Yesterday, that is on 19th Jan, I heard a very interesting lecture on BBC World by J Craig Venter in the Richard Dimbleby series. It was not only thought provoking but also very informative and inspiring. The Doctor, the founder of J Craig Venter Institute that has been doing great work in the area of human genome mapping, said that the current century will be the DNA century and scientists are close to further developing ways of using microbes and synthetic genes to produce bio fuels that will go a long way in meeting the challenges of global warming and environmental concerns. Some may, however, baulk at the idea of using synthetic genes and artificially created microbes for mitigating problems created by us human beings.
Dr. Venter also emphasised prevention rather than cure. He said the scientist must find new ways to use science to prevent disease and other problems than spending huge amounts og money on healthcare. How would the world cope with the estimated 9.5 billion people in the next fifty years?
A lecture well worth watchng. Any views?
Sunday 20 January 2008
Day-To-Day Problems
Like most people I also face some daily problems that need attention and immediate correction.
The biggest one is the ever increasing traffic that is becoming almost impossible to negotiate without losing my cool.
I live on the Eastern end of Pune in Keshav Nagar near Mundhwa a bustling congested village and although our locality is really clean and green, outside it is a different world. The roads are bad, crowded with cyclists, vehicles of all types including dumpers, concrete mixers and JCBs, and above all large herds of buffaloes that take their own time to clear out. The main road joining the Solapur and Ahmed Nagar highways passes close by. Towards Magarpatta a fast burgeoning locality the road is choked with parked taxies and heavy vehicles carrying construction materials and of course the ubiquitous three-wheelers. Towards Kharadi another fast developing area the traffic is equally bad as you get close to Ahmednagar highway. The third way out is to go through Mundhwa village through Ghorpadi which involves negotiating two railway level crossings or through Koregaon Park North Main Road, the entrance to which is blocked for road repairs for almost two months. To add to my woes, the main Solapur highway from Hadapsar to the Race Course sports a so-called BRTS, short for Bus-Rapid-Transit-System, which has reserved the two central lanes, one each way for busses only which means that for long periods of time the two designated lanes are practically empty while all sorts of vehicles and others jostle for space on the two outer narrow lanes that are left for road users other than PMT local buses. If a road roller, bullock cart or a slow tractor decides to enter this melee then it takes up to fifteen minutes or more to cover a kilo meter or so. Everyone around is usually impatient to cross this slow moving traffic jam while two and three wheelers are trying to overtake from both the left and the right side. At night almost all cars and trucks and of course buses speed blazing their headlights on full beam blinding the oncoming traffic, a sure recepie for disaster and road rage. The authorities are not bothered simply because they live in another part of Pune. The least the PMC can do is to force car and other drivers to drive on 'dipped' headlights and post at least two cops at every crossing point. Prohibiting veavy vehicles during say 8AM to 9 PM may also help immensely. The filling point near the Hadapsar police station where scores of water tankers queue up to fill their tankers and the 'weigh bridge' near Noble Hspital on Magarpatta road where numerous trucks turn in and queue up for weighing are two major nuisance areas that daily cause huge traffic jams. I believe it is time we collectively raised our voice to do away with the BRTS that gives priority to buses at the cost of other legitimate road users all of whom have an equal right of passage. I invite residents of these areas to respond with their suggestions and ideas to improve the situation. With regards and safe driving. Please dont lose your cool!!!
The biggest one is the ever increasing traffic that is becoming almost impossible to negotiate without losing my cool.
I live on the Eastern end of Pune in Keshav Nagar near Mundhwa a bustling congested village and although our locality is really clean and green, outside it is a different world. The roads are bad, crowded with cyclists, vehicles of all types including dumpers, concrete mixers and JCBs, and above all large herds of buffaloes that take their own time to clear out. The main road joining the Solapur and Ahmed Nagar highways passes close by. Towards Magarpatta a fast burgeoning locality the road is choked with parked taxies and heavy vehicles carrying construction materials and of course the ubiquitous three-wheelers. Towards Kharadi another fast developing area the traffic is equally bad as you get close to Ahmednagar highway. The third way out is to go through Mundhwa village through Ghorpadi which involves negotiating two railway level crossings or through Koregaon Park North Main Road, the entrance to which is blocked for road repairs for almost two months. To add to my woes, the main Solapur highway from Hadapsar to the Race Course sports a so-called BRTS, short for Bus-Rapid-Transit-System, which has reserved the two central lanes, one each way for busses only which means that for long periods of time the two designated lanes are practically empty while all sorts of vehicles and others jostle for space on the two outer narrow lanes that are left for road users other than PMT local buses. If a road roller, bullock cart or a slow tractor decides to enter this melee then it takes up to fifteen minutes or more to cover a kilo meter or so. Everyone around is usually impatient to cross this slow moving traffic jam while two and three wheelers are trying to overtake from both the left and the right side. At night almost all cars and trucks and of course buses speed blazing their headlights on full beam blinding the oncoming traffic, a sure recepie for disaster and road rage. The authorities are not bothered simply because they live in another part of Pune. The least the PMC can do is to force car and other drivers to drive on 'dipped' headlights and post at least two cops at every crossing point. Prohibiting veavy vehicles during say 8AM to 9 PM may also help immensely. The filling point near the Hadapsar police station where scores of water tankers queue up to fill their tankers and the 'weigh bridge' near Noble Hspital on Magarpatta road where numerous trucks turn in and queue up for weighing are two major nuisance areas that daily cause huge traffic jams. I believe it is time we collectively raised our voice to do away with the BRTS that gives priority to buses at the cost of other legitimate road users all of whom have an equal right of passage. I invite residents of these areas to respond with their suggestions and ideas to improve the situation. With regards and safe driving. Please dont lose your cool!!!
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