Hi Friends,

Even as I launch this today ( my 80th Birthday ), I realize that there is yet so much to say and do. There is just no time to look back, no time to wonder,"Will anyone read these pages?"

With regards,
Hemen Parekh
27 June 2013

Now as I approach my 90th birthday ( 27 June 2023 ) , I invite you to visit my Digital Avatar ( www.hemenparekh.ai ) – and continue chatting with me , even when I am no more here physically

Friday, 23 March 2018

Democracy ? Pay the Price !





How else can we explain the contrast between the value that the Chinese seem to attach to human lives , as against Indian attitude ?


Let me explain


Following news appearing in today’s Hindustan Times , reads :







“ Maharashtra is the most industrialized state in India, with more than 75,000 industries
  Of these, 12,500 industries have been identified as having high pollution potential “



[  Of course , web site of Maharashtra Pollution Control Board , has asked  only 7 in Mumbai  to
   close down ! Not surprising considering that page is dated :  18  Feb  2013  !  ]







Now read the following news report  (  24  Oct  2017  ):





China Has Shut Down Up to 40% of Its Factories in an Unprecedented Stand Against Pollution



 

https://www.sciencealert.com/china-shutting-40-factories-massive-effort-cut-pollution-carbon-pm2-5



 


China is in the midst of an all-out blitz on polluters flouting emissions standards, closing tens of thousands of factories in a massive effort to address the nation's catastrophic pollution problems.



Estimates of the crackdown suggest as much as 40 percent of China's factories have been temporarily closed by safety inspectors, with officials from more than 80,000 factories charged with criminal offences for breaching emissions limits over the past year.


The months-long campaign coincides with China announcing this week at its Communist Party congress its plan to cut the concentration of hazardous fine particulate matter (called PM2.5) from 47 micrograms per cubic metre in 2016 to 35 micrograms by 2035.


"It will be very difficult to reach the goal, and we need to make greater efforts to achieve it," environmental protection minister Li Ganjie said at an event on Monday.


China's modern efforts to tackle domestic pollution date back to 2013, when the nation announced 10 measures to clean up the country's air, including reducing emissions from heavily polluting industries by 30 per cent by the end of 2017.


To help hit its targets, China has ramped up factory and power plant inspections in the past two years across several provinces, to make sure thousands of companies aren't breaching emissions laws.

“ Basically, you're seeing these inspectors go into factories for surprise inspections," supply chain consultant Gary Huang from 80/20 Sourcing told NPR.



I would not be surprised if Indians believe :



·         Indian lives come “ cheap “ ( as compared to China  )


·         In the priorities of our governments ( Central + States ), “saving lives” is low


·         No minister ( or bureaucrat ) fears losing his job for according low priority


·         Ministers are worried about workers losing jobs if polluting factories get closed


·         Factory inspectors send advance “ warning “ of their “ surprise inspections “ !



·         Only way to enforce “ clean air “ is to install inside those Chimney Stacks, sensors which will simply cut off electric power supply to a factory, the moment sensor detects that pollution level exceeds the prescribed upper limit


As long as we continue to depend upon “ humans “, expect no improvement




·         Unless “ humans “ with all of their “ discriminatory / judgemental “ power , are taken out of the equation of “ Automatic Enforcing Compliance “ , things cannot improve





I hope this email reaches our Minister for Environment , Dr Harsh Vardhan




23  March  2018



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