Firoz.T.Totanawala The Bangalore Metro Reporter SERVICE TAX DEPT SEEKS BACK INFORMATION FROM THE RTI APPLICANT

BY FIROZ.T.TOTANAWALA 

Service Tax Department seeks back information from the RTI applicant 

If we think that all the departments that function under the Government at least have the data and information of the various agencies associated with them, it will be a shock to know that this is not true. 

 I filed an RTI with Service Tax Department seeking certain information about the two companies namely ECIL & CMS who executed Kaveri Project (Computerisation Project). 

I requested them to provide me the details as to when did the said companies register itself with the Service Tax Department, the Date and amount of service Tax paid by them. 

 Shockingly, the (CPIO) Service Tax Department, sent me a letter asking me to provide them the address and Service Tax Code number of M/s CMS, which as per my RTI request, has executed the Kaveri Project. The said company is required to be registered with them and they should be holding all the necessary details of the company. In stead, they asked me to provide them the details. 

 This is the way a department functions. 

Firoz.T.Totanawala The Bangalore Metro Reporter WILL REDDY BROTHERS RESIGN? CBI PROBE AGAINST REDDY MINES:

FIROZ.T.TOTANAWALA     

THE BANGALORE METRO REPORTER   

CBI PROBES AGAINST REDDY MINES: 

 WILL REDDY BROTHERS RESIGN? 

 The AP Government has ordered a CBI probe into the Obalapuram Mining Company bowing to the opposition demand. As usual Janardhana Reddy the Boss of Reddy Brothers who own the OMC, has welcomed the enquiry. As the OMC concerns both Karnataka and AP, the move has serious political repercussions. 

The Reddy Brothers who own the OMC will be facing the heat turned on them by the CBI. 

The Reddy Brothers who are controlling the Karnataka government and arm twisting the AP government, will have much to explain to the CBI. Morality and propriety demands Reddy Brothers to resign their ministerships during the enquiry. and one can not expect the Reddy Brothers to follow such good customs and traditions. 

The CM B.S. Yeddyurappa too is not in a position to ask them to resign.

Firoz.T.Totanawala WHEN A LIZARD CAN, WHY CAN'T WE?

FIROZ.T.TOTANAWALA

WHEN A LIZARD CAN, WHY CAN'T WE? 

 This is a true story that happened in Japan. In order to renovate the house, someone in Japan breaks open the wall. Japanese houses normally have a hollow space between the wooden walls. When tearing down the walls, he found that there was a lizard stuck there Because a nail from outside hammered into one of its feet. He sees this, feels pity, and at the same time curious, as when he checked the nail it was nailed 10 years ago when the house was first built. 

What happened? The lizard has survived in such position for 10 years!!!!!!!!! 

In a dark wall partition for 10 years without moving, it is impossible and mind-boggling. Then he wondered how this lizard survived for 10 years!!!  Without moving a single step--since its foot was nailed! 

So he stopped his work and observed the lizard, what it has been doing, and what and how it has been eating. Later, not knowing from where it came appears another lizard, with food in its mouth. Ah! He was stunned and touched deeply. For the lizard that was stuck by nail, Another lizard has been feeding it for the past 10 years… 

Imagine? It has been doing that untiringly for 10 long years, without giving up hope on its partner. Think, will you do that to your partner? 

Imagine what a small creature can do that a creature blessed with a brilliant mind can't. As information and communication technology advances, our access to information becomes faster and faster. But the Distance between human beings . . . is it getting closer as well? 

Please never abandon your loved ones Never Say U R Busy When They Really Need you ... You May Have the Entire World at Your Feet..... But You Might Be The Only World To Them.... 

A Moment of negligence might break the very heart which loves you through all odds.. Before you say something just remember…It takes a moment to Break but an entire life to make... To Live Use Heart and to Survive use Brains. Then Life would be a paradise Unfurling only Love Joy and Happiness..... 

Live life and not merely survive.....

Firoz.T.Totanawala The Bangalore Metro Reporter INSULT TO THE KANNADA LANGUAGE By Pitney Bowes’ Franking SILENCING THE MOTHER TONGUE KANNADA IGNORED BY KANNADIGA OFFICIALS

BY FIROZ.T.TOTANAWALA

THE BANGALORE METRO REPORTER

 

 Insult to the Kannada Language By Pitney Bowes’ Franking 

SILENCING THE MOTHER TONGUE

KANNADA IGNORED BY KANNADIGA OFFICIALS 

 This is the month of celebrations; especially, the celebrations devoted to the cultural activities of the people of Karnataka, their spoken language, that is, Kannada and its promotion, which is the pride of Kannadigas. 

But some departments have determined to undermine the celebrations when the Kannada development activists and protectionists are striving to get the classical language’s status and recognition for Kannada. 

As a case of ‘insult to injury’, the Inspector General of Registration and C Stamps and the Revenue Secretary to the Government have brought out the unique process of franking the amount collected on the document sheets effective 2nd November, 2009 with much fanfare. 

But without even paying due attention to the non-inclusion of the words in Kannada for 

[1] the department’s name, 

[2] the amount paid, 

[3] ‘Karnataka’ and 

[4] ‘Bharat’, which are either in English or Hindi. 

Only the English and Hindi are distinctively seen, but nothing in Kannada. 

This is what the proud Kannadigas, namely, Sri Niranjan Das, the IGR & CS, Sri Parshwanath, the Revenue Secretary and other senior officials have given as a gift to the Kannadiga brethren during the ‘Rajvotsava’ celebrations. 

It is understandable that the company, whom the contract for franking was given to, is a foreign based one and what goes beyond ones understanding is that the blunder of omission was committed by none other than our own Kannadigas. 

Only the words in English and Hindi languages are visible neglecting the use of Kannada in its franking, the act of which has hurt the feelings of the Kannadigas and brought an insult to their language, which they love most. 

It is high time that the Kannada development activists and protectionists taught appropriate lessons to the responsible babus for their dereliction.

Firoz.T.Totanawala I CLOSE MY EYES AND REALISE MY FRIENDS ARE MY ENERGY. THANKS FOR BEING MY FRIEND....

FIROZ.T.TOTANAWALA

I CLOSE MY EYES AND REALISE MY FRIENDS ARE MY ENERGY. 

THANKS FOR BEING MY FRIEND....

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door. 

SON: 'Daddy, May I ask you a question?' 

DAD: 'Yeah sure, what it is?' replied the man. 

SON: 'Daddy, how much do you make an hour?' 

DAD: 'That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?' The man said angrily. 

SON: 'I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?' 

DAD: 'If you must know, I make Rs.100 an hour.' 

SON: 'Oh,' the little boy replied, with his head down. 

SON: 'Daddy, may I please borrow Rs.50?' The father was furious, 'If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I work hard everyday for such this childish behavior.' The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money? 

After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think: Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that Rs.50 and he really didn't ask for money very often.

The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door. 'Are you asleep, son?' He asked. 'No daddy, I'm awake,' replied the boy. 'I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier' said the man. 'It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the Rs.50 you asked for.' The little boy sat straight up, smiling. 'Oh, thank you daddy!' He yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills. The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father. 'Why do you want more money if you already have some?' the father grumbled. 'Because I didn't have enough, but now I do,' the little boy replied. 

'Daddy, I have Rs.100 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? 

Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.' The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness. It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. 

Do remember to share that Rs.100 worth of your time with someone you love. 

If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than to our family. When I find myself fading, I close my eyes and realize my friends are my energy. 

Thanks for being my friend........... 

Firoz.T.Totanawala TV REPORTING KEE BANGI....

FIROZ.T.TOTANAWALA

TV REPORTING KEE BANGI....

Here's how the Indian TV news channels would report the Jack and Jill nursery rhyme.  All names (except those of Jack and Jill), are fictitious. 

 Prashant - TV Anchor Two persons have been injured in a freak climbing accident. Jack and his companion Jill had gone up a hill to fetch a pail of water when Jack fell down and broke his crown. Jill came tumbling after. 

 Live from the hill, our reporter, Amrita Shah, takes up the story. Amrita Shah Thank you Prashant. Well, as you say, two persons - Jack and Jill - had gone up a hill to fetch a pail of water. Suddenly, Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after. 

Prashant. Prashant Thank you Amrita. What do we know about the hill? Amrita Not too much. Jack was going up the hill to fetch a pail of water when he fell down and broke his crown. Jill came tumbling after.

[Headline appears at the foot of the TV screen: hill breaks crown of pail-boy Jack] Prashant What news of Jack and Jill? Amrita Prashant, it seems that Jack had gone up the hill to fetch a pail of water. We know nothing about the pail, or how heavy it was but it seems that Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after. 

I have here with me, an eyewitness to the accident, Mr Shahid Trivedi. Mr Shahid, tell us what you saw. Shahid Trivedi Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after. 

 [Headline appears at the foot of the TV screen: Boy and girl tumble down hill. Water spilled] Amrita Jack and Jill. What do we know about them? Are they brother and sister? Are they married? Just what were they doing on the hill together? Shahid Trivedi Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail a water. Amrita And what happened next? Shahid Trivedi Jack fell down and broke his crown Amrita Go on. Shahid Trivedi And Jill came tumbling after. 

Amrita Prashant, there you have it. Two people innocently going about their business to fetch a pail of water when one of them falls down, breaks his crown, and the other comes tumbling after.

Back to you in the studio Prashant. 

 [Headline appears at the foot of the TV screen: Water errand ends in tragedy] Prashant I have with me in the studio now, Professor Chandrashekar Belagare from the Indian Institute of Applied Hill Sciences. 

Professor: a hill; Jack; Jill; a pail of water. A tragedy waiting to happen? Professor Well that depends on the hill, the two persons, the object they were carrying and the conditions underfoot.

Let us look at the evidence so far. Jack and Jill Went up the hill To fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down And broke his crown And Jill came tumbling after. 

Clearly, one would suspect that if Jacks fall was severe enough to break his crown then the surface of the hill must have been slippery or unstable. But I think were overlooking something quite fundamental here. Who was carrying the pail? Jack fell down and broke his crown and this is the key Jill came tumbling after. 

If Jack and Jill had been carrying the pail together, would they not have fallen at the same time?

The fact that Jill came tumbling after suggests that Jack lost his footing first and perhaps knocked Jill over as he slipped. Prashant Professor thank you very much. So there we have it, two persons Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after. 

Later in the programme, Osama bin Laden captured in Afghanistan, President Bush says rent-boy menage-a-trois was "just a brief lapse of judgement", and Pakistan launches nuclear warheads against key Indian cities. But next up, join us after the break for a studio discussion about hills, boys and girls and whether water-fetching trips should be supervised. 

Well be right back...

Firoz.T.Totanawala The Bangalore Metro Reporter FLOOD RELIEF POLITICS YEDDY Government Vs REDDY Government

FIROZ.T.TOTANAWALA

THE BANGALORE METRO REPORTER

FLOOD RELIEF POLITICS 

YEDDY GOVERNMENT Vs REDDY GOVERNMENT 

 While the Chief Minister B.S Yeddyurappa is leaving no stone unturned to mobilise as much crores as possible as donations to flood victims relief fund from the companies through requests,threats and coercion, the Reddy Brothers who have revolted against B.S Yeddyurappa, have already started building houses to the flood victims caring two hoots for the CM. 

They are functioning as a parallel Government. They have taken up building 50 thousand houses in Bellary, Raichur, Koppal and Gadag districts from thier own money and through contributions from other mine owners worth 600 crores. at the same time, they are mobilising legislators and Ministers to remove B.SYeddyurappa from the CM posts. as on now, the state is being fury between YEDDY Government and REDDY Government...

Firoz.T.Totanawala The Bangalore Metro Reporter B.SYeddyurappa-K.Rosaiah axis

FIROZ.T.TOTANAWALA

THE BANGALORE METRO REPORTER

B.S Yeddyurappa- K.Rosaiah axis: 

Hunters becomes hunted... 

Karnataka Chief Minister B.SYeddyurappa wanted to put an end to the dominance of Reddy Brothers to save his Gaddi. 

At the same time, the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K.Rosaiah wanted to remain in the Gaddi by warding off Jaganmohan Reddy, the son of Y.S Rajashekara Reddy who is posing a threat to his position. and both the Reddy Brothers and Jaganmohan are business partners. both the CMs have evolved a game plan to finish off the threats by taking action against Reddy Brothers in tandem. but the question is how far they succeed in thier game plan given the political and monetary clout enjoyed by Reddy Brothers and Jagan mohan.....

Firoz.T.Totanawala The Bangalore Metro Reporter REDDY BROTHERS DOUBLE RULE:

FIROZ.T.TOTANAWALA

THE BANGALORE METRO REPORTER

REDDY BROTHERS DOUBLE RULE: 

 BJP IN KARNATAKA CONGRESS IN ANDHRA PRADESH 

 The Bellary Reddy Brothers have created an unprecedented record in political mamourves in the Country. They are ruling the State and have converted BJP into Bellary Janardhana Reddy Party. At the same time, the BRBs have become the decisive factor in AP politics and are leading the lobby to make Jagan Reddy, the Son of Y.S Rajashekara Reddy, as the CM of AP. 

 Infact, a large number of Congress MLAs owe allegiance to BRBs and as such BRBs role in Congress Party in AP, to say the least, dominant.In a way, the BRBs are leaders of BJP and the BJP Government in Karnataka while they are the acknowledge congress leaders in AP! This double role in Politics is never heard of in the history of Indian politics, nay, the World politics.......

Firoz.T.Totanawala The Bangalore Metro Reporter THE BAAP OF TELGI SCAM (THE STAMP PAPER SCAM IS BACK AGAIN) SECURITY FEATURES MISSING

FIROZ.T.TOTANAWALA

THE BANGALORE METRO REPORTER

  

Shockingly, the Stamp Papers in various denominations are printed by different private printers in different styles.

 We observed the following differences in Stamp Papers.

 1)    5th March 2004- The Stamp Papers are very light in colour, signed as proper officer/ SS number.

On the top it is written as “Issued by State Bank of Mysore on Behalf of Government of Karnataka, Certified that a sum of Rs. 20/= (Rupess Twenty only) has been paid towards Karnataka Stamp duty by Sri….. The figure 20 is also printed in all the 4 corners in black colour. In addition, the logo of SBM is clearly visible in the middle of the stamp paper header. However, the mark of Government of Karnataka is missing.

2)    Now look at another Rupee 20/- Stamp paper of 15th June 2004. All the features are different on this stamp paper. It is dark in colour, signed as Authorized Agent to collect stamp duty on behalf of Government of Karnataka.

On the top it is written as (left side) Government of Karnataka, Registration & stamp department & (right side) Issued by State   Bank of Mysore, Certified that a sum of Rs. 20/= (Rupees Twenty   only) has been paid towards Karnataka Stamp duty by Sri….. Also Rs. 20/= in figure printed in all the 4 corners here is in white colour. In addition, the SBM logo is shifted on the top of the stamp paper and the trade mark of Government of Karnataka is also visible.

3)    Further, please refer to the website of Department of Stamps & Registration and check their comments about fake stamp paper. The department website says that genuine adhesive stamps, stamp papers and non judicial stamp papers have the following features. Impressed papers of lower denominations are in uniform colour with water mark of Ashoka pillar and the words Satyam evajayate on the plain part of it in Devanagari Script. None of these security features are seen in SBM stamp papers.

4)    Now see the original stamp papers which are from Government printing press Nasik. All the above mandatory security features are available.

Firoz.T.Totanawala The Bangalore Metro Reporter THE BAAP OF TELGI SCAM (THE STAMP PAPER SCAM IS BACK AGAIN) NO RECONCILIATION

BY FIROZ.T.TOTANAWALA

  

THE BANGALORE METRO REPORTER

 

THE BAAP OF TELGI SCAM

(THE STAMP PAPER SCAM IS BACK AGAIN)

THE 2nd BLUNDER-

NO RECONCILIATION

When, the Government had planned to stop the sale of Stamp Papers in wake of Telgi Scam, the SBM was invited to submit a proposal with regard to collection of Stamp Duty by issuing receipts on behalf of the Government. The SBM then submitted a proposal on 05/04/2003 to IGR & CS. It is but obvious that there has to be a serious discipline in maintaining the records of these transactions and also in reconciliation. However, it is saddening that there has been a terrible lapse in reconciliation of the records.

In its proposal dated 05/04/2003, the SBM had clearly offered to submit daily scrolls of the transactions to the attached Sub-Registrar and Regional Office on daily basis for reconciliation; and to IGR & CS once a month. It proposed that “ At the end of every working day, the Bank will submit a scroll either electronically or by hard copy, giving the details of transactions like the receipt numbers, name of the depositors, amount deposited etc”. The same was also insisted by the IGR & CS. However, the SBM has never sent daily scrolls to its attached Sub-Registrar and Regional Office. 

According to the Note issued by the District Registrar on 21/02/2004, it states that,” However, the requirement is that a scroll of the remittances should be sent to the Treasury and the RO at the end of each day as per the Oral Agreement. The Bank is also expected to send a consolidated scroll of all the payments made in all the branches to the IGR & CS at the end of the month. This is not happening in practice at present. Thus there is no reconciliation of the payments and the Sub Registrars certify the payment on the basis of the receipts produced by the party to the document without any verification. There would be a disastrous situation, if the receipt is faked and there is no way to verify”.

Further, it was also required to send monthly transaction details every month to IGR & CS for verification and record. However, the SBM also failed here. It sent the monthly scroll to IGR & CS for a month or two only. 

The note by the District Registrar clearly states that “The arrangement with the SBM was to give a consolidated statement along with scroll, every payments of the state to the Directorate of Treasury and to the IGR & CS also. However, this is also not happening at present except for the month of April or so (2004). As a result we are the department is in dark as to the exact duty collected in this case. 

This also means the Sub-Registrar also has no knowledge about the stamp duty collected and also there is a very high chance of manipulation of amount by the SBM staff since there is no daily reconciliation. For e.g., Rupees 1,00,000/- received as Stamp duty can be recorded as Rupees 10,000/- since there is no daily scroll submitted and reconciliation is not done everyday.

What is more worrying is that it is almost impossible to reconcile the records now since there have been serious lapses in the procedure. In the initial stage itself, while authorizing the SBM to collect Stamp Duty, the arrangement was made in such a way that each designated area will have a Sub-Registrar and that particular SR will be attached with an SBM branch in that area. Now any public, who desire registration in a particular area, should only approach the SBM branch of that particular area for payment of duty. Further, every SR was instructed to accept the receipt of Stamp Duty only from their respective attached and designated SBM branch. However, due to public pressure, the Sub-Registrar collects receipts issued by any of the SBM branch. This will never allow a reconciliation since no one can know which receipt issued by bank has gone where. The same is also stressed by the District Registrar in his Note dated 21/02/2004.

Indeed, there could be manipulation to the tune of several crores and that simply means the Government losing its revenue and the public money going to crooks.

We filed an RTI with the SBM on 20/04/2009, asking them to give us Copies of Reconciliation of accounts of every year starting from 01/04/2003 up to 31/03/2009. The Bank replied to us on 19/05/2009 saying that “This is to be done by IGR & CS”.

Then, we filed an RTI with IGR & CS on dated 27/05/2009, asking for the Copies of the Reconciliation of Accounts every year from 01/04/2003 up to 31/03/2009. Interestingly or rather shockingly, the IGR & CS wrote a letter to SBM directing them to give the reconciliation copies since these details are with them. They issued us a copy of the same letter in reply to our RTI.

The state also has no means of verifying the exact amount of stamp duty collected and also stamp papers sold for the purpose of Non-Registerable articles like agreement, power of attorney’s bonds etc. as reconciliation has not been done for the last 6 years. Again, there is no chance of any foreseeable reconciliation in days to come in the absence of submission of daily scrolls by the Banks to the Sub Registry offices.

Consequently, since there is no reconciliation with any Government department, hence, the figures claimed by the SBM, whether true or false have to be accepted by the department. Now that leaves the ball in the court of SBM and they can disclose the amount they feel the Government deserves in respect of registration charges.

Firoz.T.Totanawala The Bangalore Metro Reporter THE BAAP OF TELGI SCAM (THE STAMP PAPER SCAM IS BACK AGAIN)

BY FIROZ.T.TOTANAWALA

 

THE BANGALORE METRO REPORTER 

                  THE BAAP OF TELGI SCAM

(THE STAMP PAPER SCAM IS BACK AGAIN)

With the exposure of Kareem Telgi stamp paper scam, the Government decided to do away with the Stamp Papers with effect from 01/04/2003. 

While this was a prelude to abolition of the Stamp Papers legally, and the law legislated by the state waited for the Presidential assent. As an immediate alternative, the State Government made arrangements with the State Bank of Mysore for payment of duty through its branches and its subsidiaries in the state. But what happened then, is astonishing. Perhaps more serious then the impact of Kareem Telgi Scam itself.

The Beginning-

The Kareem Telgi fake Stamp Paper scam was out as the citizens watched the manipulation of public money in horror. The Karnataka State Government panicked and issued notifications saying that it has banned the sale of Stamp Paper and in stead, authorized State Bank of Mysore to collect Stamp Duty on behalf of the State Government.

The Kareem Telgi Scam appears quite small compared to the scam our elected authorities have conducted. There are multiple blunders in accrued in this scam which makes it indeed more powerful, more corrupt, more deadly, and more manipulative than the Kareem Telgi Scam. And most importantly it is by our own authorized officials, who are liable for safeguarding the public treasury.

THE 1st BLUNDER- NO WRITTEN AGREEMENT 

The State Government had banned the use of the Stamp Papers from 01/04/2003 and implemented various temporary alternatives to select the best feasible one as a solution. It authorized the SBM to collect the Stamp duty from 01/05/2003; however, the SBM had already started collecting Stamp Duty from 01/04/2003. Besides, most shocking is the fact that the State Government never entered into an agreement with the Bank but the permission was all on verbal discussions. 

According to the Note issued by the District Registrar on date 21/02/2004, it is clearly mentioned in point Number 2-b, that “ It is further confounding that the Department has no written agreement with any Bank and it is suggested that we should impose our authority on SBM under a written agreement”.

In addition, an RTI issued by the IGR & CS on date 16/01/2007 enquiring about the Agreement/ MoU with the Bank also states that No such MoU has been executed.

This clearly states that the Government has no written agreement with the Bank with regard to authorizing the SBM to collect Stamp duty on behalf of the State Government.

Again, we filed an RTI with SBM on 20th April 2009, asking for the Government Order Copies permitting your Bank (SBM) to print & sell Stamp Papers in Various denominations. In reply, the SBM gave us a copy of a letter No STP:99:02-03 DATED 26/03/2003 issued by IGR & CS to their Bank. However, when we verified the letter we realized that it is only a mere proposal and not an Order. It is also clearly mentioned in the proposal letter that the Government Order will be issued detailing the mechanism of operation.  

Further, another RTI issued by IGR & CS says that the Government has finally issued an order No. 255 dated 07/05/2007 to SBM for printing and selling the Document Sheets. However, the said order is not an order but merely a letter stating that the Government will pay 1% commission to SBM for the Stamp Duty collected. Clearly, there is no mention of any agreement/MoU entered between the Government and the SBM. 

Most importantly, even if we consider it as a Government order to Print and Sale the Stamp Papers/ Document Sheets, then it is issued on 07/05/2007. Then what about the Stamp Duty paid in Crores of rupees for a span of over four years? What were the officials doing until now? Legally, entire dealings and collections without any authorization from Government can be considered Null and Void.

When Kareem Telgi was caught, the Government banned the Stamp papers. But now, when the Government and its Subsidiaries are caught in this scam, who will restore justice.

Firoz.T.Totanawala WHY INDIAN CRICKET IS IMPROVING?

FIROZ.T.TOTANAWALA

Have you even wondered why Indian Cricket is improving compare to other sports in India like Football and Hockey?

watch on................

Firoz.T.Totanawala The Bangalore Metro Reporter KUTTO HUMSE MAT SEEKHO

By Firoz.T.Totanawala

THE BANGALORE METRO REPORTER

 KUTTO HUMSE MAT SEEKHO

 Dogs, the renowned faithful friend of man have off late adopted a tremendous change in their behavior. Like many other things, they have changed as well. Not only they are in news for fatal attacks, they have also become an intense fear for mankind.

INFLUENCE OF ROWDISM

We never saw dogs living and moving about in groups like us, earlier. However, they have perhaps realized the power of unity (which human beings unfortunately have not) and live together now, and this is rather dangerous. Perhaps they have learnt the basics of rowdism to live and attack in a group. Obviously, a man fears when they are in a group, and if they wish to attack or make fun out of a man, they can do it fearlessly. The outcome could be even fatal.

Often we see dogs in a group, ferociously barking, single or collectively, and chasing the vehicles that pass by them. Imagine the condition of the person driving and in the case of two wheelers, it is heart throbbing. When chased by dogs, a person in fear may ram into any obstacle. He may even fracture himself or run over somebody. But, why would the dogs bother.

BBMP EXCUSES

When BBMP officials were questioned about the problem, they said, it is very difficult for them to catch these dogs because they recognize the dog catching van and run away. Like the criminals in men who escape unhurt, the ferocious and mischief-makers in dogs actually escape and hide in the by lanes when hunted. Again, like the innocents men trapped in place of criminals, either by mistake or as scapegoats, the decent ones in dog community face the penalty. 

The citizens however are frustrated. Few blame the animal welfare association and few of them said the BBMP picks up dogs from one area and releases them into another. There is mere exchange of dogs because they observe this change in their area once or twice annually. Consequently, the troublemakers remain in the society and the problems continue to prevail.

AN INTERESTING MYSTERY

Incredible is while these dogs linger around our houses, we presume that they are our safeguards and will keep vigil of our houses. Yet, none of them has ever proved to be. They interestingly keep quite or disappear when thieves strike. May be the dogs know the thieves and cooperate, or may be they are bribed to silence, or perhaps the criminals know how to handle dogs like they handle police, the reason behind this is indeed a mystery which should be discovered. 

This has a striking similarity to that of our Political leaders and police. While we presume that they are our safeguards and will help us in difficulties, no body is available at the time of crisis. In fact, the harsh reality is that they are a part of the crimes. 

SOURCE OF KNOWLEDGE

What is wondering is that how these dogs adopted this behavior. Where did they learn this? Since wicked politicians and men often keep dogs as pet, are they the source of their learning? 

CONCLUSION

Whatsoever, streamlining the entire stray dog population is essential or else, like the murders that are common now, the dogs taking lives of human beings will also appear in the sporadic incidents column.

Firoz.T.Totanawala The Bangalore Metro Reporter PEHCHAAN KAUN? AAY HAI CHAKKE!

FIROZ.T.TOTANAWALA

THE BANGALORE METRO REPORTER

PEHCHAAN KAUN ? 

AAY HAI CHAKKE!

"Ay chikne, chal maal nikaal ". 

Does this send a chill down your spine?  Beware when you are commuting, for Bangalore is witnessing a critical change in the begging field. Eunuchs, an offbeat category of humankind, renowned for their rigidity are the latest trend in the business of begging that will mature into a social nuisance soon.

 Have you ever been confronted by a eunuch? If not, you are lucky, but it may not be for long. Eunuchs, rejected by the society unanimously have ventured into this endeavor in order to earn their livelihood. The regular beggars now have a tough competition.

 

Lehenge ke andar kya hai?

 Be it a signal, a junction, or a traffic halt, eunuchs are all ready for the opportunity. They target posh commuters in a car or even on two wheelers who appear to be smart and hailing from IT sector. First, they approach with a straight request- "De De Raja", and if you try to ignore them, they make a scene out of you on the road. They may grab your collar, massage you on your face, poke their fingers in your tummy, giggle you, and if you are lucky, the lehenga goes up. They also do many a thing that I cannot write here. Sorry for that, but you please imagine it yourself.

 Ek rupiya kya deta hai ?

 People often do not indulge in any friction with them out of the fear of embarrassment, and straight way hand over them a sincere donation. Interestingly, like beggars, you cannot deal with them in small coins. After all, they belong to a peculiar class they claim is higher then that of beggars. Besides your reputation and embarrassment is also at stake and they therefore demand more from you and never settle for small denominations. "Ek rupiya kya deta hai dus rupiya la de", the famous song from a music album plays in your mind, and of course, you are not amused.

 Eunuchism = Forceful collection

 The core beggars rather have a considerate approach. They respectfully plead you for a charity in the name of God, and believe in "Jo de uska bhi bhala jo na de uska bhi bhala". Where as the approach of eunuchs are rather demanding, threatening and embarrassing. Forget about not giving, even if you give, and that is little, then you face the tandem. Free face massage, sometimes even abusive words, and myriads of poor species of mosquitoes sacrifice their lives in the argument. In short, they literally take citizen for a ransom and there is nobody who seems to be bothered about this growing public nuisance.

 

Immediate Regulation

 On the contrary, perhaps our irrational notions have resulted in such a complex society that often we do not accept the reality. Eunuchs are a reality, they very much exist in our society and they are increasing in numbers. It is high time that the concerned authorities intervene and come out with an amicable solution to streamline these eunuchs thereby curbing the harassment of the innocent citizen.

Alternative for Livelihood

 Why not employ them in a selected field. Why not invite their association and encourage them to initiate and carry on with a kind of work they are able to execute. They obviously need a living to live, so direct them to earn it sincerely. This is the initial period of their growth, therefore streamline them immediately or else they will acutely establish themselves into unhealthy practices of earning livelihood. That of course will eventually make them a social nuisance.

 Oh, wait a minute. Who will do this? Will the Government or any concerned agency come forward to the rescue of innocent citizen? No one knows when that will happen. Until then every one will commute with a fear of humiliation by a eunuch any time. So keep the change of HIGHER denominations ready.

Firoz.T.Totanawala The Bangalore Metro Reporter THANKS TO RTI ACT 2005

BY FIROZ.T.TOTANAWALA 

THE BANGALORE METRO REPORTER 

THANKS TO RTI ACT 2005

 I have brought to light and exposed the Stamp Papers Scam, i.e., printing and selling of Stamp Papers without any appropriate authorisation, which has been done by the State bank of Mysore since 2003. Thanks to the RTI Act of 2005, without which it was not at all possible for me to obtain the relevant information pertaining to the scam. I had filed more than 25 RTI applications with various government departments, which are well connected and responsible to supervise and monitor the functioning of the State Bank of Mysore as far as the printing and selling of the stamp papers are concerned and to reconcile the revenue derived from it. 

 I had to struggle a lot because of the lackadaisical attitude of each of the departments and non-cooperation shown to me in the first instance, misinterpretation of the questions that were asked by me and provision of the irrelevant and misleading information to me thereafter. I had been attempting to get the appropriate information relentlessly from every other department and my repeated attempts made me stronger every time I approached them. My act of comparison of the information collected from various departments since more than a year and scrutinising the same with utmost patience revealed the discrepancies committed by the State Bank of Mysore and the lethargic attitude of the supervisory bodies, which led to the rebirth of yet another scam in different shape and style immediate after the surfacing of the Telgi’s. 

The information collected from the filing of the RTI applications was forwarded to the Honorable Prime Minister, Honorable Finance Minister, the Governor, RBI, the Director General, India Security Press, Nashik, the CBI, Bangalore, the Banking Ombudsman, Bangalore and others concerned immediately for their information and needful action in this regard. 

 Last but not the least, it’s all happened due to the implementation of the RTI Act and its easy access and availability to the common man in the form of a simple tool, but with powerful claws and unparalleled sharpness, which can penetrate into the darkness of other side of the bureaucracy. But I have a doubt about the outcome of this scam as to whether this too would face a slow death leaving the culprits escape scot free without getting punished. Let us wait and see!

Firoz.T.Totanawala The Bangalore Metro Reporter THANKS TO RTI ACT 2005

BY FIROZ.T.TOTANAWALA 

THE BANGALORE METRO REPORTER 

         THANKS TO RTI ACT 2005

I have brought to light and exposed the Stamp Papers Scam, i.e., printing and selling of Stamp Papers without any appropriate authorisation, which has been done by the State bank of Mysore since 2003. Thanks to the RTI Act of 2005, without which it was not at all possible for me to obtain the relevant information pertaining to the scam. I had filed more than 25 RTI applications with various government departments, which are well connected and responsible to supervise and monitor the functioning of the State Bank of Mysore as far as the printing and selling of the stamp papers are concerned and to reconcile the revenue derived from it. 

I had to struggle a lot because of the lackadaisical attitude of each of the departments and non-cooperation shown to me in the first instance, misinterpretation of the questions that were asked by me and provision of the irrelevant and misleading information to me thereafter. I had been attempting to get the appropriate information relentlessly from every other department and my repeated attempts made me stronger every time I approached them. 

My act of comparison of the information collected from various departments since more than a year and scrutinising the same with utmost patience revealed the discrepancies committed by the State Bank of Mysore and the lethargic attitude of the supervisory bodies, which led to the rebirth of yet another scam in different shape and style immediate after the surfacing of the Telgi’s. The information collected from the filing of the RTI applications was forwarded to the Honorable Prime Minister, Honorable Finance Minister, the Governor, RBI, the Director General, India Security Press, Nashik, the CBI, Bangalore, the Banking Ombudsman, Bangalore and others concerned immediately for their information and needful action in this regard. 

 Last but not the least, it’s all happened due to the implementation of the RTI Act and its easy access and availability to the common man in the form of a simple tool, but with powerful claws and unparalleled sharpness, which can penetrate into the darkness of other side of the bureaucracy. But I have a doubt about the outcome of this scam as to whether this too would face a slow death leaving the culprits escape scot free without getting punished. 

Let us wait and see!

http://www.mid-day.com/news/2008/mar/1044061.htm

http://www.mid-day.com/news/2008/mar/1044061.htm

Firoz.T.Totanawala ARE INDIAN ROADS MEANT FOR FUNNY RIDE?

BY. FIROZ.T.TOTANAWALA

Are Indian Roads meant for funny ride? 

 An auto-rickshaw was seen plying on the Bangalore’s busiest road driven by a person carrying another. So what is the fun in it? Both the passenger and the driver are not Indians, but foreigners! The auto-rickshaw bearing Kerala registration number plate – KL 01 AS 6644, was driven by a foreigner, who was in an attire similar to one worn by the auto-rickshaw drivers in Kerala less the ‘Khaki’ shirt with the baggage on top of it, was seen moving in a dilly-dallying manner on the busiest Sankey Road, which shows lack of experience of the driver in driving and maneuvering the vehicle. 

The question is how did they get the vehicle and from where. Is this not violation of traffic rules? Indians if involved in such an act abroad, will they be spared leniently?