OFF THE RECORD review on today’s newspaper headlines:
1) Image conscious CM asks officials to buck up, bolster govt reputation-The Times of India
CMO’s public relations officer’s reaction please? There are approximately 6 people in the CMO (with a very fat salary) in Media relations department apart from 4 from the DGIPR department. If such is the condition of the image of CM, I feel now the control has to be taken back by the DGIPR. But DGIPR’s top bosses are engrossed in their own internal battles and politics at Mantralaya. There is a desperate need to do some positive publicity for the Government now. I know there aren’t any Ministers living upto the mark, but don’t we have Devendra Fadnavis, Sudhir Mungantiwar, Chandrakant Patil & Diwakar Raote? I don’t know what exactly are the roles of DLO’s, but apart from sending press-notes, DLO’s should also promote his/her minister. Co-ordinaton with the department has to be his/her mantra whilst promoting Minister’s work. Common, how Corporates have presentations, why can’t Minister’s have reviews mailed to Media people on a monthly basis? Time has come, for DGIPR & PRO’s (CMO) to buck up. Mere completion of a job should not be the mantra of newly appointed Secretary & DG Brijesh Singh. If I have not mistaken there is a shortage of staff also at the DGIPR. Plus the old case of 4 officers of unethical appointment is still lingering in the department. One DLO is appointed with more than one minister. CM asking for an image buck up is a tight slap on the face of the media coordinators of CM. The Kapil Sharma goof-up or the person from Kokan who ended up doing aarti at Varsha Bungalow are classic examples of CM image taking a beating. BTW, DG Brijesh Singh is also overloaded with 4 additional charges. Apart from being Inspector General at Cyber Cell & Civil rights protection act, Secretary & DG are two other posts he is handling. How can he concentrate on one particular department? Sir, on 15th August some 40+ cyber labs were inaugurated. I hope all of them have resumed operations. Also sir, please look into the case of Journalist Sunil Dhepe from Osmanabad. We believe he is framed. You are an IPS officer. For you getting the right information is comparatively easy. If he is wrong, he should be punished, but what if sir, he is proved innocent? What will be the payback? If an IPS cannot help our cause, apart from being DG at DGIPR, who will sir ?
2) 2 Months after calling for latest pothole-repair materials, BMC claims they are “too expensive”-Mumbai Mirror.
Fully agree. The bitumen (daambar) used for filling up potholes is the main concern for this problem. As per Central Government rules & regulations, Bitumen has to be purchased at any cost only from IOCL (Indian Oil) or HPCL (Hindustan Petroleum). This is a common condition laid down in tenders for all contractors. But if a PWD engineer from Santacruz is to be believed, he has found one company which answers to our pothole & road problems for good now. He said the entire Western Express Highway stretch from Santacruz to Malad had potholes. They were eventually filled with this company’s material, as a part of test run. The potholes were filled with this material and only after 10 minutes cars could go over it! Such fantastic is this company’s technology. Mumbai saw heavy rainfall for an entire week. Out of 80 potholes (approx) filled in by this company only 2 were reported to be broken that too only 20% of the two were broken…But again one hitch now this company cannot supply, even if they are fully equipped, as they are not listed in the Government norms. Hats off to Santacruz PWD circle for putting faith in this company and saving lives!! Please, if I could request this Sectional Engineer to consider resurfacing of the Sion-Trombay Highway using this company’s technology.
3) Hindustan Times always gives 10 best schools in the city
Every 6 months/yearly HT starts this campaign of rating schools across Mumbai. First the city, then western suburbs, then Navi Mumbai and so on. But I don’t know how much HT is following up to investigate as to how many schools of them have the required permissions from the Government to conduct International Baccalaureate (IB) Board? Education Minister Vinod Tawde’s department puts in on Central Government, when I claimed information under the RTI. The problem is, these IB schools, which don’t have permission to run the course, are charging ridiculous fees of Rs. 10 lakhs per year per student. The lowest is that of Oberoi school at Goregaon Rs. 6 lakhs per student per year. Also one needs to find out, if all these private schools are actually maintaining the quota for admitting certain percentage of children belonging to the poorer sections in their schools.
4.)निलंबित केलेले आरोग्य संचालक निर्दोष—सकाळ
This was the case of excessive purchases for the public health department wherein the Director Dr. Satish Pawar was suspended by CM Devendra Fadnavis. Later he was linked to Dr. Mali, Private Secretary to Public Health Minister Dr. Deepak Sawant. But now since Pawar has been taken back by the department after proven clean, there is a huge tension mounting on a senior Journalist who reports in this department of a “shethji” owned newspaper. Apparently Dr. pawar has all the proof’s as to how he was framed. The actual culprits are this PS to Minister Mali and this Journalist. Pawar has all the clippings and videos of where these two met, struck deals with suppliers and which drink they ordered at this one particular bar in South Mumbai.
5) ” व्यावसायिकतेला पत्रकारांनी वेळीच विरोध केला केला पाहिजे” विजय दर्डा– लोकमत
NO COMMENTS….I don’t know why I was laughing continuously for 15 minutes after reading this…Those who started the trend are opposing it. Wah Shethji!!
Vikrant Joshi
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