Cancer Care:Hospital offers EMI scheme

Hospital offers EMI scheme for cancer care

Stanley G Pinto | TNN

Mangalore: You must have heard about EMI schemes for housing, vehicles, white goods loans and clothing. What about EMI for cancer care?

Health Care Global (HCG), a cancer care network in South Asia, is introducing EMI facility for treatment, that too without interest. Dr BS Ajai Kumar, chairman and CEO of HCG, told TOI the EMI facility is available in Bangalore and it will soon be available in Delhi and Ahmedabad.

So how does it work? First, HCG evaluates the patients economic condition. ‘‘Our goal is not to deny treatment to any patient for lack of money. Usually, patients from lower-middle class cannot afford cancer care, which runs into lakhs. We let them decide how much they can pay in EMIs and ask them to stick to it,’’ he said. The doctor said, ‘‘There’s also a section of patients who cannot pay much. For them we help through the HCG Foundation.’’ Recently, an auto driver from Mysore availed of the benefit.

Dr Ajai, a key member of the Task Force which spearheads the health and welfare development of Karnataka, said the idea generated from the micro-credit scheme he had started for rural women in Gundlupet near Mysore. It was part of a World Bank project to provide health care for women in 2000.

‘‘We documented that major source of their expenditure was loans. They borrowed in the four months of distress at 60% interest,’’ he said. Regarding cancer, Ajai said according to WHO, cancer will overtake cardiac disease as the major killer in the next decade and it will be prominent in India and China. The oncologist attributes this to changes in lifestyle. ‘‘The affluent disease like colon, breast cancer and lung cancer will hit the rural population when they go mainstream,’’ he warns.

Dr Ajai, a BC Roy awardee, says the advent of cyberknife, which delivers precise dose of radiation to targets thereby avoiding the healthy tissues, will help manage cancer like diabetes, blood pressure and asthma.

To curb power theft : Ludhiana / Pune show the way

‘Transmission Losses’ (official  term for pilfering or bijali chori) are as high as 40 % in Delhi.

Politicians and dadas and industries drawing power illegally are against any action to reduce power theft.

Novel way to curb power theft

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Pune: The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) has adopted a novel plan to curb power thefts and reduce interruptions in supply to city’s major slum pockets and Pimpri-Chinchwad township.

The method was first tried by the Punjab power utility in Ludhiana and is called the ‘Ludhiana Pattern’. The pattern uses aerial bunch conductors and the electricity meters of consumers are installed atop a tall pole to make them inaccessible. Even the MSEDCL staffers have to use a ladder to take the metre readings.

Aerial bunch conductors have a plastic coating which does not allow the current to pass if a hook is attached to the conductor to steal power. To tap electricity from a normal open conductor all one has to do is put a hook attached to a wire on the conductor.

In Pune, the pattern has been replicated in the Annabhau Sathenagar slum in Sangvi, Pimpri division of MSEDCL. R A Mulani, executive engineer of Pimpri division, said that 114 consumers in the Annabhau Sathe slum were given electricity connections and their metres were put atop a seven-metre-high pole.

“The metres have been fixed in a big box to protect them from thieves and elements of nature,” Mulani said, adding that an aerial bunch conductor was fitted at the point of supply instead of the usual conductor.

Mulani said that another 103 slumdwellers from the same locality have applied for power connections and they too will be given connections using the same method. “It cost us Rs 10 lakh for implementing this system,” he said. Besides preventing power thefts the experiment has also reduced instances of power interruption resulting from sudden increase in load when power is tapped illegally.

The Ludhiana Pattern was also replicated at Janatavasahat slum near Parvati, where 120 consumers were given electricity connections. Fifteen metres each were fitted in eight boxes, which in turn were put up on seven-metre-tall poles at a cost of Rs 2.50 lakh. Consumers in Dandekar bridge slum, too, were given electricity connections using the same technique.

“Since the arrangement makes illegal tapping of power impossible, one does not see the usual mesh of cables on the pole which is a common site in a slum,” explained an official of the MSEDCL.

The officials added that the MSEDCL planned to implement the pattern in other slum pockets in Pune zone.
The project was implemented under the supervision of executive director Uttam Zalte, chief engineer S P Nagtilak and superintending engineer D R Padalkar.

Projects in Mumbai: Grand development plans or an exercise in futility?

Grand development plans or an exercise in futility?

In the last 20 yrs, barely 20% of proposals have seen the light of day

Clara Lewis | TNN

Mumbai:

A tottering infrastructure, disappearing open spaces, an unmanageable population. These are just some of the problems that plague the city; proof that the BMC’s current Development Plan (DP), which will expire in 2013, is a failure. It was nearly 20 years in the making, and towards the fag end of its life, only 20 per cent of the proposals have been implemented.

The first DP for Mumbai was prepared by the BMC in 1964, but was sanctioned in parts by the state government between 1965 and ’67. In 1977, the BMC undertook the task of revising the DP. Once again, the revised DP was sanctioned in parts from 1990 to 1994. Now, the civic administration is set to revise the city’s DP for 2014-2034.

ill date, the BMC has succeeded in acquiring barely 12 to 14 per cent of the total land required to implement the existing DP that is valid till 2013. But the question that citizens can’t help but ask is whether these blueprints for Mumbai is yet another exercise in futility.

Municipal commissioner Jairaj Phatak said the problem with the 20-year DP is that often the planning is divorced from finances. “While preparing the plan, we don’t really take into account the ability of the authority to implement the plan,” he said.
According to Phatak, 21 million sq m of land was to be acquired for various public amenities for the current DP. “So far, 18 million sq m remains to be acquired. The two million that has been acquired has been by way of Transfer of Development Rights (TDR). Only 1.21 million sq m has been acquired under the conventional Land Acquisition Act,” he said.

Ashish Shelar, BJP corporator and standing committee member said: “First, the BMC does not have the will to implement it. Second, there has always been interference from the urban development department, and several changes were made to the DP,” he said.

Urban planners and activists say the DP looks good only on paper. According to Neera Punj, convenor Citispace, a citizens group fighting to preserve the city’s open spaces, there is a disconnect between what is written in the DP and the ground reality. “One of the aims of the DP was to protect open spaces, but over the years these have been dwindling,” she said.

Aims Of A DP | Town planning is the main aim of a DP. Other goals include, but are not limited to:
Proposals for allocating the use of land for residential, industrial, commercial, agricultural and recreational purposes Designation of land for public purposes such as educational, medical and public health institutions Transport projects such as roads, highways, airports, etc Preservation and conservation of green and open spaces Proposals for flood control and curtailing river pollution
What Went Wrong With The Existing DP? | Work on the existing plan began in 1977 and was finally sanctioned in 1993. However, only 20% of the proposals were implemented

Of the 21 million sq metres to be acquired only three million has been acquired till date Another glitch in Mumbai’s DP, say urban planners, is that it is largely drafted by the BMC. In 2007, Madhav Chitale, who headed the panel that examined the reasons that led to the 26/7 deluge, told TOI that, “Town-planning as a scientific discipline is absent in the BMC.’’ He added that civic body needs to have an in-house set of trained town-planners who do not treat land as a commodity and whose plans for the city are not driven by property interests

Response To The DP For 2014-2034
The Expression of Interest is silent on the issue of local participation. Industrialist and civic activist Cyrus Guzder said the plan should be prepared at two levels. “At the official level, you have the strategists who set the vision for the city. At the polling booth level, local residents should plan how their area should be developed. The two should be integrated.’’ The idea of inviting Expression of Interest seeking conversion of salt plan lands into residential and commercial zones has been criticised by urban planners

Delhi Traffic Lights: Some Hope?

Harassed citizens of Delhi have to endure unending traffic snarls due to poor infrastructure made worse by bad maintenance of roads, haphazard dumping of earthwork, metal rods and mulba by contractors working on various projects under the ‘watchful eyes ‘ of MCD, DDA, NDMC.

Traffic lights are almost always on a blink, adding to chaos.

The traffic police do pitch in when the traffic lights are not working, (sometimes for months on end, as in Vasant Kunj, GK I etc).

Why are the traffic lights not working? Who is answerable for the lakhs of litres of fuel wasted by the hundreds of cars, motor cycles , scooters and trucks caught in jams due to non functional traffic lights?

At last the Delhi police is promising some action. But will it deliver?

Traffic signals: Light at the end of tunnel

Upkeep Tenders Invited, Fines For Slackness

Megha Suri | TNN

New Delhi: After months of braving chaos at intersections where traffic signals have stopped working — an average of 90 across the city — there is finally respite. Delhi traffic police has invited a tender for maintenance of signals and blinkers, and this time, the contract includes stringent penalty clauses for non-performance. The contract of the existing companies end in the first week of October.

The tender, published on August 29, is for maintenance of 725 traffic signals and 424 blinkers for the next two years. It will also cover installation of new signals and blinkers. As for the 220 signals which are going to be fitted with intelligent traffic signals (ITS) before the Commonwealth Games, the agreement with the contractors will be amended to include maintenance of them as well.

After the recent downpours, over 130 traffic signals stopped working in the city, leading to complete chaos. The traffic police have now redone the contract clauses to prevent a repeat of the present chaos once the new contracts come into effect. The new agreement sets a time frame for repair of signals — all minor fault should be rectified within six hours of receipt of complaints while all major repairs and replacement work will be carried out within two days.

If any traffic signal remains non-functional for over five days, the police will not pay maintenance charge for that signal. Thereafter, a penalty of Rs 500 will be charged. Even after a work contract is awarded, delays will not be tolerated. The contractor will have to finish the assigned work within a stipulated time. Delays will call for a penalty of 10% of total bill for first 7 days and 20% thereafter.

The new contract will have a clause to ensure that contractors are not paid for cable faults and damages to controllers due to short circuits. They will be asked to fit good quality auto cut devices.

The traffic police will regularly review performance of contractors and will terminate contracts and even blacklist companies if performance is not up to the mark. For monitoring, the contractor will have to install a computerised fault monitoring system.

Said S N Shrivastava, joint commissioner of police (traffic): ‘‘We are trying to improve functioning of traffic signals and ensure monitoring. The penalty clauses in the contract have been made stringent.’’

Getting tough with contractors
Total no. of signals | 725 Total no. of blinkers | 424 No. of posts to be fitted with intelligent traffic signals | 220 No. of signals not working daily | 90 (avg) No. of signals not working after heavy rain | 130 (avg)

Non-functional signals
No maintenance charge will be paid for signals or blinkers which are not working for over 5 days. Thereafter, a penalty of Rs 500 per day will be charged

Blacklisting for shoddy work
The traffic police will regularly review performance of contractors. The contract can be cancelled and the firm blacklisted if work is not up to the mark

Higher penalties for delayed repairs
The contractor will have to finish assigned work in stipulated time. Delays will call for a penalty of 10% of total bill for first 7 days and 20% thereafter

No more cable faults
The contractor will not be paid for cable faults, the most common justification for non-functional signals. They have been asked to fit good quality auto-cut devices to prevent short-circuits

Fault monitoring system
Contractor need to install a computerized fault monitoring system within 15 days that will automatically generate a circle-wise daily activity report for faulty signals & blinkers

KOSI:‘ KOSI’S CURSE WILL VISIT US AGAIN’

‘ KOSI’S CURSE WILL VISIT US AGAIN’

I T WAS in August last year that Bihar witnessed unprecedented floods when a breach occurred upstream of the Kosi barrage and the river suddenly changed its course — converting vast tracts of habitat into a 15 to 20 km wide sheet of water — flowing into some of its ancient channels.

The river was diverted back to the old course through the barrage on January 26, 2009 after restoring an about 2000 m long embankment which had breached.

Rajiv Sinha — a professor of geosciences at IIT Kanpur who has been studying the river for many years — now says that it is only a question of time before there is another breach and flooding from Kosi because the underlying conditions that led to the disaster remain the same.

Sinha says avulsion or sudden change in a river’s course happens when a threshold is crossed — when the cross valley slope is close to or more than the down valley slope.

The Kosi crossed this threshold last year primarily due to excessive deposition of sediment within the channel bed.

The river was literally flowing in a ‘ super- elevated’ position.

It changed its course because it found a new equilibrium.

“ By putting the river back, we have re- created the same ‘ unstable’ condition for the river and it is only a matter of time before the river crosses the threshold!

To the best of my knowledge, no major river training work has been carried out so far to create a more ‘ stable’ and ‘ favourable’ condition for the river to flow along the ‘ forced’ course”, Sinha has opined.

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

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

NHAI: Suit filed against NHAI. and construction co

(Info placed in public domain in public interest.
Hope HT will not object)

93 Deaths so far. Who’s responsible ?

 Hindustan Times Exclusive - 

Who’s responsible for his death?

Parents of boy who died on expressway to sue NHAI,

construction company

Sanjeev K Ahuja

Gurgaon

FOR THE first time since the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway was thrown open for use in January last year, relatives of one of the accident victims have decided to drag the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), concessionaire company DSC Ltd and the Haryana government to the court of law.

Since January 2008, 93 people have died on the Expressway in various accidents and about 50 per cent of the deceased were pedestrians.

Parents of 19-year old management student Rahul Anand said their son died trying to save a pedestrian crossing the stretch at IFFCO Chowk on March 7 for want of footover-bridge. He rammed his SX4 car into a stationary water tanker. The car’s front portion was damaged beyond recognition and Rahul succumbed to his injuries at a hospital later.

Workers of the concessionaire company had parked the water tanker right next to the median on the top lane with no sense of safety of the motorists, said an apparently angry K.S.

Anand, the father of the deceased, with tears in his eyes.

Rahul Anand, the first year student of Indian Institute of Hotel Management, Gurgaon and resident of East Punjabi Bagh, Delhi, was on his way to college to attend the annual convocation when the accident took place.

“The expressway is a killer highway that has taken the lives of many people and this time it was the turn of my son.

So many deaths on this stretch are only because of the reck lessness of the NHAI, DSC and the state government and I have decided to sue all of them,” said Anand who owns a clearing & forwarding (cargo) firm in Mahipalpur and uses the expressway almost on a daily basis himself.

The aggrieved father said his son was driving sensibly when he all of a sudden he saw a pedestrian in front of his car while driving down from IFFCO Chowk flyover.

He said, “My son immediately turned the car to the right to avoid hitting the pedestrian and rammed his car into the water tanker. I do not under stand as to why the tanker was parked on the top lane of the expressway where vehicles run at high speed?

I wonder as to why NHAI and DSC did not construct foot-over bridges for pedestrians?”

skahuja13@gmail.com MAJOR DEATHS ON EXPRESSWAY

February 23: Two pedestrians mowed down by speeding vehicles. Four motorcyclists were also injured at various places on the expressway.

February 8: An executive of an MNC killed when a mini truck rammed into the rickshaw he had taken.

January 19: Woman pedestrian mowed down beyond recognition by a number of vehicles on the expressway.

Key Data

Total Cost

Rs7.5bn

Construction Management

Jaypee DSC Ventures Ltd

Contractors

Jaiprakash Industries Ltd (JIL), DS Construction Ltd (DSCL), Jaypee DSC Ventures Ltd, M/s Rites Ltd, Sheladia LR Kadiyali

Number of Flyovers

11

Length of Road

28km with the possibility of an extra 3km

The 28km Delhi to Gurgaon expressway is one of the most important road construction projects currently underway in India. The road is being constructed by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) and the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA).

The project comprises the widening and conversion of the Delhi to Gurgaon section of the National Highway (NH)-8 into a six- to eight-lane access-controlled highway on a Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) basis.

150,000 passenger car units a day and this is likely to increase by over 7% per annum.

FLYOVERS AND INTERSECTIONS

The expressway involved the design and construction of the following flyovers, which included precast, segmental superstructures, Pre-Stressed Concrete (PSC) voided slab superstructures and cast-in-situ PSC continuous superstructures:

• Rao Tula Ram junction -three lanes
• Palam junction – three lanes
• Mahipalpur junction – eight lanes
• Radison / IGI junction – four lanes
• Rajokri junction – eight lanes, opened in 2006
• Shankar Chowk / HUDA Chowk – eight lanes
• IFFCO Chowk – eight lanes, 90% completed; will open February 2007
• Small flyover near IFFCO Chowk – eight lanes
• South City junction – eight lanes, 90% complete; will open February 2007
• Jharsa junction – eight lanes, 90% complete; will open February 2007
• Rajiv Chowk – eight lanes, opened 2006

Unsung Angels: Chennai and Bangalore

Healthcare for the underprivileged

Dr Georgi Abraham provides free treatment for the poor

Lakshmi Kumaraswami | TNN

(Chennai)

Ask Dr Georgi Abraham, leading nephrologist in the city, about the work he does for the underprivileged and what one sees is a picture of humility. “Everyone does something good for the society. It’s our duty,” he says. For over a decade, he has been treating economically disadvantaged patients for free.
Dr Abraham began the service in 1993, when he came back to India after completing specialising in nephrology in Canada. “I had been to Kuwait, Canada and the UK, where medical care was free and taken care of by the state. Then I thought of the number of patients who would come to seek treatment for kidney disease when I was doing my medicine in Vellore in 1975,” he says. That’s when he decided that he would give poor patients free treatment whether it was for a consultation, dialysis or transplant at Madras Medical Mission and, till recently, at Sri Ramachandra Medical College, from where he has now retired. “I request the hospital to give a subsidy and then ask well-wishers to pitch in,” says Abraham, who gives a part of his income every month for the cause.
According to him, kidney failure is a rich man’s disease and costs at least Rs 10,000 a month to keep it under control. He adds that the CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease) Registry of India, which has data on 35,990 patients, shows that 38 % of the patients have a monthly income of less than Rs 5000. “Most of the time, the patient is either retired or extremely poor. A few days ago, a patient from Pondicherry came to consult me; he was virtually penniless,” he states.
Abraham doesn’t know how many patients he has treated free of cost so far. “Some days there will be six patients, some days none. I have stopped counting,” he says. To help with his cause, he was instrumental in setting up two NGOs — the TANKER Foundation in 1993 and Kerala Kidney Foundation in 2006 — both of which provides dialysis for free or at subsidised rates for the underprivileged and also gives them financial support for treatment.

He adds that to help with the cause, the number of nephrologists in the country needs to increase. “There is a major brain drain when it comes to nephrology. Every year 200,000 people go in for terminal kidney failure and we have only 850 nephrologists to tackle this,” says Abraham who is on the board of the International Society of Nephrology.
However, the doctor feels that moral support for the patients is as important as medical support. “Most people think there is no life after kidney failure. When patients tell me this, I tell them the story of Dr Robin Eady, who at 68 is the longest surviving patient with kidney failure in the world. He never gave up and neither should they,” he says.
lakshmi.kumaraswami@timesgroup.com

Hoping for a better future

Hope Home helps underprivileged kids from North-East

Darinia Khongwir | TNN

Satkholen Ngamsai is just 11 years old. But he’s already seen so much in life. Now, thanks to Hope Home, he’s regained his childhood. Brought here by his uncle from a village in Manipur in 2005, Satkholen has not been home since. He has neither seen nor spoken to his father or siblings. But the love and care he receives is enough to inspire him to become a pastor like his caretaker he lovingly calls uncle.

The uncle is Pastor Obed Haokip, who started Hope Home in 2001 along with his wife Chong with seven children under their roof. Now, there are 32 kids, including three girls. “When trouble arose in Manipur, many parents sent their children to study here. At first, I tried placing the children in other homes, but they were not looked after properly. That’s when I decided to open my own home,” says Pastor Obed. He adds that this home is exclusively for NE children.

Hope Home was initially set up in the pastor’s house. The family along with the children slept in all of the three rooms in it. Now they’ve moved to a bigger house in Kothanur. “Though we still have space constraints, the children are not complaining,” says Pastor Obed.

The children are in Bangalore only to study. “Parents send me their children, but can’t support them. I depend a lot on philanthropists,” says Obed. The kids attend Parikrama and New Baldwin’s School. “Some study free of cost and others on concessions. Two older boys are in PUC in the Indian Academy College and Kristu Jayanti College.”

Currently, Hope Home can only help educate kids up to Class 12. “I want to provide education till they can support themselves.After Class 12,they can pick up some skills that can help them find work.”
That shouldn’t be a problem for these talented children. Five of them who were in Class 1 when they arrived in 2005, finished Class 10 in seven years.

The boys excel in sports too. Henginlen Chongloi and Lamthang Haokip were selected for Karnataka state football team. Jamsei Touthang, 16, won the Karnataka Governor’s Award in the 2007 Republic Day for sports and academic excellence. Neineilam, 16, is exceptional.

She led her school in the Independence Day March Pass and won third place in 2005 and accepted the award from the then chief minister Dharam Singh. The achievements prove that there is, indeed, hope.

(Tell us about similar initiatives at toiblr.reporter@timesgroup.com with ‘Sunshine Schemes’ in the subject line)

Bangalore: Unmanned railway crossing

LINGARAJAPURAM CROSSING

Who’ll manage tracks under flyover?

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: If BBMP and the railways sort out differences on who should manage the railway track under the Lingarajapuram flyover, there could be a quick solution to unauthorized crossing of railway tracks.
Railways officials told TOI that railways and BBMP have been communicating on the issue for at least two to three years. The most recent communication was around October-November 2008 — essentially on who should manage the track under the flyover.
The railways contend that the
track is not eligible to be described as an unmanned crossing as all unmanned crossings are authorized places of crossing. However, the Lingarajapuram track is declared as unauthorized crossing because there is a road-over-bridge or flyover for vehicular movement above the track as per a legal agreement.
The railways also said considering the high traffic on the Lingarajapuram main road, a manned gate was not feasible and after the flyover was built, the entire area was declared unauthorized.
A railways official says: “We put up barriers twice and both times they were removed by people. We are wondering if the BBMP has to now intervene and bring about some resolution as it involves movement of citizens, goods and vehicles.”
The cost of putting up a shelter and equipment for manned guarding is Rs 50-60 lakh and the railways has to hire three guards for three shifts and pay them minimum wages. “We have already spent Rs 10 crore on the flyover and on an underbridge. Should we again incur cost on manning the tracks?” railways officials asked.
Though the railways said the BBMP had agreed to build a road under-bridge, the latter said there was no such proposal but that it was willing to conduct a joint inspection to resolve the issue.
However, the railways said they were willing to put up the barrier/gate if the BBMP is ready to bear the cost.