The Observer Volume 18, Issue 10

The Observer

The Observer An IIJNM publication

Locals take extra caution this Diwali to stay safe from firecrackers | P 2

Vol 18, Issue 10

@theweeklyobserver On the Web: issuu.com/ theweeklyobserver/docs/ the_observer

Thursday, October 25, 2018

A year on, city traders are violating the GST law in different ways | P 4

BBMP continues to struggle with craters Deadline set by HC expires; motorists not happy with solution of mud & gravel R Yohanjali

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espite the October 23 deadline set by the Karnataka High Court for the BBMP to fill potholes, hundreds of craters still exist across Bengaluru.

In its hurry to meet the extended deadline, the BBMP has used mud and gravel to fill potholes across Bengaluru. Motorists doubt the repair will last, pointing out that heavy rain washes away the new flimsy surface.

With the situation remaining bad, the high court warned the BBMP that it will hand the work to another agency if the municipal body does not do a proper job.

The Times of India quoted the court as saying: “In the onemonth-plus (time) since September 19, Bengaluru city could have been freed of potholes if BBMP had worked. During Dasara holidays, traffic was less. Even otherwise, you could have arranged things with traffic police.”As per The TOI several petitioners have sent images of poor work. The court commissioners have been asked to visit and supervise work

SHODDY JOB: Residents complain that the pothole filling done by the BBMP, with mud and gravel, is undone when it rains heavily | Courtesy: KPN done by BBMP and report onstatus about the 19 remaining places.

The use of mud and gravel — no tar is used — seems an ad hoc solution.

“We just do what we are told to.

What material will be used to fix theses potholes is not in our hands,” said a worker who was repairing potholes on Mysuru road. Another worker said: “People say that we do not work properly, that we are lazy. What can we do? We are bound to our con-

tractor and can’t suggest anything to our boss.”

“We are trying our best to clear potholes. It will take time. We are also looking for biological ways to fill them as it will be cheaper and eco-friendly,” said a BBMP official.

The unsatisfactory work has created new hazards for commuters. A student who uses Mysuru Road daily said: “Since they fill the potholes with gravel, the road is slippery. Our vehicles skid more while trying to dodge the

Property buyers suffer losses as builders overlook RERA law Yajush Gupta

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omplaints of Bengaluru builders and developers not abiding by the RERA law have increased significantly. Noncompliance has led to many builders paying hefty penalties.

There are numerous complaints about builders not providing basic amenities, giving late possession, committing breach of contract and demanding extra money.

Sai Venkat and 79 others brought apartments from ND Developers in 2013. The flats were supposed to be handed over five years ago, but the buyers are still waiting.

“Even the banks that gave us loans against property hold us responsible to repay them. Today we have no house and huge loans

potholes, NICE Road also has a few potholes which make the journey rough.”

Senovia Rodriguez, a software engineer at Capgemini, informed The Observer: “Whitefield has several potholes. We skid while taking that road. It’s worse in the evening as its dark. This leads to accidents.”

Citizens are unhappy because the potholes have been filled with mud and gravel.

“One heavy rain and the pothole filling is reversed. Rain

News Briefs lNational: CBI Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana instructed to go on leave on the basis of a strongly worded report by Central Vigilance Commission. lLocal: KSRTC gives its employees a reward of Rs 20 each to buy sweets. The employees say the cororation could have given better rewards.

Builders are ignoring ongoing projects and starting new projects after taking money from customers. | Credit: Yajush Gupta to repay. We had filed an FIR money from customers even beagainst the company and its man- fore obtaining requisite apaging director, but no action has provals. They also collect money been taken against them,” Sai for one project and use it to comVenkat informed The Observer. plete other projects. Liju Thomas One of the main causes for de- George, founder director at lays is that builders ignore ongo- Greens Projects said that ing projects and start collecting Continued on page 4

makes our travel worse. Potholes keep coming back,” said a source on Mysuru Road who didn’t want to be named. “It’s also a health problem. Due to rain, water stagnates in potholes, leading to mosquito breeding.”

Citizens can report potholes to the BBMP on WhatsApp number 9480685700, or call the Control Room (22660000), or lodge complaints on the Sahaaya platform (bbmp.sahaaya.in).

Dilip R, who works for the helpline in the Control Room, said: “Most contractors want to make money. So they hire few people which leads to poor work.

Many complaints are still pending. Thousands of citizens call us, but only a few (potholes) are cleared. Most potholes in KR Puram, KR Market and Yelahanka have been cleared. As per a government order, tar must be used to fill potholes.”

The high court first set the BBMP a deadline of October 2017 to get rid of potholes. The issue came up in the court again this year. A September 23, 2018, deadline was extended to October 23. yohanjali.r@iijnm.org

lShortage of coal in Karnataka thermal plants could lead to the plants shutting down. Raichur thermal plants have already got affected while the Bellary Yeramarus plants are left with a sixday stock of coal. The CM and chief secretary’s letters to Union power and coal minister Piyush Goyal have got a quick response. lInternational: Personal data of customers is being “weaponised with military efficiency” by countries to earn profit, says Apple

CEO Tim Cook. Defending this statement, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that Facebook users are aware of the ad-based business models for free services. lUS President Donald Trump has said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is responsible for the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and that the prince is “running things over there in Riyadh”. lBusiness: After reporting a 2.8% constant currency sequential revenue growth, Wipro has increased freshers’ salaries from Rs 3.2 lakh per annum to Rs 3.5 lakh. lSports: Second ODI between India and West Indies ends in a tie after wonderful performances

by Virat Kohli (157) and Shai Hope (123). lBarcelona defeats Inter Milan in the Champions League.

CITY

2

The Observer Thursday, October 25, 2018

Stay safe is the motto this Diwali Citizens recognize the need to be extra careful with firecrackers

Sayantan Sarkar

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any residents of Bengaluru have decided to be extra cautious with firecrackers this Diwali as danger to public health and safety is a major concern during this time of the year.

Nupur Sinha, a senior associate lead with BPHR, informed The Observer: “It is almost impossible to go out of the house during Diwali as there is a lot of smoke in the air along with unbearable noise. We have to take additional precautions while going out.”

The Supreme Court on October 23 refused to ban the sale and manufacture but limited the window for bursting firecrackers to two hours —from 8pm to 10pm — during Diwali or other festivals and weddings.

Krishna Kumar Balakrishnan, a consultant with Infosys Consulting, said: “I haven’t heard about the Supreme Court’s decision, but I don’t believe banning the sale of firecrackers will ensure safety. People need to be more responsible and use these crackers judiciously. Safety of the public is imperative. Parents should not let their children do anything adventurous with firecrackers.”

According to the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, there was a 46.8% rise in the level of air pollutants during Diwali last year.

Animesh Majumder, a network engineer at Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India, said: “Pollutants in the air cause breathing problems. Last year, I had to wear a face mask while walking on the road during Diwali. These pollutants are very

Citizen’s Voice #MeToo movement

The #MeToo movement has concluded read a message on a Whatsapp group of intellectuals.

Has the plight of the woman ended? Does that queer kid feel empowered to come out of the closet? NO, it has not. #metoo has to continue till the time a woman, a child or a man does not feel secure enough to not have to use a hashtag to be heard, to be believed, to be fearless. That would be the utopia where the #metoo movement should end.

Avishek Mukherjee,IT Professional,Hyderabad

UGC service rules

The University Grant Commission (UGC) has rolled out new service rules for teachers of Central universities. The law restricts teachers from showing their dissent against the government. Showing dissent against the government is the right of people in a democracy. Thus, this is a well-planned step taken to curb the democratic ideologies of the country.

Yusha, IIJNM student

SC imited the window for bursting firecrackers to two hours, from 8pm to 10pm, during Diwali | Courtesy: Pexels

Credit:Sayantan Sarkar harmful as they affect the lungs.”

People face parking issues dur-

ing this time of the year. “Vehicles need to be parked properly in

commercial areas where chances of people bursting crackers are slim. It is recommended to carry a portable fire extinguisher in the car in case of emergencies,” Majumder said.

Dr Manjunath K, a general physician, said: “The most common injuries that are suffered during Diwali are eye injuries.

Eyes are vulnerable. Buying crackers from unlicensed vendors have their consequences and outcomes, as these crackers often cause face injuries due to unnatural explosion.”

He spoke of precautions that should be taken during Diwali.

“Parents should not allow kids near harmful crackers. People should avoid synthetic clothes while walking out of their houses and should also keep doors and windows shut.”

Previous reports from news outlets such as The Hindu suggest that children are the most affected during Diwali. They mostly sustain eye injuries while bursting crackers.

“I will advise people to burn less crackers and take adequate precautions while burning firecrackers. It is important that people don’t burst crackers while vehicles are passing by. Noise pollution is one of the major problems during Diwali,” Sinha said.

Dr Manjunath said: “Noise levels in the city go up exponentially during this time of the year. I recommend senior citizens take measures and avoid noisy places.

Excessive noise and sound may trigger heart attacks in older people. People must be careful and cautious while burning crackers near hospitals and healthcare facilities within the city.” sayantan.s@iijnm.org

Around the City lDifferent Strokes for Different Hues - Painting Workshop - With Vivek Kumar, Bangalore on Saturday October 27th ,2:30pm onwards. lCrossborder Cinema with Thani The Cow, Bangalore on Friday October 26th , 7:30pm onwards. lHow to Tell a Story | Stones2Milestones ,Bangalore on Saturday October 27th,5:30pm onwards. lBOAT- Bangalore One Act Theatre Festival - Children's Theatre Festival, Bangalore on Friday October 26th, 3:00pm onwards. lOff The Mat - Community Conversations - Social Media, Networking & Yoga - With Luvena Rangel (The Curvy Yogi), Shobhit, Bangalore Fri, October 26th ,5:00pm lThe Funny Stuff, Comedy open mic evening, Bangalore at, October 27th , 5:00pm onwards lThe Pitch Please Project, Bangalore Wednesday, October 24th, on 2:00pm onwards. lSilk Painting Workshop - With Team Iteeha, Bangalore Friday, 26th on October 3:00 pm onwards. lMacro Photography with Shji.V.Nambiar- With shajin v nambiar, Bangalore Saturday, on 27th October 7 am onwards. lThe Pitch Please Project By Lahe Lahe :Lahe Lahe project is going to be organised in East Bengaluru every weekend Saturday and Sunday lTribute Run @ Decathlon Hennur Road - With Sportz High, Bangalore Sunday, on 28th October 6 am onwards. lOverview of Robotic Process Automation (RPA),Bangalore Saturday, on 27th October 3 pm onwards lThe Little Artist: Creativity from Clay for Small Kids - With Instructor: Ritu, Bangalore on 27th October from 10:30 am onwards

Stench from dead fish, snails remains at Madiwala lake Sahana S

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hree weeks after thousands of dead fish and snails were found on the banks of Madiwala Lake, a stench still pervades the area.

“We get an unpleasant smell while entering the lake premises.

It has not been taken care of until now,” businessman Sayeed Muddsier informed The Observer.

Another regular visitor said he is annoyed with the situation at the lake.

Binod Yadav, a carpenter, said: “The situation has not changed.

Dead snails and foul smell are common problems of this lake.

They intensify further during the monsoon season.”

Range forest officer Harshvardhana blamed the BWSSB for the problem. “This is a perennial problem because of nearby storm water drains. BWSSB allows sewage into the lake. After we wrote to them, the water supply utility has promised to build a separate channel deviating from the lake within a year.”

Apart from dead snails, visitors

Madiwala lake is one of Bengaluru’s largest water bodies | Credit:Sahana S also complain about negligence and poor maintenance of the lake.

Bijoy Kumar Nayak, an employee of a garments company, said: “I can tolerate the smell, but officers are not doing anything to improve the cleanliness of the lake. This is one of the main reasons for us to avoid visiting the lake frequently.”

Mohammed Rabbi, a student, said he is disappointed because the lake area is not maintained.

On his part, assistant conservator of forests Harshavardhan PN said that “after an STP becomes functional, such situations will not repeat". His department is dealing with the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage

Board (BWSSB) on “a higher level", he added The Madiwala lake is one of Bengaluru’s largest water bodies.

Its water was fit for drinking till the early 1990s. However, it has become more polluted because of industrial waste and several other pollutants. sahana.s@iijnm.org

CITY

The Observer Thursday, October 25, 2018

Most people are still unaware about the Good Samaritan law

Nearly a month on, even lawyers do not know it exists Shrabona Ghosh

Foreign tie-ups open new vistas for international school students

Overseas varsities offer education of high quality

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t’s been nearly a month since a Good Samaritan law came into being in Karnataka, but most people are still unaware about it.

“After a new law is passed, sufficient measures should be taken to create awareness about it.

Sometimes even lawyers are unaware about an important law. A separate institution should be created to form a link between the Parliament and social media, that will bear the responsibility of creating awareness about important laws among the public,” Kapil Dixit, a criminal lawyer, informed The Observer.

Most people The Observer spoke to did not know about the existence of the law.

“It is an extremely helpful law for public safety; but I was unaware about it. Such important laws should be publicised properly,” C.T Manjunath, a pharmacy supervisor at Apollo Hospitals, said.

S. Kavya, a college student, said she learnt about the law through social media. People who want to help accident victims need not worry.

According to the law, onlookers can help accident victims without any fear of harassment by police.

“Helping accident victims had been impeded by (fear of) police interrogation and visits to courts.

This is a good initiative by the government, but unless awareness is created, it won’t be of any help,” Girish M, an IT professional, said.

However, Aditya Singh, a bank employee, said: “Around a year

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Sounak Das

S The Good Samaritan law protects Credit: Pexels ago, I and my friends helped an accident victim. We got police help and everything was fine.”

If an accident victim is given first aid within the Golden Hour, he/she can be saved as it is the most crucial time after the accident.

“For the heart, the Golden Hour is 45 to 50 minutes after the accident, and for the brain, it is around four and a half hours. If the patient is given first aid within the specified Golden Hour, there is 95% chance that the patient will be saved,”Dr Kakumanu,A Y Bharat a medical practitioner, said.

On October 4, days after the law was passed, Suresh V, 35, died after bleeding profusely on the highway at Nelamangala. As he was hit by a KSRTC bus. If the onlookers have helped him within the Golden Hour, he could have been saved “Print and electronic media should take the responsibility of spreading awareness. The Union

people who help accident victims | ministry of health and family welfare, state health departments and NGOs should come up with programmes that will enlighten the public about these important laws,” said Raghavendra S.R., an advocate with Kalasha Law Associates.

In 2016, the state government had launched a Mukhyamantri Santwana Harish Yojana to provide free medical treatment to road accident victims.But back then the Hospitals were then not much aware about the law.

“Awareness among hospital authorities is important to save victims. If hospital authorities deny treatment, then nothing can be done,” said an officer of the Upparpet police station who did not wished to be named.

The law received presidential assent on October 2,,2018, six years after a writ petition was filed by an NGO to protect people who help victims who were hurtat the accidents. shrabona.g@iijnm.org

tudents of international schools in Bengaluru could get a boost to their career opportunities as foreign universities are looking to enrol eligible students for their academic programmes.

“When foreign universities visit our school, students get a chance to interact with representatives of these universities and have their questions answered. Students start communicating with representatives so that when it is time to apply, they have an advantage because very often these representatives are the ones who review student applications,’’ Kum Kum Datta, guidance counsellor, Canadian International School, informed The Observer. ‘’Universities from the UK, US, Australia, Canada, Japan, Spain, and France, to name a few, approach us to enrol our students for their academic programmes.

This gives the students a wide range of options and opens up numerous doors of opportunities for them. Many of our former students are leaders in the fields of science & technology, arts, industry, management, etc. They benefited immensely from these tie-ups,’’ Datta said.

Amrita Basu, whose son is a class 11 student in Inventure Academy, said: “I like to send my son to a university in the US or

UK. The exposure he is getting here will prepare him. I have no intention of demeaning the educational system of our country, but foreign universities provide better opportunities” Most of these schools in Bengaluru follow the Cambridge Assessmen. International Education (CAIE) and International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum. These programmes are challenging .

“Universities have their own requirements and would usually ask students to write essays on given topics, apart from their IB scores. SAT scores are also taken into consideration. Students require recommendation letters from teachers and counsellors.

We are affiliated to the CBSE, but we have tie-ups with the likes of Exeter University and University of Central Oklahoma,’’ Rudra Kumar Sharma, head of administration, Jain International School, said. ‘’IELTS and TOEFL are yardsticks for language proficiency. A student must be good in the English language to study abroad. So a holistic assessment is done before selection. No student is selected randomly,’’ Dutta said.

Not all agree with Basu and Datta. “My daughter is a good student. I am spending a lot on her education. But I don’t want her to go abroad because once she goes out of the country, I am sure, she wouldn’t want to come back. I want her to remain here and do something for the country,’’ said Abdul Khan (name changed), whose daughter studies at the Ebenezer International School. sounak.d@iijnm.org

Will Bengaluru Bulls fans be disappointed this year too?

Permission to use Kanteerava will be given soon: Official

Renuka Thakare

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fter awaiting permission to use Sree Kanteerava Stadium for a long time, Bengaluru Bulls might shift their home matches temporarily to Chennai or Pune for Season 6 of the Pro Kabaddi League.

The move has left many fans of the team disappointed.

Bengaluru Bulls fan Tanay Dasarwar told The Observer: “It’s really disheartening. I wanted to watch the matches at least this year.

Last year, we couldn’t attend because it was held in Nagpur. We

cannot afford to fly to another state to watch the match. I hope the Sports Authority will give approval.”

Nikhil Nair, also a Bengaluru Bulls fan, said: “In the past five years, kabaddi has shown its true potential in sports as it has earned lots of money. The neglect of such a serious matter by the regulating authority is worrying not only the team but people who follow the sports. I’m sad I will not be able to watch this season’s matches in Bengaluru.”

The decision to shift the home venue to Chennai or Pune was announced by Bengaluru Bulls CEO Uday Sinh Wala.

Deputy director of youth empowerment and sports Jitendra Shetty told The Observer: “We

Fans of Bengaluru Bulls want the Pro Kabaddi League to be conducted at Sree Kanteerava Stadium | Courtesy: Bengaluru Bulls website plan to approve the request for using Sree Kanteerava stadium in a day or two.”

He said they did not deny permission. “We have not denied any request. We couldn’t reply earlier

because of the Dasara festival.

The commissioner will look into the matter and reply to the team as soon as possible. We are also planning to start preparations from next week.”

Kabaddi fan Rubal Malik, a software engineer, blamed both authorities for the impasse. “The conflict between the bodies is depriving fans of a chance to watch kabaddi matches in Bengaluru.

Bengaluru Bulls will get money from another city’s stadium, but at the same time, they will be in loss because in Bengaluru there will be a bigger crowd to watch their games. If the matches are held in Bengaluru, the team will feel motivated because of the crowd.”

Last year, Bengaluru Bulls shifted their home matches from Bengaluru to Nagpur because of the same reason. The matches this year are scheduled from November 23 to 29. renuka.t@iijnm.org

CITY

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The Observer Thursday,Octobert 25, 2018

Traders violate GST law in several ways E-WAY BILL & ITS RULES

Many do not register themselves

lE-way bill is an electronic waybill for movement of goods to be generated on the EWay Bill Portal. A GST registered person cannot transport goods in a vehicle whose value exceeds Rs. 50,000. lE-way Bill can be generated on the E-way bill Portal lRegistered Person –. A Registered person or the transporter may choose to generate and carry away bill even if the value of goods is less than Rs 50,000 lUnregistered Persons – Unregistered persons are also required to generate E-way bill. lTransporter – Transporters carrying goods by road, air, rail, etc. also need to generate eWay Bill if the supplier has not generated an E-way bill.

Shashank Dipankar

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ore than a year after the goods and services tax was introduced, traders in Bengaluru are allegedly violating the GST Act in various ways.

Many try to escape GST by not registering themselves as mandated by the GST Act, 2017.

“Not doing registration for GST is the most basic fraud which we come across. Even though traders have a turnover of more than Rs 20 lakh, some never declare it,” Nitesh K. Patil, additional commissioner of commercial taxes (enforcement), South Zone, informed The Observer.

Another way of evading GST is separation of turnover. Here a trader doesn’t declare his entire turnover and registers only a small portion. “If someone has a turnover of Rs 1 crore and he declares only Rs 50 lakh, it is a violation of the GST Act. We catch such people based on complaints that they are not issuing bills,” Nitesh explained.

Not generating e-way bills, as mandated by the GST Act, is another violation. If a GST-registered person transports goods worth more than Rs 50,000, he needs to generate and carry an eway bill along with the tax invoice.

The City Speaks KJ George @the kjgeorge Interacted with representatives of IBM this morning and the key discussion was on application of Artificial intelligence to boost the agricultural sector. #InnovateKarnataka #InvestInKarnataka.

Siddaramaiah@siddaramiah The country's economic situation is worse today. Prior to Narendra Modi's coming to power, the price of gas cylinder of Rs 450 was today Rs 950. This is the dichotomy of Din, the country's largest scandal. In its name, Modi is looting the poor people of the country..

Mukundgowda sj@mukundsj #MeTooIndia has gone fancy.

There are many ladies who are crying foul now just to tarnish someone else.

DrAshwathnarayan@drashwathan People of #Bengaluru deserve more than empty words and promises!

(Source:Cleartax)

“They don’t generate e-way bills and transport commodities.

Even customers don’t ask for bills as no one wants to pay GST. As a result of this, from source to end no one pays tax and goods are not accounted for because of this,” Nitesh said.

At times traders produce fake GST invoices to claim input tax credit (ITC). At the time of paying tax on output, one can reduce the tax one has already paid on inputs and pay the balance amount, the additional commissioner said.

According to an Economic Times report, a similar process was used by two businessmen to claim ITC without any real sale taking place, and without anyone paying GST. Deepak Rai, owner of an MI service centre, said: “Most consumers lack knowledge of GST as in they don’t know which goods come under which category. Such a scenario exists because the Act is new. Customers feel they are being charged way too much and hence are not satisfied with the

service we provide.”

Rishika Hingad a tax analyst informed The Observer: “When it comes to the consumers' side, GST has been implemented well; but from the sellers’ point of view, the system is fragile. I don’t think there are any loopholes as such because the system needs time to fall in place.”

Traders befool customers by imposing GST on exempted goods and later misrepresenting them in their declaration – showing that they don’t charge GST on

Flat buyers continue to suffer harassment by developers

City Weather Forecast: Mostly Sunny Maximum: 30.0 Degree Celsius Minimum: 17.0 Degree Celsius

Continued from page 1

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gents typically collect booking amounts after placing advertisements that grossly misstate the facilities and mislead potential customers. All they do is advertise and promise.”

“They even collect booking amounts for same property from multiple buyers.” People lose between Rs 50,000 and Rs 5 lakh in such frauds, he said.

As many as 2,000 projects are registered under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, in Karnataka.

According to data of the urban development and housing department, 1,626 notices have been issued to developers for breaching RERA norms in Bengaluru.

A leading developer, Provident Housing Ltd, has allegedly held advance maintenance to Rs 40 lakh. The residents’ association is left with no funds to pay the salaries of the security and support staff, leading to chaos.

An office-bearer of the Provident Sunworth association said: “The builder has been holding all the money that was paid by us for the welfare association because

such enlisted goods. “Traders sometimes misrepresent different categories of GST by stating that they charged 12% GST on certain goods, but in reality they charged 18% GST on it,” Nitesh said.

The GST Identification Number (GSTIN) is misused in cases when a trader goes out of business and does de-register his GSTIN. Other parties use that same GSTIN to claim ITC using fake tax invoices.

Fraudsters are served penalty notices under Section 122 of the GST Act. In case of major suppression of GST, an intelligence report is prepared and sent to the Assessment Authority which reassesses the data and sends a notice to the violator.

“The GST Act is still in its infancy. For a new Act to be tested, it will take five years. Loopholes can be pointed out only after that period of time. It’s really difficult to catch and point one at this moment. The Act will evolve with time and become more efficient,” said Godwin V Prakash, a financial economics professor, at Christ (Deemed to be University).

“The GST Act is new, and it takes years for an Act to stabilise, but the GST Council is quite responsive. It takes time to detect a GST fraud but once detected, we act swiftly to penalise the violator/violators” the additional commissioner said. They are developing a GST analytics software which will bring GST frauds to light. Eventually, efficiency of the Act will increase’’ shashank.d@iijnm.org

Humidity: 48% Precipitation: 0%

Observer Team The govt is yet to appoint a permanent authority I Credit Yajush Gupta the association has not released an NOC. The reasons are numerous pending issues and lack of transparency in documents.”

Basavaraju Thyagaraja, a RERA consultant, said: “After repeated notifications, we have had fines levied on builders who are habitual defaulters. A fine of Rs 8 crore has been imposed due to the delays in registration.”

The RERA Act mandates developers to put aside at least 65-70% of the proposed project cost in a separate bank to ensure that the project advances as planned. Further, the builders cannot ask for or take more than 10% of the proj-

ect cost without a proper written agreement.

Though it is yet to appoint a permanent authority, the government has appointed an Interim Real Estate Regulatory Authority which will look into the matter.

MS Shankar, a member of Fight for RERA Karnataka, says: “So far, only three states – Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab – have established a permanent one. Karnataka is one of the first few states to promulgate rules and establish an online portal for registering projects and filing complaints for consumers.” yajush.g@iijnm.org

Editor: Shrabona Ghosh Page Layout: Shashank Dipankar, Yajush Gupta, Sindhuja M, Sounak Das Photo Editor: Yohanjali. R Illustrator: Sayantan Sarkar Desk: Renuka Thakare, Sahana. S, Sayantan Sarkar Reporters: Yohanjali. R, Yajush Gupta, Sayantan Sarkar, Sahana.S, Shrabona Ghosh, Sounak Das, Renuka Thakare, Shashank Dipankar Supplement: Esther Esha, Rudrankar Raha ,Praveena P Shrabona Ghosh

Health

The Observer SUPPLEMENT

Thursday, October 25, 2018

5

The Ultimate Loss P

Dementia is cruel because it robs the patient of his memory and with it, his sense of self, says Esther Esha

ramila has been taking care of her father for the past five years. She says he had suffered multiple strokes and started forgetting the names of their family members. He has little control over his emotions and keeps asking her the same questions again and again. “He’s like a child,” she says, adding that it was a common affliction in her family as his brothers also had suffered with it.

Kavitha is a caretaker for her father Pratap, who she says is a diabetic patient. She too says her father can’t control his emotions, doesn’t eat regularly and often doesn’t know what he’s doing. She says he often hallucinates.

Dementia most commonly manifests as becoming extremely forgetful after the age of 65. The symptoms get worse over time and patients start to behave abnormally. According to Research Gate, a social networking site for scientists and researchers, early diagnosis of dementia can slow down the process and improve the quality of life for both the affected person and their family.

According to Dr. Adi

manently cut off. This happens when the vessel is blocked by a clot.

In single-infract and multiinfarct dementia, as with Pramila’s father, one or more strokes occur when a large or medium-sized blood vessel is blocked. In this, if the blood supply is interrupted more than few minutes it will lead to the death of a small area of tissue in the brain.

Every year more than 10 million cases of dementia are recorded in India. | Credit: Esther Esha

Narayana, who works at Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama Charitable Hospital, Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, even youth get affected by dementia before the age of 65 years, which is called ‘early-onset dementia’ and ‘working-age dementia’. People who are affected with Down’s Syndrome and other neurological disabilities may also get dementia. When a person is suffering from young-onset dementia they have trouble with vision, behaviour, and language.

After the age of 65, people

get dementia when abnormal proteins are built in the brain.

This causes cells to die. According to the Alzheimer’s Society, there are different types of vascular dementia that occurs, which progress in several ways. In cases of stroke-related dementia, a blood vessel in the brain becomes narrowed and blocked by a clot. Strokes vary in how severe they are depending on the location of the vessel.

In post-stroke dementia, a major stroke occurs when the blood flow in a large vessel in the brain is suddenly and per-

I

n subcortical dementia, the small blood vessels that lie deep in the brain develop thick walls and become thick and twisted. In cases of ‘mixed dementia’, symptoms of both Alzheimer’s disease and vascular disease are common.

Dr. Narayana adds that vascular dementia is mainly caused by smoking, alcohol, high blood pressure or diabetes. Ministrokes in the brain can damage the cells and lead to this dementia. In most such cases, dementia cannot be cured. He says a healthy lifestyle from a young age can reduce the later risk of dementia in public.

A diet which contains fish, starchy foods, fruits, and veg-

etables can reduce the risk conditions like stroke, heart disease, and cancer. He also says that staying mentally active, reading, playing music or singing and physically fit helps prevent dementia.

Anu Tom, who is a senior care specialist at KITES Elder Care in Bangalore says, dementia patients require physical, mental, and emotional support. Caretakers should be “spontaneous” in responding to patients’ needs and requirements.

Dr. Kiran Polavarapu who is a PhD student in Neurology at National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, said dementia can be the result of many neurological disorders. It is not a disease but a group of symptoms or many disorders.

Dementia does not only include forgetfulness but also an inability among human beings to do anything on daily basis.

People should understand that dementia cannot be cured but can be treated. Dementia with old age does not have a treatment but managing and modifying lifestyles can make their life better.

The Sound of Healing Music therapy offers a versatile and regenerative approach to healing, says Shrabona Ghosh

M

eera Centre for Music Therapy, Education & Research in Bangalore helps people with a variety of maladies cope and heal through music therapy. One of its students, Mrinalini, was diagnosed as schizophrenic.

“My daughter has been a student at this centre for the last 3 years,” says her mother.

“Prior to joining this centre, she was very pessimistic and could not mingle with others.

After having joined this institute and after undergoing therapy here, her health has improved, her communication has improved with others. She is more optimistic. She is completely involved in music now and that’s helping her a lot.”

Anushuya has also had a history of mental illness. Her mother says that after undergoing music therapy at Meera Centre, her daughter’s memory power has increased. She is a lot more confident, she has developed a desire to sing and enjoy music. She has participated in a lot of competitions and won many prizes.

The most alluring aspect of music is that it helps to improve general well-being and quality of life. One of the great

hania felt very relaxed. When he’d completed the course, he told his family he’d like to continue with it because it relieved him of tension. In fact, it proved a great help not just for him to overcome the trauma of leukemia but for his family as well.

I

Music is the only sensory experience that activates all areas of the brain and helps in ensuring health and well-being. | Courtsey: Pexels

aspects of music therapy is that it is individualised from patient to patient. This means that one may find success learning a new instrument, while others may enjoy writing songs, singing or simply listening to music.

Patients with substance use disorders, for instance, use drumming for relaxation.

Music provides solace, reduces anxiety and depression, improves tolerance to pain, and it is effective in all age groups.

It is particularly of use in palliative care that uses a combination of imagery, touch therapy, and music therapy.

Aditya Singhania, 40, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and was treated with standard chemotherapy protocols common to leukemia therapy. As a follow-on treatment he decided in a receptive music intervention, such as music imagery, music relaxation, or music listening.

After the first session, Sing-

n India, music therapy has a long and venerable reputation. Gandharva tattva, is the science of music which dates back to the fourth century B.C. The therapeutic role of music is elaborated in an ancient text, Raga Chikitsa.

Swami Haridas, a classical musician who lived in the 16th century, was one of many who used music for curing people. Thanjavur Saraswati Mahal Library has a collection of works by King Sahaji, preserved on palm leaf manuscripts, that serve as a record ofremedial use of music in psychological ailments.

Human suffering has been a constant through the ages and continuous pain exacts a terrible toll on a person’s mental health. Historical writings of ancient civilizations including those of Egypt, China, India, Greece and Rome, and Bibli-

cal scriptures too, all bear testimony to the power of music to heal people.

Music therapy has been gaining acceptance in the United States of America since the late 18th century, when a reference to its curative powers was recorded in 1789 in a Columbusmagazine’s article titled, Music Physically Considered.

The two World Wars, which witnessed unprecedented scales of injury and trauma, hastened the adoption of music therapy by the Veterans Administration Hospitals as a method to help the injured recover. They recognised it as an important treatment.

According to the Indian Journal of Psychiatry, there is enough scientific evidence to support the therapeutic effects of music, and music therapy is being increasingly acknowledged around the world as a field that requires further investigation and professional expertise. However, there is still a long way to go before it becomes a regular practice to utilise music therapy for the non-pharmacological management of patients in a general hospital setting.

Health

The Observer SUPPLEMENT

Thursday, October 25, 2018

6

Seven Steps to Heaven Dance-and-movement therapy is proving successful in treating a range of mental health and personality disorders, writes Praveena Parthiban

D

id you know dance could be therapeutic? Not just in a common sense way of relieving stress but as a specific, medically-proven technique to overcome depression and anxiety and increase wellbeing, positivity and fitness?

The discipline of dance and movement therapy is spreading across the world and becoming increasingly popular.

Says Tejal Mehta, a contemporary dance trainer from Payal’s Dance Academy in Bangalore, “We train mentally challenged kids. They learn dance steps and are able to remember them when we practice. The talent shown by these kids to be able to remember is proof that dancing helps them.” She added that teaching special trainees would require a lot of patience and skill.

One group in particular that seems to benefit are persons diagnosed with autism, a mental condition, present from early childhood, characterized by great difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with other people and in using language and abstract concepts.

Autism is often described as a “spectrum disorder” because there are differences in the types of autism and the severity of the disorder. But whatever the variant, there is little doubt that autistic symptoms can be diminished as a result of movement therapy.

Indian Magazine of Dance/Movement Therapy says that Christ College in Bangalore has a certified course on dance therapy which comes under the department of psychology, and not the dance department.

Even eating disorders are known to have been partially cured through dance therapy.

A ten-week experiment conducted by Iris Brauninger from the Department of Personality, Evaluation and Psychological Treatment, University of Deusto, Spain, attested to the fact that dancing helped improve the quality of life for people as a whole.

Joan Wittig, a movement therapist, talks about how dance and movement are used for body-focused work as their primary way of therapy to help people who are undergoing depression. They start

Dance Movement Therapy is yet nascent in India

from the time when the victim is most vulnerable. Initially, the therapists focus on changing the state of mind of the person, by eradicating thoughts of hopelessness, loneliness, confusion, and sometimes even suicide. She added “As soon as one begins to move, one begins to make the transition to aliveness.”

Jessica Young, a therapist who deals with addiction, said that they treat adults who use alcohol and drugs to cope with symptoms of mental illness.

She spoke about how bringing attention to one’s movement can create new neural pathways at dramatic rates, which is what they employ to help the alcohol and drug addicts.

Dance therapy is growing rapidly all over the globe. An example for this is the growing popularity of Zumba in India. Zumba, which is seen as more of an exercise than a dance form in India, gives a thorough workout for the entire body. Trainers say that more women than men sign up for Zumba.

Sneha Sasikumar, a wellknown Kuchipudi dancer, has started a program named “Healing and Growing Through Kuchipudi” to teach the dance form to differentlyabled children, to further their emotional, cognitive and social integration.

According to Mehta, dancing not only helps people with special needs, but also enhances the physical and mental capabilities of any person by ensur-

ing consistency. It invigorates the brain cells and gives the entire body a thorough workout from head to toe. She encourages everyone to learn how to dance.

“It’s the same as learning how to ride a bicycle. By starting with the basics and enabling constant practice,” she said anyone can dance. She also compares dancing to meditation, since both of these activities promote physical and mental fitness.

C

hristo, who is a passionate teenage dancer, claims that dance makes him feel good and active. He added that while he chose dance because he likes it, it also helps him stay in shape.

The owner of Payal’s Dance Academy says she had started the academy many years ago mainly because she loves dancing and not just to train students in terms of fitness.

Passion is key. “Most people choose dancing not because they aim to be fit, but because they feel passionate about it,” said a hip-hop dance trainer named Joshua, from Your Day Fitness Academy, Bangalore.

A Devil’s Bargain T

As India becomes richer, communicable diseases are giving way to lifestyle ailments, says Rudrankar Raha

he Indian Council of Medical Research, in a November 2017 report, estimated that nearly one in three Indians suffers from a thyroid disorder. It also found that the number of diabetic patients has increased 64% over the past 25 years, one of the fastest rates in the world.

Endocrine diseases are glandular disorders, which affect the hormone secretion levels of a person. Therefore, if your hormone levels are too high or too low, you may suffer from an endocrine disease or disorder.

Shankha Shubhro Chakroborti, assistant professor of geriatric medicine at Banaras Hindu University says there is a tremendous amount of stress surrounding us these days. ‘’Increasing competition is one of the major reasons for stress in students,” he points out.

“Peer and societal pressure make the situation worse.

This enormous amount of stress often leads to problems in hormonal secretions.’’

The occurrence of stress-related hormonal diseases is

Stress is our body’s way of responding to any kind of demand or threat

more prevalent in urban areas as compared to rural ones. ‘’Long working hours, erratic lifestyle of people, and the competitive culture is more in urban India,’’ says Chakroborti. An irregular menstrual cycle, obesity, sexual dysfunction, and growth disorders are some of the other endocrine diseases caused by high degrees of stress.

Hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism are primarily disorders caused by stress.

The level of hormone secretion depends primarily on three factors: genetic, ambient conditions and mental.

Ambient situations can be

abiotic and biotic. Abiotic factors include the physical condition and environment of a place.

A

person in Sudan, for example, will have a different level of hormone secretion compared someone in Russia, where the temperature goes down to as low as 30°C in the winters.

Temperature, sunlight exposure, rainfall, and humidity are vital components in controlling hormone secretion within the human body.

Biotic factors include the attack of insects and bacterial and fungal diseases on human beings. Hence, ambi-

ent conditions and biotic factor are not controllable for a human being in a given space. But mental factors depend on a plethora of conditions and more importantly, can be controlled or checked by taking ameliorative measures.

The most common stressedinduced endocrine disease known to us is diabetes, which is a condition where the body either doesn't produce enough or any insulin, doesn't properly use the insulin that is produced or exhibits a combination of the two. There are three main types of diabetes: type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes.

Although type 1 and type 2 diabetes have a lot of symptoms in common, they manifest in very different ways. A lot of people with type 2 diabetes won’t have symptoms for many years and develop symptoms slowly over the course of time.

On the other hand, the symptoms of type 1 diabetes develop fast, usually over the course of several weeks. Type

1 diabetes, usually develops in childhood or adolescence.

But it’s possible to get type 1 diabetes later in life as well.

The first stage in treating endocrine diseases, as in numerous other diseases, is diagnosis. There are various ways in which these diseases can be diagnosed. Blood tests by radioimmunoassay and immunochemical methods, urine tests, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging are some of them. After the diagnosis is done, they can be treated using medications and surgery.

But these methods of treatment are quite costly and everyone cannot bear such expenses.

Debangshu Sharma, a senior medical officer, in the Ayurveda department of the government of West Bengal, believes there are other, less intrusive ways in which endocrine diseases can be controlled. ‘’Yoga, pranayama, meditation, music therapy, and aromatherapy are some of the ways in which endocrine diseases could be kept under check. ’’ he says.