ബാങ്കുകളുടെ ചൂഷണത്തിനെതിരെ ഒരു ചെറിയ പ്രതിഷേധം

SBT ഉൾപ്പെടെയുള്ള ബാങ്കുകൾ ഓൺലൈൻ ട്രാൻസാക്ഷനുകൾക്ക് സർവീസ് ചാർജ് ഈടാക്കുന്നുണ്ട്.  മൂന്ന് ATM ട്രാൻസാക്ഷനുകൾ മാത്രമേ സൗജന്യമായി നടത്താൻ കഴിയു.
ബാങ്കുകളുടെ ഇത്തരം ചൂഷണങ്ങൾക്കെതിരെ പ്രതിഷേധം ഉയർന്നു വരേണ്ടിയിരിക്കുന്നു. ഒരു വെത്യസ്തമായ മാർഗം പറയട്ടെ?
പുതിയ ഒരു ചെക്ക് ബുക്ക് ഓഡർ ചെയ്യുക. അതിലുള്ള എല്ലാ ചെക്കിലും ഓരോ രുപ വീതം എഴുതി കൗണ്ടറിൽ നൽകി പണം പിൻവലിക്കുക. കൗണ്ടറിൽ ഇരിക്കുന്ന ഉദ്യോഗസ്ഥനോട് ഇത് പ്രതിഷേധം ആണ് എന്ന് പറയുക. മാത്രമല്ല ബാങ്കിൽ അപ്പോൾ ഉള്ള മറ്റ് ഇടപാട്കാരോടും ഈ പ്രതിഷേധ രീതിയെപ്പറ്റി പറയുക.
NB: ചെക്കിൽ ഇപ്രകാരം എഴുതാൻ മറക്കരുത് : "Protest against ATM and other charges"

എഞ്ചിനീറിങ് കോഴ്സ്ഉം കോളേജ്ഉം തിരഞ്ഞെടുക്കുമ്പോൾ

ഒരല്പം താമസിച്ചു പോയോ ഇതെഴുതാൻ എന്നുള്ള ഒരു സങ്കോചത്തോടെയാണ് ഇതു എഴുതാൻ ഇരിക്കുന്നത്. "Better late than never" എന്ന ചൊല്ലണ് പ്രചോദനം നൽകുന്നത്. സമയക്കുറവു മൂലം ഒരു ചെക്ക്ലിസ്റ്റിൽ ഒതുക്കാം എന്നുള്ള നിഗമനത്തിലേക്ക് എത്തിച്ചേരാൻ അധികം സമയം വേണ്ടി വന്നില്ല.

എഞ്ചിനീറിങ് പഠനം തിരഞ്ഞെടുക്കക്കുന്നതിനു മുൻപ് വിദ്യാർത്ഥികളും അവരുടെ രക്ഷിതാക്കളും ചിന്തിക്കേണ്ട ചില കാര്യങ്ങൾ ഉണ്ട്

1. വിദ്യാർത്ഥിക്ക് എഞ്ചിനീറിങ് പഠിക്കാനുള്ള വാസന ഉണ്ടോ? എഞ്ചിനീറിങ് പഠനം നടത്താനും അതിലുപരിയായി ഇഞ്ചിനീയർ ആയി ജോലി ചെയ്യാനും വളരെയധികം analytical ability ആവശ്യമായി വരും. വിദ്യാർത്ഥിയുടെ കണക്കിലും ഫിസിക്സിലുമുള്ള അവബോധ നിലവാരം ഇതിനുള്ള ഏകകമാക്കാവുന്നതാണ്.
2. വിദ്യാർത്ഥിക്ക് എഞ്ചിനീറിങ് പഠിക്കാനുള്ള ആഗ്രഹമുണ്ടോ? പലപ്പോഴും എഞ്ചിനീറിങ് കോളേജിൽ എത്തിപ്പെടുന്ന വിദ്യാർത്ഥികൾക്ക് അതിനോട് താല്പര്യമില്ലാതിരിക്കാം. അതു അവർ പഠനത്തിൽ ഉദാസീനരാകാൻ കാരണമാകും. 50 ൽ പരം വിഷയങ്ങളാണ് ഒരു എഞ്ചിനീറിങ് പഠന കാലയളവിനുള്ളിൽ പഠിച്ചു പാസ്സാകേണ്ടത്. താല്പര്യമില്ലാത്ത വിദ്യാർത്ഥികൾക്ക് ഇതു തീർത്തും ദുഷ്കരമായിരിക്കും.
3. മുകളിൽ പറഞ്ഞ രണ്ടിനും അതേ എന്നാണ് ഉത്തരമെങ്കിൽ അതു ഇവിടെ പഠിക്കണം എന്നുള്ളതാണ് അടുത്ത ചോദ്യം. 

പഠിക്കുന്ന കോളേജിന് നല്ല നിലവാരം വേണം. പ്ലേസ്‌മെന്റ് സൗകര്യങ്ങൾ വേണം. സർക്കാർ കോളേജുകളും സർക്കാർ എയ്‌ഡഡ്‌ കോളേജുകളുമാണ് ഒന്നാമതായുള്ള ഓപ്ഷൻ. പക്ഷെ അവയിലെ സീറ്റുകൾ വളരെയധികം കുറവാണ്. പിന്നീട് വരുന്നത് സർക്കാർ നിയന്ത്രണത്തിലുള്ള CAPE, IHRD, LBS, KSRTC, Continuing Education തുടങ്ങിയ സ്ഥാപനങ്ങളുടെ കോളേജുകളാണ്. പിന്നീട് പൂർണമായും സ്വകാര്യമായ സ്വാശ്രയ കോളേജുകളാണ്. സ്വാശ്രയ കോളേജുകൾ തിരഞ്ഞെടുക്കുമ്പോൾ ചില കാര്യങ്ങൾ ശ്രദ്ധിക്കേണ്ടതായുണ്ട്.

1. സ്വാശ്രയ കോളേജ് നടത്തുന്നത് ലാഭത്തിനു വേണ്ടിയാണ്. തന്റ്റെ കൈവശമുള്ള ചരക്കു കുറഞ്ഞ വിലക്ക് വിൽക്കാൻ ശ്രമിക്കുന്ന ഒരാളുടെ കൈവശം ഇരിക്കുന്ന ചരക്കു നിലവാരം ഉള്ളതായിരിക്കില്ല. സ്വാശ്രയ കോളേജുകൾ തന്നെ കൊടുത്ത വരവ് ചിലവ് കണക്കുകൾ അനുസരിച്ചു ആണ് ഫീസ് നിശ്ചയിക്കപ്പെട്ടിരിക്കുന്നത്. അതിൽ കുറഞ്ഞ ഫീസ് വാങ്ങി കോളേജ് നല്ല നിലവാരത്തിൽ ലാഭകരമായി നടത്താൻ കഴിയില്ല. അത്തരം കോളേജുകൾ ഒഴിവാക്കുക.
2. പകുതിയിൽ താഴെ മാത്രം കുട്ടികൾ ചേരുന്ന കോളേജുകൾ ഒഴിവാക്കുക. കാരണം മുകളിൽ പറഞ്ഞത് തന്നെ. നിലവാരമുള്ള സൗകര്യവുമായി അവ ലാഭത്തിൽ നടത്താൻ കഴിയാത്തതിനാൽ നിലവാരം കുറക്കുക മാത്രമാണ്  അവരുടെ മുന്നിലുള്ള വഴി.
3. കോളേജിൽ ഇപ്പോൾ പഠിച്ചുകൊണ്ടിരിക്കുന്ന വിദ്യാർത്ഥികളുമായി ആശയവിനിമയം നടത്തി സ്വകാര്യ കോളേജുകളുടെ ആകർഷകമായ പരസ്യങ്ങളിൽ പറഞ്ഞിരിക്കുന്നത് ശരിയാണെന്നു ഉറപ്പുവരുത്തുക.
4. നിലവാരമുള്ള ഒരു കോളേജും നിങ്ങളെ അഡ്മിഷൻ എടുക്കാൻ വേണ്ടി വിളിക്കാറില്ല. അങ്ങനെ വിളിക്കുന്നു അഥവാ മറ്റേതെങ്കിലും മാർഗത്തിൽ അഡ്മിഷൻ എടുക്കാൻ പ്രേരിപ്പിക്കുന്നു എങ്കിൽ അതു അവർക്കു വിദ്യാർത്ഥികളെ കിട്ടാത്തതുകൊണ്ടാണ്. അതിനുള്ള കാരണം നിങ്ങൾക്കു ഊഹിക്കാവുന്നതേയുള്ളു.
5. ഇപ്പോൾ കേരളത്തിലെ ഏകദേശം എല്ലാ കോളേജുകളും APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University (KTU) യുടെ നിയന്ത്രണത്തിലായതിനാൽ അവരുടെ website സന്ദർശിച്ചാൽ കഴിഞ്ഞ പരീക്ഷയിലെ പാസ്സ് പെർസെന്റജ് അറിയാവുന്നതാണ്. ലിങ്ക് ഇതാണ്. https://ktu.edu.in/eu/res/resultAnalysis.htm. അല്ലെങ്കിൽ https://ktu.edu.in/eu/res/viewResults.htm. 
6.  നിങ്ങൾക്കു ശരാശരിയിൽ താഴെയുള്ള റാങ്ക് ആണെങ്കിൽ, നിങ്ങൾക്കു സ്കോളർഷിപ് തരാം എന്നു ആരെങ്കിലും പറഞ്ഞെങ്കിൽ ഉറപ്പിച്ചോളു അതു നിങ്ങളെ വഞ്ചിക്കാനാണ്. ഇപ്രകാരം വിദ്യാർത്ഥികളെ വലവീശിപ്പിടിക്കുന്നതു സ്വകാര്യ സ്വാശ്രയ കോളേജുകളുടെ ഒരു സ്ഥിരം പരിപാടിയാണ്.

ഇത്തരം കാര്യങ്ങൾ ശ്രദ്ധിച്ചു വേണം എഞ്ചിനീറിങ് അഡ്മിഷൻ നേടാൻ.

 

(കുറഞ്ഞ ചിലവിൽ വിദ്യാർത്ഥികൾക്ക് നിലവാരമുള്ള വിദ്യാഭ്യാസം നൽകുന്ന സർക്കാർ നിയന്ത്രണത്തിലുള്ള CAPEൻറെ പത്തനാപുരം എഞ്ചിനീറിങ് കോളേജിൽ അസിസ്റ്റന്റ് പ്രൊഫസർ ആണ് ലേഖകൻ.)

Corruption - Who's responsible?

Corruption is something which all talk against in public and only a few respond against in their life. Who's really responsible for the wide spread of corruption in practically any sect of our day to day life.
I had an experience yesterday which I would like to share with you. I was in need of transporting wood frames from my wife's house in Tamil Nadu to my home in Kerala. The wood is intended for the construction of my home at Piravanthoor.
My father in law had obtained a certificate from the village officer stating that the wood is from our own property and no sale is involved. This is to get exemption from paying sales tax on entering Kerala, in the normal case of purchasing goods from other states.
Once they reached the check post, they were not permitted to enter. This was because the documentation required was not furnished with regard to the construction of the home, like building permit and approved plan. I asked them to go back and we will transport after making the necessary documents.
I met the Investigating Assistant Commissioner of commercial taxes department at Kottarakkara and he explained me about the required documentation.
I made available all the documentation and reached the check post with the goods. The officer in charge asked me to come to the back door of the building. I was sure he was asking me to bribe. I met the officer. He offered me a chair and asked me to sit down. He verified the papers and gave me suggestions regarding the submission of documents. He asked me to complete e deceleration formalities. I did so and he gave me the permit. No bribe was asked for. I said thanks and no one else in the checkpoint asked me bribe.
The same thing happened when I applied earlier for the building permit from Piravanthoor Panchayath and possession certificate and location sketch from Piravanthoor village office.
No one ever asked me bribe and I never gave. It is we who tempt the officials to do us undue favors by paying bribes. Next time when you say "The system is all corrupted", please keep in mind that I had the experience of dealing with a couple of good officers.
As jesus said, those who hadn't bribed anyone, but was asked bribe, it is your turn to throw stones.

NB: There can be exceptions. Exceptions should be considered as exceptions.

Lack of Substance: A Dangerous Portend

Prime Minister Modi's visit to New York and Washington on the occasion of addressing the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) turned out to be, as the PTI reported, of the nature of a "rock star celebrity".  His speeches at the Madison Square Garden and the annual rock star ritual that takes place every year on the occasion of the UNGA at New York's Central Park confirmed once again that the mindset of a continuing Indian election campaign has not yet been discarded by Prime Minister Modi.  Commenting on his first address to the Nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort, this column had noted that the election hangover appears to continue.  We had suggested that the PM should be politely told that the elections are over and people expect him to start "walking the talk".  But the talk continues and after Tokyo has now reached New York.  `Walking' has yet to begin as far as we, Indians, are concerned.

It has by now become a habit to regularly comment on the Prime Minister's global interactions in this column.  After his visit to Tokyo and his interactions with the Chinese President in India, it is now the turn of his visit to the US.  The PM's global itinerary has been so crowded that we could not squeeze in comments on his visits to Nepal, Bhutan and interactions with the Australian Prime Minister in New Delhi.  The irony of all this lies in the fact that he is scrupulously following the global interactions whose pace was set by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Yet we are being told ad nasuem that PM Modi has set himself the task to "liberate" India from the "paralysis" of the government under former PM Manmohan Singh!

Lest the PM is accused of ignoring the travails of the Indian people, we are now being bombarded by official advertisements informing that the Prime Minister will address the nation on October 3.  The official propaganda is that this address is on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti that falls on October 2.  But October 3 is Vijaya Dashami - Dussera.  Recollect that the RSS, since its foundation, always hoisted the saffron flag on Vijaya Dashami accompanied by the ritual of the RSS Sarsanghchalak addressing the Swayamsevaks (read the Nation in today's context) annually.  By choosing to address the Nation through the Doordarshan and the All India Radio (who have graciously announced that the `electronic feed' of this address will be available freely to all other media outlets to broadcast), is PM Modi seeking also  simultaneously to don the mantle  of the RSS chief  and, thus, remove the hairline distinction between the RSS and the BJP - the latter functioning as the political arm of the former?

As we go to press, the much awaited Indo-US Joint Statement has been released.  Apart from a general reassertion of the continuing strategic relationship between India and USA, eight separate statements  on - health cooperation; continuing strategic consultations; development cooperation;
deepening security partnership; civil space and technological cooperation; promoting women's empowerment; on energy and climate change; and on deepening cultural ties between India and USA have been released. 

While there has been nothing substantial in terms of any advance  from the agreements already reached  between India and the USA on all these aspects, the running thread appears the increasing pressures by the USA to draw India more into its loop of advancing US strategic interests in all these spheres. The objective of this was clearly articulated by Nicholas Burns in the
Washington Post (September 28, 2014), "In strategic terms, there are few countries more important to Washington than India, the dominant power in the Indian Ocean region and, with Japan, the most important US partner in Asia seeking to limit  Chinese assertiveness in the region".  The US strategic objective since the end of the Cold War, articulated officially in its
documents,  has been the "containment of China". President Obama is pursuing this objective, aggressively, on the basis of the assessment of the Washington Post, "One of his (PM Modi's) primary ambitions is to renew relations with Washington".

This appears to have been endorsed by the so-called Joint Vision Statement that appeared as a joint editorial by President Obama and PM Modi in the Washington Post  titled `Chalein Saath Saath: Forward together we go'. Ominously,  Chaleinge Saath Saath is the Hindi translation of a line from the famous anthem of African Americans popularized by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. `we shall overcome'. It is ominous because this Hindi translation which was popularized by the Left was hijacked and elevated to the level of an anthem in India by Sanjay Gandhi during the period of internal emergency, the abrogation of democracy, democratic rights and civil liberties. 

During his various speeches, the Indian PM highlighted India's commitment in fighting terrorism and that India makes no distinction between "bad terrorism" and "good terrorism". Soon after  came his one to one meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu!  The criminal anti-human Israeli attacks on the Palestinians and the killing of innocent people,women and children,  are all justified by such definitions of fighting "terrorism" that continues to deny the Palestinians their basic fundamental right to a homeland for over six decades.  Once again, an ominous signal.

Those expecting the Indo-US Joint Statement to be a significant advance from the past were forewarned by the spokesman of India's Ministry of External Affairs who said that the Indo-US Summit interaction "had three major components - connecting with each other, vision for the ties and cooperation in various areas".

Clearly, therefore, what was envisioned is the deepening of the Indo-US strategic partnership where India would be drawn deeper as a strategic subordinate ally in implementing the US global vision.  The vision statement says that India and USA shall "together seek a reliable and enduring friendship that bolsters security and stability, contributes to  the global economy, and advances peace and prosperity for our citizens and throughout the world".

As far as the main objective of this visit - attending and addressing the UNGA - is concerned, Indian PM's speech marked no significant advance or contribution. Media reports, "the first ever UN address of Mr. Modi was in danger of being marred by a possible `hot mic' moment in which the President and Co-Chair of the General Assembly, apparently unaware that they could be heard over the PA system, appeared to allude to a lack of courtesy by the Indian delegation as it departed from the podium perhaps too abruptly for the accompanying protocol personnel to keep up with them. ...The relevant segment of the audio, which The Hindu has obtained (reported on September 29), was not particularly clear, yet in it UNGA President Sam Kutesa of Uganda could be heard saying what sounded like, "Let them settle a bit," then adding, "Making a racket," and "You have to have a little courtesy to wait over there" and finally "But I think.India consider itself.."
(unprintable, we presume).

Similar Indian media commentaries have suggested  that the discussions between PM Modi and President Obama were an exhaustive "laundry list" of all agreements between both sides from knowledge partnerships and renewable energies to nuclear issues.  "However, it lack significant progress, or breakthrough  in various issues the two nation's face".

Significantly, defence cooperation is slated to increase further with the Indian government already approving the purchase of US attack and heavy lift helicopters. US has, thus, become India's largest supplier of arms in the past five years, overtaking Russia.  India is also the largest purchaser of Israeli armaments amongst all countries in the world, thus, the largest financier of Israeli military attacks on the Palestinians!

The highlight of this visit was the subtle but an important change that the Indian PM made in his formulations.  In the Red Fort speech, he spoke of making India an industrial hub by advancing the slogan of "Made in India". In the US, he spoke repeatedly of "Make in India".  The former should have meant the strengthening of India's domestic industrial production base while the latter is an open invitation for foreign investments, particularly US investments, whose main objective is profit maximization and not augmenting India's productive capacities.  For this purpose, India appears ready, much to the glee of India Inc., to further liberalise its economy to foreign capital both speculative (FII) and FDI. Such an opening up of Indian market, resources and cheap labour for foreign profit maximization is the surest recipe for imposing further hardships on the Indian people.

In sum, therefore, this visit of PM Modi to the US may well result in deepening the status of India as a subordinate ally of US imperialism and its global strategic concerns.  This does not auger well for India's independent foreign policy which marked its special place in international relations and amongst the comity of Nations in the world.  It is not in India's interests to sacrifice good neighbourly relations to advance US strategic interests.  Of course, the concerns of India's sovereignty and security will always remain non-negotiable. While maintaining this, India's independent relations with all countries in the world is an important element in the creation of a world of multi-polarity following the end of the bipolar Cold War era.  By this visit and its outcome, the danger is of India cementing itself as a subordinate strategic ally of US designs for a Uni-polar world under its hegemony.  In India's interests, this drift to disaster must not be  allowed.
(Courtesy: Marxist India)

Aftermath of Delhi Election 2013

The results of the Delhi elections 2013 is interesting. I seriously doubt whether someone anticipated such a situation. Though BJP become the largest party, they are not having enough seats to form a government. So is the case of AAP. Congress is already out of the scene.
AAP were left with two options. First is to go for the reelection along with the upcoming polls to the parliament. Second is to form a government accepting the support offered by either Congress or BJP.
AAP have now decided to accept the unconditional support offered by the Congress and to form a government. Even Kejrawal is doubtful about their decision. That is why they are going for referendum. Even if they form a government, they may find it difficult to perform the day to day activities and implement their much awaited policies because of the contrasting political views of the Congress and the AAP.
AAP is calling for a change which the people of the country in general  and particularly those in Delhi are longing for. People are convinced and believed in their propaganda. The same lies as a burden on them. Now that they are in power, people expect them to make the change. To make change is no easy business as calling for a change.
To change a system, you have two options. First is to overpower it and establish a new one. Second is to go into the system and change it from inside. Mavoists, Naxals and such groups are trying the former and political parties like CPM and AAP are trying the later.
When you go into a system to change it, there are certain danger in it.
Firstly when you try to change the system by going into it, the system may change your cadres, as happened to the CPM.
Secondly the structure of AAP is more like a NGO with voluntary involvement. With a structure that is unconventional to a political party it will be difficult to keep the integrity once you go into power.
Thirdly the political view of AAP is restricted to only a certain aspects like Lokpal and corruption. Views on diverse aspects of governance and policies are yet to be evolved.
And the last is that it will be very difficult to rule under constraints offered by federal system, executive, judiciary and the press. It will be further more complicated with the 'unconditional' support from the Congress. There will be the constraints of available resources including financial resources.
Now is the time that AAP is about to face its test of time which is so important to its existence. If they are able to conjure something to overcome the hurdles and rise up to the expectations of the mob they represent, they'll be there in power in the centre in say 10 years. If not they will be in the dustbin of Indian political history.

Causation and correlation

I was a little confused when one of my friends warned me that I am confusing correlation and causation in response to my post on Facebook. It was in my mind for quite a few months now. In fact I was trying to find an answer whether I was actually confusing. When I thought of correlation, the first thought that came to my mind was that of good old school days. The weather was not so deceiving those days. Whether the school reopens on first, second or third of June, the beginning of the rainy season exactly coincides with the reopening of schools and we will be all soaked in rain on that evening. But we used to enjoy the first rain of the season and the first day of the school year on the same day. So we can easily draw out a correlation between the two. The same is repeated every year. But does it actually imply that one of them caused the other? I should say, we cannot conclude that one of them caused the other. Let us consider another example. Every time I switched on the switch my lamp glows. As in the previous case, we may derive a correlation between the two events. Here I can definitely conclude that switching on the switch causes the lamp to glow. So how can I ascertain whether the correlation derived can be verified to be the cause?

Generally, if one factor (A) is observed to only be correlated with another factor (B), it is sometimes taken for granted that A is causing B, even when no evidence supports it. This is a logical fallacy because there are at least five possibilities: First possibility is that A may be the cause of B. Second one is B may be the cause of A. Third possibility is some unknown third factor C may actually be the cause of both A and B. The next possibility is there may be a combination of the above three relationships. For example, B may be the cause of A at the same time as A is the cause of B (contradicting that the only relationship between A and B is that A causes B). This describes a self-reinforcing system. The fifth one is that the "relationship" is a coincidence or so complex or indirect that it is more effectively called a coincidence (i.e. two events occurring at the same time that have no direct relationship to each other besides the fact that they are occurring at the same time). A larger sample size helps to reduce the chance of a coincidence, unless there is a systematic error in the experiment.

Since the 1950s, both the atmospheric CO2 level and obesity levels have increased sharply. If we conclude atmospheric CO2 causes obesity or vice versa, it is a false conclusion. Richer populations tend to eat more food and consume more energy. The two are having no impact on one another. If a person having an ailment is taking medicine and praying and got cured, if you conclude that the cure is due to praying is a false conclusion since not all people pray are not cured. The conclusion that the cure is because of taking medicine is a more logical one. However, since not all people taking medicine are cured, there might be other factors which are important.

Consider a weight suspended by a string. If you cut the string, the weight will fall down. If you repeat the experiment again and again, the same will happen. So we can conclude that the action of cutting the string cause the weight to fall down. The cause of the event is established beyond doubt. Now let us examine the event again. If the string is not cut, the weight will not be falling down, which means cutting of the string is the cause. But even if the string is cut, if gravitational force is absent, if would have remained in its position which leads us to the conclusion that the gravitational force is the cause. Again if you observe the act of cutting the string, the string is cut because we applied a force, which means that the application of force is the cause. Even if you apply the force, if the knife was not sharp, the string would have remained intact and that renders the sharpness of the knife as the cause. Again we were able to cut the string with a sharp knife because the knife is harder than the string. In short the perspective of the person observing the event also is crucial. It will be illogical to conclude any one of the above as the cause of the event. A more logical conclusion is to acknowledge all of the above as the cause of the event.

Another example is the observation that as ice cream sales increase, the rate of drowning deaths increases sharply. Therefore, ice cream consumption causes drowning. The example fails to recognize the importance of time and temperature in relationship to ice cream sales. Ice cream is sold during the hot summer months at a much greater rate than during colder times, and it is during these hot summer months that people are more likely to engage in activities involving water, such as swimming. The increased drowning deaths are simply caused by more exposure to water-based activities, not ice cream. The stated conclusion is false.

Much of scientific evidence is based upon a correlation of variable – they are observed to occur together. Scientists are careful to point out that correlation does not necessarily mean causation. The assumption that A causes B simply because A correlates with B is often not accepted as a legitimate form of argument. However, sometimes people commit the opposite fallacy – dismissing correlation entirely, as if it does not suggest causation. This would dismiss a large swath of important scientific evidence.

In conclusion, correlation is a valuable type of scientific evidence. But first correlations must be confirmed as real, and then every possible causative relationship must be systematically explored. In the end correlation can be used as powerful evidence for a cause and effect relationship between a treatment and benefit, a risk factor and a disease, or a social or economic factor and various outcomes. But it is also one of the most abused types of evidence, because it is easy and even tempting to come to premature conclusions based upon the preliminary appearance of a correlation.

The Water Bomb

Mullaperiyar Dam  is a masonry gravity dam on the Periyar River. It is located 881 m (2,890 ft) above mean sea level in Idukki District of Kerala. It was constructed between 1887 and 1895 by the British Government to divert water eastwards to Madras Presidency area (the present-day Tamil Nadu). 

 

The Mullaperiyar Dam is a gravity dam made with limestone and surkhi (a mixture of crushed brick, sugar and quicklime). Gravity dams use their weight and the force of gravity to support the reservoir and remain stable. The main dam has a maximum height of 53.6 m (176 ft) and length of 365.7 m (1,200 ft). Its crest is 3.6 m (12 ft) wide while the base has a width of 42.2 m (138 ft). It consists of a main dam, spillway on its left and an auxiliary dam (or "baby dam") to the right. Its reservoir can withhold 443,230,000 m3 (359,332 acre·ft) of water, of which 299,130,000 m3 (242,509 acre·ft) is active (live) storage.

 

On 29 October 1886, a lease indenture for 999 years was made between the Maharaja of Travancore, Visakham Thirunal Rama Varma  and the British Secretary of State for India for Periyar Irrigation Works, after 24 years negotiation between the Maharaja and the British. One may wonder how can a lease agreement of  999 years  be made for a dam with a design life of 50 years. The lease indenture granted full right, power and liberty to the Secretary of State for India to construct make and carry out on the leased land and to use exclusively when constructed, made and carried out, all such irrigation works and other works ancillary thereto to. The agreement gave 8000 acres of land for the reservoir and another 100 acres to construct the dam. The tax for each acre was INR 5 per year. The lease provided the British the rights over "all the waters" of the Mullaperiyar and its catchment basin, for an annual rent of INR 40,000. 

 

Mullaperiyar dam was constructed to provide water to the rain shadow region of Madurai which was in dire need of a greater supply than the small Vaigai River could give. The dam created the Periyar Thekkady reservoir, from which water was diverted eastwards to via a tunnel to augment the small flow of the Vaigai River. The Vaigai was dammed by the Vaigai Dam  to provide a source for irrigating large tracts around Madurai. As per the original lease agreement, the dam waters were used only for the irrigation of 68,558 ha (169,411 acres). Later, the Periyar Power Station in the lower Periyar, Tamil Nadu was built which generates hydro-electricity  (175 MW capacity) from the diverted waters in the Periyar Power Station constructed in 1956. This was the first violation of the original lease agreement. 

 

In 1947, after Indian Independence, the lease agreement expired. After several failed attempts to renew the agreement in 1958, 1960, and 1969, the agreement was renewed in 1970 when C Achutha Menon was Kerala Chief Minister. It was a blunder to renew the agreement due to two reasons. 

1. The design life of the dam was 50 years. The dam constructed in 1895 has already served the cause for 75 years.
2. Tamil Nadu has already violated the original lease agreement by generating electricity from the the diverted water since 1956.

 Instead of canceling the agreement and negotiating a new one, the Government of Kerala accepted the agreement as such with minor modification in the lease amounts. 

According to the renewed agreement, the tax per acre was increased to INR 30, and for the electricity generated in Lower Camp using Mullaperiyar water, the charge was INR 12 per kiloWatt per hour. Tamil Nadu uses the water and the land, and the Tamil Nadu government has been paying to the Kerala government for the past 50 years INR 2.5 lakhs as tax per year for the whole land and INR 7.5 lakhs per year as surcharge for the total amount of electricity generated. The validity of this agreement  and several other  issues are under dispute between the States of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The matter is currently pending before a Division Bench of the Supreme Court.

 

The dam is an 'endangered' scheduled dam under the Kerala Irrigation and Water Conservation (Amendment) Act, 2006. The dam and the river are owned by and located in Kerala. But the dam is controlled and operated under a period lease by Tamil Nadu state. The safety of the dam has been a matter of concern. Control and safety of the dam and validity and fairness of the lease agreement have been points of dispute between Kerala and Tamil Nadu states.

 

After the 1979 Morvi Dam failure which killed up to 25,000 people, safety concerns of the aging Mullaperiyar dam's and leaks and cracks in the structure were raised by Kerala Government. Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS), Thiruvananthapuram found out that the structure would not withstand an earthquake above magnitude 6 on the Richter scale. The dam was also inspected by the Chairman of Central Water Commission. On the orders of the CWC, the Tamil Nadu government lowered the storage level from 142.2 feet to 136 feet, conducted safety repairs and strengthened the dam. Strengthening measures adopted by Tamil Nadu PWD from 1979 onwards include cable anchoring of the dam's structure and RCC backing for the front slope. The mistakes in the strengthening works carried out by Tamil Nadu damaged the masonry of the dam.

Current safety concerns hinge around several issues. Since the dam was constructed using stone ruble masonry with lime mortar grouting following prevailing 19th century construction techniques that have now become archaic. Seepage and leaks from the dam have caused concern. Moreover, the dam is situated in a seismically active zone. An earthquake measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale occurred on June 7, 1988 with maximum damage in Nedumkandam and Kallar (within 20 km of the dam). Consequently several earthquake tremors have occurred in the area in recent times. These could be reservoir-induced seismicity, requiring further studies according to experts. CESS, IIT Roorkee and IISc have reported that the dam cannot withstand earthquakes above 6 point on the Richter scale.

Kerala did not object giving water to Tamil Nadu. Their main cause of objection is the dams safety as it is as old as 116 years. Increasing the level would add more pressure to be handled by already leaking dam. Tamil Nadu wants the 2006 order of Supreme court be implemented so as to increase the water level to 142 feet (43 m).

In September 2009, the Ministry of Environment and Forests of Government of India granted environmental clearance to Kerala for conducting survey for new dam downstream.  Tamil Nadu approached Supreme Court for a stay order against the clearance; however, the plea was rejected. Consequently, the survey was started in October, 2009. On Sept. 9, 2009 stated it had already communicated to the Government of India as well as to the Government of Kerala that there is no need for construction of a new dam by the Kerala Government, as the existing dam after it is strengthened, functions like a new dam. This is in fact the first water dispute which does not involve dispute on the quantity of water supplied.

What we should do next?

Precautionary Principle is a philosophical approach to risk prevention by taking protective measures against specific  environmental or safety hazards in order to avoid or reduce environmental or safety risks. This approach was subsequently adopted in various International agreements. Precautionary Principle must be invoked

• Where the scientific evidence for safety is insufficient, inconclusive or uncertain.
• Where preliminary scientific evaluation suggests that effects on the environment, health or safety may be unacceptable and/or inconsistent with the chosen level of protection.
• Precautionary principle may be applied without waiting for the reality and seriousness of those risks to become fully apparent.

This principle was laid down in the Rio de Janeiro Declaration on Environment and Development of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (1992), in which India is a signatory. The due jurisprudence implied in the Rio instruments are international in impact and it cannot be violated by signatories like India.

Moreover, a number of important international conventions have incorporated this principle, including conventions on Climate Change and Biological Diversity. The Periyar National Park in Thekkady, a Protected area of Kerala, is located around the dam's reservoir, the 26 sq. km (10 sq mi) Periyar lake. 62 different kinds of mammals have been recorded in Periyar, including many threatened ones. Periyar is a highly protected tiger reserve and elephant reserve. There are an estimated 53 tigers (2010) in the reserve. The elephant number around 900 to 1000 individuals. Other mammals found here include gaur, Bison, sambar (horse deer), barking deer, mouse deer, Dholes (Indian wild dogs), mongoose, foxesand leopards. Also inhabiting the park, though rarely seen, are the elusive Nilgiri tahr. Four species of primates are found at Periyar - the rare lion-tailed macaque, the Nilgiri Langur, the commonlangur, and the Bonnet Macaque. According to a report by the Kerala Forest Research Institute, the protected area surrounding the dam and reservoir is classified as a biodiversity hot spot.

 “States....must not wait for proof of harmful effects before taking action” (1984 Bermen Ministerial Declaration of the International Conference on the Protection of the North Sea)· “The parties should take precautionary measures to anticipate, prevent or minimize the causes of climate change and mitigate its adverse effects. Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as a reason for postponing such measures” (1992 Framework for Convention of Climate Change, Art 3(3)).

 

Former Judge of Supreme Court Sri. V.R. Krishna Iyer, a great humanist, had invited the attention of the nation through an article in Hindu daily published in last year. In that article he pointed out that “Mullaperiyar is a classic instance where the precautionary principle of action cannot wait for a public calamity to happen. The nation as a whole must raise its voice against a possible natural calamity involving Mullaperiyar.”

 

He also cited a recent judgment of Supreme Court of India in M.C. Mehta v. Union of India (AIR 2004 SC 4033): “In such matters [involving actions that pose a threat of serious or irreversible damage], many a time the preferable option is not clear. If an activity is allowed to go ahead, there could be irreparable damage to the environment; if it is stopped, there could be irreparable damage to economic interests. In case of doubt, however, protection of environment should take precedence over economic interest. The Precautionary Principle requires anticipatory action to be taken to prevent harm. This harm can be prevented even on a reasonable suspicion. It is not always necessary that there should be direct evidence of harm to the environment.”

 

Nothing in life is entirely risk free, and indeed science cannot demonstrate freedom from risk, particularly from as yet known risks, because ‘absence of evidence’ is not ‘evidence of absence’! There are situations where engineers may disagree with one another. Some experts may consider the condition of a dam to be marginally safer than what others say it is. But nature has its own way, and experts’ expectations and calculations may go awry. Once there is reasonable apprehensions about the imminent danger and the possibility of a risk, the state should not take any chances. 

Boyds Corner Dam is the first concrete dam built in USA in 1872. In 1980s, after the collapse of Tenton Dam, it was decided to review the condition of that dam. There was divided opinion on the safety of the dam. Some strongly believed that it was safe while others believed  that it was unsafe. Despite opposition, the Government of USA decided to construct a new dam and the Boyds Dam was demolished and rebuilt in 1990.

Decommissioning of Old Victoria dam in Australia is an example of how a century old unsafe dam of almost the same age and built using similar technology as that of Mullaperiyar dam was treated in a developed country. This dam was constructed in 1891 with lime concrete like Mullaperiyar dam in 1895.  In 1966, the Dam witnessed lot of seepages, which is also the case in Mullaperiyar dam. Certain strengthening measures were carried out to the Victoria dam, which were found to be inadequate in 1988. Therefore the authorities concerned decided to decommission the dam in April 1990. In its place, a new Victoria dam has already been constructed, which now supplies drinking water to the city of Perth.

 

 The water bomb started ticking long back. The question is whether it is now or later. We have no time to debate. Act wisely. Use precautionary principles. Decommission the dam. It is pretty old. Let it retire. And construct the new dam as early as possible. And let the people down stream have a peaceful life.

Courtsey: 
1. James Wilson,  Assistant Executive Engineer (Civil), Kerala State Electricity Board. (Presently working as a member of the Mullaperiyar Special Cell, Government of Kerala on deputation. Associated with Mullaperiyar case since 2006.)
2. Wikipedia