the U P wonder

modi jee pulled it off . 80% plus. unbelievable ? yes. for all . till a few hours back.

but it is a reality now. no use disbelieving. better to assimilate. and try to analyse.

the facts first. 80% plus seats in the assembly election. similar number in the parliament elections two years back. so it is a solid foundation . no passing wave or anti incumbency as many of us  would like to deceive ourselves. fact number two. no communal divide. muslims voted hindus as their MLAs . and probably vice versa at least in a few cases. those the dalits sent  to the assembly are definitely not all dalits .  if there was any divide ever it is surely something else . not communal. fact number three. no communal card. election campaign was a near wonder. in spite of the sure fire  lure , the communal card was never played up. except may be a few instances like the kasab comment. which is more a play with words than an attempt to incite communal feelings. fact number four . no violence worth the name. the entire election process was almost devoid of violence. which again is unbelievable given the history of elections in the country and in U P .

all these in spite of the fact that demonetisation was an unqualified failure .

so let us start the dissection . last in first out. demon was indeed a failure . some knew it for certain. many had suspicion. a lot more people didn't bother. but almost every one thought it was time for such actions. impatience of waiting for too long was palpable. failure didn't bother them . after all it is rare that they see success . in personal life or in the public domain. but what they despised most is probably the tendency to use the risk of failure as an excuse for inaction .

now rest of the facts. the only common point is that there was a massive polarisation . on what lines or terms is not  clear.  rich versus   poor ? had it been the case the communist parties should have got at least a thousand votes in total. middle class consolidation ? difficult as they are the most unlikely class to stick together.
the third option . probably we have all along been misreading the people. to feed our own prejudices. to serve our own partisan ends. we have been keeping the people in this imaginary mould   which we have designed for them. we have been feeding them opium. of the dalit minority mix. to keep them in slumber. and someone has woken them up all . in one big shout. and they went directly to the voting booths.   electorate in UP and erstwhile UP made it very clear thru the ballot . and that way made themselves role models for the rest of the country . who enjoyed calling UP  undeveloped , communal , violent , uneducated and what not .

here is a personal experience before signing off. i was in lucknow for a few years. we visited varanasi a few times with  family. the great temple indeed was an experience. much bigger in size than the guruvayoor temple in kerala. same air of divine grace  if not more.
we went to the mosque  deep inside the temple complex too . with police guarding the entire route. we went in and out just like any other tourist. none raised an eyebrow . neither the muslims nor the hindus. and i belong to neither of the group.

coming out of the temple complex we went to a few shops outside.  almost the entire circumference of the circular temple complex is occupied by   thousands of shops . dealing in pan to sweets to curios. i had known that these shops are all run by muslims. i talked to a shop keeper. i asked the old gentle man  ' how come you are all muslims around this famous hindu temple here ? don't you feel any threat ? aren't you aware of the great tension ? '

he looked at me with unconcealed anger . his answer which is  reproduced below with which i sign off may give some clue to the question we discussed in this article.

' i am sure you are not from this part of the country . it is aliens like you who create all the troubles. we have no such problem. we live in perfect peace. this is our bread. and those on the other side never give us even an annoying glance ....   get out of here. quick . before the people get wind of your evil designs and react... . for the security of the small  kids in your group. if not for anything else'

വല്ലപ്പോഴും നമുക്കാവാം

വിക്കുന്ന വാക്കൊന്നും പോരാ

ചുമ്മാതുമ്മയും വേണ്ട

ഒന്നിച്ചിരുന്നാലും പോരാ

ചൂരലും മുളവടിക്കൊന്നും

ഊരിയ പത്തലു കൊള്ളാം

നാറും തെറികളും പറ്റും

മാറ്റി നിർത്തുന്നത് കൊള്ളാം

കൂടെ കൂട്ടാതെയും നോക്കാം

പത്ര പ്രസ്താവന പോരാ

നേരിട്ടു തന്നെ പറയാം

ചർച്ചകൾ ചാനലിൽ പോരാ

ചോദിക്കണം നേരെ നേരേ

ഇന്നലെയുമിന്നും പോരാ

നാളെ വേണം മറ്റേന്നാളും

അങ്ങനെയങ്ങു മറന്നാൽ

പിന്നെയെന്തുണ്ടിനി ഓർക്കാൻ

ഒത്തിരി കരുതല് വേണ്ട

നീട്ടി വയ്‌ക്കുന്നതും മോശം

എല്ലാം ക്ഷമിച്ചങ്ങു തീർക്കാൻ

മാമുനിമാരോ മനുഷ്യർ

ചിന്തിച്ചു നമ്മൾ കുരുക്കും

നമ്മളെത്തന്നെ വിലക്കിൽ

വല്ലപ്പോഴും നമുക്കാവാം

ചിന്ത കളഞ്ഞു പ്രവൃത്തി

പെപ്പേടി

ശിവസേന district  office പത്രക്കുറിപ്പ് കണ്ടു . പീഡന പരമ്പര അല്ലേ  അരങ്ങേറുന്നത് . സദുദ്ദേശം കരുതി പ്രോത്സാഹിപ്പിക്കണം സദാചാര ചൂരൽ പ്രയോഗം എന്നോ മറ്റോ .

എന്ത് തിരക്കാ നഗരത്തിലൊക്കെ അല്ലേ ? നാളെ ഒരു ദിവസം ആരും പുറത്തിറങ്ങരുത് എന്ന് പറയുന്നു എന്ന് കരുതുക . സദുദ്ദേശം ആർക്കാ നിഷേധിക്കാനാവുക

നമുക്കങ്ങു നടപ്പാക്കിയാലോ

ഇന്നലെ ചൂരൽ ഏന്തിയ  ധീര വീര പോരാളികൾ ആകട്ടെ ആദ്യത്തെ പങ്കാളികൾ . അവരുടെ വീടിന്റെ ഗേറ്റിനു മുൻപിൽ നമ്മൾ ഒത്തു കൂടുന്നു  ഒരു ദിവസത്തേക്ക് മാത്രം രാവിലെ ആറു  മുതൽ രാത്രി പത്തു വരെ .

പുറത്തിറങ്ങരുത് പ്ളീസ്

പക്ഷെ കേൾക്കാൻ  സാധ്യത ഇല്ല . കേൾപ്പിക്കുന്നതാണ് ചുമതല എന്നാണല്ലോ തലക്കകത്ത്.

അപ്പോൾ പിന്നെ ഏന്തു ചെയ്യും  ചൂരൽ എന്തായാലും വേണ്ട ചൊറിയണ്ണൻ   കരുതിയാലോ അല്ലെങ്കിൽ നായകർണ പൊടി .

വ്യക്തികൾ സമൂഹത്തെ പേടിക്കാത്തതാണ് പ്രശ്നമെന്ന് ഇവർ ഇന്നലെ തന്നെ പറഞ്ഞിരുന്നു . ഇവര് പേടിക്കുമോ എന്നൊന്നറിയണമല്ലോ .

പേടിയില്ലെങ്കിൽ പെപ്പേടിയെങ്കിലും . counter fear . fear of fear

can kerala srtc be saved ?

                                         can  kerala srtc be saved ?

     1. introduction
any sick unit can be revived with adequate concessions and sacrifices. so the basic viability question is whether we can afford the concessions and sacrifices required to revive ksrtc. and the answer we presume is that anything and everything should be done to ensure that ksrtc remains our long distance runner.
we will be looking at the ways and means of reviving ksrtc in the following chapters with focus retained on reliefs and sacrifices : 2. increase income 3. reduce expenses 4. infusion of capital and/or technology 4. marketing and other aspects
quantification is not difficult but is not attempted at this stage. this can be tried later based on and drawing from valuable feedback of our readers

      2.  increase income.
increase  in income is the obvious step to revive a sick unit. more so in a service industry like transportation where variable cost is negligible. all the cost is in fixed overheads incurred in advance. for example there is no way to save cost of a trip just becoz there are no passengers.
here  income goes directly to the  P&L account unlike in a manufacturing unit where only the contribution or the operating profit impacts the p&l account.
suffice to say the single most important thing is to maximise income and sustain it.
  2.1.  proper scheduling
a strange ksrtc practice is bunching of schedules or running the buses in procession or convoy mode. a minimum of 3 buses take to the road one after the other. then a big gap before the next convoy appears.
there are excuses galore. 1. the trips originate from various depots. 2. it helps to control the rush. 3. passengers will learn to wait at least in monopoly routes. none of them merits consideration.
there should be schedules evenly distributed in time. leave the long distance schedules intact. adjust medium distance routes properly. schedule local trips only if there is a vacant slot. only exception could be one rush hour slot in the morning and another in the evening.
  2.2.  ensure occupancy
it should be the joint responsibility of the conductor and the driver to ensure that each trip carries the optimum load. a little relaxation in the time allotted to complete trips, especially in local trips, can help. customer service concept can be thought of. at least it costs nothing to try and get the customer step out with a smile.
a suitable incentive system also can be thought of.
in short drop in passengers should be got explained in each trip. this should be made a compulsory item in all day end reports.
there can be problem in certain routes. like a trip from nelliampathy main to the last stop which i think is called the colony stop about 3 kms away. in one of the trips i was the only passenger. while  returning there were five or six . these routes may be grouped under essential services and exempted from the occupancy condition. and the need of each service
should be re assessed and alternatives explored. in the nelliampathy case a smaller vehicle like a jeep, even on hire, may serve the purpose.
  2.3.  no competition with train services.
for example there can be a gap in ernakulam to  trichur or kottayam schedules when it is already serviced by the railways.
  2.4.  increase fare
there is nothing sacrosanct in maintaining bus fares. the increase in cost if any has to be passed on to the passengers or subsidised in cash terms by the govt. differential pricing can of course be tried. with large increase in super fast and deluxe buses and least in the ordinary buses. the fact remains that increase in fares has to be considered as a definite option while formulating a revival package for ksrtc.
  2.5.  feeder services.
why a city service going round in ernakulam city on both directions is not there baffles me. and there is scope for a few more connecting metro stations and major bus stations . again why not short point to point service from vyttila to south rly stn or lulu mall

     3. reduce costs.
   3.1.  hold down employee cost.
though it sounds unpopular , this probably is a necessary condition to revive ksrtc. and it need not be as unpopular as it looks. hindustan organic chemicals (hoc) has not paid its employees for so many months. ksrtc empoyers are in a much better position than say graduate engineers working in private concerns. so the rationale for sacrifice by employees to save ksrtc is not that far fetched.
3.1.1.  no increase in employee cost during the rehabilitation period of say 5 years.
3.1.2.   increments and other increase due in the current year should go to the capital of ksrtc as employees contribution.
3.1.3.  discontinue checkers. replace it by encouraging passengers to report malpractices in a public website.
3.1.4.  reduce staff in admin offices
  3.2.  avoid corruption
it is street talk that purchase of spares is a big leak point. then there are many other bleeding points both direct and indirect. all should be plugged at any cost.
3.2.1.  introduce e tender for all purchases. and give wide publicity . even concerned employees can post such tenders on social media. they are not secret documents.
3.2.2.  ksrtc super fast bus flaunt the best body on the road. these bus bodies are built by in house workshops. strengthen these in house capabilities . and avoid outsourcing these activities to private parties.
3.2.3.  do not allow a ksrtc bus to lie incapacitated on the road for more than 2 hours. it is an ugly sight. make it a core responsibility of the employees to put an incapacitated bus back on the road say with in 4 hours.
  3.3.  subsidise diesel
avoid tax that state govt gets on diesel. this is the minimum any govt should do to redeem its transportation responsibilities
  3.4 restructure loan laibilities
there is absolutely no logic in continuing with high interest loans especially in the present scenario of falling interest rates. re negotiate the loans with a view to reduce interest burden which probably is the second biggest drag on ksrtc, second only to employee cost.

     4. infusion of capital and technology
additional capital is an unavoidable input if a sick unit is to be revived. accumulated loss should be compensated to a reasonable extent before attempting revival. technology like wise is a great input which often succeeds in making operations viable.
   4.1. employee contribution
employees are the most important stake holders in ksrtc. with private parties ready to fill the gap , even the govt can afford to opt out and let the corporation die. but employees past and present can't think of it. employees should therefore make up their mind overriding political line and trade union pressure to contribute to the capital of ksrtc . one option of investing any incremental salary is already discussed elsewhere. employees should think of other avenues to raise funds to augment capital
   4.2. state contribution
state should finance revival of ksrtc by pumping in money either by way of capital or some form of budget allocation
   4.3. cng instead of diesel
cng buses are already running in many places like delhi. ksrtc should try and get cng buses . centre may have some programmes under which they supply such buses to state free or heavily subsidised. petroleum companies like bpcl should be approached to get a few of these buses sponsored either under its csr projects or marketing initiative.
   4.4. internet for monitoring operations
ksrtc offices like the one in puthencruz just for monitoring the movement of buses can be dispensed with. all tracking and monitoring of buses on the road can be done thru internet.
   4.5. feed back
a website can be created and thrown open to public to voice their suggestions, concerns and grievances. these should be followed up and replied to.

      5. miscellaneous
  5.1. diversification
diversification is basically for putting to additional use the resources of the corporation , both physical assets like buildings and buses and soft assets like man power reputation etc
5.1.1. courier service
a good initiative but for reasons not known not implemented at all
5.1.2. advt on buses
great opportunity but for strange reasons only talk and no action
5.1.3. hiring out excess rooms in own buildings
excess space has to be identified by reorganising office space properly
5.1.4. tourism
there is scope for doubling ksrtc offices as tourist guidance centres. what tourists are essentially looking for is dependability. employees can also do tourism promotion work during free time
5.1.6. lottery
whether lottery tickets can be sold from buses need to be studied
5.1.7. monthly coupons.
worth trying though may not help much in revenue addition
  5.2. reorganisation
ksrtc has essentially two functions. one is to connect far flung areas. this is an essential service and should be treated as such.
the other is commercial service which can be treated as profit centres.
5.2.1. essential service unit
this is basically a function of the govt. govt should therefore make good the losses.
5.2.2. commercial operation.
all the modern business tools should be used effectively here. no excuses for not making profit in this segment should be accepted. if private parties can generate profit , so can ksrtc.  

 5.3     misc
5.3.1. man power is probably wasted on cash management at ksrtc offices. this can be assigned to the banks by an appropriate programme to remit cash directly to a bank account either in the branch or thru cash accepting ATMs. ticketting machines are capable of generating amount to be remitted automatically . provision can also be made to upload this data directly to the controlling office.
5.3.2. route planning can be automated. buses can also be tracked individually using a gps enabled system. some man power can thus be saved.
5.3.3. differential pricing can probably be given a try.
5.3.3.1. like a surcharge for confirmed seats in long distance buses. those who are ready to stand need pay only the normal charge.
5.3.3.2. advance booking for super fast and higher services can be introduced with additional charges. position of the bus and expected arrival time at the booked spot can be arranged to be informed electronically to the passenger , preferably on his mobile phone.

        6. conclusion
ksrtc needs to be revived. it can be done with the active participation of all the stake holders
   6.1 employees
6.1.1 forego any increase in remuneration
6.1.2 contribute to capital
6.1.3 ensure sincere participation of all employees
6.1.4 expose and fight corruption at all levels
   6.2 govt
6.2.1 ensure professional management
6.2.2 finance operational losses of essential service routes on an ongoing basis
6.2.3 contribute to the capital
6.2.4 forego tax on diesel
6.2.5 coordinate with other agencies
   6.3 management
6.3.1 employ modern management tools and ensure that the commercial division routes generate profit
6.3.2 elucidate various cost saving and additional income generation suggestions
6.3.3 study and implement diversification proposals
6.3.4 liaison with all stake holders
   6.4 others
6.4.1 banks should reduce interest burden past and future
6.4.2 bharat petroleum can think of sponsoring cng buses
6.4.3 petroleum companies can think of discount to this bulk user
6.4.4 public should keep vigil on the implementation of the revival package and its smooth running

ksrtc can't be allowed to die so it should be saved .

നമ്മൾ സഹിക്കുന്ന വികൃതികൾ .... 20

abort ചെയ്യാൻ സുപ്രീം കോർട്ട് അനുവദിച്ചില്ലെന്ന്.  24 ആഴ്ച  ( അതോ  26  ഓ ) ആയിപ്പോയി . 20 നു മുൻപേ നിയമം അനുവദിക്കുന്നുള്ളൂ . അത് കൊണ്ട് പ്രസവിക്കണം down syndrome ഉള്ള കുട്ടിയെ . വളർത്തണം .  ഇതെല്ലാം ചെയ്തേ പറ്റൂ . ഇതാണ് ഞങ്ങളുടെ ഓർഡർ .

പിന്നെ ഒരു ആശ്വാസത്തിന് ചില കാര്യങ്ങൾ കൂടി പറഞ്ഞേക്കാം  എന്ന് സുപ്രീം കോർട്ട് . 1 . നിങ്ങളുടെ ജീവന് ഹാനിയൊന്നും ഇല്ലല്ലോ  2 . down syndrome ഉള്ള സാധ്യത ആണ് കാണുന്നത്  എന്നല്ലാതെ തീർച്ചയാണെന്നു മെഡിക്കൽ  റിപ്പോർട്ടിൽ ഇല്ലല്ലോ .

എങ്ങനെ വളർത്തണം എന്ന് ചോദിച്ചു ഒരു ഹർജി കൂടി ഫയൽ ചെയ്താലോ .   ഇതിപ്പോൾ ഡൌൺ സിൻഡ്രോമിന് മാത്രം  ആക്കേണ്ട . ഏതു വൈകല്യം  ആയാലും 20 ആഴ്ച കഴിഞ്ഞു പോയാൽ പ്രസവിച്ചു വളർത്തിയെ പറ്റൂ .  ചിലപ്പോൾ എഴുന്നേറ്റു നിൽക്കാൻ കഴിഞ്ഞെന്നു വരില്ല . കിടന്ന കിടപ്പിൽ പരിചരിക്കേണ്ടി വരും . മിക്കപ്പോഴും ബുദ്ധി മാന്ദ്യം ഉണ്ടാകും . അക്രമ വാസന കൂടിക്കൊണ്ടേ ഇരിക്കും .  തൃപ്പൂണിത്തുറയിലെ ആദർശ് സ്‌കൂളിൽ ഒന്ന് വന്നു നോക്കുന്നവർക്ക് കാര്യങ്ങൾ ബോധ്യമാകും . കണ്ടു ബോധം കേട്ട് പോകാതെ  കരുതിയിരിക്കണം എന്നെ ഉള്ളു .

അതൊക്കെ  ദൈവ വിധി എന്ന് സമാധാനിച്ചാണ് രക്ഷിതാക്കൾ ഇതൊക്കെ സഹിക്കുന്നത് . ജീവിച്ചു തീർക്കുന്നത് . ദാ ഇപ്പോൾ കോടതി വിധി . പത്തോ പന്ത്രണ്ടോ ആഴ്ച കഴിഞ്ഞാൽ നിങ്ങൾക്ക് ഇങ്ങനെ ഒരു കുട്ടി ജനിക്കും ജനിക്കണം ഒഴിഞ്ഞുമാറാം  എന്നൊന്നും നോക്കേണ്ട  വളർത്തണം വളർത്തിയെ പറ്റൂ ഇത് ഞങ്ങളുടെ ഉത്തരവാണ് .

അയർലണ്ടിലോ മറ്റോ ഇതിലും വൈകി അബോർഷൻ ഈയിടെ അനുവദിച്ച കാര്യം മറക്കാം . നമുക്ക് നമ്മുടെ സംസ്‌കൃതി കാത്തു സൂക്ഷിക്കണമല്ലോ . വ്യക്തി സ്വാതന്ത്ര്യത്തിന്റെ കാര്യവും മറക്കാം  . സിനിമ തീയേറ്ററിൽ എഴുന്നേറ്റു നിൽക്കണം അറ്റെൻഷൻ ആയി നിൽക്കണം എന്നൊക്കെ കേട്ട് പരിചയം ആയി തുടങ്ങി   അനുസരിക്കാനും പഠിച്ചല്ലോ . ഇനിയും പലതും പ്രതീക്ഷിക്കുന്ന കാലമാണല്ലോ . പക്ഷെ ഇത്രയ്ക്കു വേണോ ഈ സാഡിസം . അത് വേണോ ?

ഇന്നേക്ക്  12  കാഴ്ച കഴിഞ്ഞു തുടങ്ങി ജീവിതാന്ത്യം വരെ, ഒന്നുകിൽ നിങ്ങളുടെ അല്ലെങ്കിൽ നിങ്ങളുടെ കുട്ടിയുടെ, ശിക്ഷിക്കുന്നു . വീട്ടു തടങ്കലിൽ അനുഭവിച്ചാൽ മതി . കുറ്റമോ ? ഗർഭം ധരിച്ചു 24 ആഴ്ച കൊണ്ട് നടന്നു 20 ആഴ്ചക്കു മുൻപ് ഒന്നും കണ്ടത്തിയില്ല അത് തന്നെ . കണ്ടെത്താനാകുമായിരുന്നോ എന്നൊന്നും ചോദിക്കേണ്ട നിയമത്തിന്  അങ്ങനെ ഒരു ബാധ്യത ഇല്ല .

ഈ അബോർഷൻ അനുവദിച്ചു പോയി എന്നു  കരുതുക . വലിയ ഒരു misinterpretation ലൂടെ. എന്താകുമായിരുന്നു നമ്മുടെ രാജ്യം നേരിടുമായിരുന്ന പ്രതിസന്ധി എങ്ങനെ കര കയറുമായിരുന്നു ആർക്കറിയാം