Excerpt from CG+, reported by Vibha Singh on March 20, 2010: Read Full Article

Twenty thousand one hundred sixty litres of water everyday. How much water is that? For an area battling water scarcity, where every drop counts, it has to be a lot in quantifiable terms. Thirty seven school students from class 5 in the Marathi-medium municipal school in Deonar  colony have made their school change its water consumption habits.

The persistence of these class 5 students (above) got their teacher Dr Seema Chudekar (right) to start them off on a water saving project. They began with  measuring the water lost through leaking taps in their school

Just how big is the feat? Considering that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), on an average, supplies 90 litres of water per person per day; the quantity of water saved by the group is enough to meet the water needs of 200 people. In times of severe water crisis, it’s an example worth emulating.

Suprabha Marathe, executive engineer, rainwater harvesting and water conservation cell of the BMC said, “Considering that the BMC supplies 90 litres of water per person per day, the savings brought about by the students will prove sufficient to take care of water needs of 200 people.”

Excerpt from CG+, reported by Sudhakar Anchan on January 09, 2010: Read Full Article

On the complaint of an accused, Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) laid a trap at Deonar police station and caught sub inspector Mohan N Bobade accepting a bribe of Rs 5,000.

Bobade was caught red handed on December 29 by ACB officials. ACB’s police inspector Pratibha Munde said, “We caught the sub inspector red handed while accepting the bribe from the complainant.”

The complainant, Ramesh Kumar Rathod (52) who owns ‘Rathod Grihavasthu Bhandar’ at Building No 92, Shop No 6 in Mankhurd said, “On November 23, Deonar police arrested me for illegally selling Bharat Gas, as I only had the license for Century Gas.

Excerpt from Mumbai Mirror, as told by Lekha Menon On January 16, 2010: Read Full Article

Nisa Godrej swaps balance sheets for a session of story telling at Jafari English High School, Govandi, as part of the TFI initiative….

As executive vice president, business development, Godrej Industries, Nisa Godrej is hardly new to presiding over meetings, issuing orders or commanding attention in clinical settings.

But on Friday, the 30-year-old Harvard graduate was a tad nervous before stepping into one. Reason? Her audience were not suited-booted executives, but a class full of boisterous, noisy and energetic eight-year-olds.

It was quite a change of role for Nisa who played teacher to Class 2 students of Jafari English High School in Govandi. She was there as part of Teach For India’s (TFI) efforts to get sector leaders engaged in the issue of education inequality. The visit also served as a unique finale for the 2009-2010  Fellowship recruitment campaign which ends on January 17.

The contrast couldn’t have been more striking. Here was a corporate hotshot educated in some of the world’s best institutes and on the other hand, were students, hailing from middle to lower-middle class backgrounds in one of the poorest suburbs of the city. But for once, the ‘teaching session’ that lasted almost an hour showed how corporates could effectively contribute towards change, if motivated in the right direction.

The excitement ran high in the corridors  as Nisa entered the premises. Clad in a striking black dress, she had an interesting task ahead of her - to read out a chapter from a story book and interact with students. And the lesson for the day was surely a far cry from balance-sheets and bottomlines that the Godrej scion must be used to - about a pup, Pepper, that has three cakes, ignoring his mom’s advice and falls ill.

Accompanied by a TFI ‘fellow’, Neha Jain, a former publishing industry executive who had given up a corporate career to become a teacher in the school, Nisa soon overcame her initial inhibition and mixed freely with the kids - reading out to them, asking them questions, complimenting them and engaging in light banter. Soon, she had the girls eating out of her hands.

Excerpt from Mumbai Mirror, reported by Nazia Sayed on December 31, 2009 , Read Full Article

The Shivaji Nagar and Deonar police, who have together registered the maximum number of cases against the water mafia in the city, have themselves come under the scanner for alleged water-related offences.
It has been found that both these police stations have set up booster pumps in their premises to enhance water supply. What’s more, the water connection to these two police stations is itself questionable.

The booster pump (circled and right) seen in the premises of the Shivaji Nagar Police Station

Since November, the Deonar police seized 17 booster pumps and arrested 22 people for illegal water theft, while the Shivaji Nagar police confiscated 164 booster pumps and arrested 104 people.

Business Development Executive
Experience : 0 – 2 Years
Location : Mumbai, Mumbai Suburbs
Compensation : Comparable in the Industry
Education : UG – B.Pharma – Pharmacy,B.Sc – Any Specialization
PG – M.Pharma – Pharmacy,M.Sc – Any Specialization,MBA/PGDM – Any Specialization
Industry Type : Pharma/ Biotech/Clinical Research
Role : MR Exec./Mgr
Functional Area : Marketing, Advertising, MR, PR
Posted Date: 28 Dec

Job Description

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Desired Candidate Profile

• - Smart, Dynamic and Enthusiastic with the urge to get things done.
• - Should have strong customer service orientation.
• - Fluency in English is essential.
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• - Gender – NO Bar.

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Universal Medicare is one of the country’s leading providers both in therapeutic & non therapeutic segments with a workforce of diverse skills, resources and capabilities. We offer a platform to perform in today’s rapidly changing healthcare environment.

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contact details

Company Name:
Universal Medicare Pvt Ltd

Address:
Universal Medicare Pvt Ltd
Capsulation premises,Deonar,Sion-Trombay Road
MUMBAI,Maharashtra,India 400088

Telephone:
91-22-66478484

Excerpt from Mumbai Mirror, reported by Nazia Sayed and Geeta Desai on December 29, 2009 : Read Full Article

Woman drawing water from an illegal well in Mankhurd

The polio-causing virus passes from infected faecal matter, contaminates ground water and finds its way into humans though the mouth.

Driven by sheer desperation caused by an unprecedented water crisis, residents in Shivajinagar, Deonar, Trombay and Mankhurd, have resorted to digging illegal wells in their own backyard and drinking poisonous water — almost 70 per cent of which is contaminated with the deadly enterovirus which causes polio.
Not only that, WHO tests carried out on the samples from these wells, have revealed the presence of other crippling viruses too — hepatitis and cholera to name two.

Consuming this deadly cocktail every day makes the people vulnerable to a number of diseases, but none as grave as polio, which has technically no cure, and to eradicate which the government has spent nearly Rs 26 billion till date.

As reported in TOI by Sukhada Tatke on 16 December 2009

The BMC may have decided to get tough with defaulters, but it can’t ignore the fact that over 20% of the city’s water supply is lost due to leakage and pilferage. In the backdrop of the water crisis, the civic body is now cracking the whip on illegal water connections that are mainly set up in slums. For the slumdwellers in the eastern suburb of Mankhurd, which holds the record for the maximum number of FIRs and complaints against pilferage, this is the only way to get water.

Across Anna Bhau Sathe Nagar in Mankhurd, hundreds of women queued up outside their homes to fill a few buckets of water that will keep them going for the day. What’s surprising though, is that many aren’t aware that the connection is illegal, say social workers.

Residents have paid hefty amounts to the water “dalaals” or agents for their connection. “Each of us has paid Rs 5,000 to avail of these connections. Despite that, we have to struggle to get clean water. The pipeline runs along with the sewer passageway, and often, it enters the sewage gutter,” said a resident. Laxmi Waghmare. “Recently, we collectively paid Rs 25,000 to dig holes in the ground, so we can draw water from there.”

In December alone, the BMC filed eight FIRs against the residents at the nearby Shivaji Nagar police station. Another four FIRs for theft of water by fixing booster pumps in the vicinity were registered with the Deonar police station. (Mankhurd falls under both precincts.)

For the slum dwellers this is the only way they can get water. “We have paid money, but we get only 15 minutes of supply every day. Even if we are able to fill five vessels, we can survive the day,” said 45-year old resident Prema Kamble. With the BMC tightening its grip over illegal connections, the pipelines have been hidden lest they be seized. Simpreet Singh of the National Alliance of People’s Movement blames the water mafia for the pilferage. “At election time, promises are made that slums will get water, but nothing comes out of it,” said Singh.

As reported in www.indianexpress.com  on Wednesday, Dec 09, 2009

Three youths were arrested by the Deonar police for molesting a 20-year-old girl on Sunday. The incident occurred when the victim was on her way to Bainganwadi from Zakir Hussain Nagar. She had gone to the place to meet her boyfriend, however, the two got into an argument and she left the place alone, police said.

“On the way she was accosted by a man who asked her to accompany him and even offered Rs 1,000. The victim resisted and within a few minutes two other youths arrived on a bike. They took the victim on their bike to a deserted ground nearby,” said senior police inspector T Bhalerao of the Deonar police station.

According to the police, the youths took the victim behind a water tank at the ground where they tried to molest her. However, the girl’s boyfriend soon reached the spot. “After our fight I realised she had gone home alone and I set out to find her. I was passing the ground when I spotted a youth from my locality and heard some screams coming from behind the tank. I rushed there and immediately pushed the boys away from her,” the victim’s boyfriend said.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) proposes to set up a water treatment plant at Gorai dumping ground in order to use recycled sewer water to create greenery at Deonar dumping grounds and Gorai

The plant is likely to have a capacity to recycle five mld of water. Similarly, Deonar dumpyard will also be made greener by using recycled sewer water after setting up a plant, which can recycle 20 mld water.

According to sources, United Phosphorus, Kerala based POABS and Germany’s MDSE will be responsible for carrying out the work. Work on the plant at Gorai dumpyard is expected to start soon.

Meanwhile, the BMC also plans to make use of a five ha plot at the dumping ground by making a green open space and a golf club in future.

Excerpt from CG+, reported by Gita Hari on Saturday, July 18, 2009: Read Full Article

It came as a surprise when we spotted Bollywood actor K K Menon dining at a restaurant in Ghatkopar. Though it is not considered good manners to disturb a person dining out with his family, I could not resist going up to his table to congratulate him on his brilliant performance in the new Hindi flick Sankat City. He was affable enough to welcome me and we ended up with a long conversation, where he reiterated many of the things he has been trying to clarify about his recent films.

K K Menon and Rimi Sen in the famous garbage scene shot over Deonar Dump in the film ‘Sankat City’

Besides other things, the topic veered towards good cinema not doing good business and pat came KK’s outburst, “I have come to the conclusion that the audience is to blame for this. The fate of cinema, good or bad, lies fair and square on the audience. Hence I find it amusing/sad/frustrating when I hear comments like ‘it was a good film, but it didn’t do well’. To further my point, a few more questions. Why did Gulaal not do well? Why did Black Friday not do well? Why did Hazaaron Khwahishein Aisi not do well? So on and so forth…”