Mumbai Confidential: No clarity on illusions

Many in the media had called out the Mumbai Police for lack of evidence in its case against Vora, with one scathing piece in a tabloid criticising everyone from police to journalists.

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Mumbai confidential: The officer tweeted, “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge,” attributing the quote to Stephen Hawking.

The day after a court convicted nine people in connection with the murder of journalist J Dey and acquitted former journalist Jigna Vora, a senior IPS officer posted a tweet that appeared linked to the developments. Many in the media had called out the Mumbai Police for lack of evidence in its case against Vora, with one scathing piece in a tabloid criticising everyone from police to journalists. The officer tweeted, “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge,” attributing the quote to Stephen Hawking. To make things more obvious, he added, “If you follow the happenings in Mumbai, you know the context.” Nothing more was said on what is illusory.

Directors Wanted
Following a change in the eligibility criteria for the post of director at the Directorate of Health Services, officials worry that directors will change too frequently. After Dr Satish Pawar was transferred from the post to deputy director of the National Health Mission, eligible officers were interviewed for the director’s post. The modified condition involves a prolonged duration of experience in health services. Those eligible are, of course, officers nearing retirement. So while Dr Sanjeev Kamble has been chosen for the post, the glitch is that he retires within a month. The government will again have to undertake the task of selecting a new director. Officials say the modified guidelines could see them working with a new director every few months. Meanwhile, Dr Kamble’s room smells of fresh flowers, a dozen bouquets congratulating him.

Activists & Politics
Several accredited social health activists, known as ASHA workers, have expressed an interest in joining gram sabhas. In Bhandara for example, 60-70 ASHAs who have been elected to the gram sabha want to continue working as ASHAs. The Directorate of Health Services in Mumbai had several rounds of meetings to discuss whether an ASHA worker could hold dual duties. A past case from 2013 formed the basis for their decision. A contractual medical officer in Gadchiroli became part of a political party and would often remain absent from his post. The state government had to finally end his contract. Following that case, no health officer is allowed to function in two capacities. The Bhandara ASHA workers were denied their request. Only about 20 chose to remain health workers, the rest opting for the coveted gram sabha posts.

Water Woes
In the wake of the plastic ban in the state, the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is struggling to find an alternative to plastic bottles distributed at water vending machines at railway stations. According to sources, while they plan to replace plastic glasses with paper ones, replacing the bottles is a complex task. Believing that the plastic bottles dispensed by the machines are re-cyclable, officials claim they may not need to ban them entirely. But confusion still looms as one of its contractors, who operates water ATMs at more than 50 suburban railway stations, has stopped giving plastic bottles since Gudi Padwa.

(Contributed by Mohamed Thaver, Tabassum Barnagarwala & Neha Kulkarni)

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