Will you come out and vote in the forthcoming general elections?

Tasneem B,?
environmentalist
I have not been a regular voter actually. I rather participate more actively when the opportunity arises. I see that participation as important. Voting can make a difference but what next? Is that enough? How do we make them accountable thereafter. My vote may make a difference but that is not related to the accountability factor as political parties do not think they are accountable to anyone. I am not averse to voting but I don't want to do it in ignorance or just for the heck of it or to show people that I did my duty to avoid being criticised. If voting came with a similar right to accountability I would be most happy to use the system. I think citizens need to understand that voting is the first step...and it needs to be followed by others.

Satyali Patil, IPR analyst
I would like to vote, but there are no good people in politics. This people enjoy life because of us. We all should stop voting for them. The politicians take advantage of the common people and forget them after getting elected. The politicians should be forced to serve the people and fulfill at least the basic needs of the people.

(As told to Ajay Khape)

The one thing that PMC must provide in 2009?

Dr Devendra Shirole,
President of Indian Medical Association, Maharashtra
Our civic administration should provide world class promotive and curative services which are within reach of all strata of the society and these services should not remain only with the corporate or the big hospitals of Pune but the poorest of the poor should also have access to them through municipal hospitals.

Asha Shah, interior decorator
The administration should keep the surroundings clean and conserve natural beauty. They should increase the green patches and also provide clean dustbins at various points which can ensure that the city would be clean and green.

Amit Kumar Bhowmik, advocate, high court
For 2009, I would want the civic administration to provide us with better roads, also, there must be a curb at least to some extent on corruption which has become a tradition with them. It is essential to regulate this in the New Year.
(As told to Nisha Nambiar)

Do we want war with Pakistan?

Partha Iyengar,Researcher
Yes, absolutely, there is no other way to shut the terror tap. Though the consequences of war with Pakistan would be disastrous but it is worth doing it once and for all. Waiting for US or China to apply pressure on Pakistan is useless. India should not succumb to pressure of other countries.

SandeEP Sawant,
Filmmaker
No, we should not go to war with Pakistan because war is not something simple. Its consequences would affect our economy to a great extent. Given that our economy has started growing now we should not go for war.

Bhushan Bhat, final year engineering student
As a fall out of the terrorist attacks on Mumbai, everybody in the country wants stern action by the government against terrorists. But I think war is not an option. We should definitely take assistance of US and UN forces to demolish terrorist bases, but waging a full-fledged war with Pakistan is a good idea, as both the countries will suffer from war. Terrorists use Pakistan's land for all the wrong reasons. It is high time Pakistan take action against terrorists.

(As told to Siddharth Kelkar & Tarun Nangia)

The US is lending at 0.25 %. What should be our lending rate?

Pradeep Bhargava
, businessperson and CII president
Lending rates have to be linked with inflation. In the US, inflation is low, therefore banks can afford to lend at lower rates. If we target inflation at 5-6 per cent, then the deposit rates can be 7 per cent and lending rates can be at 9 percent. Lending rates should be within the band of 2-3 per cent of the inflation rate.

Jasmeet Singh,
senior manager at Punjab and Sind Bank
In India, deposit rates and lending rates are linked. If lending rates are low, deposit rates will be lower. Banks get money through deposits and lend it at a higher rate to people. There should be a spread of 3 per cent between lending rates and deposit rates. If the deposit rates are at 7 per cent, then the lending rates can be at 10 percent for general and personal loans. As housing is a primary need for many Indians, property loans can be one percent less.

(As told to Ranjani Raghavan)

Will you come out and vote in the forthcoming general elections?

Sumati Tribhuvan.
Lecturer
I am going to vote but surely not elect the so called establish politicians. The politicians have let us down every time. It is high time that good people come in politics. I will vote the professionals contesting the elections who have an agenda in the interest of the public once they are elected. We should take advantage of the situation against politicians to bring in good people power that will work only for the country.

Aarti Sawant
, Communiation Engineer
I think politicians cannot be blamed solely for the attacks on Mumbai. It is the responsibility of every Indian to ensure good governance in the country. If every citizen performs their respective duty then there won't be any issues. I have no expectations from the politicians and I don't find any meaning to vote in the elections. It is time that the citizens themselves have to think of themselves instead of giving the reins of their life in the hands of politicians.

Vishal Shewale,
software engineer
I will vote for sure as I always vote. Though, I may not actively participate in elections, but will for sure look for many things before voting. I would check the educational background, past experience and age of the candidate.

Rajashree Joshi,
translator
I do not believe in politicians and I will not vote in the forthcoming elections for sure. The politicians have ruined our life.

Savita Prabhune,
Lawyer
I will definitely exercise my right to vote in the forthcoming general elections. The Mumbai attacks at some point of time have made everyone introspect. There are other effective ways to get the politicians on their toes and make them work. Merely getting disenchanted with them and sitting back, just cribbing over their inability isn't the answer. I cannot imagine myself being passive in the whole process. Casting vote enables you to take an active part in the procedure. In fact, if I do not find any of the candidates eligible or fit to give vote to, I would put a blank vote slip in the voting box.

Satish Pande,
Ornithologist
It is duty of every citizen to vote and I will continue to do so. We can criticize the politicians through voting. One has no right to criticize if the person does not exercise the right to vote in a democratic set-up. We are responsible for the situation of our democracy. Having a continuous dialogue with those being elected can increase the accountability of the elected representative. This way we can ensure that politicians deliver.

The one thing that PMC must provide in 2009?

Yogesh Mehta,
advocate, high court
The civic administration should focus on improving the quality of infrastructure in the city. The administration should make budgetary provisions for undertaking new projects_ flyovers, subways, widening of roads so that traffic snarls and bottle necks are avoided, which in turn would reduce noise and air pollution and save fuel. Addressing the core issue of infrastructure we would be addressing the environmental concerns to a larger extent

Neela R Krishnamurthy,
project manager IBM
I would expect civic administration to focus on roads. The administration should use good quality raw materials for doing up the roads so that there is a shelf life of atleast 10-15 years. Most of the times due to the cable works, the roads are dug up constantly and the important sign boards are not put up which is very risky for drivers as it can cost their lives

Dr Bharat Bhushan,
Dean academics at YASHADA
I would expect the administration to provide easier approach for transactions for citizens. Administration should facilitate easy access to citizens and make the dealings transparent. I would also like to add that the large hill slopes forest or green areas acquired by PMC should see PMC establish non-negotialble nature conservation projects on such plots, including deer and leopard safari parks that that the central zoo authorities and the Wildlife Protection Act provide legal umbrella to prevent future change of use

Bhaskar Patil, Manager,
public relations of Maharashtra State Agriculture Marketing Board
The administration should ensure some strict regulations for ensuring smooth flow of traffic in the city. It is a big problem and there should be lane system as it is in Mumbai. The signals should be working well and rash drivers should be fined and punished. This should be implemented in letter and spirit

Dinesh Redkar,
government officer
I would want the administration to plan out a system whereby there should be underground cables after proper planning. Most of the times the roads are dug up and it is very irritating to have the roads which are just done up being dug again. A proper planning should go into every effort and such hapahazard digging should be stopped. The promise of filling up potholes still remains and the administration should use the money sanctioned for development in a proper and phased manner.

Do we want war with Pakistan?

DS Kulkarni,
developer
No, not at all, India should not go for war with Pakistan. The current situation is not worse enough to go in for a severe step as war. Instead economic pressure should be applied on Pakistan. We should fight an economic war with Pakistan as the countries who rule the world are economically strong countries.. The nation with the strongest economy would rule the world.

Dhanashree Mirajkar,
student
We should go to war with Pakistan. We always look for peace but terrorists don't. I also support peace and if there is any other way to express the anger to their act without any human losses then I will support that too. But i f we always remain quiet, they will sit on our heads. After taking so much brunt, now it is time to react.

Lt Col Praful Joshi (retired )
Nothing can be drawn out of war with Pakistan as was the earlier cases. If war takes place what is the guarantee that we would not get defeated. We should not forget that we have a threat from Bangladesh too. We created Bangladesh, but it has not remained friendly with us. ISI is actively training terrorists in Bangladesh also. More than war, internal security is the issue to be addressed immediately by strengthening intelligence network. The core problem I feel lies with our defence and foreign policies. War is waged against enemies. If Pakistan is our enemy, why are we allowing broadcast of advertisements featuring Pakistani cricketers even after 26/11 attacks. Why are artists from Pakistan are not banned from performing in India or the ones who are staying here are not yet driven out of our country? It is not happening, as we don't have political will to do that. There are people like A R Antulay who are trying to take political advantage of the situation, which is actually helping our enemy. In this scenario, we cannot afford to have war with Pakistan.

Sandesh Sawant,
industrialist
No, I do not want India to go for war with Pakistan. But some action should be taken by India so this does not happen again. Like we have to attack the terrorist camps on Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK). We have to convey our seriousness to Pakistan on the issue of terrorism. We should take an example of Israel on the way it is tackling Hamas. Also, America and China would not apply enough pressure for stopping the terror tap.

The US is lending at 0.25 per cent, what should be our lending rate?

Chetan Joshi, manager – accounts,
Texol Engineering Pvt limited
Bank lending rates for personal loans can be around 13-14 per cent. Housing loans would be reasonable between 10-12 per cent. At present, despite several measures taken by the RBI, banks are finding it difficult to lend money, simply because they do not want to lend. They have developed strict parameters to extend credit; these needs to be eased slightly. The market cannot improve unless banks start lending money. More than the interest rates, it is the credit policy of the banks that needs to be looked at.

Nitin Nyati,
builder
The ideal lending rate was 7.5 per cent, when credit was easily available at affordable rates. If the real estate market, that is the second largest employer in the country, needs to be revived; the way to do that is to reduce loan rates. US already has a low interest rate, but the situation there is different, as most people are looking at second homes. In India, 90 per cent of the homebuyers are still first homebuyers, they need to be given loans at an affordable rate.

Shubada Joshi,
Girikand Travels
Corporate lending should be at 7-8 per cent, its now at around 13 per cent. Given the current scenario, we need to ensure that businesses revive. At present there is a cash crunch, anything that relieves the cash crunch will help. Besides the interest rates, banks need to ensure that the quantum of money that is given is also sufficient. Banks need to be more proactive in lending, especially towards the Small and Medium Enterprises.

Atul Jain,
second hand car dealer
Bank lending rates should go down. As it's getting difficult for people to get loans, they are hesitating to purchase vehicles. Cash availability will help revive the market.Some time ago, new vehicles were available at a loan rate of 11 per cent, now it's over 13-14 per cent. Old cars are more expensive at 20 per cent lending rates, higher than 16 per cent. But significantly, earlier banks would lend 80-85 per cent of the loan amount. Now its hardly 50 per cent, which is cutting off credit availability.