If past performance and service to the community are to decide who is to be the Mayor of a city, Manzoor Ahmad would undoubtedly be the next Mayor of Lucknow.
He is a retired 1966 badge IPS officer. Before that he was lecturer in Magadh and Bihar University. He has worked as SP and SSP in 7 districts, then as DIG and IG of Bareilly and Meerut zones.
Consequently, he remained Vice Chancellor of Agra University for four years. He was with Ministry of Welfare in Central Government and served anohter tenure with Ministry of Education as OSD with Jamia Millia Islamic (1985-88).
All the new courses in Jamia including Engineering and Science faculty were started under him so much so that Jamia saw transformation from a small institution to a reputed university during his period. He then went to reshape the Punjab Waqf Board where he started technical institutions, schools, colleges and computer centers at various places. The madrasas were modernized through giving computers.
In Lucknow, he was the first to open an ITI for poor children at Iradat Nagar. Then for girls, he started a craft center at C-Block, Indira Nagar and was also instrumental in setting up of Lucknow Institute of Management and Computer Studies. Other than this, he started a CBSE school in Mewat and another at Gopalganj in Bihar.
Even after keeping such high profile jobs, he is a down-to-earth, straightforward and honest person who says that he is 'a public servant and not politician'. Leave politics for the rest.
He is worried about the problems faced by Lucknowites and says that all the civic amenitis are for 20-30% of population. This cannot be possible, as the filth and dirt of the rest of the 70-80% area will eventually engulf the posh areas. In no way is he willing to compromise on the heatlh and hygiene of the city, as this is the real cause 'of the city's happiness'.
Showing posts with label Oct 21. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oct 21. Show all posts
Saturday, December 2, 2006
1054 Vs. 1 but US still feels 'threatened'
It was the United States which detonated the first atomic test on July 16, 1945 with the code name 'Trinity'. It was the United States which dropped the first and only nuclear bombs to be dropped in history, on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It is the United States which has carried out more than 1054 tests by official counts, followed by Soviet Union with 715 tests, France 210, UK 45, China 45, India 6 and Pakistan 4. And it is the United States which ironically has the biggest problem when North Korea conducts a low-intensity test, citing strong-arm tactics of none but United States as reasons for conducting the test.
What should a country like North Korea do if it feels threatened? The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty allowed only five states to own nuclear weapons. They are France, China, Soviet Union (now Russia), the United Kingdom and the United States. Incidentally, members of this Club of Five are permanent members of the United Nations as well. The big brother attitude of these states was evident during the UN Security Council Meeting as well where nobody was willing to give a patient hearing to the points raised by North Korea. After all, why should there be some 'nuclear haves' with the rest nations falling in 'have not' category? US will have to answer!
If the US is so serious, why is it not ratifying the comprehensive agreement that will take care of all aspects of nuclear technology? India, Pakistan and North Korea have till now rejected the CTBT blaming US which has signed the CTBT, but not ratified it. If certain countries want to set up comprehensive, all pervasive mechanism to monitor nuclear power states, why is US not agreeing to it?
The fact that treaties too have not been adhered to by these 'big five' was evident when the partial tests ban treaty, framed in 1963, which only permitted underground tests was not adhered to by France and China. France continued with atmospheric testing until 1974 and China carried on till 1980.
With US's policies on creating a unipolar world with itself as the leader and its enthusiastic fforts in the past to capture control on oil and gas known to the world, how a country feeling 'threatened' by the mighties power (some say 'goonda') of the world should reach needs to be debated now.
HOPE THE US JOINS IN THE DEBATE!
What should a country like North Korea do if it feels threatened? The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty allowed only five states to own nuclear weapons. They are France, China, Soviet Union (now Russia), the United Kingdom and the United States. Incidentally, members of this Club of Five are permanent members of the United Nations as well. The big brother attitude of these states was evident during the UN Security Council Meeting as well where nobody was willing to give a patient hearing to the points raised by North Korea. After all, why should there be some 'nuclear haves' with the rest nations falling in 'have not' category? US will have to answer!
If the US is so serious, why is it not ratifying the comprehensive agreement that will take care of all aspects of nuclear technology? India, Pakistan and North Korea have till now rejected the CTBT blaming US which has signed the CTBT, but not ratified it. If certain countries want to set up comprehensive, all pervasive mechanism to monitor nuclear power states, why is US not agreeing to it?
The fact that treaties too have not been adhered to by these 'big five' was evident when the partial tests ban treaty, framed in 1963, which only permitted underground tests was not adhered to by France and China. France continued with atmospheric testing until 1974 and China carried on till 1980.
With US's policies on creating a unipolar world with itself as the leader and its enthusiastic fforts in the past to capture control on oil and gas known to the world, how a country feeling 'threatened' by the mighties power (some say 'goonda') of the world should reach needs to be debated now.
HOPE THE US JOINS IN THE DEBATE!
It is gambling season, folks!
It is a universal obsession! But come Diwali and Indians appear to beat all the rest of the world combined in the art of gambling. Crores of rupees are put up on stake and while winners appear to be reveling in the new-found wealth, losers don’t seem to mind it.
It is curious to note that the traditional game of dice, which evidently became responsible for all the hardships that Pandavas faced, and eventually led to the war of Mahabharata, became an obsession to such an extent that nobody seems to mind the loss, just for the sake of recreation or keeping the tradition alive.
Today, gambling is not restricted to dice alone. Internationally famous gambling options like casino games, baccarat, keno, pachinko parlours (of Japan) and various options of Poker may not be too common here, but Indians have devised their own wagering options.
So if the Bombay Stock Exchange Sensex has hit an all-time high, even crossing the previous record of 2,612 points in May this year, this ‘Diwali Dhamaka’ could be attributed to Indians penchant to gamble this season.
Satta is being put on the ongoing civic elections in UP with bets on who is going to win, who is going to be runners-up and even who will be the last. As per information available with Hi Time Express, several crore of rupees are on stake during the elections in Lucknow and Kanpur alone.
To take advantage of the season, horse racing has been revived in Lucknow for the season this Sunday and the President of Lucknow Race Fund (LRF) Brigadier SK Khajuna and President of Genesis Club Pankaj Rastogi, are gearing up to ‘sell the races’ all over the country. We need not have to specify what ‘selling the races’ stands for!
Perhaps realizing the enormous potential that this ‘gambling’ season has for Indians, even ICC has organized the Champions Trophy during this month alone, as the build-up is taking place prior to Diwali and the important games are scheduled after Diwali. Even if ICC won’t like to associate with betting, the more the gamblers, the more will be the sale of tickets.
All this, when sports betting is a crime in India! But despite its unlawful nature, sports betting is prospering by the day in India and authorities have been unable to check its increase, leave alone curb it.
Most of sports betting in India is restricted to Cricket alone. This betting has seen several new entrants during the ongoing Champions Trophy, owing to its closeness with Diwali. More than 200 crore rupees worth of money is riding on the series and as the matches get bigger, more money is likely to float in. As of now, Australia is the favourite with India at close second. Sachin Tendulkar is joint favourite to top score at 11/2 (6.50), along with Ricky Ponting of Australia. At the same time, Brett Lee is favourite to be the top wicket-taker, at 100/30 (4.33) while Shoaib Akhtar is 6/1 (7.00), Shane Bond 7/1 (8.00) and Harbhajan Singh 8/1 (9.00) while Irfan Pathan is languishing at 12/1 (13.00).
Various sites like sportsbetting.com, cricinfobetting.com or freebetting.net has brought in credit card payments to betting, adding to the uneasiness of the regulatory authorities. Some of these sites even give options to bet on how much runs would be scored in a particular over, how many runs will a particular player make or will a batsman make more than 34 runs or less than 30 runs.
Wonder what the authorities are doing to check this, considering we journos have access to so much of information!
Box 1
In mechanical or electronic gambling such as lotteries, slot machines and bingo, the results are random and unpredictable; no amount of skill or knowledge (assuming machinery is functioning as intended) can give an advantage in predictability to any one.
However, for sports events such as horse racing and cricket matches, there is some predictability to the outcome; thus a person with greater knowledge and/or skill will have an advantage over others.
Box 2
Psychological aspects
Though many participate in gambling as a form of recreation or even as a means to gain an income, gambling, like any behaviour which involves variation in brain chemistry, can become a psychologically addictive and harmful behaviour in some people. Reinforcement phenomena may also make gamblers persist in gambling even after repeated losses. Because of the negative connotations of the word ‘gambling’, casinos and race tracks often use the euphemism ‘gaming’ to describe the recreational gambling activities they offer. Howsoever they name it, the number of houses that keep getting ruined, every year, right from the time of Pandavas, and lately through lottery and other means, is a reminder that we should try to check this menace, as early as possible.
It is curious to note that the traditional game of dice, which evidently became responsible for all the hardships that Pandavas faced, and eventually led to the war of Mahabharata, became an obsession to such an extent that nobody seems to mind the loss, just for the sake of recreation or keeping the tradition alive.
Today, gambling is not restricted to dice alone. Internationally famous gambling options like casino games, baccarat, keno, pachinko parlours (of Japan) and various options of Poker may not be too common here, but Indians have devised their own wagering options.
So if the Bombay Stock Exchange Sensex has hit an all-time high, even crossing the previous record of 2,612 points in May this year, this ‘Diwali Dhamaka’ could be attributed to Indians penchant to gamble this season.
Satta is being put on the ongoing civic elections in UP with bets on who is going to win, who is going to be runners-up and even who will be the last. As per information available with Hi Time Express, several crore of rupees are on stake during the elections in Lucknow and Kanpur alone.
To take advantage of the season, horse racing has been revived in Lucknow for the season this Sunday and the President of Lucknow Race Fund (LRF) Brigadier SK Khajuna and President of Genesis Club Pankaj Rastogi, are gearing up to ‘sell the races’ all over the country. We need not have to specify what ‘selling the races’ stands for!
Perhaps realizing the enormous potential that this ‘gambling’ season has for Indians, even ICC has organized the Champions Trophy during this month alone, as the build-up is taking place prior to Diwali and the important games are scheduled after Diwali. Even if ICC won’t like to associate with betting, the more the gamblers, the more will be the sale of tickets.
All this, when sports betting is a crime in India! But despite its unlawful nature, sports betting is prospering by the day in India and authorities have been unable to check its increase, leave alone curb it.
Most of sports betting in India is restricted to Cricket alone. This betting has seen several new entrants during the ongoing Champions Trophy, owing to its closeness with Diwali. More than 200 crore rupees worth of money is riding on the series and as the matches get bigger, more money is likely to float in. As of now, Australia is the favourite with India at close second. Sachin Tendulkar is joint favourite to top score at 11/2 (6.50), along with Ricky Ponting of Australia. At the same time, Brett Lee is favourite to be the top wicket-taker, at 100/30 (4.33) while Shoaib Akhtar is 6/1 (7.00), Shane Bond 7/1 (8.00) and Harbhajan Singh 8/1 (9.00) while Irfan Pathan is languishing at 12/1 (13.00).
Various sites like sportsbetting.com, cricinfobetting.com or freebetting.net has brought in credit card payments to betting, adding to the uneasiness of the regulatory authorities. Some of these sites even give options to bet on how much runs would be scored in a particular over, how many runs will a particular player make or will a batsman make more than 34 runs or less than 30 runs.
Wonder what the authorities are doing to check this, considering we journos have access to so much of information!
Box 1
In mechanical or electronic gambling such as lotteries, slot machines and bingo, the results are random and unpredictable; no amount of skill or knowledge (assuming machinery is functioning as intended) can give an advantage in predictability to any one.
However, for sports events such as horse racing and cricket matches, there is some predictability to the outcome; thus a person with greater knowledge and/or skill will have an advantage over others.
Box 2
Psychological aspects
Though many participate in gambling as a form of recreation or even as a means to gain an income, gambling, like any behaviour which involves variation in brain chemistry, can become a psychologically addictive and harmful behaviour in some people. Reinforcement phenomena may also make gamblers persist in gambling even after repeated losses. Because of the negative connotations of the word ‘gambling’, casinos and race tracks often use the euphemism ‘gaming’ to describe the recreational gambling activities they offer. Howsoever they name it, the number of houses that keep getting ruined, every year, right from the time of Pandavas, and lately through lottery and other means, is a reminder that we should try to check this menace, as early as possible.
Clean Lucknow: When and How
If there is anything that the Lucknowites can take pride in, it would be ‘Lucknow: The City That Was’. This is so because the present day Lucknow, with all its filth, garbage, sewers, open drains, dirty water, bad roads and unhygienic conditions, has not much to boast about.
So when several like-minded people assembled at City Montessori School’s Gomti Nagar Branch, in a joint program organized by Lucknow Management Association and Kabir Shanti Mission, headed by the District Commissioner, Rakesh Kumar Mittal, one had the opportunity to dream of a Lucknow without all the evils mentioned in the previous paragraph.
Problems and their likely solutions were discussed. People renowned for their dedicated work in the field of health and hygiene, including Dr. Upendra Kumar of Destination Lucknow Manch, Rambodh Mourya, City Commissioner, Jyant Krishna of Lucknow Management Association, Dr. Alok Dhawan, Scientist with ITRC, J.C. Singhal, Chief Engineer of Jal Nigam, Navin Joshi, the Resident Editor of Hindustan and a senior citizen SP Kalsi, alongwith RK Mittal representing Kabir Shanti Mission – the organizer of the evening – put forward their views in front of an audience comprising the who’s who of the city. Jagdish Gandhi, renowned preacher of right living and founder of City Montessori School too was there on stage. AP Verma, Ex. Chief Secretary UP, presided over the function.
Professor Jamal Nusrat’s book ‘Pani Ki Talash’ too was launched on the occasion. The book highlighting the various needs and usage of water has been published by Kabir Shanti Mission.
Dr. Upendra Kumar highlighted the need to make Lucknow more livable including better law and order situation as well as better living conditions.
RK Mittal, known as he is for seeing the glass half full rather than half empty, talk of the ongoing endeavours to transform the face of Lucknow.
City Commissioner Rambodh Maurya, who has taken over the responsibility of handling the municipal affairs of Lucknow after a successful tenure in the same area in Ghaziabad, further highlighted the present problems in his usual humorous though candid tone. “When I tried to get into the problem, I found that whatever is needed to make a city clean, nothing has been done. This belies the view that Lucknow is a developed city,” said Mr. Maurya further citing that Lucknow has a population of more than 30 lakh which gives out 500 mld sewer water but the present treatment is of 40 mld. “Ravana of pollution has to be killed,” Mr. Maurya added.
Dr. Alok Dhawan and Dr. VP Sharma spoke on Solid Waste Management and how this could problems afflicts the city. Dr. Dhawan’s speech was aimed at sensitizing the citizens of Lucknow, with visual proofs of all his claims. Citing that not much is being done in the city, he said that ‘without scavengers we wont be able to live in this city.’ The hazard of plastic waste too was discussed and the speech ended with the one-liner, “Failure is not an option!!”
Jayant Krishna, President of Lucknow Management Association talked of solutions that look simple but are rather overlooked. He cited the quote of Russell, a European visitor to Lucknow in 1858 who had said: “Not Rome, not Athens, not Constantinople. Not any city I have seen appears to me as striking.” Yet we lost out somewhere and other Indian cities constantly moved ahead to leave Lucknow behind.
Navin Joshi further highlighted the plight saying that Lucknowites have do not value the citizenship. Nobody drives in a line, people have lost patience, none is bothered about city’s hygiene and nobody’s head bends down in shame.
All appeared united on the need to clean Lucknow. When and how is the million rupee question that needs to be answered!
So when several like-minded people assembled at City Montessori School’s Gomti Nagar Branch, in a joint program organized by Lucknow Management Association and Kabir Shanti Mission, headed by the District Commissioner, Rakesh Kumar Mittal, one had the opportunity to dream of a Lucknow without all the evils mentioned in the previous paragraph.
Problems and their likely solutions were discussed. People renowned for their dedicated work in the field of health and hygiene, including Dr. Upendra Kumar of Destination Lucknow Manch, Rambodh Mourya, City Commissioner, Jyant Krishna of Lucknow Management Association, Dr. Alok Dhawan, Scientist with ITRC, J.C. Singhal, Chief Engineer of Jal Nigam, Navin Joshi, the Resident Editor of Hindustan and a senior citizen SP Kalsi, alongwith RK Mittal representing Kabir Shanti Mission – the organizer of the evening – put forward their views in front of an audience comprising the who’s who of the city. Jagdish Gandhi, renowned preacher of right living and founder of City Montessori School too was there on stage. AP Verma, Ex. Chief Secretary UP, presided over the function.
Professor Jamal Nusrat’s book ‘Pani Ki Talash’ too was launched on the occasion. The book highlighting the various needs and usage of water has been published by Kabir Shanti Mission.
Dr. Upendra Kumar highlighted the need to make Lucknow more livable including better law and order situation as well as better living conditions.
RK Mittal, known as he is for seeing the glass half full rather than half empty, talk of the ongoing endeavours to transform the face of Lucknow.
City Commissioner Rambodh Maurya, who has taken over the responsibility of handling the municipal affairs of Lucknow after a successful tenure in the same area in Ghaziabad, further highlighted the present problems in his usual humorous though candid tone. “When I tried to get into the problem, I found that whatever is needed to make a city clean, nothing has been done. This belies the view that Lucknow is a developed city,” said Mr. Maurya further citing that Lucknow has a population of more than 30 lakh which gives out 500 mld sewer water but the present treatment is of 40 mld. “Ravana of pollution has to be killed,” Mr. Maurya added.
Dr. Alok Dhawan and Dr. VP Sharma spoke on Solid Waste Management and how this could problems afflicts the city. Dr. Dhawan’s speech was aimed at sensitizing the citizens of Lucknow, with visual proofs of all his claims. Citing that not much is being done in the city, he said that ‘without scavengers we wont be able to live in this city.’ The hazard of plastic waste too was discussed and the speech ended with the one-liner, “Failure is not an option!!”
Jayant Krishna, President of Lucknow Management Association talked of solutions that look simple but are rather overlooked. He cited the quote of Russell, a European visitor to Lucknow in 1858 who had said: “Not Rome, not Athens, not Constantinople. Not any city I have seen appears to me as striking.” Yet we lost out somewhere and other Indian cities constantly moved ahead to leave Lucknow behind.
Navin Joshi further highlighted the plight saying that Lucknowites have do not value the citizenship. Nobody drives in a line, people have lost patience, none is bothered about city’s hygiene and nobody’s head bends down in shame.
All appeared united on the need to clean Lucknow. When and how is the million rupee question that needs to be answered!
Betting Hits India
Sub-head: Authorities helplessly watch bookies having a field day
Bookies in the country never had it so good. To add to their glee, their international counterparts have joined them, taking up positions in the country’s top hotels. ICC Champions Trophy is what has brought them here. And Diwali is the season when even those uninvolved would like to bet. Rumour mongers have a field-day with stories of involvement of few prominent business persons, politicians and bureaucrats circulating. Betting, though illegal in India, is prospering as the authorities watch helplessly considering the influence and position of people involved.
Crores and crores of rupees are up on stake. Prominent restaurants and social clubs transform into meeting points where people from all walks of life come to bet. For them betting is fun, to some passion, unmindful whether they would win or lose, while the bookies just have to perform one work after it is all over – walk their way to the bank.
Be it Lucknow or Kanpur or the bigger metros like Bangalore and Mumbai, it is happening everywhere. Even smaller cities are not left out. Punjab and cities like Jaipur are lucrative places for ‘business’. And Delhi is the hub. The only blessing-in-disguise being that other crimes have come to a standstill, as betting promises far more money than ransom, supari killing or trafficking.
Moreover, money is safe due to the long reach of the mafia involved and due to fact that the white-collared businessmen and others involved wont like to involve themselves in the mess. Therefore, they prefer to pay silently!
All leading gangs, their top bosses, and mafia is involved. It is perhaps the best organized crime in India involving the high society, businessmen and other prominent persons. The entire network runs on the phone or the internet. And if you wish to bet, you cannot enter the game unless you know an introducer, already involved in the business.
Authorities are well aware! They are ‘keeping a vigil’ but can do nothing. No big fish will be caught. No network exposed. Such is the scare of the bigwigs involved in the business of betting.
Bookies in the country never had it so good. To add to their glee, their international counterparts have joined them, taking up positions in the country’s top hotels. ICC Champions Trophy is what has brought them here. And Diwali is the season when even those uninvolved would like to bet. Rumour mongers have a field-day with stories of involvement of few prominent business persons, politicians and bureaucrats circulating. Betting, though illegal in India, is prospering as the authorities watch helplessly considering the influence and position of people involved.
Crores and crores of rupees are up on stake. Prominent restaurants and social clubs transform into meeting points where people from all walks of life come to bet. For them betting is fun, to some passion, unmindful whether they would win or lose, while the bookies just have to perform one work after it is all over – walk their way to the bank.
Be it Lucknow or Kanpur or the bigger metros like Bangalore and Mumbai, it is happening everywhere. Even smaller cities are not left out. Punjab and cities like Jaipur are lucrative places for ‘business’. And Delhi is the hub. The only blessing-in-disguise being that other crimes have come to a standstill, as betting promises far more money than ransom, supari killing or trafficking.
Moreover, money is safe due to the long reach of the mafia involved and due to fact that the white-collared businessmen and others involved wont like to involve themselves in the mess. Therefore, they prefer to pay silently!
All leading gangs, their top bosses, and mafia is involved. It is perhaps the best organized crime in India involving the high society, businessmen and other prominent persons. The entire network runs on the phone or the internet. And if you wish to bet, you cannot enter the game unless you know an introducer, already involved in the business.
Authorities are well aware! They are ‘keeping a vigil’ but can do nothing. No big fish will be caught. No network exposed. Such is the scare of the bigwigs involved in the business of betting.
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