Better Pune, Better India

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Current Online Campaigns for Better Pune

Improve Public Transport in Pune Join Over 1400 Pune citizens by following 3 simple steps - Visit the Campaign page: http://www.gopetition.com/online/8517.html Read the petition and Click Sign at the Bottom of the Page Finally enter your details on the form at the bottom of the page and click sign. To understand why this campaign is important, read the article 'Pune Caught in a Whirlpool - Can a Modern Public Transport System Rescue it' Campaign 2: Say No to Balbharati-Paud Bypass Support this campiagn by visiting http://www.gopetition.com/online/8763.html This Online Campaign has been started by Dr Uday Kulkarni, for more details visit http://www.rescuepune.blogspot.com/ or download an edited version here

NGOs / Groups in Pune

Parisar is an independent citizens' group working for Environmental awareness, education and action: www.parisar.org Pune Transportation and Traffic Forum (PTTF) - www.pttf.net Dr Uday Kulkarni's Blog on Stop Balbharati-Paud Bypass http://www.rescuepune.blogspot.com/ Nagrik Chetna Manch: http://www.nagrikchetna.org/ Better Roads: a group dedicetd and active in improving the quality of roads in Pune. To Join them visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BetterRoads/join

Articles on Pune, India

Articles relating to life in Pune by Dr Adhiraj Joglekar , Consultant Psychiatrist Pune Caught in a Whirlpool - Can a Modern Public Transport System Rescue it Getting your Basics Right - First Footpath, Then Roads 100th Monkey Syndrome / Critical Mass Theory Why I Oppose the Balbharati - Paud Bypass Why Metro (underground rail) is a bad idea for Pune Why we must Oppose the Sky Bus in Pune Click Here to download Major General Jatar's detailed critique of the Sky Bus System Ethics and City Planning If Martin Luther King was a Puneite - How would his 'I Have a Dream Speech' be?

If Martin Luther King was a Puneite

If Martin Luther King was a Puneite, How would his 'I have a Dream' Speech be? I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of Pune. Freedom from the agony caused pot-holed roads. Freedom from the misery caused lack of footpaths. Freedom from congestion, pollution and the rattling PMT bus that never works. Five decades ago, a great Indian (Ambedkar), in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Indian Constitution. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Indians who until 1947 were en-slaved who in the flames of withering injustice (from British). It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity. But 50 years later, the Puneite is still is not free. The Puneite is still sadly crippled by the manacles of bureaucracy and the chains of selfish politicians. 50 years later, the Puneite lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ...

Ethics and City Planning

I was on the bus reading a paper. The headline said '$ 500 billion + was spent by the world last year on arms in contrast to $ 32 billion on world aid for eradicating hunger'. I wondered if situation in Indian cities is any different? 35 Crores for a by-pass (BB_PP) but not 200 buses the same money can buy. The talk of spending 3500 crores on Sky Bus (when 350 can get you a fleet of 2000 buses with all the required infrastructure) or Metro (3-5 times the cost of Sky Bus). Working in NHS, a Public Health service in UK, we have to deal ethics at 1:1 level with patients. But there is a constant debate on who should get what treatment and why. Should an alcoholic of 20 years with 10 failed rehab attempts get a liver transplant at the cost of tax payers money, should breast augmentation be offered free on NHS or should this money be spent on basic health provision, making it better and easier in access to all. The Ethical Principles at conflict and hence influencing our decisions ar...

Why we must Oppose the Sky Bus in Pune

The PMC spent 30 lacs on a feasibility study of the Sky Metro in Pune. One needs to ask why this study was commissioned without keeping the following in mind – 1. The cost of building the Sky Bus Metro is Rs. 50 Crores per kilometre. 2. Pune population travels in all directions. Unlike Mumbai, Pune does not have well established corridors such as the Western or Central railways. The total cost of Sky Bus in Pune is 3960.3 crores. Agriculture College to Chinchwad (15km) = 681 Crores Sambhaji Bridge to Warje (9.4 km) = 423 Crores Sambhaji Bridge to Hadapsar (11.7km) = 535.6 Crores Wakdewadi to Lonikand (24km) = 1085.5 Crores Chaphekar Memorial, Chinchwad to Agriculture College (17.2km) = 775.3 Crores Pataleshwar Temple to Katraj (10.1km) = 459.9 Crores This is astonishing given that Pune Municipal Corporations Budget for 2004-05 was 951 Crores. In contrast Pune Traffic and Transportation Forum have suggested that PMT should be buying about 1000 buses over the next 2-3 years. PMT also nee...

Why Metro (underground rail) is a bad idea for Pune

While we continue efforts to get people and officials to see different on the Balbharati-Paud bypass, we may want to debate on whether Metro or Sky Bus or BRT is better for Pune. The points to ponder over are (and learn from others) - The costs as the links below tell us of a Metro is exorbitant $ 5 billion for a distance of 146km (of which only 32 km are underground). That's almost 5 times the cost of Sky bus (which we all seem against). It will take 4 years to do the job (if all goes to plan) on phase one, second phase by 2016 and third phase by 2021 How long will it help Mumbai, the population of which grows daily by up to 3000 migrants per day. Planning and getting a Metro comissioned takes time. Mumbai has hoped for a Metro from the time I was a toddler (going back 30 years). By the time Pune gets a nod, we may not be alive! And if we (Pune) do go ahead with a Metro, should we use broad gauge or standard gauge, they need 50-80 units of electricity per KM against the 10 unit...

Why I Oppose Balbharati - Paud bypass

18 months ago I wanted the road. But not any more bacuse of the reasons below. Any amount of new roads and flyovers will not solve the problem (see more details below). Bombay built 55 flyovers, with what result, there is still a perpetual gridlock on the roads of Mumbai. Also the road over the hill deforests 10,000 trees. How can that be taken care off by planting 1000 saplings (as the PMC says). The trees need at least 25years to grow and mature. Pune has not managed to finish more than 30% of work on flyovers in 2 LONG years. By the time they decide whether the Balbharati-Paud road should be over the hill or through a tunnel, commision it, find the money and eventually build it - It may 5 years before we ride on it. By then 60 Lacs additional vehicles will be added to Pune roads. What use will this by-pass be by then? The PMC is not even able to re-surface existing roads, can we trust them to build a road through the hills or a tunnel? MSRD has withdrawn its funding... Also look at ...

100th Monkey Syndrome / Critical Mass Theory

It is common for people to say "but what can we do?" or something similar. The critical mass theory explains why we need to be proactive and make the change happen quicker. In his book The Hundredth Monkey, Ken Keyes, Jr। wrote about scientists who had been observing monkeys in the wild for thirty years. In 1952, on the island of Koshima, when there was a serious drought & famine, they provided monkeys with sweet potatoes which they had dropped in sand. The monkeys liked the taste of the potatoes but found the sand unpleasant. One day, an eighteen month old monkey washed the potatoes in a nearby stream. She taught the trick to her mother and her playmates, who taught it to their mothers. As the story is told, perhaps 99 monkeys learned to wash their sweet potato between 1952 and 1958. One day the 100th monkey learned to wash the potatoes. Suddenly, almost every monkey on the island began to wash their potatoes before eating them. The added energy of this 100th mo...

Getting the Basics Right - First Footpaths, Then Roads

India country is changing rapidly. Pune has several multiplexes, each with half a dozen movie screens, food malls, shopping plaza's etc. Tesco/Walmart like stores are opening all over. The middle-income group is ever growing and spending more than ever before. Anyone with a decent job is now on the property ladder. High-rise apartments reach the sky all-round. Pune already has digital TV- 125 channels, with Electronic Program Guide and the works. It seems we are headed in the right direction. But I say 'it seems' as I am not convinced. I am not certain we have got our priorities right. Grass root problems remain and are growing. Corruption in every sector, including health, is worse than ever before. There is no cultural shift, people still spit & there is filth everywhere. There is no respect for a 'padchalak' - cars, rickshaws, buses & two-wheelers, all converge on you. Clearly, they will rather kill you than be late to work; they will rather kill you than...