FPJ – OPED – City Ideas – Come Let’s Fulfill Our dreams
(Continued from Oct 5, 2006 News)
- First Aid and Home Nursing Training to ordinary citizens can save lives of thousands of people who have met with life-threatening emergencies. Many lives can be saved by proper aid given in time.
- Inculcating Right Diet and Nutrition be taught to every citizen as also the dangers of street drugs, prescription addiction, etc.
- Encourage Exercise via Walking by providing opportunities and space for young and old to walk for daily chores by keeping footpaths clean and encroachment free, as well as sufficiently broad and safe.
- Mosquito Prevention by identifying and eliminating stagnant water spots, putting netting, and growing citronella on windowsills
- Identify diseased animals e.g. stray dogs and inform NGOs so that they can catch and treat them
Improving Living Conditions
- Increasing Employment Opportunities of the poor and the disabled by hand-holding between corporates and such needy people like a consultant
- Mentoring Entrepreneurship Ideas for housewives, poor, and disabled by helping identify opportunities and market them
- Increase Local Tourism by specifically creating such areas in your locality
- Provide Training for Everyday Chores e.g. sewing/alterations, baby-sitting, running errands e.g. paying household bills.
- Providing Basic Needs such as adequate and potable drinking water for all
- Affordable housing to accommodate and include the immigrants that a city attracts
Improving Traffic and Public Transport
- Better Road Sense by inculcating discipline in drivers by education, awareness, and strict enforcement of traffic rules
- Reducing Traffic Congestion through restrictive policies upon owning more than one car, as well as incentives for owning only one car
- Safe School Buses with trained and responsible drivers and helpers, well designed buses, and GIS technology to monitor and map the bus routes.
- Noise Control and Traffic Management including fining for indiscriminate use of the horn
- Safety in trains and railway stations with help of passengers by giving them clear instructions on ways they can help
- Social Car Parking Facility by voluntary co-operation of and planning by local residents and Lane Associations.
Improving Governance and Eradicating Corruption
- Social Boycott of the Corrupt via a database of corrupt people to be publicised through E-mail, letters, print and electronic media, etc.
- Maintaining pressure and positive attitude even when nothing happens when taking up matters with the concerned authority
- Citizens audit of RTI implementation so as to get sustained administrative reforms and citizens participation in governance
- Public Interest Litigation to be used if other measures do not yield adequate results
- Encouraging Honesty by supporting honest government officials.
Preventing Terrorism
- Adopting Gandhian values: Not only Mumbai, but the whole country and world can be rid of the new phenomenon of terrorism by adopting Gandhian values of Truth and Non-Violence in our daily lives.
Maximising Limited Resources
- Better water management by trying out new ideas such as desalination plants, rain water harvesting and more efficient distribution systems so as to increase availability and storage and decrease waste.
- Improved Power management is needed as this is a scarce resource and unevenly distributed, especially in suburban areas.
- Reduction of ecologically hostile consumption to be a concern of every citizen in all aspects of their lives.
Involving the Media
- Using Mass Media e.g. TV, radio and newspapers to spread information on schemes and programmes.
- Press as Monitoring and Reporting Agency for spreading knowledge about success stories and benefits, as well as highlighting deficiency in specific cases of implementation.
Others
- Employment via compulsory employment of at least 33% women workforce in all Government and private companies
- Child Care support via state-of-the-art crèches for working womens children
- Population Control via restriction on amenities available from the Government to those who have more than two children, as well as incentives to keep the family small.
- Surrogate Guardians for Disabled by volunteering to visit families with such children once a day to provide support at nominal fees.
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Contributed by:
Akhilesh Sharma, Bhavesh Gandhi, Samir, C C Dayal, C R Ramakrishnan, Delphine Swasbrook, Dhirendra Krishna, Dr Jayant Sathe, Jitendra Chitnis, Capt. Johann Samuhanand, Dr.Muhammad Mukhtar Alam, K G Misra, Kapil, Dr. Leo Rebello, M D Kamdar, Madhavi Daruwalla, Madhu Agrawal, Mayraj, Nayan Shah, Nikhil, Nina Kapasi, Punam Navare, PurnimaToolsidass, Ramgopal, S. M. Acharya, Sheel, Ravi Srivastava, Shirin, Dr. Shirish Naik, Smita Shah, Sonya Wadhwani, Tanya Mahajan, Vag Shantharam Shenai and Vidushi.
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How You Can Get Involved
Readers are invited to write in to info@karmayog.org if:
– you have a big or small idea to share that would impact the city
– you have an implementation strategy for any of the ideas listed here
– you have already implemented some of the ideas listed here
– you would like to get involved and volunteer in initiatives to implement these ideas
– you can provide resources and support to those who implement these ideas
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For more information on Civic Issues and other city initiatives undertaken by NGOs and individuals, see www.karmayog.org.
Send your views and news to info@karmayog.org . Karmayog, Shreeniwas House, 2nd floor, H. Somani Marg, Fort, Mumbai 400001. Tel: 22000478 / 22013535. Fax: 22035410.
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