Ringside view

It’s no speedway for all

DRY run of special buses on the Bus Rapid Transit route are giving the drivers nightmarish experiences these days. But,this isn’t an unexpected situation. Locals being locals,their habits die-hard; they prefer to take dangerous shortcuts to safer long cuts. Just at the beginning of the experimental road at the north end of Pirana Bridge,from where the dedicated corridor starts,a number of motorcycle riders — of all age groups — enter the lane to reach across the fenced corridor. It all would seem fun,but only till a speeding special bus approached. Because then,the biker has no place to escape,but to force the driver to apply brakes and hear abuses before being allowed to overtake the bus,and then go. Imposing heavy fine for entering the lane seems to be the only way out to keep people from such misadventures.

Probing at an apt place

THE office of the Justice G T Nanavati and Justice Akshay Mehta Commission,probing the Sabarmati Express carnage and the subsequent communal riots in Gujarat in 2002,bears a haunting ambience! The reason: the office of the Commission,based in the Shahibaug area at a bungalow,is located next to the railway track. So,many a times during the hearing,when one hears the trains passing by,it gives him a feeling that he is sitting inside ‘the train’ (Sabarmati Express) itself.

In fact,many people jokingly say that the place of investigation of the Sabarmati Express incident could not have been a more befitting than the present bungalow. The Commission is handling a very serious issue,which perhaps,defined the politics of Gujarat. But,as it goes,there is a lighter side associated with everything!

Paying for waiting & nothing

WHILE the new international terminal of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad has become a case study of cost overruns and delayed schedule,the existing arrangement is proving to be a bad experience for those who want to experience ‘Vibrant Gujarat’. What one witnessed last week on return from a recent trip surely puts big question mark on Ahmedabad’s claim as an international aviation destination.

Here,you have everything — long queues for swine-flu check ups,eternal wait for collecting your baggage,an information counter with no one to inform and traffic police personnel — to guide and check the taxi drivers from ripping you off — conspicuously absent. But the most unique thing one experienced was at the baggage scanning counter,just before the exit. The personnel posted at the point were seen demanding some kharcha-paani from the visitors,who were collecting their scanned baggage. And one of the victims was the writer himself. Guess what’s happening to Gujarat’s international image!

Readying for the eclipse

VADODARA: AMONG all the sundry things available in the Shukravaari Market,which still functions from the pockets of Warasia and Fatehpura locality here,X-ray templates are high on demand these days. According to one seller,Haren Kahar,the exposed X-ray plates that come for Rs 5 or Rs 6,were sold to at least seven people on Friday. “Usually,we don’t have many customers,but I was surprised when seven people walked in to ask for X-ray templates,” he added. When he enquired,two of the customers said that these templates would be used for making solar filters for goggles,which are in turn used during the solar eclipse on July 22. However,much to the displeasure of the collectors of sundry objects,the policemen in Vadodara have closed down the Shukravaari Market.

— Contributed by Gaurav Sharma,Parimal Dabhi and Tanvir A Siddiqui

Off Tangent

Police ‘spirit’ at its high

IMAGINE the predicament of someone,who’s greeted by a cop early morning for a not-so-pleasant reason and that too,for no fault of the former. Whatever the matter,the first thing that happens is neighbours raising their eyebrows. This was exactly what I experienced a couple of days ago.

Now,as soon as the killer hooch tragedy hit the Majoor Gam area in Ahmedabad,the law enforcing authorities have suddenly started dusting old cases,as old as over 15 years,against small-time bootleggers.

It was 8.30 in the morning,when a constable from the Hatkeshwar police chowky of the Amraiwadi police station knocked at my door.

“Who is Arjun? Saheb is calling him immediately,” he spoke sternly. I told him that Arjun was my former colleague,who had been transferred to Nagpur way back in 1997! I also told him that I had purchased Arjun’s flat and did not know his whereabouts. To this,the constable retorted that Arjun had been evading the police since 1994 and that it was my responsibility to produce him before the police.

All this while,I chose not to reveal my identity and assured the cop that I would come in person and meet the police inspector concerned. Around 10 am,I visited the police chowky and met the police sub-inspector (PSI),who informed me that there were three warrants issued against Arjun since 1994. He also said that the onus of producing Arjun lies on me. (By now,if you’re wondering how’s Arjun concerned with bootlegging,it’s just that he was married to a bootlegger’s sister).

Finally,when I revealed that I’m a journalist that the PSI got pacified. He then took down my statement in writing and let me go home. On my way back,I kept wondering what would have happened at the police station if I had been a common man or had not been associated with the media industry.

— R Manickamvasagam