Despite the nature of the Lok Sabha elections in Pune that were ironically and I still insist that wrongly fought on basis of local issues like public services, traffic and power supply, the city is being ditched by all aspiring MPs namely Bhai Hotel+Travels Kalmadi, dada Petrol Pump + JM road Shiroles and ex IAS slum destroyer Bhatia have ditched their constituency as soon as polling was over.
The rickshaw strike for revision of tariff and now the garbage strike by the land fill displaced villagers (2 services which are highly important for functioning of the city) paralysed the city the pleas of the PMC officers fell to deaf ears of MLAs and aspiring MPs. Its a shame that representatives have lost all sense of responsibility and only eye for the prized gaddi. I particularly feel more ashamed as now as I see how town councils and city councils in Arizona work and how effective they are in resolving many issues that too under public eye (all proceedings are televised). I honestly feel parliamentary democracy and the loosely defined federal nature of our states, have become serious hurdles in all administration in India. The lethargy of the judiciary is also partly to blame for copying the Westminister system of parliamentary democracy for a republic like India.
With so many disputes, only educated and determined decision making leaders can stand up to the occasion - but parliamentary democracy has made a mockery of all relevant issues in resurgent India and replaced it with the precise non issues like caste, gareebi and aam aadmi. A presidential form of government has the scary prospect of the complicity of the army with a powerful politician who can become a dictator, but in a diverse land as ours, we can quickly ensure checks and balances by empowering the judiciary and giving legislature enough powers to avoid such a thing. The urgency of India's issues is so magnanimous with the backdrop of the global economic downturn, persistent poverty in India and Indias perilous neighborhood. The situation is even more aggravated as the affluent and educated classes now think that India is a banana republic where no one in power can affect their lives, while in fact they should be cogitating as to how the current system can be improved and made more efficient.
Ambedkar's copy paste constitution may have worked so far, but its high time educated Indians pushed for judicial, electoral, labour and police reofrms. Both Vajpayee and Dr MMS had envisioned a better polity for India and often its not that hard to conjure up majority for national issues in the parliament (provided it has nothing personal against anyone). A push for a presidential style democracy and the ability to incorporate proportianal representation, improving federal structure of the states and slow and steady removal of linguistic barriers by promoting English as an administrative language should be considered as priorities.
Efficient administration often has nothing to do with caste, ideology, religion, economic ability or education level. Its more like a well oiled machine's output. Our machine is neither properly in place, nor producing enough fair output. Do the SC/ST smell the stick of the garpage piled up on Pune streets any more than an upper caste person? Does a yuppie in a Mercedes Benz smell that stench any less than some poor student on a bicycle? Time is running out. I honestly hope this election will turn tides, else we are doomed and will face a nasty jolt for progress ...
The rickshaw strike for revision of tariff and now the garbage strike by the land fill displaced villagers (2 services which are highly important for functioning of the city) paralysed the city the pleas of the PMC officers fell to deaf ears of MLAs and aspiring MPs. Its a shame that representatives have lost all sense of responsibility and only eye for the prized gaddi. I particularly feel more ashamed as now as I see how town councils and city councils in Arizona work and how effective they are in resolving many issues that too under public eye (all proceedings are televised). I honestly feel parliamentary democracy and the loosely defined federal nature of our states, have become serious hurdles in all administration in India. The lethargy of the judiciary is also partly to blame for copying the Westminister system of parliamentary democracy for a republic like India.
With so many disputes, only educated and determined decision making leaders can stand up to the occasion - but parliamentary democracy has made a mockery of all relevant issues in resurgent India and replaced it with the precise non issues like caste, gareebi and aam aadmi. A presidential form of government has the scary prospect of the complicity of the army with a powerful politician who can become a dictator, but in a diverse land as ours, we can quickly ensure checks and balances by empowering the judiciary and giving legislature enough powers to avoid such a thing. The urgency of India's issues is so magnanimous with the backdrop of the global economic downturn, persistent poverty in India and Indias perilous neighborhood. The situation is even more aggravated as the affluent and educated classes now think that India is a banana republic where no one in power can affect their lives, while in fact they should be cogitating as to how the current system can be improved and made more efficient.
Ambedkar's copy paste constitution may have worked so far, but its high time educated Indians pushed for judicial, electoral, labour and police reofrms. Both Vajpayee and Dr MMS had envisioned a better polity for India and often its not that hard to conjure up majority for national issues in the parliament (provided it has nothing personal against anyone). A push for a presidential style democracy and the ability to incorporate proportianal representation, improving federal structure of the states and slow and steady removal of linguistic barriers by promoting English as an administrative language should be considered as priorities.
Efficient administration often has nothing to do with caste, ideology, religion, economic ability or education level. Its more like a well oiled machine's output. Our machine is neither properly in place, nor producing enough fair output. Do the SC/ST smell the stick of the garpage piled up on Pune streets any more than an upper caste person? Does a yuppie in a Mercedes Benz smell that stench any less than some poor student on a bicycle? Time is running out. I honestly hope this election will turn tides, else we are doomed and will face a nasty jolt for progress ...
16 comments:
Most elections in India are generally fought on local issues, because for the common man, these matter more than the national ones. Although MPs do have have a vital role to play in these local issues, the actual implementation depends on the local administration, so MPs/MLAs cant really be directly blamed for rickshaw strikes or the garbage problems. Even the corporators representing the people are there to legislate and regulate, not involve in daily administration.
I think the reason why town councils seem to work in the West is because they have evolved from decades of trials and experience. Secondly, it has the common man empowered to get involved. India as democracy is quite young and we are still evolving.
So lets not be quick to dismiss the problems on the parliamentary model. I believe that for a multipolar multicultural nation like India, this model seems to work the best. The Constitution was framed considering all these issues (it definitely is not just a copy-paste job by one man as you put it). The reasons why a presidential system wont work are many such as the multipolarness and also because people vote local, not national. A common man will still vote for his biradari or fellow caste-man and not for say one who is for the nuclear deal or not. There is no immediate solution if we are to evolve to a better working system, but all we can probably do now is to live with the democracy we've adopted and try and make it work.
Eventually, people get the govt that they deserve. If voting percentages remained 40% and people remained apathetic to civic issues, you would obviously get sub-standard mediocre representatives not truly representing the people.
You may be right, I also meant for a gradual move towards a more efficient system that cleans out technical errors in the constitution. But its sad to see how remarkably inefficient our administration and polity is. We have succumbed to being re-active than proactive. A nation cannot be run without any rigorous planning or without good decision making. Take the defense sector for example, this should have been left out of politics for good, but Bofors, IPKF in Sri Lanka, Kargil, etc etc keep making a mockery of the foremost national priority. Same goes for health, children and women welfare, education and technology.
There seems to be no line of separation of jurisdiction in the whole system.
In the infrastructure sector, water resource management should NOT have been a state and Highways should not have been Centrally managed. Electricity should have been jointly run by state and central govts. (w.r.t the Nehruvian model)
I think this as a glitch in the constitution. You are forgetting the fact that the most important decisions (Good or Bad) that shaped free India's destiny have been individual decisions/or outcome of individual resolve and not taken by Parliament or Legislature as a whole. Ex - Nehruvian Socialism, the Emergency, Bangladesh, Blue Star, Economic reforms, Pokharan, etc.
The constitution should have had (or can have) the necessary checks and balances, to ensure better working. As of this point, our judiciary is strong, our independent commissions and hopefully the CBI are also strong, our central police, paramilitary and the Indian Defense is also sufficiently mature to prevent a break up of the nation, is high time we push towards a more efficient system. You may not call it presidential but it has to be something other than what we have today.
I think we are waaay better in the defence sector and it is much apolitical, else an army takeover would had happened ages ago. It is also necessary to keep the military under sufficient civilian control. Screwups happen right from 1962 to 26/11 and will continue to happen - only thing we can try is to try and reduce the possibility of happening. That needs a vigilant citizenry and responsible media and we're getting there - evolving as I said in my last comment.
Could you elaborate on why water resources should not be decentralized and highways should be? Current scenario seems logical to me. A national highway connects more than one state. You cannot have a patch of it in bad shape and the rest decent. As for electricity, I think it should all be privatized.
But then this is not a glitch in the constitution. In fact, the constitution has lent enough flexibility to itself to be amended. The Union Parliament can also make laws on state subjects given certain conditions.
Agreed that many important decisions are taken by individuals, but arent most executive decisions in general taken by elected individuals or an individually chosen cabinet? There have also been significant outcomes brought out by bodies like the Parliament - ending untouchability, the Hindu Code bill, Right to education, Right to information. A Constituent Assembly deciding on adult suffrage in one shot created a revolution by expanding the existing electorate ten-fold. Ditto on official language. Do check out the Const. Assembly debates online, they're really interesting.
Efficient systems need efficient people to work. Even the best system will fail if people wont participate. The problem is that good people in India like you and me dont participate, which is why we end up with the scum participating. So eventually, as I said before, we get what we deserve, right?
Well, you see it in the perspective of a well educated, city guy living with all the facilities available in developed nations. I don't think that even after 60 years 30 percent of people in our country have no access to drinking water and hygiene, poor or almost no access to basic health or education, and worse is that both the civic and central administration seem to not care about the most basic of everyone's needs. not to mention 40 percent of people are illiterate and half of the other 60% have an education that adds no value to the economy.
My sister worked in Sassoon as a doctor and I have seen how thousands of poor folks flooded the hospital from rural areas even for the most basic stuff like X-Rays. I have also seen in my own native village how any government failed to provide water and basic hygiene. This is very shameful for me that despite 60 years, nothing could be done. Water disputes over state boundaries have caused so many rifts, so I say water should have been a national resource, just like Coal, petroleum etc is. also irrigation projects need huge capital that many states are not able to afford, making it harsh for the farmers.
If you travel in the Mumbai local train you will notice that adult suffrage did not reduce the pain of daily commute to work. Removal of untouchability was primarily the brainchild of Dr Ambedkar, adopting a separate Muslim civil code has put millions of Indian Muslim women out of bounds of right to ask divorce or right to resist marital neglect. Women's reservation bill is again being stalled solely due to lack of consensus over Muslim women being tabooed by their own community to come out and work.
My contention is that individual ability should decide whether a person is fit to be a chief minister or no - relying on their family, their caste etc is a retrograde step. Also multiple parties spending crores of rupees on election is a big waste. The demand of this money creates havens for illegal businesses and black money. Well can the RTI be used to check the sources of this money ? Do we get a detailed balance sheet of all expenses by every party ? All the so called young politicians in India are children of ex politicos - this nothing but a big sham to keep the power into certain elites and deprive the right for an ordinary citizen to raise through the ranks to become an administrator. With all said and done, I still feel that a parliamentary system (where the elected representatives choose the leader) is a way for treachery, horse trading and back stabbing all of which we Indians are renowned world wide. Party high command, coterie, dynasty no internal democracy inside political parties, bahu bali, only rich and filmstars getting tickets, etc is all the creation of parliamentary system and is detrimental now (if these maladies were an exception it was ok now it has become a norm). It leaves little options open for ordinary citizens to raise up the ranks.
Thats an unfair comment, to say that my views are prejudiced from an urban pov, so as to indicate that I'm unaware of the other side.
The problems you mention are real, no arguing on that. But are all problems supposed to be solved by politicians? So why are we quick to blame them or the democratic system for that? The fact is, the policies and solutions for problems are not brought about by the politicians or elected reps but by the bureaucrats working under them. The job of the politicians is to approve and get them to work. Also, they represent YOU. If you dont keep an eye on them, or meet them or lobby for your causes, how can you expect them to work from their own will? How many of us know our local corporator or have spoken to him about local development? Or gone to the MP and asked how much he has spent from the MPLADS scheme? Or asked your local MLA about the status of the govt hospital in your area?
Believe me, politicians are more accountable that you imagine them to be. Why wont they? They need to work if they want the votes of the people.
Few quick points:
1. Untouchability: the myth that it was the 'brainchild of Ambedkar' is as big as the myth that Ambedkar alone wrote the Constitution. Saying so is implying that it was Ambedkar alone who wished to abolish untouchability.
2. Muslim civil code: Yeah, that was Rajiv Gandhi's screwup with the Shah Bano case. What else can one do but to try and fight it.
3. Water disputes: there do exist central govt tribunals and inter-state councils for these.
4. RTI cannot be used to track money spent by political parties. But I'm not worried as much about the money they spend as much as I do about the govt. spending tax money.
As for we should have a parliamentary or presidential system, do you honestly believe that all the problems you mentioned can be solved with a presidential system? There do exist presidential systems in developing countries that have failed. And parliamentary systems that have worked. Do you believe that problems of "party high command, coterie, dynasty no internal democracy inside political parties, bahu bali, only rich and filmstars getting tickets" will go away if we moved to a presidential system? I dont. You will still have people directly voting for Advani or Sonia Gandhi for President.
A functional system needs functional citizenry including you and me working in the system rather than complaining on our blogs.
I agree that politicians are accountable, and me and my family have been involved in many things from a long time by meeting the local corporator, meeting the MLC, regularly voting and also community service. The problem I said is that I am not saying that India needs a complete overhaul, it needs to be efficient and competent. I was outraged at the lack of interest shown by the 3 contenders for the MP seat in spite of a crisis in the land fill selection or the Auto-Rickshaw strike. The problem is that on one hand there is no sense of jurisdiction as to who is responsible for what. On the other hand local politicians albeit accountable are FAR more concerned about funding their party and their candidacy in the next election than in actual work. Take Chandrababu Naidu for example. You cannot beat his feat of single-handedly getting Hyderabad from a medieval town to a competing top class city in a decade. He focused too much on the cities and forgot about the villages. In Maharashtra for the upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections, there is a severe lack of a visionary politician who is acceptable throughout the state. Had the government been more centralized (I think Mumbai surely is due to the MMRDA) the cities should have had more powerful local governments and the state would be there to guide them.
In all I think that there is a necessary need for some changes to our system to make it more productive. The reason I say this is not because I am sitting aloof from the problems being faced by citizens. I honestly think that its the exorbitant expenditure of our elections, and tying up of executive day to day functioning with the legislature that is slightly suspect. Were we to have a rich debate and go forward with some reforms (if not many), we would certainly turn into a much mature democracy than what we have today!
correction I meant decentralized!
Handicap training center -Navi Mumbai
NMMC is going to build a landmark project that perhaps no other municipal administration in the country has so far for students with different abilities. The corporation approved the bid to construct the first phase of the handicap training center with state of the art educational and training aids for the blind, dumb, deaf, mentally and physically challenged and other students with different abilities. The center will be built in Sector 30 A, Vashi. While all members welcomed this historic landmark project, several concerns that should have been discussed earlier were brought up at this Standing Committee meet. NGOs and persons with disabilities met Standing Committee Chairman Sandeep Naik and gave appeal letters stating disappointment that parents of disabled children and organizations working for persons with disabilities should have been called for a hearing session before finalizing the plans for a Handicap Training Center of this magnitude.
10% reservation policy for the poor approved in Navi Mumbai
This would help study the lacunae that will surface only after implementation. He says that the 10% reservation policy is the right of the poor and underprivileged, that’s why they intend to keep the policy open for discussion. Sandeep Thakur welcomed the suggestion of auditing the implementation of the policy.The approval of the general body meeting has opened the doors of Fortis – Hiranandani Hospital for the poor and weak to avail affordable super specialty medical services. Citizens from across the city welcomed the decision. Thane Guardian Minister Ganesh Naik had made the promise of making super specialty medical services available for the poor on January 26, 2006 during the official ceremony for the public private partnership – three years later, his younger son Sandeep Naik kept the promise made by his father to the citizens of Navi Mumbai.
NMMC standing committee chairman Sandeep Naik announces competing audit backlog in 8 months.
The Standing Committee Chairman Sandeep Naik returned the audit report of the Law Committee, NMMC FRU Hospital and PWD and the special audit of the H B Bhise contract for supplying vehicles, labor and equipments for the removal of encroachments, demanding that the reports be submitted when the Municipal Commissioner is present at the meeting. In the absence of the Commissioner the Chairman expressed futility on accepting the report without assurance of any compliance or period limit for compliance.
Chairman Sandeep Naik voiced confidence of completing the audit backlog within the next 8 months so that the future general body and standing committee could have a clear reflection it in their functioning. This is the first time in the 14 years history of NMMC's elected body that a Standing Committee Chairman accorded such importance to compliance of audit direction, which is the only tool to stem out mal-practice in the civic administration.
The president of Navi Mumbai Shikshan Sankul (the Standing Committee chairman Sandeep Naik)
The dignitaries present at the felicitation function were Thane Guardian Minister and MLA Ganesh Naik, Mayor Anjani Bhoir, Maharashtra State Secondary and Higher Secondary Board, Mumbai Division chairperson Gurunath Kanthe, former Mayor Sanjeev Naik, NMMC Standing Committee Chairman Sandeep Naik, Education Committee chairman Ravindra Ithape and other NCP corporators.
Addressing the gathering, MLA Ganesh Naik announced, “The practice examination was conducted for the first time in the city and it has received a tremendous response. The students have benefited a lot. This year, the practice exam was conducted for Marathi medium students. Next year onwards, the practice exam will be conducted for SSC as well as HSC students, belonging to both, Marathi and English mediums.”
The president of Navi Mumbai Shikshan Sankul and the Standing Committee chairman Sandeep Naik said, “This year’s SSC board examination is based on a new syllabus. Hence, it was necessary to conduct such practice examinations.”
Now, it’s a cool ride from Belapur to Bandra
NMMT’s foray into Mumbai’s Queen of Suburbs is in itself an achievement of sorts for the Undertaking as it had to face stiff opposition from the BEST administration for the last many years. Ganesh Naik appreciated the efforts of the entire official who made this happen in spite of the hurdle. He also urged Volvo official to supply non-air conditioned buses as well to cater to the poor so that they too may travel in comfort at affordable price.
“Keeping the future growth of Navi Mumbai, the proposed airport and other projects in mind, NMMT must start operating these buses from Navi Mumbai to Santacruz to connect the two airports and tap this profitable market before others do. Such a service will also help boost weekend tourism in the city,” said Kapoor.
“Five Volvo city buses have been delivered to NMMT, and fifteen more will be delivered this month itself “, said Volvo buses India Ltd MD Akash Passey. He further added,”The fare is only 25 to 30 per cent higher the ordinary buses. The emissions are much lower.
It is also gathered that NMMT is planning to start bus services from the city to Dadar and Mantralaya, once the once the newly started service gets good response.
all the major civic tenders are approved before election code of conduct is implemented
Projects worth over Rs 120 crore have been pushed through in a matter of two days in the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) General Body and Standing Committee Meeting held on Monday and Wednesday. The city corporators are ensuring that all the major civic tenders are approved before election code of conduct is implemented. Standing Committee Chairman Sandeep Naik denied all the allegations and said, "All corporators are unanimously approving all civic tender proposals, because corporation election will be held next year, and all of them will be answerable to the public.
In the General Body Meeting also major project of Children's Park worth Rs 52 crore and other civic work worth Rs 20 crore are approved. Besides, renting of shops of Shirvane's Shopping Complex proposal was initially not approved by any corporator, rather 13 corporators opposed it. "Ideally, once the proposal is opposed by maximum corporators, it should be disapproved by the House and should come back for discussion only after three months. But, ruling party took up the proposal in the same meeting and sanctioned it.
NMMC standing committee approves last phase for condominium work in the city
The NMMC Standing Committee approved the last phase of work inside condominiums worth nearly Rs. 37 Crore this week.
Soon after major allocations were made NMMC budgets and this week’s Standing Committee meeting sealed the final phase of civic work to be carried out within condominiums within city limits. After the members approved 30 proposals to carry out work within condominiums worth Rs. 37 Crore 17 lakhs 27 thousand 422, Standing Committee Chairman Sandeep Naik informed the need to carry out the work inside condominiums and how NMMC got the approval for these work.
The Chairman said that they were happy that finally work of tax paying citizens living within condominiums was undertaken in the city. The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation will be utilizing funds granted under the JNNURM for this work.
Guardian minister Ganesh Naik gift 2.5 FSI – revives hope among residents
For decades now, the redevelopment issue of CIDCO built JN type apartments in Navi Mumbai has been hanging in the balance. Every election brings new hopes and new promises for the apartment owners and villagers, but all assurances fizz out soon after the elections. This time however someone whose words hold credible value is making the announcement. Our weekend exclusive delves deeper into how Thane Guardian Minister Ganesh Naik’s gift of 2.5 FSI to CIDCO dilapidated buildings has revived the hopes of residents.
Guardian minister Ganesh naik meets principals of schools and colleges
A meet was held with the principals and parents to resolve the various issues that parents face at the time of their child’s admission. The meet was presided and heard by Thane Guardian Minister Ganesh Naik.
Getting admissions in a good college and completing the admission procedure is no less a trauma for a parent as it is for a student. To resolve the various issues that parents face, a meet was held at NMSA between principals and parents. The meet was presided over by Thane Guardian Minister Ganesh Naik. Principal of ICL College, Jayshree Dau stated that they have always tried to provide admissions to students with economically weaker backgrounds, orphans or physically challenged. But it also necessary for them to have the requisite documents from the student. Thane Guardian Minister Ganesh Naik urged the schools to provide admission to the needy without taking donations or charging high fees. What was a disappointment was that many city schools failed to participate in the meet. The minister said that they would try to inform the schools of the discussions and resolutions taken today.
Also present were NMMC Commissioner Vijay Nahata, NMMC Education Chairman Ravi Iyer, and DCP, Zone 1 - Pratap Digavkar who reiterated what Guardian Minister Ganesh Naik said.
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