1) Centre must welcome suggestions from SC on marriages
It refers to the Supreme Court on July 12, 2018, asking the central government to consider making it compulsory for families to disclose the wedding expenditure by both sides of the families of bride and groom jointly to the marriage officer concerned. It will not only limit the wasteful expenditure at times due to social bindings on marriages but also effectively check unaccounted money being spent on marriage-related functions. It will also check the dowry-system and false claims made by bride-side in case of marital-disputes and divorces. Even a marriage-tax of say 10 per cent can be imposed in case expenses cross Rs 5 lakhs by one side as was suggested in a private-member bill introduced in Lok Sabha in February 2017.
Also considering large-scale wastage of food-items in marriage-celebrations, some legislation like that of Guest Control Order 1960 should be there. Union government should also study models of other countries like Pakistan where only soft drinks and beverages are allowed to be served in such functions. Even Afghanistan took measures to curb such mega-expenses on marriage-celebrations.
Bihar Chief Minister while attending marriages only without the dowry, rightly suggested to print on wedding-cards if marriage being without the dowry. Bihar Deputy Chief Minister in a departure from tradition, organised marriage of his son in the daytime without any pomp and show, ornate arrangements, musical bands or feasts requesting guests not to bring gifts. It may be recalled that the former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit pledged to boycott mega-budgeted functions. But otherwise, marriages in political families, in general, are ugly show wealth with leading politicians cutting across party-lines attending such lavish marriage-functions.
– Subhash Chandra Agrawal
2) A rapist should be hanged
Mahatma Gandhi said, “When a woman walks in the streets in the midnight, then only it means that we have achieved full independence in our country.”
However, nowadays the guidelines given by Mahatma are ridiculed in our society. Nowadays rape has become the fastest growing, most under-reported, and least punished crime in our country. Every day in every newspaper, the news of rapes, abductions, kidnappings, ragging, suicides due to rapes and raggings are published. Women, irrespective of their age, from two-year-old child to 80-year-old, are subjected to rape. A 2017 report by Global Peace Index had claimed India to be the fourth most dangerous country for women travellers. We bow our head with shame saying that today it’s very difficult for a girl to walk on the road not to talk about midnight even in daylight and to go to school even accompanying with his father or mother or sister. 80 per cent girls are facing eve-teasing activities every day. 75 per cent rape victims are stigmatised as they feel ashamed to share the incident with anyone and silently bears all they face. After every rape incident, many protests and a lot of promises are made to apprehend and punish the accused, the Legislatures bring new Acts and make amendments to the old laws but of no use. Considering the law a kid’s play rapists are increasing day by day and committing the crime publicly like they have no fear of being punished. There is no doubt to say “Rape is the worst sexual abuse against women”. It is a very heinous and brutal act. An animal is better than a rapist because the male animals do sex after accepting the female animal. To raze rape crime from the roots, there is only one solution that a rapist should be hanged publicly as so no one can dare to commit such heinous crime again by this rape crimes will automatically get reduced.
– Md Shahrukh Nadwi
3) Pipe burst shuts bridge, no water for residents
Parel, Dadar and Sion people were put to test because of the water pipe burst. Not only the Parel Bridge was shut, even the water supply to in and around the area was stopped because of the pipe burst. All these days, people were in trouble with rainwater accumulation and the wastage of water from the pipe burst is causing a problem. Mumbai monsoon musings continue to trouble the people in the main city. Water supply was affected as the leakage was discovered late in the evening and the leakage could not be plugged in time putting the people go without water from the night onwards. This is a regular feature and BMC should be able to avoid wastage of water and have maintenance of water sources in the city on regular basis. This is not the first time such things take place in the metro.
Nickhil Krishnan
4) Rain Returns
Mumbai monsoon is giving jitters to people this year also but fortunately, rain starts pouring from weekends. So the office goers are not in much trouble this time. As the rain arrives, the woes continue to take a toll. Tree fall, electrocution are the major problem this monsoon season. Central Mumbai was immersed with water and weather predictions came right for a couple of days. Manhole open danger continues to haunt people wading through rainwater in the streets. Drainage choking is the reason for waterlogging. BMC failed to understand the crux of the problem and initial rains cause water logging in many places. When it starts pouring cats and dogs, then we can imagine the position of the metro city. People risked their own lives to come on the streets. It is time for BMC to have more stringent measures and work round the clock with an emergency team during the monsoon rains.
– Anandambal Subbu
5) Abolish concept of foreclosure charges
Reserve Bank of India in an RTI response dated September 3, 2009, had mentioned that RBI does not approve the policy of foreclosure charges on pre-payment of loans, but keeping short of issuing any directives. But subsequently, foreclosure charges in respect of home loans were abolished by an RBI directive dated June 5, 2012, but only in respect of banks and not for Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFC). However, NBFCs themselves abolished foreclosure charges in respect of home-loans due to their competition with banks in loan-business.
RBI through its circular dated May 7, 2014, abolished foreclosure-charges for all types of loans given by banks to individuals followed by another circular dated July 14, 2014, abolishing foreclosure charges being charged by NBFCs from individuals also but only on loans with floating rate of interest. Both banks and NBFCs are taking exit routes by not abolishing foreclosure charges in case of others even like HUFs and individuals paying Equated Monthly Instalments (EMIs) from their proprietorship firms. Instead of doing away with anti-public Mahajan-like practice in a piecemeal manner, RBI should issue a directive to abolish the concept of foreclosure charges altogether for any category of loan-takers and for every type of loan including loans with fixed rates of interest both for banks and NBFCs.
– Madhu Agrawal
6) Multiplexes loot no more!
Maharashtra government must be complimented for their landmark decision which prohibits multiplexes from disallowing moviegoers to take their own food packets into cinema halls. Multiplexes had turned movies their secondary business and made exorbitant money out of selling foodstuffs which was a daylight robbery for moviegoers. Films and eating are people’s favourite activities in India and multiplexes took advantage by charging five times or more for both movies and foodstuffs sold at multiplexes.
The decision which now allows moviegoers to take their own food packets and water to theatres is right. Multiplexes might now increase movie ticket rates to compensate for the loss of business on foods sold and government now needs to put a cap on ticket rates to safeguard consumers’ interest. Multiplexes should reduce rates on food sold at multiplexes so that people enjoy their movie outing in the true sense without bothering about costs and carrying their own food packets to theatres. Reduced food cost would actually increase sales and profits for the multiplexes!
– S.N.Kabra
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
