Bangalore’s open drains

Another drain death and yet another drill of blame game

H S BALRAM

Why do our authorities run around in circles whenever they face an emergency?Why do they go on the defensive and engage in blame-game?

Why are they quick only in reeling out the reasons for a problem than finding a solution? Why do they fail to act upon umpteen promises made and decisions taken? Why do they refuse to learn from mistakes?

Take the killer drains of Bangalore. Four months ago, six-year-old Abhishek was washed away in an overflowing storm water drain. His body hasn’t been traced yet.

Four days ago a one-and-ahalf-year-old Vijay met the same fate. No trace of his body too. In both the cases, civic staff and fire force men went through a gruelling exercise of scouring the drains full of silt and filth. All in vain. The families of the victims are spending agonizing days.

The war of words that we witnessed after the Abhishek tragedy has surfaced again. Citizens blame the BBMP for not only leaving the drains open but also failing to desilt them. The BBMP in turn accuses the citizens of not taking care of their children during rains. It also charges them with throwing garbage into drains and choking them.

Then it turns to developers and accuses them of encroaching upon drains, narrowing them in the process and preventing free flow of rain water. While the blamegame is on, what does the government do? Just doles out compensation, makes some promises and retreats till another tragedy occurs.

Two senior ministers are in charge of Bangalore city. We have a minister for urban development. An adviser to the CM on urban planning. A proactive commissioner at the helm in BBMP.

A task force called ABide that works closely with the CM and makes recommendations. Many private companies are ever ready to chip in to resolve the city’s woes. RWAs are ready to help the civic staff rectify problems. Where then are the hitches?

Is the BBMP afraid of taking on the encroachers because of their political connections? If so, then the CM must step in, stand by the BBMP and give it a free hand to clear all encroachments at the earliest. The government cannot dilly-dally on this.

Is there difference of opinion on closure of drains? If yes, what are the arguments of those who oppose it? Can’t experts put their heads together and arrive at a consensus? The lives of citizens are at stake.

Sadly, we seem to wake up only when a tragedy occurs. We pledge religiously to work towards averting such tragedies. And then forget about it once the euphoria dies down. Only to wake up with a jolt when another tragedy strikes us. It’s time we stopped blaming one another and joined hands to make Bangalore a better place to live.
PARTING SHOT

Lesson for Late Latifs
Our netas have a lesson to learn from US consul general in Chennai, Andrew T Simkin. A couple of days ago he was in Bangalore to launch a ‘virtual consulate’. But he couldn’t reach the venue as he was caught in the city’s infamous traffic jam. As he was behind schedule, he called the venue and asked his staff to go ahead with the programme, so that ‘nobody should be kept waiting’. The programme began soon after with a consulate official launching the website. When can we see such professionalism in our netas?
balram.singh@timesgroup.com

IIT IIM : Professors aggrieved by HRD ministry actions

In a war of words the IIT / IIM professors are no match for Kapil Sibal who is a lawyer by profession, and also a politician.

He also has the wily bureaucracy behind him.

The aim of HRD ministry is ‘total control’. The dons cannot beat the bureaucracy.

Upset over pay, IIT profs to teach on empty stomach

Directors Label Protest An Ego Issue

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: The IIT faculty all over the country will teach but on an empty stomach on September 24 in protest against the pay revision announced by the HRD ministry on September 16. But their protest has not gone down well with the IIT directors who label it as an “ego issue”.

The matter seems to have hit a logjam. On September 25, a meeting between IIT faculty and directors has been called to sort out the issue. “The IIT faculty is raising ego-based issues not data-based issues. They want the moon,” one IIT director said. The All India IIT Faculty Federation (AIIITFF), however, says their protest is not about money.

“There is a big misconception about our protest,” one IIT-Bombay faculty member said. In fact, the teachers point out that the pay commission recommendations have gone beyond the mandate and “infringe on the autonomy” of IITs.

“We have a flexible cadre system that cannot accept regulations on the number of people hired at any level. Specifications such as 10% of the total faculty has to be hired at the level of ‘assistant professors on contract’, only 40% of professors with six years of experience at that level can advance to the next academic grade pay (AGP), etc. go against this spirit and cannot be accepted,” AIIITFF said in a statement.

“How is it about money?” one faculty member asked. But one IIT director said, “There is no way that autonomy of IITs can be affected by the government order. Every professor in IIT has enough independence.” It is also pointed out that the faculty bypassed the directors and directly approached HRD minister Kapil Sibal.

AIIITFF has also pointed out that there is an open selection policy for all advancements in career, wherein the candidates are judged on academic criteria like teaching effectiveness, sponsored/consultancy projects undertaken, masters and PhD thesis guidance, research publications and corporate responsibilities.

“Those who meet the criteria advance to the next level.” There is no space for defining in advance limits to how many people can be promoted, AIIITFF said.

IIM-A board to meet on Sept 25

Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, board will meet on September 25 to take a decision on the implementation of a new government order on pay structure that has been opposed by the faculty members, sources said.

The IIM-A faculty council during its meeting held on Saturday had opposed the government order on pay revision and asked IIM-A director Samir Barua to delay its implementation by a month. PTI

Andher Nagari: Delhi’s death traps courtesy MCD

DELHI DITCHED

Sinking feeling in civic void

TOI team alerts city on more open pits and manholes but civic agencies seem to be faltering on their promise of covering the gaping holes by today

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

The TOI campaign against uncovered pits and manholes in the city seems to have stirred civic agencies into action. After TOI published the photograph of an open drain in Rajouri Garden on Thursday, the MCD promptly placed precast slabs on the drain. The civic agency had earlier too reacted to a TOI report and covered open drains and manholes in Shahdara and ITO.

Deputy commissioner, west zone, S C Kohli, said the drain cover had been broken by the sanitation department during desilting work on Wednesday but precast slabs were put back on Thursday.

‘‘The sanitation department and all executive engineers have been directed to ensure that all dug-up spaces in their wards are properly barricaded to prevent accidents and inconvenience to the public. The drain, of which a picture was published in TOI on Thursday, had been left open after its cover was broken during desilting,’’ said Kohli.

However, the civic agency was unable to provide information on the status of other gaping holes which too had featured in TOI. Though MCD had stated on Wednesday that all open pits and manholes under its jurisdiction would be covered and under-construction sites properly barricaded by Friday — a fact admitted by director, press and information, Deep Mathur — more open pits and manholes were discovered by TOI on Thursday. MCD was unable to respond to our queries on this matter.

Meanwhile, Vikas Marg again emerged as a sore point. Picture of an open pit at Vikas Marg had been published on Wednesday and PWD officials had claimed that all other troublespots would be taken care of immediately. However, two new spots were found along this stretch on Thursday.

Said a senior PWD official: ‘‘The stretch in question has been handed over to DMRC. We spoke to the chief engineer, DMRC, and were assured that corrective action would be taken.’’

Meanwhile, residents of Chandni Chowk claimed that open drains and sewers were still a problem in their area with no agency taking any action to ensure safety measures. Said Sanjay Bharghav, secretary of Chandni Chowk traders association: ‘‘Delhi Jal Board is carrying out deep sewer work along the central verge in main Chandni Chowk.

Besides a strip put by them as a safety measure, the open pits, which are very deep, are not barricaded. When it rains, these pits get filled with water making it very difficult to assess the exact depth of the pit.’’

Andher Nagari: MCD Pit becomes a death trap

He survived an aircrash but not an MCD pit

The uncovered pit in Malviya Nagar that

77-year-old Trilok Makan (inset) fell into

LURKING DANGER: Several such pits have been dug up on this road

New Delhi: Seventy-seven-year-old Trilok Nath Makan survived a plane crash in the ‘90s, only to die after falling into an eight-feet deep pit left uncovered by a callous MCD contractor right outside his south Delhi home.

Makan, who retired as additional private secretary to former Prime Minster Atal Behari Vajpayee, lived in B block of Shivalik road in Malviya Nagar.

He had stepped out to buy groceries from shops near his house at 8.15 pm on Friday. The pit on the divider, where work was underway to install new streetlights, was a deathtrap sans warning signs or barricade. To make matters worse, the area was dark because the power had been turned off while the streetlights were being installed.

Makan didn’t survive the fall, probably lapsing into unconscious right away and therefore unable to use his cellphone to seek help.

He suffered from a chronic cervical problem. The preliminary autopsy report suggests he died ‘due to the fall’. His body bore bruises on the head, neck and left temple.

But till late on Saturday night, a case had not been registered. A senior police officer said, “prima facie it looks like a case of negligence but there are chances that he might have suffered cardiac arrest and fallen into the pit.’’ Police are waiting for the postmortem report.

Reconstructing events, the police said Makan might have blinded by headlights as he emerged from the colony’s gate.

Divider was deathtrap with no streetlights MCD Orders Probe, Says Guilty Will Be Punished; Evidence Of Negligence Not Far To Seek

New Delhi: There was heavy traffic on Shivalik Road in Malviya Nagar where seventy-seven-year-old Trilok Nath Makan fell into a pit right outside his house. ‘‘There were no streetlights working on the road as power had been disconnected.

There is a possibility that he was blinded by the headlights of a vehicle and could not see the pit,’’ said a senior police officer.

Police said they were investigating the matter. Makan’s family had spent a sleepless night. When he did not return after half an hour, his wife, Jai, called up a family friend. ‘‘We started looking for him in the nearby areas and enquired from the shops outside the colony but failed to trace him. We then informed the police and several search parties were sent out,’’ said joint secretary of RWA Rajan Grover.

About 10 hours later, Makan’s body was spotted by the cashier of a grocery store, Abhishek Kumar, who informed the police at 6 am on Saturday. The body was taken to All India Institute of Medical Sciences where doctors declared him brought dead. Makan was the vice-president of the local RWA of B Block.

‘‘New streetlights are being installed on the stretch between Aurobindo College and Malviya Nagar. There are 22 such pits which have been dug and left like this for the past two weeks,’’ said a resident Jayant Choudhary.

MCD’s director (press and information) Deep Mathur told TOI that ‘‘public safety is of prime concern whenever digging or construction is carried out. The work at Shivalik is being carried out for Commonwealth Games. The contract for this work had been given to Sawaka Powertech Engineering Private Limited. We have directed the officials concerned to submit a written report within three days.’’

‘‘Our officials have examined the spot. If any lapse is found on the part of the contractor, he will be prosecuted as per the contract, and if it is a lapse on part of our officials, action will be initiated against them accordingly,’’ he said.

Makan is survived by his ailing wife. His two sons died in their teens due to illness, claimed Makan’s relatives. ‘‘His wife, Jai, cannot move and we are worried who will take care of her now,’ said Makan’s nephew, Sudhir Kalra.
rahul.tripathi@timesgroup.com

NREGA: Implementation woes

UTTAR PRADESH

Pucca work, kuchcha payment

Ashish Tripathi | TNN

When the gram sabha announced the scheme a couple of years ago, young Manoj Rawat’s heart swelled with hope: a guaranteed job for 100 days every year meant that the boy could stay at home earn, take care of his parents besides pur suing his studies.

Today, the NREGA is this landless Dalit labour er’s last option. The 18 year-old says: “During the last season worked for two months but got paid only for 28 days, and that too after a long wait. It’s better to work as a farm labourer which at least gets you Rs 34-40 at the end of the day.”

Asti village, situated in Bakshi Ka Ta lab block, has over 500 Dalit, backward and Muslim families. Payment delays is a common complaint here. Which is why the half-completed kuchcha road being laid under the scheme looks deserted these days. With the sowing season on no one is reporting for work. There are also complaints of caste and communal bias in enrolment.

The pradhan, Rajveer Singh, belongs to the dominant Thakur community and keeps all the job cards and bank passbooks issued to villagers under NREGA in his custody. Many al lege that he takes “their thumb impres sions to withdraw money from the bank but takes away a substantial amount on the pretext of paying government offi cers for getting funds sanctioned.”

The pradhan denies this but admits villagers are unwilling to work because of payment delays. He blames the bank for this. “The staff doesn’t cooperate and most of the time their computers are down.” As for ‘custody’ of job cards and passbooks, he says most of the villagers are “anghootha chhap” (illiterate), so he has to maintain records for them. The scheme seems to be faltering here.

However, the ambitious project has made an impact in districts such as Bara banki where activists have been able to mount pressure on the administration to act. G K Shukla, a Lucknow-based con tractor, says the inflow of labour from Barabanki has dropped significantly “People now get easy employment in their village,” he says. But in places like Asti, the old feudal system continues with pradhans replacing the landlords.

Lucknow district UTTAR PRADESH

Maharashtra

Suicide belt on debt row

Snehlata Shrivastav | TNN

Yavatmal MAHARASHTRA 

Sometimes it only takes a single statistic to tell the whole picture Driven by penury and despair, at least 860 farmers have commit ted suicide in Vidarbha’s Yavatmal dis trict during the last three years — the same period that the NREGA has been in operation.

The scheme’s poor show ing in one of India’s most industrialised states is most glaring where it is need ed most — the state’s debt-ridden cot ton belt. Of the Rs 20-crore cumulative grant for the scheme, only Rs 8 crore has been utilised so far.

The unutilized Rs 12 crore allocated to 1,205 gram pan chayats was diverted to other projects in the district. While the villagers claim they never got any work, the adminis tration and the panchayats are busy blaming each other for the situation.

The TOI team visited three villages in Pandharkawda taluka — Mandoli Wanzari and Umri — and found that a majority of villagers registered under the NREGA had not got any work at all since 2006. A handful who worked on a check dam in Wanzari for about 15 days are yet to be paid.

“We had to lift huge boulders, it was hard work. But none of the 25 men and women employed for the job have got their money. We don’t even know whom to approach,’ says Laxmi Maruti Atram, one of the workers.

At Umri gram sewak Prakash Dhamankar and sarpanch Dattatrya Malgade claimed to have employed 15-20 people on seven projects for roads and ponds, but prevented the team from meeting any of them.

The only beneficiary around was Maruti Domaji Meshram, who said he had earned Rs 12,000 from about 30-40 days of work in a year. But other villagers in Umri alleged that Maruti was a favourite of the sarpanch. Kantabai Maruti’s next-door neighbour and many others said they had a job card but only got work for a day.

Yavatmal MAHARASHTRA

RTI:The hungry ones get rations now in Fulzar vill, Gujarat

RTI fought off hunger for these BPL families

Vijaysinh Parmar | TNN

Farmer Laxman Chauhan

Rajkot: The written word can’t fight pangs of hunger, but a Right to Information (RTI) application can. If some of the poorest families of Fulzar village in Jasdan taluka of Rajkot are not living a desperate hand-tomouth existence today, it is largely because one among them filed an RTI application and exposed loopholes in the Public Distribution System.

Farmer Laxman Chauhan, 25, has ensured that his family, and others like him, don’t have to live a desperate hand-to-mouth existence any more by demanding to know his right under RTI.

In the last few months, the families have started receiving the ration entitled to them under the Central government’s Antyodaya Anna Yojana, a specific scheme for families who are the poorest of the poor even among those living below poverty line (BPL).

Chauhan filed the RTI application five months back to know the amount of ration entitled to BPL, above poverty line (APL) and Antyodaya families. He sought all details including the number of BPL, APL and Antyodaya families in his village, how much ration (wheat, rice, kerosene and sugar) was distributed in the village and how much ration should reach beneficiaries of the Antyodaya scheme.

“When we received the reply under RTI, we came to know that Antyodaya card holders are entitled to 16.5 kg wheat at Rs 2 price per kg every month. Also, each Antyodaya card holder is entitled to 16 kg rice at Rs 3 per kg every month from fair price shops. But the ground reality was Antyodaya families in our village barely got five kg rice and 5 kg wheat every month. After the RTI application, everyone gets the full ration,’’ says Chauhan.

“We accepted whatever was given under the scheme as we had no idea what was entitled to us. Now that we know and ask for it, we get it,” says Vallabha Sarviya, an Antyodaya card holder and casual laborer in Fulzar. “There are 318 ration card holders in our village.

Of them, 12 are Antyodaya card holders, 32 BPL card holders and the rest of holders are APL. A single RTI application has given them their right on their doorstep,” says Chauhan.

Farmer Laxman Chauhan files RTI application to know the amount of ration entitled to BPL, above poverty line (APL) and Antyodaya families

In the reply, he comes to know that Antyodaya families in his village barely got 5 kg rice and 5 kg wheat every month.

After the RTI application, everyone gets the full ration

Karnataka: Muddled Language Policy

A complete generation was devastated and made uncompetitive by the No English policy of Basu and his communist cronies in West Bengal.

Politicians  from UP and Bihar with their chauvinistic approach towards English crippled a whole generation.

Karnataka, once a state of flowering intellectuals , has fallen on hard times.  Last two decades have seen chauvinists taking over the education policy. Much to the disadvantage of children.

Who will stem this rot and when?

Long-winded journey…

… Of School Language Policy

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: The state’s troubles with the language policy in schools date back to the mid-’90s, and has seen many a twist and turn over the years. Here’s a look at the chronology of events.
1994: Private societies are allowed by the government to run English-medium schools under the grant-in-aid code
1995: Following a Supreme Court order, government disallows setting up of English medium schools. Medium of instruction from Class 1 to 4 in schools set up post-1994 must be in a mother tongue or Kannada. Medium of instruction can be in English only from Class 5. Private schools challenge the government rule in the high court. Final verdict is awaited.
2003: The Raja Ramanna committee recommends the re-defining of primary schools from Class 1 to 5 and not Class 1 to 4. Government accepts the proposal. Schools were told to submit fresh registration to teach in Kannada medium up to Class 5.
August 2006: Government realizes that over 2,400 schools were teaching in English though they had obtained permission to teach only in Kannada. Primary and Secondary education minister Basavaraj S Horatti orders immediate closure of these schools.
September 2006: Following public outcry that three lakh children cannot be penalized, that too in the middle of the academic year, for the fault of school managements and an education department which didn’t even know about these violations, government says they will be allowed to continue till April 10, 2007.
October 2006: Government de-recognizes 2,200 schools and says these must shut down on April 11, 2007 immediately after the academic year ends.
March 2007: Government directs errant school managements to pay a penalty ranging from Rs 25,000 to Rs 1 lakh to get recognition once again.
April 2007: School managements/association led by Karnataka Unaided Schools Management Association (KUSMA) approach the Karnataka high court.
May 2007: High court stays penalty levied on schools but says they must teach only in the medium instruction for which they have been given permission.
July 2008: The Karnataka HC partially quashed the language policy, going in favour of schools. HC says the policy is not applicable to unaided institutions and also restores parents’ liberty to choose the medium of instruction.
November 2008: Government challenged the Karnataka HC verdict in Supreme Court. Meanwhile, schools took shelter in the HC verdict and applied for English medium schools. State government applied for Special Leave Petition.
May 2009: Schools fighting to retain English as medium of instruction have said they will urge the state government to maintain status-quo in private unaided and minority schools on the language issue until the Supreme Court responds to a Special Leave Petition filed by the state government.
July 2009: High court directs state government to implement the verdict.
ANGRY JUDICIARY Governments may come and may go, the society and the rule of law must prevail. We doubt how many of them there have read the verdict. Persons in higher offices have ridiculed the court’s order. They have no common sense and they are not serious. Everybody has become an expert. Nobody, not even the government is above the law. Today’s kings think that they are above law; they have to be grounded to show their place. We’ll not be party to this lawlessness. Of late, excuses have become rule of law.
RELIEF FOR KAGERI A division Bench headed by Justice Manjula Chellur rejected the criminal contempt plea against minister for primary and secondary education minister Visweshwara Hegde Kageri for his media statements on implementation of language policy. The Bench opined that the complainant M S Khan, who runs a educational institution in Ejipura, can file a civil contempt against the authorities. MANY VOICES
There are approximately hundreds of applications pending before the state government for starting an English medium school. Most of these are from Bangalore. We are yet to get the exact number of applications. Meanwhile, we are studying the high court’s directions, and a decision will be taken soon.
R G Nadadur | PRINCIPAL SECRETARY, PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
Over 3,000 schools took permission from the state government after 1994. Around 1,000 schools have applied for English as medium of instruction across the district. Though the state government has filed Special Leave Petition (SLP), there is no stay on that. Hence, the court has asked the government to file court orders.
Krishna Iyer | GENERAL SECRETARY, ASSOCIATED MANAGEMENT OF SCHOOLS
The session on Friday was adjourned to July 8. There was no final judgment, so I can’t really comment on it. But I am expecting better results.
G S Sharma | PRESIDENT, KARNATAKA UNAIDED SCHOOLS MANAGEMENTS’ ASSOCIATION

RTI: CIC Maharashtra gives activists a tough time

The job of a CIC , even a sincere one can be tough.

Some like Mr Wajahat Habibullah deal with matters and people with sagacity.

CICs are invariably babus, who as a matter of right have spent all their service life, procrastinating and denying information to the lowly, voiceless, powerless,  ‘common man’.

To be suddenly pitchforked to a job that requires accepting that the janata also has any rights on information is bad enough. But what is worse is that the lowly janata has the insolence to insist on information being provided in time and in full.

‘Off with their heads’ say some CICs.

Ed

The information received about the arrest and ill treatment of RTI activists, in the office of Dr Joshi, CIC Maharashtra, has been sent to his office for comments, and will be placed on the website soon after.

WATER, WATER… WHERE?

PIL POWER FOR PEOPLE’S PIPELINE

High Court direction to BMC.

Do you know?

(i) Mumbai’s 160 km long, over 100 years old water pipelines were laid by Britishers when the population was less than 1 million which is 15 million today.

(ii) 90 km. of which running overground, are guarded by only 10 guards, with one vehicle and no proper communication system?

(iii) 33000 slums are set up on or around pipelines which are exposed to terror attacks.

(iv) Slum dwellers puncture the pipes for water.

(v) Pipes at many place pass through gutters, contaminating water through rusted and leaked pipes.

(vi) daily leakage is equivalent to daily water supply to whole of Pune City i.e. 700 million litres.

PIL No.140 of 2006 filed by Janhit Manch came for hearing to-day before Hon’ble Justice Nazki and Hon’ble Justice Ms.Tahilramani where I appeared in person.

Today the Hon’ble Court was pleased to direct the Mumbai Municipal Corporation that an affidavit be filed by the Commissioner before the next date of hearing on 10^th June 2009 containing the complete plan for revamping the whole network of pipeline, the estimated cost, the resource mobilisation and replacing the time for commencing and completion of the project.

If BMC asks for 3 years (say) time, fine. Mumbaikars are assured thereafter for uninterrupted and clean water supply.

Bhagvanji Raiyani

President

Janhit Manch.

09820403912

Impending water scarcity looms over Pune villages

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Pune:

The blistering heat has sure had its effect on the district’s thirst. The water scarcity in Pune’s rural areas is quite acute this summer. While these villages consumed 50 water tankers in June last year, they are expected to cross this figure in the second week of May itself.

“It is just the first week of May and over 39,000 residents of 24 villages and 135 vaadis have started calling for water tankers. By the end of next week, the number of tankers supplying water to these villages will cross 50,” said officials in the district administration.

Saying that they have registered more demand for water tankers from rural areas this year, Prakash Kadam, resident district collector, said, “The situation is quite serious. The water level has dipped in dams and the demand will continue to rise till the monsoon arrives. The number of villages facing scarcity also will go up this summer.”

“The live water storage at Nazare dam in Purandar tehsil has gone below 0%. The villages nearby are being supplied water from the dam’s dead stock,” he said.

Kadam said that recently, a meeting to review the scarcity in Pune District was called by the district collector. “All departments under the district administration have been asked to tackle the scarcity situation on priority basis. Out of 13 tehsils, nine depend on tankers for water.” he added.

Surprisingly, even though the water resources have dried up, there has been no demand for starting works under the Employment Guarantee Scheme (EGS) in any of the tehsils. “Over 300 works pertaining to digging and repairing of wells and water supply schemes will taken up in the district soon,” Kadam said.

Elaborating on the water supply for Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, Kadam said, “The dams supplying water to these cities will last till July. Our top priority is to fulfil the needs of drinking water.”

Where is the WATER?

With polls nearing, one sees million promises of better prospects here, there, everywhere. Can these airy promises make any difference to a city drying out of a basic necessity?

Jayashree Nandi and Aarthi R | TNN

Bangalore: The city is reeling under severe water crisis. But why is it that the country’s Silicon Valley, which has always been the fountainhead of innovation in all sectors, denied the most essential element needed for its survival — water. What are the causes and what can be done to bring some relief to the people, we look at the related issues.
LIMITED SUPPLY
The city gets water from Cauvery basin through Thippagondanahalli Reservoir as well as different stages of Cauvery schemes undertaken by BWSSB. The total quantity that can be drawn in a Hydraulic year — not only for Bangalore but also for other towns and cities and industries located within Cauvery basin — is limited to 8.75 thousand million cubic metres (TMC).
This is the amount out of the 17.22 TMC for urban population as per the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) award. “As this quantity’s been already drawn recently, we have no choice, and we can’t draw more water from rivers in Cauvery basin. This could bring to an end all future industrial and urban developmental works in Cauvery basin,” predicts Capt S Raja Rao, former secretary, minor irrigation and development department.

INCREASING DEMAND
Limited supply is another problem for expanding Bangalore. BMP enlarged to BBMP, bringing 7 CMCs, 1 TMC and 110 villages into its fold — all thirsting for Cauvery water. Also, the new international airport, Metro Project and the proposed mono-Rail Project will need substantial water from BWSSB.
If this was not enough, BDA, BMRDA and the Karnataka Housing Board are planning large residential projects. Many private builders have developed large areas for habitation.

The number of Ring Roads, peripheral roads and interconnecting Ring Roads have also increased the horizontal extent of city development. All with one need — water.
RISE OF BOREWELLS

Indiscriminate construction without assured water supply has led to random digging of borewells. The state has permitted water to ‘water intensive’ industries that require over 2 lakh litres per day, but many don’t have access to assured water supply till 2012. The industries are spread around the city.

This has made the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) take a stand that no clearances will be given to industrial or housing complexes, malls and hotels unless there is assured water supply.

“There is a particular case where a builder has paid huge amounts to BWSSB, but supply is still pending. I haven’t cleared it. The apartment is ready and tenants want to move in. The builder is frantically running around to settle things. But how can I give the clearance?” asks KSPCB chief H S Sharathchandra.

At Highgrounds — where most ministers reside and Cauvery connection is available — poor supply means borewells dot the neighbourhood. Though BWSSB has assured water supply to Bangalore International Airport, other activities around the airport that require water rely on borewells.

This is a cause for concern as the area was declared parched in the early 1960, and can’t sustain the load for long.
Borewells are not just servicing household requirements; many are making a business out of it by supplying water in tankers to those in need.

BUYING FROM BWSSB
In Whitefield and Electronics City, industry associations are buying water in bulk from BWSSB and selling them to members. According to KPSCB, this is not a viable proposition as saturation point will soon be reached and there won’t be any water.

RECYCLING WATER
Many apartments and some hotels like Taj Westend, Grand Ahok and Windsor Manor are relying on treatment plants and recycled water. Also, the borewells recently dried up completely at Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium. There was no water to maintain the park, so now treated water is being supplied from Windsor Manor for its maintenance.

Even officialdom is batting for recycling. “We hope to get in more water through other measures like rainwater harvesting, which I’m hoping will make a mark. Rejuvenation of lakes and tanks alongside recycling might augment supply for non-potable use. We also hope to get in some measures to restrict wastage,” says BWSSB chairman P B Ramamurthy.

FROM WHERE WILL BANGALORE GET WATER CONSIDERING…

Bangalore Rural and Urban Districts are already classified as ‘over exploited’ with respect to ground water sources CWDT has put a cap on use of surface water in Cauvery basin The ‘New Ground Water Bill’ will not permit drawing any further ground water
RESIDENTS’ WOES
We’re waiting for Cauvery water for the past four years. We’ve paid the amount for the connection, and have a bill that acknowledges the same. But they didn’t give us a timeframe for the supply. We’re now dependent on borewells, which worries us. But it’s strange that an IT park adjacent to our layout, which came up long after ours did, gets regular Cauvery water. Worse, they use the water to maintain their gardens while we don’t have it even to drink! — Mukesh Agarwal |

VASWANI GOLF VISTA APARTMENT OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION, CHALLAGHATTA

We were to get water every alternate day but it’s just namesake. Over 4,900 residents are suffering here due to erratic water supply for the past one week. Many are from middle and lower-middle class, and they have to hire tankers that cost Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 every month. Filling a 2,000-litre sump each time costs Rs 200. And we’re not very sure of the quality of water supplied.

Also, new pipelines were laid here three months ago but nothing has happened since. Even the debris is uncleared —

M Chandra Reddy | INDIRANAGAR RESIDENTS’ WELFARE ASSOCIATION, 2ND STAGE, HAL

It’s been more than two months now. There is irregular water supply in Sanjaynagar. We get water every alternate day, but what we get is hardly 40% of the regular supply. And there are some who don’t get water at all. In addition to paying the water bill, we also pay for the tankers — Rs 300 once a week. It’s so difficult to see regular ‘satisfying’ supply — V Satyamurthy |

SANJAYNAGAR RESIDENTS’

WELFARE ASSOCIATION DRYING UP FAST
Some hotels rely on treatment plants and recycled water. The borewells recently dried up completely at Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium The quantity laid down by the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal has already been drawn. So more water can’t be drawn from rivers in Cauvery basin, ending all future industrial and urban developmental works in the basin

Construction without assured water supply led to digging of borewells, which are fast depleting . Karnataka State Pollution Control Board will not give clearances to industrial or housing complexes, malls and hotels unless there is assured water supply

Andher Nagari:Judiciary:HC nails five cops for rape frame-up

This is just one of the many cases where there has been miscarriage of justice.

Today the entire policing, prosecuting, and judicial system is so convoluted that criminals are seldom touched and innocents are punished regularly with impunity.

HC nails five cops for rape frame-up

Policemen Face Up To 7 Yrs In Jail For False Charges

What about the prosecutor who prosecuted innocent persons,and the judge who sent innocent persons to Jail?

Ed

Abhinav Garg | TNN

New Delhi: Five policemen who framed four men in a gangrape case at the instance of a prostitute, resulting in the accused’ conviction a decade ago, have now been nailed by the Delhi High Court which on Friday slapped criminal charges against them.

Justice S Muralidhar, while acquitting the four convicts, Pankaj Chaudhary, Gunjesh Chaudhary (brothers), Jai Lal and Mohammed Kasim found that the cops who were posted in Hauz Khas station in 1997, had framed these men.

HC has now asked the registrar general to ask the trial court to begin criminal proceedings against the five cops
— SI Jai Bhagwan, ASI Prem Chand, inspector H M Bakshi, the then SHO and two head constables Ratan Lal and Sagar Chand.

All five face the possibility of minimum seven year jail term under various sections of IPC for fabricating evidence and giving false evidence in court and have been slapped with a fine of Rs 25,000 each, payable to the innocent men. Interestingly, an internal inquiry by Delhi Police had established as early as 2001 that the four were framed by the five policemen.

The woman who alleged she was a gangrape victim, on whose testimony the men were convicted in 2000, will also face action for lying, HC ruled.‘‘This case is an instance of how a false criminal case, instituted in connivance with obliging police officials can virtually ruin the lives of innocent persons..it also demonstrates the value of the right to appeal and need for self corrective measures within the police and judiciary,’’ Justice Muralidhar noted in his verdict, lamenting that the four men had to carry the stigma of being rapists for all 12 years which is ‘‘unlikely to be erased for sometime notwithstanding their acquittal by this judgement.’’

Granting them relief with costs, HC also gave three months time to the state government to compensate the men, also leaving it open to them to knock the doors of human rights commission for relief. The case stemmed from an FIR lodged by Hauz Khas police station in 1997 where a woman alleged she had been gangraped by four men in Katwaria Sarai area of the capital.

The cops fabricated evidence to suit the allegations, leading to the four men being convicted for the crime by a trial court in 2000. The real reason, as was discovered later, was that the men had protested against her presence in their area, asking her to leave. She retaliated by alleging rape.

However, in an interesting twist, a second FIR lodged on the same night, surfaced from the same police station, recording that the woman had been arrested for prostitution and was cooling her heels in the lockup at the time she alleged she was gangraped. This led to the men moving HC, urging it to declare them innocent as they had clearly been framed, as also concluded by the police inquiry. B

But the entire process of inquiry, retrial on the basis of additional evidence and HC dealing with their appeals took up the next nine years, with the result that justice has come to these men only in 2009.
abhinav.garg@timesgroup.com