Just to say Hi

It has been quite some time since i wrote anything on this blog. Well blame it on my laziness! After moving on to Thiruvananthapuram, i can travel to my family on the weekend. It is nice to be with kids et al. So free time has become scarce & that probably explains long absence of activity in these pages. Kerala along with its southern state counterparts are reeling in scorching sun. To add to the woes, there is shortage of water and electricity. Since power generation within kerala depends much on timely & abundant rains, problem of water and electricity are in a way connected. I am sure the government had already initiated steps for central aid.Hope some thing good comes up. Issues of water, I fear will have to wait till the onset of monsoon. I do hope that all those leaky pipes in drinking water supply system can get corrected in this lean (and mean) period. Since any sensible, environment conscious keralite can not allow any more pollution to mother earth, i can't foresee any solution to power crisis. I am glad to note that government is moving in the direction of harnessing non-conventional energy sources like Solar & Wind. Hope something solid comes up & gets completed. Transportation is another badly hit area. Nice to know that Kochi Metro and proposed mono rail systems in Kozhikode as well as Thiruvananthapuram gaining momentum. Read in news papers that path leading to Vallarpadom terminal completed dredging to increase the depth to above 14 meters. Vallarpadom can now receive bigger ships (Mother ships?). Once the "loading/unloading" issue is settled in long term perspective, we can earnestly hope that there will be hustle bustle activity there. Proposed Port at Vihzinjam is yet to gather required momentum. Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavanthu

Relocation

Well, my blogging had always been intermittent. If there is no developments, whats the fun in writing? After a gap of three months, there are news! After completion of Simhadri Stage - II (2x 500 MW coal based thermal power plant), I have been transferred. This time the posting is at Thiruvananthapuram, capital city of Kerala State. I had earlier bid dye to thiruvananthapuram in 1993 when i graduated from College of Engineering. This is my second innings! It is nice to be in one's home state eventhough after a gap of two decades. Hope i can find out missed connections, establish contacts with long forgotten friends and re-live the Kerala scenario. Do send me a line through mail and i shall contact you. I am not sharing my phone number in this media for fear of tele-marketers !

Kochi Metro

As with any infrastructure development project ever undertaken in the so called "God's Oen Country", Kochi Metro Rail Project has also got into myriad of problems. When North Overbridge modification works have started by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, keralites were hopeful that this project is going to come in right time. The kind of traffic diversions and construction management carried out by the team were praiseworthy. Notwithstanding such stellar performance, politics and ulterior motives are showing their power & might in derailing the whole project. Roads in kerala especially in ernakulam continues to be pathetic & narrow just like that of wicked people at centres of power. Can we all raise above petty politics & look into good governance in the long run ?

Development & Environment

There are many issues plaguing the country & the state of Kerala. The old adage "All men plume into improving the society and no man improves" can be true here too. Opposing political parties often come as hindrance to any development in democratic governance. This probably is the greatest bane of such form of governments. Except in a very few cases, most of the developmental projects comes to a halt once the political leadership of the state changes. Considering that many of the infrastructure projects have high gesticulation period, this leads to chaos. Most of the entrepreneurs shy out since the return for their investment becomes shaky. Nevertheless all Indian states are calling investors. Some time using Global Investment meets (Karnataka had it in July at Bangalore) otherwise by visiting foreign countries as a ministerial delegation. Recently Kerala had an investment meet titled 'Emerging kerala'. The outcome is yet to be materialized but I earnestly hope some serious investment will be coming up. On the other side, there is always a price to pay for development. Mostly the environment takes hit. Be it new roads, port or power project, big construction is sure to come up. This will lap up some of the fertile land or forest cover. At times there is the issue of land acquisition from private parties and associated hue & cry too. One of the major allegations towards 'Emerging kerala' summit was permission to use the land on long term. Afterwards state government had clarified its position and i guess the row has been subdued. Transportation and Power sector in Kerala remains to be a concern. No good roads are coming up and the road widening/expansion moves in snail's pace. I am not sure when was a major power project was commissioned in Kerala. All proposed hydro-electric projects are opposed for the environmental damage it may cause. In the nearby state of Tamil Nadu, a major agitation is underway opposing koodamkulam Nuclear Power Project. No concrete steps are taken towards renewable energy sources such as solar or wind farms. We can go back to lamps & candles in near future. Speaking of lamps, fueling them might also turn to be a herculean task. Fuel prices (be it Kerosene, ATF, Petrol or diesel) is progressively being taken out of the administered price mechanism. Liquid Fossil fuel reserves of the country are not aplenty. The production and processing capacity is also limited. India is dependent on imported fuel. Any variation in the international market seriously affects prices - not only for the fuel but also all commodities. A rethink on the way we use energy is required at grass root level. Every citizen has to think of ways to reduce own consumption. May be we can shun using energy for luxury and super comfort. Pooling of car, use of public transport, designing buildings in such a way that electrical lighting is not required during day time etc etc Energy conservation is not only our duty but also our responsibility to the future generations. Remember we are using what is rightfully theirs !

Welcome New President of India

Sri. Pranab Mukherjee is becoming the thirteenth president of India. He had an illustrious political career spanning decades. He had been cabinet minister for different portfolios. He was a peacemaker for the congress and UPA in many a crisis. Unlike some the former presidents who also had a political background, Sri. Pranab Mukherjee comes right from the thick of action & not after leaving active politics for some time. Though there were a huge demand (especially in Facebook & social networking sites)for Sri. A.P.J. Abdul kalaam, most of the political parties were, i guess - preferring some body from politics - their home turf - to become the president. Incidentally there was not much of competition for Sri. Pranab Mukherjee. Support given to him by Left parties were questioned by some. There were some action in JNU SFI Unit and its reaction came swiftly from higher party echelons. All is well that ends well. We can hope that Sri. Pranab Mukherjee, with his experience as a very senior political leader, will become an Icon of India as its first citizen. May the country prosper well under his tenure especially in wake of the economic turmoil which is happening in different parts of the world.