The imbroglio at Maradu, Kochi.

Introduction

 1. On 06 Sep, the Supreme Court warned the Kerala Government for non-compliance of its order
     to demolish around 500 flats in four posh apartment complexes viz. Alfa Serene, Golden
     Kayaloram, H2O Holy Faith and Jain Coral Cove in Maradu area of Kochi which were built in
     violation of the coastal regulation zone(CRZ) rules. It directed the state to demolish the        
     buildings by 20 Sep '19 and asked the Chief Secretary to personally appear before it on 23 Sep
     if its order is not complied with. 

 2. Without mincing words a bench of Justices Arun Mishra and MR Shah said the state was
     bound to implement its order and any violation would not be tolerated.

Background

 3. In Aug '06, Maradu municipality in Kochi had issued permission to builders to construct multi-
     storeyed buildings in an area notified as CRZ-III. The vigilance department found several
     irregularities in the grant of permission for construction in CRZ-III, which is termed as the most
     critical sector for coastal environment protection. The municipality issued show cause notices to
     the builders, one of whom challenged it in the Kerala High Court.

The Legal Battles Commence

 4. In 2012, a single-judge bench quashed the municipality's notices to the builders on the ground that
     the state government had no powers to issue directions to local bodies to act in a certain manner. A
     division bench of the High Court upheld this decision in 2015. The matter was pending in the
     Supreme Court since Dec '18 on an appeal filed by the Kerala State Coastal Zone Management
     Authority(KSCZMA).

 5. On 27 Nov '18, the top court directed the setting up of an expert committee to report whether the
     area where the apartments had been constructed fell within CRZ-II or CRZ-III. The committee
     report said that as per the 1991 CRZ notification and Kerala Coastal Zone Management Plan '96,
     the area in question came under CRZ-III. The apex court, thereafter, ordered demolition of those
     buildings.

 6. Taking note of the devastation in Kerala due to heavy rains and unbridled, unauthorised
     construction activities in coastal areas, the apex court on 08 May '19 had directed demolition of
     the buildings within a month. But the aggrieved parties had got a stay order from another bench
     during summer vacation.

The Court Views It Seriously

 7. The apex court had come down on them for getting the stay by playing a "fraud on the court". It
     vacated the stay and also dismissed the petition seeking review of its order!

Definitions

 8. (a) CRZ-I      Pertains to places that are ecologically sensitive areas between 0-100 metres.
     (b) CRZ-II    Covers areas that have already been developed up to or close to the shoreline.
                           Eg. In Goa, the coastal areas in Marmagao municipality and the corporation of the
                           city of Panaji fall under this head.
     (c) CRZ-III   The areas beyond, between 100 and 500 metres fall under CRZ-III areas that are
                           relatively undisturbed and those which do not belong to CRZ-II or CRZ-III.

My Queries/Take

 9. (a) Who is at fault? The municipality or the builders?
     (b) Why didn't the owners take possession of the flats without ascertaining the legality of the
           building complexes especially when the neighbouring Hotel Crowne Plaza had met with
           similar questions before it was cleared?

10. I'm sure the court must have also ascertained the standing of each of the flat owners. Probably,
      most of them must be having alternate places to stay.

11. The flip side would be the possibility of quite a few of those flat owners who must have spent
      every bit of their hard earned money in acquiring a dream flat, on the waterfront for themselves,
      at the best address in town! They would be the worst hit.

12. But from the media bytes on the agitating flat owners, I did not see the presence of all the 500              flat owners which means that many of them are aware that they are fighting a losing battle.


Tailpiece.

Today was 'Uthradam', the first Onam. It was raining the whole of last night and continued to do so in the morning too. Lekha made her way to the temple for a fleeting tryst with the Lord, bought sundries from the department store and returned through the rain. 
     

Why are we scared of the new Motor Vehicle Act?

Background

1. I've no hesitation to say that we, Indians are bad motorists. Once we are driving a vehicle, we lose
    all sense of propriety, disregard fellow motorists astride on vehicles lighter than ours - we expect
    them to give way, have no respect either for pedestrians or vehicles driven by differently abled
    people and the list goes on. Let me list out a few of those irritable instances that I've come across
    while driving:-

        (a) Continuous blowing of the horn till he overtakes.
        (b) Slowing immediately, near you, after overtaking.
        (c) If running in two adjacent lanes, pushing you into a bad stretch of the road that you're
             trying to avoid.
        (d) Tail gating.
        (e) Do not permit you to overtake.
        (f) Squeezing into a queue from behind.
        (g)The show of impatience at the toll gates.
        (h) The lack of discipline among the two wheeler motorists.

 2. It's clear that an overall sense of discipline needs to be enforced among the motorists so that
     everyone drives with a free mind and ensures that he/she does not give any problem, whatsoever,
     to fellow motorists. This will reduce the number of accidents that often results in senseless
     deaths.

 3. The new Motor Vehicle Act, effective from 01 Sep '19, is a step in the right direction.

Salient Aspects of the new Motor Vehicle Act

 4. The most important feature of the new Motor Vehicle Act is that the fines for errors are pretty
     steep. The underlying thought behind the decision is that motorists would maintain decent speeds
     and be more considerate towards fellow motorists. Let us visit some of the new rates of fines
     that will be charged in case of traffic violations:-

        (a) Jumping traffic light                Rs.5,000/-
        (b) Using a mobile phone                   "
        (c) Overtaking wrongly                      "
        (d) Driving against the traffic             "
              (In addition you could even land up in jail).
        (e) Not wearing seat belt               Rs.1,000/-
        (f) Speeding                                   Rs.1,000/- to Rs.5,000/-
        (g) Driving without licence           Rs.5,000/-
        (h) Drunken driving                       Rs.10,000/-
        (j)  Not wearing seat belt               Rs.1,000/-
        (k) Helmetless riding                     Rs.1,000/- , licence disqualification for 3 months.

 5. The fear of having to shell out a lot of money will keep the motorists disciplined to obey proper
     traffic rules thereby bringing down the number of accidents drastically!

 6. The traffic police entrusted with the job and the MVD inspectors must possess POS machines to
     help the motorists to pay through credit/debit cards as high denominations of cash might not be
     on person.

The Implementation

 7. Though the Motor Vehicle Act has been enacted by the union government after its ratification
     in parliament, it has been left to the individual states to enforce the law with modifications if
     required and the manner in which the fines are collected.

 8. West Bengal was the first state to announce that it will not follow the new MV Act. Madhya
     Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamilnadu and Telangana have said that they would implement
     it only after educating the public.


 9. Kerala was one of the states that had implemented it straightaway. But with byelections around
     the corner and because most of the roads are in bad condition, the CPM has called for a rethink!



Tailpiece.

Politics being played on such an important piece of legislation. Sad! We need to bring about a drastic change in our attitudes towards driving and let us endeavour to bring down the number of accidents considerably as it's scared that it will lose votes! The state secretary of the party says that the new Act will breed massive corruption among the professionals who will enforce the law, much to their ire. Can't help but laugh!







   

Such things can happen.

I shall narrate a story, without getting into the specifics, as it revolves around a relation within the family.

An uncle of mine and his sister - younger to him - were the only siblings for their parents and they were part of a well-to-do family of their village. Both the children were provided good education by the parents and at the right moment, they were married off to two families that had their own standing. The daughter and her husband were in Singapore and mind you, this was in the early '60s when the going was good and they enjoyed a life of luxury.

Let me call the daughter, Lekshmi. She and her husband sired three children, two daughters and a son - the son being the youngest. They bought up a lot of prime property in their village and soon became wealthy enough, to be known far and wide within that environment. Their prime possessions were acres of rubber plantation, a typewriting institute having over twenty machines providing typing courses to the youth - very popular among job seeking youngsters, then - and a cinema hall. In fact, I and my cousins used to look forward to going there, see the movies and strut around with a proprietorial(?) air at that cinema theatre! (What used to amuse me, though, was that there used to be an interval after every reel as there was only one projection system!!).

Apart from the landed property that she and her husband had acquired with their wealth, she had also got a sizeable share of the family property thanks to the matriarchal system that we Nairs followed.

Her husband passed away in '91, sad that his son had not settled in life.

Lekshmi's daughters have done well and are well settled. Their children are also doing well. The son has been quite a rebel all through his life and gave his mother tough times, demanding money every now and then which she used to oblige as she was very fond of him. He never concentrated on his studies, did not pass through High school even, as he'd got into bad company, picked up bad habits and in the process, hit the bottle hard. This girl, then, came into his life through an arranged marriage and everyone thought that it would steady up his life but it was not gonna be so. The share of his parents' wealth, that he was handed over, was frittered away thanks to his wayward ways!

The girl, Mini, was tough, went through adversities coupled with her husband's drinking binges and went about life without blaming anyone for her plight. I had interacted with her only a couple of times but had felt the steel resolve of her persona. To accentuate that aspect I must tell you that she, even, stood for the Panchayat elections and lost to her adversary by a narrow margin!

She was suffering from fever towards the end of last week, which she treated herself by popping Crocin tablets, without medical advice. Early, this week when her condition didn't improve, she was rushed to the hospital but it was too little, too late and she passed into the mist of time at the young age of 46 yrs and has left behind her husband and a son.

Adieu Mini! My tears and prayers!! May your near and dear ones have the strength to tide over their tremendous loss!!!


Tailpiece.

The Chandrayan-2 orbiter has located the lander on the Moon's surface. Hope to hear more positive news, on this aspect, in the days to come.   

When time stood still......

Had got up at a half past 1, thanks to the alarm and the both of us sat glued to our television set to witness history being made, in the touchdown of the lunar lander 'Vikram' on the Moon's south pole, as part of the Chandrayan-2 programme. Time was ticking and the lander was descending with all the parameters ticking well.

But 2.1 kms short of the landing site, the lander had lost touch with the mission control much to everyone's mounting anxiety. Time seemed to stand still with us hoping like mad that the communication would be restored without delay so that we'd be privy to the shots of the lunar surface and the immediate surroundings of Moon's south pole.......

......Our hopes suffered a setback when it was announced that the communication had snapped and the state of the lander and the rover were not known. As we returned to bed, there was still a hope that we'd hear the good news - on waking up - that the communication had been restored and the Chandrayan-2 programme was proceeding as planned.

The message that I'd sent to my close friends in the morning, on What'sApp, highlighted my state of mind, "Felt sad after watching Chandrayan-2 broadcast. Would like to believe that the lander has landed and the rover has been released".

     *                        *                          *

I would like to, now, quote Rajiv Tyagi's post from FB, at this juncture, to highlight the unique technological achievements of the ISRO by launching Chandrayan-2.

The Chandrayan-2 has been a spectacular success for many reasons......

  (a) We have used a low power GSLV rocket, good enough to park a satellite in geosynchronous
        orbit, but entirely out of the league of the US Saturn-V rocket engine, to catapult a space
        into Moon orbit using the Earth's gravitation as the motive force. This is the triumph of
        Mathematics over the brute force of a Saturn-V rocket. This is what scientific elegance is all
        about.
  (b) We have been able to develop the telemetry required to monitor and control 3-axis motion very
        precisely in outer space, where telemetry signals, despite travelling at the speed of light, take
        several seconds to traverse the distances involved........
  (c) We have mastered injection of space vehicles into orbits of space objects other than our own
        planet. This requires precise Mathematics and velocity control at great distances, to not spin
        away from the orbit or not crash into other space objects.
  (d) With Chandrayan-2, we have mastered command module and lander module separation and
        autonomous operation of the lander module, thereafter.
  (e) We have failed in landing the lander module due to what appears to be communications failure.
        There is enough telemetry data to hopefully give us an insight into the reason for this failure
        and set it right for our next shot at the Moon.

No, Chandrayan-2 is not a failure by a long shot. It is in fact, a spectacular success for Indian Science
and for the acquisition of a technology that is not available for love or money.

There is need for ISRO to disseminate more information on its programmes in an open source manner. Like NASA believes, the knowledge gleaned by ISRO should be the property of every Indian.

      *                           *                             *

And meanwhile, I'm continuing to hope........

The orbiter is going around the Moon along a polar orbit, as programmed. It has high definition photographic facilities, thermal imaging and other attributes which should be able to locate the lander and the rover......and once having pin pointed them, re-establish communications with Mission Control, perhaps? 


Tailpiece.

The presence of the Prime Minister at the ISTRAC at Bangalore, along with the children from across the country and Bhutan, must have been a great motivator for the scientists. His motivational talk  and him consoling the weeping Chairman, ISRO showed a passionate professional being put at ease by a compassionate and matured leader! That image shall remain frozen in time!!
 

Poised for a historic moment.

The Arrival of Chandrayan-2 on the Moon.

    Between 0130 and 0230 hrs, the lunar lander(Vikram) from the Chandrayan spacecraft would
    land at the south pole of the Moon. It will be a first for a nation to have accomplished this feat.
    Many thoughts come to my mind at this stage which I would like to share at this moment and
    they are:-

       (a) During my childhood, I used to hear that there used to be a communication blackout when a
             spacecraft went 'behind' or to the 'other side of the Moon', due to limitations of the
             prevalent technology then.

       (b) The Moon rotates on its own axis but at exactly the right speed to keep the same face
             turned towards the Earth at all times. The Moon orbits the Earth once every 27.322 days. It
             also takes approximately 27 days for the Moon to rotate on its own axis. The synchronisation
             is due to "tidal locking".
     
       (c) Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin were the first and the second US astronauts, respectively,
             to land on the Moon on 21 Jul 1969. Subsequently, many more astronauts have stepped and
             walked on the Moon.
   
       (d) And we are, now, getting elated by the landing of our probe through the ISRO's space mission
            Chandrayan-2. Almost 50 years after the successful landing of mankind on the Moon! Why
            are we so late? Is it because our technology is not up to the mark? The fact that we'd suffered
            delays in the making of the cryogenic rockets - very essential for space missions requiring
            long endurance - because the Yanks had clamped down restrictions on India from importing
            such technology under the MTCR(Missile Technology Control Regime) is a known fact.
   
       (e) Our scientists had overcome this setback by developing our own indigenous cryogenic
             engines and hence the late start! Therefore, the elation of 125 crore Indians at this spectacular
             moment is palpable and justified!!

       (f) Am reminded of Pink Floyd's number of '73, "The dark side of the Moon" at this juncture!

The ISRO has given the following milestones for the early morning narrative of the Moon landing
as per their news bulletin of 2200 hrs:-

        All times 07 Sep '19.

       * 0153     Vikram touches down at the south pole of the Moon.
       * 0353     The ramp of Vikram opens up for the rover "Pragyan" to roll out.
       * 0423     Pragyan motor switched on.
       * 0519     Pragyan Moon Rover rolls down Vikram.
       * 0554     Pragyan starts beaming pictures of the moon.  


Tailpiece.

Have set the alarm for 0130 hrs, so that I can watch that historic moment. I'm sure all of you would join me. Wouldn't you?

PS.
The right rear tyre of the Chevy had a puncture, thanks to a small bolt that was embedded in it. Thankful to the car for not letting our long journey - just completed - to be hampered! The tyre was replaced with the stand by, immediately after.
               

Two stories.

Here are two stories that are divergent in content but when read, makes one realise that many aspects touched upon are quite relevant to us. Without much ado, let's go through them.

1. Galloping Technology?

    "Gowri created Ganapati from the dirt of her body", says our scriptures.

    Would that dirt mean the cells from Her skin?
    Did Ma Gowri create Ganesha with the cells from her skin?

    The scientists of Reproductive Science who are conducting research on Assisted Reproductive
    Technology(ART) are sure that babies can be produced from skin cells. It may sound like it's on
    the scientific fringe, but it's not a pipe dream. This is actually happening.

    The skin-to-gamete research is perhaps the most sensational of the technologies in recent times.
    The human body is made of billions of cells and each cell in the body is a body itself. The cells of
    the body have immense power. There is a far bigger program embedded in the cell of a body.
    Scientists are now finding ways to create babies out of the individual cells of a woman so someday
    as Ma Gowri created Ganesha without Maharudradeva, it is possible that man is no more needed to
    have a progeny.

    Earlier, when we read about the birth of the Kauravas, where the zygote were stored in earthen pots
    by Sage Vyasa, many felt if that could be possible then we had this test tube babies created by
    scientists. The birth of Balarama, the elder brother of Sri Krishna, raised many eyebrows as none
    could believe that the zygote of a couple could be implanted in the womb of other women. Then,
    we had surrogate mothers becoming a reality. Even the birth of Sage Vyasa, himself, was also
    unbelievable till we came to know about Extrauterine conception which was called "Sadyo-
    Garbha" and thus the great Sage Vyasa was born without physical union of parents.

    Science and the ancient thought have a huge phase delay. But what is in the ancient scriptures
    science is keeping pace with it, that is the only satisfaction. There is lot more for the science to go
    after and it can be done when the ancient concepts are not looked from the religious point of view
    and not analysed with Abraminical mind-set.

2. Our journey together is so short.......

    A young lady sat in a bus. At the next stop a loud and grumpy old lady came and sat by her. She
    squeezed into the seat and bumped her with her numerous bags.

    The person sitting on the other side of the young lady got upset, asked her why she did not speak
    up and say something.

    The young lady responded with a smile, "It is not necessary to be rude or argue over something
    so insignificant, the journey together is so short. I get off at the next stop".

    This response deserves to be written in golden letters.

    If each one of us realised that our time here is so short, that to darken it with quarrels, futile
    arguments, not forgiving others, discontentment and a fault finding attitude would be a waste of
    time and energy.

    Did someone break your heart? Be calm, the journey is so short.

    Did someone betray, bully, cheat or humiliate you? Be calm, forgive, the journey is so short.

    No one knows the duration of this journey. No one knows when their stop will come. Our
    journey together is so short.

    Let us cherish friends and family. Let us be respectful, kind and forgiving to each other. Let us
    be filled with gratitude and gladness.

    If I have ever hurt you, I ask for your forgiveness. If you have ever hurt me, you already have my
    forgiveness. After all, our journey together is so short! 


Tailpiece.

Lekha and I attended the wedding of Harish Krishnan and Aparnasree. The boy's father had invited us as we visit his department store frequently, to buy our share of grocery. Consequently, we did not know most of the people gathered on the occasion and we made a few friends.

Here's wishing Harish Krishnan and Aparnasree a very happy and long married life. May they get whatever they wish for! 

Another organisation grappling with militant trade unionism.

Preamble

While on the one hand, the ruling front's trade union has created a situation to the extent of a business-house announcing that it would shut down its operations, on the other hand, the government has been struggling to build its image of being pro-business.

There's no doubt that the interest of the workers in any organisation must be an important factor and trade unions do help in this aspect but when it's carried too far, problems can set in. It would be worthwhile for all the stakeholders to bear in mind that only if the organisation is safe, sound and ticking that their well being would be assured.

Background

Tension prevailed at the head office of Muthoot Finance on Banerjee Road, Ernakulam yesterday after the company's employees who have been on a strike demanding better wages were caught in a skirmish with the other employees who had come to work, ignoring the protest. The problem began when the employees association of the finance company under the banner of CITU staged a blockade in front of the office, denying entry to those who came to work.

The Company at a Glance.

* Loan assets under management            Rs. 34,246 crores.
* Revenue                                                Rs.   6,881 crores.
* Profit before tax                                    Rs.   3,077 crores.
* Net profit                                              Rs.    1,972 crores.             
* Reserves and surplus                            Rs.    9,392 crores.
* Gold kept as security                            169 tons.
* No. of branches                                    4,471.
* Branches in Kerala                               611.
* Employees                                            24,224
* Operational                                           In 29 states and U/Ts.

Where things don't match.

Claims.

 1. No proper salary structure is in place within the organisation. Though manager-level officers
     have a salary of above Rs.32,000/-, sub staff and field staff are still not getting Rs.18,000/-. A field
     staff with 25 years' experience is paid only Rs.12,000/-, including allowances.
 2. Union members are also not allowed to avail the employ stock option system(ESOP) in the
     company to purchase shares, despite them being eligible as per the company's own criteria.
 3. As many as 23 employees out of the 40 workers who were selected for ESOP are union members
     and they have not received the benefits yet.
 4. The management has not raised any complaints about the productivity of the workers in Kerala.
     In fact, most employees including women, work from 0900 hrs till night.
 5. The management is against employee unions and targets those who are part part of the union.
     Measures like inter-region transfer, suspension, deprival of incentives and bonus etc. are initiated
     against the union members.

Counter claims.

 1. Muthoot Finance's pay is high in the NBFC(Non Banking Financial Company) industry - sub
     staff's CTC is Rs.18,000/- per month, staff is Rs.22,000/- and managers Rs.32,000/- to 38,000/-
     per month.
 2. Muthoot Finance is the only Kerala-based NBFC to offer ESOP.
 3. Productivity of employees is low in Kerala. The average business per branch is only Rs.2.5 crores
     in Kerala, compared Rs.9.5 crores in the rest of the country.

The upshot.

Muthoot Finance will permanently be shutting down 300 of the 611 branches in Kerala. These branches have remained shut since 20 Aug '19 because of the ongoing strike.

Sad!


Tailpiece. 

It was mom's 3rd remembrance day as per the English calendar. Rewound that ill fated day and was melancholic. Had my haircut at the Amigos and Sajish gave me a good massage.