Gujarat confidential: Tough Talk    

NADIAD BJP MLA Pankaj Desai, who laid the foundation stone of the Nadiad-Marida Road to be built at a cost of Rs 2.3 crore and aimed at connecting eight villages of the district, minced no words while warning the contractors and officials of the Roads and Building Department about ensuring quality of the road – Right from from the dais. Desai cautioned an officer of the department that he would “face suspension” if the quality of the road is compromised, leading to post-monsoon damage before the end of the liability period of the contractor. Desai told the officer, “When was this road last built, before it was damaged in the rain?” On being informed that it was nearing the end of its previous liability period, Desai quipped, “But it broke before the end of three years, did it not? If it breaks again, you are suspended… This time, take samples and ensure that it passes the quality check.” Desai also told the contractors, “Elections are coming. We do not want questions to be raised. Your guarantee period is for three years… but the quality of the road should be seen. It should not break after the monsoon.”

Messy ‘Affair’

AN ALLEGED extramarital relationship between a woman police constable and a police inspector in Mahisagar district has triggered a storm within the Gujarat police department. A departmental inquiry, following a public brawl between the police inspector and the husband of the woman constable, has led to the suspension of the woman while the police inspector has been sent on reserve leave, awaiting further directives from senior officers. While instances of extra-marital affairs resulting in crime within the police ranks has not been uncommon in Gujarat, the departmental action in case of a personal relationship has raised eyebrows. Sources said that the two police personnel entered into a relationship when they were posted in the same police station. After complaints about “distraction” during duty time, the two were transferred to separate police stations within the district but allegedly continued their relationship. It was after the woman’s husband made a complaint to the SP  and also got into a brawl with the police inspector that an inquiry was initiated, leading to the woman’s suspension.