Earning Daily bread in India.

WHAT HAPPENED TO MY PHOTOS ?

THE PHOTOS SHOWED WORK BEING DONE WITHOUT SAFETY MEASURES. 

HAS SOME ONE REMOVED THEM DELIBERATELY ?

No safety belts ,

No helmets ,

No Safety precautions whatsoever.

May be no compensation either in case of a mishap or a drop ,

 That would be worst then " KA " dropping from the name of the building .

Added on 08 December 2013.

I saw this tower being erected during my morning walk on the 5th of this month .It was being built and I saw people working on it without any safety equipment or safety precautions. That is when I had taken two photos were put up on the blog  on the 5th and which have now been removed by some one.

What struck me most was that those involved in the erection work and working on the structure  at heights of more than 15 to 20 feet above the terrace level were working without helmets , safety ropes or apparently without any safety precautions whatsoever . It forcefully brought home the fact that by and large we by and large ignore safety precautions in our industry , take for example , welding and machining on lathes being done without eye protection , construction of multistory buildings by clambering on rickety bamboo structures , whitewashing of exteriors of multistory  building hanging on a rope ladders etc . One can go on with list of activities being carried out without regard to safety of workers .All this is done to save money , without realising the risk to the workers .

My intention in putting those pictures on the blog was to increase public awareness  about our negligent attitude to SAFETY .

The photos were not offensive at all so How can they be removed by by whom & for what reason. Apparently and logically only  company and / or contractor carrying out the job would remove them fearing penal action .

IS there any way we can find out and / or restore the photos .

Suggestions welcome .

Letter to Editor : THE MORNING AFTER SUNDAY MARKET / रविवार हाट

sir,

Some time back onions were selling for ₹ 100 a kg.

Around that time green vegetables , Spinach ( Methi & Palak) were selling around ₹ 50 per kg .

As per regular routine , we had our Sunday vegetables market on 01 Dec 13 .

At the start of the market around 1530 to 1600 h Spinach started at around ₹10 a bundle. By 1700 h it was selling at ₹ 5 a bundle . by winding up time it had come down to two bundles for  ₹ 5.

During my morning walk following scene greeted me .

THE MORNING AFTER SUNDAY  MARKET  /  रविवार हाट 

Lugging back the unsold vegetables was not considered worth  the trouble by the shopkeepers and Vegetables were just dumped at the market site. WHAT A WASTE .

As per the report submitted by Emerson Climate Technologies , Fruits , Vegetables and Grains worth ₹ 440,00 crores per year are wasted due to improper storage . Of this amount, contribution of Fruits and Vegetables is 133,00 crores. all this wastage  due to non availability of cold storage facilities .

 "Currently, India has 6,300 cold storage facilities unevenly spread across the country, with an installed capacity of 30.11 million metric tonnes. Studies have shown this is half the amount of cold storage facilities that India actually needs. Cold storage capacity for all food products in the country should be more than 61 million metric tonnes. In order to reach that target, the report says an investment of more than  ₹ 550 00 is needed by 2015-2016 just to keep up with growing fruit and vegetable production levels"(quote from Emersion Report.).

Food security scheme announced by Government covering 67% ( two thirds ) of our population is going to cost ₹125,000 crores . Every one KNOWS out of this ₹ 125,000 crores actual benefit reaching the starving population for which the scheme is launched may be , optimistically  , three forth. . Minimum of One forth of this amount , ₹ 31250 crores will find its way in pockets of corrupt politicians and Babus.

IF THE GOVERNMENT REDUCES THE SCOPE OF THIS FOOD SECURITY SCHEME JUST BY ONE FORTH ,  IT WILL MEAN SAVING OF ₹ 31250 CRORES . WITH THESE SAVINGS , WITHIN TWO YEARS, OUR COUNTRY WILL HAVE MORE THAN SUFFICIENT COLD STORAGE CAPACITY NOT ONLY FOR FRUITS & VEGETABLES BUT EVEN FOR GRAINS.THIS WILL PREVENT WASTAGE OF FOOD PRODUCTS WORTH ₹ 440,00 CRORES PER YEAR.

We may even be able to do away with food security scheme.

Why is it that such simple mathematics is not understood by our Politicians and Babus . To top it all our PM is supposed to be world renowned economist .

OR is it the TRUTH THAT POLITICIANS REALLY DO NOT WANT TO ERADICATE POVERTY . IF POVERTY IS ERADICATED THEY ARE DEPRIVED OF VOTE BANK POLITICS . 

If that was not so we would not witness scenes like 

THE MORNING AFTER SUNDAY  MARKET  /  रविवार हाट  

Yours sincerely,

PM Velankar

Fate of Government welfare schemes.

Sir ,

Ms Sonia Gandhi , with tremendous fan fare and in the glare of publicity launched Rajiv Gandhi Jeevandayi Arogya Yojana in Nagpur . The very first health card  under the Yojana was personally handed over by Ms Gandhi  to one Shakuntala Bhagat selected by Government machinery to be a person below poverty line.

Major head line in the paper now claim that First BPL health card holder is a rich lady . Now "rich" is a relative term , but if  son of Shakuntala Bhagat owns a Maruti Alto car , the mother can not be a BPL person . Benefit of the scheme clearly having gone  to a person who does not deserve or merit it .The But then this has been the story of ALL the welfare schemes costing thousands of crores of tax payers money . In all the schemes major part of that money  has gone down the pockets of politicians , Babus and the middle man .  it has not  gone to people for whom the schemes were meant.That is also the reason as to why, despite of  all those crores of money spent quality of  of life a a person in BPL.

PM Velankar.

Letter to Editor : None Of The Above : aka NOTA.

Sir , 

For the last 20 - 25 odd years or more ,  time since corruption in the places of power , the Babus and Politicians had acquired such mammoth proportions that it was becoming impossible to vote for a person who was not corrupt.Right thinking people   had almost stopped going to the polling booths or they went to elect a person who was least corrupt.

NOTA provision has come as a breath of fresh air and a game changer . Urban voters and right thinking people now  have the right and the choice to  reject the corrupt politicians , which most of them are .

 However  EC has issued statements that NOTA not withstanding , person getting maximum number of votes will be declared winner . It seems EC has issued such statement without proper application of mind or taking large number of possibilities in to account . Apparently EC has not considered a case where NOTA gets 51 % or more  votes of the total votes cast . In such a case is EC going to declare politician  getting maximum vote the winner ?That would be against the the spirit of NOTA . More importantly it will be against the provision of the our Constitution which says that our government is of the people , for the people and BY THE  people , Obviously if 51% or more of the electorate votes for NOTA it clearly means that the people have no faith and trust in the politicians in the fray . None of them are considered worthy to represent the majority of the population and to get elected.. SC has, presently not entertained PIL to order re-poll but in case of scenario mentioned earlier ,  EC will  have no option but to order a re-poll . It will be a very costly and time consuming proposition but it will FORCE the political parties to nominate persons of integrity and in whom people can trust .  This needs urgent consideration as in present social milieu NOTA getting 51% or more in just held State election is a very very strong  possibility. 

PM Velankar

THIS WAS PUBLISHED 04-12-2013

     

Letter to Editor. For City.

Sir ,

Generally one sees only letters complaining about NIT / NMC / MSEB ,etc

There are hardly any letters commending good work done by the staff of these or any other utility services . The reason could be because such events are indeed very rare.

In this milieu I would like to report a pleasant surprise . In the last 20 days street light in our vicinity went un-serviceable TWICE . 

I was given a number to register the complaint . One Mr Rathod attended the call and I gave details about the pole no etc with a request to get it repaired . Imagine our surprise when we noticed the light being repaired within 2 to 3 hours of my reporting . 

The same tube light went un-serviceable again  . I reported the matter on Saturday at about 1800 h.Again Mr Rathod attended the call . I was told that the matter will be attended on Monday . I am very happy to report that the light was set right by 1130 h on Monday .

Well done Mr Rathod & thanks . May there be many more people like you  with your dedication & efficiency . 

P M Velankar, Nagpur

Published in City 05/12/13.

Letter to Editor. - Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport

Sir ,

when commissioned , Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport , was pride of Nagpur .

For the last many months electronic information board near Arrival gate is not serviceable . It has become problematic to obtain  information about arriving flights.

General cleanliness of the air port premises also needs much improvement.

 It is unfortunate that an institution established after spending corers of rupees is losing its luster and  losing its pristine glory due to careless , inefficient and apathetic attitude of Airport Management.

I would appeal to the concerned Authorities through the city column of your esteemed paper to wake up from their slumber and as a start to make  electronic information board near arrival gate serviceable as soon as possible.

Yours Sincerely,

PM Velankar

CHEAPEST way to LOCATE & MONITOR Sand Mining.

An upright Durga was hounded and went through hell for taking on sand Mafia.
Media being fickle , is always in search of new " HOT " news items , has also stopped following up . I feel ashamed to confess that I do not know the latest news about her case.
It is most unfortunate that the species of the likes of Khemkas and Durgas are on the verge of extinction.
In case of other normal run of the mill , remaining seat warming Babus , they may not even know where all sand mining is being carried out in areas under their jurisdiction , leave alone to know whether it is being done legally or otherwise. 
As you all know presently I am in google & wiki maps and mapping villages and roads in Nagpur district. I found lots of tracks leading no where . They ended where there was no human habitation and that is how I discovered cheapest way on how to locate sand mining sites.
These images have been taken from free feed of google maps and hence the images would be as much as up to 3 years out of date . Still I am confident that despite images being out of date  more than 80 %  sites would still be in business . 

HOW TO LOCATE SAND MINING SITES.

Zoom sufficiently on satellite imagery on maps . Follow any river . When you locate any cart / tractor or other track entering river bed , zoom further & examine . It may be an innocent river crossing point for poor villagers as our able Government has not been able to build bridges and roads.If it is not a river crossing point , then you have , in all probability found a sand mining location .

To help you in identifying such places here are some examples .

Tell Tale Tracks leading to river bed. At max zoom levels and in many locations one can  even see the pits created from where sand has been mined.

Tell Tale Tracks leading to river bed. At max zoom levels and in many locations one can  even see the pits created from where sand has been mined.

Tell Tale Tracks leading to river bed. At max zoom levels and in many locations one can  even see the pits created from where sand has been mined.Here one can see example of a river crossing towards right side  as well !!!!

Now all these sites need not be illegal. Quite a few of them may be honest business ventures .However you all and I know that for every one legitimate site there will be at least 10 illigal sites. I plan to send this information to my district collector [after suitably rewording of course :-) ] his is the only e mail id I have  and once he had acknowledged my mail. The gentleman will at least know the locations where he can at least  investigate . Effort is on to get mail ids of other collectors of my region .

Government to bear Babus medical expenses abroad : Letter to Editor.

Indian Foreign Services Officers were entitled for getting medical treatment abroad . This was a logical rule and justifiable expenditure . It stands to reason that if a person is posted abroad in an Indian Consulate falling sick and needing medical  treatment will not come to India for treatment but he will have to be treated in that country at Government expense.

Being considered few of  most intelligent Indians by virtue of being member of that elite service and inborn ingenuity of an Indian to find loopholes any where , they were managing to get medical treatment abroad even when not on the staff of Foreign Missions .

The rivalry among various branches of All India Services , not for working hard or for the good of the nation but for grabbing as many perks or as many of the  other privileges as possible , is an open secret .

The Medical perk of IFS cadre must have been a major bone of contention with other cadres . Finally they have succeeded in getting what they have been wanting as is clear by this proviso "The scale of expenditure and the eligibility for treatment is identical to the scale of expenditure and the eligibility of an official of the Indian Foreign Service of the corresponding grade in the Ministry of External Affairs,” 

The big question is why should govt foot the bill for their medical treatment , when every and whichever type of treatment , complex or otherwise is available in India . SO why the change in rules now .

Apparently injustice done to Durgas and Khemkas , irresponsible utterances by fools in power that they can run state administration without IAS cadre ,united this elite tribe and as a first , they collectively approached the Government for redressal of their grievances. If the same was done by Service Chiefs , it would have been termed as revolt !!

The IAS cadre had not only to be pacified but alsohad to offered a BIG CARROT to ensure that

1. their tribe looks the other way when illegal sand , iron or any other type of mining is going on . 

2. Actively find loopholes in the rules so that their political masters can bend the rules for personal gains and gains of their accomplices including the babus themselves.

3.To continue working for their political bosses and NOT for the good of the Nation .

My personal opinion is that NO ONE  and I mean NO ONE no matter how high a position is occupied by them including  highest position holders like and including The President of India should get medical treatment abroad at Government expense. 

IF ONE CAN AFFORD IT, MEDICAL FACILITIES IN INDIA ARE AS GOOD , IF NOT BETTER AS , ANY WHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD.SO WHY GO ABROAD ???????????????

Anecdote sent to Readers Digest .

Some time back my friend Gp Capt NN Ubgade ( retd ), 80 odd years of age had undergone cataract operation of both eyes . It just so happened that after the operation , he had good near vision in one eye and equally good distant vision in the other eye. Due to this , between both  the eyes he had no problems and did not need to use specatels.

Last month he  had gone to R T O 's (Regional Transport Officer) office to apply for renewal of his driving licences.While he was busy filling up the forms , The concerned RTO's employee was giving him curious looks. Finally he could not stop himself from asking my friend " Sir , how is it that you are not using specatels. it is really surprising that you have good vision "

My friend , with dead pan face replied , " Yes with God's grace as of now my vision is ok , but may be in my old age I will have to use them "

The expressions on RTO staff were really indescribable,   

Letter to Editor : Un-Godly Godmen ?

Sir ,

 As per news reports in electronic and print media Asaram Bapu has been arrested and is being interrogated in Jodhpur.

Few years back  henchmen of Asaram Bapu usurping landed property near Asaram Bapu Ashram . True and legal owners were, reportedly, thrown off the property and the property annexed to Asram Bapu Ashram . At that time The incident was widely reported in print and electronic media. Whether Legal owners of the land ever got justice was never published.

Most probably on the pain of death they were told to keep quite.

Again some time back dead bodies of two teen age boys were found near Asaram Bapu's Ashram . Investigation had revealed that the boys were subjected to un-natural sex acts , sodomised and brutally murdered . As widely reported in news media , inmates and hench men of Asaram Bapu were involved in these henious crimes .To the best of our knowledge investigations were never taken to their logical conclusion . Guilty persons were never brought to justice.

Now Asaram Bapu has been accused of molesting a girl . Fearing arrest as a result of public out cry against such crime , media is full of the drama and tricks played by Asaram Bapu to avoid arrest . Finally he has been arrested and is being questioned .

In the earlier two instances no one had accused Asaram Bapu of being  directly involved in crimes. However it is not conceivable to imagine that without direct support the henchmen would dare to do the crimes . 

In the instant case the God man has been directly involved . Where there was so much smoke there has to be fire . therefore thorough investigation , without fear or favour must be carried out . 

The guilty must be brought to justice.

PM Velankar, Nagpur.

Zero Mile Marker , Nagpur.

Trip Advisor had sent me this mail.
Nagzira, Tadoba, we have not visited as yet. It has been a long time since we visited other places. I thought it would not be proper to write a review based on information which was dated. I had not even passed the zero mile marker for some time and had no photos. I did some research as to why it is called "Zero Mile" etc and I went to Zero Mile Marker to see it from a Reviewer of Trip Advisor's point of view :-). Glad I did. Learnt a few things. So this blog is about Zero Mile Marker and a few things I learnt:-
Zero Mile Marker :-
Every geographic area has a centre ergo every country has to have a geographic centre. To the best of my knowledge, I know not of any city in the world claiming to be the geographic centre of the country. Nagpurians and Nagpur lovers have bestowed this distinction on Nagpur city, in fact, the geographic centre's location is Zero mile spot located on National Highway 7 ( from Kanyakumari to Banaras ), near Reserve Bank and Kasturchand Park Square (Latitude 21°08′59.1″N, Longitude 79°04′49.9″E ). 

A few years back an Indian Oil Petrol Pump which was located adjacent to this zero mile was closed. Today there is nothing at all to suggest that there once was a petrol pump.  Some effort to beautify zero mile spot has been made by planting a bit of grass,  Cycus Revoluta and other Palm Plants and statues of four stallions in full flight. But the plot of land left vacant by the petrol pump is an eye sore with bits of garbage and a forlorn look about it. Most probably it is now being used as a free parking space by customers of Savaji Bhojanalaya located there.

                                         GENERAL VIEW ZERO MILE.

Protective balustrade and zero-mile pillar

View from another angle: zero mile pillar &; horses

Two views of the horses at Zero Mile.

Two views of the horses at Zero Mile.

 All major highways NH-7 ( Varanasi - Kanyakumari ) &  NH-6 (Mumbai - Sambalpur - Calcutta) and major railways trunk routes (Mumbai, Chennai, Howrah, Delhi) pass through the city and the honour of being the geographical centre is by and large true, Particularly for North-South axis. However, those who are finicky about accuracy may point out that Distances between Kanyakumari in South to Nagpur Zero Mile and further North to a point on Aksai Chinborder are 1450.3 KMs and 1591 KMs respectively. In W-E Axis, Southern most point of Sir Creek in the West to Nagpur Zero Mile and further East to the Eastern most point of Arunachal border, the distances are 1160.1 Km and 1991.3 KMs respectively. As these points are not equidistant, Nagpur is not the EXACT GEOGRAPHIC CENTER of the Country. However considering the vastness of the Indian subcontinent and the complexities in the shape of the border, it is conceded by all and everyone agrees that Zero Mile is the exact geographical centre of India. There is also a general belief that because this is the Geographical Center and therefore it is called Zero Mile. This is Wrong.  It is called zero Mile due to the location of this small pillar :

 It is called zero Mile due to the location of this small pillar.

 

This stone pillar is the reason why this spot is "zero mile".

 The inscription on the vertical face of the pillar reads  " G .T . S . STANDARD BENCHMARK. 1907 "

Horizontal stone is an integral part of the G T S standard bench mark.

Inscription on the horizontal stone reads

 " THE HEIGHT OF THE TOP OF THIS PILLAR IS 

1020.171 FEET ABOVE THE MEAN  LEVEL OF THE SEA " 

.(Note the accuracy to the THIRD degree of the decimal)

Location of G T S Pillar behind the horses at Zero mile.

Location of G T S Pillar behind the horses at Zero mile.

 The Center of the red circle painted on top of this pillar has great significance as that is the reference point of the GTS Bench Mark going through the photos I was intrigued by all this and decided to do some research. 

I learned quite a bit through google search.

" A G.T.S. (A Great Trigonometrical Survey) benchmark is a permanently fixed reference survey station (or point), having known elevation with respect to a standard datum (mean sea level). This GTS, at zero-mile,  was one of the many such established with great accuracy in what can be termed as one of the most stupendous tasks in the history of science of cartography, started 200 years ago by William Lambton and completed four decades later by George Everest, which resulted in the Great Indian Arc of the Meridian. It is the GTS benchmarks like these that helped in eventually establishing that the Himalayas constituted a mountain range and Mount Everest was the highest point on the earth at 8848 meters ( 29028.87 Feet). Lots and lots of information are available on this. 

I will strongly recommend going through some of the following links.
http://www.hindu.com/fline/fl1909/19090660.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Trigonometric_Survey

http://www.new.dli.ernet.in/rawdataupload/upload/insa/INSA_1/20005b5b_22.pdf

http://www.unlockingthearchives.rgs.org/themes/everest/factsheets/resource/default.aspx?id=312

http://sumitsoren1983.blogspot.in/2012/01/great-trigometrical-survey.html    

http://drs.nio.org/drs/handle/2264/1028.

Thus the GTS mark was established in Nagpur and because it was the capital of Central Provinces, this GTS Standard Bench Mark was taken as Chart Datum for extending the surveys to all the central provinces and areas beyond. Being Chart Datum all the distances to various cities were also measured from this G T S  Marker taken as "ZERO", and only the distances for some surrounding cities were then engraved on the stone slabs at the base of the ZERO MILE PILLAR. And that is how this came to be known as Zero Mile Marker.

In fact reading about that tremendous Great Trigonometric Survey Project which revolutionised the way to look at map making and cartography and significantly improved the science of cartography and map making, towering and visionary personalities of Colonel Lambton, Sir George Everest, Radhanath Sikdar and others.

Establishment of GTS at zero miles and all that is part of our history. I felt that if the local administration beautifies the plot left vacant by the petrol pump. Erects beautifully made billboards giving photographs and information about the great project and personalities it will have a great impact as the real thing would be just a few paces away. It would greatly contribute to spreading the information about zero-mile, GTS etc among parents, children, students and the general public. It could be called "ZERO MILE EDUCATION PARK". It would really be a great achievement

Inscription  on Zero Mile Pillar Reads 

" TO JUBBULPORE 170 MILES " 

" TO SEONEE 79 MILES "

(spellings as in use those days :-)

Another inscription on the Zero Mile Pillar 

Hyderabad & Chandah Distances.

Modern National Highways Distance markers.

Being located on  NH 7 it shows distances to Northern and Southern Destinations.

 as Varanasi 729 KMs, 

On the other side is Kanyakumari 1600 KMs(sorry no photo),

Chart Datum being 0 KM it is written on the side :-)

SO NOW WE KNOW THE  HOWS AND  WHYS OF ZERO MILE MARKER, NAGPUR.

Let us hope "ZERO MILE EDUCATION PARK" becomes a reality. 

Zero Mile Marker , Nagpur.

05 September 2013.

Zero Mile Marker , Nagpur.

 

Trip Advisor had sent me this mail. Nagzira, Tadoba, we have not visited as yet. It has been a long time since we had visited other places. I thought it would not be proper to write a review based on information that was dated. I had not even passed the zero mile marker for some time and had no photos. I did some research as to why it is called "Zero Mile" etc and I went to Zero Mile Marker to see it from a Reviewer of Trip Advisor's point of view :-) 

Glad I did. 

Learnt a few things. So this blog is about Zero Mile Marker and few things I learnt :- 

Zero Mile Marker :- 

 Every geographic area has a centre ergo every country has to have a geographic centre. To the best of my knowledge, I know not of any city in the world claiming to be the geographic centre of that country. 

Nagpurians and Nagpur lovers have bestowed this distinction on Nagpur city, in fact, for India, the geographic centre's location is Zero mile marker  located on National Highway 7 ( from Kanyakumari to Banaras ), near Reserve Bank and Kasturchand Park Square (Latitude 21°08′59.1″N, Longitude 79°04′49.9″E ).

A few years back an Indian Oil Petrol Pump which was located adjacent to this zero mile was closed. Today there is nothing at all to suggest that there once was a petrol pump. Some effort to beautify zero mile spot has been made by planting a bit of grass, Cycas Revoluta and other Palm Plants and statues of four stallions in full flight. But the plot of land left vacant by petrol pump is an eyesore with bits of garbage and forlorn look about it. Most probably it is now being used as a free parking space by customers of Savaji Bhojanalaya located there.

General view Zero Mile Nagpur.

Protective balustrade and zero-mile pillar. At the base of zero-mile pillar distances to some main cities are given.

General view Zero Mile Nagpur.

General view Zero Mile Nagpur. From the rear.

All major highways NH-7 ( Varanasi - Kanyakumari ) & NH-6 (Mumbai - Sambalpur - Calcutta) and major railways trunk route (Mumbai, Chennai, Howrah , Delhi) pass through the city and The honour of being geographical centre is by and large true, Particularly for North-South axis. 

However, those who are finicky about accuracy may point out that Distances between Kanyakumari in South to Nagpur Zero Mile and further North to a point on Aksai Chinborder are 1450.3 km and 1591 KMs respectively. In W-E Axis, the Southernmost point of Sir Creek in the West to Nagpur Zero Mile and further East to the Easternmost point of Arunachal border, the distances are 1160.1 Kms and 1991.3 KMs respectively. As these points are not equidistance, Nagpur is not EXACT GEOGRAPHIC CENTER of the Country. However considering the vastness of the Indian subcontinent and the complexities in the shape of the border, it is conceded by all and everyone agrees that Zero Mile is the exact geographical centre of India .

There is also a general belief that because this is the Geographical Center and therefore it is called Zero Mile . This is Wrong. 

It is called zero Mile due to the location of this GTS Standard bench Mark Pillar :

 

It is because of the location of this GTS Standard bench Mark Pillar that this spot is called "Zero- Mile".

Inscription on the vertical face of the pillar reads " G.T. S. STANDARD BENCHMARK.1907"

 Horizontal stone slab (it is just below the pillar, due to lack of contrast you will have to look carefully) is an integral part of the G T S standard benchmark. Inscription on the horizontal stone slab reads " THE HEIGHT OF THE TOP OF THIS PILLAR IS 1020.171 FEET ABOVE THE MEAN LEVEL OF THE SEA ".(Note the accuracy to the THIRD degree of the decimal). 

The location of G T S Pillar is behind the horses at Zero mile. 

The Center of the red circle painted on top of this pillar has great significance as that is the reference point of the GTS Bench Mark going through the photos I was intrigued by all this and decided to do some research.

 I learned quite a bit from a google search. " G.T.S. (Great Trigonometrical Survey) benchmark is a permanently fixed reference survey station (or point), having known elevation with respect to a standard datum (mean sea level). This GTS, at zero-mile, was one of the many such established with great accuracy in what can be termed as one of the most stupendous tasks in the history of science of cartography, started 200 years ago by William Lambton and completed four decades later by George Everest, which resulted in the Great Indian Arc of the Meridian. It is the GTS benchmarks like these that helped in eventually establishing that the Himalayas constituted a mountain range and Mount Everest was the highest point on the earth at 8848 meters ( 29028.87 Feet). Lots and lots of information are available on this topic on the internet.

Thus the GTS mark was established in Nagpur and because it was the capital of Central Provinces, this GTS Standard BenchMark was taken as Chart Datum for extending the surveys to all the central provinces and areas beyond. Being Chart Datum all the distances to various cities were also measured from this G T S Marker taken as "ZERO", and only the distances for some surrounding cities were then engraved on the stone slabs at the base of the ZERO MILE PILLAR. And that is how this came to be known as Zero Mile Pillar

Zero Mile Pilar.l

Inscription on Zero Mile Pillar Reads " TO JUBBULPORE 170 MILES " " TO SEONEE 79 MILES " (spellings as in use those days :-) 

Another inscription on the Zero Mile Pillar Hyderabad & Chandah Distances. Modern Zero Mile Pillar.(spellings as in use those days :-) 

 Being located on NH 7 it shows distances to Northern and Southern Destinations as Varanasi 729 KMs, Kanyakumari 1600 KMs, with Chart Detum being 0 KM on the side :-) 

In fact, reading about that tremendous Great Trigonometric Survey Project which revolutionised the way to look at map making and cartography and significantly improved the science of cartography and map making, towering and visionary personalities of Colonel Lambton, Sir George Everest , Radhanath Sikdar and others. Establishment of GTS at zero miles and all that is part of our history. 

I felt that if the local administration beautifies the plot left vacant by the petrol pump. Erects beautifully made billboards giving photographs and information about the great project and personalities it will have a great impact as the real thing would be just a few paces away. It would greatly contribute to spreading the information about zero-mile, GTS etc among parents, children, students and the general public.

SO NOW WE KNOW THE HOWS AND WHYS OF ZERO MILE MARKER, NAGPUR. Let us hope "ZERO MILE EDUCATION PARK" becomes a reality.

 

एक चुटकी सिंदूर की कीमत। .............Letter to Editor.

Sir ,

Supreme Court had said that freebies promised in the election manifesto can not be called a bribe , however such freebie promises did not provide for a level playing field. EC was advised accordingly. EC agreed with the view expressed by SC . To seek the views of Political parties a meeting was called . The way Political parties are treating our Autonomous bodies , I thought the parties will just ignore EC's invitation for the meeting. But whenever the self interests of politicians are threatened they all unite. So it was no surprise that ALL the political parties attended the meeting . They unitedly rejected the EC proposal and strongly defended inclusion of freebies  in their election manifesto claiming it as their RIGHT. What happens next , I have not the faintest idea.

एक चुटकी सिंदूर की कीमत, some time back this dialogue from one of the Hindi movies had become a rage . I do not know what is the price of a chutkee of sindoor , But I do know what is the cost of a bicycle , a TV , a lap top or any other freebie being promised . It is 1.874 TRILLION DOLLARS (2010 value) which being the GDP of India.

For the price these TVs , Cycles, Laptops and any freebies ,  we are  selling the Nation to these unscrupulous Politicians .

PM Velankar, Nagpur.   

DAMS IN WASHIM DISTRICT - PART FIVE .

DAMS IN WASHIM DISTRICT - PART FIVE. (EDITED)

All 33 blogs covering 380 dams in 11 Districts of Vidarbha Region were edited between Aug &  Sept 2020. For details go to blog "Vidarbha Region. Edit-Now - Why". Link here.

There are total of 53 Major Dams ( Height from foundation 10 meters or more ) in Washim District.

Information on these parts is covered in Five Parts. 

Part One.  1.Zodga. 2.Adan. 3.Gartek. 4.Chousala. 5. hanora Bhuse. 6.Mohari.

7. Bramhanwada 1. 8. Bramhanwada 2. 9.Pimpari (Kd). 10.Ridhora. 11.Sukhanda/Sukanda.

Part Two.  12.Sonkhas. 13. Rohana. 14.Asola. 15.Wathod. 16.Borwa.  17.Karli.  

18.Borala. 19.Mungala.  20.Kalmeshwar. 21.Motsawanga. 22.Kolambi. 23.Gid. 

Part Three. 24.Masala Kd. 25.Sawanga. 26.Giroli. 27.Chikhali. 28.Sawargaon. 29.Koyali. 

30.Sonala/Sonal. 31.Asegaonbandh.  32.Asolagavha. 33.Panchala. 34.Amdari. 35.Waigoul. 

Part Four. 36.Gondala/Gaundhala. 37.Ratanwadi. 38.Rui. 39.Fulmari. 40.Umra Sm. 41. Adol. 42.Waghi.43.Dhodho. 44.Ekburji. 45.Dhumka.  46.Shirputi.

Part Five. 47.Warala. 48.Ansing. 49.Karada. 50.Ganeshpur. 51.Pachamba. 52.Mandwa. 

 53.Jawala. 

47.Warala. ( Latitude : 20.0115808N, Longitude : 77.2622108E )

Map & link uploaded Aug - Sept 2020.

For viewing the surrounding areas and map page click here.

Some information about Warala Irrigation Project.

Warala Project and Dam's Official Designation is " Warala D - 0 5063" . Locally also known as " Warala Lake" / " Warala Talav" . Warala Dam was constructed as part of irrigation projects by Government of Maharashtra in the year 1979. Nearest city to dam is Washim and the Dam is situated in Washim Taluka of Washim District of Maharashtra . It is built on and impounds a Local Nallah .The dam is an Earth-fill Gravity Dam . Purpose of the dam is for irrigation . The length of the dam is 510 m ( 1673.23 Feet ) while the height of the dam above lowest foundation is 17.1 m ( 56.10 Feet ) . Detailed information about project spillway is not available . Project Spillway length is not known . At least whatever is left of what was once a Spillway , is in a very bad condition being eroded and almost totally washed away and today only spillway canal exists
Dam's catchment area is not known . Maximum / Gross storage capacity is 2.75 MCM . Live storage capacity is 2.57 MCM. Now a days almost all the water bodies make for good picnic spots Warala lake is also a popular Tourist attraction for its scenic beauty .
(Note : Blue area in normal map corresponds to Maximum / Full Reservoir Level.)

48.Ansing. ( Latitude : 20.0327496N, Longitude : 77.3363256E )

Map & link uploaded Aug - Sept 2020.

For viewing the surrounding areas and map page click here.

Some information about Ansing Irrigation Project.

Ansing Project and Dam's Official Designation is " Ansing D - 0 3310" . Locally also known as " Ansing Lake" / " Ansing Talav" . Ansing Dam was constructed as part of irrigation projects by Government of Maharashtra in the year 2004. Nearest city to dam is Washim and the Dam is situated in Washim Taluka of Washim District of Maharashtra . It is built on and impounds a Local Nallah .The dam is an Earth-fill Gravity Dam . Purpose of the dam is for irrigation . The length of the dam is 220 m ( 721.78 Feet ) while the height of the dam above lowest foundation is 25.73 m ( 84.41 Feet ) . Detailed information about project spillway is not available . Project Spillway length is not known . However , measured length of the spillway is 68 m ( 224 Feet ) . Presently whatever is left of what was once a Spillway , is in a very bad condition being eroded and partly washed away . Dam's catchment area is not known . Maximum / Gross storage capacity is 1.688 MCM . Live storage capacity is 1.594 MCM. Now a days almost all the water bodies make for good picnic spots Warala lake is also a popular Tourist attraction for its scenic beauty .
(Note : Blue area in normal map corresponds to Maximum / Full Reservoir Level.)

49.Karada. ( Latitude : 20.0272662N, Longitude : 76.770401E  )

Map & link uploaded Aug - Sept 2020.

For viewing the surrounding areas and map page click here.

Some information about Karada Irrigation Project.

Karada , is also spelt as Karda .Apparently both spellings are acceptable.
Karada Project and Dam's Official Designation is " Karada D - 0 4061" . Locally also known as " Karada Lake" / " Karada Talav" . Karada Dam was constructed as part of irrigation projects by Government of Maharashtra in the year 1999. Nearest city to dam is Risod and the Dam is situated in Risod Taluka of Washim District of Maharashtra . It is built on and impounds a Local Nallah .The dam is an Earth-fill Gravity Dam . Purpose of the dam is for irrigation . The length of the dam is 1110 m ( 3641.73 Feet ) while the height of the dam above lowest foundation is 12.57 m ( 41.24 Feet ) . Detailed information about project spillway is not available . Project Spillway length is not known . However , measured length of the spillway is 66 m ( 217 Feet ) . Spillway appears to be of other type and ungated. Dam's catchment area is not known . Maximum / Gross storage capacity is not known . Live storage capacity is not known . Now a days almost all the water bodies make for good picnic spots Karada lake is also a popular Tourist attraction for its scenic beauty .

(Note : Blue area in normal map corresponds to Maximum / Full Reservoir Level.)

50.Ganeshpur. ( Latitude : 19.9899454N, Longitude : 76.7388153E )

Map & link uploaded Aug - Sept 2020.

For viewing the surrounding areas and map page click here.

Some information about Ganeshpur Irrigation Project.

There are three dams with the name Ganeshpur in Maharashtra. 1.near Kannad in Aurangabad Diatrict . 2.Near Risod in Washim District and 3. Near Maharkhed in Buldhana District. For Dams number 2 & 3 Districts for both are wrongly given in web site india-wris.nrsc.gov.in
Ganeshpur Project and Dam's Official Designation is " Ganeshpur D - 0 3815" . Locally also known as " Ganeshpur Lake" / " GaneshpurTalav" . Ganeshpur Dam was constructed as part of irrigation projects by Government of Maharashtra in the year 1996. Nearest city to dam is Risod and the Dam is situated in Risod Taluka of Washim District of Maharashtra . It is built on and impounds a Local Nallah .The dam is an Earth-fill Gravity Dam . Purpose of the dam is for irrigation . The dam is divided in two portions by the Spillway. The portion Left ( Western Side ) of the spillway is 192 m ( 629.92 Feet ) + The portion Right ( Eastern Side ) of the spillway is 697 m ( 2286.75 Feet ) . The Total length of the Dam , including the Spillway is 943 m ( 3093.83 Feet ) . while the height of the dam above lowest foundation is 11.3 m ( 37.07 Feet ) . Detailed information about project spillway is not available . Project Spillway length is not known . However , measured length of the spillway is 54 m ( 177.16 Feet ) . Spillway appears to be of other type and ungated. Dam's catchment area is not known . Maximum / Gross storage capacity is 1.667 MCM . Live storage capacity is 1.542 MCM . Now a days almost all the water bodies make for good picnic spots Ganeshpur lake is also a popular Tourist attraction for its scenic beauty .
(Note : Blue area in normal map corresponds to Maximum / Full Reservoir Level.)

51.Pachamba. ( Latitude : 19.9808507N, Longitude : 76.7235804E )

Map & link uploaded Aug - Sept 2020.

For viewing the surrounding areas and map page click here.

Some information about Pachamba Irrigation Project.

Pachamba Project and Dam's Official Designation is " Pachamba D - 0 4485" . Locally also known as " Pachamba Lake" / " PachambaTalav" . Pachamba Dam was constructed as part of irrigation projects by Government of Maharashtra in the year 1996. Nearest city to dam is Risod and the Dam is situated in Risod Taluka of Washim District of Maharashtra . It is built on and impounds a Local Nallah .The dam is an Earth-fill Gravity Dam . Purpose of the dam is for irrigation . The dam is divided in two portions by the Spillway. The portion Left ( Western Side ) of the spillway is 720 m ( 2362.2 Feet ) + The portion Right ( Eastern Side ) of the spillway is 273 m ( 895.66 Feet ) . The Total length of the Dam , including the Spillway is 1080 m ( 3543.30 Feet ) . while the height of the dam above lowest foundation is 10.1 m ( 33.13 Feet ) . Detailed information about project spillway is not available . Project Spillway length is not known . However , measured length of the spillway is 87 m ( 285.43 Feet ) . Spillway appears to be of other type and ungated. Dam's catchment area is not known . Maximum / Gross storage capacity is 2.242 MCM . Live storage capacity is 2.073 MCM . Now a days almost all the water bodies make for good picnic spots Ganeshpur lake is also a popular Tourist attraction for its scenic beauty .
(Note : Blue area in normal map corresponds to Maximum / Full Reservoir Level.)

52.Mandwa. ( Latitude : 19.8964836N, Longitude : 76.6723716E )

Map & link uploaded Aug - Sept 2020.

For viewing the surrounding areas and map page click here.

Some information about Mandwa Irrigation Project.

There are four dams with this name in the state of Maharashtra. 1.Near Risod in Washim District,2. Near Sindkhed Raja in Buldhana District 3. Near Kinwat in Nanded District and 4.Near Dharni in Amravati District.
Mandwa Project and Dam's Official Designation is " Mandwa D - 0 4305" . Locally also known as " Mandwa Lake" / " Mandwa Talav" . Mandwa Dam was constructed as part of irrigation projects by Government of Maharashtra in the year 1995. Nearest city to dam is Risod and the Dam is situated in Risod Taluka of Washim District of Maharashtra . It is built on and impounds a Local Nallah .The dam is an Earth-fill Gravity Dam . Purpose of the dam is for irrigation . The length of the dam is 448 m ( 1469.82 Feet ) while the height of the dam above lowest foundation is 15.16 m (49.73 Feet ) . Detailed information about project spillway is not available . Project Spillway length is not known . However , measured length of the spillway is 75 m ( 245 Feet ) . Spillway appears to be of other type and ungated. Dam's catchment area is not known . Maximum / Gross storage capacity is 1.484 MCM . Live storage capacity is 1.37 MCM . Now a days almost all the water bodies make for good picnic spots Mandwa lake is also a popular Tourist attraction for its scenic beauty .
(Note : Blue area in normal map corresponds to Maximum / Full Reservoir Level.)

53.Jawala. ( Latitude : 19.8910459N, Longitude : 76.7128944E )

Map & link uploaded Aug - Sept 2020.

For viewing the surrounding areas and map page click here.

Some information about Jawala Irrigation Project.

Jawala Project and Dam's Official Designation is " Jawala D - 0 4009" . Locally also known as " Jawala Lake" / " Jawala Talav" . Jawala Dam was constructed as part of irrigation projects by Government of Maharashtra in the year 1990. Nearest city to dam is Risod and the Dam is situated in Risod Taluka of Washim District of Maharashtra . It is built on and impounds a Local Nallah .The dam is an Earth-fill Gravity Dam . Purpose of the dam is for irrigation . The length of the dam is 270 m ( 885.82 Feet ) while the height of the dam above lowest foundation is 15.32 m (50.26 Feet ) . Detailed information about project spillway is not available . Project Spillway length is not known . However , measured length of the spillway is 75 m ( 245 Feet ) . Spillway appears to be of other type and ungated. Dam's catchment area is not known . Maximum / Gross storage capacity is 1.168 MCM . Live storage capacity is 1.09 MCM . Now a days almost all the water bodies make for good picnic spots Jawala lake is also a popular Tourist attraction for its scenic beauty .
(Note : Blue area in normal map corresponds to Maximum / Full Reservoir Level.)