Pashan area, Pune: Once a small time village, now a thriving part of Pune with construction giants pulling the most Elite and sophisticated crowd. But what's the strategy to pull sensible and really educated people here? Because no matter how highly qualified they are, they still do not know how to turn their vehicles using the the Circle. They have not been taught that India is a country where driving is done on the left side.

CYG blessed us with huge four lane roads, but unfortunately did not leave a pamphlet or booklet that would teach us the rules to be followed while driving down them. So, the residents made their own rule book -

1) Coming from the wrong side proudly flickering the upper light and honking is a norm that has to be followed or else you will never reach where you have to go. 

2) Cutting before the circle rather than go around it saves you two rupees worth of petrol as does the drive in the fast lane from the wrong side.  

3)Making groups and chatting is what the Elders in this area teach their kids so learn and spread the message.

4) And the Prominent personalities with big butt cars teach how to stop exactly at a turning so that people who want to take a turn are inconvenienced.

I wonder which school all these people went to? And these are the same people who say that us youngsters have no respect for the law and the country and blah blah blah..... And where may I ask is our beloved Traffic police? There happens to be a police station on pashan road and Chandani chowk so I guess they are busy fighting whose jurisdiction area should handle this.

We have the Headquarters of the CBI, for crying out loud, on the onset of the road towards Pashan from University. If this isn't crime, can someone please explain the exact meaning of it? Because I went to a school that has taught me the exact opposite of what goes on around me and if I have to survive, I need to know the real rules of this godforsaken world!!!

 On Wednesday, 10 June 2009 Pune Mirror Published an article "GenXcellence"about the Young Entrepreneurs of the City. It felt great to see the young generation doing some extraordinary things but at the same time felt that why the media took so long to expose these jewels. All the guys were under 25 and most of them had already had setup their own business.

The community of Pune startup will surly help these startups at their initial stages but what about the later part. Its not that they can not grow on their own, surly they can but if the media exposes such startups to the world the time required will be little less. Instead of running behind actors/actress and sport persons for some silly gossips, they should put a column for such startups, where every week they can showcase new startup.

The article that published on 10 June made some impact. On the same day one Fm channel (S Fm) took a small interview of one entrepreneur that was in the "GenXcellence"article. And today (11 June 09) another Fm channel (Radio City) took the interview of two young entrepreneur Rohan Dighe and Sahil Khan. I even came to know that some political parties contacted some of the them (Hope these kids don't enter don't get involve in politics).

A single article have given them a big exposure. Hope the media exposes (not a sting operation) such startup and bring them in front of the world with their innovative ideas.

I am sure with the death of a 12 year kid by bus several people will come on road blaming the BUS operators, trafic police for there mis management of traffic and control the bus system, blaming PMC for roads and traffic conguction.

But has any one thought, is this child have enough knowledge to drive on roads, do he understand the road signals and rules. He is capable enough to judge the speed of upcomming vechile?

We have law for drivers on busy roads, it does not seam that because you are on cycle you need not need to understand the rules of driving.

Basically parents should undertake such responsibilities and should not allow them to be on road In other countries you are not even supposed to take your cycle on main streets unless you attend a specified age limit. But there is nothing done on that front.

We always start blaming traffic and bus management authorities but lets also think are we doing correct to allow these small kids taking bycycles on busy roads.

Parents neither bother about is the size of these bycycle good enough to be driven by there kid. Shame on that parent part

Your PUC has expired 15 days before.You have to pay fine of Rs 1000/- , What is your name,Where are you working bla bla...The only motive for these traffic constables is how to extract money from the poor guy.

No one bothers, how much is the PUC limit.How much authentic it is. As the driver is very much surprised by the fine amount , he easily agrees for giving bribe.

The question is why not police stand with the pollution check instrument and fine the real culprit. Another point is this certificate can be made easily without testing the vehicle itself?

Is anyone observing this daytime robbery by the Police?

I generally claim to my friends that I stay in one of the highest apartments in Pune. And that is also true! I stay in Kondhwa which is itself amongst the highest areas of Pune above mean sea level and then my apartment is on the 11th floor.

When I came to Pune, last monsoon, I would tell people that I get a breathtaking view of the entire city. I can see a long distance, up to the airport on one side and up to Sinhagadh on the other.

Ticky tacky box-like buildings in the city and lush green hills on the other side made my heart sing. Come winter and all that was to go.

 The greenery faded away with the increasing atmospheric dryness. Decreasing temperatures meant that SPM (suspended particulate matter) would stay closer to humans longer.

The visibility reduced drastically, from a few tens of kilometers, to a few hundreds of meters in the mornings.

First I thought it was fog. Now the winter is over, and the fog just won’t disappear. Every morning when I wake up, I see this dreary image.

 A real image. I feel terrible. I feel chocked and suffocated at the very sight of what I see. I wonder how I will breathe if I go down in the city…
Pollution levels in Pune are rising at an alarming level. In a city that gives shelter to almost 4 million people, there are almost 1 million vehicles that run the streets every day.

A city, that was once known as a hill station, where people would run away to on weekends for relaxation, has now become just another dirty city of India.
Boom of software companies and the good number of good educational institutes in Pune has greatly increased the expat population in the city.

This has led to an enormous increase in housing construction everywhere. This has also led to a massive increase in the number of vehicles on the streets. Add to that a pathetic public transport system that forces people to go and have their own vehicle.

 The mild cold climate of the city only helps the smog to stay suspended in the air for a longer period. It affects everyone. People do not realize this, but average lifespan will fall rapidly if things do not change soon.

Pollution levels in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad have fallen in the recent years. Mainly because of better town planning and public transport systems.

Here are two photographs, of the same part of the city that is very close to where I stay. One of the pictures is taken in August, in the middle of monsoon. The other pictures are taken in March, in the middle of spring.

This is suspended particulate matter, or simply smokes! That comes out of the hundreds of thousands of vehicles that ply all day on the streets of Pune.

 Especially those who use bad fuel, or have not got their catalytic converters corrected, or those that have a fake PUC certificate! Would you send your kid outside in this atmosphere? How many years will your kid survive healthy before his lungs fall prey to the blackness your car has emitted?

Here are just a few tips for the citizens and the corporation to make this place a better place to live… not just for you but for your child, and your child’s child…

• Rectify the catalytic converters in your vehicle, especially old vehicles.
• If your vehicle emits black or grey smoke, treat it as an alarm with utmost priority.
• Plant trees. Have plants in your home and society.
• Avoid the use of vehicles whenever possible.
• Avoid driving a car if the only person in the car is you.
• Start car pooling.

For the corporation / government:
• Carry out extensive landscaping in the city. Fill all dry and open spots with greenery: plants, trees or even grass.
• Drastically improve the quality of public transport.
• Introduce environment friendly public transport like metro rail, electric bus, monorail, etc.
• Implement stringent procedures to check Pollution Under Control certification of vehicles and impose heavy fines on vehicles emitting gases beyond safe levels.
• Restrict goods carriage vehicles like trucks and tempos from entering city limits.

These are just a few tips. At the end of the day, it will be your judgment and consciousness that will drive the change! I sincerely hope to see this place become a better city to live in. I hope… I sincerely do!

Note: None of the photographs are photoshopped.

 

Dear Concerned from Pune Mirror, I would like to bring in your notice that yesterday i bought Mazza Bottle from one retailer from Pimpri. Today, in the morning when I tried to open the bottle, it busted.

I am fortunate the i did not hurt in the same, but all the Mazza juice is spilled all over my room (walls / floor/ carpet/ roof).

The intensity of sound is that much that my maid servant working in first room come running as if the cylinder busted.

Requesting you to please visit my place, so that we can take appropriate action against the agencies who are selling sub graded products in the market. Even my flat is stinking like rotten egg.

If possible please contact me @09049999379 or give me your contact details so that i can bring this problem in your kind notice. Regards Rahul Kaul 

Pune with its heavy middle class population is literally choking with the Rickshaw strike.Why don't we opt for alternatives like southern cities Bangalore and Coimbatore.

In those cities "Call Taxis" cater to the needs of people of all strata who cannot afford to buy a four wheeler.

I ve always admired this organized "call taxi" system where you can book call taxis by calling the operators with their mobile number.Vehicle is at your doorstep before the specified time.They charge reasonably with a digital meter fitted which displays the amount and kms.As far as safety is concerned,Names of the Taxi operators and their Mobile Numbers are displayed on the body of the Taxi and traffic police note down the numbers when these taxis ply in wee hours.

Call Taxis are best suited for pick up and drop from Railway stations and Bus Stands ,where people have to carry heavy baggages.

I am surprised why pune has not opted for such a wonderful system. I vote for Call Taxi system to put a fullstop to Rickshaw Strike Menace.

We know of a number of stars standing for elections...but how many of our stars have registered for voting? A quick survey on this from the Pune Mirror can be pretty interesting....

Are our bollywood stars on the electoral rolls, and do they cast their vote? This can inspire many in the youth to register too...

I know Lead India comapign has had a few famous bollywood stars to speak on this....but an article covering some statistics on this and a few opinions from them can probably help the voter community grow bigger and stronger. These bollywood star are afterall, (fortunately or unfortunately) role models for many.

Instead of thanking God, I thank all those NSG commandos, army men, policemen and others who braved it through the sadistic terrorist attack on Mumbai.

And, without wasting a day more, I want the authorities to reach a solution to avoid attacks like these.

And this time, the solution cannot be  the setting up of committees, meetings, invitations to diplomats and the usual nonsense.

Civilians, common people, aam janta, call them what you will, are unwilling listen to political blame. We want results.

That also reminds me of the 'so-called' chief of Maharashtra, Raj Thackeray, was nowhere to be seen. Whic h was sensible as the presence of politicians  normally ruins things. However, now that the operation is finished, we believe he should take constructive action.

As the smoke and battle noise have now settled in Mumbai, stakeholders of our security should think about why India must combat the menace of terror each day.

With India facing multiple challenges in its internal security, a change in the union ministry or of the Chief Minister, will not yield any desired result, as substitutes are birds of the same feather.

Even though our security forces have delivered praiseworthy results in Mumbai, these terror strikes should become an eye opener for the guardians of our security.

With evidence mounting on the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and their continued financial support to the ‘India-centric’ operations, how can our country achieve stability and peace?

If Pakistan’s nuclear capability falls into the hands of these terrorists, willfully or accidentallyly, what would the repurcussions be?

India now  needs to exhibit its will and capability to control its  neighbourhood. Pakistan must learn to respect India’s strategic sensitivities and be mindful of the fact that India, as the predominant power in the region, can enforce its writ.