Wake Up, Pollution Control Board!

Instead of transporting city's garbage to landfills, MCC workers continue to burn garbage on every street. In Chamundipuram where I live, you can see such fires every hundred feet. Needless to say, this is causing terrible pollution and releasing dangerous gases such as dioxin into the atmosphere. Since the garbage is piled up next to the nearest compound, the burning also causes disfigurement and damage to the compound. If there is no nearby compound, the garbage is lit next to a roadside tree, causing irreparable damage to the tree.

Good News For High BP Patients

Till now, any blood pressure value above 140/90 (systolic/diastolic pressures) was considered "high" and the person was put on medication to lower it. But the expert committee (called the Joint National Committee JNC-8) appointed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of USA has recommended that persons older than 60 years should wait till the BP reaches 150/90 before beginning treatment. It went through all the published research and found no additional benefit to lowering the blood pressure below 150/90 in this age group in terms of coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure or death. On the other hand, it noted that aggressive BP treatment in this age group does have several potential adverse consequences (such as impotence, dizzy spells, light headedness, weakness). If the recommendation of JNC-8 is followed, lakhs and possibly crores of BP patients will be spared the expense of treatment.

Another Welcome Decision By The Consumer Forum

It was recently reported in the media that Mysore District Consumer Forum sentenced A.L. Nanjundaraje Urs, managing partner of Chanakya Finance Corporation (CFC) to three years in prison for not returning the deposits of customers. Now, in a more sweeping judgement given on 17-1-15, the Forum has sentenced all the nine partners of CFC to three years in jail and also fined them 10,000 rupees for the same offence.

Railway Commuters Deserve Better Railway Services

MGP discussed the railway commuters’ problems in its monthly public meeting, second time within a span of one year because of its importance and relevance to the people of the city. Non-participation of officers from the Mysore Division of SWR in the public deliberations was overcome by the presence of Sri.Pradeep Kumar, Sri.Yogendra and Sri.  Vijeth Bhardwaj,  who are members of Facebook Page, "Karnataka Railway Development and News", and very knowledgeable in railway matters.

Lacuna In The Helmet Law

A few days ago I was going on my two-wheeler on Kalidasa road and all of a sudden, the helmet flew off from the head of the rider in front of me and almost hit me. If it had hit me, I would have, in all probability, lost control of my vehicle and crashed.

City Bus Services to Improve Soon, Assures KSRTC

Mysore Grahakara Parishat, taking note of the importance  of city bus services to the city made an exception by conducting its Monthly Public Meeting on this issue for the second time within a span of ten months. Introducing the topic president stated that an efficient and economical public transport system of a city  is a precondition of its economic growth. A failed public transport results in unwieldy growth of traffic due to dependence on private transport vehicles. The public participated in large number and KSRTC was represented by Sri.Dundu Madaiah, DTO, and  Sri.Maqsood Ahmed, Manager of City Depot-1.

A Welcome Decision by the Consumer Forum

In a welcome decision (given on 14-11-14 in Case No. Ex.Cri.30-2011), Mysore District Consumer Forum has sentenced a person to three years in prison for providing deficient service and ignoring the orders of the Forum. He is in jail now.

It is well-known that consumer courts provide compensation for defective goods and deficient service. If the seller of the goods/services does not obey the orders of the court, consumer courts have the power to punish him with a prison sentence of upto three years and a fine of upto 10,000 Rs. Unfortunately, consumer courts are reluctant to enforce these punishments and so violation of the orders of the consumer courts is quite common.

Cutting of Roadside Trees

Many avenue trees in Mysore are too old or diseased and pose a threat to life and property. Mysore City Corporation and the Forest Department are not being prompt in identifying and removing such trees.