Night 4 and the dogs are howling full force. My eyes are blood shot from lack of sleep and my breathing is strained. Needless to say, I'm awake. The heavy duty Bose headphones I'm wearing aren't doing much to keep the noise out. I'm sure most poor Indians can't afford these in the first place.
I'm up at 6 o'clock reading up on all on-going RTI classes in Pune and come across something at YASHDA at Baner Road. I find the contact information of one of the instructors and call him. He's a lawyer and his profile says he has extensive experience in the realm of RTI. "Please," I say, "I have to get into this class". I tell him about the problem with noisy stray dogs in my area and also tell him that I'm a willing learner and want to resolve the problem within the law. I'm obviously incredibly persuasive because he says I'm in. An hour later he sends me some very helpful information on the RTI (see the end of this post for the links and what they are about).
I wasn't lying to him when I said I was very motivated to do something about this. I read up on the material he sent me & here's what I did next:
1. I go to the Pune Municipal Corporation website & lodge a complaint under the "Health - Main Building" department and choose "stray dogs nuisance" as the topic. Here's the link to the complaint URL http://www.punecorporation.org/GRS/Complaint/LaunchComplaintCitizen.aspx
My complaint explicitly states that stray dogs have been keeping me awake for weeks and the dog-squad refuses to do anything about the dogs if they've already been neutered. I give them my details & the address of the problem areas. I request them to solve the problem. I submit the request, print the confirmation & save my complaint number.
2. I go to the Xerox shops near the Zilla Parishad in Pune and buy myself a few RTI forms and Rs.10 court stamps. RTI forms are also called "maahitichey adhikaar forms" so don't be surprised if you get blank looks when you say "RTI forms". Unfortunately it's not easy to get the ones printed in English (thank God I took Marathi as a second language in school!)
3. I fill out the form in Marathi, attach my questions to the PIO, Department of Health, PMC in Marathi (translation services are available in Pune but I used my mother's fantastic Marathi/English skills to get my questions translated). Please make sure your questions are very specific and focused (see end of this post for guidelines on writing these questions). If you ramble, are unclear or address various departments in one form, your request for information might be rejected. Keep the questions to a maximum of 5 and one department per form. Once you've completed the form, make a photocopy - the PMC official will need to stamp & date this as proof that you've submitted an RTI request. I will be posting a copy of my questions & the answer I receive (or don't receive) once I get them.
4. I go to the PMC main building in Pune, find the Health Department official on the 3rd floor (not easy, you have to ask around). None of the doors have 'PIO' (Public Information Officer) written on them.
5. I leave with the stamped "proof" and was told that they would contact me within 30 days to tell me the total cost of the request. I would need to pick it up in person.
An RTI form is not a complaint form. Don't seek accountability through it, only answers to specific questions. If you don't know how, seek out the help of an RTI volunteer in your area.
More later...
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External links:
-A Handbook on RTI, 2005. Under GoI-UNDP Project on capacity building on access to information (great, simple to understand information).
-Guidelines on how to write an effective RTI application http://www.rtiindia.org/forum/blogs/jps50/93-how-make-rti-application-effective.html
-Public Commission of Inquiry (Pune) complaint form (this is not an RTI form) https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dEo2ZkpmTmhxTDNROTRwdkZSdUpBM0E6MQ
- PMC complaint portal http://www.punecorporation.org/GRS/Complaint/LaunchComplaintCitizen.aspx (remember to save your confirmation number).
Friday, December 24, 2010
Castrated Indians. The dog's day (and night) have arrived.
The next night I am woken again at 3am by several stray dogs barking loudly on the street right outside my window & think "Am I the only one who's sleep & health are being destroyed by dogs?"
I get online and look up "stray dogs barking" and find several Indians from all over the country whining about the problem (pun intended) on online forums. In case you're one of them - get off your lazy ass and do something you whiny bastard!
Come 9am the next day I call the dog catchers & no one answers the phone. Dog catchers are normally contract employees that the Municipal Corporation hires to capture the dogs and neuter them. By law dogs are re-released in the same locality they were captured from so that they can continue to bite passers-by and torment sleeping citizens at night by their incessant howling. No, no that's not it. They're put back where they belong so that they can raise the real estate value of the neighborhood. No wait. That's not it either. They're put back so that people in the neighborhood who've been taking anti-rabies shots for fun don't miss their omnipotent presence. That must be it.
Where was I? Right, the Pune Municipal Corporation. Somehow I manage to get a call in to the dog-catchers I find on Justdial.com and lodge a complaint. They turn up, say they caught 3 dogs & now want 'chai money' (read bribe). I ask them what they'll do with the dogs. "Neuter them & re-release them right where we found them." Problem not solved. Meanwhile a huge crowd of local residents has collected and is begging the dog catcher to take away more dogs and never bring them back. "Please! Please!" one man shouts, "my kids can't study and my wife can't sleep. I'll pay you whatever you want".
I manage to get hold of the phone number of the official in charge of the dog squad who glibly but politely tells me that neutered dogs cannot be moved and that his hands are tied. Also that their night-van is not operational because their contracts have dried up & they're "working on it". He says he feels my pain but is powerless to do anything worthwhile. I thank him for his valuable time and hang up.
All you tax-paying Indians who stay awake & dream of nights when you could sleep peacefully - you've been castrated. The law favours canine strays over your health and productivity. Unlike pubs, parties and discoes you can't stop a dog from barking after 10:30pm. Still sitting on your sorry asses? Read on.
I get online and look up "stray dogs barking" and find several Indians from all over the country whining about the problem (pun intended) on online forums. In case you're one of them - get off your lazy ass and do something you whiny bastard!
Come 9am the next day I call the dog catchers & no one answers the phone. Dog catchers are normally contract employees that the Municipal Corporation hires to capture the dogs and neuter them. By law dogs are re-released in the same locality they were captured from so that they can continue to bite passers-by and torment sleeping citizens at night by their incessant howling. No, no that's not it. They're put back where they belong so that they can raise the real estate value of the neighborhood. No wait. That's not it either. They're put back so that people in the neighborhood who've been taking anti-rabies shots for fun don't miss their omnipotent presence. That must be it.
Where was I? Right, the Pune Municipal Corporation. Somehow I manage to get a call in to the dog-catchers I find on Justdial.com and lodge a complaint. They turn up, say they caught 3 dogs & now want 'chai money' (read bribe). I ask them what they'll do with the dogs. "Neuter them & re-release them right where we found them." Problem not solved. Meanwhile a huge crowd of local residents has collected and is begging the dog catcher to take away more dogs and never bring them back. "Please! Please!" one man shouts, "my kids can't study and my wife can't sleep. I'll pay you whatever you want".
I manage to get hold of the phone number of the official in charge of the dog squad who glibly but politely tells me that neutered dogs cannot be moved and that his hands are tied. Also that their night-van is not operational because their contracts have dried up & they're "working on it". He says he feels my pain but is powerless to do anything worthwhile. I thank him for his valuable time and hang up.
All you tax-paying Indians who stay awake & dream of nights when you could sleep peacefully - you've been castrated. The law favours canine strays over your health and productivity. Unlike pubs, parties and discoes you can't stop a dog from barking after 10:30pm. Still sitting on your sorry asses? Read on.
And so it begins with some barking.
I doubt if I would be bothering with any of this if it wasn't for the mild faith I have in the Right To Information act.
I live in Pune. 4 days ago I was woken at 2am by the loudest turf war the stray dogs in our locality have had so far (and they've been at it for months). The noise continued loudly & randomly till 5pm.
For weeks I've tried to ignore the large gangs of barking dogs at night with the result that I'm almost always sleep deprived, grumpy & lack concentration. My health & work have been on a steady downward slide ever since the Indian Supreme Court stayed the elimination of stray dogs by local Municipal Corporations.
Here's how I see it.
1. I pay my taxes.
2. My tax bracket is directly proportional to the amount of my income.
3. If I'm unable to earn what I normally do because I'm constantly sick from sleep deprivation, I pay fewer taxes. There are millions like me being kept awake by stray barking dogs and that's most certainly affecting the nation's productivity & financial resources and short changing the entire country.
4. Your money & my money is what is keeping us safe from hostile occupations, famine and epidemics.
I deserve a peaceful night's sleep and I refuse to piss away what I earn from hard work on a bunch of stray dogs just because some misguided dog-lover bent the will of the Supreme Court.
I'm not sure how I'm going to rectify this situation but I ain't turning back now. Read on to keep track of what I do.
I live in Pune. 4 days ago I was woken at 2am by the loudest turf war the stray dogs in our locality have had so far (and they've been at it for months). The noise continued loudly & randomly till 5pm.
For weeks I've tried to ignore the large gangs of barking dogs at night with the result that I'm almost always sleep deprived, grumpy & lack concentration. My health & work have been on a steady downward slide ever since the Indian Supreme Court stayed the elimination of stray dogs by local Municipal Corporations.
Here's how I see it.
1. I pay my taxes.
2. My tax bracket is directly proportional to the amount of my income.
3. If I'm unable to earn what I normally do because I'm constantly sick from sleep deprivation, I pay fewer taxes. There are millions like me being kept awake by stray barking dogs and that's most certainly affecting the nation's productivity & financial resources and short changing the entire country.
4. Your money & my money is what is keeping us safe from hostile occupations, famine and epidemics.
I deserve a peaceful night's sleep and I refuse to piss away what I earn from hard work on a bunch of stray dogs just because some misguided dog-lover bent the will of the Supreme Court.
I'm not sure how I'm going to rectify this situation but I ain't turning back now. Read on to keep track of what I do.
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