National Consumer Day at Puttaswamy P.U. College

PRESS RELEASE (30-12-10)

A consumer awareness programme was conducted at K. Puttaswamy Composite P.U. College, Vijayanagar on 29-12-10 to celebrate National Consumer Day. C.V. Nagaraj of Mysore Grahakara Parishat conducted a lecture-demonstration on food adulteration detection and D.V. Dayanand Sagar of MGP spoke on the consumer movement. Prof. S.K. Ananda Thirtha, Principal of the college, presided.

V.Mahesh, Mysore Grahakara Parishat

MGP to hold Jatha on National Consumer Day

(PRESS RELEASE)

On this occasion of the National Consumer Day, Mysore Grahakara Parishat is organizing a Jatha at 10.30 AM on Friday, 24-12-10. Students and some leading citizens will walk from K.R. Circle to the DC's office and present a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner to take action on two pressing consumer problems, increasing food adulteration and scarcity and poor quality of drinking water.

D.V. Dayanand Sagar, Mysore Grahakara Parishat

Alternatives To Road Widening Needed

The number of vehicles on the roads of Mysore city is increasing rapidly. There are indications that the roads can not handle the increased load on them. The strategy adopted by the local bodies to tackle this problem is to widen roads wherever possible. But this strategy is not backed by any scientific study of the problem and its potential solutions. Widening of the roads seems a knee-jerk reaction to traffic congestion. A dispassionate and logical look at the problem is essential.

Attempts to relieve traffic congestion by providing more road space (road widening, new roads, fly-overs, underpasses, etc.) provides only temporary relief as the uncontrolled growth of personal motor vehicle population soon occupies the increased road space, and a new round of traffic congestion begins. This is observed fact all over India. The advice of farseeing transportation engineers and town planners is that the long-term solution for traffic congestion is to reduce the number of vehicles that use the road at any given time, and to give preference to vehicles which carry more passengers. Thus, a good bus system is essential. A city with efficiently operated public transport will encourage people to use it instead of their personal vehicles and thus reduce the major cause of traffic congestion.

Road widening consists of widening the carriage way at the expense of the pedestrian footpaths and felling the trees adjacent to the carriage way. With no footpaths, pedestrians are forced to walk on the carriage way itself, obstructing motor traffic and increasing the chance of an accident. So the traffic becomes slow again and the "beneficial" effect of road widening is nullified. This can be seen in several roads which have been widened.

Roadside trees not only give shade to pedestrians and parked vehicles, they also absorb and mitigate the air and sound pollution produced by vehicles.Therefore, felling of trees for road widening has doubly negative effect.

Many roads in Mysore can not be widened any further without acquiring adjacent properties and demolishing structures on them. The cost of acquisition and the legal delays may be prohibitive.

In combating traffic congestion, several alternatives to road widening have been tried in many cities around the world and found successful. Some of them are:

(a) Strengthen the bus transport system by introducing more buses to provide more routes and increase the frequency of service.

(b) Introduce parking fee and congestion pricing. Introduce parking fees in and around busy roads. Charge toll for vehicles entering congested parts of the city during busy hours. This technique has successfully reduced congestion in cities like London, Stockholm, Milan, Rome and Osl

(c) Introduce Vehicle Quota System. This will allow the RTO to control the number of cars on the roads of Mysore. The quota is fixed based on the present capacity of roads. The RTO will determine how many of each category of vehicles are allowed on the road. Subtracting the number of vehicles of that category which are already on the road from the allowed number gives the number of available permits in that category. The RTO will then auction publicly these available permits for a period of 5 years. This system which is in place in Singapore  has not only reduced traffic congestion, but has also provided enormous revenues.

(d) Encourage walking and bicycle use by providing "walkers only" and "bicycles only" zones in city centre.

There is increasing evidence that the road widening model for tackling traffic congestion has already stopped working in Mysore. It is time to give it up and try some of the alternatives indicated above and which have proved to be successful elsewhere. MGP has written to Sri. R.Ashoka, Minister for Transport and Sri. S.A. Ramdas, Minister in Charge of Mysore District on this matter.

Maj.Gen.(Rtd.) S.G. Vombatkere, Member, Mysore Grahakara Parishat

International Anti-corruption Day Observed

On the occasion of the International Anti-Corruption Day (9-12-10), Sadvidya Pathashala Pre-University College organized a workshop for its students on 11-12-10. The workshop was conducted by MGP activist Vasanthkumar Mysoremath.

Under the guidance of Mysoremath, the students created a short play on corruption (a tehsildar demanding a bribe of Rs.50,000 from a farmer for land use conversion and the farmer complaining to the Lokayukta). The humorous skit was performed on stage and thoroughly enjoyed by the audience.

Mysoremath spoke briefly on the guidelines laid down by the United Nations Convention of Anti-corruption for the more than 140 signatory countries. He also administered an oath to the students to fight corruption in their future life (see photo).

Smt.Vijayalakshmi, Lecturer in Biology and Krishna Mohan were present.

D.V.Dayanand Sagar, Mysore Grahakara Parishat

Passengers Suffer As Buses Change Route

KRS Road has been closed for repairs between Dasappa Circle and Akashavani Circle for many months now. Buses travelling this way had been diverted to Valmiki Road and the Akashavani bus stop had been shifted next to Ramakrishna Ashram.

Now Valmiki Road is also being repaired. Bus movement on the road has been stopped. Now, some buses come to Akashavani Circle and go to the Central Bus Stand via Bamboo Bazaar while others choose to go to Hunsur Road via St. Joseph's School. No one seems to know which route a bus will take and where its stops are. As a result, catching a bus has become an ordeal for the residents of Yadavagiri. For elderly persons, women and students going to schools and clolleges, it has become a hellish experience. When one looks at the slow progress of road repair in our city, there may be no escape from this suffering in our lifetime.

To prevent such avoidable harassment of citizens, whenever road repair work is undertaken, the City Corporation or PWD Department or MUDA must announce it in the local papers a month in advance. The duration of the work must also be mentioned in this announcement. Similarly, KSRTC must announce in the local papers the changed bus routes, the new bus stops and the new fares two weeks in advance. Signs must be erected at the new bus stops. When CESC can warn the public of impending power shutdowns and Water Department can warn of impending water supply cuts, there is no reason why bus route changes can also not be announced ahead of time. KSRTC must also monitor their staff so that these changes are implemented properly.

B.V.Shenoy, Mysore Grahakara Parishat

Plastic Reduction Needs People Involvement

Proliferation of plastic is one of the main sources of urban pollution. To reduce the pollution due to plastic carry bags, MGP, as a part of "Save Mysore" campaign, got about 5000 cotton carry bags made and gave it to the public at cost. To tackle this problem at the source, we talked to the biggest department store in Mysore, More Megastore on Narayana Shastri Road on how the use of plastic bags can be reduced. The management was extremely cooperative and promptly procured environment-friendly jute bags and kept them in full view of the customers near the cash payment-cum-packing counters (See Photo). They are available at a reasonable cost and can be reused them every time the customer visited the Megastore.

Unfortunately, very few customers have picked up these eco-friendly bags for packing their items. Instead of reducing plastic use, many customers want their purchases packed in as many plastic carry bags as possible. Old habits die hard.

It is time all of us become more responsible and reduce the use of plastics. As Mahatma Gandhi said: "You be the change you want to see".

Vasanthkumar Mysoremath, Mysore Grahakara Parishat

Confusion At Aadhaar Centres

It has been reported in the media that more than 200 centres have been opened in Mysore district and anyone can go there and obtain Aadhaar, the Unique Identification Number.

I visited to the Aadhaar centre at Mahajana College recently to get my Aadhaar number and I found that it was a centre of confusion and chaos. Getting accurate information was difficult because different people gave different answers. When I first went (on Monday) with my application form, I was given a number 6 and asked to come at 9 AM on Wednesday. I was specifically told that I would be the 6th person to be processed on Wednesday. We were also told that supporting documents (such as voter ID, PAN card) will be scanned by them and so we took it that submitting their xerox copies with the application forms was not necessary. But when I went at 9 AM on Wednesday, the person in charge sang a different tune. He said that people would be processed in the order in which they handed in the applications on Wednesday. My number 6 had no value. He also would not accept the application forms without the xerox copies. I did not argue with him since I had come early and happened to have the xerox copies and I thought I would be processed quickly.

But I soon realized I was wrong. The applications were not being processed in the order in which they were submitted and people who came later (especially one person who claimed he was a journalist and had to be processed first) were breaking the queue and were getting processed earlier than me. It was only when law-abiding citizens like me got fed up and started screaming that we got processed. Even then, it took a very long time because the person typing in my details could not get anything right and had to be replaced by a more competent person.

My friends tell me the situation is not better in other Aadhaar centres. Based on our experience, we have some suggestions to streamline the Aadhaar process.

1. The centres should be manned by trained and competent people. They should be monitored to make sure that they act professionally and the public is not harassed.

2. There should be signs telling the public where blank forms and information can be obtained.

3. When a person comes in with a filled application form, his name should be entered in a book along with the seniority number given for any day he chooses. He should be given a token with that number and date and told exactly what documents to bring. No xeroxes are necessary since the documents are scanned anyway.

4. When the centre opens at 9 AM, token numbers along with the table number where the person has to go should be called out loud in order and the corresponding names processed. People will know that no one jumping the queue. Since it takes about 15 minutes for processing a person, people can figure out when their turn will come and will not waste time waiting.

P.M.Bhat, Mysore Grahakara Parishat

Substandard Road Repairs

Roads in Yadavagiri are being reasphalted. It appears that the basic principles of road construction are being ignored and it will be no surprise if the roads deteriorate in a very short time. Some of the obvious deficiencies are

1. The roads do not have any camber to direct water (such as rain water) off the road. So water will flow on the road itself and water is the biggest enemy of asphalt roads.

2. There is no usable footpath. The earth at the edge of the road is piled high upto two feet in some places. This will again force water to run the street itself and destroy it. In the photo, one can see the rut dug by flowing water at the edge of the road.

3. Existing potholes were filled most indifferently without cutting the road around the pothole.

4. Rolling has not been done properly and as a result, the asphalt at many places, especially near the road edge has not been properly compacted.

5. A slab over the underground storm drain below the intersection of 1st Main and 2nd Cross was broken, but the road was asphalted without replacing the slab.

In fact, the list of deficiencies (such as not monitoring the temperature of the hot mix, improper precleaning of the road surface, improper tack coat application, not providing a well-defined road edge, etc.) seems endless. Is there no quality control of road construction in Mysore?

B.V. Shenoy, Mysore Grahakara Parishat

Government Ignores Cheaper and Greener Alternative

It has been reported that the Ministry of Environment and Forests has finally cleared a proposal to supply drinking water to M.M. Hills Devasthanam complex. The project which will cost Rs. 28 crores involves laying a 21 km pipeline through forest area from Kaveri river. Work on the project is scheduled to begin this month.

It is astounding that the authorities have decided to go with this project when an alternate scheme which is superior to the above proposal in every respect was presented to the government more than 12 years ago. This scheme makes use of a natural perennial stream which flows through a valley called Uttappiam Halla at a distance of 1.5 km from M.M. Hills. It proposes a barrage about 10 m high across the stream to create a small lake. A well or a borewell just downstream from the barrage (and recharged by the barrage) will be the source of water.

A comparison of the two proposals, the official (OP) and the alternate (AP) is given below:

1. Capital expenditure:

OP costs Rs 28 crores. AP costs Rs.2 Crores.

2. Maintenance cost:

The source of water in OP is river water and it has to be filtered and purified. This costs money. The source of water in AP is groundwater and may not need any treatment at all.

Electric power requires to pump water a distance of 21 km from Kaveri river in OP is prohibitively high when compared to pumping water a distance of 1.5 km in AP.

3. Maintenance difficulty:

Protecting 21 km of pipeline in OP against thieves and vandals is much more difficult than protecting 1.5.km of pipeline in AP.

In addition, the environmental damage in building a 21 km pipeline through dense forest in OP is much greater than in AP.

Thus the alternate proposal (which was based on a detailed study conducted by the Department of Mines and Geology at the instance of the then DC of Mysore, Ajay Kumar Seth) seems superior to the project now being undertaken. It is a mystery why the government has opted for the more expensive and more environmentally damaging proposal.

V.Mahesha, Working President, Mysore Grahakara Parishat

MCC, Wake Up!

Overflowing sewage on the road connecting Ashokapuram and Kuvempunagar (railway underbridge near NIE hostel) is causing severe hardship to pedestrians and two-wheeler drivers . It is surprising that the authorities have ignored this public nuisance for more than a month. We request MCC to attend to the problem immediately.

Vishwas Krishna, MGP

Photos of the October issue of Grahaka Patrike and other news in pictures

(Maj.Gen. (Rtd.) S.G. Vombatkere)

To commemorate the victory of the people in stopping the construction of a thermal power plant at Chamalapura near Mysore, A "Vijayagallu" was placed on 23-7-10.

MGP began 21 years ago. This graph shows its membership over the years.

(Dr. Bhamy V.Shenoy)

To make room for the new railway bridge just south of the railway station, KRS road and the water pipes and UGD pipes that pass beneath the road are being lowered by a few feet. This has resulted in the closure of the raod for more than 5 months.

(Syed Tanveeruddin)

To do the work on KRS road, several roadside trees were cut, without the permission of the forest department.

(D.V. Dayanand Sagar)

Lane dilineators planted near Kamakshi Hospital to mark the bus bay have been crushed by the passing traffic. They now pose a hazard to the traffic.

(Dr. Bhamy V.Shenoy)

Since Dasara is approaching, the work on the water pipes beneath KRS road is being stopped in the middle and the road is being filled up. It will be dug again after the Dasara and the work resumed.

(B.V.Shenoy)

The dais at the 21st Annual General Body Meeting of MGP. From left, Prof. S.K. Ananda Thirtha (Working President), Maj Gen. (Rtd.) S.G. Vombatkere (President), Sreemathi Hariprasad (Secretary) and P.M. Bhat (Treasurer).

(B.V.Shenoy)

The audience at the 21st Annual General Body Meeting of MGP.

(B.V.Shenoy)
K.N. Ramachandra of MGP speaking at the film show on genetic engineering and discussion organized by South Against Genetic Engineering (SAGE) at Somani College on 16-9-10.

(B.V.Shenoy)

MGP, 350.org and the Institution of Engineers, Mysore Local Chapter organized a workshop on global warming on 10-10-10. From left, C.V. Nagaraj, D.V. Dayanand Sagar, A.S. Satish, Vasanthkumar Mysoremath, Sreenivas, Dr. K.A. Kushalapa, Dwarkanath Narayan.

New Executive Committe for MGP (2010-2013)

Top from left
Sreemathi Hariprasad, President, V.Mahesha, Working President, D.V. Dayanand Sagar, Secretary & K.R.Seshadri, Treasurer

Bottom from left
Asha Vombatkere, S.Sobana, P.M.Bhat and M. Jayaram

(B.V.Shenoy)

To widen roads, Mysore City Corporation has proposed the cutting of 201 trees in various parts of Mysore. To prepare a case against the tree cutting, a group of MGP members visited all the trees proposed to be cut.

(B.V.Shenoy)

This road (Vanivilas Road) has already been widened in anticipation of the forest department's permission!

(Vasanthkumar Mysoremath)

This peltophorum tree near Karajikere is scheduled to be cut even though it does not hinder traffic at all.

(B.V.Shenoy)

Trees on Vihara Marga in Siddharthanagar are also scheduled to be cut even though the road can be widened without cutting them.

MGP Objections To Electricity Tariff Hike Proposal

Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC), which supplies electric power to Mysore has filed an application before the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) to increase electricity tariffs for the period 2011-13. KERC is holding a public hearing on CESC's application on 25-11-10 at Mysore. Mysore Grahakara Parishat has filed the following objections:

1. Sec. 61(g) of The Electricity Act, 2003 (EA) intends that the tariff should reflect the actual cost of power. Since all the power supply companies in Karnataka have filed for identical tariff increases, it is obvious that the tariff proposed by them in general, and CESC in particular, does not reflect the actual cost of power. for example, the proposed tariffs (energy charges) for LT 2(a)(i) category is as follows:

Present rate Proposed rate

For the first 30 units 1.85 2.60

31 to 100 units: 2.90 3.65

101 to 200 units 3.90 4.65

201 to 300 units 4.60 5.35

301 to 400 units 4.95 5.70

For greater than 400 units: 5.90 6.65

These figures are identical for CESC, BESCOM, HESCOM, GESCOM and MESCOM. The actual cost of supply of power for all these companies can not be the same to the last decimal place when one takes into account, the different locations, different distances to power sources, different demographics and different costs of living. It is clear that the ESCOMs have not determined the cost of power supply in any scientific manner, but are presenting fictitious numbers. For this reason, the tariff hike proposed by CESC should be rejected. The ESCOMs have been always submitting identical tariffs and the Commission is requested to direct them to cease this practice and determine the actual cost of power supplied.

2. According to Sec. 61(g) of EA, the electric tariff should progressively reduce and eliminate cross-subsidies. The proposal of CESC goes contrary to these guidelines and tends to increase the cross-subsidy. The exclusion of Bhagya Jyothi and Kutira Jyothi schemes and irrigation pump sets (of upto 10 HP) from the tariff hike will increase the cross-subsidy from other users of electricity and thus violates the Act. CESC can not exclude Bhagya Jyothi and Kutira Jyothi schemes and irrigation pump sets from the tariff hike. If the government wants to subsidize these classes of users, it should reimburse CESC the increased cost of the subsidy.

3. Sections 27(1) (d), (e) and (f) of the Karnataka Electricity Reforms Act, 1999 stipulate that in determining the tariffs, the Commission shall be guided by principles of 'economical use of the resources', 'optimum investments', 'interests of the consumers' and 'commercial principles'. It is clear that none of these requirements have been fully met by CESC. The process of tariff revision should not only suitably compensate CESC for any unavoidable increase in the input costs, but it should also seek to eliminate wastage and increase efficiency to adequate levels. There is no need for a tariff hike now if CESC undertakes a committed drive to improve its operational efficiencies; to bring down the aggregate technical and commercial loss to international levels, to ensure accurate metering of all the connected installations, to improve revenue collection efficiency to 100%, to adopt international benchmarking and to adopt best work practices. Increased deficit between its anticipated cost and revenue does not give CESC an indisputable right to get tariff increases, without exhausting all available means to improve operational and commercial efficiency.

4. CESC has been focussing too much on power supply management and not enough on power demand management such as promotion of CFLs and LEDs, solar lighting and solar water heaters through incentives (both in the form of attractive energy bill discounts and subsidy through government in the capital cost), introducing Time-of-Day metering and the corresponding tariff, subsidizing the replacement of old and inefficient IP sets by modern efficient IP sets, discouraging garish night-time advertising, etc. If power demand is properly managed, it is possible that tariff hike will not at all be necessary.

5. Rural areas are suffering heavy power cuts in contrast to urban areas. This discrimination by CESC is against both equity and Sec. 5.1 of the National Energy Policy. The Commission is urged to order an end to such discrimination.

V.Mahesha, Working President, Mysore Grahakara Parishat

Antibiotic Misuse

The first thing many doctors prescribe for almost any medical problem is an antibiotic. They are being prescribed even in cases where they are useless and even when they are useful, they are being prescribed for far longer periods than is necessary. The medical fraternity is finally waking up to this tremendous misuse of antibiotics.

Antibiotics work only when infections are caused by bacteria. But many infections are caused by fungi (ringworm, athlete's foot, yeast infection, etc.) and by viruses (common cold, most coughs, dengue, swine flu, chikungunya, etc.) and even though antibiotics are useless against these infections, they are very commonly prescribed for these diseases. Such inappropriate use of antibiotics has the dangerous consequence of creating bacteria which are resistant to antibiotics. When bacteria become resistant to antibiotics, curing bacterial diseases becomes very difficult and there is a heightened risk of deadly epidemics. It will be a throwback to the middle ages when millions perished from epidemics of cholera and plague. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the USA calls antibiotic resistance of bacteria one of the world's most pressing public health problems. In an attempt to stop this problem from escalating further, CDC began a campaign in 2003 to educate the doctors in the US on the dangers of inappropriate use of antibiotics and to discourage them from such use. Starting in 2008, CDC is observing one week in a year as the "Get smart with antibiotics" week. The "Get smart with antibiotics" week this year is being observed this week (15-21 November) and doctors are being urged to be economical with antibiotic prescriptions. UK and France also have national campaigns against misuse of antibiotics. But no such campaign to limit antibiotic use in India seems to have been launched till now.

As if misuse of antibiotics is not enough, routine excessive use of antibiotics has now come to light. When you go to a doctor with a problem which requires antibiotics, the doctor will prescribe the medicine for 7 or 10 or 21 days. When you start taking the medicine, you find that all the symptoms disappear after 4-5 days and you stop taking the antibiotic assuming that you are cured. If the doctor finds that you have stopped taking the medicine, he is sure to berate you severely for not taking the full course prescribed. 

But does the doctor have any basis for determining what a full course for an antibiotic is? The answer amazingly is NO! It appears that the guidelines issued by various medical bodies on how long an antibiotic should be taken are not supported by any solid scientific evidence at all! Instead, they are based on what the drug manufacturers recommend and since the manufacturers want to maximize profit, they naturally recommend long treatment durations. 

A detailed study conducted in the Netherlands and published in the British Medical Journal in 2006 (BMJ 2006;332:1355) provided the first scientific evidence for fixing the duration of a antibiotic course. It found that for certain types of pneumonia, discontinuing the antibiotic treatment after 3 days was just as effective as 8 days (which is the normal prescription). This shocked the medical world which thought till then that 8 days treatment was absolutely essential to cure the disease. But the evidence presented by the study was so compelling that, despite strong opposition from the drug industry, the medical fraternity was forced to launch scientific studies to determine the optimum antibiotic therapy duration for other medical problems. 

Conducting such studies is a long and tedious process and so all the results are not in yet. In research reported in Archives of Otolaryngology in 2009, it was found that a 3-day course of antibiotics after pediatric tonsillectomy is as effective as a 7-day course. In another research, it was found that a 3-day course of antibiotics for middle ear infection is as effective as a 5-day course and as a result the World Health Organization, in 2009 reduced  its recommended duration for middle ear infection treatment to three days. As new research results trickle in, it is certain that treatment periods for all antibiotics will be reduced, some drastically. 

But it does not appear that these scientific research results are being reflected in prescriptions in India. As a result, in India, antibiotics are being prescribed for too long a period (and for the wrong diseases, as mentioned earlier). It is imperative that Continuing Medical Education programmes educate the doctors here on misuse and excessive use of antibiotics. It may be difficult, because many large drug companies are aggressively marketing their antibiotics and any effort to limit their use will be vehemently opposed. In the USA, in light of the research cited above, the government has tightened the guidelines for clinical trials of antibiotics and the drug companies are threatening to stop manufacturing antibiotics altogether. One can only imagine the lengths to which they will go in India to protect their interests. 

According to the bestselling "The ICU Book" by Dr. Paul L. Marino, there are two cardinal rules concerning antibiotics, try not to use them, and try not to use too many of them. Consumers should be aware of these rules, which seem to be routinely violated in practice. This might be one reason why bacteria (containing the gene NDM1) which can resist almost all antibiotics, including the very powerful carbapenems, is widespread in India. If this trend is not reversed immediately, we could be facing deadly uncontrollable epidemics very soon.

C.V.Nagaraj, member, Mysore Grahakara Parishat

Public Discussion on Genetically Modified Crops

Genetically modified (GM) crops are set to invade India in a large way. The environment minister, Jairam Ramesh, has put a temporary brake on this invasion, but tremendous pressure is being applied to rescind his decision There is growing evidence that GM crops have several negative effects such as introduction of new kinds of allergies, greatly increased resistance to antibiotics, toxicity to various life forms, adverse effect on human health, loss of biodiversity, loss of control over seed production by the farmers, etc.

Southern Action on Genetic Engineering (SAGE) in association with Deccan Development Society, Hyderabad and HIVOS, Netherlands, is organizing a public discussion on how to counteract the pressure of the pro-GM lobby. It will be held at 11 AM on Sunday, 14-11-10 at Maneyangala of the Kalamandira on Hunsur Road. After a short movie on GM crops, P.V. Satheesh, the National Convenor of SAGE will moderate a public discussion on how to spread awareness on the effects of GM crops among the public, especially farmers. Anyone who is interested is welcome to participate.

K.N. Ramachandra, Mysore Grahakara Parishat and SAGE

Objection to the proposal of Mysore City Corporation to cut 201 trees

    To
        The Deputy Conservator of Forests,
        Mysore Division,
        Aranya Bhavan,
        Mysore 570 008

Sir/Madam,

Sub:  Objection to the proposal of Mysore City Corporation to cut 201 trees.

Newspapers of 20-21 October, 2010 have covered the press release of the DCF inviting objections from the public to the proposal of Mysore City Corporation to cut 201 trees to widen various roads in Mysore. It is said that the objections have to be submitted in writing within 20 days of the publication of the press release. Mysore Grahakara Parishat is hereby submitting its objections.

1. We object to the contents of the press release itself. According to "Deccan Herald" of 19-10-10, "In case of no objections, it would be treated as approval for the proposal and the MCC would be allowed to axe the trees." According to "Star of Mysore" of 20-10-10, "Measures will be taken to fell the trees if no objections are received, according to a press release issued by the DCF". This is highly objectionable. According to the Karnataka Preservation of Trees Act, 1976, it is the foremost responsibility of the forest department to preserve trees and give permission for cutting only when there are overwhelming reasons. Permitting MCC to fell the trees without any application of mind and waiting for public objections to reconsider the decision is a blatant shirking of its responsibility. It is clear that the makers of the law recognized that there is tremendous pressure to cut roadside trees in the name of development. But they also recognized that since these trees provide great environmental benefit, extreme care has to be exercised before they are allowed to be cut. This can be seen in the reasons for enacting this law stated at the beginning of the Act: "Trees which provide shade, mitigate the extremes of climate, render aesthetic beauty, purify the polluted atmosphere, mute the noise, have been one of the first casualties of pressure on space in our cities and towns...Avenue trees are destroyed...We have reached the stage when it is incumbent to legislate to restrict and regulate the felling of trees." The law clearly intends that the first priority of the Forest department is protect trees, especially mature trees. It is supposed to apply its mind, do a cost/benefit analysis of tree cutting and give permission for cutting only if the developmental benefits far outweigh the environmental cost of tree cutting. It can not blindly give permission just because there are no public objections. Such permission is a gross violation of the intent of the law.

2. Coming to MCC’s proposal, our objections and suggestions about alternatives which may be satisfy MCC's needs, but without cutting trees, are listed below:

i. The MCC should not have taken up the widening of the roads without prior consideration of the fate of roadside trees. It is presumptuous on its part to widen the road and then seek permission of the forest department for felling. This is happening far too often and any leniency given will promote felling of more trees elsewhere.

ii. Tree experts Dr. Kodira A. Kushalapa (former Regional Chief Conservator of Forests) and Dr. S. Shankara Bhat (former Professor of Botany, University of Mysore) have inspected the trees proposed to be cut. In Vani Vilasa road (where the road has already been widened in anticipation of Forest Department's permission), the 99 trees proposed to be cut are well grown, healthy and young and can survive for long and should be saved. The trees can offer very good shade for parking 2-wheeler and 4-wheeler vehicles in between main road, which is one-way and the foot path. Therefore the trees should be retained and permission to fell should not be given. One or two trees which are crooked or unhealthy can be replaced by tall tree seedlings planted with tree guards. The trees on the road are choked due to asphalting without allowing any soft soil around the trunk. This will prevent any increase in the trunk girth and may ultimately kill these beautiful trees. The soil around the base should be dug to free the trees to grow.

iii. The big Peltophorum tree in front of Karanji tank abutting the newly constructed bridge should be retained, as it is not interfering with the movement of traffic.

iv. The trees on Vihara Marga can be retained even after widening the western side of the road, as there is no movement of pedestrians and no pressure of parking of vehicles or residential houses.

v. On Mirza Road from Hardinge Circle, trees are marked for cutting only on the side of Kuppanna park. The road can be widened filling the earth up to the edge of the park and the widened part of the road reserved for 2-wheelers. This will save all the trees and the road being one-way, there will be no traffic congestion

vi. We have strong objection for removal of rows of trees in 4-5 different locations, when there is scope for saving and retaining, as done in other roads such as Kalidasa road.

vii. Decongesting the roads is the stated goal of road widening by MCC. In many of the roads, widening is being done at the expense of footpaths. This will force pedestrians to walk on the roads themselves, thus obstructing traffic and negating the very reason for which the roads were widened. So road widening will not attain its purpose. This can be seen in many roads which have been already widened (New Sayyaji Rao Road, Temple Road in V.V. Puram, etc.). In weighing the pros and cons of road widening and tree cutting, the Forest Department should also consider this fact.

Yours sincerely,
Sd/-
Sreemathi Hariprasad
President


Copy:   1. Sri. C.H. Vijayashankar, Hon'ble Forest Minister, Karnataka Government
            2. Sri. S.A. Ramdas, Hon'ble Minister for Mysore District, Karnataka Government

            3. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Karnataka

Supreme Court Order on Apartments

The Supreme Court has recently (31-8-10) given a decision which has a bearing on most apartment dwellers in Mysore. In this order, the Court has declared that builders of apartment buildings can not sell any parking area open to the sky or inside the stilted portion of the building to any buyer along with an apartment. 

The order states that parking areas open to the sky or inside the stilted portion of the building are part of the "common areas" which belong to all the residents of the apartment building. So they can not be sold to any apartment owner to the exclusiob of others.  But many apartment buildings in Mysore have sold and are selling such parking areas to individual apartment owners. This action of the builders is clearly against the order of the Supreme Court.

P.M.Bhat, MGP

Surprising Hike in ISD Tariffs By BSNL

With the introduction of universal ITC calling cards, the ISD tariff of BSNL has been hiked by more than 100% compared to the CALL NOW cards in use till now. When the private operators are reducing their tariffs, this negative action by BSNL is very surprising. It will not help keep existing customers in its fold, let alone enlarge its customer base.

V.Mahesha, Mysore Grahakara Parishat

Letter to Chairman Postal Services Board, New Delhi

Removal of limits on postal savings accounts  

We are a consumer organization serving Mysore, Karnataka for more than two decades. We have 700 members. The postal department is restricting savings bank account to Rs. One lakh for single account and Rs. Two lakhs for joint accounts. As a result, larger cheques issued by the post office (on maturity of say, MIS, RD or PPF accounts) can not be deposited into a savings bank account at the same post office! Instead, we are asked to deposit these cheques in commercial banks! The realization of cheques takes nearly a week at banks and this delay is clearly avoidable. The postal department should remove this restriction and bring it on par with commercial banks. The present system is definitely against the consumers inerest and needs to be reviewed immediately. 

 V. Mahesha, Working President, MGP

MGP Meeting

D.V. Dayanand Sagar, Secretary, Mysore Grahakara Parishat

MGP's monthly meeting will be held at 4 PM on Sunday, 10-10-10 at 6/1, Vivekananda Road, Yadavagiri. Persons who are interested in solving the consumer, civic and environmental problems facing Mysore are invited to attend.

A representative of JUSCO will be attending the meeting and give an update on its programme to upgrade Mysore's water supply.

For more information, contact MGP at 2515150.

Have Problems? Call These Numbers

MGP has been helping Mysoreans for the last 21 years to solve consumer, environmental and civic problems. Thousands of citizens have called MGP (2515150) to get advice on various issues. When they call MGP office, they are referred to one or the other of its members who help them.

To make this process shorter, MGP is now issuing directly to the media the names and contact numbers of its members who can help the public on various issues. This is a first list and additional names and contact numbers will be issued later.

The public is requested to keep in mind that the persons listed below will only guide the public on how to solve their problems, but will not in general take any action themselves.

C.V. Nagaraj (2521640): Food adulteration, packaged goods, spurious drugs

P.M. Bhat (2411673): Building bylaws, apartment-related laws.ÿ

Maj.Gen.(Rtd.) S.G. Vombatkere (2515187): Electricity, heritage, roads

Asha Vombatkere (2515187): LPG, PDS kerosene

H.R.Bapu Satyanarayana (2545077): Roads, transportation

V. Mahesh (98455 11109): Water, ground water

Syed Tanveeruddin.(98867 98191): Environmental protection, parks, street animals

Dr. K.A. Kushalapa (94480 58549): Tree cutting, environmental protection

Prof. S.K. Ananda Thirtha (99726 80588): Education related issues. environmental protection

B.V.Shenoy (93421 82884): Autos, RTI

P.S. Chandranna (94489 45747): Mysore City Corporation services

G.L. Nagaraj Urs (92439 99713): Property tax, consumer courts

Vasanthkumar Mysoremath (4243319): Mysore City Corporation services related to garbage clearance

Prof. S.Sobana (90199 93940): Education related issues

Prof. R. Chandra Prakash (2512180): Railways


PRESS Release by Sreemathi Hariprasad, President, Mysore Grahakara Parishat

Workshop on Global Warming

350.org is an international environmental organization whose goal is to build a grassroots movement to combat climate change. It takes its name from the research of NASA scientist James E. Hansen who theorized that if CO2 level in the atmosphere exceeds 350 parts per million, it could cause a global catastrophe. The increasing pollution worldwide has now pushed the level of CO2 in the atmosphere above this limit and 350.org is spearheading a movement to reduce the CO2 level to below 350 ppm. It is organizing a global "day of positive action on climate change" on 10-10-10. In this connection, MGP and the Institute of Engineers, Mysore Local Chapter are organizing a program at 10.10 AM on Sunday, 10-10-10 at the Institute of Engineers, JLB Road. Vasanthkumar Mysoremath, the 350.org organizer for Mysore District will give a power point presentation on CO2 emissions followed by a short film on the same topic.

V.Mahesh, Mysore Grahakara Parishat

Does Cholesterol Cause Heart Attacks?

The World Heart Day on 26-9-10 saw a spate of articles and advertisements in many newspapers on the various ways to prevent heart attacks. They were unanimous in advising the public to restrict their intake of saturated fats and reduce cholesterol levels to avoid heart problems.

But available evidence indicates that cholesterol may not be the culprit after all. There seems to be no correlation between cholesterol levels in the blood and the risk of heart attacks. In one of the largest studies ever conducted on heart patients (and published in the January 2009 issue of the prestigious American Heart Journal - AHJ), 137,000 patients hospitalized for heart attacks between 2000 and 2006 were studied. The results were surprising to say the least.

Blood cholesterol is of two types, LDL and HDL. LDL cholesterol is supposed to be bad and according to the guidelines of the U.S. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, a level of more than 130 mg. of LDL cholesterol per deciliter of blood is considered unhealthy. But in the AHJ study, 72% of the heart attack patients had less than 130mg/dl of LDL cholesterol, a level considered safe. Only a very small fraction of these patients should have had low levels of LDL cholesterol. Instead, almost three fourths of the heart attack patients had low levels of the "bad" cholesterol and should not have had heart attacks! So reducing LDL cholesterol levels does not ensure that the risk of heart attack is reduced!

It is likely that other popular theories about heart attacks are also wrong. A distinguished heart surgeon has also recently debunked these theories which have been accepted by the vast majority of the medical fraternity. According to Dr. Dwight Lundell, a heart surgeon who has performed more than 5000 open heart surgeries in more than a quarter century of practice (and a pioneer of the beating heart bypass surgery), doctors have not paid attention to the recent discovery that inflammation in the artery wall is the real cause of heart disease and not cholesterol (click here). As a result, doctors have been prescribing diets which exclude saturated fats and reduce cholesterol, contrary to medical evidence. These diets are not only not reducing the incidence of heart attacks, but are creating an epidemic of diabetes leading to increased expenditure, suffering and deaths.

Despite the fact that 25% of the population takes expensive statin medications and despite the fact that the fat content of the average diet is lower, more Americans will die this year of heart disease than ever before.

Statistics from the American Heart Association  show that out of a total current population of 310 million, 81 million Americans suffer from heart disease, 23 million have diabetes and 63 million have pre-diabetes. These disorders are affecting younger and younger people in greater numbers every year. Dr, Lundell says that these alarming numbers are a direct consequence of the diet changes recommended by the majority of doctors.

According to Dr. Lundell, cholesterol does not accumulate in the wall of the blood vessel and cause heart disease and strokes unless there is inflammation of the walls. Without inflammation, cholesterol would move freely throughout the body as nature intended. It is inflammation that causes cholesterol to become trapped.

Inflammation is the body's natural defense to protect it from irritants such as bacteria, toxins, viruses or even foods the human body was not designed to process (such as low fat diet and highly processed carbohydrates - sugar, maida wheat flour, etc.). Inflammation is necessary for wounds and infections to heal, but, if these irritants are allowed to repeatedly attack the body, they cause "chronic inflammation" which is harmful, causing diseases such as hay fever, arthritis, heart attacks and strokes. Chronic inflammation of the blood vessels allows cholesterol to become trapped in large quantities at these spots and block the vessels, leading to heart attacks and strokes.

Another cause of chronic inflammation of blood vessels and hence heart attacks and strokes is the production in the body of proteins known as cytokines. It has been found that too much consumption of omega-6 oils (such as groundnut oil, corn oil, sunflower seed oil) promote production of cytokines. To reduce the production of cytokines, one should increase the proportion of omega-3 oils (such as butter and ghee) in one's diet. Ideally, the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 oils in one's diet should be 2:1 or 3:1. But most doctors discourage the use of butter and ghee and encourage the use of sunflower seed oil and corn oil. This has skewed the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 oils in the average diet to 10:1 and in some cases 20:1. It is ironic that persons who skew their diets in favour of omega-6 oils to prevent heart attacks are just doing the opposite. They are increasing the risk of a heart attack because their bodies are now producing extra cytokines which cause chronic inflammation of the blood vessels which lead to increased heart attacks!

C.V. Nagaraj, Mysore Grahakara Parishat

UPDATE:(6-10-10) Our Press release Does Cholesterol Cause Heart Attacks? stated that butter and ghee were good sources of omega-3 fatty acids. This was based on a study published in Proc Nutr Soc. 2003 May;62(2):329-36 which found that milk from grass-fed cattle is an important source of omega 3 fatty acids. Based on this research, the Wikipedia article on omega -3 fatty acids says that a match-box size piece of cheese can provide 88% of the recommended daily intake of omega 3 fatty acids.

But Dr. M.N. Krishna Murthy, formerly of CFTRI, who is an expert in this field, says that milk available in and around Mysore is very low in omega-3 fatty acids and butter and ghee made from this milk contains less than 1% of these fatty acids.

New Executive Committe For MGP

D.V. Dayanand Sagar, Secretary, Mysore Grahakara Parishat  (PRESS release)

The following were elected unopposed to the Executive Committee of Mysore Grahakara Parishat at its 21st Annual General Body Meeting held on 25-9-10:  P.M. Bhat,  R.Narayana,  Sreemathi Hariprasad,  V. Mahesh,  S. Sobana,  M. Jayaram,  D.V. Dayanand Sagar. These committee members met after the General Body Meeting and coopted  Asha Vombatkere to the Executive Committee.  The new office bearers of MGP were elected at this meeting:

Sreemathi Hariprasad (President),
V. Mahesh (Working President),
D.V. Dayanand Sagar (Secretary) and  R. Narayana (Treasurer).

Peace Petition

Click on the image to enlarge it

Supreme Court Keeps Examination Boards Outside The Purview Of The Consumer Protection Act

During the 1990s, the Supreme Court gave several judgments which interpreted the Consumer Protection Act (and other consumer-related acts) liberally and greatly expanded the ambit of the Consumer Courts. This trend followed the Supreme Court observation "The provisions of the (Consumer Protection) Act have to be construed in favour of the consumer to achieve the purpose of the enactment as it is a social benefit oriented legislation" in the historic Lucknow Development Authority Vs. M.K. Gupta case (III(1993) CPJ 7 (SC)).

But now the pendulum seems to be swinging the other way and in several decisions, the apex court has reversed the earlier pro-consumer decisions given by itself and has even struck down pro-consumer provisions of the law. In a recent decision, it has removed examination boards from the ambit of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA). So if the examination board loses the answer sheet of a student or for any other reason fails to publish his results, and he loses a year in the bargain, he can not now get compensation for the lost year. In fact, he now has no legal recourse at all against any acts of negligence by the examination boards.

In Bihar School Examination Board Vs. Suresh Prasad Sinha (IV (2009) CPJ 34 (SC)), the Supreme Court has held that examination boards are statutory bodies which do not offer any "service" to the candidates and the examination fees paid by the student is not a consideration for availment of service, but charge paid for the "privilege of participation in examination". The order of the Supreme Court overturns the order of the Patna District Forum (which had been upheld by the Bihar State Consumer Commission and the National Consumer Commission).

B.Vaikunth Shenoy, member, Mysore Grahakara Parishat

What Is Happening With KRS Road?

KRS Road, one of the main roads of Mysore, has been closed for traffic from Tharaasu circle to Dasappa circle for more than five months now. Despite the dislocation of all the northern bus routes and the tremendous hardship caused to the road users, there has been very little in the way of protests from the public.

Most people in Mysore are not aware of what exactly is going on and why there is so much delay in reopening the road. Here is what we have found.

The Railways are building a new bridge for the Nanjangud line. To accommodate this bridge, KRS road had to be lowered. But there were water mains running just below the existing road and they had to be lowered too. The water mains were just one foot below the road surface and the pressure of the road traffic above caused them to leak significantly. To solve this problem, the mains will be several feet below the new road surface to insulate them from the effects of road traffic. The lowering of the water mains and the road surface are the works that are going on now.

Now the cause for the delay. When they were in the process of lowering the water mains, they found one more main which were not prepared for. It is shocking that MCC did not know how many water mains there were below the road. These are not some half inch water pipes which could be laid by some unscrupulous customer without MCC knowing about it, but huge water mains which supply water to thousands of people. It is mind-boggling that MCC could not know about the existence of such a main.

Anyway, the surprise finding of an extra main has upset all the plans of MCC and is causinng the delay. But since the Dasara is almost upon us, and KRS road is a very important road, the pipe work is being suspended and the road filled up and brought to its original state . The road will again be dug up after the Dasara and the work completed. Needless to say, the filling and re-digging will cost cost a lot of extra money.

It is surprising that modern management techniques like Project Evaluation Review Technique (PERT) and Critical Path Method (CPM) are not being employed by MCC to manage any of its projects. These techiniques are used worldwide to cut costs and time.

Then there is the question of fixing the responsibility of this bungling. Will MCC identify the people responsible and punish them for causing time and cost overruns and causing extreme hardship to the citizens of Mysore?

Dr.Bhamy V. Shenoy, Convenor, Mysore Grahakara Parishat

Problem Near Kamakshi Hospital

Lane delineators were placed near Kamakshi Hospital to mark the busbay. It probably was not a good idea from the beginning. The lane delineators are now crushed and the debris pose a problem both to bicycles and pedestrians crossing the road (See photo). Since there is no enforcement, vehicles are parked in the bus bay and so the buses now stop in the middle of the road itself, posing problems to other traffic. The concerned authorities should remove the lane delineator debris immediately and smoothen traffic flow.

D.V. Dayanand Sagar, Mysore Grahakara Parishat

Violation of the RTI Act

Sec. 5(1) of the Right to Information Act, 2005 mandates that every public authority shall designate Public Information Officers (PIO) in all administrative units or offices under it to provide information to persons requesting for the information under this Act. According to Sec. 6(1) of the Act, a person, who desires to obtain any information under the Act should make a request in writing, along with the fee, to the designated PIO.

But some public authorities are misinterpreting this section of the law to make it difficult for the public to get the information they want. For example, Mysore City Corporation has appointed the assistant commissioners in charge of each of the 9 MCC zonal offices as PIOs, but has not appointed any PIO in the main MCC office. As a result, if a person wants information pertaining to MCC as a whole (such as the number of property owners in Mysore who have paid their property tax), he has to file 9 applications to the 9 PIOs. To do it, he has to go to the 9 zonal offices spread all over the city and spend 10 Rs. for each of those applications. He then has to add the numbers given by the 9 offices to get the information he wants. If getting information becomes so difficult, no one will ever make use of the RTI Act and the fundamental reason for establishing the act is lost.

There are some types of information such as births and deaths which are held only by the MCC main office. There is no PIO who handles applications requesting such information.

Therefore, we urge the Commissioner of MCC to designate a PIO for MCC main office so as to not defeat the intention of the RTI Act.

 Vishwas Krishna, member, MGP

Brigade Developers Pays Rs. 1 Lakh To Settle Case On Overcharging

Brigade Developers, a builder of apartment buildings, has paid P.M.Bhat and K.W.Bopaiah Rs. 1 lakh each to settle cases which they had filed against excessive fees collected from them.

The complainants had bought apartments constructed by Brigade Developers. Before handing over the apartments to them, Brigade Developers had collected from them large amounts for various services ( including more than Rs. 25,000 as electricity connection charge, more than Rs. 15,000 as water connection charge and Rs. 10,000 as Corporation Khatha assessment charge). The complainants later found out that the authorities did not charge anywhere close to the huge amounts collected by the builder. In fact, Mysore City Corporation did not charge anything for Khatha assessment. The complainants then wrote to the builder to render a true statement of accounts for the fees levied, but they received no reply. So they filed cases (OS Nos. 426/2002 and 47/2002) before the Court of Small Causes at Mysore claiming that in the absence of a true statement of accounts, they should get back the amounts they had paid as various fees. The case was referred to Lok Adalat in which the case was settled for Rs. 1 lakh each to the complainants (4-8-2010). The court fees paid by the complainants were also returned to them.

MGP has received complaints from apartment buyers that many apartment builders are charging exorbitant fees for services such as the ones mentioned above. They should ask for a statement of accounts and if the statement is found unsatisfactory, proceed to file a case for the recovery of the excess amount paid. MGP has also brought the case of excessive Khatha assessment fee to the notice of Mysore City Corporation and asked it to publish an advertisement in the public interest to give the correct picture on various fees it charges to builders.

B.Vaikunth Shenoy, Mysore Grahakara Parishat

MCC Tender

Mysore City Corporation took out a full page tender advertisement in some of the local papers. It has called for tenders on 261 works which include asphalting roads and alleys, laying of interlocking tiles, construction of drains, etc. Building of a Samudaya Bhavana in Yadavagiri for Rs. 3 lakhs is one of the works on this list.

MCC's tender advertisement raises some questions:

1. Who sets MCC's priorities? The Samudaya Bhavana is the only work allotted to Yadavagiri. Some of the roads of Yadavagiri have not seen repair in decades. Also, the water pipe laying under JNNURM has destroyed several roads. Many of the roads in the locality are quite steep and rain water gushing on them has left large craters in its wake. Is construction of a Samudaya Bhavan a higher priority than repairing these decrepit roads?

2. Does Yadavagiri need a Samudaya Bhavana? None of the residents I know has expressed any interest in getting one.

3. According to a contractor I know, Rs. 3 lakhs will get you only a 4 square building. What can one do with a 20x20 Samudaya "Bhavana"?

4. Where is the space to build the Samudaya Bhavana? Yadavagiri does not have any CA sites. So it can only be built on a residential site or space allotted to a park or land belonging to the Railways. Are all these options not illegal?

N.Prakash, Mysore Grahakara Parishat

War On Cancer: Are We Winning?

The President's Cancer Panel, which consists of distinguished scientists and physicians, reports to the President of the United States on the development and execution of the National Cancer Program of the USA. It's latest report submitted in May, 2010 has recommended that a prevention-oriented approach

should replace the current reactionary approach which emphasizes treatment after cancer is detected. Since this would mean that cancer detection and treatment would lose hundreds of billion dollars in funding, the report of the PCP has evoked sharp reactions from the cancer detection and treatment community.

Even after two hundred billion dollars (or Rs. 9 lakh crores!) have been spent over the last few decades to wage a "war on cancer" (the National Cancer Institute of the USA, by itself, has spent more than $105 billion) featuring intense and costly treatments, the actual survival rates have increased only marginally. The death rate for cancer (adjusted for age) dropped only 5% in fifty five years 1950-2005. If reduction in smoking and adoption of healthier life-styles are factored in, even this small reduction in the death rate may disappear or even become negative (In comparison, death rate for heart disease dropped 64% in this period, and that for flu and pneumonia fell by 58%). This means that despite innumerable new cancer drugs and new cancer treatments, cancer survival rate has not increased in the last 55 years.

Some rare cancers such as myeloid leukemia can be held in check by the drugs now available. But with most common forms (and many rare forms) of cancer, the outlook is not that good. If there is metastasis (i.e., the disease moves from one part of the body to another), the 5-year survival rates are 30% (prostate cancer), 20% (breast cancer), 10% (colo-rectal cancer) and less than 10% (lung cancer). These numbers have not changed in the last several decades.

The statistics quoted above are from New York Times of 23-4-09 . New York Times is one of the leading newspapers of the world known for its sober in-depth reporting and is not given to fear-mongering or sensationalizing. It seems that such undeniably discouraging statistics made the President's Cancer Panel acknowledge for the first time in its 13 year history that the war on cancer is not being won despite astronomical spending and therefore recommend that the focus should be shifted from curing cancer to preventing cancer.

Despite these startling facts, it is surprising that most doctors and ordinary people feel that cancer can be cured. It seems that most experts and the media are glossing over these numbers and presenting only the positives of cancer treatment. Except for some forms of cancer (childhood cancers and testicular cancer), there is no cure once the cancer has spread. It can only be kept in check and that too for a limited period. When a treatment offers a "significant survival advantage", this advantage could only be a few more weeks or even days. These facts are again from the New York Times article.

The PCP report points out several major shortcomings in current cancer research. Some of them are:

1. When cancer risk from radiation exposure is estimated, it is based on the impact on a "Reference Man" - a hypothetical male, 5'7" tall, weighing 157 pounds, and who is Western European. It will definitely not apply to most men on earth and certainly not to women. So what is safe for the Reference Man may not be safe for the vast majority of people on this planet. Radiation doses in cancer treatment are also based on the "Reference Man" and so are inappropriate for the vast majority of people.

2. People who receive multiple CT scans or other tests that require radiation may be getting more radiation than Hiroshima atomic bomb survivors. Radiation is a proven cause of cancer. Since prescription of scans is increasing exponentially, a significant portion of the public are at risk of increased incidence of cancer.

3. When cancer risk from chemicals are estimated, chemicals are studied only one at a time. The combined effect of more than one chemical (it may be much higher than the sum of the effects) or the long-term effects from multiple exposures are not considered.

There are some other myths related to cancer such as:

*Surgery is believed to be a cure for cancer, especially cancerous tumours. But there is evidence that surgery can promote migration of cancer cells to other parts of the body and actually worsen the patient's condition. This has been discussed in a National Center for Biotechnology Information publication . It appears that there are inherent immunological mechanisms in the body which inhibit migration of cancer cells from tumours, but surgery suppresses these mechanisms. As a result, many cancer patients who may survive for long without surgery may die soon after surgery.

*Screening for cancer is being promoted with the belief that if cancer is detected early, it can be nipped in the bud. An article in the 20-10-09 issue of New York Times indicates that this may not always be the case. It appears that there are thousands of cancer cells in everyone, but in the vast majority of the population, none of these cells, if left alone, will start multiplying and pose a threat to life. Only in a very small percentage of people will the cells multiply and pose a danger. Increased scanning detects increased cancer cells, but most of them are innocuous. But these cases are given cancer treatment when there is no need for treatment at all. This is a clear case of over diagnosis. But most doctors still find it hard to believe that many cancers are not dangerous and might actually go away on their own. According to Dr. Peter Albertsen, chief and program director of the urology division at the University of Connecticut Health Center, "Politically, it's almost unacceptable".

But facts are hard to ignore forever. The American Cancer Society, which has always been a staunch defender of cancer screening, has finally admitted in its website that the benefits of detecting many cancers, especially breast and prostate, have been overstated. According to Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the cancer society, "I'm admitting that American medicine has over promised when it comes to screening. The advantages to screening have been exaggerated."

C.V. Nagaraj, Mysore Grahakara Parishat

Why Is BSNL Doing This?

Prof. B.S.N. Prasad, member of Mysore Grahakara Parishat, writes

I have a prepaid BSNL mobile. Some time ago, I received a message on my mobile which read "Dear customer, you have been charged Rs. 28 for our BSNL tunes. Enjoy the service for the next 30 days". I received a similar message a couple of minutes later, charging me Rs. 12 this time. In a space of two minutes, Rs. 40 was deducted from my prepaid account.

My wife who was using this mobile earlier tells me that similar deductions happened in the past also. Unfortunately, she has deleted all the messages and so I do not know exactly how many times BSNL has charged me for its tunes.

But I have never asked for these tunes and so it appears that BSNL is charging me whenever it feels like it, without my permission.

After running around a lot, I found that I could deactivate this "service" of BSNL by calling 56702. Even deactivation took some effort since 56702 is an interactive faceless service that persisted on selling the tunes under various schemes.

My wife and I have neither the time nor the resources to enjoy the BSNL tunes. BSNL has put me, a senior citizen, to unnecessary trouble and expense. Why is it doing this?

Letter to the Finance Minister- Meagre interest rates on bank deposits

To,

Sri. Pranab Mukherjee,
Honble Minister for Finance
Government of India
(pkm@sansad.nic.in)

Sir,

I am writing on behalf of the over seven hundred members of Mysore Grahakara Parishat (a registered consumer organization of Mysore, Karnataka) and countless other citizens of our country about the meagre interest rates on bank deposits.

1.The maximum rates of interest being paid by banks is 7½-8% (for deposits of 10 years) and 3-3½% (for savings accounts). But the current inflation is more than 12%. As a result, depositors are losing purchasing power heavily.

2.In developed economies, interest rates normally equal the inflation rate. For example, in the US where the current inflation rate is about 1.1%, the interest rate on CDs exceeds the inflation rate for periods longer than 15 months.

3.Public sector banks in India have made record profits this year. Bank profits should not be at the expense of the poor and the middle class depositors.

4.This approach of squeezing the poor and the middle class to increase profits deserves your urgent attention. The government should take immediate steps to increase the bank interest rates to at least nullify inflation.

We look forward to your reply so that its contents may be circulated to our members and to other members of the public.

Yours sincerely,

Maj.Gen. (Rtd.) S.G.VOMBATKERE
President
Mysore Grahakara Parishat,

Photos from the July 2010 issue of Grahaka Patrike

(Dr.Bhamy V.Shenoy)

MCC has announced plans to build public library in People's park. This plan violates Karnataka Parks, Playfields and Open Spaces (Preservation and Regulation) Rules, 1985

 (B.V.Shenoy)
Roadside trees have a hard time surviving in Mysore. The tree on the left has be pruned mercilessly by CESC while the tree on the right, weakened in the stem and the roots by repeated assault my man, has been toppled by rain and wind.

(B.V.Shenoy)

Trenches dug by utility companies to lay cables or pipes are not backfilled properly. Earth mounds left on streets pose a danger to traffic.

(B.V.Shenoy)

MGP members met MCC officials and the Regional Fire Officer to discuss ways to make city buildings fire-safe.

Does More Choice Lead To More Unhappiness?

The right to choose freely is one of the six basic consumer rights accepted worldwide. It is based on the assumption that when consumers are given an abundance of options for any particular goods or service, they can make a satisfying choice and this will lead to happiness.

But research done by psychologists in the last few years (Scientific American, December, 2004, Journal of Consumer Research, September, 2006) has come to the surprising conclusion that the opposite is true. This research is now again in the news since in the West, more choices than ever are available in the market place, but consumer happiness seems to be declining steadily. There is speculation that psychological problems such as depression which are spreading in society like an epidemic may also be connected to this "choice overload".

Logic suggests that having options allows people to select precisely what makes them happiest. But, as studies show, abundant choice often makes for misery. It is not clear if some choice is better than none, but more is certainly not better than less. This is especially relevant now in India when consumers are being offered more and more choices in the liberalized (profusion of consumer goods) and privatized (replacement of government monopolies with several private players) economy.

Psychologists have been able to pinpoint the ways in which availability of choice leads to unhappiness. Some of them are as follows:

1. To make the best use of the choice available, one has to read labels, read consumer magazines, make product comparisons and compare notes with other purchasers. Naturally, this takes enormous effort and time. So decision making becomes slower. Research by psychologists, Barry Schwartz of Swarthmore College, USA and Rachael Elwork and Sheena Iyengar of Columbia University, USA has found that people who do all this and finally make a decision are nagged by alternatives they did not have time to investigate. They compare themselves with others and if they have done better, the increase in their happiness is small, but if they did worse, the increase in their unhappiness is much higher. They tend to brood over their bad choices. As a result, persons who made the best use of the choices before them were less satisfied with life, less happy, less optimistic and more depressed. The problem becomes even more acute when more choices are available to them. Alvin Toffler, in his famous work "Future Shock", says that as the choice increases, "freedom of choice" ironically becomes the opposite - the "un-freedom".

Nobel prize winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman of Princeton University and Amos Tversky of Stanford University have shown that losses have a much greater psychological impact than gains. A less than the best choice hurts more than the best choice gives a good feeling. When there are plenty of choices, the number of less-than-the-best choices increases and hence one's misery.

Simona Botti (Cornell University) and Ann McGill (University of Chicago) have found that if the difference between the choices is small, the person making the choice feels more strongly that he has made a bad choice and hence is more unhappy.

2. People who make the best use of the choices before them have the highest regret sensitivity, as established by Schwartz, Elwork and Iyengar. With many options available, the chances increase that a really good one is out there, and they feel that they missed it. The more alternatives there are, the deeper is their sense of loss and the less satisfaction they derive from their final decision.

3. A process termed "adaptation" by psychologists is also responsible for unhappiness. When people purchase something new, they feel pleasure, but very soon they get used to it and the pleasure is no longer there (something akin to "Familiarity breeds contempt"). If they put in a lot of time and effort in making the best choice and the pleasure they get from it is gone within a short time, they will feel like a fool for having put in all that effort.

4. When plenty of choices are available, studies have found that people's expectations increase. When expectations are high, the probability of disappointment is also high.

The finding that giving more choices to people is likely to make them more unhappy has shaken one of the corner-stones of the consumer movement. It also has serious implications with respect to our system of elections in which the voter has several choices.

B.V.Shenoy, Mysore Grahakara Parishat