Sweeping Machines

Observation:

I'm sure all of you have at some point of time noticed the waste strewn all over the roads, platforms etc, and wondered why this is not being cleaned. In this age of technological advancement, ever thought about the "Sweeping Machines" instead of the "Sweeping Humans"?

Suggestion:

The self propelled, ride-on type machine models are designed and adapted to work on Indian road conditions / dust load.Traditionally, manual labour is deployed for sweeping the roads, station premises. During manual sweeping, more than 50% of the dust gets air-borne and the same settles down again on the roads.this impairs the cleaning efficiencey substancially and continues to be a nuisance due to vehicular and wind movement. In effect, the cleaning job remains incomplete. Further, the air-borne dust poses health haards not only to the cleaners, but also the the common passerby.There is also a tendency on the part of the sweepers to push the litter / dust on the railtracks, drains or leave them in one heap on the roadsides. While the roads and the platforms in the process appear clean, the drains become choked, and the railway tracks, a breeding place for most rodents.

The use of sweeping machine has lots of benefits:

• It is a faster means of cleaning.
• The collection of dust and litter is easier, operators of machine are not tempted to push the waste and dusts on the tracks / drains.
• The dust that is air-borne is much less leading to fewer health hazards to cleaners and passerbys.
• The collected material can be dumped or re-cycled at specific places.
• The sweeping speeds of the machines are much faster as compared to manual sweeping ranging from 4-12 Kms per hour.
• The same number of people employed to sweep the roads can cover a larger area ensuring better cleanliness throughout the city.
• The container capacity ensures that the machine is not required to be emptied at the dumping point frequently.

If the state governments and the Municipal corporation purchase these kind of sweeping machines , it would result in a much cleaner and healthier city!

Kudos to Radio!

Did anyone get stuck in a gargantuan traffic jam in Dadar / Andheri / Vashi ? Or are you simply fed up of the constant bickering of your companion on phone or the endless honking of the Buses, cars and Auto-wallas? Radio ,iPods amd MP3s are the answer to most of your problems!

For the daily middle-class commuter, who makes use of the Public transport for commuting, the journey can be really harassing and energy sapping. Constant exposre to lound noise can take away a person's peace of mind, rendering him blank!! It disturbs a person emotionally and mentally making him more irritable.

Thanks to the technological revolution, we have a few devices in which we can store songs of our own choice and listen to them whenever we want to. Radio specially is an amazing thing that happened to this world, since radio stations play not only songs, but also have a steady flow of conversation related to a chosen topic. This leads every individual to at least "think" about that topic, even if they don't call up the radio station to express their views publically.

Not only this, it provides emplyoment opportunity to many, and can often be used as means to unite people for a common cause. With a wide spectrum of Radio stations coming up, targetting different age groups / causes, everyone can find at least something to their liking. I, as an individual, feel that the city's RJs are doing a great job, and are instrumental in bringing a smile on thousands of people's faces everyday. Kudos to them!!

Some facts :
There are twelve radio stations in Mumbai, with eight broadcasting on the FM band of which two are by AIR, three stations broadcasting on the AM mediumwave band (all AIR) and one on the AM shortwave band (also AIR).Navi Mumbai is also covered by these stations. The list is as follows:

1. Vividh Bharati Online Radio Radio City 91.1 FM
2. BIG 92.7 FM Red FM (India) 93.5 FM
3. Radio One 94.3 FM
4. Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM
5. AIR FM Gold 100.7 FM
6. Fever 104 FM
7. Meow 104.8 FM
8. AIR FM Rainbow 107.1 FM
9. Radio MUST 107.8 FM (Mumbai University's fun-filled edutainment radio, 7-9 am,1-3 pm & 7-9 pm, transmitter at santacruz)