Get ready for power shock

The Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) has given the nod to various power distributors in the city and the suburbs to hike their tariffs for residential and commercial properties, while sparing the poor.

The revised tar- iffs have come as a power shock, with the Bombay Electrical Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking being allowed to hike power rates by as much as nine per cent in the Island city.

On the other hand, Reliance Infra, a prominent distributor in the suburban areas, has been allowed a hike of nearly seven per cent for residences.

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Raj targets Bachchans

MNS leader Raj Thackeray on Monday declared that no film involving any member of the Bachchan family will be allowed to be released in Maharashtra. “Now, Mrs Jaya Bachchan will know at least one thing. She will know who Raj Thackeray is,” Mr Thackeray said Monday after announcing a “ban” of Bachchan family films and all products endorsed by them.

Accusing Jaya Bachchan of showing “disrespect” to Maharashtra and the Marathi language, he said no film involving any Bachchan family member could be released in Maharashtra unless she gave an unconditional apology.

“The hoardings of products endorsed by the Bachchans will be blackened,” he said, adding: “Guddi buddhi zali, tari ajun akkal nahi aali (Guddi has grown old, but has not learnt wisdom).” After Mr Thackeray’s announcement, MNS supporters tore posters of Amitabh Bachchan’s forthcoming film The Last Lear, due for release Friday, at Bandra and Dadar.

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“Smart Talk”

Talking they say, is a smart thing to do. Especially when it comes to taboo subjects, because it opens doors and eases the hesitance between people. To transform words into action, one needs to talk even more. The BBC World Service Trust, the charitable arm of BBC which specializes in development communications, has launched a four phase campaign to push men to talk more and more about a taboo subject.

To be run over a period of two and a half years, the media mix for the project consists of TV, radio and cinema, supported by billboards and print. The first phase of the campaign, called Jo Bola Wohi Sikander (JBWS), is under way and the BBC World Service Trust is strategically making attempts to generate interest, compel the target group to take action, and thereby create awareness about the taboo subject. The JBWH contest will run between November 30 and December 20, 2007, and will be seen in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu.

In a clever move, the BBC World Service Trust has rolled out the campaign in the form of a riddle. The riddle is thrown as a bait at the target group (primarily SEC C, D and E men in the reproductive age band), who are pushed to enter a contest, answer a simple question and take away prizes.
The TVC has been dubbed in five Indian languages, including Hindi, depending upon the state in which the contest runs. Audiences will be given a local number to call up and leave their answers on – the lucky winners will receive a mobile phone with free talk time.