Lavasa- Development at What Cost???

Lavasa a picturesque Place near Pune on the endangered Western Ghats is the latest place which is to be ravaged in a planned manner by the developer Hindustan Construction company in connivance with the State Govt of Maharashtra.
The Plans to develop this site was initiated by Supriya sule & her spouse and were amongst the promoters but sensing future trouble they quitely distanced themselves from this mega Project.
The laws stipulate that any all projects situated at a height of 1000 metres & above should be cleared by the Centre and the State Govt does not have any say in the matter.
Lavasa at certain points exceed the stipulated height of 1000 metres and it is but natural that certain vested interests must have corroborated & conspired to give a green flag to this development which blatantly violates Environment protection Act.
It seems that the Promoters of this Project were influenced by the Amby Valley Project(Promoted by the Sahara Group) which too has minted crores by developing a similar site.
The Opponents of this Project is led by Lawyer & former IPS Officer Y P SINGH who has sent a legal notice to the Union Environment ministry Challenging the Clearances given by the State Govt.
We need more of such upright & honest officers who can take on the might of the Centre/State given the fact they know the Challenges having worked in a similar atmosphere of lies,corruption and mismanagement.
Progress which is synonymous to development is a must but certainly should not be at the Cost of ravaging the environment and destroying the fragile biodiversity.

Worry over the BlackBerry

It remains to be seen whether the Indian Govt resorts to a Partial Ban on the BlackBerry.The Canadian counterpart is refusing to buckle under the enormous Pressure mounted by the Saudi/Indian govts against the supposedly intimidatory tactics adopted by the BlackBerry manufacturers who are refusing to divulge the encrypted messages(E-MAILS) originating from/between sender and the ultimate receiver.
The Saudis have agreed to step down from its earlier approach after the US officials intervened in the imbroglio upon insistence from its immediate neighbour.
The Indian Govt has done the right thing by not compromising with the aggressive & rigid approach of Canadian Officials as the nations security is at a threat from terrorists who have kept themselves abreast with the latest gizmos and state of the art technology which can cause havoc at some point of time.
Often it has been seen that the Western World has bullied the the 3rd world Countries by selling obsolete junk material,dumping hazardous chemicals etc and got away with it.
Concluding this we in India hope that none of our Corrupt Politician's jump into this meelee and accept the diktats dished out by BlackBerry.

Common''Wealth'' Games

The Common Wealth games was awarded to India in 2003.Only two months remain for the Games to open and the Games authorities have yet to arrange for the infrastucture associated with it.Some of the infrastucture that was unveiled(leaked??)before the Media could barely stand its Ground and the Ceilings gave in to the monsoon fury leaking like hell.
The Politicians many of whom have assumed the top posts in Various Sports bodies in India viz.(Sharad Pawar-ICC Chief,Suresh Kalmadi-President Indian Olympic Association since ages...,Laloo Yadav-President of Bihar Cricket Association,Narendra Modi-President of Gujarat Cricket Association etc to name a few)have neither any knowledge nor have any liking for the game they so represent.
It is only the Money associated with it which beckons them to this Coveted Post.
Mr M S Gill who vehementely opposed one of the most Upright & Honest Chief Election Commissioner TN SHESHAN(Readers may recollect that Mr Sheshan was unjustly removed from the post and Gill reinstated in his place,as his reforms to cleanse the election malpractices proved to be a thorn in the flesh for many Politicians)is now the Sports minister and hobnobbing with the most tainted politicians in New Delhi was seen unabashedly defending the delay in completion of the Various Stadiums and denying any money laundering by the bigwigs associated with the Games.
It seems that Kalmadi & co did not Share the ''booty'' with Mani Shankar Iyer who promptly issued a Statement that he will be the happiest Person On Earth if the Games Fail.
The Media must be applauded for its sincere efforts in exposing the politicians-Sports nexus which has ultimately forced the Indian Govt not to BID for he ASIAN GAMES scheduled to be held in 2019.May be a bigger Planning was in the Pipeline keeping in mind the Billions that was to be Spent for the ASIAD.
What the Poor Politicians fail to understand is that the games showcase our Country and its Vast ''CULTURE'' but unfortunately their 'VULTURE'' instincts rips off the rich & cultural traditions associated with our great Country.
Kalmadi & Co might be ruing the fact that if they had shared the booty ''COMMONLY''& not accumulated the ''WEALTH''amongst a coveted few then this scandal would probably never had come to light.

Gold Rush @Religious Places

The Sai Baba Sansthan Trust at Shirdi has made elaborate plans to Prepare a Golden Chariot to Carry Sai Baba's deity for a unpecedented amount.The Chariot will of course be made out of the proceeds/donations made by the Public and would be a centre of attraction for all the Pilgrims visiting this holy Place.The throne which has been enacted for keeping Sai's statue too is made of Gold.
Sai baba who resided in a dilapidated Mosque till his death n 1918, wore tattered clothes and roamed the Villages seeking alms for his sustenance.It is well known that he was completely at ease with both Hindu & Muslim Cultures and knew all the scriptures associated with it.He gained popularity with the Common man as he easily mingled with them and preached the Path of righteousness.
It seems that Simplicity & Greatness associated with Sai Baba died with him and he left behind a great legacy amongst a few who built this temple in his memory and a few who are trying till date to create an artificial aura with ample touch of Gold,Silver & Platinum raised from devotees who think that by donating a substantial sum/wealth would Cleanse them of any sins committed during their life time.
Its a sad thing that most of the temples in India have become commercialised structures including the one @ Tirupati (where the Congress Party is the trustee)and where its income runs into several Crores of rupees,most of which is siphoned off by unscrupulous People in the Trust in the guise of helping the poor & the needy.
When nearly 1/5th of our Population fail in their attempt to secure 2 square meals a day what is the need for Sculpturing thrones & chariots of Gold? The same amount Could have been invested for eradicating Child Labour,Providing Free education to the downtrodden,Preventing female infanticide,Providing Health care n remote tribal areas ...the list is endless...
The wealth is there for all to see but the utilisation is always for for non yielding and unrealistic or illogical ventures.

Navi Mumbai Airport-An Ecological Disaster

The Proposed Airport to be constructed in Navi Mumbai will soon swallow the last bastion of Virgin mangroves alongside and sound a deathknell for a large number of marine species associated with it.
No amount of Pressure from the environmental ministry(headed By Jairam Ramesh)is bound to have any effect on Praful Patel the minister for Civil Avaition who is harping on development of the site for the ambitious project come what may.
The rich Bio-Diversity of the mangroves would be lost forever.Some rivers in the vicinity will be diverted which would bring in unprecedented floods in some other area.
It is said that the Present airport at Sahar can handle only about 40 million Passengers and the air traffic would double by the year 2031 and a new airport can is the only solution to reduce the pressure.
The Sahar Airport is surrounded by slums and the Govt should have evicted them long back which itself would have created generous amount of space needed for the growing Air traffic.
However the Govt is more wary of the ''Vote bank'' and hence avoiding this amicable & more logical solution.
It has been scientifically proved that the Mnagroves absorb a substantial part of the Carbon present in the air,prevent floods & the resulting soil erosion and is a ideal habitat for many marine species.
Developement is a must but at what Cost?
We are slowly but surely digging our own graves with borrowed shovels(World Bank Funds)and the future generation would have to bear the brunt of this lop sided development in the form of devastating Tsunamis and flash floods.

Superstition- A Backward Step

Its very amusing to read about an Octopus named 'Paul'with Possible Psychic Powers which has been randomly(BUT ACCURATELY)picking out Winners in the recent FIFA organised World Cup.
The Octopus is Currently weilding its magic wand ..or rather its tentacles in a Sea Life Aquarium in Oberhausen,Western Germany much to the amusement of its bewildered Veiwers who have been mesmerised by its Powers.
Its latest prediction(Spain will defeat Germany in the 2nd SEMI FINAL)was broadcast Live & watched by millions of German Veiwers yesterday.
Imagine this happening in a 3rd World Nation like India most of the Western Nations would have laughed it off and laid the blame on the backward state coupled with the Superstition prevailing in the Sub-Continent.
It would be better to Host the next FIFA world Cup in Germany and let the Octopus Pick the Winner instead of Playing the Game.
It Proves that Superstition is here to stay and human beings being very fickle minded and Prefer the former to a more Scientific & rational approach.

Welcome Step

The Kerala High court yesterday has Passed a stricture which should provide considerable respite to the Common Man.
It has made the state Govt accountable for any strikes or demonstrations which are oftenly held on the roadside causing traffic jams and unnecessary distress to the commuters.
The Communists are the Prime reason which have caused havoc in both the states of Kerala and Bengal which hardly have any agenda and day in and day out all that is Visible is angry Violent protests and demonstrations bereft of wisdom or Logic.
On the other hand the State Govt has showed its helplessness by calling this act as an infringement of democratic rights with even its adversaries in the Opposition Parties Pitching their voice against the Court's Verdict.
The People's faith in the judiciary would some what be reposed by this land mark Judgement and we hope to see more of such cases whereby the Political Parties should be made to Pay for their arrogance.