Sanjiv Chaturved IFS Haryana: story from tehelka

It was during an afternoon walk in April 2007 that Chaturvedi found himself called to duty. He had spent the last six months as Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) in Kurukshetra, his first posting after graduating from the National Forest Academy at Dehradun. He was entrusted with the care of Saraswati Wildlife Sanctuary, one of Haryana’s largest protected areas, home to the rare hog deer, blackbuck and wild boar.

For Chaturvedi, 34, the sanctuary was a temple. As an officer of the Indian Forest Service (IFS), he saw himself as its guardian. That afternoon, he stood motionless when he found himself staring at hundreds of felled trees — babool, neem, eucalyptus — amid rubble and dust. Loud machines and tractors were ploughing through this protected forest with impunity. In blatant violation of the Wildlife Protection Act, a massive canal was being dug through the sanctuary without the mandatory permission.

Chaturvedi immediately issued orders to stop construction. He had FIRs registered against Haryana Irrigation Department contractors and officials for poaching the hog deer, the illegal tree felling and habitat destruction. He also alerted the state’s Chief Wildlife Warden, RD Jakati. But instead of acting against the encroachers, the warden overruled him. The government immediately transferred Chaturvedi. Four years on, Jakati is the Director of National Forest Academy, while Chaturvedi deals with incessant transfers, chargesheets and false FIRs. Four years on, Chaturvedi, the son of a retired electricity department engineer in Uttar Pradesh, lives all alone. He doesn’t know how soon the next transfer could be. Being an upright man has taken its toll.

It would be a mistake though to think of Chaturvedi’s fight as a battle to save a sanctuary here or expose a fraud there. Rather, it is a battle to defend what he holds sacred — the right to perform his basic duty. “We are trustees of the public fund, of these natural resources,” Chaturvedi had once told his brother Rajiv, also an IFS officer in Rajasthan. In four years, Chaturvedi has been transferred 11 times. His longest single stint was seven and a half months. Everywhere he has gone, he has jumped into battle.

In his first posting at Kurukshetra, Chaturvedi earned a reputation for being incorruptible, incapable of greed. That is why he gave orders to stop construction at the 110-km Hissar-Kurukshetra canal despite knowing it was the state government’s pet project. On May 23, 2007, Chaturvedi submitted a report showing alternate routes for the canal without affecting the sanctuary. The next day, Jakati overruled it: “There is no harm in allowing transportation of material through existing roads. Hence permission is granted to transport material through the forest during day time.”
Haryana’s Prinicipal Secretary (Forests), HC Disodia, wrote Chaturvedi a letter saying his action was a “misconduct... You are warned not to indulge in such activities in the future”. After Chaturvedi was transferred out, the forest department declared a portion of the canal inside the sanctuary as a “water hole” for wild animals, though it had no water. Then the Haryana government denotified it as a reserve forest land.

In August 2007, Wildlife Trust of India, an NGO, took up the cause and filed a writ petition before the Supreme Court’s Centrally Empowered Committee (CEC). The Haryana government’s defence was that the violations were of a “technical nature and totally unintentional. The State has always acted for better management of the wildlife and the protection of the forest”.

But in its judgement, the CEC said “the construction works were started without obtaining approval under the Forest Conservation Act, in violation of the provision of the Wildlife Protection Act, and without obtaining prior permission from the Supreme Court.” Yet, because the land had been denotified, the CEC saw no ground for action against the guilty officers. The Haryana government was asked to pay a fine of Rs 1 crore and let off.

If you happen to bump into Chaturvedi — lean, well-dressed, amicable, jovial — it is easy to forget the battles brewing in the backdrop. Being a government servant, he refused to talk to TEHELKA, but it isn’t difficult to run into him at Hissar town where he is currently Divisional Forest Officer. He laughs when told he is a warrior of sorts. He has never seen himself that way. For him, it is all about “self accountability.” Perhaps that is why he exudes no sense of burden: Sanjiv is a man at peace. He understands that external motivations will die, it is his own idea of self that inspires him. And yet, this idea of self is so intertwined with the other, it’s as if he has let it down by not fulfilling his external obligation, his role in the world. His family says he refused to seek protection saying it would send “a wrong signal that he is scared.” He told them, “Dharma is doing your duty without cribbing, irrespective of the consequences. I am enjoying myself.”

FROM KURUKSHETRA, Chaturvedi was transferred to the remote town of Fatehabad. Here, he found the department was spending crores buying rare trees and medicinal plants for a ‘herbal park’ being built on private land belonging to the family of a powerful politician, Prahlad Singh GilaKhera, said to be close to Harayana’s Forest Minister Kiran Chaudhary. Chaturvedi halted the work and began investigating the sanction of funds. On July 12, 2007, Haryana’s top forest official, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest JK Rawat, who should have hailed Chaturvedi, instead wrote: “The Honourable Forest Minister [Chaudhary]... was quite annoyed and has asked the undersigned to see that the works resume immediately.”

For this “indiscipline”, the state government suspended Chaturvedi on August 3, 2007. Suddenly, it became a matter of personal dignity: he couldn’t rest until he had proved his innocence. “These are only temporary setbacks,” his brother recalls him saying, “they cannot defeat me.” And Chaturvedi did win. As per service rules, the state government should have sent a formal report on his suspension to the Centre within 15 days. No such report was sent. The order gave no reason for suspension, merely saying: “You are suspended for acts of omission and commission.” He filed an RTI asking the forest department seeking handwritten notes on his suspension file. The department refused saying it would “hamper investigation”. After relentless RTI queries, the State Information Commission intervened to allow him the file notings.

These file notings are shocking and even implicate Minister Chaudhary. First, top forest official Rawat wrote: “It will not be in the best interest of the department to keep the officer at any territorial division where several schemes and projects are being implemented and substantial public dealing takes place.” Chaudhary added: “Keeping in mind his repeated insubordination towards his seniors, the officer may be placed under suspension.” The CM Office first wrote that Chaturvedi be given a chance to explain but did a quick about-turn, and subsequently wrote: “On reconsideration, CM has approved proposal B.”

Chaturvedi appealed against his suspension. When the Centre asked the state government for an explanation, there was none. So based on the file notings, his suspension was revoked by a Presidential order in January 2008. But a fake FIR had been registered against him during his suspension, accusing him of criminal intimidation and stealing a Kachnar plant. The theft was shown in Fatehabad in March 2007, when he wasn’t even posted there. The police later withdrew the FIR in court, admitting it was based on “misleading facts”.

An NGO Ekta Parishad subsequently filed a PIL in the Supreme Court against the herbal park. Notices were issued to the Haryana government in April 2008. To cover the illegality, the state declared the land as protected forest in February 2009 and transfered its management to the Forest Department. No one was found guilty or punished. Except the man who brought all this to light. After his reinstatement in January 2008, Chaturvedi was kept without a posting for six months. When he was given one, it was below his rank. He moved the Central Administration Tribunal and won.

Helpless, the government posted him as DFO at Jhajjar. Here again, Chaturvedi exposed a scam of over Rs 5 crore spent on fake plantations. He sent out hundreds of his staff to physically count the trees. Subsequently, he suspended nine forest officials, issued termination notices to another 40. Transfers and harassment followed.
Chaturvedi’s house today has empty walls and shelves: the lone fighter of Kurukshetra knows the next transfer is close at hand  
(courtesy http://www.tehelka.com/story_main43.asp?filename=Ne130210CS01.asp ) 

service delivery Kalyani Hospital Gurgaon

I am preparing for an emergency as my old mother is staying with me who recently had a heart attack. I call up Kalyani for their ambulance service

Me: Is the number i am calling on the same number to call out for an ambulance
Reception: No. When you need an ambulance you give me a call and then i will give you the number.
ME: huh! so if i need an ambulance as the patient is in trauma i first call to take the number from you
Reception: Don't be rude, speak nicely.(then she gives me the number)

Amazing service from a health care provider. 

service delivery of IFFCO Tokio insurance in Gurgaon

Needed to renew a policy with IFFCO TOKIO general insurance. As there was an issue in the policy (it was complicated being issued from a different branch i felt i would have to explain it) i called their office at 6,30pm after talking the phone numbers from the Internet

Me: Iffco-Tokio
Reply: Yes
Me: Can i speak to Ms ........., the branch manage
Reply: No, Call in the morning
Me: Can i get her mobile number i am so n so
Reply: I don't have it, i am the guard, call in the morning

Next morning at 11am i call

Me: Ms -------, branch manage
Reply: What is your business?
Me: i want to talk to her
Reply: She has not come, speak to an insurance executive
Me: Okay transfer

Mr V*.* comes on the line

Me: Why is it so difficult to speak to your branch manage
V: She is very ill
Me: I am sorry but this could have been conveyed to me
V: (Silence) What is your work
Me: Who is next in line or acting incharge
V: Ms S*.*
Me: can i talk to her
V: Transfers, line drops

I call again to talk to Ms S*.*. i explain her the situation. She assures me of help. I make out a cheque and request a female colleague to deliver. The colleague complains about the weird office where on entering the guard checks her out.

I receive the policy. Irrespective of all the phone calls and the explanation the policy is all wrong as it doesn't take a key component of insurance.

so again i call Ms S*.* and she assures me to look into the mistake. I wait again. 

Unsung she died

I could see her suddenly sit up and gasp for breath. My mind was numb. It was either due to it the fact that it had been over four hours into this ordeal and my body and mind were exhausted, or the whole thing was

too surreal for my mind to comprehend.

Just a few hours back it was the end of a routine day. I was in Ellenabad, a moffusal town on the border between Haryana and Rajasthan, working on a Disability project with village youth funded by the Government of India. It was the last day of my work in this town as the next morning I was packing my bags and moving to another town.

Normally my favourite means of travel is the public transport. However, as this was the last time I would travel into this town before moving on, I thought my car would be both easy and comfortable as it would allow me to move my luggage and other colleagues without the fuss that is associated with public transport travel in Haryana.

The day had ended and as it was June it was hot, terribly hot, so we had pulled the room mattress  up on the terrace of the dharmashala were we were staying. Mosquito coils had been lit and water sprayed on the scalding roof to cool it down. It was 10pm and the there was an electricity load shedding. As I lay down on the

mattress, I looked up at the star-lit open sky, stretched, and then closed my eyes. It was then that I became aware of this high-pitched scream followed by the cries of a child. I thought some moron was beating his child and continued

sleeping.

But the sobs continued and I could also hear voices and the scurrying of feet. I couldn’t carry on pretending to sleep so I got up and tried to peer from the terrace towards the direction of the sobs. I could vaguely

see people running towards a house. I don’t know why I took that decision but curiosity got the better of me and I decided to investigate the matter. I followed the people to the house. There was animated talk and people had filled the courtyard. Pushing my way forward I saw something smoking on the ground. All I could hear was

“Jala diya" ("she has been burnt”). This was the moment my mind went numb, it was a burning human being around whom people were gathered! Even though I could not see anything because of the darkness it was

difficult for my mind to comprehend a burning human being. I had seen people immolating themselves in pictures and videos, but this was right here, in front of my very eyes.

Why I took charge, I don’t know but I started ordering to people around me.  “All men out of the house, douse the body with ample water,” and followed these two commands by “ I need two people to go with me so that we can take this woman to the hospital”. I guess crowds in a emergency situation wait for a leader to emerge, someone

to take charge and give directions. I say this as my instructions were not being challenged.

Grabbing my car keys and my purse I ran to get my car. One young man and an older woman helped put the woman’s burnt body into the back of the car. We got somebody to put a bed sheet over the burnt woman and I

drove off to a nearby private hospital.

One can only guess what the state of our health care in small towns and villages is in an emergency. The private hospital was more like a two-room house with some first aid. The doctor was on call and obviously we could not expect any help here for a burns victim. The doctor told me on the phone that I must rush the victim to the

district hospital some 45 kms away.

I had no choice but to drive to the nearest district hospital in Sirsa. It took us about an hour to reach the hospital. In the absence of any hospital help we lifted the body on to a stretcher. As we lifted the woman I had to use my hands to give support to her back. The skin on her back felt charred when my hand touched it.

As there were no specialized medicines required for burns patients in the government hospital I procured them from outside. The medico-legal paper work was done and we waited.

It was 3 am in the morning and I came to check on the woman. It was like breaking out of a trace when I saw her suddenly sitting up and gasping for air. It was the first time I saw her or whatever was left of her. She was totally burnt and her body was covered with anti-burn cream.

The doctor walked a few minutes, “Nothing more can be done beyond what we have already done, so why don’t you leave and take rest.” I looked at the doctor blankly, questioning, “what if I am needed?”  He sensed this and explained, "these are fourth degree burns, the chances of her survival are slim, soon her kidney will fail followed by other organs.”

I was both mentally and physically exhausted. So I took the car and drove back to the dharamshala. At 6 in the morning the news came that she had died.

At 8am I packed my bags and drove off from Elenabad, never to visit it again. The incident will continue to haunt me for the rest of my life.

Endnote: The nameless girl was mute, the reason for the childlike sobs when she was being burned. When she died she had a small one-year-old daughter. Her husband burnt her after a petty domestic quarrel.

 The last I heard, the husband and his relatives were making a case that the burning was caused by a burst stove. The story of so many women who lose limb and life in domestic violence across the country. 

This Blog is part of the Men Say No Blogathon, encouraging men to take up action against the violence faced by women. 

More entries to the Blogathon can be read at www.mustbol.in/blogathon. Join further conversation on facebook.com/delhiyouth & twitter.com/mustbol 

a rickshaw ride in the old city of gurgaon

a rickshaw journey

visit to rewari

rainwater harvesting in rewari

groundwater fell from about 60feet to about 100 feet between 2007-2008.i came across these amazing johads in the heart of rewari.each johad has a history to it and is in close proximity to places of worship.however like all cities in haryana, irrespective of the falling ground water level and the problems associated with water no resident or resident organisation has looked and pushed the administration to use these ponds for water harvesting.

visit to rewari

Village ponds in sohna block of gurgaon district

we have been hearing about the overutilization of groundwater in gurgaon district. we have been hearing fervant appeals by district administration officials and ngos regarding to conserve water(it is a different matter that the appeal maker is usually the one who would be the least sensitive on water issues. if you think i am wrong visit any of the government offices in the district and see the way overhead water tanks are overflowing, government cars are being washed and extremely few offices having a rain water harvesting system)

i have managed to compile a list of village ponds or johads in sohna block. this is the status of these ponds on paper.

a lot of these ponds have been already encroached upon(as you might have seen in the last video of the sukhrali johad in village sukhrali next to NH-8) or are in the process of being enchroached upon. village ponds are extremely low cost and efficient water harvesting systems which our elders knew how to use.

Block Sohna

Name of the village Approx size of the Village village pond/johad
Hajipur 4 acres 1 acre 1 acre
Ghaghonla 1 acre 1.5 acres 1.25 acres 1 acre 2 acres 1.5 acres
Johlaka 2 acres
Badshapur 1 acre 0.5 acre
Nunera 1.5 acres
Kharoda 0.5 acre
Sancholi 1.25 acres 2 acres
Kherla 4 acres
Chuharpur 1 acre 1 acre
Tolni 1.5 acres
Rani ka Sigola 1 acre
Baluda 2 acres
Kulyika 1 acre 1 acre
Karanki Khedli 2 acres 4.5 acres 4 acres
Damdama 1.5 acres 1.5 acres 1 acre
Lakhuwas 2 acres 2.5 acres 2 acres
Bilahaka 2 acres
Silani 2 acres 2 acres 1 acre 1 acre 1 acre 2 acres
Alipur 2 acres 2 acres
Nimoth 1 acre 1 acre
Rahaka 1 acre 1 acre
Dhunela 1 acre 1.5 acres 2 acres
Berka 1 acre
Dhaula 1 acre 0.5 acre
Badshapur Thether 1 acre
Gharatpur Bas 2 acres
Ullawas 1 acre
Behrampur 0.5 acre
Kadarpur 1 acre
Saap ki nangli 0.5 acre
Raisena 1 acre
Mehandwara 0.5 acre
Lohtaki 0.5 acre
Khaika 1 acre
Mohd. pur gujjar 0.5 acre
Khuntpuri 2 acres 1 acre
Sahajawas 1 acre
Ghamroj 1.5 acres

TOTAL NO. OF PONDS : 67

burning wheat stumps and press release from haryana

A press release from the public relations office Haryana caught my eye.
--------------------------------
Chandigarh, March 28 - The Deputy Commissioner, Bhiwani has imposed the ban to destroy the remainings of wheat through fire after the harvesting of crops.
The Deputy Commissioner had issued these orders. It had been come into the notice that after the harvesting of crops of wheat some farmers are destroying the remainings of wheat through fire.

By doing so, the farmers were not only helping in degrading the environment, but it was hazardous for the health also. Besides loss of property, such decision creates the scarcity of grass for animals. So, the decision had been taken not to destroy these remaining through fire and ban had been imposed on it.

These orders had been promulgated with immediate effect in the district and would remain effective upto May 15. Those would defy the orders, a case would be registered against them under section of IPC 188 and Environment Control Act, 1981.
-------------------------------

This press release i thought it was interesting. Interesting due to the following reasons

* Section 188 IPC is Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant
Whoever, knowing that, by an order promulgated by a public servant lawfully empowered to promulgate such order, he is directed to abstain from a certain act, or to take certain order with certain property in his possession or under his management, disobeys such direction,Shall, if such disobedience causes to tender to cause obstruction, annoyance or injury, or risk of obstruction, annoyance of injury, to any persons lawfully employed, be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one month or with fine which may extend to two hundred rupees, or with both;And if such disobedience causes or trends to cause danger to human life, health or safety, or causes or tends to cause a riot or affray, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both.Explanation-It is not necessary that the offender should intend to produce harm, or contemplate his disobedience as likely to produce harm. It is sufficient that he knows of the order which he disobeys, and that his disobedience produces, or is likely to produce, harm.

* I could not find anything on Environment Control Act, 1981. However there is an Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 : An Act to provide for the prevention, control and abatement of air pollution, for the establishment, with a view to carrying out the aforesaid purposes, of Boards, for conferring on and assigning to such Boards powers and functions relating thereto and for matters connected therewith.


Some background information

After the wheat has been harvested using a combined harvester what is left are the stumps. This is because the harvester cuts the wheat plant a certain distance above the ground.

One of the ways for removing the stumps is to bring in manual labour, an expensive proposition. The cheapest way for the Haryana farmer is thus to burn the stumps. What farmers across haryana do is to set their fields on fire so that the fire sweeps the fields burning the stumps. The farmers then till the soil.

Burning the stubble allows farmers to quickly plant their next crop and is a good tool for eliminating insects and disease from their fields, which can lead to less herbicide and pesticide use.

Incidentally burning is also practiced by farmers in the USA.

So what does the above press release imply

It has to proved that the farmer burnt the stumps in the field. It is a well-known fact that over 60% of rural Haryana defecates in the fields. It is also a well-known fact that majority of rural men and high number of rural women smoke bidis. So how do you prove that the fire was not due to somebody who has thrown a bidi.

Even if it is proved somebody purposefully burnt the stumps what does he do pay a fine upto rs 200. Nobody, i repeat nobody can be sent to jail as it would require some major political and administrative guts to do that and i don’t believe it is there in Haryana at least.

Yes this imposing of a ban will certainly get some people in the pollution control and agricultural department some extra bucks in their pockets as it would be a good way to harass medium holding farmers.(no big farmer can be touched)

So is it such a lame duck ban. Actually yes, it is more like a media exercise. It is like peeing in your pants. You get a warm feeling and it doesn’t effect anything.

Burning of the fields is an extremely wrong practice which have been adopted by farmers of haryana. A better way is to continuously educate them.

Agricultural burning impacts both local and regional air quality and has been linked to increased asthma and pulmonary infections.

flood in bhiwani 2008

last year saw unprecdented rains in bhiwani city. i happen to be there after three days of continious rains. some photos.

Johad in village sukhrali, Gurgaon

a video on youtube about the sukhrali johad. it is a 2-4 acre johad right on NH-8. an excellent place to do rainwater harvesting. all the rain water from the highway can be harvested in this johad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St-bqdn8nXA

DHBVN to exchange old CFL's : Question is where

This was a press release of DHBVN carried by a national daily Indian express.

Hisar, July 29 The Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) has turned more environment-friendly and cautious. It will now collect old unbroken burnt or used Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs), incandescent bulbs and tube lights for proper disposal so that these are not harmful to society and environment.

So i called the customer care number of DHBVN. the bloke up picked up the phone had no clue what i was talking about.

So i called up the office of the S.E (supd. engg.) DHBVN gurgaon. whoever picked up the phone had no clue about the exchange offer. when i insisted i was given the number of some executive engg. DHBVN who is supposed to be dealing with this.

When i called up the number nobody picked up the phone.

Obviously the people down the line in DHBVN have no clue what people up the line are doing.
The customer care is only for line faults. i wonder why do they call it customer care. it should be renamed fault care.

Meanwhile DHBVN issues press release's about how environmnetal freindly it is, consumers are pushed cfls' and nobody has a clue about the environmental impact.

from gurgaon to jajjhar

as i drove down from gurgaon to jhajjar i clicked a few photos. here they are for your pleasure

Drinking in the greens

a liquor outlet in the green belt at dhanwapur road. the forest and the excise department, where are you????

Haryana's way to promote solar devices

As per a press release from the public relations department of Haryana Government, Gurgaon and Faridabad Cities of Haryana havebeen selected for development as Solar/Green Cities under the schemeof Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Govt. of India. The release goes on to say that the project aimed at a minimum 10 per cent reduction in projected demand of conventional energy at the end of five years.

Now the funny part, let me share the ground reality of the government endeavor to promote non-conventional or renewable energy. I wanted to promote solar lantern among my domestic help as well as among people providing everyday services like the vegetable vendor, gardner etc. So i called up the Aditya Solar Shop in Gurgaon and wanted two solar lanterns. As the official concerned knew me i coordinated with him the date and time when i could pick up the lanterns.

The lanterns are actually very well made and cost rupees seven hundred a piece. Now comes the interesting part. The purchaser has to fill a full-page form. The official confided that the form was more important than the seven hundred rupees i was giving him.

A form to buy an item which saves electricity and does not emit green house gases. which century are we living in? :(

The form has columns like

Subject: Request for purchase of _________________
Name of the beneficiary
Fathers Name
Village/Tehsil/District(Full Address)

If this was not all, you are supposed to submit a photocopy of either a ration card/voter id card/passport/ any other residence proof. (gosh!)

Then comes the best part. It says “ I hereby swear that i will not sale or shift the system purchased from Aditya Solar Shop under subsidised program. This is followed by a signature and seal from the sarpanch/counsellor of your area. :)

So what happens to the bengali maid who does not have any residential proof or the vegetable hawker who comes from U.P etc. Well they should not acquire a solar device as they don’t have a residential proof and hence they can’t go green.

So for whom are these devices for? People who have money and have a residential proof. Unfortunately most of these people don’t care about going green or environment. I have neighbours who have bought a heavy-duty generator so that all AC’s in their house can be switched on in case of a power cut. They won’t consider a solar device.

The government and its enlightened officers want to go green on its own steam without taking the public along, specially the teaming masses who actually would make a difference to the ambitious programs of the government. Does somebody actually care or is it just good for press releases, disbursal of funds and then restart on the ambitious program once again.

The success of a program lies with the people who are the target segment. A little moving out might do a whale of a good to officials who draft and implement government programs and the actually the government can reduce the demand of electricity by over 25%.

History in Tauru block of Mewat District

These monuments i think are from the lodhi and tuglaq periods. Some conservation efforts are on but from the upkeep as well as cow dung cakes inside the monuments i got a feeling the locals do not own this history. in fact there is a school running right infront of these monuments and a PHC or primary health center nearby.

No wonder they say " those who forget history are condemned to repeat it". we claim we have a long and rich history but we neither own nor take care of this history.

Haryana and its police

This is the map given on the haryana police website http://haryanapolice.gov.in/districtmap.asp when i checked today.

if we were to believe haryana police and please note that Mr C.M, Haryana has has only 19 districts.

The mission of the haryana police is "to help the common man". However in the the absence of basic updated information i don't think it is possible.

the basic idea of internet is make current information available to all. Websites are a window of you to the world. If from the window i see a house in disorder than i am sure the house is not in order.

Safai Karamcharis and the state of cleanliness in gurgaon city

Sulabh International has been given the contract for cleanliness in large parts of gurgaon city. As per the contract signed between H.U.D.A and Sulabh international, the organisation after sweeping the streets will pickup solid waste to be disposed off at a predetermined place as designated or instructed by H.U.D.A or haryana urban development authority. I am not aware if contracts have been signed with other authorities or agencies in gurgaon by sulabh international.

The contract signed with H.U.D.A also carries a clause that the solid waste will not be burnt and has to be disposed off. In case solid waste is burnt a penalty will be charged. (Here in the above photos you can see sulabh safai karamcharis smoking while garbage is burning. The karamcharis can be identified with the blue overall with Sulabh written across the back)

With the tolerance levels exhibited by both our administrators and citizens solid waste is regularly burnt irrespective of the fact both residents of gurgaon and the sweeper staff are aware of the environmental and health effects of burning garbage. The status quo remains as nobody wants to bell the cat. The residents are too lazy to object with a large number of residents encouraging the sweepers to burn garbage whereas the sweepers are too lazy to pick up and dispose garbage and in the absence of anybody objecting are too happy to burn garbage and laze around.

If the solution for cleanliness of the city is by burning garbage and if a large number of residents feel no problem in burning garbage and in fact burn garbage themselves then why does the district administration waste so much money (what i heard is that the sulabh contract was worth over 70lacs) in hiring a cleaning agency. let everybody fend for themselves, clean the place and burn the garbage. At least that money can be diverted into some better use.

MOONSTRUCK!

Yes, we can!

After the American elections a lot has been said, discussed and written with respect to India. A lot of people have lamented the state of affairs in India and wishfully wondered when will we have our own Obama - the one who will provide us hope and a message for change.

My reply to all such people is to read today’s newspapers: “INDIA TOUCHES THE MOON”. The 35-kg Moon Impact Probe touched the lunar surface at 8.31 pm on 14 November 2008. A true gift to the children of the world with Children’s Day being celebrated in India.
For the uninitiated, this is truly an inspirational and momentous moment for mankind. India did it right the first time – not a mean feat even by the best standards. This is from a nation categorized as ‘developing’ with the highest number of malnourished children in the world; a nation that was deprived of technology as some countries felt the world was being threatened due to our atomic testing. This is from a nation of immeasurable diversity – diversity that, some feel, poses a threat to the nation’s growth, and these people would rather every Indian follow a single religion and way of life. With all its encumbrances, the nation has been able to send Chandrayaan-1 through an astronomical distance of over 3 lac km. A number of people have been involved through its various stages – scientists, engineers, technicians, teachers, motivators, programmers, operators, invisible people plus one ex-President – people who lost sleep due to nervousness, people who lent support to the sleepless to forge on! Together, they could!

We are a nation so steeped in history... A lot of the young I have interacted with say they feel proud of the achievements in history. On the other hand, they are cynical about the present and are unwilling to lend a hand to creating their own history. A lot of them simple state they are proud without knowing exactly what gives them this lofty feeling – perhaps, the ‘proud’ feeling is handed down as cultural heritage. Well to all of them out there, let this be a day when the world says if anything is possible in the world, it is here in India! This is an event that makes every Indian proud.

Chandrayaan is not just about a probe landing on the moon - it is about hope, ability to surmount challenges and change for the better. We have our own Obamas here within us and for once, we don’t need to stand on the sidelines cheering for somebody else but our own.