BDP, Too Many Cooks Spoiled the Recipe !

“In bad countries the government takes care of everyone. In the best ones that's not necessary!‏”… Celso Cukierkorn.

Rabbi Celso Cukierkorn the author of the bestseller
"Secrets of Jewish Wealth Revealed"! Rabbi Celso Cukierkorn is also known in the media as "The People's Rabbi". He helps people from all backgrounds to achieve fulfillment and prosperity by teaching them how to connect heaven and earth in an easy and exciting way. No wonder the person who guides people for meaning of life only can comment in so candid words about govt as what’s govt but people after all! And the reason I remembered his this quote is once again our govt which always is in news for something which usually  creates controversy & when the topic is as vibrant as BDP i.e. Bio Diversity Park in city like Pune then more it becomes talk of town (read media). Well, we may not be a bad country (no, I can’t dare to say that) yet going by Celso’s definition we indeed are so,  as our govt tries to take care of everybody & eventually as usual messed up everything & BDP is not exception to this rule! For those who are lucky enough or ignorant, not knowing what is BDP, for them its piece of land along the slopes which supposedly are hills in & around Pune (PMC) & by the DC rules has been marked for conservation of biodiversity in Pune. For marking this BDP, to my knowledge two criterions has been used, one is the lands which are having slope more than 1: 5 & then a particular datum level contour i.e. height from mean sea level. Though still most people are confused what criteria has been exactly used to decide which land comes under BDP & which doesn’t as in many cases all the lands have been developed by buildings & whatever remaining piece of open land has been shown in BDP! And then there are cases where you can by naked eyes see plain land yet it’s marked under BDP! 

Once a land gets marked as BDP which in simpler words in these lands you can’t build anything but plant trees yet it’s not reservation but a zone. Now again many will ask what’s the difference between a zone & reservation? That’s the joke our govt does in trying to take care of everyone & in the end the purpose of making policy itself get defeated! In a zone you define the purpose only for which the said land can be used but the ownership of land in the zone remains with the owner or land lord of the said land. Means PMC or local authority can’t ever forcefully acquire the said land but when a land is defined as reservation then PMC can acquire such land by paying compensation to the land owner or land lord & then develop the land for which it’s been reserved for e.g. play ground or school, water tank or even road & many such! Now still govt is confused whether to call BDP as zone or reservation as if its reservation then by my knowledge of land acquisition (correct me if I am wrong) PMC will have to give full compensation as per the land acquisition law to the land lords & then only can acquire such lands marked under BDP. But as govt is not sure how to make all people happy, it’s not yet declared BDP as reservation yet it wants to develop the all such lands for purpose of BDP, the question is how? Because PMC (read govt) can acquire any land by only two means, one is by paying market rate to the landlords that to double as by the law or giving TDR of that land which again by current law will be double. Means if PMC wants to acquire land of say 1000 sq ft then it has to pay in form of money for 2000 sq ft or give TDR i.e. potential of building 2000 sq ft, anywhere in city limits!

So as per the latest published policy of giving 8% TDR for BDP once again govt in zest of taking care of all segments associated with TDR as well BDP has messed up the issue as usual. With due respect to intentions & ability of our policy makers, please understand one thing; you won’t be ever able to make all people happy, especially while you are trying to save environment (well, whatever little bit of environment which is still alive)! As let’s see, who are the people whom govt wants to make happy, while it want to save (?) BDP lands too! Obviously the landlords who are voters also i.e. people who owns the land under BDP & there are two categories here, one who surely knows their land is in BDP & others who doesn’t know why their lands is in BDP. Then there are those who have bought these lands when the BDP reservation or zone was not in existence! Till recent no compensation in any form was given for BDP lands as one logic was if no construction is allowed here then why pay compensation for such lands? Well, we forget in a city like Pune where land is gold mine how we are going to protect such huge land bank & assuring no construction will be there on these lands? Govt has no answer to this & result is now nearly one third of the said BDP land has already been build with various types of structures, needless to say most are illegal! As once you call something as reservation means you change the use of the land & then the landlord of such land is entitled for whatever lawful compensation is there. Even for the green belt in existing city limits where similar scene is there i.e. it’s a zone with just 4% (now 8%) construction is allowed but once a road goes through such reservation as the use of the land gets changed i.e. green zone to road, the very same govt has given full compensation in form of TDR in past via many rulings! So how the very same govt will defend its own stance of giving just 8% TDR as compensation for BDP lands? 

Reason is simple, as govt wants to make happy all other factors associated with the BDP too & they are TDR Lobby (sorry for the term but that’s what these entities are called as) & yes how we can forget Environmentalists & NGO’s! No, I am not at all sarcastic about the later part, indeed NGO’s has played major role in keeping Pune in better shape by raising their voice on various civic issues so their concerns also required to be taken care. Since long Environmentalists were demanding BDP may be declared as reservation or not but no construction should be allowed here & all hills (BDP) to be made green by plantation! Though govt don’t have answer how to assure that by not allowing any construction on the BDP lands how they will be green; neither the NGO’s seems very keen about this aspect. Because already the govt (read PMC) itself accepts that there is illegal construction going on BDP lands but what’s action being taken about it, well we don’t ask such questions here! So, for the time being NGO’s are happy for their victory as policy is no constructions on BDP land finely at least by law! And the earlier part too must be kept happy i.e. TDR Lobby, because as per one leading town planner area of land in BDP under private ownership is nearly 950 hectors which makes it ten crore sq ft approx ( 1 hec = 1,07,639 sq ft) & with current land acquisition norms TDR as compensation for this will be double so twenty two crore sq ft of TDR will be generated in PMC limits! What will happen to existing TDR rates which has been given or being given for reservation lands! And this will not make only TDR lobby unhappy but even PMC will suffer because if the TDR rates fall down no land owner who owns land under reservation will agree to give his or her land in lieu of TDR & PMC doesn’t have money to acquire lands by paying in terms of money & State govt is already in debt so it won’t help to acquire such lands by funding PMC means PMC can’t afford to let TDR rates slump!

By the way very same town planner as well many NGO’s are suggesting PMC to raise just Rs 300 crores to buy the lands in BDP from the private land owners. With this logic average rate for land under BDP comes to be Rs 30 per sq ft, i.e. 10 crores sq ft BDP land at Rs 300 crores; do I need to explain future of land handing over for BDP purpose! Here the biggest joke is nobody is sure about the figures, may it be area under total BDP land, may it private land or its ready reckoner rate or actual marker rate, status of legal structures in such land, nothing is clear & this is the reason govt is confused whether to call BDP as reservation or zone? As once declared as reservation then entire responsibility of BDP comes on PMC to acquire & develop it but by declaring it as a zone govt has played safe as govt can always say people are not handing over their lands under BDP, so what we can do? And PMC doesn’t have man-power (some say will power actually) to stop developments in BDP or any govt lands, yet all are happy as such is the policy! But how can we keep blind eye towards what has been happened right under our nose in city center, yes I am referring to Parvati hills! One look at these once green covered & serene hills which runs along the Sinhagad road are now gray covered (read all sorts of structures in it & all are illegal). Same is scene in Katraj & many more suburbs where hill top hill slope policy was in existence by which a person can build 4% as it was zone & not reservation! Neither could we protect the existing hills in the city from illegal constructions nor we could make them green & now we are thinking of applying same i.e. 8% TDR policy to existing city limits BDP lands too! Great, go ahead, as anyways there hardly makes any difference because you can’t kill a corpse so what difference that’s going to make with already gray hills!

Actually the only way State govt (and PMC) has, to ensure to make the hills green is declare it as a reservation & make provision for funds to buy /acquire the BDP lands at market rate, as that’s the legal way. As if you can make fund provisions for Metro & River Development why can’t you make provisions for BDP, is the question I want to ask! But when its issue of funding then the govt has to take care of not only Pune but Farmers, Draught hit people, Illegal Constructions Regularization, Electricity bills waving, Bank Loans wavers & yes seventh pay commission implementations the list is unending, best way is through some policy which will make everybody either happy or confused & till then elections will come & everybody will forget BDP. Those landlords who care for environment (there still are few such fools) or those who are afraid of law (there still are such fools also) will take 8% TDR & surrender their lands. Lesser fools will go in court against this policy & keep fighting over years & someday will get some new policy as outcome. The smart ones will sale their lands to the smarter people with money & muscle & these people will build whatever they want on the BDP lands & one day eventually the our people caring govt will regularize all these constructions! Now the only factor remained is common man (read common citizen) in the city & he hardly bothers about BDP as he has got enough worries on his head like traffic congestions, road pot holes, home loan EMI, children’s school fees, medical bills & many such; BDP is something he won’t bother himself with!

Actually the entire BDP issue makes me remind a story in Akbar Birbal tales. It’s about a parrot which was very dear to Akbar Badshah. “Every morning Akbar used to see this parrot first before starting his daily rituals. One day servants found the parrot dead in its cage & they got very scared as who will inform this news to the Badshah as he will chop the head of such news barer! So they went to Birbal & explained him about the parrot. Birbal then went to Badshah who was waiting for servants to take the parrot to him. Birbal said Jahanpanha, one strange thing has happened with the parrot! Your parrot is doing meditation, he is not speaking, eyes are closed & he is sitting very still! Hearing this Badshah got curious & said let me have a look by myself. So, Birbal took Badshah to the parrot’s cage, one look at parrot & Badshah knew the parrot is dead. He said to Birbal, what’s this joke of meditation, can’t you see the parrot is dead? Hearing this, smilingly Birbal said yes Jahanpanah, he is dead but you said it, I didn’t!” Well, we all know who is parrot in our story, indeed its BDP but problem is all are either servants or Birbal, there is no Badshah in this story who will acknowledge first that the parrot is dead! Till then let’s be happy with a meditating parrot i.e. proposed BDP with all hills green & with chirping sounds of birds in it!

-- 

Sanjay Deshpande 

Sanjeevani Dev.

Please view my sharing about real estate in Pune at U-Tube link below..

https://youtu.be/g3lx1Nq7pBs

Please do visit my blogs to know about our philosophy at Sanjeevani ! (Click the links below)

http://visonoflife.blogspot.com/2018/08/pune-city-no-1.html

http://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.in/

Social Side of Sanjeevani ! (Click link below)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/sets/72157627904681345/

For any of your complaints about city, log in at link below

www.punecorporation.org

Take your issues to Hon PM at link below..

https://secure.mygov.in/#

Think Green, Think Life

www.sanjeevanideve.com

Pune, City No. 1 !

“Dull, inert cities, it is true, do contain the seeds of their own destruction and little else. But lively, diverse, intense cities contain the seeds of their own regeneration, with energy enough to carry over for problems and needs outside themselves.”…  Jane Jacobs.

Jane Jacobs, was an American-born Canadian writer and activist with primary interest in communities and urban planning and decay. She is best known for The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961), a powerful critique of the urban renewal policies of the 1950s in the United States. The book has been credited with reaching beyond planning issues to influence the spirit of the times. Along with her well-known printed works, Jacobs is equally well-known for organizing grassroots efforts to block urban-renewal projects that would have destroyed local neighborhoods. Many writers in their career write more than one book but out of that just one book is enough to make them carve their name in the history of literature, with “The Death and Life of Great American Cities’  Jane has done that. This book as I have referred in some of my earlier sharing is like Bible or Bhagawd-gita or Kurhan of Urban Planning. Sorry if I have hurt some religious minds in comparing these auspicious books but I did it just to explain the importance of Jane’s work for urban planning field! And when the subject is about our very much Pune being ranked as No 1 city in entire country on livability index then whose better words then Jane’s I could have used! Recently the news made headline in all news papers as the city ranked as No 1 City on livability scale as per the survey conducted across the country & its extensive work with nearly fourteen heads on which all major cities are compared & then Pune has been declared as best amongst all in the category of cities up to 40 lakh population! The fourteen parameters are… Safety & Security, Power Supply (electric power), Assured Water Supply, Mixed Land Use, Economy & Employment, Governance, Health, Housing Inclusiveness, Identity & Culture, Education, Public Place, Reduced Pollution, Solid Waste Management, Waste Water Management & lastly  Transportation & Mobility! Well, it’s a through work as all these parameters combinely define life that any city offers to its citizens!

So, first of all I congratulate everyone in this city to for this honor! As when something goes wrong with the city (read services it offers) we all are eager to lash out the system, civic body or govt or each other i.e. govt (read PMC general body in our case) blames administration, administration blames (though not openly) to politicians as well citizens (read builders mostly), Builders blames corruption & license-raj, NGO’s blames all above three & poor citizens blame his or her destiny which made him or her live in this city! But when city gets honor of being No 1 then nobody gives any congratulations to others but everyone is busy in taking credit, right from the ruling party in PMC to those who have ruled in past but in opposition. And as criticism is an inherent characteristic of Punekar’s, many started pointing out flaws in this ranking system itself as well how false this honor is (I don’t blame them fully though) by pointing out lacunas the city has on all the above mentioned fourteen parameters. Some Punekars even went to the length saying this is City No 1 prize is managed by the Pune’s builders as to sale their flats which are unsold due to present recession! I wish its true as had the builder lobby that powerful to manage a nationwide survey then it wouldn’t have waited this long! And yes there was obvious sarcastic special comment from most Punekars, “I wonder if Pune is best livable city in country then what must be the scene in other cities!”

This last comment is very much important as let’s leave sarcastic part of it away for a while but really the way Americans are ignorant about any other country (read world) out of their own country (most Americans are ignorant even world out of their county why country) the same way Punekars are ignorant what happens out of Pune city’s boundaries. Well, thanks god for Hinjawadi IT park & PCMC as well Chakan/ Talegaon industrial estate now Punekar knows there is PCMC also & Hinjawadi but that’s all! Recently few months back the Gdachiroli Police (for Punekars, it’s a district at eastern end of Maharashtra which is our State) while leading a big anti naxal operation gunned down some thirty of naxlites. On this I wrote a letter congratulating the commandos team which was involved in this operation, their chief Dr Hari Balaji & SP Dr Abhinav Deshmukh, both young IPS officers wrote me back thanking about my letter to them but what was more important that they wrote, “we are thrilled & happy to know that people in Pune-Mumbai even knows such place like Gadchiroli exists in this very State & Country!” As while we criticize our city let’s see what really is scene around us & then we will know how lucky we are to have this life style. Why even go out of our State let’s compare with other towns in the State as I come from a small town in Vidarbha (Nagpur region) of this State & due to my work I have travelled all across the State to know about what’s scene on civic infrastructure or life in general, in other towns of the State!

First of all, the honor is well deserved because it’s the same political scene & bureaucracy (Babu Raj) as well attitude of citizens in all other cities which Pune faces. As like Pune (read PMC) every other city which was competing with us in the segment has a Municipal Corporation, elected members, administration set up & they too face problems like political interference, poor collection of revenue due to aspects like GST or wrong taxation or demonetization generated recession! These other cities also face people not paying their property taxes in time, encroachment, illegal construction (read slums), budget constrains & many other which we in Pune also has to face. Yet we in Pune as a citizen does get much better service (read life style) in comparison to all these cities are the fact. This isn’t just outcome of we are best because other cities are worst but a lot more than that which no one ever speaks & this is why I want to congratulate everyone who is responsible to make us No 1. As indeed its great job by the civic body which is governing authority for the city i.e. PMC for us but at the same time all other agencies like MSEDCL (I still love the term MSEB), Irrigation dept & yes Police dept too has large contribution in having this honor for the city. And indeed many organizations, private sector as well NGO’s contribution in their own way is equally important.

If you refer the above mentioned fourteen parameters, each has its own impact on the city’s life but by most important is Water Supply, Power Supply, Safety/Security & Education! As if these four aspects of any city are in place then rest follows especially Employment!

Many Punekar’s will wonder what about public transport & traffic but we due respect these things we need when we are required to move around for purposes like education & employment in & around the city! Thanks, as this city provides the purpose to it’s citizens to move around as look at many other cities which neither has jobs nor things like education which will make citizens to travel for distances! Agreed many people won’t like my logic & let me clear that I am not justifying horrific traffic scene of the city but first accept the cause behind this traffic is what city offers to its citizens! Coming back to the parameters water supply is the Jewel in the Crown of the Pune & I am talking about availability of water sources not distribution! We are lucky to have nearly five dams for just one city & refer pages of history & you will find any city which has flourished over the time has been blessed with good potable water supply! Who better than a man from dry region like Vidarbha can realize importance of water as in many big cities the source itself is problem in water supply. Then comes power supply, Pune circle (region) of MSEDCL generates maximum revenue & where most towns & cities suffers huge power cuts Pune enjoys twenty four hour supply which makes it most favorable place for industries of every sort!

Speak about safety & security, here again many will say the city has no law & order but behold, have you ever visited towns& cities in our State? Well, still there are ladies section & gents section separate in cinema halls & ladies don’t go to late night shows alone in most cities! On this background look at Pune’s night life, there have been incidences of some murders & street fights but this is safest city of its size & it’s due credit of Pune Police as well the cultural background of the city (read citizens) which accommodates any visitor with respect & love! And then education, right from Symbiosis to Bharti Vidyapith to DY Patil to MIT, VIT like private institutes as well COEP,FC College, SP College ,MES College, the list is endless; indeed its Oxford of East! And it’s all these educational institutes which creates raw material for every sort of industry meaning creating more jobs here is what makes Pune more livable as well draws people from all over the country to make this city their home! And as I say once you have water, power, safety & education then no wonder rest all things falls in proper place & all one has to do is monitor the growth! I think this monitoring the growth is what we should focus hereafter as being a good city is curse too as it attracts everybody towards it, result of which we are witnessing already in forms of chocked roads & millions of illegal constructions!

The last part of above para is the matter of concern as its sure great to become No 1 livable city in the country but that doesn’t makes us perfect is what we need to remind ourselves! This honor we should take as mile stone of our journey as this tag will definitely a boon for many industries in the city (read real estate) but then no tag (read honor) comes without a burden of responsibility which in our case is fulfilling the needs of civic infrastructure of the city! Just like the student in the class who comes first, from him or her teachers expects more marks so expects the parents; here also the expectation level we only have raised high with the honor of being No 1 from our city & if we fail to deliver then the very same honor will be crowned on some other cities’ head in coming years! Till then, lets feel happy & get ready to face the challenges ahead as a city becomes livable not by the buildings or flyovers or industries it has but because of the citizens & their attitude towards the city & that makes each of us responsible to protect & maintain the honor of City No 1 & take it further ahead!

-- 

Sanjay Deshpande 

Sanjeevani Dev.

Please view my sharing about real estate in Pune at U-Tube link below..

https://youtu.be/g3lx1Nq7pBs

Please do visit my blogs to know about our philosophy at Sanjeevani ! (Click the links below)

http://visonoflife.blogspot.in/2017/06/conveyance-unique-get-together.html

http://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.in/

Social Side of Sanjeevani ! (Click link below)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/sets/72157627904681345/

For any of your complaints about city, log in at link below

www.punecorporation.org

Take your issues to Hon PM at link below..

https://secure.mygov.in/#

Think Green, Think Life

www.sanjeevanideve.com

Wild Life Film Festival, City & CREDAI!

“A concrete city creates concrete-people! But what the humanity needs is flower-people, cloud-people, stream-people, butterfly-people, and forest-people!”...  Mehmet Murat ildan.

Mehmet Murat ildan’s , Contemporary Turkish playwright, novelist and thinker; as well writer of a play, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi! And who else can write about humanity than the person who can write a play on father of humanity i.e. Mahatma Gandhi! And why I remembered Mehmet’s words is because of a recent event in our Pune! That way Pune is lucky on the front of art & culture which is very much backbone of the city rather the backbone of the city as only those cities have flourished over the time which has kept the art & culture alive & space for the same to row. Yes, this space factor is very much important for art & culture as here space doesn’t meant FSI type i.e. actual physical space but it’s in the minds of the citizens! There should be citizens who can perform or work on art & then there should be citizens eager to acknowledge it & then there should be citizens who should be supporting the first two categories by finance as well physical support as then only the culture will grow strong in the city! And fortunately in Pune all the three categories are there in the form of citizens, needless to say Pune is Cultural Capitol of Maharashtra State! Please note all real estate fellow friends, this is very much important aspect of the city as here people feel comfortable & secured as the culture of the city is so & that’s why more & more people wants to settle here which needless to say are clients of the real estate in simple words flat buyers!

Now those who must be wondering what the reference of this start is, let me tell you nature & environment is inseparable part of art & culture which comes to meet us in many forms via the artists which are nature lovers or nature explorers! There are millions of wonders in the nature & not all persons are fortunate to witness these wonders. Most of us has some time or other watched Animal Planet or Discovery Channels & got awe by the picturization of the wild life which is inherent part of the nature. But many a time we might have observed, these films are from the forests out of India (i.e. Africa, Brazil) & we may not connect with these forests easily as we don’t get to see that kind of terrain around ever. Despite having most diversified wild life yet in our country wild life photography is still for the privileged few (read financially well placed) & rarely one can afford it as a passion or make earning out of it! Rather from Leh-Ladakh’s sub zero temperature to mercury rising to 50 degrees centigrade in Run of Kutch to ever green forests of Eastern States (Nagaland, Arunachal) to Rain clad Western Ghats & then how we can forget the grass lands of Central India i.e. Kanha Tiger Park, with such a diversity of nature indeed our country is dream land for wild lifers! We are the only country where Tiger’s & Lions co exists though not in one forest but as country! Yes there are names like Bhedi Brothers, Nalla Muthu & Kiran Ghadge who are trying their best to capture this treasure of wild life in the cameras in the film form as not many Indians are aware about their wealth of nature & then if aware then also only a few can afford to visit all these wild life places! So, if someone doesn’t knows about what he or she possess in the first place, then how we are going to make them aware about the conservation of such forests as India on the other hand being the second largest populated country (Not very far behind China) & this population is the biggest threat to our wild life wealth! The ever increasing need of this 120 plus crore people makes us encroach on every forest, lake, mountain; grass land even oceans are not spared by humans! And all these issues unless the common man knows about how we can expect him to do something on his own & what better medium than the films to give people feel of the wilderness & as well the way we only destructing this our very own wealth! This is the reason why the wild life film festival held in Pune by Anuj Khare of Nature Walk in association with forest dept of Maharashtra was a significant mile stone in wild life conservation, which too is very much part of city’s culture!

Well, now one will ask what’s CREDAI’s (Developers association) role in this wild life film festival? Is it not the builders who are playing main role in destruction of nature by their rampant concrete jungles? Indeed when the great wild life film maker Nalla Muthu stood to share his experience while making the film on legendary tigress Machali from Ranthambore, most eyes were surprised by the sight of big banner displayed on the back-drop with a tiger’s image on it (incidentally clicked by me) & the logo of CREDAI Pune on the banner! This association of wild life lovers & CREDAI is what made the film festival more interesting as out of all the films screened in the festival barring a few, most films displayed the importance of role of the locals (native people residing in & around any wild life habitat) in conservation of certain specie or piece of forest. As its need or greed in most cases of the people which as I have said earlier has become greatest threat to the wild life in our country & unless we don’t make these natives understand their role in conservation & make them control their greed as well fulfill their needs by other means, the wild life’s’ future is dark! Now if this is true then what about conserving the wild life i.e. biodiversity in & around our Pune city, whose responsibility it is then? Its responsibility of ever citizens of this city to conserve the birds, butterflies, trees, flowers, rivers, hills & even insects in this city & builders (members of CREDAI) too are citizens of this city only! So its obvious that if we want the city green along with chirping of birds  around then it’s the builders who has to get aware that while building homes for the citizens they have to protect others species homes too & that’s why first step was to get associated with the people who are trying their every bit to conserve wild life via this film festival! At the same time Pune is well known for its awareness for wild life conservation as of late more & more people especially younger generation is exploring various parts of the country for knowing about our wild life wealth & even the Pune district has rich heritage of many species around the city. Visit any national park of the country & people from Pune you will find there & the locals from these places does respects Punekars for the enthusiasm as well awareness of Punekars towards wild life, is my personal experience. And it’s this generation which is future client of real estate & I am not hiding this commercial aspect of CREDAI being associated with wild life conservation as nothing wrong I feel about it. If a company (read builder) can sponsor a Derby Race of horses or making some Bollywood Star our brand ambassador to promote his project then why not support wild life conservation movement by making wild life conservation as our USP? Remember any conservation action should be sustainable too & that needs money for various activities & it’s the money you spent for is what makes people know what you are really! If real estate is spending money for wild life conservation movement & getting aware about their role in this movement the I will say that’s best outcome of the film festival, which is a starting step in itself! And then all such events like the wild life film festival are very much part of our city’s culture too, so who else than the builders of the city should contribute for it?

At the same time lest not forget who are the clients of the CREDAI members; nobody else but all those who are citizens of this city & they only have come to watch the films screened at wild life film festival. For them also it’s not sufficient just to watch the splendidly shot movies & got awe & thanks CREDAI for supporting the film festival! No sir, your job is not done as I always mention if you have some good builder available equipped with technical knowledge & giving value for your money then do mind the poor sparrows, mainas, bulbuls or butterflies of this city don’t have any such CREDAI member builder at their service. It’s you & me who are their home builders, so while you book you home just the way you are choosy & specific about having all good & modern amenities for your home, do ask to your builder what he or his company has done for wild life conservation in or around city? I think then only you have right to call yourself a responsible Puneakar citizen & then I will say yes CREDAI’s participation in wild life film festival has paid off! At least the builder should be a CREDAI member as just the way not every individual can go in forest & do something individually for wild life but even by becoming aware he or she can contribute for the conservation. In same way it may not be possible for every builder to actually do something for wild life but he is part of CREDAI which is working in hands with people like Nature Walk & Forest dept is in itself is a start! And then you can always guide your builder what his company can do even individually also for wild life conservation but need is first you understand your role in it! As there only lies the chance of every other specie than human being to survive or else all we will be left with, we the humans & our concrete jungle which will have got life but of no value! But looking at the banner of wild life festival & name of CREDAI on it, I felt all is not lost yet & yes there is hope! And what more as a wild life lover I could have expected but keeping Hope for Wild Life Conservation alive!

-- 

Sanjay Deshpande 

Sanjeevani Dev.

Please view my sharing about real estate in Pune at U-Tube link below..

https://youtu.be/g3lx1Nq7pBs

Please do visit my blogs to know about our philosophy at Sanjeevani ! (Click the links below)

http://visonoflife.blogspot.in/2017/06/conveyance-unique-get-together.html

http://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.in/

Social Side of Sanjeevani ! (Click link below)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/sets/72157627904681345/

For any of your complaints about city, log in at link below

www.punecorporation.org

Take your issues to Hon PM at link below..

https://secure.mygov.in/#

Think Green, Think Life

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Hon. Prime Minister Sir, Lets Do This on 15th August!!

“It is a curious thing, Harry, but perhaps those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it. Those who, like you, have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must, and find to their own surprise that they wear it well.” … J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

No need to introduce our times greatest fairy tell story writer, creator of the wizard Harry Potter i.e. the “chosen one” whose stories not only make kids travel in dream lands but the philosophy of life’s every aspect her books have touched, makes them worth readable for even the grownups!

Friends, why I remembered Rowling’s above quote is a SMS, I received from PMO (Prime Minister’s Office) on my cell phone & sure I wasn’t the only one who has received this SMS as thanks to our tech savvy PM, he doesn’t leave any stone unturned to reach out to share his views with citizens, “Man ki Baat” on the radio channels on every Sunday 11 am, is classic example of the same! This year also as per his tradition Hon PM has invited opinions about topics to be covered in his speech of 15th August i.e. our Independence Day! And for that MyGov app has been created, so citizens can reach to PM; I have downloaded this app & it’s really a great job I must say. People also have responded in great way with suggestions flooding & you can see as well comment on the suggestions & thousands of them are there! Though it’s just part of speech & not solution to what problem you have got with the country,  yet I think as a citizen we should contribute because each of us has hundreds of problems when it’s our country but how many times we offer solutions which are practical & not just emotional or hypothetical, do ask our own self! 

There have been issues like agricultural products rates to condition of general class in railways; one can see cross section of what we the Indians, thinks about our surroundings from the suggestions on MyGov app for PM’s speech! One noticeable thing is whenever you ask someone about his or her suggestions, then people take it as complaint & just one look at these suggestions; all they speak about the problems only! Not one suggestion I saw starting with some positive comment about something good has been happened in this country or with the person making suggestion, I think that’s one curse we as a society have got, that we have forgotten to look at life’s brighter side! Many will say (read most) that what is good to speak around, see the rates of every commodity rising, on the top of it there are taxes (GST specifically), jobs are getting scarce, we have problems of traffic, railways are always full, education is getting so costly & then what about medical facilities & what not! 

Today a farmer has worries about rains & if rains are good then there is over production & reducing rates of the grains or agro products becomes a problem. Same is with milk products, either there is shortage or there is scarcity of milk, affecting the milk producers. The businessmen are worried about the taxes & high interest rates on finance they have taken as well the License Raj & corruption along!  Even the professionals like doctors are worried about high establishment costs & then the increasing legal hassles as well suffering due to violent reactions prom patient’s keens! The blue chip IT companies are bothered about our foreign policies as well ever decreasing rates of Rupee in comparison with USD & high salary packages by their employees & the Auto industry is worried about ever increasing prices of fuel like Petrol & Diesel & power supply along with labor unions issues. The real estate is worried about increasing costs of labor & raw materials, making the end product i.e. “Home” out of budget of buyers as the sales of flats is been dropping along with the prices! The banks are worried about managing NP accounts, reduced loan takers & yet to show the balance sheets which will make people deposit their hard earned money with these banks! Even the safest placed “Sarakari Babus” i.e. govt servants are worried about meeting the targets, complaints in ACB, rights of information act & their 5^th, 6^th or 7^th pay commission & yes promotion policies is always an issue! Lastly the so called common man who is a salaried person in some private sector or a rikshawala or a small merchant, is worried about everything right from his job (read daily earnings) to managing fronts like kids’ education, daily grocery purchases & installments of his one bhk home as well the fuel in his vehicles which he has to use because of lack of public transport! On the top of everything, the Govt (read MP’s MLA’s in ruling) itself is worried about reduced revenues, huge loss making public sector companies the govt managing (read feeding i.e. Air India), salaries of its govt employees, creating new jobs as well a huge job of keeping 120 plus crore citizens happy! PM Sir don’t mind, this is what our country is & it’s no fault of yours!

Speak with any person you come across on road, in public bus service, even in air travel (which was supposed to be for riches only) & ask how his or her business, profession or job is going on & 99% will reply, “It sucks”! Is there not a single person happy in this country, is what I wonder but then that’s tendency of the masses! People are always eager to speak about the problems they are facing as well about their sufferings & feel happy by doing so. Seldom will you find someone thanking his luck or god (never govt) for giving him or her good life, that’s the way human psychology works & when PM himself asking for issues then problems only are bound to get poured! So PM sir please don’t expect solutions to the problems country is facing or positive remarks for the efforts you & your team are taking but I will urge you to appeal people for being positive towards the goal you want to achieve for our country!

I have suggested two issues, one is appeal for every citizen to follow the rule when outside of home & that is "One Country One Religion" & that will we be Indian! As look at USA, the citizens may be Catholic, Protestant, Muslim or Buddhism, Jew or Hindu but on their religion doesn’t gets out of the four walls of their homes & on road all are just Americans! But here in our country ask any person, what you are & the answer will be I am Brahmin, Maratha, Marwari, Jain or Bengali & what not but Indian! As in addition to the religion we have a cancer named caste which has become biggest hurdle in uniting our country & if unity is strength then we are fast killing our own strength! And then it’s this caste system which makes two people enemies of each other; as the reservation in education to govt job to promotions, are byproducts of caste system. No, I won’t ever say there should not be reservation (though in no developed countries reservation concept exists on caste or religion) but looking at the disparity in our society, reservation has to be there just like support to needy ones! Unfortunately this support seems has become right of few & people are using it like crutches than trying to stand on their feet! And remember one thing Sir, till one caste is getting reservation then other castes will always have hatred for that caste & the country will be never really at peace! Let’s not forget peace is not absence of disputes or violence but its presence of justice! So please appeal to our fellow citizens that reservation by caste is not ever going to solve the problems in-front of the country but a system identifying & supporting the real needy ones is the thing we should focus on! And yes no politician however he (or she) agrees with this logic will try to touch caste system as it’s nearly an impossible job & which may cost a politician his career but then Modi Sir, History is created by doing impossible jobs only, which you can!

Second issue is population as we all love children (reflection of god, we call them) but someday every child is going to grow & then if it won’t get enough space of his or hers then it will becomes a burden on the earth! Here space meant in education, in food, in residing everywhere & it’s this ever increasing population which is killing our nature. As to give space to this population we need to cut trees, pollute our water resources & encroach mountains & hills! And with ever increasing useless population it is impossible for any government to provide basic infrastructure to this population making it turn in worst weapon as this jobless, education less population only which becomes mob gets active when any protest turns destructive destructing everything, especially the togetherness of the society! Today why are we facing problems of reservation more strongly than ever before as every person of every caste & religion wants his or her growing space everywhere! Today this uncontrolled population’s fight is for reservation in education & jobs, tomorrow this fight for survival will gulp everything right from food to sports & then it will be too late to control the damage as all we will be left with is hatred between the individuals under the name of caste & religion!  PM Sir, all you can do is, appeal people to make them aware as well the system named govt, to control the population of this country & importance of having one religion i.e. Indian, as then only we can afford to dream for healthy & peacefully strong India!

I know, I am asking for too much & one man won’t make the difference yet that one man is a must as however big & strong an army may be yet it’s like headless body without its General to guide that army in right direction in the battle!

Unfortunately both the issues  i.e. caste system & population control has become like taboo for our politicians as the one who will touch them has every danger of getting swallowed by himself by those issues. But then that’s price of being PM of country like India, provided you want to create a history which will take your name with respect & that respect wouldn’t be for your caste or religion or restricted for having a photo-frame in every govt office but that respect will come from within by every citizen who will proudly can say that his or her caste as well religion is Indian! My all wishes for your speech on 15^th Aug 18 as well times ahead!

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Sanjay Deshpande 

Sanjeevani Dev.

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