This refers to the report "Maharashtra plans another city, 50 kms off Mumbai" (October 4). Navi Mumbai was created to decongest Mumbai. It has become more congested now. The floor space index (FSI) policy is a hindrance in decongesting Mumbai. More towers are built and that puts pressure on the existing infrastructure in the vicinity. The FSI policy should be scrapped. If the government is serious, then it should begin with building a new Mantralaya in Uran. The existing Mantralaya building could be used for other purposes. In the garb of redevelopment, Mumbai is becoming more congested, by allowing more FSI to build pencil towers that are dangerous since they may not be able to withstand high-intensity earthquakes. Mumbai falls in the seismic zone-III region. Therefore, efforts should be focused on building horizontal houses instead of towers.Deendayal M Lulla  MumbaiLetters can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:The Editor, Business StandardNehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar MargNew Delh

Letters: A seismic shift

Business Standard

In the controversy surrounding who is to blame for the controversial ordinance of the government that sought to protect convicted politicians, Business Standard explains how a government Bill/ordinance is drafted. In the present case, the ordinance belonged to the law ministry:

How a government Bill reaches Parliament

Apple has dethroned Coca-Cola from the top slot among the world's most-valuable brands, according to the Interbrand Best Global Brands survey. The soft drink giant had held the top position for 13 years, before falling to the third slot this year. Here's a look at the twists and turns of the top brands in the study:

Apple of everybody's eye

Raghuram Rajan has inducted several new people in various committees, which will oversee a host of critical issues ranging from issuance of new bank licences to a new monetary policy framework as well as financial inclusion. In what is being seen as a move to induct new but vastly experienced people into policy making and the regulation framework, Rajan has tried to balance the need for new thoughts and experience. RBI watchers say these appointments represent a significant step forward in central banking governance and policy actions.  Here is a brief snapshot of 10 of these personalities.

Raghuram Rajan's new brain-trust

Kolkata puzzles the world with its cycle ban

Cycling backwards

Corruption has become a stumbling block for CEOs in India. From securing contracts to getting funds from the government and banks, paying bribes is normal. A survey by Control Risks, a global risk consulting firm, and Economist Intelligence Unit reveals Indian firms are not prepared to adhere to international anti-corruption laws and the tightening domestic regulatory framework. Giving bribes also increases the risks of prosecution and reputational damage. The survey says Indian companies lag their global peers in providing anti-corruption training to employees, having whistleblowing mechanisms and budget dedicated to anti-corruption initiatives. Some key findings of the survey:

Corruption: India Inc behind global peers

The mid-quarter review of monetary policy on September 20 showed he would not hesitate to take tough decisions

A month of new regime at RBI

Dysfunctional US politics may set off another crisis

The real shutdown problem

Government adds to its arbitrariness on gas pricing

Double jeopardy

Senior lawyer Ram Jethmalani is often in the news for his statements. On Wednesday he did it again. While speaking at a youth programme in New Delhi the nonagenarian lawyer said, "While I don't want to be the prime minister, I am more qualified than many." With the Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi sitting in the first row at the function, Jethmalani quickly added, "Except one", and went ahead elaborating on Modi's virtues.

A quick U-turn

Unique Identification Authority of India chief and Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani joined Twitter the day after news broke that he could be contesting elections from South Karnataka - his bastion. He is playing it safe on Twitter by not following anyone yet and by tweeting sparingly. The number of his followers has doubled from 650 plus on Wednesday to 1,300 on Thursday evening. A majority of Nilekani's current followers seem to be techies, journalists and some John Does; no political big-wigs are on the list yet. If one is looking for signals as to which way the wind is blowing then the latest tweet from him came on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti!

Going with the flow

At a private dinner in New Delhi, as Narendra Modi's Sunday speech was being replayed in the background, a perplexed Vijay Goel, the Bharatiya Janata Party's chief ministerial candidate for New Delhi, asked a close aide why crowd seemed subdued during his speech compared to the noise and excitement that Modi's speech generated. Perhaps without thinking, the aide said, "Sir, your speech was not that great." Obviously Goel wasn't expecting to hear that. Realising his mistake, the aide quickly added, "But only till the time you were reading out a prepared speech. You were fantastic when you dropped the paper and spoke from your heart." Choosing one's words carefully is a good strategy!

Matters of the heart

This refers to the editorial "Empowering the voter" (October 3). In a knee-jerk reaction to the Supreme Court (SC) ruling on convicted serving politicians, political parties had got together more than once to find a parliamentary antidote. The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), too, showed considerable initiative to a remedial Bill, only to find its weak knees, subsequently. In the face of this volte-face by the BJP, which hardly has any allies to please, Rahul Gandhi as the Congress vice-president had little recourse but to keep his party away from an ostensibly executive decision by the Cabinet. The Prime Minister has to run a coalition government and hence had to go for it alone, keeping in view the position adopted by the allies, on an annulling ordinance.It would perhaps appear that the Congress is attempting to hunt with the hounds and run with the hares. The stark reality is that the SC is destined to fight a lonely battle for key electoral reforms and the nation ought to heave a sigh

Letters: Battle for electoral reforms

This refers to the editorial "Empowering the voter" (October 3). The decision by the Supreme Court to allow voters the option of a "none of the above" (NOTA) button is not likely to have the desired impact on political parties unless the consequences of a majority NOTA votes are clearly known in advance to the voters. In order to convert this opportunity into an effective electoral tool, all major political parties should join hands to ensure that the requisite amendment in law takes place, if required, on priority in view of the imminent elections. If needed, an Ordinance may be brought in. The voters would welcome such a move and no one would ever feel the need to "tear and throw away" such a positive legislation.K P S Chauhan  New DelhiLetters can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:The Editor, Business StandardNehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar MargNew Delhi 110 002Fax: (011) 23720201E-mail: letters@bsmail.inAll letters must have a postal address and telephone number

Letters: NOTA's impact

Shreekant Sambrani's fears and despair about India's future in the article "Gandhi's truth: Then and now" (October 1) are puzzling.India has improved and is continuing to improve steadily since the end of the Licence-Raj. The 1991 reforms allowed Indian businessmen and industrialists to perform freely according to their own abilities and inclinations in open competition with the best in the world for the first time. With the cancellation of 2G licences, the shutdown of many mines and former leaders such as Om Prakash Chautala and Lalu Prasad Yadav in jail, the days of on-record and open stealing in India are likely to end fast. If only the justice delivery process could be speeded up then India would be well and truly on the path to rapid progress.Rahul Gandhi's outburst is only the first crack in the walls of the Bastille of unresponsive political leadership, so to speak. This crack has resulted from pressure from the India Against Corruption movement and the Aam Aadmi Party and so on

Letters: India on course

Sector-wise allocations in 2013The real estate sector attracted the most investments, accounting for 17.56% of the total investments in termsof deal value with an aggregate of $1.4 billion (37 deals). The telecommunication services sector was the second, attracting $1.26 billion (15.11%), followed by software & services, utilities and health care equipment & services.

A snapshot of PE activity & deals

Delivery volumes in September touched a high in the financial year till date, the first sign ofwhat analysts are hoping could be a turnaround in investor confidence. Weak market conditions and loss of investor confidence in equities had caused delivery volumes to decline over the past two years. Higher delivery volumes mean investors are holding on to stocks for a longer period than indulging in intra-day trades. Of the Nifty 50, Business Standard takes a look at the top five stocks with high delivery percentage since April - the ratio of delivered shares to the total traded shares in the company.

Top 5 delivery trades since April

The saying goes, speech is silver, silence is golden. But sometimes silence can frazzle nerves. At a recent business summit, economist Lord Meghnad Desai was requested to answer media queries after his session. He was made to sit for some time, surrounded by TV cameras and crew but no one asked any questions. Miffed, he shouted, "Who is the organiser here? This is the most disgusting place I have ever been to." One reporter quickly got to his feet and posed a question. Lord Desai was at his wit's end by then. "Ask me later," he said, "first I need to figure out what is happening here."

Silence may not be golden

Empowering the voter

Away player

Dear Students,LAST WEEK WE ASKED: Do you think there should be stricter norms governing private universities in India?BEST RESPONSENo best responseOTHER RESPONSESThe norms regulating Indian universities are flawed and can easily be altered by finding loopholes. All universities should be governed by a single statutory body such as the ICAI, so that uniformity of norms can be established.Sangam Grover, ICAI, LudhianaOf course, private universities in India need to be governed by a regulatory body to avoid unethical and fraudulent practices. But, imposing stricter rules might interfere with their technique and procedure to a great extent and make them feel suffocated.Vaishnavi Kadwe, Samvit School Of Infrastructure Business, PuneThe norms governing private universities in India must be moderate. If the norms are stricter, that might increase the restrictions imposed on private universities. The norms must be such that the quality of education provided by private universities is always go

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