The Yamuna Chronicle
Issue No 82 June 2008
Editorial
The weather is playing ducks and drakes with us. You must be wondering why I keep writing about the weather in most issues of the Chronicle. The reason is, it always seems to be making news. This has probably been the mildest summer on record in Delhi, with the temperatures never touching 40 deg. C in the entire month of June. It seems paradoxical that global warming should result in such a mild summer. Even the spring month of March behaved as if it were January, although empirical evidence suggests there is global warming, with melting of polar ice caps to an extent never witnessed before. The contrarian ways of the weather are really baffling. Lower temperatures have not meant greater comfort though. The high humidity has made conditions very oppressive. The one thing to gain from this weather pattern though is the lawn, which wears a verdant look despite all the abuse it is subjected to.
Talking about the lawn and greener surroundings, G&H blocks will soon be sporting a smart, new look. Seetha Venkataraman, Jayashree and Mohan, have taken a big initiative to landscape their flowerbeds with exotic flora to make their blocks attractive and pleasing to the eye. They have collected more than Rs.30, 000 from the residents of those blocks to support this initiative. I am sure the other blocks will follow soon with their own initiative to smarten up their environs. This healthy competition amongst the blocks is very desirable to add some fizz into our lives. There are side benefits in the form of better environment and more oxygen to counter the pollution from the main road. Removing some of the concrete blocks to make flower beds will also help in water harvesting as the excess rain water is likely to seep into the ground rather than get washed away. What better time to take this initiative forward than now, when the monsoon is upon us. Thomas of A-008, with a penchant for landscaping and topiary, is giving honorary advice to G&H blocks. I am sure he will not say no to the residents of other blocks, should they seek his assistance.
All is not however, well with our security apparatus. Traditionally known as the ‘Fort Knox’ of Delhi, Yamuna Apartments has not seen a major theft or crime in its 30 years of existence. This was breached one balmy June night when the Mitsubishi Pajero, an SUV belonging to Srinivas of A-301, was spirited away under the supposedly watchful eyes of our security guards. While we may have had petty thefts in the past, not serious enough to cause a furrow in your brow, this was a humdinger if there ever was any. The car was found mysteriously abandoned in a distant colony of the Capital by an office colleague of the driver of the Pajero, the next day. While this mystery may occupy our minds, the security breach is a matter of serious concern. It is high time we give up our hitherto conservative approach to security, of deploying minimal resources for this very important activity. The crime graph in the metropolis is alarming enough for us to take more robust measures to beef up our security. A smart card which will allow a boom to lift and allow a vehicle to come in and leave the premises is the need of the hour. We should also have security cameras in all our gates to monitor the arrivals and departures of people. Since there are a lot of domestics, drivers and maintenance and construction crew constantly employed in our premises, the I-card checking should become mandatory. The security guards have been found wanting on several occasions, sleeping on the job. All this means a higher allocation of funds for security for which I am sure most residents will not hesitate to pay. These are my personal views and should not be construed to be the views of the Managing Committee.
It has been noticed that some residents are building adjuncts to their flats in contravention of the Society bylaws and DDA regulations. Besides, the legal infraction, the wanton design violation of an apartment complex, which defines various elements in its layout, can, if left unchecked, spur other residents to follow suit. They may create structures, which, while meeting their needs for more space, violate the aesthetic integrity of the apartments. We should curb this tendency or else we might start resembling Govindpuri (the urban eyesore in our neighbourhood). While what people do inside the apartments in terms of floorings or wall finish etc., is their prerogative, so long as they don’t tamper with load bearing walls, columns and beams, any attempt to modify the exteriors should meet with censure. In the interest of aesthetics and design integrity, it is advised that the residents, who have done exterior modifications, restore the exterior of the flats to the original design. This applies not only to extensions but also to colour schemes in paints or flooring etc., to ensure uniformity.
In the adrenaline rush of the Class XII results (mentioned in the last issue), let us not ignore the magnificent performance of our Class X students. Hereunder, is a ready reckoner on the young lads and gals:
Yash Asthana(G-203)
93.4%
V. Rangarajan (C-005)
79%
M. Vignesh(E-005)
79%
Nikita Gurwara(F-201)
77%
SNIPPETS
There has been traffic of record number of movers in the month of June. The demographic pattern of Yamuna has undergone a sea change as a consequence of this. “The old order changeth, bringing in the new” as Shakespeare would have said.
Mr.Aurobindo Ghosh of E-302, after a short sojourn in Yamuna, has moved out with his family to Kolkata.
Mr. B K R Prasad of A-103 has moved out on a transfer to Bangalore.
Another short term tenant Mr. Mohana Sundaram and his wife Akhila, who were staying in A-302 have moved to Chennai.
Mr. Atin Verma was the quickest off the block. After barely a few months in Yamuna, he has moved to Mumbai.
Pallavi, daughter of Mr & Mrs. Govil of B-106 has moved to B-306 along with her husband, Abhay. That will be their private nest, while enjoying the luxury of mother’s cooking!
Mohan Gatta, an executive with Tata Industrial Services, has moved into G002. His other interests are reading, playing cricket and badminton. His wife Charuta is the sister of Sudhir Dravid who used to live in C-008. Charuta was also working in the same company as her husband, but she had to chuck it all up as she is awaiting the arrival of her second baby in August. She likes to sketch and sing Hindi film songs. She is going to be an asset for G&H blocks during the Diwali illumination competition. Their garrulous son, Anupam is only 5 years old and studies in Cambridge School in New Friends Colony. He is sure to endear himself to everybody.
There have been a lot of home movers within Yamuna:
Alok and Neeta have moved from D-004 to A-103.
Mr. Krishnamurthy and Akhila have moved from E-201 to D-004.
Satish and Poornima have moved from A-108 to G-205.
Letter to the Editor
Dear Mohan and Poornima,
A cautionary tale follows which I request you to carry in the next edition of the Yamuna Chronicle so that others can learn from it and be doubly vigilant.
Issue No 82 June 2008
Editorial
The weather is playing ducks and drakes with us. You must be wondering why I keep writing about the weather in most issues of the Chronicle. The reason is, it always seems to be making news. This has probably been the mildest summer on record in Delhi, with the temperatures never touching 40 deg. C in the entire month of June. It seems paradoxical that global warming should result in such a mild summer. Even the spring month of March behaved as if it were January, although empirical evidence suggests there is global warming, with melting of polar ice caps to an extent never witnessed before. The contrarian ways of the weather are really baffling. Lower temperatures have not meant greater comfort though. The high humidity has made conditions very oppressive. The one thing to gain from this weather pattern though is the lawn, which wears a verdant look despite all the abuse it is subjected to.
Talking about the lawn and greener surroundings, G&H blocks will soon be sporting a smart, new look. Seetha Venkataraman, Jayashree and Mohan, have taken a big initiative to landscape their flowerbeds with exotic flora to make their blocks attractive and pleasing to the eye. They have collected more than Rs.30, 000 from the residents of those blocks to support this initiative. I am sure the other blocks will follow soon with their own initiative to smarten up their environs. This healthy competition amongst the blocks is very desirable to add some fizz into our lives. There are side benefits in the form of better environment and more oxygen to counter the pollution from the main road. Removing some of the concrete blocks to make flower beds will also help in water harvesting as the excess rain water is likely to seep into the ground rather than get washed away. What better time to take this initiative forward than now, when the monsoon is upon us. Thomas of A-008, with a penchant for landscaping and topiary, is giving honorary advice to G&H blocks. I am sure he will not say no to the residents of other blocks, should they seek his assistance.
All is not however, well with our security apparatus. Traditionally known as the ‘Fort Knox’ of Delhi, Yamuna Apartments has not seen a major theft or crime in its 30 years of existence. This was breached one balmy June night when the Mitsubishi Pajero, an SUV belonging to Srinivas of A-301, was spirited away under the supposedly watchful eyes of our security guards. While we may have had petty thefts in the past, not serious enough to cause a furrow in your brow, this was a humdinger if there ever was any. The car was found mysteriously abandoned in a distant colony of the Capital by an office colleague of the driver of the Pajero, the next day. While this mystery may occupy our minds, the security breach is a matter of serious concern. It is high time we give up our hitherto conservative approach to security, of deploying minimal resources for this very important activity. The crime graph in the metropolis is alarming enough for us to take more robust measures to beef up our security. A smart card which will allow a boom to lift and allow a vehicle to come in and leave the premises is the need of the hour. We should also have security cameras in all our gates to monitor the arrivals and departures of people. Since there are a lot of domestics, drivers and maintenance and construction crew constantly employed in our premises, the I-card checking should become mandatory. The security guards have been found wanting on several occasions, sleeping on the job. All this means a higher allocation of funds for security for which I am sure most residents will not hesitate to pay. These are my personal views and should not be construed to be the views of the Managing Committee.
It has been noticed that some residents are building adjuncts to their flats in contravention of the Society bylaws and DDA regulations. Besides, the legal infraction, the wanton design violation of an apartment complex, which defines various elements in its layout, can, if left unchecked, spur other residents to follow suit. They may create structures, which, while meeting their needs for more space, violate the aesthetic integrity of the apartments. We should curb this tendency or else we might start resembling Govindpuri (the urban eyesore in our neighbourhood). While what people do inside the apartments in terms of floorings or wall finish etc., is their prerogative, so long as they don’t tamper with load bearing walls, columns and beams, any attempt to modify the exteriors should meet with censure. In the interest of aesthetics and design integrity, it is advised that the residents, who have done exterior modifications, restore the exterior of the flats to the original design. This applies not only to extensions but also to colour schemes in paints or flooring etc., to ensure uniformity.
In the adrenaline rush of the Class XII results (mentioned in the last issue), let us not ignore the magnificent performance of our Class X students. Hereunder, is a ready reckoner on the young lads and gals:
Yash Asthana(G-203)
93.4%
V. Rangarajan (C-005)
79%
M. Vignesh(E-005)
79%
Nikita Gurwara(F-201)
77%
SNIPPETS
There has been traffic of record number of movers in the month of June. The demographic pattern of Yamuna has undergone a sea change as a consequence of this. “The old order changeth, bringing in the new” as Shakespeare would have said.
Mr.Aurobindo Ghosh of E-302, after a short sojourn in Yamuna, has moved out with his family to Kolkata.
Mr. B K R Prasad of A-103 has moved out on a transfer to Bangalore.
Another short term tenant Mr. Mohana Sundaram and his wife Akhila, who were staying in A-302 have moved to Chennai.
Mr. Atin Verma was the quickest off the block. After barely a few months in Yamuna, he has moved to Mumbai.
Pallavi, daughter of Mr & Mrs. Govil of B-106 has moved to B-306 along with her husband, Abhay. That will be their private nest, while enjoying the luxury of mother’s cooking!
Mohan Gatta, an executive with Tata Industrial Services, has moved into G002. His other interests are reading, playing cricket and badminton. His wife Charuta is the sister of Sudhir Dravid who used to live in C-008. Charuta was also working in the same company as her husband, but she had to chuck it all up as she is awaiting the arrival of her second baby in August. She likes to sketch and sing Hindi film songs. She is going to be an asset for G&H blocks during the Diwali illumination competition. Their garrulous son, Anupam is only 5 years old and studies in Cambridge School in New Friends Colony. He is sure to endear himself to everybody.
There have been a lot of home movers within Yamuna:
Alok and Neeta have moved from D-004 to A-103.
Mr. Krishnamurthy and Akhila have moved from E-201 to D-004.
Satish and Poornima have moved from A-108 to G-205.
Letter to the Editor
Dear Mohan and Poornima,
A cautionary tale follows which I request you to carry in the next edition of the Yamuna Chronicle so that others can learn from it and be doubly vigilant.
Someone stole my new Pajero car from inside the Yamuna Complex from my parking spot at 815 pm on Sunday June 8, possibly using skeleton duplicate keys. The car itself was locked and all the keys were with me. I had left the complex for scarcely 10 minutes to go the market; till then I was doing my evening walk rounds and when I returned from the market, I immediately noticed the car missing. The security guard gives different versions of his tale but basically let the guy go despite knowing it was not me or my driver, both of whom he recognizes. He claims in one of his versions that he thought I had a new driver.
The security system needs to be reviewed. Training of security personnel, reintroduction of token system and I-cards for all staff should become mandatory. Anyone who owns a car, especially a new one, should use a gear lock, external steering lock even when parked inside and fit a GPS device.
· The present security agency is completely ineffective and some of the guards certainly are untrained. There is no other explanation why the guard let the thief go by opening the gate. Sanatan called the supervisor to complain and he refused to speak. We need to recognize that the guards are untrained and do not specifically screen any visitor.
Let us hope this incident spurs some changes.
Another unrelated instance of fraud, though minor, which I also found out yesterday:
A firm called Puricom claims to be the new service agent for Aquaguard filters and calls up all apartments on the telephone at random (maybe from the Yamuna directory). They then come in for maintenance and usually take out a contract for about Rs 1000 and replace the candles inside the filters with spurious ones, to pretend they are doing some work. I discovered this when the genuine Aquaguard man came yesterday; the Puricom guys had apparently fooled my wife earlier. We should warn people about this firm and bar its people from coming in. We should also inform the nearby complexes and RWAs. But this is also another instance of people entering the complex surreptitiously, after having rung up people at random and secured an "invitation".
Both these instances have larger implications for the residents in Yamuna and we need to be more vigilant and take specific steps; let us hope these incidents spur some changes in the security system in our complex. While collective action always takes time to bring about, I request, through your columns, that each resident remain doubly careful about safety and security.
I hope your cars are protected - if not, please rush to install gear and external steering locks + a GPS device, they cost about Rs 20,000 apiece but well worth the hassle.
Thank you and best regards,
Srini
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