Thursday, September 12, 2019

RWA’s Happy to Throw Open Colony Gates……. BUT will POLICE & SDMC Do Their Job

RWA’s Happy to Throw Open Colony Gates……. BUT will POLICE & SDMC Do Their Job

When it Suits them both POLICE and SDMC encourage RWA’s to put up gates as it reduces their workload tremendously. But both have shied away from framing a sensible Policy for installation of gates. In places the Guidelines from both differ, creating ambiguity.

It has been a long-standing demand of RWA’s to frame a Policy keeping the current reality in mind, in terms of feasibility and manpower requirement of both RWA’s and Authorities.

Gates are the quintessential CHICKEN & EGG STORY…… Why did the need to put up gates arise ??? The simple answer is BECAUSE POLICE FAILED TO PROVIDE SECURITY; SDMC FAILED TO STOP SQUATTERS & DDA ALLOWED MIXED LAND USE DESPITE RWA OBJECTIONS. RWA’s are Happy to do away with gates PROVIDED the Police and SDMC perform their duties, for which citizens pay Taxes.

Every now and the arguments such as passage to Fire Brigade, Medical Emergency, New Visitors etc are touted, but has anyone pondered……

1.      The Fire Engines get stuck more due to haphazardly parked vehicles and not the gates
2.      Medical Emergencies, most intersections and trisection on arterial roads have been closed and every vehicle has to take long detours or take U-Turns under Flyovers, therefore, having to cover longer distances.
3.     New Visitors...... Google Maps, Mobile Communications have changed the way most people reach their destinations.

While understanding the gravity of the situation, it also has to be understood that some CURBS AND DETOURS ACTUALLY CUT TRAVEL TIME, THOUGH A LONGER DISTANCE IS TRAVERSED. In an emergency, time is of essence and not distance traveled. It is a mindset issue we are grappling with, Courts give Judgment based on laid not Rules & Guidelines and not what is Needed or Ground Reality.

Recently, an RWA in GK-I had to throw open all Gates on Court Orders because a disgruntled Resident and the adjoining Market Association wanted access to the rear entrance of Shops & Restaurants in the wee hours of the night. ONLY LAST NIGHT AT 4 AM COUNTER FIR'S HAVE BEEN FILED AFTER A VERBAL BOUT, EVEN LADIES WERE NOT SPARED.

RELIABLE SOURCES TELL ME ALL RWA'S UNDER SDMC WILL SOON BE GIVEN the NOTICE TO THROW OPEN GATES.  

Now, whose Rights do we Protect, Residents or Late Night Revelers using colony roads for thoroughfare, parking, making merry 24X7 or drunken brawls at 2 am? Pubs operate well beyond closing time with authorities turning a Blind Eye and complaints falling on deaf ears of Police and SDMC.

When RWA’s protest against conversion of Residential Areas into Commercial, no heed is paid. Because authorities are only interested in Revenue Generation through Conversion Charges. Forced to take steps to Secure themselves RWA’s get support from Police and SDMC but they won’t frame policies that will protect RWA’s from Court’s Wroth.
 
EPCA ALSO NEEDS TO BE BLAMED, they are only concentrating on how to regulate traffic and find Parking. They have not gotten to the root of the Problem…. BAD MPD-2021.

IN THIS CHICKEN & EGG STORY ……. RWA’s Will Gladly Throw Open The Gates ……. BUT AUTHORITIES WILL END UP WITH EGG ON FACE …… As It Is Their Duty To Maintain Security and Civic Order. AMEN.

Regards,

Rajiv Kakria

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Pollution Under Control ?

FOOD FOR THOUGHT......
@10 vehicles an hour, only about 100 vehicles can be issued PUC Certificates by the most Efficiently Working Operater, with no Portal hangover issues.

Delhi has 1000 centers, means 1 lakh a day. Delhi has 1.16 crore registered vehicles of which 60% need to get PUC done every 3 months, 40% yearly or twice in a year.

You do the math, even if working efficiently and constantly for 3 months there will a backlog and the vehicles will be back for repeat PUCs, adding to the backlog.


Despite best intentions, 100% of citizens cannot get PUCs for lack of infrastructure so WHY SHOULD THEY BE PENALISED for not possessing a useless piece of paper. WHY USELESS ???


PUC was an employment-generating scam to give crumbs to loyal nepotism, just as the Crane Service was introduced to fill up pockets of relatives of Police Officials, have the cranes reduced Congestion..... NO.

PUCs never fulfilled the purpose, as no one checked the quality of fuel for adulteration, nor improved the road condition/potholes nor road engineering nor encroachments, non-functioning traffic lights, etc.

the real causes of traffic jams that cause the vehicles to idle in stop-go traffic, therefore causing pollution.

In all the years I have got my car checked never once has the reading come even close to critical......

Ever since BS-IV has come the reading is in beyond 2 decimal spaces.

PUC rate for petrol is Rs. 80/- plus 18% Luxury goods GST..... The balance of Rs. 5.60 is never returned... For Diesel it's Rs. 100/- plus GST.....

GOVT IS FILLING UP IT'S COFFERS AND MAKING CITIZENS STAND IN QUEUES (reminds me of Demonetization).

For a start, Private Vehicles with BS4 engines should be EXEMPT for 5 years. That will bring the numbers down significantly.

Also, make Automobile Service Centres accountability to mandatory issue PUC after every Service.....

Thereafter increase the checking centers, AND FOR GOD'S SAKE BRING THE GST DOWN TO 5%.....

Revenue loss CAN BE RECOVERED BY IMPOSING PUNITIVE FINES OF OFFICIALS INCHARGE OF ROAD MAINTENANCE, ENGINEERING, FAULTY TRAFFIC SIGNALS ETC.....

Govt bhi khush Citizen be khush...... 
😊

Think of ways to reduce manmade hurdles for public good.....
In Hope of Some Sanity,
SAVE OUR CITY CAMPAIGN

Rajiv Kakria

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

आप अपनी समस्या के बारे में हमें लिखें

दिल्ली के हर इलाके में कोई न कोई समस्या जरूर है। कहीं सड़कों में खड़े हैं तो कहीं सड़कें ही टूटी फूटी हैं, कहीं जल भराव होता है तो कहीं  पीने को भी जल नसीब नहीं होता। कहीं कचरे के ढेर मिल जाते हैं तो कहीं खुले ढलाव बदबू के मारे जीना मुहाल कर देते हैं। कहीं ट्रैफिक जैम है तो कहीं एन्क्रोचमेंट। कहीं पोलुशन के मारे दम घुटने लगता है तो कहीं अस्पतालों में ढंग की ट्रीटमेंट के लिए भी जेब खाली करनी पड़ती है। ऐसे में अगर आप अपनी समस्या के बारे में हमें लिखें तो हम उसको RWA भागीदारी ब्लॉग और RWA भागीदारी नेटवर्क में अपलोड करके आपकी समस्या को लाइम लाइट में लाने का प्रयास करेंगे। कृपया फोटो या वीडियो जरूर भेजें और अपना नाम, मोबाइल नंबर भी जरूर लिखें।

Thanks

B S Vohra
rwabhagidari@yahoo.in