayor of Navi Mumbai Sagar Naik was very keen to see to it that more public toilets came up in the city for the benefit of many city residents who feel deprived of proper toilets close-by.

Navi Mumbai is developing rapidly and so also the population is constantly on the rise. This makes it necessary for the city authorities to construct more public toilets to cater to the needs of the rising population.

It is not enough just to construct public toilets. These toilets should be properly maintained too so that they can be used by even decent people. Some people are of the opinion that these public toilets are meant only for hutment dwellers or those residing on the footpaths. They are not aware of the fact that sometimes the people residing in the air-conditioned homes also find the need of such toilets.

There are many factories, industries and offices located in Navi Mumbai and hence many people from Mumbai, Thane, Raigad and other areas find the need to visit Navi Mumbai for work. The number of such people visiting Navi Mumbai has risen considerably with time. With the rising number of visitors to the city, hawkers too have increased in number. There is a rise in number of hawkers to cater to the needs of the rising population and rising number of people who visit the city for some work or the other. Now it is the responsibility of the city authorities to see to it that these visitors and hawkers are provided with proper sanitation facilities. If the civic sense has to prevail in the city, there is an urgent need of more toilets for the benefit of these hawkers and visitors. Constructing public toilets requires as much priority as improving the condition of roads and sewerage system and providing of other civic amenities.

There is no doubt about the fact that Navi Mumbai has become a major business hub in Maharashtra. People not only from neighbourhood but also from other states find the need to visit the region for business purpose. This factor and to prevent defecating by certain elements in public places it is extremely necessary for the city authorities to provide enough public toilets to both the residents and visitors in the city.

Santosh Iyer, the resident of Nerul, says, “Our local leaders do make promises of coming up with public toilets and other facilities which are urgently required. But it is only when elections come close that they begin to implement their promises. I wish our politicians did their duties with the intention of making the lives of city residents more comfortable rather than just for garnering votes. They should not do some things just to appease the voters. They should have that will to improve the conditions in the society whether they are in power or not.”

There have been news circulated that there will be more public toilets coming up in the city and if this is true then many among those residing in the hutment colonies and footpaths and also the constant visitors in this city will experience a kind of relief. 

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Congress routed but BJP’s future uncertain' that was published in Newsband

Congress routed but BJP’s future uncertain

Congress was routed at last. It was forced to embrace defeat on a scale too shocking to behold. It crashed to a historic low of Lok Sabha seats and votes. It could not even claim the position of Leader of the Opposition in the lower House.

It has become a habit with the party to attribute triumphs to the Nehru-Gandhi family while placing the blame for failures on a mythical “collective” leadership. Rahul Gandhi, during the election campaign, spoke about democratisation of the party’s moribund structures. What he failed to realize is how dynasty rule and democratisation process could go together. The family was the Congress’s life source, its oxygen. But the nation gave a verdict against the family rule.

Depending on the dynasty without bothering about the caliber is the bane of the Congress. They also harped too much on the past, sacrifices made by the dynasty without talking about the present and future plan of action. They also carried on with their appeasement of particular segments with the eyes on the vote bank which automatically led to the polarisation to the detriment of Congress.

Congress party is so full of sycophants. Even after this huge defeat, you hear only these sycophants from the party taking turns to pretend/protect the "Gandhi family."

It was not just an emphatic rejection of Congress, but also an 'emphatic acceptance' of Modi. The fallout of Congress is not only because of the so called dynastic politics but also because of the failure of producing good governance and the extent of the scams under its service. It is high time that Sonia, Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi packed up and left the party alone as they have little to offer other than dynastic feudalism in the largest democracy in the world. Why they believe they should be at the top is beyond comprehension. They have done enough damage and it is time for them to make a graceful exit.

Who knows the party may survive by adopting internal democracy and finding a true leader somewhere among the 1.2 billion Indians who toil thru the land.

It is not that Bharatiya Janata Party’s future is secure. Their weak point is they have not come up with a second-rank leader. They have no answer to the question ‘Who after Modi?’ 

Editor of Newsband Dinesh Kamath captured by Photo Journalist of Newsband Ashok Dhamija's camera while he is entering the Newsband office at Vashi, Navi Mumbai

Editor of Newsband Dinesh Kamath captured by Photo Journalist of Newsband Ashok Dhamija's camera while he is talking to his Reporters in Newsband office at Vashi, Navi Mumbai

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

Video: Dinesh Kamath utters Rajesh Khanna's best dialogue

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'India and the U.S. should sort out their differences amicably' that was published in Newsband

India and the U.S. should sort out their differences amicably

India and the U.S. are having differences over intellectual property rights (IPR). This can affect the economic relations between the two countries. India may lose the chance of being considered as a Priority Foreign Country (PFC) by the U.S. It is possible that U.S. might impose trade sanctions. The two countries should sit together, discuss and sort out the matter. India should present its case effectively to counter the pressure from the U.S. lobbies.

The uproar created by the US in the name of IPR is the well planned strategy to protect the profit making interest of its business lobby. US is creating pressure over India instead of defending its case in World Trade Organisation and this shows the ill intentions of this powerful nation. India shouldn't bow down against US and should give reply with equal intensity and tell US that those intellectual they are defending - most of them belongs to India or are of Indian origin.

India systematically needs to use a combination of its judicial and parliamentary processes in order to keep US economic aggression on the backfoot. This requires a concerted strategy from India on several fronts. Modi’s government should work towards sorting out this difference with the U.S. amicably.

To be innovative today is a key to be powerful tomorrow. Patent encourages innovation and ensures protection of State. WTO guarantees protection through IPRs along with flexibilities. The flexibility helps nation prioritize and choose greater good for humanity. India used these flexibilities twice during the past. It is difficult to understand as to why the U.S. didn’t like this.  However, any decision which will severely affect the economic relations must be avoided. U.S. must open up and understand India’s position. India’s role must be acknowledged by the U.S. and it should not resort to arm-twisting.

If the U.S. felt that India was doing something wrong why didn’t it present this case before WTO? Clearly it appears that US knew that taking India to WTO would be a futile exercise as India was working by the book. The question is whether US is bullying India so as to produce a warning effect on other countries?