Traffic Discipline .

I have written a letter to our Cabinet Minister for Transport and Rural Development Mr Nitin Gadkari,on the above subject for his consideration .

What I have written is as follows :-

Respected Sir ,

From your announcements about installing cctv cameras on traffic crossings to catch drivers jumping the red light and enhancements of fines etc  clearly indicate that as a Transport Minister you are really concerned about the road accidents and serious in improving the traffic discipline in the country .

  

 Here are my suggestions for improving overall situation  and traffic discipline  , which you in your capacity as a Cabinet Minister in Central Government are in a position to consider and implement.:

1. Permit every traffic policeman, irrespective of his rank ,  to raise challans & collect fines for traffic violations.

2. Make Rules , Regulations , enact laws , whatever is necessary ,  whereby an amount  equal to 25% of the total  fines collected by traffic policemen for traffic violations  and deposited in Government Treasury , is credited in the personal pay packet of the concerned policeman. 

3.Educate every child from KG onward about traffic rules and also inculcate discipline and civic sense  

Reasoning and logic for these suggestions are :

1. To the best of my knowledge , presently only traffic police of the rank of Havaldar can raise challans for fines related to offences of traffic violations . Number of Havaldars are very few considering quantum jump in traffic. Traffic rules violators go scot-free as there are no Havaldars to catch violators or impose fines . There are only 300 traffic Havaldars in whole of Mumbai . Only couple of days back Maharashtra High Court had pulled up Maharashtra Government for not authorising police constables to raise and collect the fines , even though the proposal for this has been pending with the Government for more than 3 - 4 years.  

2. Even with enhanced and stiffer fines people are just not bothered or scared about violating traffic rules as they are not caught due to shortages of traffic police or if caught , they offer fraction of the fine amount as bribe and go about committing another traffic violation . Authorising every traffic police  / police man will , to great extent , overcome the man power shortage problem . If rules permit for 25% of the fine amount to be credited in the personal pay of the concerned policeman , it  will eliminate corruption completely . Policeman  will also welcome this legitimate increase in their pay which has no attached guilt feeling or fear of getting caught while accepting bribe. This positive development will motivate the policeman to such an extent that the number of people getting away with traffic violation will reduce to barest minimum . Gradually following traffic rules to avoid getting caught and paying fines will develop in to habit. Thus gradually a society will come about which will follow the rules . 

 Group Captain PM Velankar,VM ( retd)

Ms Devyani hurt by the reaction of people in India.

Ms Devyany Khobragade belongs to the elite class in All India Services cadre . This class is supposed to be above average in intelligence , managerial and leadership qualities . That is why they have been put in position to rule and administer the masses of India.

It is therefore surprising as to why she should be hurt if people are not ready to believe her . Apparently she has been living in a world of her own and is totally unaware of the reputation earned by our politicians and the Babus , read ,elite all India cadres .

Over the past 60 odd years both classes have worked assiduously in scandalously looting the country , creating one scam after the other , shielding the guilty because they have the power and authority  to refuse permission to file charges or investigations against their own class .

Is it a wonder that after working hard for so long in earning reputation for corruption and falsehood aam admi has difficulty in believing whatever is said by these worthies .

CBI -- Quo Vadis ???

My latest to the Editor  :-)

Sir ,
It was not long back that the SC had called CBI a caged parrot . There was great hue and cry about the autonomy and freedom to investigate ALL cases without fear or favour .

It seems old habits die hard as is indicated from the way CBI is filing closure reports in coal gate , 2G , commonwealth games and other scam  cases , one would not be surprised if one day closure reports are filed in all  cases indicating that the scams did not take place at all.

However, as always, alert and impartial judiciary has stepped in . Special court has refused to accept the closure report filed by CBI in case involving MP based Kamal Spong Steel and Power limited . The Court said "probe carried out was sketchy and conclusions apparently wrong ". This is not the first time that CBI has been pulled up by the Courts for slipshod investigation . There are numerous cases where the courts have to acquit the charged person only because of absence of evidence as a result of faulty and slipshod investigation .

In the referred case the court further observes " investigation has been carried out in the matter is not only sketchy  in nature but seems to have been carried out while deciding the end result and there after to carry out the investigation and prepare the final report accordingly . In fact no investigation worth the name has been carried out in the present matter " (emphasis mine)

Nothing could be more damning than these observations .

Who was responsible for the things to come to such a pass on this & other investigations . Apparently the investigating officers are not accountable to any one at all . Responsibilities are never fixed . No one seems to be answerable for their acts of omission and commission .

Now that Modi Government is in power  all such cases where the investigation or the closure reports have invited adverse comments from judiciary must be looked into ,officers must be held accountable ,  responsibility must be fixed and strictest action taken against such guilty officers .

PM Velankar

My latest to the Editor .

Government has scrapped the practice of sending delegation of MPs to UNGA . 

It is well known to the conman man , the Aam Adami , that most of the MPs either did not attend the sessions nor made any meaningful contribution during the meetings. These trips were total waste of money as the trips were used purely as paid foreign holidays by these worthies to enjoy & collect some foreign goodies. 

A most welcome decision , keeping in line with drastic cut in number of Babus accompanying the sportsmen & sportswomen for International sports meets .

My latest to the Editor .

Mr Kailash Satyarthi, a true blue Indian ,  is a co-winner of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize,This is most heartening and a matter of immense Joy and Pride for  all the people of India . He has really made us proud . We wish him all the very best in all his endeavours .

This is not tne only award he has won . As per wiki following is the list  

• 2014: Nobel Peace Prize^[1]
• 2009: Defenders of Democracy Award (US)^[28]
• 2008: Alfonso Comin International Award (Spain)^[29]
• 2007: Gold medal of the Italian Senate (2007)^[30]
• 2007: recognized in the list of "Heroes Acting to End Modern Day Slavery" by the US State Department^[31]
• 2006: Freedom Award (US)^[32]
• 2002: Wallenberg Medal, awarded by the University of Michigan^[33]
• 1999: Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Award (Germany)^[34]
• 1998: Golden Flag Award (Netherlands)^[35]
• 1995: Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award (US)^[36]
• 1995: The Trumpeter Award (US)^[37]
• 1994: The Aachener International Peace Award (Germany)^[38][39]
• 1993: Elected Ashoka Fellow (US)^[40]

 It is  a matter of shame that all the above awards are given by foreign governments and that Indian Government under the UPA had never considered him for any award whatsoever .

Life is like that !!

"TUITION CLASSES" IS NOW BIG BUSINESS WITH HIGH RETURNS 

Letter to Editor.

My latest dispatch to The Editor The Hitavada .

Text for first two photos .:
Swacchta Abhiyan Launched !!!!

Notice has been put , but no one knows who will take " dandatymak " action .

Text for the third photo :-

This is a brand new wheelbarrow . Public money has been spent on its procurement . These are provided to "safai" staff to transport garbage over short distances . Here the collected garbage has been "incinerated " in the wheelbarrow . Where is the commonsense , civic sense . This is sheer stupid mentality . What are the supervisors doing ?

Letter to Editor .

I am an incorrigible fellow . Editors are not interested in publishing my writing , still I persist. Here is my latest offering..
Sir ,
It has been five days since the PM announced Swaccha Bharat Abhiyan.
No one expects miracles or magic of the type that one waves a wand and heaps of garbage from every where just disappear . Still it is disappointing to see no reaction or improvement whatsoever in work culture of the civic authorities responsible for solid and liquid waste management and garbage removal . In fact garbage collection truck did not visit our locality from 01 Oct onwords till today , ie for 6 days !!
The route I follow for my morning walk is along Mangalmurti Chowk on Jayatala road to Sitala Mata Mandir ,left on to Hingna road up to ring road "T" junction and left on to Mangalmurti Chowk on Jayatala road . It completes my morning walk loop.It is matter of shame that in this loop of just about 4 KMs there are any number of places converted to garbage dumps . I am regrettably but ,100 % sure that situation in rest of the Nagpur is no better .NMC clears some of them once in blue moon. When ever I have seen a person dumping household garbage , I have challenged them . Some give sheepish grin , some just show no reaction and there are some fellows who have the gumption to tell me to mind my on business. No matter how many Abhiyans are launched by the PM , no matter how efficiently our civic bodies work , unless and until every individual understands his civic responsibilities ,he himself is motivated to maintain cleanliness all around , Swaccha Bharat will remain a distant dream .
It is unfortunate but a reality , and I am ashamed to admit it , that most of the Indians do not respond to requests to improve themselves or willingly follow rules . What they really respond to is a "danda " on the backside . I am not against individual freedom . However if that freedom is used where it adversely affects the well being of majority of the population it is the duty of the Government to curb such freedom. I tried to find any law which provides imposition of collective fines for indiscriminate garbage disposal in public domain on the residents of the locality where such garbage dumps spring up . There is a site http://www.indiankanoon.org/search/… giving whole heaps of laws . I do not know if any one of them is against dumping of garbage . I earnestly request the lawmakers to enact such a law at the earliest and civic authorities to impose it most vigorously . Enforce the people to pay collective fines of an amount which will act as deterrent . Coughing up just a couple of such hefty fines and I am confident that Swaccha Bharat can become a reality .
Jai Hind .

PM Velankar.