Signature Campaign UpdateWith reference to my previous posting about a signature campaign against the MSEB, I am pleased to inform you that I am getting an overwhelming response.I just wanted to inform you that we are still in the process of drafting a memorandum with proper legalities so as to avoid future problems. This file will be available for download from tomorrow onwards. You can download it, take a print and gather as many signatures as possible. In a subsequent post, you will be notified about the dates when the memorandum will be submitted. You can either courier them to me or you can personally be a part of the delegation which will present the memorandum.We have also informed the Press about our intentions and they have promised us complete support.Once again, thank you all very much.-Blog co-ordinator.
SIGNATURE CAMPAIGN AGAINST M.S.E.B. Due to a major voltage fluctuation in certain areas of Mulund (W), including R.R.T. Road, Zaver Road, etc., this morning at approximately 7.30 AM, a lot of consumers have lost a lot of expensive electrical appliances.
I, personally have lost one fridge, four tubelights, one 21" color t.v. and one entire home theatre system. My neighbours have a charred 29" color t.v. as a gift from M.S.E.B. Someone else has lost fans. Someone saw smoke rise from electrical appliances, the smell of which still lingers in the house.
When we spoke to M.S.E.B. officials, at first, as usual the line was perpetually busy. Later we learnt that some transformer at Shiv Ganga had burnt down due to a sudden surge in voltage.
We can understand human errors but it has repeatedly been brought M.S.E.B.'s notice that there is such an incident waiting to happen as the current transformer and cables are grossly overloaded. M.S.E.B. has refused to do anything about it and see what has happened today.
I intend putting up a signature campaign from tomorrow onwards for a period of at least 3 days. We request you to actively come forward and endorse this letter. It will later on be submitted to Mr. Pradeep Nichant from M.S.E.B.
It is our endeavour to have this situation rectified permanently. Please help us help you.
Please email me on savemulund@gmail.com in case you wish to get in touch with me personally.
-Blog Co-Ordinator.
Save our MulundSHAME! SHAME!! SHAME!!!My opinions and photographs have been appearing regularly in Mid-Day Metro. This has prompted quite a few people, including my relatives to say that I have opened an office exclusively for this puprose. My reply to them is as under:It is because of your generation's "LET GO" attitude that our suburb, city, state and country has gone to the dogs. Corruption is rampant and anti-social elements rule the roost. All this has reached such a crescendo simply because my previous generation chose to be mute spectators.Now, today, when I and my generation are choosing to be pro-active about these issues, people with such an attitude are the reason that authorities can get away with such wrong-doings. Incidentally, these people are the very ones who complain, rave and rant about the government not doing anything, frequent load shedding, corruption, etc. I would want to tell them clearly that if you do not have a remedy to a sickness or are unwilling to go to a doctor for medicines, QUIT COMPLAINING. There is a saying "Either lead or follow or get out of the way!" Try not to get in the way of people who are working with selfless motives so that EVERYONE stands to benefit at the end of the day.I am also aware that people feel I am doing all this for publicity. To these people I want to say that this is a free country. I cannot control anybody's thoughts or actions but I can certainly let my actions speak for themselves.Toda, I have a choice between being a mute spectator like some elite personalities of my previous generation or to speak up against what I feel is wrong and at least try to correct it. When I look at myself in the mirror, I know I can look at myself with a clean conscience.Unlike my predecessors, I choose to be vocal about my opinions. I am at least not sitting idle at home and complaining, raving and ranting about the wrongs of the society. I am being constructive.
Save our MulundThe article for this blog has appeared in Mulund Metro. If there are people who want to come forward personally to enable a drive against civic issues, please email me on
savemulund@gmail.com along with your name and phone and other details.
We can certainly make Mulund a better place if we co-operate with each other.
-Blog Co-ordinator.
Save our MulundA suggestion for the media and NGOsA lot of us seem to have a lot of complaints for the general functioning of the government, police, BMC, etc. My personal feeling is, if some NGOs like AGNI and leading medis houses can come together and organize an open forum where officials from all the various agencies such as BMC, MSEB, local corporatots, etc. can come forward and have an open discussion with active Mulundiites, alot of queries will be answered.I am sure this is not the first initiative of its kind but what I can say is, it is certainly a much needed initiative. It will definitely prove to be effective.
Save our MulundThere were a few traffic restrictions imposed on certain roads like RRT Road, Zaver Road, Nehru Road, etc. This was effective from 24.04.2006. Suddenly, from a couple of days, the traffic restrictions have been removed.
As a resident of RRT Road, I felt that these restrictions were a boon. My office is on Zaver Road and it should not take me more than three minutes to reach there from my residence. However, ever since the traffic restrictions have been removed, moving in this area is practically a CURSE!
The RTO did not deem it necessary to at least take the residents before imposing it. Now, they do not deem it necessary to ask us before removing it. Does it mean that EVERYTHING functions as per the whims and fancies of the government?
Save our MulundI have spoken with more than 50 people about this blog and I have got a mixed bag of reactions. Following are a few:
1. What is the point in starting a blog? More than 50% of the Mulund is not tech savvy and so they will not bother.
2. There is no point in pointing with the government. They will ultimately do what they want. We cannot win.
3. One person cannot change a tide. It takes a mass movement.
4. What will I gain out of it? (A typical businessman!)
5.
The most shocking reply - What do I write on a blog?
Mulundiites need to be educated about how to go about using a blog. I cannot believe that 50% of our people have not heard of the Net or do not have at least ONE person using it from their family. The crux of the matter is that if you want to be heard, you will make it a point to find out how to do it. You dont need to be tech savvy for that!
If you try, you may sometimes lose. If you dont try, you have already lost. Wake up! At least get that fighting spirit in you. Till when will you carry on with this "WHO CARES?" attitude? My parents and their generation chose to keep quiet and made a huge blunder. We need not necessarily make that same mistake. Think about your children. Do you want them to go through the same thing?
One person cannot change a tide but it takes that one drop of water to merge itself into a mass of water and become a part of the tide. You cannot simply sit on the shore and talk about a
storm in the middle of the sea!
The point is, most of us are blaming the government for our daily problems but we do not want to do anythng about it. It is more like, let one person bell the cat and become bad. Why should we make ourselves bad when someone else will do that?
I have no comments for people who have a business like approach to such an issue as well. These people are the reason that our society does not improve.
Friends, treat the entire Mulund like it is your own house. Like you keep your own house clean, try and make Mulund a better place to live in.
Every animal is a lion in his own den. What matters is, what you do OUTSIDE the den. Just try and walk out of the utopia you are in. Its a wholly different world out there.
Save our MulundI have spoken with more than 50 people about this blog and I have got a mixed bag of reactions. Following are a few:
1. What is the point in starting a blog? More than 50% of the Mulund is not tech savvy and so they will not bother.
2. There is no point in pointing with the government. They will ultimately do what they want. We cannot win.
3. One person cannot change a tide. It takes a mass movement.
4. What will I gain out of it? (A typical businessman!)
5.
The most shocking reply - What do I write on a blog?
Mulundiites need to be educated about how to go about using a blog. I cannot believe that 50% of our people have not heard of the Net or do not have at least ONE person using it from their family. The crux of the matter is that if you want to be heard, you will make it a point to find out how to do it. You dont need to be tech savvy for that!
If you try, you may sometimes lose. If you dont try, you have already lost. Wake up! At least get that fighting spirit in you. Till when will you carry on with this "WHO CARES?" attitude? My parents and their generation chose to keep quiet and made a huge blunder. We need not necessarily make that same mistake. Think about your children. Do you want them to go through the same thing?
One person cannot change a tide but it takes that one drop of water to merge itself into a mass of water and become a part of the tide. You cannot simply sit on the shore and talk about a
storm in the middle of the sea!
The point is, most of us are blaming the government for our daily problems but we do not want to do anythng about it. It is more like, let one person bell the cat and become bad. Why should we make ourselves bad when someone else will do that?
I have no comments for people who have a business like approach to such an issue as well. These people are the reason that our society does not improve.
Friends, treat the entire Mulund like it is your own house. Like you keep your own house clean, try and make Mulund a better place to live in.
Every animal is a lion in his own den. What matters is, what you do OUTSIDE the den. Just try and walk out of the utopia you are in. Its a wholly different world out there.
Save our MulundA SUGGESTION TO MSEB
A lot has been said about the load shedding and all that. However, has anyone given due thought to finding out WHERE is all this electricity being consumed?
I can say for a fact that there are areas such as Bhiwandi which are amongst the biggest contributors to this power crisis. Not to mention that the MSEB officials and the handloom owners there are hand in glove.
I have personally seen that there are literally HUNDREDS of illegal connections which consume a bulk of the power illegally. This has been elaborately covered by news channels and by newspapers.
Every electric pole you see has at least 20 wires dangling from it. These wires supply power to these defaulting units. What is surprising is, if I, as an ordinary citizen can see these wires, why cant the MSEB officials? Now, any sensible person will know the reason.
There are cases where there is an outstanding amount of lakhs of rupees to be recovered from a single defaulter. What the defaulter does is, he finds it convenient to pay a small amount as a bribe as compared to the lakhs of rupees which are outstanding. Owing to this he enjoys uninterrupted power supply at the cost of consumers who pay up regularly.
Mr. Nichant proudly proclaimed that may cases of power thefts have been caught in Mulund. Sir, I wish to remind you that this is just a tip of the iceberg! Do you have the courage to open a pandora's box and do something about theft in Bhiwandi?
It takes courage. Mr. Nichant, maybe this will be one acid test for you.
Save our MulundA few people from my locality, including myself, have decided to form a ALM. However, there are certain concerns which need to be addressed and brought to light.
The primary concern is that of security.
We live on RRT Road. There was a time when the market was a part of the RRT Road. Now it is the other way round. Now RRT Road is a part of the market. There must be like a thousand hawkers on the road and walking through them is like walking through a minefield. They dont even need a reason to start a fight.
There have been occasions in the past when residents of buildings in this locality have been threatened by these hawkers. There have been instances when hawkers have actually threatened us with knives and choppers.
When we are voluntarily forming this ALM and are readily helping the BMC, can BMC at suggest some security measures? I hope they will understand that we are going to do the job which i essentiallty theirs.
I know for a fact and I speak from experience when I say that there is widespread red tapism to get our work done from the BMC. However, I wonder why doesnt BMC come forward and encourage the formation of such ALMs, just like the Mumbai Police took initiatives to form mohalla committees. I think BMC can take a lesson or two from the Mumbai Police.
Just to highlight how well known is the fact that BMC officials are corrupt, I must relate this small incident:
I applied for a new MTNL landline. The wireman came to my office on the fourth day and completed the wiring for me. He assured me that the line would start in 2 days. I offered him Rs. 100/- as appreciation. He refused it outright and said "
Saahab! Hum BMC walla nahi hai. Hum apna kaam karne ke liye bakshish nahi lete!" Now this should be a slap in the face of BMC!!!
Save our MulundI have lived here for 28 years now and I have seen this suburb go to the dogs.
I live on one of the most populated and arterial roads in Mulund (W). It is unfortunate to observe that the hawkers have blocked to road to such an extent that it is impossible for two people to walk side by side.
I distinctly remember that in 2004, just before Diwali, there was a court order to convert RRT Road into a NO HAWKING zone. This order was strictly implemented by the then ward officer Suhas Karvande.
However, this was short-lived as the hawkers reached some kind of a
mandavli and began squatting on the roads again just after Diwali.
IN 2005, again, just before Diwali, the hawkers were evicted from RRT Road. Surprisingly, they would be evicted in the mornings and be back in the evenings. This continued for a week which was full of daily
morchas. As history repeats itself, the hawkers reached a settlement with the T Ward officers and are back again.
All this
despite a Supreme Court order to evict hawkers!!! Are our Law Enforcement Officers actually
Law Encroaching Officers?
There is this
idli walla who sits near my building. I see hundreds of people having his idlis with great relish. What they dont see is the fact that he is known to use dirty water, the water he uses to wash his dishes and plates, to prepare his delicious chatni!! With diseases like cholera and jaundice rampant, it is surprising to note that this unhygienic eatery is allowed to flourish right under the conniving noses of the BMC!!
Recently there was a de-silting drive, wherein all the gutters were cleaned. What the BMC has successfully done is, it has removed the silt from the gutters and has deposited it right next to them, on the roads. The idli walla, our esteemed veggie vendors, fruit vendors, all sit on this pile of dry garbage and sell us vegetables which we prepare and eat with great relish! Next time you eat that idli or purchase some veggies from RRT Road, have look around and see where these hawkers sit!!
Garbage has not been lifted for days now from the front of two buildings, Rohini and Bhanu Sadan. It is shameful to invite guests over and make them walk through the pile of garbage.
The need of the hour is not only to evict these hawkers but also to try and educate them about basic health and cleanliness routines. Once they start treating RRT Road as their own, they will automatically start keeping it clean.
