How do we get the Police to register more FIRs?

Everytime you talk to a senior Politician or Policeperson he boasts that the number of FIRs filed have reduced or hardly grown. Usually less than population growth. We all know this is ridiculous. But the Police are hired and transferred by the politicians. So they are indebted to them. The politicians need to say that crime has reduced or hardly increased. So they tell the Police to register fewer FIRs.

This puts less pressure on them to solve crimes. Especially those for which no FIRs have been filed. Like Nithari. Where 30 kids went missing without a single complaint being filed! Why search for a kid when her parents havent complained?

This has got to stop.

Police have to be removed from the shackles of the Politicians. They have to be encouraged to file more FIRs.

How can this be done?

Why not Incentives? When corporate India wants more sales it gives the salespersons incentives. The Police have to be corporatised. Police have to be rewarded for solving crimes. 5-10% of loot recovered have to be given as rewards. Each conviction has to be rewarded. Promotions have to be based on number of crimes solved by policemen. Not on recomendation by Politicians. The media will co-operate by publishing the names of Top Cops

If we dont change this system this country will become a den of thieves and a haven for criminals.

Private Cities - Is there any other option?

We see the municipal corporations destroying and making of mess of cities all over the country. The politicians have taken over the municipal corporations. Once the politicians take over it is the first sign of total disaster

But what is the solution? If we dont solve the miserable infrastructure in our cities quality of life will continue to deteriorate. It will take us hours to reach our destinations, people will suffer without water,sanitation and basic human dignity. No country's people can survive this onslaught of apathy.

The media has revolutinised the judiciary by making them accountable. Now it is time for them to do the same thing by being the watchdog for our passage into the future. We cannot survive if things are left to our politicians. Election funding will always be the excuse to steal municiapal expenditure and ruin our cities

First of all let us acknowledge that the American system has become predominantly the most successful system our world has seen. Most nobel prizes, best infrastructure, most number of inventions, most opportunity.. . They have it all. More people immigrate to the USA than any other country in the world. But how did they achive this? By privatisation of most essential services, strong judiciary and the rule of law

Look at Russia. They were the only competitor for the spot of World Power until they totally collapsed. Gorbachev started the change but Yeltsin only speeded it up. We need our own Yeltsin to speed up change in this country. Privatise faster or be thrown to ruin by our 'election funding' hungry politicians

We need to fund elections from the public exchequer and remove all major institutions from the control of the politicians. The police, judiciary, city municipal corporations, roads, ports, and all businesses like steel, aluminium etc

Private cities have to be set up by leading private enterpreneurs like the Ambanis, Infosys, Tatas, Birlas etc. Their reputations will be on the line and they will not accept bribes to bypass regulations. Wide roads, water, Sanitation, underground public transport will be built well and charged for

Can we proceed into the future if we are in the stranglehold of politicians? Let our new cities be like the best cities around the world

The Dharmapuri Verdict - The maturing of our democracy?

Finally we get a verdict against political workers.But could it have been done without the media? However it has been achieved this verdit says one thing. We are slowly maturing as a democracy.

The completely outrageous Jessica Lal verdict started it all. The judiciary did not change themselves to get better justice. It was the media that did it. The media helped galvanise public opinion and woke up a numb public.

The public has been conditioned by the politicians and the bureaucracy that nothing can be done. About corruption, blatantly criminal politicians who get away with murder by threatening witnesses.

Now it is time to change the system to ensure this can be stopped forever. Strenghthen the hands of witnesses. Offer them protection and huge penalties for those threatening them (which go directly to the witneses who are threatened to encourage them to report threats)

All witness statements should be videotaped immediately after the event and should be acceptable by the court. Thereafter there will be no point in threatening the witnesses as the court will accept the statements made immediately after the event only.

Prof Sabharwals case will be the next milestone in the effort by the country to cleanse the system and proceed towards maturity

Kudos to the media. They deserve all the credit. It is no coincidence that it is the private media and not doordarshan that has spearheaded this transformation of our society. We need to privatise this country much much faster to stand a chance in the world of today

Bandh - Does it make sense as a form of protest?

Gandhiji launched the idea of Satyagraha and non cooperation as a means of protest. It was a way to prevent the British from enjoying the profits that arose out of Indian effort. So if Indians did not work in protest the British would suffer.

Nowadays we still practice 'Noncooperation' as a means of protest. But who are we making suffer? Recently there was a 'total' Bandh in the State of Karnataka. The Kannadigas were supposedly protesting the unfair decision of the Cauvery tribunal. There were rough calculations showing the loss to the state of approximately 500 Crore. Who is losing this money? The Kannadigas themselves! So is the concept of Bandh that one cuts off one's nose to spite one's face?

Everyone inferred that the people were behind the protest. But the truth is that there is coercion. Whenever there is a need to show that the Bandh has been successful men roam the streets preventing people from going to work. What kind of forced protest is this?

How do people come to know of Bandhs? Through the media of course.Does the media have a responsiblity to society? Why does the media report bandhs? Why cant there be a rule that the media does not report a call for a bandh? People who call for bandhs are obviously not working for the best interest of the people. The media cares about what is in the best interest of the people. They live off the people. So should they report what can be used by nefarious interests against the people?

Cauvery Tribunal Decision - A solution to avoid bitterness

After the Finance Minister delivers the budget he answers questions. After the Reserve Bank Governor renders his Credit Policy he answers questions posed by the media. How come the tribunal has not done the same? The people of Karnataka are so agitated. On the face of it the decision looks partial to Tamilnadu. But obviously the writers of a 5 volume report have taken all aspects into consideration. They should explain their decision to the people. And avoid all this agitation

Why not do as Dr Pronoy Roy does after election results? He gives graphics showing the number of seats in the Lok Sabha occupied by each party. The tribunal or media should show graphics showing the number of hectares of agricultural land serviced by the river in each state. Then show how the distribution of water is not unfair to Karnataka. And explain the distress formula and how it would ensure both states are benefitted equally. The farmer has to be taken into confidence.

Karnataka claims Tamilnadu farmers get the North East Monsoon which they dont get. And they benefit from Cauvery Water. Tamilnadu claims Karnataka has an advantage with Cauvery in their backyard.

The solution is to have an association of Farmers from all three states affected by the Cauvery. An association will protect farmers from the vagaries of the monsoon. It can act as an insurance against crop failure. Every farmer contributes 5% of his produce in good years to the association. The resulting fund created will help farmers in distress years.

There could be a monitoring comitee to decide the extent of compensation offered to the distressed farmers. The extent of compensation provided will be proportional to the amount contributed in good years and to the number of hectares under cultivation and to the extent of distress in the area. Farmers can help themselves and solve the water dispute peacefully. Farmer suicides can be avoided all over India if the association is extended to an all India basis.

Let the Cauvery Dispute result in a solution acceptable to all