MTW

Waterborne diseases India’s bane

Mumbai : Street food, however hygienic it is, but when it gets mixed with the heavy rains, the same becomes a deadly combination for rise in waterborne diseases. This is part of a larger problem that the maximum city is experiencing right now. The civic body’s health report has stated that the city has witnessed eight cases of cholera and 1,755 cases of gastro in July alone.
The health experts say that water contamination and consumption of junk food are the major causes for waterborne diseases.
City doctors say that they are witnessing patients with 25-30 episodes of dysentery, which are turning out to be severe. They stated that people are habituated to eating outside food and eat food from roadside stalls, which do not have any guarantee for the quality.
Dr. Shahid Bharmare, general physician at Kohinoor Hospital said, “Monsoon is not the right time to consume food from outside as it can lead to various diseases. People should avoid eating cut salads, raw fruits and golas which are available at the stalls. It is crucial that people understand the severity of the situation as these diseases can turn fatal as there is lot of dehydration from the body and it can lead to kidney failure.” The civic body has started to check the quality of water in different areas of the city. Dr Minni Khetarpal, head of epidemiology cell at BMC said, “We are checking upon the water-borne diseases in the city and the areas from where we are witnessing these cases. However, people should avoid junk food and instead carry home-made food which is hygienic and healthy for consumption.”

Indiscipline is our political culture

A lady wanted to cross a busy street near Kemps Corner in South Mumbai one morning and it was taking unusually long to do so. There was a bend in the road just ahead of her which blocked the visibility of traffic. Also, a car was waiting adjacent to the footpath just at this bend and the driver was talking over the phone. The lady noticed that inside the car there was a tiny flag of a prominent Mumbai based political party. A couple of traffic policemen on a bike stopped by the car and asked the driver to leave, but they must have probably seen the flag, and didn’t insist before riding away. The driver didn’t move the car and a few minutes later the lady approached him, losing her patience. She asked him, “The policemen asked you to leave 5 minutes ago. You are clearly flouting traffic and parking rules”. He replied in arrogance saying, “Does your father own this street? I will leave when I have to. Currently I am talking over the phone so don’t disturb me.”

Swatch Bharath: whom to blame!

A chocolate wrapper and an empty biscuit packet were pushed out from the grills of a local train. The train fled past them with their murderer unaware or rather ignorant about her crime. Caressed by the winds that hinted a rainy day ahead (or a sunny one – in Mumbai, one can never be sure), both were transported to different routes. One landed on a railway platform. Gazed upon by passengers, not a single one came to pick it up and place it in its rightful place – the garbage bin.

The other flew until it was compelled to descend into a drain. Swished at times, swayed otherwise, it enjoyed its ride until a dead dark end interrupted its motion. Time came to a standstill. One blocked drain. While another complaint was dropped into the BMC’s office and fireworks exploded between the boss and the workers, the murderer sat with her legs stretched onto the opposite seat in another local train. Casually she opened a waffle’s packet- munch, crunch, over. Another lethal weapon found its way past the train’s window.

News flashed, “Mumbai flooded. BMC’s work goes down the drain.” While innumerable complaints poured into the BMC’s office, another house’s wastes found its way either into the river or onto the already mucky road.

Little did the wrapper know that its last wish, while being pushed out of the window, had been fulfilled; to be a part of a great phenomenon and change people’s lives. Change it did. Every monsoon when the water tried flowing out, the wrapper stopped it- thus helping to form a phenomenon called floods, changing people’s lives from then on.

Was BMC the only culprit?

Kashmir can never be taken nor given, Sharif told scribe

Srinagar : Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had long ago admitted that his country can neither take away Kashmir nor can India give it away, veteran journalist Kuldip Nayyar claimed “My friendship with Nawaz Sharif goes back a long way. I met him in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) during his wilderness years… He told me ‘Neither we can take Kashmir from you, nor you can give Kashmir (to us)’,” Nayyar said addressing the inaugural session of Srinagar Media Summit organised by Lehar NGO here.

The veteran journalist said Sharif, who has since returned to power in Pakistan, also emphasised the need for increasing the people to people contact and trade between the two countries, reports PTI.

Nayyar blamed founder of Pakistan Mohammad Ali Jinnah for the partition saying it was a mistake to create a new nation on the basis of religion. He said while granting independence to Jammu and Kashmir was out of question, granting maximum autonomy to the state within the Indian constitution could be a solution to the Kashmir issue. “(Jammu and) Kashmir is an integral part of India… Communication today does not matter much but Defence and Foreign Affairs should be handled by the Centre while on other issues, the state can be granted autonomy. This is my idea of a solution… it has to be within India, not outside,” he added. Nayyar said India will never allow creation of another Islamic country in the region. Calling for change in mindset among the youth of Kashmir, he said allowing Kashmir to secede will harm secularism in the country.

 “By allowing an independent Kashmir, we do not want to harm secularism in the country. There are already some voices which say that Kashmiri Muslims could not become Indians even after 68 years,” he said.

Police apathy’ is a sub continental trait!Abused boy commits suicide

Lahore : A 14-year-old boy, who was kidnapped and sexually abused by three men, committed suicide after police in Pakistan’s Punjab province refused to help and instead demanded Rs 50,000 to register a case, the victim’s father said.

Muhammad Akram was kidnapped by three men while he was returning from his workshop in the Rahim Yar Khan district, some 450 kilometres from Lahore, said his father Malik Iqbal. Iqbal said the three men sexually abused his son for two days after giving him intoxicants, and later threw him near his house.

He said the family searched for Akram and informed police after they could not locate him. But they refused to help. Iqbal said his son was dumped unconscious near the house.

“We reported the matter to Head Tallaywala check post and sought registration of a case against the suspects. But the police officials demanded Rs 50,000 to register a case against the suspects,” he said.

“My son, who was already in trauma, could not bear the stress and humiliation…and jumped before a goods train yesterday,” the distressed father said.

The family sat on a protest, with the body, on Rahim Yar Khan-Bahawalpur Road and blocked it for several hours. Senior police officers reached the spot and assured action against the culprits and police officials responsible for not registering the FIR.

They also sacked the check-post in-charge Imtiaz Ali and arrested him under section 155-C of the Police Order of 2002.

An FIR has been registered against the suspects under sections 266, 377 and 322 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The incident has come days after Punjab police arrested 16 suspects for allegedly sexually abusing more than 280 children in Kasur district, some 50 kilometres from here. The scandal is being termed as Pakistan’s biggest child sex abuse scandal.

Flag unfurled upside-down on Independence Day

Amritsar: In a faux pas, Punjab Minister Bikram Singh Majithia unfuled the national flag which was upside down during an Independence Day function here and it was only corrected as the event was about to conclude.

Two police personnel responsible for the flag hoisting arrangement were suspended and a magisterial inquiry ordered into the incident as the red-faced officials claimed that flag was in the right position till early morning and it would be probed if there was a ‘conspiracy’.  Presiding over Independence Day ceremony at Guru Nanak Auditorium, Majithia, who is the state revenue minister, unfurled the national flag. The minister along with Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat and Commissioner Amritsar Police Jatinder Singh Aulakh saluted the national flag which was upside down. The mistake was not corrected even when Majithia delivered his speech and it was hoisted in the right position only when function was about to conclude. Asked about the goof-up, Majithia, who is the brother of Union Minister Harsimrat Badal and brother-in-law of Punjab’s Deputy Chief Minister Sukbir Singh Badal, told reporters that it is the district administration which should answer how it has happened. Later, officials said two police officials responsible for the flag hoisting arrangement have been suspended while suitable action against Superintendent of Police (Headquarter) was recommended to the state government in this regard.

‘Demolish Charminar’

Hyderabad : While the union government spends thousands of crores of rupees every year for protecting historical monuments and structures, deputy chief minister of Telangana, Mehmood Ali strongly believes such structures should rather be pulled down.

The number two in the state cabinet also said if the icon of Hyderabad 421 years old ‘Charminar' turns weak, it too will be demolished,’ reportes media. Ali remarked, “If Charminar becomes weak after 200-500 years, it will have to be demolished too. After becoming weak, it can fall any time and people may lose their lives.” While pointing out that after spending 100 crore rupees on the Osmania General Hospital, the government will only get a warranty for 8-10 years, Ali said, “Instead of spending 100 crore rupees from the taxpayers’ money and demolishing it 10 years later, we are turning it into a good hospital.” When asked about turning the structure into a museum, Ali asked, “Where are we going to build a dawakhana? Do we want a museum or medical treatment?”

He further said, “If we change its name, then people will definitely raise objection. But we are not changing its name”. The Osmania General Hospital was built in 1919 and designed by British architect Vincent Jerome Esch. Hyderabad, which is 424-years-old, is dotted with such structures. 

On suspicion domestic badly beaten by police

Mumbai : In a shocking case of physical abuse, the Chunabhatti police have been accused of beating up a 32-year-old domestic help, after she was picked up on suspicion following a complaint filed in which Rs 2.5 lakh worth jewellery had gone missing.

Social activist Jyoti Raut, who came to the victim’s rescue, said that despite the allegation, the jewellery had been found from the house of the complainant. An inquiry has been set up by the police and anyone found guilty, necessary action will be taken against them. From the past four months, victim Geeta More was working at Sandeep Malhotra’s residence, who is the complainant in the case. He approached the police on August 13, when his wife found that jewellery worth Rs 2.5 lakh was missing from the house.

On basis of suspicion, Geeta was called to the police station and was questioned by the Chunabhatti police. According to Raut, Geeta has alleged that she was locked in a room and was beaten up by four male policemen. “Geeta told us that she was beaten up so badly` that she fell on the ground and was not able to move. Policemen even pressurised her to confess the crime, and whenever she refused to do so, she was beaten up. In-between she was beaten up so badly that she was grounded and got unconscious,” said Raut.

Raut told FPJ that Geeta has also alleged that she was threatened that she would be framed in the case if she ever tries to tell anyone that she was beaten up. After which she was taken to the Sion hospital and after the treatment she was taken to the police station by Raut and other local people.

“The jewellery which was missing has been found by the complainant in his house itself. The complainant even told us that they had no idea that the police will humiliate Geeta to such an extent,” said Raut. Police have taken down Geeta’s complaint and have initiated an inquiry into the case.