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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 4:59:11 pm

NHRC sword hangs over top Pune officials

Mumbai: ​The top administrative brass of Pune—the Municipal Commissioner and the Police Commissioner—are likely to face unprecedented legal and regulatory action from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) over their persistent failure to rein in illegal, deafening sound systems. With civic and police authorities displaying chronic inertia in enforcing mandatory sound limits during recent festivities, the statutory human rights watchdog is poised to hold both top officials directly...

NHRC sword hangs over top Pune officials

Mumbai: ​The top administrative brass of Pune—the Municipal Commissioner and the Police Commissioner—are likely to face unprecedented legal and regulatory action from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) over their persistent failure to rein in illegal, deafening sound systems. With civic and police authorities displaying chronic inertia in enforcing mandatory sound limits during recent festivities, the statutory human rights watchdog is poised to hold both top officials directly liable for gross dereliction of duty. This impending crackdown is spearheaded by Pune-based social activist Sharad Kelkar, whose comprehensive petition to the NHRC exposed the rampant proliferation of multi-speaker DJ consoles, plasma sound systems, and blinding laser lights that have turned city streets into hazardous zones. ​At the core of this imminent administrative crisis is the recognition that unbridled acoustic violence is not merely a municipal inconvenience or an environmental transgression, but an overt violation of Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees the right to life, health, and a peaceful existence. Under the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2005, both the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pune City Police are the designated implementation authorities tasked with preventing noise levels from crossing prescribed daytime and nighttime thresholds. Following Kelkar’s initial complaint, the NHRC had issued a formal notice to the Maharashtra State Pollution Control Board (MPCB), demanding a detailed explanation and an action-taken report. Yet, despite clear warning signals from the national panel, the city administration showed utter disregard during the recent Dahi Handi festivities, during which massive DJ towers blared at deafening volumes well past permissible limits across nearly every major square. Decisive Follow-up ​Refusing to let the administrative apathy slide, Kelkar has now filed a decisive follow-up complaint before the NHRC with an exhaustive dossier of time-stamped video footage, audio logs, and decibel-level documentation gathered from across the city during Dahi Handi, conclusively demonstrating that local police stations and municipal ward offices turned a blind eye to brazen violations. With clear visual and technical evidence establishing that sound levels consistently surpassed hazardous thresholds, the prospective NHRC directives are expected to demand stern show-cause responses from both commissioners, potentially triggering formal disciplinary proceedings and severe legal sanctions. ​The gravity of the NHRC’s expected intervention is deeply anchored in the acute physiological damage inflicted on society’s most vulnerable demographics. High-intensity low-frequency bass waves generated by modern DJ setups pose severe risks to senior citizens, newborn infants, pregnant women, and patients suffering from cardiovascular conditions or chronic hypertension. Hospitals and residential neighborhoods situated in the vicinity of traditional procession routes frequently report sudden spikes in panic attacks, insomnia, and acute acoustic trauma, often forcing families to temporarily migrate out of the city to avoid falling ill. By categorizing such systemic exposure as a human rights violation, the NHRC’s pending action seeks to shatter the culture of impunity that local authorities have long granted under the guise of festive leeway. ​This institutional crackdown aligns perfectly with an unprecedented groundswell of public outrage spilling onto the streets of Pune. Pushed to the brink by years of unaddressed grievances, frustrated citizens have launched back-to-back weekend protests to demand an immediate, complete ban on DJs and high-decibel loudspeakers ahead of Ganeshotsav.

AI in Sperm Sorting: An Unbiased Decision for A Better Outcome

Artificial Intelligence or AI is revolutionising fertility treatments of the future. The inclusion of AI enhances the accuracy, efficiency, and objectivity of sperm selection, hence potentially improving fertility outcomes by leaps and bounds. Traditionally, sperm sorting through manual methods is subjective to judgments. Processes like centrifugation and swim-up methods are used to separate sperm based on motility and morphology. Although they are effective, they have their limitations, leading to human errors that affect the success rates of fertility treatment. For instance, studies have shown that traditional sperm sorting techniques can have variability in success rates, with reported live birth rates ranging between 15 per cent to 25 per cent per cycle depending on the method and quality of sperm. Hence the introduction of AI helps in maintaining consistency in evaluations of sperm, using the same data set for every sample which leads to better judgments.


Automation and Standardisation- Automation of sperm selection and also introduction of AI in the process have improved the results in ART. AI-assisted sperm selection improves the accuracy in choosing high-quality sperm for fertilisation purposes, and also, pregnancy and live birth rates might be improved. Technologies like Intracytoplasmic Morphologically Selected Sperm Injection along with AI ensure the chances of pregnancies increase by about 10-20 per cent compared to the standard procedures. AI and Automation will decrease time taken to analyze sperm and increase opportunities to select better sperm with DNA integrity for better development and higher success rates in embryo selection. These processes ensure that the sperm selection process follows consistent criteria, reducing variability in outcomes caused by human error.


Analysing Complex Data for Better Outcomes- AI plays a crucial in improving IVF outcomes by analysing complex data and providing tailored recommendations. AI-driven tools and models such as those on SpOvum.ai point towards an opportunity to optimise ovarian stimulation decisions by assessing patient characteristics and follicle growth patterns. A study revealed that the use of AI in IVF improved egg yield and reduced medication costs. AI enables fertility specialists to make data-driven choices, improving overall IVF success rates and streamlining treatment processes.


Reducing Human Error- AI models can continuously learn and refine their performance by being trained on newer data. This adaptability ensures the technology remains unbiased and up-to-date with the latest scientific insights into sperm quality and fertility success rates. Studies have shown that AI-driven sperm sorting can decrease human-related errors by up to 25 per cent, improving sperm selection quality in terms of morphology and motility.


Reduction of Sperm Damage- The new AI-driven sperm sorting techniques also include microfluidic systems that are known to exhibit several advantages over the most commonly used conventional method, which is centrifugation. Traditional centrifugation methods, such as density gradient centrifugation, also cause severe oxidative stress and DNA fragmentation of the sperm because of the very high mechanical forces involved. The AI-infused microfluidic sorting minimises this damage significantly by involving gentler processes that mimic the natural pathway of sperm selection. The studies show that the process of microfluidic sorting decreases DNA fragmentation in sperm, which gives improved opportunities for success for IVF. For example, DNA fragmentation is 20 percent lower in sperm sorted using microfluidic processes than in traditional processing methods.


AI is bound to play an increasingly definitive role in fertility treatments, which will improve the outcomes for couples experiencing infertility.


(The author is a Co-Founder & CEO at SpOvum® Technologies. Views personal.)

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