writingonblog uncensored: Land use laws key to health, well-being of Indians...

writingonblog uncensored: Land use laws key to health, well-being of Indians...: C Shivakumar @ CHENNAI: Radical changes are required in the India’s laws pertaining to built-in environments, roads and transport syst...

Land use laws key to health, well-being of Indians, says Lancet

C Shivakumar @ CHENNAI:

Radical changes are required in the India’s laws pertaining to built-in environments, roads and transport systems including public transport for active living and physical activity in daily living, according to Lancet Obesity Commission Report- India perspective.

The report by Dr Shifalika Goenka – Commissioner on the Lancet Obesity Commission states that built environment and land use laws have a profound impact on health and wellbeing and need urgent attention in India.

“This should become a mandatory requirement

through legislation. Health considerations should become the basis of thinking of laws related to road design, pavements and pedestrian pathways, urban design and built  environment, green areas available to the public, agriculture zoning, land use and built up- area including FSI,” the report adds.

This comes after Lancet Commission, a three-year project by 43 experts from a broad range of expertise from 14 countries, stated that powerful vested interests, misplaced economic incentives are major drivers of joint pandemics of obesity, undernutrition and climate change.

Terming the global interplay of obesity, undernutrition and climate change as ‘The Global; Syndemic’, Lancet Commission says that it is driven by food and agriculture policies, transportation, urban design and land use systems that promote overconsumption and inequalities.

Calling for establishing of Framework Convention on Food Systems similar to global conventions for tobacco control and climate change to restrict influence of food industry in policy making, the report by the commission states that supporting active transportation through infrastructure, taxes and subsidy shifts and social marketing strategies will lead to increased physical activity and less sedentary time, with an impact on obesity prevention, cheaper transport access to healthy food and employment, potentially reducing poverty and undernutrition and lower green house gas emissions from transportation.

The report calls for fostering active transportation through contextually relevant interventions towards pedestrian, safety and comfort should become a mandatory requirement across

Departments in India.

“Pedestrian prioritization over motorised transport which ensures safety from accidents is urgently required. Some of the India specific measures urgently required are -- wide pedestrian paths, preferably as wide as the width of the road on either side are required. These should be well maintained and free of encroachments. The width of the motor-carriageways (roads for motorized

transport) should not exceed 2 car lanes on each side,” the report stated.

“Anything more than two car lanes within a city or town, is threatening to pedestrians and also becomes difficult to cross on foot,” the report added.

The report also states that worksite and buildings construction should make stairwells as the centre in planning rather than escalators. “Attention to the quality of the staircases and possible sites of

physical activity, making buildings disabled friendly is an understood mandate which synchronizes with ours,” the report added. The report also suggested encouragement of indigenous drinks with large scale training for hygiene and use of “potable water” with regular quality checks is required.

Factfile:

--- 38pc of the children under 5 are stunted (too short for their age an indicator of chronic undernutrition); 21% are wasted (too thin for their height; acute under nutrition); and 36% are underweight and 58% are anaemic.

--- The prevalence of diabetes has increased in every state since 1990 to 2016. The number of people with diabetes in India increased from 26·0 million in 1990 to 65 in 2016. The most important

risk factor for diabetes is overweight to which 36% of the diabetes related burden could be attributed. --- The prevalence of overweight in adults in India increased from 9pc in 1990 to 20·4% in 2016

--- 650m Indians will be affected by climate change leading to high heat and precipitation which is going to have a major dent on agriculture, production, and overall productivity and heat related morbidity.

--- In the absence of a major climate mitigation, nearly 148 million Indians will be living in

these severe hotspots in 2050

writingonblog uncensored: Power of Attorney for immovable property executed ...

writingonblog uncensored: Power of Attorney for immovable property executed ...: CHENNAI: Any Power of Attorney relating to immovable property executed outside India does not require compulsory registration, acc...

Power of Attorney for immovable property executed outside India does not require compulsory registration

CHENNAI:

Any Power of Attorney relating to immovable property executed outside India does not require compulsory registration, according to Inspector general of Registration J Kumaragurubaran.

However, any further document presented consequently based on such unregistered power of attorney executed outside India can be accepted for registration, Kumaragurubaran.

This clarification by the Inspector General of Registration comes after there has been confusion among the registering officers in registering movable and immovable properties.

Kumaragurubaran also clarified that if one or more individuals are granting power of attorney relating to immovable property (other than those executed outside India) to one or more persons, then registration becomes compulsory on or after December 1, 2012 as provided in Tamil Nadu Act 29 of 2012.

He also said if the power of attorney granted in respect of movable property then registration is optional and if it is granted for immovable property before December 1, 2012 then the registration is also optional.

Similarly, there is no bar for a power of attorney being registered outside the state of Tamil Nadu if the principal happens to reside ordinarily in a place which is situated in a state other than Tamil Nadu. “The power of attorney registered with registrar or sub-registrar of other states in India, within whose jurisdiction the principal ordinarily resides can be used for execution and registration of further documents in Tamil Nadu for properties situated in the state,” he said. However, compliance of provisions contained under registration Act need to be insisted, he added.

However, the registering officer in such cases should keep registration of further document pending and verify the genuineness and subsistence of power of attorney with concerned authorities.

Meanwhile, the power of attorney executed outside India and not having property details will not be accepted for registration. He also clarified that a power agent can’t appoint a sub-agent for registration of document relating to immovable property and as such any document presented by sun-power agent can’t be accepted for registration.

writingonblog uncensored: Chief administration officer of Koyambedu market t...

writingonblog uncensored: Chief administration officer of Koyambedu market t...: C Shivakumar @ CHENNAI:  The Chief Administrative officer of Market Management Committee S Rajendran has been transferred on Wednesday af...

Chief administration officer of Koyambedu market transferred abruptly

C Shivakumar @ CHENNAI: 

The Chief Administrative officer of Market Management Committee S Rajendran has been transferred on Wednesday after a section of traders complained against him to Deputy Chief Minister O Paneerselvam.

While the orders were passed on January 23, he has been relieved of his charges on Saturday with member secretary of Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority holding the additional.

It is learnt that S Govindarajan, special District Revenue Officer (Land Acquisition), Chennai-Kanyakumari Industrial Corridor, Salerm is likely to take over as new District Revenue officer and Chief Administrative officer of Koyambedu Market from next month.

The transfer of Rajendran has been hailed by a section of traders in Koyambedu who have put up posters hailing the decision of Deputy Chief Minister O Paneerselvam. A trader on anonymity said that his high-handed activities during checks have made him unpopular in the market.

However, another section of traders hailed him for his crackdown on encroachments in Koyambedu market.

It is learnt that the move by Rajendran in taking away the land of a private corporate house near the bio-methanation plant has been one of the prime reason for his transfer.

CMDA has allotted a land, acquired by it in the 1980s from Tamil Nadu Housing Board for vermin-compost, separation of garbage for the bio-methanation plant as well as banana stem process but it could hardly be put into use due to a court battle over the rights of the land. It is learnt that then officials at Market Management Committee allegedly failed to initiate action as a result the land titular rights already got shifted from various persons.

Interestingly, during Pongal much to the surprise of traders and residents, the land had a government banner claiming that it belonged to Biomethanation Plant and government buses were stationed on it. Within 24 hours, the banners got removed and the private party sealed the premises.

Market sources claim this could be one of the action which could have cost Rajendran his job. When Express tried to contact Rajendran, he did not respond.

writingonblog uncensored: CPCB directs TAW Tannery to close operations

writingonblog uncensored: CPCB directs TAW Tannery to close operations: C Shivakumar @ CHENNAI: T Abdul Wahid Tanneries (TAW), one of the largest exporters of leather to America and Europe, is under the sc...