Nov. 1-15, 2011 Vol. 7, Issue - 9

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It seems the Indian software industry is getting more and more powerful and trying to infringe on the rights and liberties of citizens. First it was Satyam's Ramalinga Raju who defrauded the nation, now it is Infosys' Nilekanni who managed to get a much coveted cabinet berth by just coming up with a hare brained UID scheme which will cost the nation 1,50,000 crores.

The national unique identifica-tion project (UID), initiated by businessman Nandan Nilekani, has netted some corporates huge profits including a free cabinet berth for Nilekanni who can live and travel like an obese Indian Maharaja at the cost of the tax

payer without having to contest any elections. He is a non-elected Central Cabinet Minister who is enjoying the benefits of power and making the country shell out 1,50,000 crore for a crappy UID scheme, a scheme that has been discarded by both the UK and the Philippines as a non workable plan as well as a serious intrusion into the civil liberties of citizens. No other country in the world includ-ing the US has anything similar to India's UID scheme.

Initially the country was given the impression that this card can be used for multi purposes as it contains comprehensive informa-tion about the card holder and that is why it is so expensive. But the real fact of the matter is that it is nothing but a simple software database that even a novice programmer can create.

First of all, Government departments claim that the UID card is not proof of citizenship. Reserve bank recently instructed all banks that UID card is not acceptable identification to open bank account and people need to provide separate address proof. Why can't people open bank accounts even if they have UID card. If not then what is the purpose of wasting Rs. 150,000

crores on the UID card? For getting a UID application

form they also need separate address proof along with PAN card. What about people staying in hostels and people from other states ? If the PAN card was not proof enough then why add a new UID card too? Was the PAN card a failure? The UID card itself is not up to the mark. People living in Vashi which comes under Thane district is shown in the UID card as Raigad district.

In the UK, the Home Secretary explained that they were abandon-ing their UID type project because it would otherwise be 'intrusive bullying' by the state, and that the government intended to be the 'servant' of the people, and not their 'master'. In the late nineties, the Supreme Court of Philippines struck down the President's executive order which instituted a biometric-based national ID system calling it unconstitutional because of its overreach of the executive over the legislative powers of the congress, and the invasion of privacy. In India, the UIDAI has been constituted on the basis of a Government notification and there is a great risk to civil liberties with the convergence of UID, NATGRID etc.

Very recently, India strongly opposed the radio tagging of

Is UID a National waste – Country to lose 1,50,000 Crore ?

Earthworm: Secret weapon against climate changeelieve it or not, the humble earthworm has become the latest Bsecret weapon in the war against climate change. A major

four- year old study has revealed that instead of just wriggling around and providing food for birds, earthworms- have been burrowing their way through the ground for 300 million years - can help to prevent flooding and droughts.

Floods and droughts are caused by cycles of dry weather and monsoon- type rains often said to be caused by global warming. And this is the humble earthworm can help the planet, say researchers at the Game and Wildlife Conservation Society in the UK.

The average worm weighs less than half an ounce but it is able to eat through a third of its own weight in soil a day. When worms tunnel the soil absorbs more water, meaning that in their millions, worms can turn the ground into one vast sponge soaking up water in floods but retaining it during dry spells. Now, farmers can play a vital part in combating the devastation aused by floods and droughts by encourag-ing earthworms, according to the researchers.

“Our research shows that farmers can make a huge different in helping to mitigate the effects of climate change. When fields are not ploughed, the soil condition is improved naturally by the tunneling of earthworms, which absorb water at a rate of four to 10 times that of fields which are without worm tunnels. “This in turn helps the soil to take up water during storms and to retain it during drought. It also helped to buffer our stream from flooding during heavy rain,” the 'Sunday Express' quoted Dr. Chris Stoate ,head of research at the society's Allerton Project farm, as saying .

One of the key recommendations in the study is for farmers to cut back on traditional ploughing to harness the power of the army of the eco-friendly microbes and earthworm that live in the soil. This then increases the capacity of the ground to take up water during storms and then to retain it during droughts.

The worm has proved to be one of nature's great survivors and also to be a vital player in the environment, breaking down soil, recycling nutrients and being an important part of the farmland food chain. Birds as varied as buzzards, owls, and Kestrels all feed on worms. Some worms can live 10 years and although they have no teeth, arms, eyes and legs they can move 27 feet per hour underground.

(continued on page 3 )

M. Thomas , USA

ENOT G TTINGUR F V TE

YO A OURIS P R ?

NEW PA ECALL

10 AM - 5 PM MONDAY to SATURDAY

022- 27651247 Indian students who went to the US on student visas with bogus papers through a bogus college started by some fraudulent Chin-ese woman. It can be easily sur-mised that the Indian students,

mostly from Andhra Pradesh, were party to the scam in which the dubious university helped foreign nationals illegally acquire immi-gration status. Indian Government

(The writer is a Post Graduate from IndianInstitute of Human Rights, New Delhi.)

Nov. 1-15, 2011

oad shedding has begun Lagain. The same problem that people of Maharashtra have been witnessing time and again. A few years ago when load shedding began, it was claimed that it was due to paucity of electric power. During that time it was found that the reason for load shedding was to force the public to support the building of more power plants. No new power plants were built after that but a few years later after the electricity rates were increased, lo and behold, power suddenly appeared magically out of Alladin's lamp and there was no need for any more load shedding for the time being.

Now since they have again started load shedding, they have different reasons that are not clear. On the one hand they claimed that it was the poor quality of coal. On the other hand they claimed that they had a coal shortage. Then they blamed the Telengana agitation for the coal shortage.

They claimed that it is the supposedly poor quality of coal from India's mines that is being supplied to the power plants. MSEB's claim that the coal that is being supplied to the power plants is of low quality, and so there has to be load shedding, is ridiculous in the least. Why should low quality of coal suddenly affect power supply? Even if power generation is affected, it should have been gradual and not sudden. Why this demand by MSEB to buy imported coal that is three times more expensive than Indian coal? Isn't there something that sounds fishy? Doesn't this sound like some tactic of blackmailing the public to get

the required money sanctioned to get imported coal at three times the cost?

There are also other questions that are coming to the public mind. Why is there a sudden coal shortage when India has the most coal mafias legally and illegally mining huge quantities of coal? Well these questions pose uncom-fortable answers, so suddenly the powers have started to point fingers at the Telangana agitation due to which power plants are not getting the required coal. They claim that the situation has been compounded by a reported coal shortage even at the national level, and also due to a flash 24-hour strike by Coal India Limited employees.

But the real clue and one of the other reasons that comes to mind is the resignation and arrest of BS Yedurappa, the BJP Chief Minister of Karnataka who had to recently resign due his hand in illegal mining. Is this supposed coal shortage the after effect of the arrest of Yedurappa? Has the illegal mining activity got sus-pended due to Yedurappa's arrest? Was the MSEB involved in procuring coal from illegal mines operated by politicians? If so then there needs to be a CBI investiga-tion into the matter and see to it that all illegal mines are taken over by the Government and kept running instead of being stopped and putting the public at misery. Indian Corruption is endemic and cannot be stopped in India so all the public wants is “KHAO LEKIN PUBLIC KO JEENE DO” – MSEB NEEDS TO STOP THE LOAD SHEDDING NOW !!!

Compensation to the crime victimsn the case of Prem Shankar IShukla v/s Delhi Admn, the

Supreme Court gave a number of directions with a view to refor-ming and humanizing jail admini-stration. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, the directions of the Supreme Courts not being properly observed in most of the jails in the country. Similarly, in the case of Sheela Barse v/s State of Maharashtra the Supreme Court dealt with the question of treat-ment of women in police lock-ups and gave detailed directions for improving conditions in the lock-up and providing adequate protec-tion to the arrested persons, parti-cularly to women kept in police lock-ups.

Describing conditions of police lock-up, Justice A.N. Mulla Committee on Jail Reforms has pointed out-“most of these lock-ups have insufficient accommoda-tion and are without even such basic facilities as lavatories, light, water and ventilation. Sanitary

conditions in these lock-ups are also utterly unsatisfactory. The very first encounter of a person with the criminal justice system thus invokes in him a reaction of abhorrence for and distrust in the criminal justice system. Condi-tions of Police lock-ups need to be urgently improved”.

Justice A.N. Mulla in his report on jail reforms has further said that “the conditions of living in sub jails area worse than in many

bigger jails mainly because the buildings are old, improvised and badly main-tained. There is acute paucity of funds and facilities; and the management is left to the care of ill-paid, low level staff with remote or indifferent supervision. There are no adequate arrange-ments for preparing food for the prisoners within the sub-jail premises and sub-standard cooked food is supplied through contract system”.

The Report also deals with the agonies of the life convicts in jails. The Committee strongly felt that section 433-A of the Cr. P.C. which lays down that life convicts cannot be released before the actual imprisonment of 14 years should be suitably amended.

The comm-ittee felt that if immediate steps are not taken to remove some of the genuine grievances of the life convicts, prison riots are likely to occur now and again in different jails across the country.

2

NERUL'S PALM TOWERS IS NARRATING A MUST-LEARN LESSON FOR BUYERS

he Palm Towers in Nerul will not be demolished for T

now. In its last hearing the High Court has directed the state government to look into a plea submitted by residents of Palm Towers and has stayed the decision of the town planning to demolish the tower. When we spoke to shop owners at Palm Towers, their situation makes one see that the Palm Towers is narrating a must-learn lesson for all buyers.

Every possible violation in book and the worst fears of every buyer has become a reality at Nerul's Palm Towers. The two 14 storyed towers went into one of the worst disputes registered in the city so far and was declared un-authorized by the NMMC's Town Planning Office post a court order to investigate the same. In its report, the Town Planning Office informed the court that as much as 17, 000 sq ft is FSI theft in the two towers, which has to be razed down. On September 7, the Town Planning Office sent a notice to residents to demolish the illegal

construction on their own within a month or else NMMC would be forced to do it.

As soon as the notice reached the residence owners, panicky residents rushed to High court with pleas of injustice asking for staying the demolition order of the Town Planning Office. These residents are up in arms against the shop owners in the tower calling their shops as being completely illegal and demanding that they should be demolished. Hearing their appeal, the High Court directed the state government to expedite the hearing of this matter and decide it within six weeks. Until the government takes a decision, that the demolition notice issued by the ADTPO will be stayed and that no fresh occupancy will be issued.

At Palm Towers, shop owners share their horrifying plight – from how they were fooled into buying the shops from the builder and how they are facing losses due to investment in the disputed property.

All attempts to contact the residence owners committee Chairman K D Hudaodekar and their lawyer Trupti Shetty proved futile. The only relief to shop owners is that the Additional Director of Town Planning Sanjay Banait has rejected the plea of residents to demolish the shops. Sanjay Banait has said that the shops as structures are legal. However, this relief is not the end of their problems. With EMIs eating into their savings each month, the threat of massive demolition looming large on Palm Towers, no occupancy certificate to the tower yet – there is a long road of battles, struggles and challenges for all those who have invested in the disputed Palm Towers. While the million-dollar question is “Why is no one penalizing the builder for the mess and the officials of both CIDCO and NMMC for dereliction of duty?”, what is more important is the lesson that Palm Towers is narrating to all buyers.

Shameless MSEB at it again –Or is it the Yedurappa effect ?

ncreasing levels of high- density lipoproteins, better known as HDL or 'good' cholesterol, reduced the risk for heart attack and I

stroke among patients with diabetes, according to a new study.Lead author Gregory Nichols PhD, senior investigator with the

kaiser Permanente center for Heath Research in Portland ,Ore said that heart attack and stroke rise increase when 'good' cholesterol levels go down. Researchers studied patients with diabetes because they are more prone to heart disease with a lifetime risk as high as 87 per cent .

While there is considerable evidence that reducing the amount of low –density lipoprotein , also known as LDL or 'bad' cholesterol, can reduce the risk of heart disease, the relationship between HDL cholesterol and heart disease is less clear, Nichols said .

“Our study adds to the growing body of evidence that raising HDL levels may be an important strategy for reducing heart attack risk,” said study lead author Nichols.

The study included 30,067 patients who entered Kaiser permanent diabetes registries in Oregon, Washington and Georgia between 2001 and 2006. These patients had at least two HDL cholesterol measurements between six and 24 months apart.

Good cholesterol cuts heart attack risk for diabetics

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National Level Cultural Competition in Mumbaior the second time the FAmateur Artists Asso-

ciation of Mumbai is organis-ing the ALL INDIA DANCE & M U LT I L I N G U A L D R A M A COMPETITION under the banner of JALLOSH MUMBAPURIKA MAHASANGRAM. The competi-

thtion will be held from 27 Dec. to st31 Dec. 2011 at 'Late G.R. Shukla

Auditorium' Goregaon. The com-petition provides a platform for talented personalities to compete with other participants from around the country and prove themselves in various fields of dance, drama and music. This remarkable cultural event aspire at harmonizing the

diverse cultures from different parts of the country and promoting its beauty altogether on a single platform.

The events of the competition consists of Singing which include Classical/Non-Classical, Folk, Bhajan and Film Songs, Instrument Playing which include any Indian or Western instruments playing, the Dance which includes Indian Classical Dance, Semi-Classical, Modern/Fusion Dance, Group Dance and Regional Folk Dance. Each of the dance events is classi-fied on the basis of Solo, Duet and Group dances which is again categorised as Junior (below 12

years) and Senior. The most appropriate talents in each field will be honoured with various awards to rising talents, prizes to the winners and cash awards to group perfor-mances in drama and dance and trophies to all winners, rising talents and award winners and certificates to all.

The presence of various Bolly-wood personalities at the event will glamorise the importance and acceptance of the cultural event among the public which will in turn promote the cultural development of our society at a whole. For more information contact the General Secretary of Amateur Artists Asso-ciat ion, Mr. P.N. Bhat t a t 09869003536 or helpline at 09320986322.

Nov. 1-15, 20113

took it for reference was the one responsible.

Beena's suicide triggered a spontaneous strike by the Malayali nurses who staged a sit-in dharna at the hospital gate. The instant action was, no doubt, a manifesta-tion of their love and sympathy for Beena, but, more importantly, it was the outburst of the simmering anger and discontent against the hospital management which everyone shared.

There are several five-star hospitals in Mumbai, offering the best in medical care. Everyone knows about these hospitals, but no one knows how badly the nurses are treated there. Asian Heart Institute is ranked very high in the list of hospitals and is the No. 1 for heart diseases in India. However, Beena' suicide is a blemish on its reputation.Tthe strike by 200 Malayali nurses brought the work of the hospital to a standstill.

he main grievances of the nursing staff were the bond system, long working hours and ill treatment by superiors and doc-tors. The doctors were charged with even using abusive language against the nurses. It is difficult to understand as to how doctors who are highly educated and qualified can stoop so low as to use vulgar language and that too against women.

It was said that the hospital gets a bond of Rs. 50000 executed by every nurse stipulating that in the event of the employee leaving the hospital's services within two years of service, she/he would pay Rs. 50000 to the hospital. To ensure that this clause is adhered to, the hospital keeps the original certificates and refuses to release them unless the money is paid. In essence, these employees are treated as bonded workers.. It appears that withholding of the certificates is a general practice with all the private hospitals and not just the Asian Heart Institute. We have heard of medical students in government colleges giving such bonds. That is because the government spends a lot of money on each student during his five years of college. Is this the case with the nurses?

It is ridiculous for a hospital to obtain a bond from an emplo-yee for whose education it hasn't spent a penny. In fact the bond system has been banned by the courts, but continues to be practised. There

are certain age old practices followed by com-mercial and industrial houses in India. An employee is recruited on probation for three or six months and on successfully completing the period, he is confirmed in s e r v i c e . D u r i n g t h e probat ionary per iod, the employee can quit after giving 24 hour notice. A permanent employee can resign from service giving a month's notice or a month's salary in lieu of notice. Some such rule should be enforced in the hospitals too. There should be no question of Rs. 50000.

Another complaint was about the working hours. A factory worker is supposed to work for eight hours in a day and is entitled to a day's holiday in a week. Most of the office emplo-yees including those who work in the government departments work less than 8 hours a day. The working hours for nurses should be fixed taking into con-sideration their nature of work and work done beyond the duty hours should be compensated in an appropriate manner.

It was reported that nurses get salaries in the range of Rs. 4000 to 8000. There are, of course a few hospitals which pay Rs.10000. In Delhi, many of the hospitals pay Rs. 14000. There is no reason why the nurses in Mumbai should not be on a par with their counterparts in Delhi. The job of a nurse is not an easy one. It demands qualities like patience, alertness, quick res-ponse to changing situations and above all dedication to the cause. In everyday work, they are sandwiched between the over-bearing doctors and the recalci-trant ward boy/ayah. It should also be noted here that the nurses as a whole are a vulnerable class and there have been many instances of physical assaults on them. It goes without saying that the hospitals should ensure their safety. The strike by the staff of Asian Heart Institute has at least served to bring into the open the plight of the underpaid, exploi-ted nurses. Though the hospital has agreed to most of the demands, the real solution lies in the framing of rules by the government on an all-India basis.

Beena Baby's sacrifice shouldn't go in vain.

Nurses are not bonded workers

“Papa, I cannot continue here. It is so tough. I have suffered enough. I have no patience left in me “, Beena had sobbed over the phone to her father in the morning. These words were still ringing in his ears when later, in the afternoon, Baby received the shocking news of his daughter's death.

21 year old Beena Baby, a nurse with the Asian Heart Institute in the Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai was found dead in the hospital's hostel situated at the Vrindavan Gardens, Khar(west) on 18-10-2011at 12-30 pm. She belonged to an economically backward family of Thodupuzha in Kerala. Her father Baby was a daily-wage earner. Beena was a hard working and intelligent girl and passed her SSLC exam with a commendable 93% marks and the Plus Two with 81%. After passing out from a private nursing school in Kochi, she joined the Asian Heart Institute, Mumbai, full of hopes, in May, this year. She was posted in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital.

In one sense, Beena is a symbol, a true representative of the hundreds of Malayali girls who come from poor families, take loans for their education and qualify themselves as nurses. They seek employment in the different parts of India. Their life is one of struggle, suffering all sorts of hardships and humiliation, still facing the world with a cheerful face, hoping for a better future.

The sudden death of Beena shocked her colleagues in the hospital. There was no doubt in their minds that she was forced to take the extreme step because of the harassment of the manage-ment. She had not left a suicide note. A couple of days earlier, Beena was under severe pressure. A report of a particular patient went missing from the file and she was repeatedly questioned about it. It was subsequently found in another file, probably the doctor who

NAVI MUMBAI - NEWS

Akriti Seth

(CIDCO AND RAILWAY AUTHORITIES DODGE RES-PONSIBILTY OF THE SANPADA BRIDGE WHILE COMMON MAN PUTS HIS LIFE AT STAKE)

The foot over bridge above the railway line at Sanpada is turning out to be a cause of great inconvenience for pedestrians. The bridge is under the threat of giving away anytime putting the lives of those crossing the bridge on a regular basis in grave danger. Every time a train passes from under the bridge, the bridge shakes and rattles. Those who cross the bridge regularly fear that the bridge may collapse any moment. “Our school is one the other side of the bridge and we have no option but to use this bridge regularly” says fear struck school students of Sanpada. Early this year in January MP Sanjeev Naik promised to allocate Rupees five lakh from his fund for the reconstruction of this bridge. However, no action has been taken so far. Despite several complaints from daily commuters the bridge continues to be neglected by the authorities.

“Since two to three years the nearby temple has been celebrating Datta Yatra festival; that day the bridge shakes like a swing and children can take a ride on it. The bridge cannot take the load of more than 50 people at once.” says a daily commuter. Residents around the bridge say “The people don't pay attention, the ministers don't pay attention, and nobody wants to pay attention to this bridge”. During the Datta Jayanti festival which is celebrated every year in the month of December, the bridge poses the greatest danger. Thousands of devotees come to be a part of the festival at the Datta temple adjacent to this bridge. Digambar Patil, Temple Trustee and MNS leader said “The Bridge constructed by CIDCO is not a durable one. It has not been built in the way it should have been.” The maintenance of the bridge comes under both CIDCO and Railway authorities. PU Dhar, SETP CIDCO said “The foot over bridge was constructed by the railway department and its maintenance comes under the municipality. CIDCO has no role to play in this. A letter has been written by Railways to municipality asking for a deposit of Rupees nine lakhs. However it hasn't been sanctioned yet. No work can start before the whole amount is received.”

As the CIDCO and railway authorities continue to sleep over the construction of this bridge people are left with no other option but to travel in constant fear of meeting with a mishap. Despite several complaints the authorities seem to be in no mood to take this issue seriously. Will it take a shattering mishap to awaken the powers that be ?

Sanpada bridge in great danger !!!

he famous “Garage lane” in Sector-17, Vashi is known for Tgiving cars a different look. There are close to 15 shops in one lane, looking like mini godowns with spare parts scattered everywhere. The lane is always filled with cars, mostly new ones causing a congestion problem for the routine traffic.

Sowjanya Harinarayana, one of the residents staying in the opposite building, says, “These shops have encroached the roads and can be a nuisance at times when there is too much traffic. The NMMC has tried to get rid of them plenty of times, but as always have never been successful and they land put creating a mess.”

NMMC had set up a barricade, restricting the cars to one lane. Within a week, the barricades were crushed and now all that remains are the flatten parts of it stuck to the road. The owner of Siddhi car accessories, Mr. Girish, begs to differ, “We have often been blamed of encroaching the roads, but we are not to be blamed, our businesses are doing well thus there is crowd and traffic!”

There are, on the other hand, a few other residents who only have a problem with the shop owners not keeping the surroundings clean. Satish Aggarwal, a local resident says, “Being a car enthusiast, I think I'm very lucky to live here as I get to see the latest cars and I am kept up-to-date with the technology they use.

The roads are left with dirty wrappers and unused equipments.” Even the shop owners agree. “We are planning on forming an association and setting certain ground rules to ensure hygiene and the overall well-being of the people living in the locality,” Vajir Singh said.

Garage Garbage

(UID National waste .... contd. from page 1)

Constitution and secrecy definite-ly seems to be the result of corrupt corporate contributions to ruling parties.

Nilekani has acquired the following multiple faces: Head of Technology Advisory Group on Unique Projects (TAGUP) that proposes 'private company with public purpose' and with 'profit making as the motive but not profit maximizing', Head of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which is functioning without legislative approval either at the Centre or in the states and has signed contracts with US companies like L1 Identities Solution, Head of Committee on Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) technology for use on National

Highways that proposes Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Head of an inter-ministerial task force to streamline the subsidy distribution mechanism, which recommends something which contrary to the provisions of the Draft Food Security Bill, Head of government of India's IT Task Force for Power Sector, Member of National Knowledge Comm-ission, Member of Review Com-mittee of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, Member of National Advisory Group on e-Governance, Member of Subcommittee of the Securities and Exchange Board of India that dealt with issues related to insider trading, Member of Reserve Bank of India's Advisory Group on

deemed the radio tagging offen-sive and an assault on human rights. If that is so, one wonders how Nilekani's UID project that wants to tag all honest and inno-cent Indian residents is not an assault on the human rights of Indians. The UID is nothing but a scam perpetrated on the nation by the Kings of the software industry to loot and control the citizens of this country.

According to Indian mytholo-gy, the “Rakshas” Ravan had 10 faces. Nilekanni has one more- 11 faces to be precise. The multi polar faces of Nandan Manohar Nile-kani, who acquired the rank of a Cabinet minister without oath of

corporate governance, Member of Prime Minister's National Council on Skill Development. When it is hard for one person to perform as head or member of one organiza-tion, one wonders how Nilekkani can head all these organizations together. Perhaps only “Ravan” can answer this question.

But once the UID scheme is implemented fully any Indian software company dealing with UID cards and government departments can access all your private and public information, including your credit card num-

bers and bank account details which is definitely scary. Imagine what would happen if a rabidly communal or Nazi type party comes to power at the center. It would get its hands on this readymade information and use it to economically and socially destroy all minorities and enemies. It is high time the Central Govern-ment look into this issue seriously before it wastes any more of taxpayer money to take away the rights and liberties of the common man.

Omega-3 Prevents Osteoarthritis

Nov. 1-15, 20114

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Under Construction (expected in 3 months)possession will be

The ill effects of urbanization take its toll on the lakes in Thane.

Thane is the fastest growing city that lies 7 feet above the sea level. The city once had over 65 lakes and therefore came to be known as the 'lake city'.

However the growing infra-structure and real estate has deteriorated the condition of the lakes to such an extent that many of them hardly existing. Hawkers and other public throw garbage in the water thereby polluting the lake. Due to urbanization, lack of

Thane municipal corporation building stands on Jogila Lake ?

proper maintenance, and neglige-nce of the Thane Municipal Cor-poration (TMC), the city is left with only 35 registered lakes.

Some of the famous lakes like Masunda Talao, Ambeghosale Lake, Hariyali Lake, Raila Devi Lake, Brahmala Lake, Gokul Na-gar Lake, Kachrali Lake, Rewale Lake, Kharegaon Lake, Kalwa Lake, Kausa Lake, Kolshet Lake, Siddeshwar Lake, Upvan Lake, Jail Lake etc.

The most beautiful amongst them is the Masunda Talao,

commonly known as Talao Pali. It is close to Thane Railway Station. At its center lies a temple with a huge idol of lord hanuman which is about 20 foot high. This lake is also surrounded by erections of historic importance like Kopin-eshwar Temple and St. John Church which enhances its beauty.

But Masunda Talao, which is a favourite amongst the locals, is only 10% of the actual size of the lake that is 1200 X 1016 feet. But today only 1,23,545 of the total square feet exist.

The Thane Municipal Corpo-ration has taken steps to improve the condition of the lakes which is the essence of the city. “Since the time Corporation came into existence, we are working on conservation and beautification of lakes. Till now we have 35 lakes registered with us. We have tried to conserve 14 lakes till now, and we have made the provisions in our annual budget for the beautifica-tion of the remaining lakes by the next year”, said the TMC Public Relations Officer (PRO), Sandeep Malvi.

Other lakes like Makhmali Talao, Siddeshwar Lake, Ambeg-hosale Lake, Upvan Lake etc are now being maintained by the Corporation. But the lake is not cleaned regularly resulting in the formation of algae. TMC is work-ing on improving the “physical appearance” of the lake but it has failed to maintain a check on the cleanliness.

Environmentalist Nitin Desh-pande said, “Urbanisation and negligence of the Government body hassled decrease in the number of lakes in this city. As per the constitution Article 48-A (which ensures Protection and

improvement of environment and safeguarding of forests and wild life) government has to protect any natural resource.”

Even though the TMC ensures to protect the lakes, many of them have dried up or rather became non-existent. One such lake is the Jogila Lake, surprisingly where the Thane Municipal Corporation building stands today. When asked about it, Sandeep Malvi denies be-ing aware of any such happening.

The environmentalist also add-ed that a few years ago, the spot where Kolbad Lake stands today was a dumping ground. TMC spent 36 lakhs on the beautifica-tion of the lake. Still the condition of the lake is such that it is in no way helpful for the citizens. The Corporation that claims to have maintained the lakes in a proper condition has focused only on enhancing the appearance of the lakes rather than scientific beauti-fication. Also the lakes which are in the heart of the city are given more priority for regular water purification as compared to the lesser known ones.

Destroying the natural resour-ces creates imbalance in the environment. The only hope left is to preserve and maintain the re-maining lakes of Thane efficiently and getting sufficient attention by the government authorities.

- Akriti Seth

Haribansh R. Singh98210 13066 / 97020 7777 Durgesh H. Singh

PRESIDENT : Akhil Bharatiya Kshatriya Mahasabha; Hindi Bhashi Vikas Manch; Sainath Education Trust - Navi Mumbai; Smt. Sonapatti Devi Memorial Medical Trust; Rajiv Gandhi College of Arts, Commerce & Science Computer Science, IT & BMS.

CHAIRMAN : Kunwar Haribansh Singh College of Pharmacy Jaunpur (U.P); Devki Nandan Dental College, Jaunpur (U.P.); Kunwar Haribansh Singh Institute of Management, Jaunpur (U.P.); Kunwar Haribansh Singh Paramedical, Jaunpur (U.P.); Kunwar Haribansh Singh Nursing College (G.N.M. & A.N.M.), Jaunpur (U.P.); H.B.B.Ed. College & H.B.D.T.Ed. College - Vashi Navi Mumbai; Sainath Hindi High School & Junior College - Vashi Navi Mumbai; Purvanchal Hospital & Research Centre - Jaunpur (U.P.); Devki Nandan Dental Hospital Jaunpur (U.P); Indravati Singh Charitable Hospital, Airoli, Navi Mumbai; Kunwar Haribhansh Singh College of P.G.D.M. Jaunpur (U.P.)

mega- 3 in fish oil could O“substantially and sig-nificantly” reduce the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis and slow its progression.

Omega-3-rich diets fed to guinea pigs, which naturally develop osteoarthritis, reduced disease by 50 percent compared to a standard diet, according to a University of Bristol study.

Omega-3 fatty acids, either sourced from fish oil or flax oil, may help to show down the progression of osteoarthritis , or even prevent it from occurring, confirming “old wives' tales” about the benefits of fish oil for joint health, the journal Osteo-

arthritis and cartilage reports.John Tarlton, from the Uni-

versity of Bristol's school of Veterinary Sciences, who led the study, said typical symptoms, such as the degradation of collagen in cartilage and the loss of molecules that given it shock absorbing properties, were both reduced with Omega-3 “Further-more, there was strong evidence that Omega-3 influences the biochemistry of the disease, and therefore not only helps prevent disease but also slows its progression, potentially con-trolling established osteoarthri-tis,” he Said according to a Bristol statement.

Nominated to the National Advisory committee

Ms. Ambika Warasiar has been nominated to the advisory board of

ththe 11 national level arts competi-tion of Orissa, the Global Theatre Festival is conducted by the renowned organization the

thTheatre Movement. The 11 National Dance- Music- Drama competition is to be conducted in Cuttack, Orissa. Ambika Warasiar has been selected for this great post considering her contribution to the field of dance and music as well as her excellence in the field. She is the first Malayalee to be nominated to the board. Thus she has conquered new horizons of success in her list of achievements. Ambika Warasiar is the Creative Wing Director of Tru Indian Infor-mation Guidance Society and is a renowned dance teacher. The application forms for the competi-tion can be obtained from the Tru Indian Information and Guidance Society office at Dombivli.

Phone: 9320986322