1) Penalty for min balance must go
It refers to the shocking report about total Rs 4,988 crores imposed by all banks including the private and public-sector banks with a major share grabbed by the private-sector banks. Major share in such penalty is for not keeping a minimum balance in the accounts. At a time where the central government is insisting on banking transactions with an introduction of zero-balance bank-accounts under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, it should be ensured that the requirement of Minimum-Balance in all types of bank-accounts for both public and private sector banks be abolished.
Private banks have too many hidden charges including various types of penalties with different rate-structures. Department of Financial Services – DFS and Reserve Bank of India should introduce common rates of penalties imposed by the banks. The private and public sector banks should compete through better services rather than having the right to impose penalties as a measure to increase profitability to counter losses due to Non Performing Assets. Common man must not suffer through money-minting penalties to counter losses due to NPAs.
– Madhu Agrawal
2) Leopard attacks in Mumbai
Wild animal attacks in the metropolitan cities are not a rare phenomenon and Mumbai is no stranger to this as well. Over the years, there have been various attacks by leopards in the city of Mumbai. Not only has this created panic amongst the Mumbaikars but also it puts a question on the security of lives. We give you some incidents when leopard attacks in certain areas of Mumbai caused havoc.
In July 2018, after a series of thefts at Unit 7 in Aarey Milk Colony, a local resident installed CCTV cameras to capture cat burglars in the act. However, he was shocked when the camera caught a completely different sort of cat. When stray dogs started barking, the residents thought it was a thief, but instead saw the big cat prowling in the lanes near their homes. The leopard was spotted on camera. Without wasting any time, he informed his neighbours about the animal’s presence and warned them to be more vigilant while stepping out of the house.
It was heartening to note that the leopard population is rising and it is an encouraging one. Residential places like Mulund and Aarey Milk Colony are facing regular visits of the man-eating animal disturbing the lives of common man. Nearly 41 leopards were identified across the width and breadth of the peripheral area. The database should carry an exact record of the animal and the survey should be a proper one. This is a sad state of affairs as the authorities in charge do not have the correct count at Sanjay Gandhi National Park, near Mulund.
The authorities should be in a position to have a count and make the spotted wild cats go round that area rather going out for food and maul the residents in the vicinity. Forty-one wild cats in an area of 140 square kilometres carry security risk. But human life is lost in such visits by the leopard and people living in these areas just pray to God for their safety risking their lives by going out at night. This is not the first time that such thing is happening and the authorities in charge of these animals should make them wander inside an iron railing so that it will not harm the public in any way.
Men trying to save human lives and pets get attacked by the leopard and suffer serious injuries. Residential places in Aarey Milk Colony and Mulund are being frequently attacked by the wild animal and the Sanjay Gandhi National Park authorities are brushing it aside saying that the animal had strayed into the complex searching for food. At times, human life is lost during man-animal conflicts. This is giving residents sleepless nights. It is high time that the authorities must pay heed to this fact and find a permanent solution before the situation goes out of hand. We have to preserve the wildlife, but not at the expense of human life.
– Anandambal Subbu
3) Government proposes, Marathas disposes
Maratha stir started peacefully but turned out to be a violent one and the government machinery failed to arrest the mob lighting police vehicles and buses. It was a pathetic sight to watch people being put to test. Now, after all the happening, the Maharashtra Chief Minister was willing to have a meeting to defuse the situation. The Commission’s report holds importance as it was specifically asked to give evidence of social and economic backwardness of the Marathas, and it will be submitted to the HC, which has stayed the 16 per cent reservation for them. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis called for an all-party meeting and it is the right approach. The government is ready with a proposal but the Marathas take the laws into their own hands and made a mess of things by damaging the public property. It is indeed a pathetic position.
– Chitra Rugmini
4) Monsoon sickness worry Mumbaikars
Cholera cases are on the increase in the Metro city and that is causing concern. Avoiding consumption of roadside food and drinks, particularly those mixed with ice, and staying alert to fevers after walking on flooded roads is a precaution. Doctors also warned against self-medication. The monsoon hit Mumbai may cause initial hiccups. Health protection during monsoon season is of utmost importance. Contamination of drinking water and walking through waterlogged roads are among the two main health concerns for Mumbaikars this monsoon. People going through the motions during the monsoon season suffer in one way or other. Water contamination leads to Cholera, Dengue, Malaria and Swine Flu and other water-bound diseases make people sick most of the time. It all starts from a common cold leading to a cough and viral type of fever hitting all over the metro city. Leptospirosis cases are also on the increasing causing concern all the time. It is time to treat the diseases with care and consult a specialist doctor without wasting time by simply experimenting with homemade medicines.
– C.K. Subramaniam
5) Airborne diseases hit most
The freshness of the air in your environment has a fundamental impact on the quality and length of your life. Air is more a necessity of life than either food or water. Imagine living in a city where a grey-brown, noxious haze or smog permeates. Imagine that its streets are filled with jam-packed traffic, a slow-moving assembly of vehicles which spew unhealthy exhaust fumes of carbon monoxide and other harmful chemicals. The air is not pleasant to inhale and it gives you breathing trouble, makes you cough and wheeze. Your eyes water, your nose runs and you have headaches. Many regular walkers would have experienced all this. The level of dangerous particles in the air you breathe in Mumbai has risen drastically in the last couple of years. Construction gains momentum and the people are put to test.
– MR Jayanthi
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
