If you are one of those who has ever lived in Mumbai and has ever kissed his girlfriend or even wife outside your home in a public place, then you should know that you are responsible for the city being unsafe.This gem comes from embattled Mumbai Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh, speaking in a television debate on how safe Mumbai really is, Singh said that, "That is why I'm asking whether on one hand couples should be allowed to kiss in public and on the road, should they be allowed to indulge in obscene things? We have to strike a balance. On the one hand you want to have a promiscuous culture and on the other hand you want a safe and secure environment for the people," Singh then went on to add, "Should we do moral policing or immoral policing? I think choice is yours. If we are doing moral policing it is for the betterment of society. But after the hue and cry, we want to increase and support this kind of culture and at the same time, stop cases of sexual assault against women."So make no mistake! What Singh has found and is claiming is not just a direct co relation with anyone kissing his girlfriend or wife in public with that of rising crimes against women but also equating both these crimes.Please don't think this as a far-fetched or bizarre idea, the Mumbai police has been sporadically implementing Singh's idea of moral values on its populace. In February last year, a 25 year old youth Kuber Swarup was fined Rs 1,200 by the police when they spotted him kissing his girl friend on her cheeks while saying good bye. The youth was fined under section 110 of the Bombay Police Act, for 'indecent behaviour in public'. The act doesn't define what 'indecent behaviour in public' is, leaving the interpretation to the local constable as to what constitutes 'indecent.' After a year long battle which ended in April this year, Swarup finally won the legal battle when he was acquitted of it, incredulously he got saved because the police did not have sufficient evidence to show that he kissed his girlfriend. If there was sufficient evidence then he could be in trouble.This is not an isolated example, a couple of years back, one of my friends was caught after he gave a kiss on the lips to his girlfriend while dropping her near her home. The cops then detained him and fined him under the same act that Swarup was booked under. My friend argued with the cops that he had done nothing wrong and the girl was his girl friend but the cop who booked him said this, "I don't care if she is your girl friend or your wife. We can book you even if you hold hands in public with your wife."We should thank Singh that in spite of living hundreds of miles away from Afghanistan, we can experience how the Taliban Police' functions. Only if his police could focus with the same zealousness and vigour to prosecute those involved in heinous crimes in the state.The Maharashtra government is planning to bring in a new law that would benefit many maids working in your homes. The state plans to bring the maids under the minimum wages Act and a formal draft is soon being readied to be put up among the people for their suggestions and objections. Among the changes that the maids could look up to is a minimum daily wage, weekly offs and paid annual leave. The move is to ensure that the house maids are not exploited by giving lower wages and that they get a prescribed number of leaves in a year. If brought in to a law the act could benefit 11 lakh domestic workers in the state.Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil is very miffed with the Railway ministry. Patil has been asking the Railways to fill up the vacant posts in the Government Railway Police (GRP) posts as there have been rising cases of violence against women on platforms and in local trains.A few days back, an American national working in an NGO in Mumbai was slashed by a robber who stole her cell phone, another woman was almost killed by a drug addict when his rape attempt failed. A top Mantralaya official said that according to the amendments in the RPF act in 2004, the security of a commuter on the railway property and on the train is the responsibility of the Railway Protection Force (RPF).Yet the state is peeved that the Railways have been abdicating its responsibility. Since Railways is not able to guarantee security, the state has decided to increase the number of GRP staff within stations, however even that has hit a hurdle. Government officials claim that the Railways is not giving permission to increase the number of GRP staff, the reason being the rule that 50 per cent of a GRP staffer's salary has to be paid by the state and the other 50 per cent by the Railways. Fed up with the Railways lackadaisical attitude, the state government has now decided to post home guards in railway stations.In A development that took everyone by surprise the Janhit Seva Samiti (JSS) in Jaitapur, an umbrella organisation that was opposing the 9,900 megawatt nuclear power project in Jaitapur in Maharashtra has said that they would not oppose the nuclear project.A delegation led by Pravin Gavankar who heads the JSS recently met Industries Minister Narayan Rane where they dropped their opposition to the project and instead presented 25 demands related to relief and resettlement.A triumphant Rane who holds sway in Konkan where the project is being implemented and had made the implementation of the project a prestige issue said that he was happy that the locals have dropped their opposition and that he would aggressively push for the 25 demands to be accepted by the government.However villagers and fishermen in Jaitapur denied that they have withdrawn their opposition to the project and alleged that they had been 'sold by their leaders'. Congress leaders said that the timing of the JSS to withdraw their opposition to the Jaitapur nuclear project assumes plenty of significance.According to Congress leaders the move by JSS to withdraw their opposition would benefit Rane as he wants the Congress leadership that he is capable of solving complex issues concerning the state and the party. The Jaitapur nuclear power project was important for the Manmohan Singh led Congress government as it was one of the largest nuclear deals signed with the French government and would go in a long way in ensuring that India is a power surplus nation.