Juhu Gaon villagers rue loss of cultural identity

Juhu Gaon villagers rue loss of cultural identity
Juhu Gaon, also known as Sector-11, is losing its holy status. The reason behind it is the rising number of Lodges and Bars in the vicinity. The villagers here are now worrying how they will sustain their culture and identity.
One of the villagers says, "Juhu Gaon is known for Mari Aai temple. Once known as a holy village it has today turned into a village of Lodges and Bars. In present scenario there are four lodges running in the village namely Sankalp. Sharan, Sai Parikrama and Sapna and five to six huge bars. In and around Juhu Gaon are sectors 10, 11 and 12, which are completely residential complexes. Hence there is no reason for lodges and bars to be here".
"An year back when Sapna Lodge was going to be opened we had protested against it and the work was stopped. However later the lodge came up. When the authorities were aware of our disapproval of the project, how was NOC issued to open and run the place," he asks.
The villagers rue that with the rising number of Lodges and Bars youths of the village straying in wrong direction. They consume liquor and engage in all sorts of bad habits. "If this if not stopped today, the true culture and tradition of the village will be lost forever," he adds.

Vashi tops the list in survey on encroachments

Vashi tops the list in survey on encroachments
Following the orders of Mumbai High Court for organizing a survey and accordingly taking action against unauthorized structures in city, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation has issued notice to 23,338 encroachers. The survey has revealed the shocking fact that the highest number of encroachments are in Vashi, the heart of city.
Subhash Gaikar, Assistant Commissioner, anti- encroachment department NMMC informs, "Falling within the limits of Vashi are: Vashi node, Juhu Gaon and Koprigaon. In all the three villages there are a huge number of encroachments. Either encroaching on vacant land or developing a chawl or two-three floor structures and selling them off is a common practice in these villages. There is no doubt that this is being done in collusion with local political leaders. Day by day the graph of encroachment is going higher. Due to political interference the administrative department never takes any action. Due to dense encroachments if some mishap occurs in the villages neither ambulance nor fire brigades will be able to enter. Just a few months back the High Court had directed NMMC to carry out a survey of all the illegal and unauthorized structures in Navi Mumbai. It was found that there are 23,338 such structures".
Vashi tops the list with 6,583 unauthorized structures followed by Airoli (4,510), Nerul (4,168), Koper Khairane (3,693), Turbhe (2,444), Belapur (1,209) and Ghansoli (625).
These figures include structures build for residential, commercial purposes. The corporation has to take action against all the illegal structures and submit a report to HC. As a first step, the anti-encroachment department has issued notices. Response to the notices has to be submitted to NMMC before September 30. Documents proving that the structure is not illegal have to be attached.
According to sources, the anti encroachment drives will pick up from October 1. In the meantime action is being taken only against structures which are being used for commercial purposes.

Solution to non-functional street lights a call away

Solution to non-functional street lights a call away
Residents of sectors 9, 9A, 10, 10A are grumbling over street lights not working adjacent to Mini Sea Shore along the Father Agnel Sports Complex sector -10 A for the past two months. This is the area where children, youngsters, senior citizens come for walks and recreation. Every evening the area is fully crowded as children visit the sports complex to practise games.
A security personnel at the sports complex says, "The street lights have not been working for the past two months. Various complaints have been launched by authorities but in vain. I have to keep watch over pedestrians and motorists passing this way so that no accident occurs." He adds that more than fifty students visit the sports complex daily. "I have to also keep watch over them as they are my responsibility".
A mother accompanying her children says, "As there are no street lights in the area, I have to come regularly with my children. I sit in the sports complex till they are done with practice. We have to take the trouble because of authorities' negligence."
Area resident Shreya Jadhav says, "In this area people go jogging and walking through the entire lane. My grandmother gets up early and goes for walk around 5.00 am, but since the street lights are not working, she is unable to go out. Many others will be suffering like her".
G V Rao NMMC Executive Engineer, Electrical Department, claims ignorance of the problem. "I am unaware of non-functional street lights but they will be restored in a day". .
In future, if residents face such problems they are free to contact on the below mentioned numbers and still if their pleas go unheard, they should write to us at feedback @jagrancityplus.com
—Rucha Kamat
and Jaspal Singh Naol

Panel on fee hike issue a sham: PTA

Panel on fee hike issue a sham: PTA In the light of demand by Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) regarding implementation of the Government Resolution dated 15 July, 2010, the Deputy Director of Education has appointed a committee which will visit schools and formulate a fee structure on the basis of No Profit No Loss. The PTA has however claimed that the committee formed has no experience and hence there are more chances of exploitation of parents, students as well as teachers. Anuj Kumar Pandey, secretary of All India Federation of Parents and Teachers Association (AIFPTA) says, "In Navi Mumbai 90 per cent of schools have exorbitantly increased fees by 50 to 120 per cent, even when the Government Resolution states that the increase must be on the basis of No Profit No Loss. It is also a contempt of the High Court order. Such practices are being opposed by AIFPTA for many years and it is also fighting for bringing in transparency in the implementation of fee structure. On 15 July and August 24, 2010 two GRs were passed one of which mentioned the formation of a committee to visit schools. Unfortunately, no consultation was done with parents or PTA at the time of formation of the committee. And hence there is the possibility of parents getting exploited by vested interests". Pandey adds, "We therefore demand that the committee must have members who are fighting for the rights of parents, teachers and students and not just any representatives who later turn out to be in collusion with school managements". Rohit Malhotra a parent says, "It is very clear that the government is not serious about implementing the GR. During one of the hearings in HC the Government Representative said that GR was only a suggestion and not compulsory for schools to follow. It is very clear that since big names are involved in education, the government is not ready to do much. I also disagree with this concept of aided vs. unaided. All schools are aided because they get land at concessional rates. They don't pay taxes and they pay electricity at residential rates etc. They cannot be allowed to make disproportionate profit". Following are the members of newly-formed committee: 1. Sunil R Chauhan, Deputy Director of Education- President/Chairperson 2. Pritesh Joshi- Member, M/s Joshi & Company, Prabhadevi, Mumbai, Mobile No. 9869033062 3. Still vacant 4. Chandnekar Kaustubh - Parent as member, Ghatkopar, Mob. 9821323304 5. Lala Saheb Vittal Patil (NGO)- Member, Mobile No. 9892431434/24455969 6. S.G. Chitale, Bhawance College, Andheri (W) as Member, Mobile No. 9702789111 7. A G Sankhe, Accounts Officer - as member, o/o Dy. Dir of Education, 9222463920

Schools may have to pay tax at commercial rate

Schools may have to pay tax at commercial rate
The Navi Mumbai Municipal Commissioner has announced that a new resolution will be brought in for collecting more taxes from educational institutions by changing their property tax rates from residential to commercial.
There are more than 200 primary, secondary and higher secondary schools functioning within the limits of Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation. The majority of these schools are owned by political leaders. Almost all the schools have received land from the City and Industrial Development Corporation at subsidised rates. However, there are hardly any schools that do not collect capitation fee under the name of building fund, raise fees in the name of VI Pay Commission etc. While when it comes to paying taxes to NMMC, they pay at subsidised rates.
At the Standing Committee meeting held recently, corporators Shivram Patil and Dashrath Bhagat raised the issue. "It is really funny to see that the city has all types of schools from SSC board to CBSE to ICSE to IB which are charging fees way beyond the pocket of a common man. It is obvious that they are openly doing commercial activity and yet NMMC is colleting property tax at the rate of residential complexes, they observed.
"Is it so that this is being done due to some higher political pressure?" they asked.
Municipal Commissioner Vijay Nahata responded saying, "We will be formulating a resolution which will bring all schools under commercial category. Once the General Body gives its sanction we will be collecting their property tax as per the rates of commercial complexes instead of residential".
A property tax official informs that the difference schools will have to pay will be at the least double the present rates.
Sana Shaikh, a parent reacts, "We are afraid that if there is a rise in property tax of schools, it will be recovered through fee hike and in effect parents like us will have to bear the burden. Hence NMMC must ensure that the same does not happen".

Eco-friendly Ganesh idols come with a higher price tag

Eco-friendly Ganesh idols come with a higher price tag

Talking of an eco-friendly Ganeshotsav is one thing but in practice it spells loss, both for the idol maker and for the buyer. How much can the environment gain in the bargain remains a matter of conjecture.
A local idol maker explains, "The threat of global warming has opened many eyes but when it comes to doping something to stop its march, there are hardly any takers. The idols made of Plaster of Paris (POP) does not dissolve in water and hence they cause pollution".
"So many of us had decided to opt to make idols of mud and sand, which are said to be eco-friendly and easily get mixed in water without polluting it. However with the rise in material cost and labour we had to drop the idea," he explains.
"The impact of price rise is such that while the POP idols costs have gone up by 30 per cent, the cost of eco friendly idols has gone up more than three times. Hence we hardly receive orders for eco-friendly idols. Statistically speaking we had made 90 per cent POP idols and only 10 per cent eco friendly idols," he say.
A resident of Sector-17 Vashi expressed "Understanding the ill-effects of POP on nature we decided to go for an eco-friendly idol of lord Ganesha. To our surprise and dismay, the small POP idol which we used to buy is now for Rs 450. As for the eco friendly idol, one needs to shell out Rs 1150. At this rate how many people can afford to buy them, even if they want to save water pollution".

Power failure problems sit heavy on residents' head

Power failure problems sit heavy on residents' head
For the past eight months residents of Sector-11, Juhu Gaon are suffering power failures due to cable fault. And presently although cabling work is going on, residents are still being harassed for no rhyme or reason.
S A Shaikh, resident of Jeet Niwas, Sector-11, Juhu Gaon informs, "For the past eight months we are facing regular shutdowns of 10 to 24 hours at interval of one month. This is not due to routine power cut of MSEDC but the fault in the electricity cable. Around 10 buildings are linked with this main cable which supplies power. Each month, residents say, MSEDC workers come and do some temporary work and leave. Whatever the workers do residents do not question but they say that for the last one and a half-months, their electrical gadgets and equipment are going bust due to voltage fluctuations. We have lost seven tube lights and our fridge, while other residents say that their televisions have gone out of order".
"We pay our bills on time and even if we fail once or twice we are made to pay heavy penalty. Then when it comes to providing services why there is such a poor response? Why such temporary work is being done that electrical equipments are failing? Moreover, the workers who come here leave the cable left open without proper safety caps".
On the night of August 19, residents of JN4 Type of Sector 10 Vashi found a burning smell in their society. After checking all electrical connections, they found it was coming from under the ground with smoke. They immediately called MSEDC and Fire Brigade. Since then the work has been initiated by the Company in the compound. T Ganpathy, president of the society informs that the way work being done is adding to woes of residents. "The way the contractor's labourers are working is very unprofessional. Instead of laying one cable they are just joining cables. This has only increased the problem as every now and then power failure occurs. On August 23 our power failed and till 1 am, we the residents among whom 80 per cent are working, were sitting in the compound waiting for power supply to be restored," he says.
"Now a new problem has come up. The labourers now want to dig the whole lane in our compound to lay a cable, which they could have done from outside the society. If they dig inside the whole filling work we had got done, will be lost. Moreover, in the midst of monsoon it will only be filth all over".
When contacted MSEDC engineer Deshpande said, "We have been able to restore the lights of Juhu Gaon as well as of Sector-10, Vashi. We hope to provide a permanent solution to the residents at the earliest".
—Jaspal Singh Naol