*

Palampur roads dug up again

December and early January saw some Palampur roads being dug up on the flanks again and for the umpteenth time. The stretch from the SSB chowk to the ITI was a complete mess until some days back. Even now (after a lousy fill-up job) it looks no good. Then it was the section from Chopati shops upwards, and likewise at other places as well. On Jan 1st, I had a harrowing time on my way to the Ambedkar Bhavan (near the Neugal cafe). A truck coming  from the opposite direction got stuck up in a pile of excavated earth creating a traffic jam. Well, I am not averse to these ‘diggings’ per se, presuming that it would all lead to "अच्छे दिन” finally. I understand that, as before, this exercise is all for cable-laying to pave the way for faster internet connectivity leading to improved communication facilities. Who would not endorse and support these supposedly well-intended initiatives in the present era of digitisation? But my grouse is about the implementation part of it. Why there is no well-planned, coordinated action plan put in place to avoid these repeated excavations causing huge inconvenience to the आम आदमी? Secondly, why the digging-up work is done in such a clumsy, shoddy way? Better way would be to dig up a small section, fill it promptly and properly and ensure that it is restored to its original (pre-digging) shape (if not better) and then proceed to next section, stage by stage. But no, the digging-up work is haphazard and long stretches are dug-up at once and the trenches so created remain unfilled for days on end with large mounds of earth piled up here and there thoughtlessly without regard to the traffic jams and hardship that would inevitably ensue. And the public has no clue whatsoever, why the hell, this work has commenced yet again. Ideally, at such digging sites, temporary sign-boards should be put up to inform us about the nature, purpose and duration of job, the name of the agency executing the works, the name of the government agency overseeing the project, etc., etc. Also, there should be contact numbers displayed to lodge complaints and seek redressal of any grievance and inconvenience caused to the public. Further, the contractor should also deploy couple of hands to regulate traffic at such sites to ensure easy and smooth traffic flow and minimise hardship to the commuters. And if sprinklers could be used for keeping the dug-up soil from coating the hapless passers-by with a thick layer of dust in dry days (as was the case in December), so much the better.

Is this too much to ask for? But when corruption, bribes and venality, मिलीभगत और हेराफेरी, or, if not these, then at least absolute lack of accountability of those who are at the helm in regulating and monitoring these projects, reigns supreme, then what can a commoner do except fret and fume…as I do? More so, because we are all given to taking things lying down, without even a mummer of protest. And the powers that be know it and exploit our sinful addiction to 'silence'  to the hilt.

      The road-stretch from SSB chowk to Diffarpat presents a sorry picture

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What a shame!

Did you see those video clips relating to the New Year Eve celebrations? The horror that was unleashed on the MG road in Bengaluru? And another one that took place in another Bengaluru street? How hordes of miscreants and goons assaulted the women revellers to the full view of inert police and other people? And in the  the latter case how the two scooter-borne sick-heads tried to outrage the modesty of a hapless lady? It is such a pity that these kind of ugly incidents have become a common occurrence in a city like Bengaluru otherwise known for its cosmopolitan culture and ethos.  It saddens me to see this balmy and vibrant city, once a pride of India, known for its salubrious climes, lakes and gardens and a hub of techno-scientific activity turn into a violent, polluted, dusty jungle of concrete. Lakes and green zones have fallen prey to the sinister politician-builder-bureaucrat nexus. Traffic snarls taking away your precious hours even for a few kms of drive have become an inevitable part of day’s routine. Bengaluru is no longer the city that it once was.  And now such ugly incidents and mounting crime graph is doing no good to the name and repute of Bengaluru. How sad! Whenever I visit this city, at least once a year (in winters preferably), for a little break from the monotony of a small-town-life, and to imbibe some energy and vigour from a throbbing, happening city, I come back a disheartened, disillusioned man.

Shame on those who hold the reins, shame on us who have let this jewel of a city degenerate into such a chaotic, crime-infested metropolis!

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Event of the week

*   Farewell speech: By  the suave and sane (outgoing) US President  Barack Obama who stood for and practised liberal values, humanism and inclusiveness. His stirring and emotional address on 11 January in Chicago warned about threats to democratic values and ended with hope for brighter future for the world. A must-see video!

Environmental facts: greenpeace

* Thai fishing fleet moving to Indian Ocean to avoid  regulation

* Research shows switching to organic food can reduce  pesticide levels in urine

* No Indian city meets WHO air quality norms

* Air pollution causes 1.2 million deaths in India annually;
   Delhi most polluted

                                                      *

Health tip

Resistant starch, which occurs naturally in foods such as bananas, potatoes, grains and legumes, may benefit your health by aiding blood sugar control, supporting gut health and enhancing satiety, new research has claimed (British Nutrition Foundation; the study was published in the journal Nutritional Bulletin)

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Dhauladhar view

लो ओढ़ लिया फिर  से पर्वत ने चांदी का सुन्दर श्वेत  दौशाला,

लहलाये  अब  खेत , जन-जीवन  में  छाया नया उजाला। 

                                                               
                                                        

                             The Dhauladhar as it looked on the clear morn of Wednesday, 11 Jan.

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Quotes

"Democracy is threatened whenever we take it for

  

  granted."

" We cannot withdraw from global fights- to expand

   

   democracy, and human rights, women's rights, 

   and LGBT rights- no matter how imperfect our

   efforts."

         

              -Barack Obama in his farewell address

"When Om Puri stood in front of a camera, he filled up the screen."

               - Anupam Kher

"जब  मेरा' निधन  हो तो मेरे  बाल रंग देना।  मैं  एक युवा  की  तरह मरना  चाहता हूँ। "

                - Om Puri

"आज वो भी बिछड़ गया हमसे, चलिए ये क़िस्सा भी तमाम हुआ। "

                - Javed Akhtar

"Love is an illusion."

                 - Hrithik Roshan

"Trump and I are opposites."

                  - Barack Obama

"Treat sons in a way they learn to respect women."

                  - Shah Rukh Khan

 RBI doesn't decide anything, decisions taken by Modi." 
                  - Amartya Sen

"सूबे में अवैध निर्माण के लिए अफसर जिम्मेदार।"
                  - HP Raj Bhawan (Amar Ujala)

"Why give my husband a gun if he's unstable."
       -wife of BSF Jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav whose video on poor food served to         them has gone viral

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Shaming/shocking headlines

* City(Shimla) remains without water, power
    for the 6th day (Wednesday, 11 Jan)
                        (The Tribune)
* सूबे के एक  हज़ार गावों में बिजली, न  पानी 
                                     (Amar Ujala)

Newspicks

* Aliens live on Mars? 'Hairy spider monkey' and 'slug animal' spotted in NASA image (The TeCake)  

 * New fault in Indian Ocean may trigger quakes in future:study (DH)

 * Warming of Indian Ocean  behind groundwater decline in India

 * Moon may have formed from collision of tiny 'moonlets'

 * Obama presses Trump not to back away from clean energy (The Hindu)

* Chennai, Bengaluru remain suicide capitals of country

* "Rangoon"  trailer crosses 10 million views! (fridaymoviez Bollywood

    entertainment)

            

* राजधानी में 72घंटे से  ब्लैक आउट, 140 रुट फेल (अमर उजाला )

* Kangra's Hamirpur fort in ruins, cries for govt attention (The Tribune)

* Weekend exercise alone has significant health benefits:study

* 'Tooth repair drug' may replace fillings (BBC News)

* Drink at pubs with friends to boost health:study

* सामान्य व्यायाम भी कर सकता है ख़ुशी में असामान्य वृद्धि (अमर उजाला )

* स्मार्ट फ़ोन के ज्यादा इस्तेमाल से बच्चों को 'ड्राई आई ' बीमारी (अमर उजाला )

* Men who eat lots of red meat have higher risk of common bowel disease

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