1/2013

I N S I D E� Metro Updates

� Stuffed cat in the attic -Egyptian mummy?

� Auto suggestion onWomen�sDay

� 500 low-floor buses soon

� Can Jaipur beAWorld Class City?

Increasingly, I find the local administration totally unresponsive andlackadaisical. Perhaps the reasons are not so hard to find.The reasonsinclude: poor leadership at the top; lack of accountability; existence ofinertia and the priority of relevant officers being busy with generatingextra incomes.Many roads in our colonies are full of potholes and it is well over six

months since themonsoons subsided.I have written to the Commissioner,Jaipur Development Authority and other concerned officials many atimes but to no avail�not even a simple acknowledgement. If a person like me does notget an acknowledgement, what to speak about solutions, one can imagine the plight ofthe common man.I also asked that whether it is my right as a tax payer and payer of development

charges to JDA that I expect roads to be in order if not silken smooth like Hema Malini�scheeks,but that does not impress anyone. It is not as if JDA is bankrupt,but its prioritiesare to ensure good roads where people matter, such as Civil Lines or Gandhi Nagar, orwhenVVIPs are visiting an area. I even reminded the Commissioner that�a stitch in timesaves nine� and earlier a pothole is attended to it would save further work; harm anddamage to a vehicle and the pedestrians who use the roads. Even road hazards existbecause people jay drive (an improvisation of jay walking) and the vehicles which followdo not know which way the camel in the front will turn (to paraphrase from a Hindimetaphor).Two road junctions that I often use are always faced with traffic gridlocks, and one

never sees a traffic cop or a traffic light. These are at the turning of Prince Road onQueens Road and the other is the U-turn on Station Road, actually a crossing, whenone has to go to the railway station or Hathroi Fort when coming from Jai Singh Highway.Everyone has to go through this U-turn because the rightward access on Station Roadcrossing has been sensibly closed during the day time. I have twice written to the DCP(Traffic) with copies to the Commissioner of Police,but the same situation:no response,and no action as well.On the left side of Queens Road when turning to Khatipura Road, there is an open

space where garbage is dumped on the bare road. This is freqented by stray hungrycows, causing the vehicle flow to narrow itself and thus create accident hazards. Many atimes I have written to JMC and theWard Councillor but the situation remains statuquo, and once again no response from both.Now on Ajmer Road, a BRTS corridor is being built, without bothering about the

traffic flow on the reduced side lanes. Just before the Shyamnagar turning, there is avegetable and fruit market on the main road, and as usual car owners park their carshaphazardly. Before the turning to Kings Road, handcarts selling vegetables & fruits plytheir trade on the fringe of the road. Once again cars park and there is chaos. Can theJDA not think of developing proper vegetable markets in each part of the city ongovernment or acquired land and see that the roads are not choked.We spoke to JusticeV S Dave,chairman of a Supreme Court appointed committee to

make the walled city of Jaipur as a world class city. Please read his short heart rendinginterview on the back page. Even God cannot come down to Jaipur to make it a worldclass city with the type of administrators that we have.Let us not forget that we pay theirsalaries, through our taxes, and not the government.They are accountable to us, thecitizens of Jaipur.

Deaf & Blind Administration

www.google.com

Pradeep S Mehta, Secretary General

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In the LimelightIn the LimelightIn the LimelightIn the LimelightIn the Limelight

Resolving Grievances of Citizens

Urban local bodies (ULBs)/Municipalities play an important role in theplanning and development of urban areas. ULBs are responsible for

providing basic infrastructure and services in cities and towns.However, theperformance of many of these bodies/municipalities including Jaipur, hascontinued to deteriorate over time. One of the reasons for their poorperformance is ineffective and insufficient participation of the citizens in thedecision-making process.With an aim of improving the service delivery through citizen�s engagement,

CUTS launched a project entitled, �Improving Service Delivery by UrbanLocal Government in the City of Jaipur through Enhanced Civic Engagement�(MyCity) in partnership with the Asia Foundation by implementing varioussocial accountability tools and approaches to enhance the engagement andvoice power of citizens.Interface meetings are conducted to solve problems related to various

service deliveries thereby giving an opportunity to provide the citizens witha platform for direct interaction with service providers and getting solutions.Jagroop Singh Yadav, Chief Executive Officer, Jaipur Municipal Corporation

(JMC) said that the project has helped JMC inreaching households in different wards andengaging directly with the citizens which isenhancing the quality of services under JMC.Manish Parik, Deputy Mayor, stated that massawareness among citizens can only driveimprovement in the service delivery.

Metro UpdatesMetro track updateThe Jaipur metro track from Ambabadi to Sitapura will

also run from Ajmeri Gate to Sanganer. This will be connectedto the airport, such is the thought behind the metro project�scurrent position in its construction.According to the plan,the metro would have run from Paanipech to Ajmeri Gate andfrom here, it would have run on an elevated track to Sanganerbut now it might be that the track is built undergroundfrom Ajmeri Gate itself. The metro project is getting ready tobe connected to the Sanganer airport. The state governmentwanted Sanganer to be connected to the metro route in theproposed plan, turning towards Sitapura after the airport.

(www.pinkcity.com, 18.03.13)

Four metro coaches in AprilJaipur metro is all set to run, with its coaches arriving in

April from BEML Bangalore. Rajasthan Minister for UrbanDevelopment Shanti Kumar Dhariwal visited the BEML facilityin the city which is manufacturing the Metro Cars for JaipurMetro. The visit of the Minister of Rajasthan assumessignificance as BEML has planned to roll out the first set ofMetro Cars to Jaipur Metro Rail Corporation in March 2013.In 2011, BEML has secured M318 crore order formanufacture, supply, testing and commissioning 10 train setsof 4-Car each, totalling 40 cars to Jaipur Metro Project.

(http://jaipur.co, 04.03.13)

Trial runs for metro at nightThe Jaipur metro rail coaches will have to make trial

runs at night for a few months before they becomeoperational. The rolling stocks, which will be brought fromBangalore, will only be operational after two months as arun of one lakh kilometres is mandatory for them.As thecivil construction work of 9.25 km of Jaipur metro corridor(Mansarovar to Chandpole) is already delayed,the Delhi MetroRail Corporation (DMRC) has devised an alternative planto run the coaches already in operation on the Delhi metroroute. Sources said that the coaches of Jaipur metro have adifferent wheel profile; they have been modified accordingto the sharp curves on the tracks. (ToI, 13.03.13)

ADB clears 900-cr loan for MetroAsian Development Bank (ADB) has given a principal

approval to loan M969 crore to support Metro undergroundline,Chandpol-Badi Chaupar. The decision was taken in a high-level meeting attended by JMRC officials and the Departmentof Economics.Notably, the state government had announcedthe underground line recently and had desired to organisea stone-laying ceremony this coming July.With this proposalthe project cost has, however, crossed M3,000 crore and aloan of M969 crore was demanded from ADB. The JMRChad decided to take up the project at its own level andDMRC was appointed for the consultancy. (DB,09.03.13)

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Nota beneHere is an up-close-and-personal

account of a �public-private partnership�negotiation. A senior government officialwas offered money to close a deal, andonce the negotiations were through, heduly wrote �approved� on the fileconcerned. But before the file could bepassed on, there was a glitch in the deal,so the official added the word �not� infront of the original word �approved�.This being India, everything can be

had for a price, and the deal was finallyclosed to everyone�s satisfaction afterfurther negotiations. So what wouldhappen to the �not approved� noting onthe file? Easy, all that was needed was toadd an �e� at the end of the word �not�.No doubt, the approval was duly noted.

(BS, 07.03.13)

Leonardo paints another Mona LisaRenaissance

artist LeonardodaVinci did paintan earlier andmuch youngerversion of hisma s t e r- p i e c eMona Lisa,experts haveconfirmed. MonaLisa, which hasbeen on displayin the Louvre inParis for three centuries, has long beenregarded as the only one painted by theItalian artist.However,according to a Swiss-based

art foundation, recent tests have shownthat the Isleworth Mona Lisa is almostcertainly the genius da Vinci�s work.Carbon dating placed the creation of thepainting in the correct era, refuting claimsthat it was a later copy of the mainpainting, which was created in or around1516.Geometric analysis has shown that

the painting matches the proportions daVinci depicted in his human forms.Thesaid international group claimed that itsauthenticity has finally been proven.

(BL, 14.02.13)

A nose job done for your dogThe perky-eared silhouette of a dog

graces the facade of the low-slung, brightred building in São Paulo, Brazil � thelocal mark for a neighbourhood vet �but this is no ordinary clinic: It is the

headquarters of Dr. Edgard Brito, theworld�s preeminent plastic surgeon fordogs.

At first glance,with grey curls andblue eyes, 50-year-old Brito looks likea telenovela villain.He has been aveterinarian his

entire life, after growing up on a farmsurrounded by animals. It was only afterbreeding Doberman pinschers as ahobby that his career took its cosmeticturn.Brito�s first big success was Brutus, a

miniature grey schnauzer. Since then,Brito has worked on thousands of otheranimals, usually costing US$500 toUS$1,000 each time. He has fixed theears of his own five-year-old Doberman,and also offers eyebrow correction,wrinkle reduction, and even face-lifts.

(ET, 18.02.13)

A fork to monitor overeatingIf you come to a fork on the Internet,

take it. It may end up being beneficial toyour health. The French-based start-upSlowcontrol is unveil ing at theConsumer Electronics Showwhat it callsthe first Internet-connected fork, capableof monitoring the pace of eating to keeppeople from overdoing it.Inventor Jacques Lepine developed

a connected fork which monitors caloricintake for a meal, and if people go toofar, �it sets off an alarm� and begins tovibrate. The device,which is dishwashersafe when electronic components areremoved, is expected to sell in the USfor US$99 starting in April. It will comewith software allowing users toprogramme their appropriate eatinghabits.The device to be called the�HapiFork�

may be sold along with other healthdevices through a firm called HapiLabs.

(BL, 09.01.13)

You can eat, drink & pump it outWho would have thought that the

future of weightloss might lie inthe hands ofthe inventorof theSegway?D e a n

Kamen, creator of

the two-wheeled wonder, along with ateam from Aspire Bariatrics, ofPhiladelphia, has applied for a patent fora pump that can suck food and drinkstraight out of the stomach.Users of the pump are able to stuff

their face before draining their stomachby connecting the pump to a valvesurgically installed in their abdominalwall.The makers hope to use it to treatthe morbidly obese, and to provide analternative to a gastric bypass.Initial setbacks have occurred

because the pump struggles to break uplarge foods. One patient reported�clogging� and had to avoid eatingcauliflower, broccoli, Chinese food, stirfry, snow peas, pretzels, chips and steak.No chips? It will never catch on...

(ET, 09.01.13)

Stuffedcat in theattic - Egyptianmummy?In an astonishing discovery, a British

man found that a stuffed cat in his dustyattic which he assumed to be a bizarre

antique is actually a 2,000-year-oldEgyptian mummy. Robert Gray ofPortscatho, Cornwall, who owns a bedand breakfast, took the ancient artefactin his attic for an x-ray, where imagesrevealed the outline of a perfectlypreserved ancient cat - complete withface, ears, spine and brain.Ancient Egyptians mummified

animals to ensure their belovedcompanions would follow them into theafterlife. Gray said his research hassuggested that often the mummies wouldbe fake.Cats were particularly popular

subjects during the Ptolemaic periodfrom 305 BC to 30BC because they werebelieved to represent the war goddessBastet. X-ray images of the mummifiedcat show the neck is sti l l intact,suggesting it was a prized pet rather thana sacrifice to the gods. (PTI, 15.02.13)

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Vegans-Only City on MarsPrivate space entrepreneur and

billionaire co-founder of PayPal, ElonMusk, is planning to build a small cityon Mars for 80,000 space explorers -but only vegetarians are invited!

Musk, whose Falcon 9 rocketdelivers NASA cargo to theInternational Space Station, wants toconstruct a futuristic settlement on thered planet.The new civilisation wouldrun off sustainable technology andcater only to vegetarians. Muskrevealed he had beenwaiting ten yearsto share his vision.The 146-year-old Royal

Aeronautical Society in November2012 awarded Musk, who founded histhird company SpaceX in 2002, a goldmedal for his contribution to spaceexploration.One ofAmerica�s most respected

private space entrepreneurs, Musk hasadmitted the challenges remaindaunting. These include the dangersof deep-space radiation, bone-rot andtoxic dust. (IE, 07.01.13)

Minister pulled for extravaganceNationalist Congress Party

president Sharad Pawar admonishedhis partyman Bhaskar Jadhav for theextravagantweddings of the latter�s sonand daughter. Minister of State forUrban Development Jadhav hadarranged a lavish wedding for both hisson and daughter in the city of Chiplun.According to reports, the venues

of the big fat weddings of Samir andKanchan Jadhav � that are estimatedto have cost a staggering M3-4 crore� were swarming with choppers andcar convoys to ferryVIPs from asmanyas 22 helipads to the spot of themarriage.Pawar said he was �disturbed� by

media reports of �gratuitousextravagance� displayed at a socialoccasion by one of his party men,especially when the State was inthe grip of a severe drought.

Jadhav has apologised to Pawar,stating that it was never his intentionto hurt the sentiments of the State�spopulace by the weddings.

(TH, 15.02.13)

Dealing with vexatious litigantsMaking its displeasure clear, the

National Consumer DisputesRedressal Commission (NCDRC)slapped a penalty of M25,000 onYamuna Nagar Improvement Trust, alocal body, for locking an allottee intoa prolonged and vexatious litigation.It also insisted that the same may berecovered from the salaries of officerspursuing such a vexatious andfrivolous litigation.In Dina Nath vs. Yamuna Nagar

Improvement Trust, an 80-year-oldman was pursuing a dogged legalbattle with the Respondent over asmall plot of land. He had paid the

cost of the land butpossession was not

handed over onone pretext or theother, withchanged land use

norm being the oft-cited reason.

The matter could have been easilyresolved amicably by allotting amutually acceptable plot as analternative to the petitioner but forcurious reasons, the officers of thegovernmental agency chose to lockhim in a legal battle at various levelsof consumer forum.The NCDRC deploring this

tendency cited several verdicts of theApex court where the tendency onthe part of the governmentdepartments to resort to vexatiouslitigation at the drop of the hat wasgraphically highlighted.The NCDRC has given an order

that would hopefully have achastening effect on the bureaucracyacross the country. Penalty on facelessgovernmental behemoths have hadlittle effect on curtailing vexatiouslitigation thus far. The Commission hashit where it hurts. (BL, 10.01.13)

Imperial ClassWhenever the Indian prime

minister travels abroad, he invariablytakes a chartered Air India Boeing747, which is re-configured for his

needs; that means a private cabin,while accompanying officials travel firstclass, and the media posse travelsbusiness.A second plane stands by, in case

the first develops a snag. Thecomparisons with British PrimeMinister David Cameron are telling.Cameron, too, chartered a plane, aVirgin Atlantic, because unlike BritishAirways aircraft, it was configuredwith only two classes � business andeconomy.British primeministers, it turns out,

are only allowed to fly business class.Even if they are offered free upgradesto first class, they are obliged todecline.Those in attendance on himhave to fly economy.Meanwhile, the 100 British

businessmen who accompaniedCameron came along with him in thechartered plane. In India�s case, anybusiness delegation timing its visit withthe prime minister�s has to flyseparately. (BS, 21.02.13)

Auto suggestion on Women�s DayThe auto rickshaws in Delhi have

a poor reputation in general and ithit new depths after it was discoveredthat the refusal of one of them to takepassengers resulted in the gang rapeand death of a young woman inDecember 2012. So, some of themdecided to try a PR exercise of sortson InternationalWomen�s Day.

Women commuters who steppedout of prominent Metro stations likePragati Maidan and Rajiv Chowk werepleasantly surprised to find uniformedauto drivers waiting at the stationsand offering them a free ride to theirdestinations.�It is our way of makinga difference and celebratingWomen�sDay,� an auto driver explained.

(BS, 11.03.13)

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500 low-floor buses soonWith increase in allocation of

funds for projects running under

Jawaharlal Nehru National UrbanRenewal Mission in the Union budget,the Jaipur City Transport ServicesLimited (JCTSL) has geared up tosubmit proposals for 500 new low-floor buses.Already 100 new buses have been

added to the JCTSL making the totalstrength of low-floor buses to 400.Theadditional 500 new buses will boostthe public transportation in Jaipur.At present, the JCTSL is in the

process of inducting 40 newAC buseswhich will be plying on the existingroutes. Rest are expected to arrive bythe March 2013. To ensure properupkeep of the buses, the company willuse the money for construction andupgrade depots at Bagrana, Sikar andMansarovar. (ToI, 04.03.13)

BRTS project shelvedFinding it non-viable due to space

constraints along the road, theRajasthan State Government hasfinally shelved M105 crore Bus RapidTransit Service (BRTS) projectproposed from Panipech to Sanganer.

The Jaipur Development Authority(JDA) took the decision to drop theproject.A JDA official stated that a fresh

proposal has been made to connectthe airport via B2 bypass by extendingthe route. The BRTS phase 2, a 13-km route was proposed fromGovernment Hostel to Amrit Nagar (NewSanganer road).The plan is to extendthe route by 7 km to connect withthe Sanganer Airport.

(www.infrawindow.com, 24.01.13)

Door-to-door garbage collectionThe JMC is gearing up to launch

the free door-to-door garbagecollection scheme in the city, afterChief Minister Ashok Gehlot�sannouncement to withdraw usercharges imposed on power bills forsanitation services by privatecompanies.After the failure ofA2Z Company,

which was given the responsibility fordoor-to-door garbage collection, theJMC is nowworking on anothermodelfor integrated waste managementsystem.

As per the new plan, garbagecollection and sanitation work wouldbe outsourced to nearly a dozencompanies. The newmodel will ensureproper sanitation conditions as thiskind of arrangement is runningsuccessfully in cities like Ahmedabad,Surat andVadodara. (ToI, 14.03.13)

Ramniwas parking to extendThe State Government is likely to

launch phase II of Ramniwas Baghparking by extending the area toaccommodate nearly 1,500more cars.If implemented the project is

pitched to become the country�slargest underground parking withspace for 2,500 cars. An underpassto facilitate the underground traffic isalso being considered.Current parking capacity of

Ramniwas Bagh is 950 cars. Once itopens, it will be mandatory for thevisitors to park their vehicles in theparking area to ensure free flow oftraffic on the city roads. (DB, 23.01.13)

Autorickshaws with GPSAround 12,000 autorickshaws in

Jaipur will be fitted with globalpositioning system (GPS) to enablepolice track them down in case ofemergencies or respond quickly ifpassengers, especially women, areharassed by auto drivers.After the implementation of the

project, the police would be able to

track down any auto running in thecity. In case of an emergency, like apassenger being harassed, the GPSwould enable them to respondquickly.The route on which an auto can

ferry passengers will be fixed and acontrol room will be set up to keepwatch on their movements. Autosplying on a particular route will bepainted in similar colours todifferentiate them from those runningon other routes. (IANS, 12.02.13)

Now, escalator at Rly StationThe Jaipur Railway Station finally

added an escalator to its list of facilitiesoffered to the passengers.The facilityof automatic escalator wasinaugurated by Jaipur MP MaheshJoshi in presence of several Railwayofficials.The escalator has been builtnear the parcel house.The escalator has been connected

with all the platforms. Passengers whofind it difficult towalk over thebridge to gotowards platforms2, 3 and 4 can nowmake use of thisfacility. It will alsoprove beneficial tothe physically-challenged peopleand patients.The Railway authoritieswill soon install two more escalatorsat the station. (DNA, 21.02.13)

Parking fee to be chargedRenewing parking system in Jaipur,

the traffic police have agreed toabandon no-parking zone timingsfrom 10am to 11am. Under the newprovision the parking fee will becharged from 10am and the parkingdedicated for two and four-wheelersin the market area too will becharged.Traffic police and market

associations reached a consensusover traffic arrangement in JohariBazaar,Chaura Rasta and Bapu Bazaar.It was decided that no-parking systemwill be abolished completely fromthese markets.With this the parking charges will

be levied from 10am till 8pm. Earlier,the parking charges were applicablefrom 11am to 9pm. (ToI, 19.02.13)

City MattersCity MattersCity MattersCity MattersCity Matters is a quarterly newsletter published by Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS), D-217, Bhaskar Marg, Bani Park, Jaipur 302016, India,Phone: 91.141.2282821, Fax: 91.141.2282485 Email: cuts@cuts.org, Web site: www.cuts-international.org, and printed by Jaipur Printers P. Ltd., Jaipur, India.

CUTS offices also at Kolkata, Chittorgarh and New Delhi (India); Lusaka (Zambia); Nairobi (Kenya); Hanoi (Vietnam); and Geneva (Switzerland).

Sources: BL: The Hindu Business Line; BS: Business Standard; DB: Dainik Bhaskar; DNA: Daily News and Analysis;ET: Economic Times; IE: Indian Express; PTI: Press Trust of India; TH; The Hindu; ToI: Times of India

InterviewInterviewInterviewInterviewInterview

Let�s be honest: there are some cities in the world that are bad.These are cities from which a multitude would flee if offeredhalf a chance to relocate. These are utterly charmless, aggressiveand inhospitable cities, cities with few parks and sidewalks, andwith scarcely any of the amenities that comprise the core ofurban civilisation.Is Jaipur anywhere close to this? One shouldn�t think so, it

still has some charm and lots of heritage left. In contrast, onequestion that comes to mind is can it realise its dream of beingworld class, truly cosmopolitan and global. In other words, whatmakes a city truly world-class?What makes up a city that people would opt to live in, to travel to, to long for?

What makes a city cosmopolitan and alluring? In pursuit of answers, we spoke toJustice Vinod Shankar Dave, an accomplished city-dweller and Chairman of acourt appointed committee on how to make Jaipur �A world class city�. He gavea personal reckoning as well as official one as to what a city of this calibre musthave and where does Jaipur stand?

What according to you is a world class city?The Supreme Court after going through a document, �Intervention in the

Walled� City observed that a world class city must have at least four essentialingredients: cleanliness, public utilities & facilities, regulated traffic and adequateparking. But here these words are borrowed and the planners don�t have avision.Most ideas are borrowed without their application and thrust on the city.In fact, those who advised the government in the past don�t have an idea of thetopography of the town. Interventions in the walled city would be necessary firstto make Jaipur a heritage world class city and this is not possible without theparticipation of traders and house owners.

What are problems in the way?The main problem is lack of global mindset. Let�s take the parking. A parking

for 800 people in Ram Niwas Garden has been constructed. It is a two-storeyedparking but has no elevators or ramps.What�s more, the exit and entry of theparking were intersecting. There is basically no sense of direction, and with 90,000vehicles in Jaipur, we need more parking areas. Restoring the walled city is anissue.30 Shani temples have come up on themain roads. All the flyovers constructedare in a mess with traffic islands at the end of each.

What is your vision?Let us first convert the walled city or the main shahar into a liveable place. The

city was planned when the population of Jaipur was 50,000 to 80,000, 280 yearsago. Now the population in the walled city is more than 5 lakhs with one and ahalf lakh floating population. Decentralise the walled city and relocate people. Sofor me, people�s participation really works in this direction. I want to createfacilitation centres for the tourists. I feel that all the roads must have link roads,there are eight roads, which lead to nowhere, and haphazard colonies have beencarved out. Fast moving public transport is a must with laned roads. Overall, livingin the walled city is miserable. So, what must we do?

*An interview with Justice VS Dave, (Retd.) Senior Advocate Supreme Court;former Judge of Rajasthan High Court; and former Chairman, Rajasthan Law Commission

Can Jaipur be A World Class City?Can Jaipur be A World Class City?Can Jaipur be A World Class City?Can Jaipur be A World Class City?Can Jaipur be A World Class City?*****

Justice VS Dave

www.google.com