Children of the Dark

The street was clean and clear of all garbage. When dawn broke, a band of gypsies had descended on the lone street, pitching their tent, a little away from the drain which was used the days ahead for all ablutions. Toileting all over was a band of unruly children, carefree of worldly worries, no schooling just begging. The street was their oyster. Women who arrived seemingly single exposed to the vagaries of the night, were now expectant mothers.

Can we have a Law that makes it the responsibility of the local police under whose jurisdiction this street happens to ensure no one arrives from nowhere, and makes the street their home. They just need to be sent to the nearest beggar’s home. The men & women have to be skilled during their stay at the home based on their inclinations, and converted to useful members of society. Once skilled they have to be asked to return to their place of birth/origin and begin life anew. Else the City will forever be an overgrown slum, inviting more children to the dark.

A Vote that Counts..........

In our current parliamentary system, our representatives are elected by the principle of who reaches the post first. Thus if 5 Candidates are in the fray, each garners 20% votes and are equal winners. However, If one candidate can get 21% then he gets declared winner, even though he does not represent the 79% who have rejected him. The better way to correct this anomaly and make every vote count in parliamentary elections are to vote for the Party

Manifesto. Thus if a Party gets 10% of the votes polled, he gets represented by 10% of Parliament's strength. The only criteria being all parties must have internal free and fair election. No candidate can hold the same position within the party for more than two terms.
The party must put up their list of candidates who will represent them in parliament in descending order. All elections within the party will be conducted by election commission. Once invited the ruling party should work within the manifesto only and not make rules that were not mentioned in the manifesto prior to elections. This will ensure we get our elected representatives to work for us rather than the other way round.

The Blind Can Walk.........

A road that is repaired or made new, should be such that a blind can walk without stumbling.

The terms of the contract should be such that 50% value is paid on completion, and the rest in 3 equal installments.Each installment paid at the end of a year, if earned in time will carry nominal interest as paid by the Banks. Before any installment is due for payment, the Contractor with the Civic Ward Engineer + Municipal Councillor + Citizens Group representative will inspect the status of the work done. If any two of the three members find fault in the workmanship of the road work, payment can be delayed until rectified to satisfaction. The date of next payment is counted from last payment date. Delayed payments attract no interest. Thus by default the road must be in good condition for a minimum of 3 years after handover.

Trains ahead.........

We need to change the focus of the Trains running on both Western and Central Railway. 

Currently the trains are all scheduled with Churchgate / CST as focus. In the 1960’s it was common for the working class to travel South towards these work centres at dawn and return home at dusk. People lived in the Northern areas of the city and worked in the Southern areas. Gradually this changed and by the turn of the Century, the entire city had work centres and residences all over. In view of this it is imperative that Rail Time Table Planners evolve, rework their timings and focus to ease the hardships of travel. The trains have to be Andheri centric as Andheri is at equidistance from both Churchgate and Virar. If all slow trains originate and terminate from Andheri most of the hardships will be resolved.
Just need to redesign Platform No 2 to ensure it has a common discharge. Slow Train from Churchgate arrives at 2A and slow train from Virar arrives at 2B. Passengers arriving from Churchgate/Virar at Andheri and wanting to travel further alights and boards with a common platform between both trains. No bridges to climb. Similar at Kurla for CST – Thane trains.
Also we need to increase the frequencies of Trains on Western Railway. Currently it cannot be done because of the cross-overs of tracks near final destination. The better way is to underground the line 1 from Marine Lines and proceed along the sea coast to make a big loop that can do a turn around under the Maidans and surface again at Marine Lines as Line 2. Churchgate station will be underground. This one low cost act will save us Millions. Only need to increase the rakes so that time between two consecutive locals can be reduced from 180 secs to 120 secs and later 60 secs.
This is for the slow line. Train follows train. Same principle for Fast locals too.

Dog and the Bone.........

Last week I read an article in The Times of India on Dog and the Bone. It was about the receivables in any industry or situation, where the max perks are received at the top and the crumbs picked off the floor at the bottom of the pyramid. This is a misconceived notion that it is the top alone that deserves the credit for success. Success can be achieved when every player in the game plays his part and contributes to the targeted goal. We need to create a winning situation and a prosperous society where everyone who contributes gets rewarded. Let us assume these are the different levels in an industry.

Chairman & Managing Director,(10x)
CEO,(9x)
Manager,(7.2x)
Divisional In Charge,(6x)
Foreman,(4x)
Supervisor, (2.5x)
workers (1x)

If say x=Rs 10,000, then the CMD gets max Rs 1 Lakh. Once this definition is accepted / legislated, then in a given industry if the CMD deserves more, he has to ensure the value of x at the ground level in his organization changes. This one act will create a healthy environment within the organization, and within society.

Representative of People

Any person who seeks to serve as an elected member of a legislative body in a given  region or area, can stand for election to represent the region or area. Once elected, he is required to represent his constituency and ensure their aspirations are met. He must be an embodiment of their lifestyle, and his earning shall be reflective of the average wage of his constituency. An Improvement in the standard of living of his constituency by default improves his life style. His medical treatment also has to be similar to what his constituents undergo. He uses the same infrastructure, and is accorded the same treatment as ordinary citizens in his constituency.This would be True Representation of the People as envisaged by our Founding Fathers.

Gradation of Universities & Schools

 

Can we have a Web Site that displays all Universities recognized by the Government of India along with their ratings. Norms of recognition and Gradation are clearly defined for all to aspire to be the best. Ratings will be on many counts.

viz: Doctoral Publications, PHd's who have accomplished in International forums, Quality and Type of Research / Courses conducted etc.   

When a guest clicks on any University> they get a display of the Various colleges under their fold, with every College being rated on a scale based on decided parameters to display their Rating.
This will ensure that no College or Institution make false claim in the papers through advertisements, and fleece the student community through exorbitant fees and then award Degrees or Diplomas that are invalid.

This website information will be well published on all college and University Notice boards.

University / College can be Upgraded or Downgraded in their ratings..

If any University / College gets into the Orange Zone, and if they continue to fail for 3/5 years, they may/can be unrecognized.
This will ensure that students do not enroll for courses under this University / College.

This one act well publicized, will ensure all Institutes of Learning strive to better the Best.