Vision of Life; by Sanjay

Friday, July 15, 2016

Smart City's Ugly Traffic Scene!

“City life is stressful. Everybody is running around like crazy, stuck in traffic jams trying to make meetings, trying to make ends meet, trying to meet deadlines, trying to get kids to and from activities. There aren't enough hours in the day for all this business”… Rebecca Pidgeon

Rebecca Pidgeon is a British-American actress and singer-songwriter. She has maintained a recording career while also acting on stage and in feature films. She is married to the American writer and director David Mamet. Hollywood actors/actresses one thing I respect always about them is most of them are well read & good thinkers too! I rarely have come across wisdom quotes from our very Desi Bollywood actors, that’s why I am saying this; look at the quote by Rebecca, out of her all concerns regarding city life, one thing is common here in Pune & that’s Traffic! While we as city were in race for Smart City, most citizens concern was traffic & I don’t blame them!

I myself travel every day from Baner road which connects city center to western part of city i.e. Hinjawadi IT park & even Mumbai-Bangalore bypass too! I have done so at every hour of the day in last many years & with each passing day the travel within the city is becoming more irritating, frustrating, sorry & what not! I really want to understand, when we say a city is growing then what it means exactly? Is it just its creating more jobs or more revenue for the civic body of the city or big industries & IT parks getting started or more Start Ups, which is a buzz word right now? I think it’s how the city is making its citizens comfortable in their day to day life is what really meaning of city growing & on that account why me, but ask any citizen & he will say even the basic thing like daily travels within the city also becoming nightmare, leave apart improving the life! Unfortunately we are taking increased population is the simple criteria as growing when its city but what about quality level of this ever increasing population? We proudly read the figures that this is the city with maximum numbers of two wheelers i.e. approximately 2.1 million two wheelers & on top of it nearly 0.9 million four wheelers are there in the city, thankfully not all the four wheelers comes on the road at a time or else can’t imagine the scene of the traffic if that happens! As still distances are manageable in Pune so more people are dependent on two wheeler rides & that’s another reason of maximum numbers of accident causalities too are in this city only; surely not a sign of healthy growth! Every one of us has to travel on some or other road in the city & we have our own experiences towards the travel but one thing is common, whomsoever I speak with each one is frustrated with the traffic problems, worried about their kids safety who uses two wheeler & is sure that nothing can be done with the traffic problem as no govt system is really concerned about this problem, is what common man feel!

On such back ground, I thought of sharing my experience or suggestion about my daily travel which as I mentioned above is via Baner road, a major link of west side, to none other than Hon Municipal Commissioner of PMC. There is nothing great in sharing, just common sense applied to what I have seen on the road.

Dear Sir,

Something about Baner road & traffic congestion on it...

1. First the road width shown in DP in itself is too narrow, it should have been at least 200 ft wide road considering it as a gate way to Pune from west side. Tomorrow even the proposed road from Mercedes show-room on highway to Hinjawadi IT Park is built then more the Baner road will be main connectivity from city to Hinjawadi & then the load will be tripled as of now. So make it 200 ft wide wherever possible right from now & make necessary changes in DP for future development.

2. We can plan parallel roads to the same on both sides connecting to service road of bypass to Baner road at least till Mahabaleshwar hotel chowk i.e. till Symantec. We can plan a road across hill from pan card club & connect it to Baner Pashn link road parallel to Ramnadi, so it will reduce load on Baner road right from Sadananad hotel at bypass.

3. Presently all the buildings along Baner road use their front margin for the occupants commercial use, remove every structure in front margin & use it for parking. Same thing is required to be done for the parking spaces shown in these buildings which are being used for other purposes. Restrict any new hotel/ restaurant permissions along the Baner road, fronting directly on the road as they are main traffic hurdles. Even think of revoking existing restaurants/eateries license after checking their parking arrangements! (Just a wild thought)

4. Major issue is diagonal parking along Baner road & then vehicles double parking. Make it pay & park at heavy rate at all hours of the day; it is a must keeping in mind importance of this gate way of the city. As well use full time police/traffic warden team always mobile in the stretch from Sadanand to National Society chowk. Create public parking lots at regular intervals along the lands adjoining Baner roads, which are still vacant, make immediate changes in DP right now for this. Timing of signals needs to be in proportionate to the vehicle density as well synchronizing of the signals along Baner road both ways is a must so the flow of traffic gets maintained.

5. Try to divert as many vehicles we can from Pashan exit at bypass towards university & destinations ahead; for that either make toll on Baner road or use Delhi idea, odd -even numbers using Baner road & Pashan road respectively for all days of week, going towards city center. Promote Kiwale BRT terminal route outlet for vehicles coming from Mumbai by expressway or Talegaon Chakan towards city center as many even doesn’t know such option is available.

6. Remove every puncture /crossing in the present dividers, so allowing U turns or crossing only at signals & develop parallel road from signal to signal lengths on both sides. For that make permanent dividers & with flower beds as right now there are no green cover all along or in between on Baner road making it extreme dry & heat island!

7. Think of a full length fly over from Sadanad to university chowk or Mahabaleshwar hotel chowk, like eastern free way from Chembur to Dmelo road in Mumbai, but that’s too long term solution, though we need to think of long term also!

8. Needless to say increase bus frequency with good quality buses running from university circle to Hinjawadi, & for that build underground parking lot for commuters’ right at any govt land near university circle, we can think of rural police open grounds for this.

Well, this may be about one Baner road but scene is near about same on all major roads of Pune & even in cities like Kolhapur or Nagpur too! Apart from above mentioned problems, there are few more such as auto rickshaws standing anywhere at their will, while waiting for the customer, so they blocks one lane of traffic. At the same time private cars also with driver in, keeps waiting on road in driving lane. Here I remember my first visit to Singapore, where I waved at one empty taxi (that’s another good signage system having an indicator light on, means taxi is empty & available; unlike here where we have to peep in the rickshaw to check whether its available or not) but the taxi didn’t stop & same thing repeated with few more taxis. I was wondering what’s wrong then a one passer by gentleman asked me that am I new in town? After getting reply as yes from me, he said here no taxi stops abruptly anywhere just because its empty, I will have to wait at designated taxi stop signage & there only they are allowed to stop or else heavy fine they have to pay! On this background look at our city, the auto rikshawalas stop at any moment when they see the prey, yes that’s right term than passenger; this abrupt stopping can even be in midway of traffic causing accidents not just traffic jam but who cares! All it needed is a mobile squad of traffic cops or wardens to move off such road blocker rickshaws as well private vehicles & make heavy fines, who will do it is the question!

The same problem is with Public Transport busses i.e. infamous PMT, now PMPML; they have bad habit of stopping right in middle of road where as there are designated markings for stopping of buses at the bus stops, causing chaos amongst the traffic & even making it a marathon task for the passengers of PMT to get in the bus through flowing traffic, again who cares as the PMPML administration don’t have a full time boss is the sad story so why get bothered with things like buses stopping in road! A simple solution can be having CC TV cameras on all bus stops & monitor the buses by keeping eye on such drivers! And why blame just PMT drivers or auto rickshawalas, even slightest reason of bruising of vehicles can cause the common driver of any private vehicle to stop in mid way & start an argument with other vehicle, without thinking that because of his ego entire traffic is blocked, such are our civic senses!

The footpaths as well so called cycle tracks are joke of the town, as there is board of cycle track so we know it’s a cycle track or else it carries everything but cycles is a fact! The outcome is cyclists as well pedestrians have no place but walk or paddle on main driving lanes, which again is reason of setting the traffic slow as well they expose themselves to danger of accidents too by doing so! Conditions of roads is something I refrain myself of commenting on as so much has been written on this that there is no point in boring my readers with it! Though poor road condition does remains main cause for slowing down the traffic as you need not have to be very intelligent or great planner to tell that good roads keeps speed of traffic fast!

Considering the entire scene of the traffic in city it’s like opposite of the term “Win Win” situation in corporate world; i.e. its “Lose Lose” situation when its traffic! As we the citizens expects public bodies like Traffic Police or PMC to solve the traffic problem but at the same time it’s we the citizens only, who jumps the red signals, encroaches footpaths for our personal reasons, stops rickshaw, our cars or busses in mid-way & park vehicles under no parking signage; so it’s both sides of the coin which are responsible for the traffic mess we are suffering from! I really pity our so called Smartness as the city which can’t manage its own traffic is thinking of becoming Best City in Country, well if we are best with such scene on road than God save the others below in the list is all I can say!

Sanjay Deshpande

Sanjeevani Dev.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1415&v=blgni8HSfDU

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http://visonoflife.blogspot.in/2015/06/agreement-ho-gaya-rabba-rabba-permanent.html

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Sunday, July 10, 2016

Police Raj Over Builder Raj !

“Real Estate cannot be lost or stolen, nor can it be carried away. Purchased with common sense, paid for in full, & managed with reasonable care, it’s the safest investment on the earth”... Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, commonly known as FDR, was an American statesman and political leader who served as the President of the United States from 1933 to 1945. Good Roosevelt was USA President & that’s why he is allowed to make above statement as USA is Land of Opportunities; had our Prime Minister or Chief Minister had made such statement then I can’t imagine what news media as well social media would have made of him for glorifying real estate! As in our country builders are supposed to be the taboo of the society, agreed all need the builders for building their homes yet they are to be bashed up in public, yes that’s what builders deserve is what society feel. Obviously no politician can openly praise builders or real estate is the scene here & our State isn’t exception to this fact! Icing on the top is a recent circular, no its not by Urban Development or Revenue, the departments which are supposed to control real estate, but this time the circular is by none other than top boss of Police Department & it’s to make aware of every police station in charge to be tough against the builders who drifts away from the law of from their responsibility which they are bind under MOFA i.e. Maharashtra Ownership Flat Act!

The circular which has gone viral on social media for individual interests i.e. builder’s associations are panicked & they are going through it as last nail hit in the already sorry state industry; while association like “Grahak Panchayt” are happy considering the circular as victory in their fight against builders of whole thousands of clients are victims for various reason. While I can’t comment on reaction of police stations in charge as they have their own reasons to be happy getting aware about their power over the builders by this circular, it’s important to look in the background of this so called circular by Police department which surely has made builders run for their life! The circular is by Director General of Police & its referred to all the Police Commissioner’s as well SP’s ordering them to get complaints related to delay in possession of flats or violation from the commitments or illegal construction, registered at priority level against the builders & take strict action also, this is under purview of MOFA & file the offense of crime against such builders. These instructions are supposed to go to every police station level under the Commissionaire or SP's in respective cities in the State.

On prim a-fascia it’s harmless as it doesn’t say anything new as these provisions must be there in law is what I assume yet in the history of real estate first time police dept has come up with such a circular is a fact & reason can’t be that suddenly real estate has gone bad to worst! There is lot below the surface than it looks to the eyes of a commoner. Agreed there has been maximum numbers of complaints against builders in consumer forum than any other industry but then real estate is different kind of industry than normal production industry is also a fact. I am not backing builders not saying that clients haven’t been suffered, yet there are defaulters but why it is so, has anybody thought of? Real estate is the only product which client has to pay today & deliver of product gets to him after two or three years, in any other industry you pay on delivery even a costliest car like Ferrari too, one pays at time of deliver major amount. Here in real estate the builder has to pay full from his own pocket to buy the land & then again pay for getting all the plans sanctioned paying every premium as well tax to most govt departments. No bank finances to a real estate firm for land buying or plan sanctioning; now after this the builder launches his project & if the project is of hundred flats & just twenty flats get booked then also he has to complete the project by his own finances, this is what expected from the builder. In between there are hundreds of uncertainty factors which are not in control of the developer & it includes Environment Clearance type Govt NOC’s to obtaining material in time; like recently for nearly four months there was shortage of sand in the market as State Govt hasn’t cleared auctions of the sand lots! Such all obstacles are there in fulfilling the committed possession dates. Joke is the banks which are jumping to give loans to the end user the same banks curtail their funding when it’s financing to the developer itself. Now how can he complete hundred flat projects on booking of twenty flats?

Here many will say that’s builder’s problem or complete the project & then take booking! Simple, this may look, but isn’t viable financially as after loading all financial heads the final costing at which the flats will be open to sale won’t be affordable for which again the Govt & media keep blaming the builders only!

Then there are so many lacuna's in planning due to development control rules as well policies which keeps changing & on top of it obtaining various NOC’s from every known dept at every stage of the building! All this, the builder has to tackle & if he is earning money then every business is to earn money only yet it’s the builder who is on radar of all as a bad guy. Here most people will ask if it’s so then why are still so many people in real estate yet, why they haven’t quit. Well, that time isn’t long with all such attitude as in making home affordable we are making being builder in itself unaffordable! I am not saying don’t punish builders who has deliberately made their clients suffer rather it’s the bad entity in real estate has to be thrown away but the way our Govt has chosen isn’t a right way is what I want to put forward.

As real estate is dependent on too many factors take simple aspect like material purchase; in cities like Pune & Mumbai in real estate exists chains of all ill elements joined together especially in material supply & contracting; & you are forced to buy a particular material from one single source in a particular area or location. For e.g. sand, you have to purchase it from one single person & that guy doesn’t allow any other supplier in his jurisdiction, obviously he is under protection of some Bhai or political leader & local police knows this nexus yet they don’t interfere, so there is no control on quality of the sand he supplies. Any rejection of the sand for quality norms can lead to serious events even beating up of site staff too! In such case if the construction quality gets damaged, is builder alone responsible? And trust me sand is just one example, right from security service contract to excavation type works everywhere this Bhai raj is there! I know here people will say why don’t the builders go to police? Well, try it by your own self is what I will appeal as in our country how many people on their own goes to police to solve the problem? Same is happening on from of simple things like unloading of material at site which is governed by Mathadi Unions, its extortion actually!

Then come the illegal constructions issue; no building is build overnight so if it’s illegal then what the concerned governing authority is doing during the construction? Why police isn’t taking action against such non functional authorities making them also party to the crime? Why wait till some client files a complaint? So many questions are aligned with the said circular in my mind not as a builder but as a common man! Few years back a building collapsed in Ambegaon, a southern suburb of city & a survey was undertaken by the collector-ate for illegal building, what happened to its outcome is still not known to anybody? Why no action is being taken about it by police when even there is life loss & there can be many such in future? Hundreds of causalities occur due to poor maintenance of MSEB live wires or accidents causing deaths of two wheeler riders because of poor road works or road digging, so why till now no one has been arrested by the police leave apart a circular? Just because a developer is available so hold him & screw him is the best way to make common people happy!

And then there are thousands of residents who don’t play their maintenance charges for the services they are enjoying, what action we are going to take about such people? Another aspect is many a times clients also makes his builder suffer for not paying in time as well threatens & blackmail for many issues in the name of law, that’ also should be covered in such laws. My point is in any industry there are good people & bad people, & if bad people needs to be punished then the system if not reward good people but at least protect them from suffering! There should not be misuse of the DG’s circular with every police station summoning every builder in their jurisdiction for obvious reasons instead giving justice to the real sufferer!

With all due respect if this decision has been taken keeping not just elections ahead in all the cities where builder raj is significant but to make the life of common man better, then what about the local governing bodies failing repeatedly in their duty to give proper services to the residents of these cities? Again I am not trying to avoid blame on builders at fault or diverting the subject but look around, we don’t have proper roads, poor public transport, no water supply lines, no drainage & all of this is supposed to be part of the home which a builder gets sanctioned from the local authority. So if the builder is supposed to be arrested under some section of law for cheating his clients with false commitments then why not same law is being applied to local governing bodies which are also defaulting from their responsibilities for providing proper infrastructure to the very residents in these buildings?

Now I only hope for better future of Real Estate, as first there was MOFA to control the Industry, then came RERA, now a letter from Director General of Police asking every police officer to control builders, so what next? Apply Martial Law & bring Army with AK 47 to punish builders in the name of protection of common man! Well by that time no sane person will be left in real estate & those who will be remaining will be like cockroach category i.e. whatever pesticides you bring in, the cockroach will digest & survive to make real estate worst; I think that’s what our Govt wants!

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Planting 2.50 Crore Trees & Killing 250 Nilgais'!

“To be poor and be without trees, is to be the most starved human being in the world. To be poor and have trees, is to be completely rich in ways that money can never buy.” ...Clarissa Pinkola Estés

Clarissa Pinkola Estés is an American poet, Jungian pscyhoanalyst, post-trauma recovery specialist, author and spoken word artist. Similar to William Carlos Williams and other poets who worked in the health professions, Estés is a certified senior Jungian analyst who has practiced clinically for over 45 years. Her doctorate, from the Union Institute & University, is in ethno-clinical psychology on the study of social and psychological patterns in cultural and tribal groups. What Clarissa says about the trees seems literally taken by our State Govt as on 1^st July, the State Govt has decided to plant 2.5 crore i.e. some 25 million trees all across the State; indeed a noble drive & nothing wrong with the idea question is how many of them survive & what about conserving the existing trees? Presently all Govt machinery is busy in advertizing the plantation drive as well making arrangements to complete the target of plantation but on same time there was a news in Bihar State where nearly 250 numbers of Nilgai i.e. Blue Bulls has been shot down & permission has been given for the same by MOEF i.e. Ministry of Forest & Environment! On prima fascia these two events or news will look like nothing common, as plantation of 2.5 crore trees is drive for aforestization undertaken by Maharashtra State Govt where as killing of some 250 odd numbers of Nilgais’ is decision taken by Central Forest Ministry & that to in State of Bihar, so what is common factor? Well today its Bihar, tomorrow it will be Maharashtra is one aspect & second is plantation is indeed good but what is the future of forests in our State? As ours is much more urbanized State than Bihar where Nilagi which indeed is a listed wild animal & has become threat to farmers, eating their crops so they have to shoot it down. In our State every day one or other species is getting absolute, look at the leopard conflicts in Pune rural area; same is nearby Tadoba tiger project where attacks of tigers on human beings, living in the vicinity or project tiger is common.

On one side we are clapping our backs for rising population of the Tigers but on other side of the coin, where is the land in form of forests for this increased population of the tigers? And when I say land for the tigers it means not just forest i.e. trees & tigers but it means where entire life cycle of which tiger is at apex is! As tiger alone can’t survive in the woods, it needs prey in form of deer’s, wild boars, sambhar & many such herbivores animals. And all these prey animals in turn needs their food which is grass, leaf of many trees & fruits of trees like Umbar, Jamun & many more & yes the water bodies too & unpolluted water bodies is important! So all these grass & trees needs land to grow & serve as food courts for thousands of such animals. And along with serving as food court to the animals which are prey for the tiger, these grass lands & trees are homes for thousands of other species which may not be in lime light like tiger but they too are equally important links of tiger’s life cycle! As a forest is complete not with just tiger, deer & trees or grass lands but right from ant house to birds, insects & smaller animals like hairs as well jackals’, jungle cats, snakes & many such is what makes any forest a perfect life system.

On this background in our State which is one of the fastest urbanizing State; major threat is how to make the entire forest survive & just plantation of trees won’t make replacement for the fast vanishing forests is what we need to understand. As ideally out of total land available approximately 33% land should be under forests, where as though no one can be sure but in our State lands under all kinds of forest isn’t more that 15% is what assumed. This is way below the ideal norm & this isn’t definitely a creditable thing for our State! And result of this is major threat to entire biodiversity as every day we are depriving some or other species from its right to live or even survive! Right from pollution of natural water resources which causes loss of habitat for fish & water birds to utilizing every available sq ft of land for purposes like residential, farm houses or industry, we are reducing entire green cover around under the name of development. And when it’s not any of such use then we dig the earth or break the hills for natural resources essential for construction such as sand, murrum or metal i.e. khadi or stone! Reason may be any but end result is same i.e. reduction in forest area. This makes every species other than human being depending on forest either to get extinct or come in human habitats for its basic needs & get killed by humans under the offense of encroaching on humans! High time to remind our own self that development is indeed good but at what cost?

This is where the poor Nilgai’s in Bihar met their fate of getting gunned down as their only offense was their population has increased & they couldn’t buy land for their homes neither can appoint any architect or engineer to build a safe home for themselves, nor they couldn’t find any project where some developer has build homes for them! I can’t blame farmers also, who are victims of these Nilgais as what else you can expect from a poor family which has raised the crop which is their only source of income & in one night if heard of some animals is grounding your hard earned crop to zero, you can’t expect sympathy for those animals by the farmers! Then who is the culprit, if not Nilgais' or the farmers which have pressurized Govt to gun down the Nilgais' heard? I think every one of us & the entire system, especially the one which we call Govt whose job is to see that not only their voters but every living object in the State deserves their home & well being.

Unfortunately our all policies are made keeping us i.e. human beings in focus & that makes us most selfish specie! No, I am no philanthropic or some Saint to make such statement, what I meant is we are foolishly selfish as we haven’t understood what kind of life we want for our own self & yet we are making policies thinking we are doing them for our well being! As imagine a life with luxurious cars, perfect public transport, good roads, flyovers, IT parks, Malls, Schools, Hospitals & Industries taking care of our every need! Yes it will be a good life but without any greenery around or no birds flying in the sky or deer running across the grass lands & no forest around leave apart a tiger roaming in his kingdom or a river carrying black water with no vegetation or fish in it; will we still call it a life? Time has come to define what really good life is for us! I am not against development but whose job is to balance it properly, is the question I will ask!

I think planting 2.50 crores trees is a good move but more than that we should make space available to these trees & agreed every tree is important, may it be scattered across yet we need to focus on creating pockets of trees which can be homes to other species in form of forests. At the same time need is identifying existing such pockets which are in forms of lesser known forests may it be grass lands or shrubs or wet lands & make policies to conserve them. In our State hundreds of such places exist, urge every district governance to enlist them & make a program to conserve them. Tourism can one sure way to generate money for such programs as well tie up with corporate companies & make them adopt these pieces of forests. The only hitch is people don’t believe their money will be used properly for the cause when Govt is involved so we can use local NGO’s for such conservation programs. At the same time another important aspect is ever increasing population of human beings which demands continuously more land for their survival causing limitation for growth of forests! So a strong need is there to take birth control program with equal zest as of the plantation drive, which unfortunately our every Govt has forgotten!

Remember whatever we want to do to protect as well conserve not only the forests but every single tree & specie, let’s do it fast as time is running against the forests! Or else today its poor Nilgai in Bihar we are shooting down for over population, tomorrow god forgive us, we will have to order shooting down human beings itself for our survival; again whose survival will be the question & who will shoot whom!