3/2013

I N S I D E

! Let all red VIP beacons begreen

! Soda linked to aggression inkids

! LPG Portability in Action

! Metro Updates

! Jaipur Metro to ReplicateModel of Metro Cities

Opinion polls taking place in view of the ensuing elections in Rajasthanand India have thrown up two issues vigorously: inflation and

corruption. While inflation is stubborn, hovering around 10 percent,many food items are touching new heights. Onion prices have gone upby more than 300 percent recently. Traders are colluding by takingadvantage of poor vision of government functionaries and slackenforcement of laws which need to be used to curb hoarding and blackmarketing. Poor enforcement also happens due to corruption at the lower levels astraders grease their palms and get away with their malpractices. Consequently, farmersdo not benefit and consumer end up paying through their noses.

In so far as corruption at high places is concerned, less said the better. Whilecorruption is as old a phenomenon as prostitution, ever since our civilisation began,the tales of scams beats the moral standards of simple prostitutes. A survey says thatcorruption costs the country three per cent of our GDP (i.e. total wealth of the nation).In my opinion, it is much more if one calculates the impact of corruption. Inflation iscertainly one outcome of malgovernance, i.e. corruption.

The �India against Corruption� movement of two years ago did raise the ante oncorruption but its impact has fizzled out with Anna Hazare taking a back seat. ArvindKejriwal has entered politics and there is nothing wrong with that.

Another outcome of corruption is the policy paralysis which has seized governanceand thus projects do not move forward in the manner they should. If new projects donot move forward, our growth rates suffer and we cannot create more wealth or jobsto employ a large number of youth entering the job market. Unemployment of youth isalso an important factor in increasing violence against women. India has now becomeone of the most unsafe countries for women. The Nirbhaya episode did lead to a nationaloutcry and the laws were strengthened, but the crime rate has not come downperceptibly.

That said, in the last edition of this newsletter I had written on this page about thepolicy paralysis with the title: �We are watching our backs, instead of files� narratinghow bureaucrats are not taking decisions and thus everything gets delayed. One cannotblame many of them because of several enquiries against them for the Coalgate,Spectrumgate etc. coming up out of the woodwork for wrongs done when they were inservice or even if they are still in duty.

It does not matter whether they were also partaking in the gravy train or not, orwere just obliging their political masters. Many say that taking no decisions is the bestway forward in their careers. Many do not succumb to this inaction and thus theadministrative machinery trundles along.

We need better accountability of our civil servants and politicians, and voting is nopanacea. More often than not, the choice is between a snake and a scorpion. Orcasting our vote in the form of �None of The Above�, as per the Supreme Court�sdecision, too is no solution.

Choosing betweena Snake and a Scorpion

www.google.com

Pradeep S Mehta, Secretary General

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60 billion planets hold lifeScientists have discovered that there

are 60 billion potentially habitableplanets in the Milky Way alone. Theseplanets in the habitable zone of a parentstar may have the ability to sustain liquidwater on their surface.

A new study that calculates theinfluence of cloud behaviour on climatedoubles the number of potentiallyhabitable planets orbiting red dwarfs, themost common type of stars in theuniverse.

Researchers at the University ofChicago and Northwestern Universitybased their study on rigorous computersimulations of cloud behaviour on alienplanets.

This cloud behaviour dramaticallyexpanded the estimated habitable zoneof red dwarfs, which are much smallerand fainter than stars like the Sun.

Current data from NASA�s KeplerMission suggest there is approximatelyone Earth-size planet in the habitablezone of each red dwarf.

The study roughly doubles thatestimate. It also suggests new ways forastronomers to test whether planetsorbiting red dwarfs have cloud cover.

(BL, 02.07.13)

Why Friday the 13th is considered scaryThe number 13 has been notorious

for a long time, and when it combineswith Friday, it is considered worse. InChristian tradition there were 13 guestsat The Last Supper, the 13th being Judas

and tradition also hasit that Jesus wascrucified on a Friday.Therefore, Friday and13 together have thedouble whammy ofsuperstitions.

It was alsoreported that another reason behind thisbelief is that Friday used to be calledhanging day as it was customary toexecute criminals on this day. There were13 steps up to the scaffold, 13 turns in ahangman�s noose and 13 pence and ahalfpenny paid to the hangman.

According to Flight comparisonwebsite Jetcost.co.uk, flight inquiries forthis particular day dropped by up to 27percent as people are frightened totravel in aeroplanes on Friday the 13th.

Meanwhile, insurance companyNorwich Union revealed that they

received more accident claims for Fridaythe 13th than on any other day. It hasalso been revealed that more murdersare committed on Friday the 13th.

(BL, 12.09.13)

The red beacon of official identityIt is one of the mysteries of babudom

whether there ever were importantpersons (IPs) before we had veryimportant persons (VIPs). Perhaps thethinking was that since all other citizens,the aam aadmis, were already IPs in thisgreat democracy, the next step couldonly be VIPs.

These would, in ordinary street life,be differentiated from the IPs by the redbeacons atop their cars. With a redbeacon, for instance, you need not utterthe �don�t you know who I am?� question,ever, against an errant member of the IPin public. The beacon says that.

Then came VVIPs. This is a differentset. They get pilot vehicles with morebeacons. This lot never needs to ask theidentity question as all the IPs arerestrained on roads when they breezepast. Now, a fight seems to be on amongthe VIPs. Some ministries want the redbeacon list to be pruned. (ET, 26.07.13)

Man dies after seeing electricity billA Sri Lankan man suffered a fatal

heart attack after being presented witha shocking electricity bill. The 61-year-old victim had protested at the Ceylon

Electricity Board inColombo that hisbill had suddenlyspiked.

It said the manwas told that thebill was due to ahefty tariff increase and suffered a heartattack on the news, collapsing at theelectricity board headquarters. Thevictim�s bill amount was in line with thenew 50 percent tariff increase.

The man identified as S P Samaradasacollapsed on a chair. The cause of deathwas identified as a heart attack.

Sri Lanka is one of the most expensivecountries in Asia for electricity with akilowatt hour costing up to US$0.37.

(IE, 29.06.13)

London bans public spittingIf a proposal by British ministers and

parliamentarians goes through, spittingon sidewalks or anywhere in publiccould land a person on the wrong sideof the law. A councilbylaw in the workscould lead to a ban onpublic spitting, acommon practiceamong South Asiancommunities.

The London Borough of Enfield hasapplied to Secretary of State for LocalGovernment Eric Pickles for provisionalapproval to the new law prohibitingspitting on the streets. The bylaw wassupported by Labour and Conservativegroups on the council.

The bylaw makes it an offence to spiton the streets �without reasonableexcuse�. However, it would not coverspitting into a handkerchief or a tissue.

(ToI, 20.07.13)

Let all red VIP beacons be greenIn Trinamool Congress�s West Bengal,

there is no place for red. Following aSupreme Court directive to limit the useof red beacons on cars, the stategovernment has set in motion a processto change beacons into green.

Madan Mitra, Minister for Sports andTransport said, �Earlier, we removed redflags and now it is the turn of red beacons.Except the one on the car of the Governor, all other red beacons on the cars ofVIPs, who are entitled to have such cars, will be turned green�.

The government has already painted the walls of several buildings andgovernment offices with green and even asked owners of private buildings tofollow suit. (IE, 17.08.13)

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S. Korea to tax lip jobs and priestsThe South Korean government plans

to exploit the country�s obsession withplastic surgery by extending taxes topopular procedures like lip jobs to helpfund spiralling social welfare costs.

The proposed new tax codes slap a10-percent value added tax (VAT)onprocedures like lip augmentation,double-jaw surgery and body hairremoval beginning 2014.

Until now, VAT has only been leviedon the so-called �big five� treatments �nose jobs, liposuction, facelifts, breastjobs and double-eyelid surgery.

The new code will also impactpreviously untaxed religious leaders likemonks and priests who will face a 4.0percent levy on religious honorariumsbeginning 2015 after a year-long graceperiod. (BL, 08.08.13)

Donate a patch of lifeMumbai alone gets nearly 1,000

severe burn cases annually. In most ofthe cases, there is high mortality andmorbidity due to infection anddehydration. These patients also sufferfrom severe pain. Human skin is alifesaver for these severely ill patients.

Skin harvesting is a simple procedure.Within six hours of death, relatives ofthe deceased can call the helpline and adoctor and a technician will arrive within45 minutes. It takes 45 minutes to takethe skin with a special instrument calleddermatiome. It is harvested from the legs,thighs and back.

Only an eighth of the thickness ofthe skin is removed and there is nobleeding. After that, the body is bandagedand no disfigurement is noticeable.

The skin is preserved in glycerolsolution and transported to the skinbank. All that the relatives need to do ishave the death certificate of the deceasedand sign a consent form. Anyone over18 can donate. No donor-recipient,blood or colour matching is required.

(ToI, 05.08.13)

One-stop centres in ChennaiThe Chennai Corporation is looking

at setting up urban common servicecentres that will provide a one-stopsolution to civic needs of residents.

The centres, to be set up across thecity, will be run by private agenciesidentified by the Corporation and

facilitate easy access to services of allgovernment departments.

The Chennai Corporationcommenced talks with Central and stategovernment agencies to commissionsuch centres under the public-private-partnership mode in 2013. TheCorporation is expected to be the nodalagency for the centre.

Residents of the 200 wards in thecity will be able to avail themselves ofservices in railways, telecom, passport,Corporation, Metrowater, electricity andtransport, at the centres. (TH, 12.08.13)

Replicas of wonders of worldAfter being labelled as the coaching

hub of the country, Kota is poised tobecome a major tourist attraction in thestate. Built at an estimated cost of M20crore, the project is likely to be a first inthe country and is expected to drawtourists, including students from othercities, in large numbers.

The project is the brainchild of urbandevelopment and housing minister ShantiDhariwal who has been regularly

following its development. The idea wasexecuted and funded by UIT, Kota

Besides Taj Mahal, other replicas beingsculpted are Great Pyramid of Giza,Christ the Redeemer, Leaning Tower ofPisa, Statue of Liberty and Colosseum.The replicas though are smaller in size.

(ToI, 10.09.13)

Soda linked toaggression in kids

Heavy soft drink consumption isassociated with aggression, attentionproblems and withdrawal behaviour inyoung children, a new study has found.The study by researchers at ColumbiaUniversity�s Mailman School of PublicHealth, University of Vermont, andHarvard School of Public Healthassessed approximately 3,000 5-year-old children.

The researchers found that 43percent of the children consumed atleast 1 serving of soft drinks per day,and 4 percent consumed 4 or more.Aggression, withdrawal, and attentionproblems were associated with sodaconsumption.

Children who drank 4 or more softdrinks per day were more than twiceas likely to destroy things belonging toothers, get into fights, and physicallyattack people.

They also had increased attentionproblems and withdrawal behaviourcompared with those who did notconsume soft drinks. (BL, 16.08.13)

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60 New AC BusesThe Jaipur City Transport Services

Limited (JCTSL) introduced 60 newlow-floor AC buses to its existing fleetof buses. The JCTSL has given thecontrol of these buses in the privatehands for first time.

Some of the new buses will beplying on Hirapura-Jawahar Nagarroute. This bus service will coverChitrakoot Nagar, Vaishali Nagar,Khatipura, Hasanpura, Railway Station,Khasa Kothi, MI Road, Ajmeri Gate,Sanganeri Gate, Ghatgate, Govind Marg,Burfkhana and Mama Ka Hotel.

From 6.14 am till 9.10 pm, a totalof 14 buses (one after every 14minutes) will be plying.

The number of buses will beincreased to 16 on the route of DadiKa Phatak to Agarwal Farm. Besides, now11 buses each will be plying from JoshiMarg to Mahatma Gandhi Hospital andSanganer to Kukas. (DNA, 08.09.13)

LPG Portability in ActionOn the lines of mobile number

portability, the LPG distributor(dealer) portability is also coming soon.

This schemewould beextended to atleast 25 cities,i n c l u d i n gJaipur. Underthis scheme, ifa consumer is

not satisfied with the services of hispresent LPG distributor, he can dump

him and choose another distributorand/or the company.

This will put a check on theexisting unfair practices of distributorsas well as delay in the distribution ofcylinders. The Ministry of Petroleumlaunched this scheme in Chandigarhin January 2013 in which LPGconsumers were allowed to changedealers, but not the oil company.

This means that if a consumer isavailing services from Indane gas fromIndian Oil Corporation, he can onlychoose from Indane gas dealers in thelocality. (DB, 29.08.13)

�Smart Card� on the AnvilThe State Transport Department

is now planning to issue new smartplastic card licences soon in the statewhich will be more user-friendly. Likethe ATM cards, these plastic cardlicences will first be issued in Jaipur fromOctober 2013 and be made availablein other parts of the state as well.

The new licence will have a micro-chip fitted in it which will have all theinformation about the holder of thelicence. When scanned, it will showall information pertaining to the holderof the licence.

The card will also have a hologramand State Transport Department�s logo.These will be more durable and securethan the licences issued presentlybecause of various features and be asolution for the old licences which getdamaged over a span of few years.

(DB, 13.07.13)

Jaipur Autos, Taxis to get GPSAuto rickshaws and taxis in Jaipur

will now have Global PositioningSystem (GPS) trackers installed. Ablueprint has been prepared forinstallation of GPS in all autos.

The new system will be introducedin Jaipur and later will be extendedto other cities, such as Jodhpur andKota.

The Traffic Control Boardcomprising officials from police,Transport Department and JaipurDevelopment Authority (JDA) hasgiven its nod for implementation ofGPS.

The Pink City has over 12,000autos for which there will one controlroom. Many states including thenational capital Delhi haveimplemented GPS in autos and othershave also initiated the process.

(NN, 20.07.13)

Free CLFs for ConsumersRajasthan Chief Minister Ashok

Gehlot will distribute free compactfluorescent light (CFL) bulbs to alldomestic power consumers in ruralareas and below poverty line consumersin cities in Rajasthan. They will get twofree CFL bulbs each as a part of the

The civic maturity of any city is manifested most visiblyin its residents� quality of life and their access to

basic urban amenities. The Union Urban DevelopmentMinistry ranks Jaipur 230th on a list of 423 Class-I citiesin terms of sanitation conditions. While the challengesfaced by the JMC are monumental, the existing state ofcivic amenities in the city raises concerns about whetherthe JMC is prepared to meet these challenges.

CUTS recently undertook an initiative �My City�, inpartnership with The Asia Foundation, and came up withsome interesting numbers on the Pink City�s urban life.The study found, among others, that 52 percent residents

of Jaipur were forced to dump their garbage in the openwhile 34 percent faced insufficient water supply.

Only one percent people were satisfied with thecondition of roads in their areas while a staggering 29percent of the surveyed population continued to live inareas with no road connectivity.

36 percent complained of poor or no road lights,while only 21 percent had a park in their neighbourhood.About three-fourth of the people surveyed admitted tofacing constant problems with stray animals while overhalf of them grappled with vehicle parking problemsevery day. (TH, 24.08.13)

GreyAreas inPink City

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Metro Updates

Metro to ease Poor Public TransportThe Jaipur Metro project has come at the

right time to ease the poor public transport inJaipur. Relating the project to boom in population,private vehicles, industrialisation andemployment in the recent times, the AsianDevelopment Bank complied several reports tofind that the existing public transport system isinadequate in terms of quality, quantity andcoverage, which could not cope with theincreasing pressure. The project will benefit allsections of the society, especially the weaker ones asthey will use the metro at a low cost. (ToI, 25.09.13)

Gehlot Flags off Metro�s Trial RunA new era in public transport began in Jaipur when

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot flagged off the trial run ofthe Jaipur Metro at the newly constructed Mansarovarstation. The trial run took place on a 2.4 km trackbetween Mansarovar and Shyam Nagar via New AtishMarket and Vivek Vihar stations. The Metro will startrunning between Mansarovar on the outskirts of Jaipur,and Chandpole in the walled City, in the first phase,late in 2013 or early 2014. Prime Minister ManmohanSingh laid the foundation stone for undergroundconstruction of the Metro proposed near the Chandpolestation to be built by Continental EngineeringCorporation at a cost of M507 crore over the nextthree years. (PTI, 20.09.13 & TH, 18.09.13)

World-class Features to Add to Metro�s charmThe Jaipur Metro would have some power-packed,

world-class features to make people�s journey a pleasure.The trains would be equipped with better features to

provide more comfort to the elderly and women andhave comfortable seats for senior citizens and women.The fully air-conditioned compartments would be highon security as well. The trains would be equipped withfour CCTV cameras. An automatic feature calledPassenger Information System would update thepassengers about the nearby stations both verbally andvisibly. During any emergency, the passengers wouldbe able to use the �passenger emergency alarm handle�to talk directly to the train operator. (DB, 07.07.13)

Metro gets Technical ClearanceThe much-awaited Jaipur Metro Rail Project has

got the green signal from the Railway Ministry ontechnical clearance for its operations in signal, telecomand electricity expansion system. For every technicalpoint, the Railway Ministry�s approval is a must. TheResearch Design and Standard Organisation undertookresearch and assessment of the ongoing metro project,and gave its technical approval. The metro would beable to function later in 2013. The Phase-I of JMRCwould cover 12.6 km from Mansarovar to Badi Chauparin the city. (www. zeenews.india.com, 22.07.13)

State Government�s endeavour to saveelectricity and reduce transmissionand distribution losses.

The State would save 150 MWpower with the supply of lamps. Thescheme would benefit 47.78 lakhconsumers in villages and over 6 lakhBPL consumers in towns.

The State Government has askedall the five public sector powerdiscoms to get CFL bulbs of 20 wattseach for distribution under thescheme. (RP, 05.09.13)

BRTS Extension gets JDA NodThe JDA gave a green signal to

extend the Bus Rapid Transit Service(BRTS) route to Sanganer airport viaB2 bypass. Considering the airport tobe an important point, the JDA hasdecided to provide an alternative

route to it and the proposedconstruction of the BRTS (phase-IV)corridor.

The proposal will be sent to theCentre and it is estimated that the costof the project will be M174 crore. Anelevated road with an estimated costof M90 crore has been proposedabove B2 bypass. From the Tonk Roadend, it will be constructed till the endof New Sanganer Road. Similarly, fromNew Sanganer Road, the elevated roadwill be constructed till AmanishahNullah and will be 1,200 metre long.

(ToI, 02.08.13)

Foundation for New AirportManmohan Singh, Prime Minister

of India laid the foundation stone foran airport in Kishangarh in Jaipur,about 100 km from Jaipur and 35 kmfrom Ajmer.

It will cater todemands of pilgrimswho visit AjmerDargah and Pushkar.The new airport,estimated to costM160 crore, is likelyto start operation in2016.

He alsodedicated to the nation a solar powerplant constructed under Jawahar LalNehru Solar Mission in Jaipur.

(PTI, 20.09.13)

CityMattersCityMattersCityMattersCityMattersCityMatters 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); Accra (Ghana); Hanoi (Vietnam); and Geneva (Switzerland).

Sources: BL: The Hindu Business Line; DB: Dainik Bhaskar; DNA: Daily News and Analysis; ET: Economic TimesIE: Indian Express; NN: Nafa Nuksan; PTI: Press Trust of India; RP: Rajasthan Patrika; TH: The Hindu; ToI: Times of India

OpinionOpinionOpinionOpinionOpinion

Jaipur Metro to Replicate Model of Metro Cities

It is very unfortunate that the Central Government is not providing either financial or technical support to theJaipur Metro project. The Planning Commission, Government of India, should approve the long pending proposal

of the State Government of Rajasthan by providing viability gap funding (VGF) for the development of JaipurMetro as had been done for other cities, such as Cochin, Hyderabad etc. so that Jaipur Metro project, which issuffering from severe financial constraints and feasibility is attended to.

Jaipur Metro Rail Corporation (JMRC) is just a funding/coordination agency on behalf of the State Governmentof Rajasthan, while the actual work is being carried out by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). Therefore,JMRC would always be guided by the relevant expertise and experience of DMRC.

Jaipur is at least 10 years late in terms of development in comparison to all those cities and urban areas wherethe metro is up and running. Why is Jaipur Metro project running so much behind the schedule? It seems that theJaipur Metro project is not meticulously planned/conceived and developed.

The State Government of Rajasthan should have opted for Central Industrial Security Force, which has therequired expertise in providing safety and security to high value strategic installations of national importancerather than opting for Jaipur/Rajasthan police, which have no such expertise.

Jaipur Metro should be handed and taken over by the Central Government of India for its planned developmentin phases from the State Government of Rajasthan, which has no prior experience in this sector. Kolkata Metro

was given the status of the 17th zone of Indian Railways on December 29, 2010. The making of Kolkata Metro asan independent zone notified by the Railway Board made it an open line like other zones and raised the status ofthe Metro workers on part with those of the zonal railways. Jaipur Metro should also emulate the same.

Jaipur Metro should have 100 percent equity distributed among the Ministry of Railways, Government ofIndia; Railways Board, Indian Railways, Rail India Technical and Economic Service, Research Design & StandardsOrganisation, Lucknow; Planning Commission, Government of India; DMRC so that it can sustain itself forfuturistic development both from the technical feasibility angle as well as the financial viability criterion.

There is a need to build awareness on the concept of existence, availability, option and usage of Mass RapidTransit System so as to ensure ridership and footfalls in Metro lines and routes and also to harmonise it with

the Jaipur City Transport Services Limited local low floor and not so low floor (A/c & non A/c) bus services tocover Jaipur city and its suburbs in an integrated, and systematic manner. This would make Jaipur Metro asustainable and environment friendlier proposition leading to reduction in pollution and emission ofchlorofluorocarbons in city�s atmosphere.

� Manish Agarwal, a concerned Jaipurite

Delhi Metro Bangalore Metro Kolkata Metro Station