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.