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Tuesday, 19 July 2016

Cold Asphalt is THE ANSWER

Hindustan Times ( 19 July ) carries a news report titled :

" BMC to test new materials to fix potholes "

Report goes on to say :

" The BMC has identified five private companies , each of which will need to fill 50 sq meters of potholes on various roads. They will be using their own technology on trial basis .

Sources said the five firms had given presentations in which a ready mix of POWDERED BITUMEN stored at normal ROOM TEMPERATURE in 25 kg bags, could be DIRECTLY POURED onto the potholes. Using this mix, potholes can be LEVELED QUICKLY and roads THROWN OPEN TO TRAFFIC IN 20 MINUTES.... according to these companies , their materials will work on a WET SURFACE TOO "

I am glad that someone in BMC managed to hack into my mail-box and downloaded my following email to Shri Nitin Gadakari-ji :

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Sunday, 21 February 2016

Keep Experimenting !

Shri Nitin Gadkari likes to experiment and take the accompanying risks

He is not afraid to stick out his neck for fear of it getting chopped off

He is not paralyzed into inaction by " fear of failure "

He like to tell his officers , " Forget the history - what is your problem ? "

Then offers solutions such as :

* Logistic parks around big cities to decongest roads and reduce pollution

* RFID sensor embedded vehicles , paying toll amount electronically without stopping / needing humans

* E-rickshaws to be treated on par with petrol driven rickshaws

* By passing Bharat V emission standards to directly jump to Bharat VI standards for all vehicles

* Introducing hybrid model of financing for attracting private participation in Highway construction

* Use of slag cement in construction of highways ( use of waste by-products of Steel Industry )

Dear Shri Gadkariji :

Allow me to suggest use of " COLD ASPHALT " technology for building new roads / filling pot holes

Use of hot asphalt requires a very narrow temperature range within which it must be spread on roads before rolling

Any hotter and it will just stick to the roller . Any colder and it just won't set

It is difficult to maintain such narrow range ( of temperature ) after asphalt carrying truck travels hundreds of kilometers - even when that truck has a heating jacket ( consuming lots of fuel ! )

If solidified asphalt ( usually stored in steel drums ) is used at the construction site , then it needs to be heated / melted locally ( usually by creating a wood fire ) - causing pollution and consuming trees !

And hot asphalt would just not adhere to a wet surface , rendering it useless for use in monsoon - especially for repair of pot holes

" COLD ASPHALT " technology overcomes ALL of these problems !

* It consists of mixing water ( 90 % ) with hot asphalt ( 9 % ) in presence of a specialty chemical ( 1 % ) , in a

very simple Mixing Machine which can be transported anywhere on a trolley

* This liquid mixture can remain stored in steel drums at ROOM TEMPERATURE for over ONE YEAR !

* Drums containing liquid can be transported and stored at road construction sites and COLD ASPHALT mixed

with sand / aggregates as and when required . No ripping / destroying of drums and breaking of solid asphalt

* There is no need for ANY temperature control as mixture / aggregate can remain at AMBIENT temperature

* Since Cold Asphalt is basically water ( 90 % ) , it is ideally suited for filling wet pot holes or laying on wet roads

* After laying / spreading , as soon as a heavy roller is driven over Cold Asphalt mixed aggregate , chemical bond

between water and asphalt is broken due to heavy pressure and setting process starts , causing the layer to

solidify .

Within a matter of MINUTES , regular traffic can flow over the road ! or over the filled pot holes !

* Use of Cold Asphalt technology results in a HUGE COST SAVING ( remember , it is 90 % water ! )

* Cold Asphalt roads are much easier to repair , with no pollution , and very little energy consumption

* Using Cold Asphalt technology, 3 machines ( leveler / spreader / roller ) can lay 1 KM ROAD IN A DAY !

I have personally seen NATIONAL HIGHWAYS being constructed with Cold Asphalt technology in France , way back in 1988 !

You may turn around and ask :

" With these advantages , how come our PWD / Municipalities have not adopted this revolutionary technology ? "

My guess :

Because those responsible for drawing up tender documents , insist on use of Hot Asphalt !

And you know , why !

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20 July 2016

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

Sunday, 17 July 2016

Fak - e - Mon

In India , fake / counterfeit money , is a big problem , with hundreds of crores worth of fake currency notes ( mainly Rs 500 / 1000 ) , in circulation

In 2015 alone , 632,000 pieces of fake notes were seized ( may be 5 % of those in circulation )

Bank branches do have table-top machines to detect fake notes but for ordinary citizens , it is next to impossible to figure out whether a note is fake or genuine , despite introduction of some security features recently

Is it possible to enable ordinary citizens to detect a " forged / fake " note, in matter of seconds in a foolproof way ?

Yes . By taking cue from Shri Narendra Modiji's JAM ( Jan Dhan - Aadhar - Mobile )

Here is how :

# A secret / hidden / unique Serial Number , to be embedded / printed, in the images of all Rs 500 / 1000

currency notes, using Steganography ( art of " hiding in plain sight " ) . This could be IP V 6.0 URL number

# Govt to develop a mobile app , to be aptly called , " Fak-e-Mon " and insist its pre-install on all smart phones

# Fak-e-Mon can also be downloaded from Android / Apple Stores

# Fak-e-Mon can be activated by the phone-owner , only after entering his ,

* Jan Dhan account number ( J ) / Aadhar Number ( A ) / Mobile Number ( M )

# Whenever presented with a Rs 500 / 1000 note for payment , a citizen simply takes a photo of that note with

his mobile . He has to do nothing more !

# Fak-e-Mon transmits that photo to the Central Server of the Treasury which has the MASTER DATABASE of

those unique Serial Numbers of Rs 500 / 1000 currency notes . Software compares the Serial Number sent ( as

photo ) with the Database and determines whether that note is Genuine or Fake

# This information is instantaneously relayed back to the sender and appears as a GREEN dot ( for genuine note )

or RED dot ( for fake note ) , on his mobile , so that he can refuse to honour it !

Fak-e-Mon also transmits the GPS location of the place of transaction , to figure out " where " are these fake

notes entering the circulation

# Central Server records / logs , full details of ALL the good and ALL the fake notes processed through each Fak-e-

Mon / mobile phone , to develop CURRENCY VELOCITY and CURRENCY MAP of India

Why would ordinary citizens take the trouble of using Fak-e-Mon ?

Sure , so that he does not get stuck with " fake " notes which no one accepts

Good incentive , but not enough !

But tell him the following and see what happens !

" Dear Citizen :

Every time , your phone / Fak-e-Mon , transmits ( to the Central Server ) , an image of a FAKE currency note ,

your Jan Dhan Bank Account will get credited as follows :

* Rs 5 / - for detecting / catching a Rs 500 fake note

* Rs 10 / for detecting / catching a Rs 1000 fake note

Still not good enough ? No problem

Just print those unique / hidden Serial Numbers on currency notes with INK containing RFID micro-sensors

( Yes , these are nano-scale , so no problem to flow with ink ! )

Then tell millions of unemployed young Indians :

" Go out on the streets of your city with your GPS / NFC enabled and Fak-e-Mon installed smart phones

As you keep walking , now and then , on your mobile's screen , you will see images of FAKE currency notes

popping up , out of the pockets of total strangers ! Just touch those images and earn Rs 10 !

( of course, instantly deposited in your Jan Dhan Bank Account ! Only DBT - no cash ! " )

Pokemon is so passe ! Fak-e-mon is THE FUTURE !

Is anyone listening ?

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18 July 2016

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

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Make Yourself Heard

Dear Visitor :

It is time for YOU to speak up - and demand that YOU are heard

By emailing this suggestion - incorporating your OWN improvements - to the following Policy Makers

( Just multiple copy all the following Email IDs into the Recipient column of your Outlook and Copy / paste this suggestion in the Message Box ) :

narendramodi1234@gmail.com; 38ashokroad@gmail.com;ajaitley@del5.vsnl.net.in; jayant.sinha19@sansad.nic.in;piyush.goyal@gov.in;nitin.gadkari@nic.in; spprabhu1@rediffmail.com;bandaru@sansad.nic.in;smritizirani@nic.in;nsitharaman@nic.in; ravis@sansad.nic.in;sureshprabhu@irctc.co.in;prakash.j@sansad.nic.in;secy-ipp@nic.in; amitabh.kant@nic.in; shaktikanta.das@nic.in; rsecy@nic.in; adhia1981@gmail.com; ceo-niti@nic.in; atul-chaturvedi@nic.in; uma.bharati@sansad.nic.in; d.pradhan@sansad.nic.in; rprudy.office@gmail.com; rudypr@rediffmail.com; eam@mea.gov.in; mosvks@mea.gov.in; mvnaidu@sansad.nic.in; mnaqvi@sansad.nic.in; rao.inderjit@sansad.nic.in; mljoffice@gov.in; sadananda.gowda@sansad.nic.in; ministerminority@gov.in; najmah@sansad.nic.in; minister-ca@nic.in; ramvilas.paswan@sansad.nic.in; gandhim@sansad.nic.in; akumar-alpha@sansad.nic.in; jpnadda@sansad.nic.in; hm.moca@nic.in; geete@sansad.nic.in; simratbadal@yahoo.com; ns.tomar@nic.in; rmsingh@sansad.nic.in; tc.gehlot@sansad.nic.in; dr.harshvardhan@sansad.nic.in

Thursday, 14 July 2016

Well Begun is Half Done !

In respect of curbing the Black Money , following report appeared in Hindustan Times ( July 15, 2016 ) :

SIT on black money has recommended :

* Banning of Cash transactions of over Rs 3 lakh

* Individuals restricted from holding more than Rs 15 lakh in cash

* Enactment of an Act to declare such transactions illegal / punishable under law

Revenue Secretary , Shri Hasmukh Adhia added :

* Legislative changes required for both suggestions to be implemented

* Limiting cash transactions would strengthen archaic laws and improve enforcement action

* SIT recommendation is to limit cash movement

* We are waiting for public comments before we take a view on implementing these suggestions

* SIT had taken into account big cash recoveries made by law enforcement agencies from time to time and

concluded that the cash transaction limit would succeed if there was a similar cap on Cash holdings

Congratulations on a good beginning !

I am sure , citizens will have some questions about these proposals, such as :

* Will the Cash-Holding limit also apply to Companies ( partnership / private ltd / public ltd ) ?

Especially those Companies which pay out monthly salaries in cash to employees on 7th of each month ?

* Will this limit also apply to NGOs / Political Parties / Charitable Trusts / Hospitals / Govt Agencies etc ?

In such cases , who ( which person - CEO / CFO / MD / Trustee / Party President / Secretary ) is responsible ?

* Will separate limits be applied to ( A ) Cash in bank lockers , and ( B ) Cash in home lockers ?

* What powers will the Income Tax Authorities have to raid / inspect , " suspected " lockers , especially the

bank lockers ? Would they need to obtain a prior warrant ? from which Authority ? Can these lockers be opened

even in the absence of the concerned owner ?

* What amount of punishments are envisaged for those found guilty of paying and receiving ?

* Will enforcement of these proposal require an army of 1 MILLION inspectors , considering that there are over 50

million individual tax payers , apart from 40 million MSME establishments in the country ?

MY SUGGESTION :

# Whereas this is definitely a step in the right direction , it must be thought through very thoroughly so that

ordinary / innocent citizens are not harassed on mere " Suspicion " of holding more than Rs 15 lakh in cash .

# The raiding / inspecting agency MUST have some IRREFUTABLE PROOF that a particular cabinet / locker / safe ,

contains ( beyond an iota of doubt ) , an accumulation of currency notes exceeding Rs 15 lakh , continuously

for a period of 7 days in a row ( - and further proof that this ILLEGAL amount consists of the SAME currency

notes and not different combinations of currency notes , over that 7 day period )

# Any number of shops / establishments , which accept payments of under Rs 3 lakhs in cash from dozens of

customers in the course of a working day , may have , even Rs 20 lakhs in cash at the end of the day !

It is a normal practice for all shop owners to take the cash home at the end of the day and deposit it in their

bank account , the next morning

There must not be any harassment of such shop-owners by the concerned Authorities

# The only way these proposals can be implemented SMOOTHLY and in a FOOLPROOF way , is to implement my

following old suggestion ( sent to Policy Makers , many times in past one year ) :

* Discontinue paper-based currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000

* Introduce plastic currency notes of Rs 500 / 1,000 which are embedded with RFID sensors

* Assign to each such note, a IP V 6.0 address , linked to its unique note number

* Set up a IT-enabled Technology Platform which will constantly monitor any accumulation of Rs 500 / 1000

RFID embedded notes in excess of Rs 15 Lakh within an area of ONE square meter

Not only this IT-enabled Technology Platform show up all cabinets / lockers having such accumulations ( on the

GPS maps of IT Department's mobile app - BLACK-MAIL ) but it will also provide irrefutable proof of violation

And , a frugal extension of this technology will even create a dynamic CURRENCY MAP of entire country by tracking

the movement of each and every currency note ( Rs 500 / 1000 ) , throughout its life !

And the CURRENCY DENSITY of any State / City / Street !

No need for an army of inspectors , additional administrative machinery , search-warrants , " Panch-Nama " !

No chance of frivolous litigations on part of the so-called " Aggrieved " !

I do hope , our policy makers will cease this opportunity of a life time ( especially in view of forthcoming elections )

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15 July 2016

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

Monday, 11 July 2016

POT HOLES ARE FOR EVER ?

With rainy season in full swing , newspapers / TV channels, are full of reports on pot holes on Mumbai roads

I am sure , situation cannot be much different in other cities

Here are some extracts :

# Times of India ( July 09 )

A High Court bench asked BMC : How pot holes keep coming back ? Even if material is expensive , it must be used , as it will sustain for a longer period

Central Road Research Institute had suggested ( to BMC ) , nine methods for road repair . BMC said , two methods failed ; others were either not feasible or expensive

The Bench has directed the BMC to examine the CRRI's methods at its July 13 meeting , The matter is posted for July 15 for an up date

# Mumbai Mirror ( July 08 )

Assistant Municipal Commissioner , Ramakant Bidar writes a letter to Sanjay Darde ( Chief Engineer ) , saying :

" The raw material we are getting for the job ( pot hole repair ) , from the civic body's Worli plant is sub standard ; also there is no standard operating procedure ( SOP ) , for filling pot holes "

BMC has now admitted that the material from its plant is of poor quality and it does not have an SOP

BMC Commissioner , Mehta informed the general body that Rs 1638 crore had been spent on road works this year

# DNA ( 09 July )

BMC , on friday , informed the Bombay High Court that it is considering bringing home , techniques used in Australia for road repair and maintenance.

The bench directed BMC to file an affidavit on the steps taken to repair roads and fill up pot holes

# DNA ( 11 July )

Union Minister , Shri Nitin Gadkari is going to USA for seeking US help for modernizing infrastructure

Shri Gadkari will seek US cooperation in innovative technologies in highway projects , material , equipment etc

All of this, when THE SOLUTION is hiding in PLAIN SIGHT ?( read my following email - and blog - to Shri Gadakari )

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Sunday, 21 February 2016