Good and Bad

The following images were taken around Pune.They have been sent from California by Priya Kulkarni - Thank You!!!

[mid July 2009] {bloggers comments}
This was taken in the Pune Camp area. [below] {Again, people don't seem to understand that "NO PARKING" means NO PARKING!!! In this case it's not even

people doing it for livelihood security!! BAD!!}

Supposed to be a one-way street [below]. Again taken some place near Deccan area. A vigilant citizen trying to correct... {stoopeed woman on moped!!} {vigilant citizen GOOD!!}

Another vigilant citizen trying to explain the rules of the road![below]{near Venus Traders one way street off F.C. Road} {another stoopeed woman on moped!! hmmmm??} {vigilant citizen GOOD!!}

Dirty Streets

LOCATION - Sinhagad Road; as you take a left to to Dattawadi from Sinhagad Main Road, there is another left turn into a slum just some few meters before.
[05/09/2010]

This patch of land has remained conveniently ignored for years now. Another factor is that it's well hidden, naturally. A maximum 50 meters in length, it is a strip of land nobody would want to cross.
I have been regretfully crossing this area everyday on my way to work. 95% people take the alternative main road and increase to traffic there.

There is a stray dog almost every 2 feet. The public/government dustbin lies a distance of 10 feet from the houses and there are two such dustbins. Youngsters put up chairs and sit amongst all this garbage. The entire strip of land stinks.

I asked one of the women there and also a youngster walking by whether the dustbins are emptied regularly. Both of them confirmed what I knew, the dustbins lie like that for weeks, sometimes months.
This post has been sent in by Neha Joshi [A BIG THANK YOU NEHA!!]

Rikshaw Rascals!

THE FIRST POST FOR THE BLOG!!!

HONEST DAYS WORK
[16/02/2009]
Location: Fergusson College Road. On the corner of the British Library opposite the Vaishali restaurant .
So these guys have a "stand" if you look in the picture below, on the right side.
But whats really interesting is... yes you know it! (pic on right and below) Why the hell are they parking right below a no parking sign??!!! And in the direction they are not supposed to park in!!!! I feel sorry for them in a way, they are just doing their job, though this is breaking the rules. Why not have properly designated and thoughtfully built with a telephone booth and what not, rikshaw stands? Or sensitize people about why there is a need to have no parking areas? These rikshaw wallas (most of them) have no other source of income and are poaching in one of the most profitable areas of the city, they are ready to pay the fine for breaching the law, it's worth the risk! We need to put more thought into the way we make decisions about how space in the city should be used. Anyway ENJOY POST NUMBER ONE!!!

PUNE GOVERNANCE WATCH

The Concept
Just voting does not fulfill the requirements of being a good citizen, it does not necessarily ensure that the representative that you voted to power will do the job they were supposed to!!

How could we get at least close to ensuring effective representation?
There has to be a system of reporting, where the citizen with minimum effort reports about the status of his/her neighborhood. If there is a overflowing waste bin... report it! or maybe you see something good happening in your habitat, report it

It's simple! if you think there is anything of note, negative or positive that you can

1. comment on,
2. photograph,
3. or take a video of
4. or if you can find any other way of documenting the facts

email the stuff to 287eventm@gmail.com in the format mentioned in the previous post
- If you want to be anonymous please mention it in your email.
- Please be sure to type "PUNE GOVERNANCE WATCH" in the subject field of your email
and please send as much genuine stuff as possible.

- Please make sure that the content you send is purely concerning the topic (governance) and is not related to any other theme.

The Process
This is how you could carry out the process

1. You are walking around in your neighborhood, or going to a shop nearby,
2. You see something interesting
3. You either comment on it or photograph it,
4. Send your photograph or comment to 287eventm@gmail.com with the subject field as "PUNE GOVERNANCE WATCH". The format is mentioned in the previous post.
5. Your content will be reviewed and published on this blog.
6. Once you see your stuff here spread the word along with the concept!!!
7. You are actually creating an amazing database that will help in creating transparency and accountability!

Do's & Don'ts

do
1. send in anything positive or negative that you think is worth posting for improving your neighborhood.
2. send suggestions and critiques for improving this blog/experiment.
3. send only facts!

don't
1. send stuff that is not your original work.
2. send stuff that insults anyone (especially politically motivated).
3. stop sending.


NEXT POST WILL BE A MORE STRUCTURED LIST OF THINGS YOU CAN REPORT ON (AND WHY)

Please note that as this is a work in progress things will change on the blog and we will have to keep evolving, it will have to happen!

An Experiment in participatory governance and transparency building

Finally after years... I'm going to be up to no good again!
An Experiment in participatory governance and transparency building
Calling all citizens to send me comments, news, information, pics, videos whatever on problems that you think exist in your neighborhood. email me at 287eventm@gmail.com!! Exclusively for PUNE CITY!!
The format in which I will need the information is as follows
YOUR NAME
EMAIL/CELL PHONE
AGE
OCCUPATION
LOCATION (NEIGHBOURHOOD/ELECTORAL WARD) of where you experienced the problem
YOUR COMMENTS ON THE ISSUE

(please note that your name and contact details will not be disclosed when I am putting up your stuff!)

A little about my city

Pune (Poona) is an old city. It lies approximately 160kms south east of Mumbai nestled in the foothills of the Sahyadri range (AKA The Western Ghats) about 550m above sea level . It has been a city of some import since around the 1600s.

Yes it is a Google map

Its growing at a rapid rate as are all cities in India... by about 30% per decade. Today the population of Greater Pune is touching 5,000,000. Thats is its the 8th biggest Metropolitan area in India.

Yes again it is a Google map

Hills in the West Plains in the East

The River Mutha runs through it.

Mula joins the Mutha from the North

Hills and Plains to the South

Watch this space for more on Pune city

Introduction

I want to play a part in helping the world in general and my city in particular be a better place to live in. It is not all that bad even now, but what if I could help make it even better? This blog is one way to try and get the word out, to discuss and debate, with myself if no one wants to partake! This blog is about asking questions and looking for solutions and finally to try and implement them or at least advocate them (the solutions). I am a Urban & Rural Development Planner and thus have the training to make a difference. Lets see if Progressif Action can take place...