Govt employees will now be trained to use Facebook for citizen safety

Begin with good news. “A money guru, a fitness expert, a sportsperson and a movie maker may occupy very different worlds. But Mumbai is one city where these divisions melt away, and they all find themselves happily in the same space. ‘Mumbai Fully Booked: The Times of India Literary Carnival’ has captured precisely this unique comfort zone. To be held at Mehboob Studios from December 2 to 4, it takes literature out of its ivory tower and brings it into every day life. Curated by Bachi Karkaria and Namita Devidayal, it is meticulously designed to showcase Mumbai’s eclectic passions,” announces The Times of India . Complainants have no faith in the police. “A city-based advocate has moved the Bombay high court claiming that the Mumbai police, and the Economic Offences Wing (EoW) demand money from complainants for investigation. The petitioner Mahesh Kukreja had lodged a complaint with the Khar police station against Dr Ajit Malusare and his wife,” reports Hindustan Times . [caption id=“attachment_131075” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Harassed women in Mumbai do not have faith in the police. Reuters”] [/caption] Harassed women in Mumbai do not have faith in the police, says Times of India . “When Anshika Jalan (24) grabbed a seat on a crowded Virar local at 10.30 pm on a weekday, the last thing she expected was to be harassed and verbally abused. After all, the compartment was not empty, and there was a police constable on duty. As she settled down for the long journey home to Borivli, three men from the adjoining compartment started passing lewd comments at her. For 15 minutes Jalan ignored the verbal abuse, but finally she threatened to pull the chain and stop the train. “What was shocking was the fact the police constable ignored the abusers and their lewd gestures,” said Jalan, a physiotherapist who chose not to file a police complaint,” said the report. While this unresponsive policeman was a few feet from Jalan, the government believes investing in expensive phones is the solution. “In an attempt to reach out to citizens, the state government will give its staff access to smartphones by distributing them free on the first Saturday of every month. The employees at Mantralaya will also be trained to use new-age social tools like Twitter and Facebook. “The idea is to break the ice with citizens who find it extremely difficult to connect and deal with the way the government functions. It will be useful to increase the efficiency of the staff, since we will also teach them how to send emails via smartphones, group emailing and messaging,” said an official attached to the chief secretary’s office,” says Times of India . Can we call up these corporators on their spanking new smartphones when the noise gets to us? “Love loud crackers? We’d suggest toning down the enthusiasm. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to put norms in place to take action against those responsible for noise pollution. According to a senior civic official, the BMC is not equipped to take action against activities leading to noise pollution,” says DNA . We end today’s Mumbai wrap with some glad tidings from Indian Express . “The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has prepared a draft development plan for a recreation and tourism zone in and around Manori, Gorai and Uttan, and has invited suggestions and objections from the public. The draft, which is available with the MMRDA for inspection, plans for a 43-sq km zone that will house projects such as a botanical garden and mangrove park,” says a report in the paper.