I absolutely hate everything about Holi. The drunkenness, the public nuisance. None of it is funny.
I am angrier than I've been in months right now. My building &#!*#$#*^ have lit up the hugest ever fire I've seen in my life at this moment. The flames reach up almost to the second floor. (they're mid-way between the first and the second floors.) They are shouting gleefully like hooligans or tribals. I am not being allowed to go out of my home by my family. I'm too shaken up to even take photographs or a video this time.
I had blogged about this previously. : http://silverwhines.blogspot.com/2009/01/what-waste-of-education.html . Only, this time, their excuse is Holi.
Something needs to be done. I'm not able to figure out what. The frustration and anger are killing. I will greatly appreciate it if anyone can suggest anything with regards to what I can do.I'm FURIOUS. Please... give me some idea...
21 comments:
Some people will never learn. They are beyond reason. Unfortunately, I don't think there is anything practical that can be done. And yes, Holi is shit. The number of plastic bags I've seen on the roads to-day disgusts me. On the bright side, we will be the only generation ever to witness large-scale destruction of the planet! What more could we ask for?
*runs to paint "The End Is Near" signs*
Have people forgotten about 26/11 already?:((
hey does burning firewood cause less pollution or something?wen its holi all we can do is offer them less harmful burning options i spose..dunno wat to do about the other times wen they burn grass n stuff..one thing that will help counter this somewhat is large scale tree plantation i guess...we can do our best to find out and use wasted areas in mumbai for this..chennai is so much more green!i noticed this time during landing
This is really irritating..suffocating..it's been over 2 hours..still plenty of smoke
I bet the neighboring buildings did the same nonsense as well?
An idea just came up..
Just like Obama is promising "new green jobs", maybe one can start one in Mumbai as well. Here's a plan..
1. Get a big grant from Govt/ Corporations to help people who have lost jobs recently.
2. Gather a handful of such recently-lost-job-but-educated ppl.
3. Have them file case and follow up in High court banning deleterious attempts at creating air-pollution (no mention of Holi or New Year Old Man etc). Use grant money for speedy verdicts and salaries to these ppl in the meantime.
4. HC, given its recent list of eco-friendly verdicts against mangrooves etc, will very likely vote against air-pollution and impose fines on housing societies.
5. Pay these ppl salaries from the fine money collected and repay loans with the rest.
Economy improves and the environment gets a breather!
You don't even have to do all this, just explain the idea to some of these jobless educated ppl and see if anyone implements it!
Anyone game?
inform the police that there is a protest against the ruling party policies and then watch the people who started the fire behind bars!
It is so irritating to see people behave so mindlessly! They lit a huge bonfire in my building too! You wont believe it, some fools in a nearby building lit a bonfire right under a tree, the flames reached so damn high and half the tree was also burnt! I feel so helpless!
We our bound by our so-called ancestral customs and hence, people feel the undying need to resort to them. What you witnessed was the 'Holika bonfire' to celebrate Prahlad's victory against his athiest father. There are many such pointless rituals that people follow without realizing its complete misfit in today's time.
And if at all you do call the police, they will not arrest these people who set the bonfire because (atleast here in Bangalore) the police are culture extremists. They would rather arrest a T-shirt-and-jeans clad girl for travelling on a bike with a guy (and then sheepishly realizing that the 'guy' is indeed her brother). But about THIS, they wont bother. So it is only and only upto us to moral ourselves in such issues.
The Holi bonfire is something that might be difficult to stop considering its bulky cultural tag. But there is a solution to the other random fires of dry grass and garbage that are common. I don't know and have not analyzed its application on a society-based environment, but there are many, and I mean many, industries that use something called "incineration" to burn stuff.
It's pretty simple. Instead of setting it ablaze on the road, set it on fire inside a huge iron cylinder with a lid. The carbon-di-oxide that is released from the burning, is under pressure inside the closed container, and is then released with a valve and reused for other chemical applications. This way, there is no release of smoke and CO2 to the atmosphere AND they achieve cost-cutting by reusing the CO2.
This was the only thing that I could think about with respect to the bonfire. Incineration is prevalent in India but is not very well-known to common people, except for those like me, who have it as a part of their curriculum.
Nepharius, Arnie and Pais - agreed. :(
*joins in painting more such signs*
Akhi - what horrible people!! I sometimes wonder what they did at all in schools. They have n't learnt one single thing. And I hate it when these same people start talking about Global Warming.
Kat - you're right, it's only fair that they plant more trees. I have no idea how to convince these bhang-consuming losers about that either.
@Backbencher - very innovative and idealistic. But how the hell is such a thing to be implemented..
@Ani - thanks for all the Incinerators gyaan.. I wonder if the BMC has any garbage reuse plans though. I'm definitely going to follow this up and find out if they do. This garbage burning is becoming a VERY regular activity in my building
Am I allowed to say that the festival isn't to be blamed, the people are. The people are to blame imo.
yes, plastics are awful. Yes, people have lost the true meaning of the festival. Yes, people have forgotten what the festival means and what we're supposed to do.
But isn't it our (the youth's) job to make sure our generation doesn't loose our traditions? Isn't it our job to bring back such festivals and show them for what they are supposed to be?
For the record, I utterly despise how Holi becomes a reason for mindless stupidity and brawls.
lol ani is soo right about the police n wats a crime according to them!this incineration stuff seems good..itl be good if there r industries which dont generate such garbage n start paying ppl for them as CSR or something..will be like the raddi system,ppl will happily sell then...or mebbe the govt shud keep some incentives for 'Green Buildings' or something..mebbe more water supply,less power cuts..course wat will really happen is more bribing over it!
are the cats safe ?
I am a part time socio-worker with a small team working with high interest on supporting the weaker sects of the society and to help in protecting the fundamental rights of citizens.
We reached your blog through Google results and it is highly appreciable that still we have number of Indians who care for the environment and bring these matters online.
In a developing nation like India, no strong measures are available as of date to control such activities.
Our most educated PM shows urgency in signing 123-deal even at the risk of losing power, but postpones signing deals on eco-friendliness and global warming. Such is the state of our nation.
Though the laws are not stringent, anything is possible in our democratic country. There are still certain feeble laws which can restrict such atrocious behavior to certain extent. Who knows may be we could trigger the awareness for passing new laws and acts to protect our environment.
We are not sure if you are from Mumbai. If yes, then the following may be of interest to you.
As per MCGB, Every owner and occupier of all premises to ensure segregation and delivery of waste in house gullies Vendors, hawkers to maintain saaf aangan, segregate waste and deliver to MCGM agencies and every private property to maintain authorized waste receptacle.
Extracts from the Municipal Solid Waste (Prohibition of Littering and Regulation of Segregation, Storage, Delivery & Collection): 2006 rules released by MUNICIPAL CORPORATION OF BRIHANMUMBAI.
As per MSW definition of BMC, biodegradable waste means wet waste of plant and animal origin. Recyclable waste means dry waste that can be transformed through a process into raw materials for producing new products, which may or may not be similar to the original products.
Segregated Biodegradable Municipal Solid Waste (as per the illustrative list in Schedule II), if not composted by the generator, shall be stored by generators of such waste within their premises and its delivery shall be ensured by every such generator to the ghanta-gadi, or to the biodegradable waste collection vehicle provided for specified commercial generators of bulk biodegradable waste such as hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, eating places, clubs, canteens, markets, etc. or to the designated biodegradable waste storage centers from where biodegradable waste collection vehicles provided by BMC shall
collect such waste daily at such times.
As per MSW, Rule no. 5.3 Schedule II states that, for not delivering bio-degradable waste in a segregated manner as specified will attract a fine of Rs.100.
Which means, not even handing over bio-degradable wastes must attract even heavier penalty.
Though, this covers only for disposing of garden waste we could still launch a complaint as the waste was not disposed in the way it should have been. Do not overlook on the minimal sum of fine (Rs.100). Let us focus our attention on not getting such acts repeated. Rather than getting the concern people punished we have to look for ways to make them realize. Legal liability is something that we Indians always try to avoid. So may be who knows, you could trigger something positive by even a small move like this.
Method to Complaint against not disposing your garden waste properly:
You can lodge a complaint against those, who do not dispose biodegradable waste in the link of MC of Greater Mumbai:
http://www.mcgm.gov.in/irj/portal/anonymous/qlcomplaintreg
You can also track the status online. Alternatively, send an email to mcgm.swmproject@gmail.com In future whenever you spot an incident related to waste disposal, call the telephone number 1916 immediately if you are in Mumbai.
If you have any hesitation in filing a legal complaint, give us the place, date and time of the incident along with the ward no and we will take care of it.
If action is not taken for any reason, please keep us posted with the complaint details. We will scale this issue to much higher heights either through media or legal options.
Option to complaint against Fire caused on Holy and by burning of garden waste:
Dr Sandeep Rane, a cardiologist, faced increasing cases of respiratory tract related problems among his Chembur patients. He decided things were getting out of hand, that it was becoming more and more difficult to breathe babies were born with bronchial problems, children got frequently out of breath playing and adults faced acute shortness of breath. The prime air pollutant was the Deonar dumping ground where garbage was burnt daily.
Dr Rane bandied other residents together to form the Smoke Affected Residents Forum (SARF) in 1992 and since then has won many cases which involved pollutants caused due to burning or fire or other means of air pollutants. We can take this up through SARF if you are interested. If you have any queries or if action is not being taken after complaint is lodged or if you are looking for options through media, please keep us posted. Furnishing all information in a blog post is difficult. If you could let us know your ward no. in Mumbai we can share respective POCs and further details.
Your anguish needs high appreciation. Let us really press the alarms of this nation by taking action. Please keep posted on your action in this regard. Good Luck:)
@Shyam - thanks a ton. Most grateful to your post, its contents are VERY useful. I could not have received a more helpful response.
You are referring to MCGM. I live in the Suburbs, not in Greater Mumbai. All the same, I will send an e-mail to them asking them details of the fine imposition. I will also call up the number you've mentioned, and will post updates.
Which NGO do you work for ?
Thanks a lot, really. I'm sure it won't be long before these people start burning up the wastes again. I hope this can be stopped.
I'm not from ngo, just working as a consultant in an Indian IT major and also running a small firm. Few months back, we kicked off with a group of individuals with similar socio aspirations and formed an unregd entity in Chennai. Through this entity we are working with fg, intentions but not limited to:
•Improving the living conditions of weaker sects and underprivileged by arranging proper Medical and healthcare facilities
•Nurturing children by arranging them basic education and mentoring
•Helping people to protect and execute their fundamental rights and
•Safeguarding the environment for the next generation.
In the company of philanthropic people with intentions to serve the community joining us from various states we are slowly gaining momentum and moving ahead.
Please do complain to your corporation and keep us posted on its status. Even now thinking that fire reaches almost first & second floors is intimidating. Only people with heads and no brains can indulge in such dreadful activities and definitely action has to be taken against such people.
If no action is taken by MCGM against your complaint (which is most likely considering the political authorities controlling MCGM may be too busy in polls and may not wish to take any legal action/penalization at this stage, as it may result in loss of votes for the ruling party) and/or if your apartment authorities repeat their relentless acts, suggest you to follow the below:
• As it is garden waste, I hope you can very well anticipate at least few minutes before they start burning waste again. So the next time, be prepared enough to take a video as in one of your earlier posts but, this time make sure you have enough proof in your footage to prove that the incident happened in your apartment.
• Share the footage in email to cj@ibnlive.com. Also share the complaint and the response you received from Municipal Corporation to IBN. This way you become a citizen journalist of IBN-India and your videos and views will hit millions of households through TV and internet. For more details, please visit this link http://cj.ibnlive.in.com/howtobe_mobilecj.php
• Taking to media is just few minutes job, if you decide to do so, I would personally advise you to protect your identity while taking the footage in the better interests of your family as you have to continue in the same apartment, facing the same people everyday. If it is possible, to invite one of your rare home visiting friend then seek his/her help in taking the footage.
If you have any hesitation or queries feel free to reach us and we will be keen to assist in more ways than one.
Once we choose hope, anything's possible. Let’s hope the best happens in your apartment as well. Please post updates on this.
Hi, Any action being taken or do you have any updates on this?
Sorry for the late response. Had a horribly busy week, that also included my first two days at work - 13hr days.
Update: We managed to contact a BMC authority and are in the process of meeting him. Because my family will also be involved in this, I cannot post all the details here. I will keep you posted on the final outcome of this, though.
Thanks for the help. Your suggestions are very good and are options we will have to use if this particular attempt fails.
Ok take your time and share the final outcome.
Guess you joined an IT co. If yes, welcome to the world of IT.
Wish you a successful, satisfying & rewarding career.
Hi, Hope a positive outcome emerged out of you and your family's meeting with BMC authorities. Request you to post updates on this.
Post a Comment