Monday, April 07, 2008

Kerala CM's Pearls of Wisdom

Here is a weird news item on the Hindu today:

The Kerala Government has decided to set up a mechanism to study the impact of climate change, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan said here on Monday.

Launching the anti-epidemic action plan on the World Health Day, he said outbreak of epidemics caused by climate change in the state was a matter of grave concern which needed to be studied scientifically and remedial measures put in place.

Keeping the environ hygenic and clean was a big challenge of modern times. Kerala was once reputed for its effective health care system and cleanliness of the environ. But now disposing the solid waste, including those thrown up by hospitals, had become a major issue, he said.

The waste generated by hospitals included toxic material and to ensure that they were not dumped in public places, existing rules would be enforced strictly, he said.

Initially I wondered how the great state of Kerala, not exactly being California, plans to stem climate change all on its own. And then I realized the CM is actually talking of hospital waste! If there is a connection between the two, I am probably not smart enough to get it. He goes on:

The disposal of cyber waste was another area of concern and instances of advanced countries shipping them to be dumped in countries like India had been reported, the Chief Minister said.

The departments of science and Information Technology would be asked to evolve methods for handling the cycber waste, he said.

Again, the word 'cyber waste' is generally used in the context of the internet to refer to half-made websites, domain names that have fallen into disuse and a lot of stuff on the internet that is either outdated, incomplete or erroneous - the sort of stuff that is simply not fit for 'consumption'. So, for a moment, I wondered how the Dept. of Science and IT would solve this problem and for that matter, why it needed to do so given that there are far more pressing things to worry about. But the CM here is really talking of computer waste - that which arises from old computers, used parts, etc. Obviously we have a CM from the CPM here making a fool out of himself trying to showcase himself as a very up-to-date and tech-savvy manager. And who else to help him do so but the ever-faithful Hindu always ready to provide coverage to such gems of his wisdom?


9 comments:

Anonymous said...

:),hahahahahahahah!

'Cyber Waste'! Well a good joke to start your day with. :-)

regards,
PI

Hi a suggestion here: Do add one more subcategory of those who never bother to read The Hindu, even if they get it complimentary! :)
At least one 'vote' here is assured.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I almost quit Hindu, just then Hindu offered a 6 months subscription for damn cheap rate..fell for it :)!

Anonymous said...

Obviously your problem extends beyond The Hindu. It is ideological, not just at the national level but much beyond. But you weaken your case by hitting out in an amateurish fashion at anything that flies; obviously, you understand what Achuthanandan said, but you want pretend that you don't and make an issue of it.
The Port of Alang in Gujarat sends many workers to their death every year, in its ship breaking horror. (Read report linked from Central Pollution Control Board website). But I suppose Chief Ministers like Modi (who have a "deadly" focus on development) are so intelligent that some workers dying of asbestosis and cancer is too small a thing to notice! Come on, get a little professional.

Anonymous said...

Is there any particular reason you retain the link on your blog to the following blog, which Google says it has removed for featuring defamatory content, and for which Google expresses regret?

Anonymous said...

Is there any particular reason you retain the link on your blog to the following blog, which Google says it has removed for featuring defamatory content, and for which Google expresses regret? Spindian Express

Dirt Digger said...

Is the CM of kerala crazy or what?
How are the changes in climate related to the outbreak of epidemics?
Also even the most effective health care system can pollute the environment with toxic waste.
No wonder that despite spouting such illogical statements they've remained in power.

Anonymous said...

Thanks all for comments. Good point dirt digger - I am aware of no epidemic caused by climate change. People may suffer from respiratory diseases in cities due to pollution but it does not qualify as an epidemic as far as I know nor am I aware of any infectious disease that fits such a description.
Anonymous (#2), I am not sure what you are getting at. To answer your question about whether I understand what Achuthanandan said, no I do not - I do not see how a panel to study climate change will be able to solve either epidemics or hospital waste disposal issues. To solve the latter, I doubt the problem is such a complex one that it requires a study panel. The means of solving it are well-known (any community health expert can suggest the answers) and all it requires it to figure out the logistics to address the same.

Anonymous said...

Do the anon who asked the rational for carrying the 'spinindia' link.

Ok, let me tell you the real story.

I as an avid media watcher, has kept a close eye on the blogs related with media. Once, there was a blog called 'war for news'-it did bring out some seedy and horrid facts about the going ons in Electronic Media, ugly characters behind pretty faces- then it got degenerated and comments had become a place for sexual preverts only. IT DIED.

another good blog 'chalo ho gaya specifically targeted HT,whatever their motivation, soon it restricted self to only select few...possibly more of a ranting club now, it at all it still exists.

I gave the two examples above, just to give an insight and being objective.

Now the real horror is this...
'spin india' was fairly well a blog, i do not remember seeing any 'vulgar' post- but it has been long. Any way,to cut the story short, this blog was very critical of Shekhar gupta and IE. Now SG has an unmatched influence in pmo through his former employee SB (media advisor). Grapevine is that 'GOOGLE' needed some immediate assistance from pmo some time back and SG through his friend might have got this blog blocked.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the info anonymous. I agree that we must keep our criticisms within the limits of reason. For my part, even when I am strongly critical of someone for their views, I try to keep my attacks moored to the issue in question and not launch into unrelated diatribes about the individual him/herself.