Ringside view

City’s new ‘joy ride’

THE Bus Rapid Transit,currently a free ride,is a rage among the slum dwellers of Vasna area. It is from this area that the buses currently start the dry runs. Excited people,wanting to get a taste of the test rides,can be seen pouring into the buses. For them,it seems to be the ultimate ‘joy ride’ throughout the limited route. They will board the bus playfully,reach a destination and step out of the bus with equal enthusiasm. Well,but they would not step out of the bus shelter. For,in just another five minutes,they’ll jump on to the bus coming from the opposite direction and go back,only to come back. And the rides go on. So,must the civic authorities be prepared to get the feedback from the real passengers,who continue to test the ride over and over again? Maybe,yes,but only till the service is offered for free!

Beautification in vain

THERE exist water bodies in the city that are still in a position that qualifies them to be called anything but a water body. The historic pond,water-starved of course,at the Sarkhej monument complex is one example. The scene is quite intriguing with clouds hovering over this dry water body. But there were days,when even in summer,the pond used to be full enough to enthuse boys to take the plunge from rooftops of the nearby dargah structures. The ASI and the AUDA spent a lot on the beautification of the place,but without water in the pond,the whole complex looks quite barren,and its beauty incomplete. One wonders whether any scheme for diverting water from the nearby low-lying areas to the pond can be feasible.

Parental discord hits kids hard

GENERALLY,in any marital dispute and subsequent court petitions,the custody of the child(ren) becomes the bone of contention between the parents as both the parties put their claim on them. However,a court reporter came across a case

whereby the issue of the children’s custody has become the bone of contention for a different reason. In this case,neither of the parties is ready to keep his/her children along with them after the divorce. When the reporter happened to meet the lady involved in the dispute,she said that her husband is earning very well. “And I do not have any source of income. Apart from that,he is trying to get rid of all the responsibilities of the children,which I will not let happen,” she said,leaving the reporter wondering about the justification of the claims of both the parties.

Anxious calls

OFF late,there has been a sudden spate of policemen calling up the Ahmedabad city police control room. Not because the city cops have suddenly developed interest to keep themselves updated on the law and order situation in the city,but because of rumours about fresh police transfers doing rounds in the police circuit! While more than 200 city cops have already been transferred following the Ahmedabad police commissioner’s inquiry after the recent hooch tragedy,speculations are rife that some more transfers are likely. The “inquisitive” cops,said officials of the police control room,keep inquiring about new transfer orders,if any.

Mission accomplished

VADODARA: ALL the dark clouds have a silver lining and all bomb explosions turn out to be a learning experiences for the cops. On Friday,as four corners of the Walled City were rocked by the sound of locally assembled sutli bomb(s),one of the first police officials to reach the spot was a Wadi Sub-Inspector. His initial reluctance to enter the premises,where the explosives went off,soon turned out to be a brave exploration of the enclosed site,which was shut for several years in Chitte Khan no Galli in Gendi Gate. Thanks to the presence of shutterbugs from the local media,there was no escape for the PSI,as cameras followed him across the explosion site,finally leading him to an opening in the wall from where he would not have entered if there were no shutterbugs around. So,without much choice,the PSI passed through the gaping hole,and the crowd — gathered at the site — cheered him on the completion of feat! After emerging out of the hole,the police official burst out laughing,saying that now he knows how many kilos he has to loose!

Caught off guard

IT is fun catching the officials off guard making excuses in order to avoid answering to the media. However,most of the time,reporters generally upset their applecart. Some of the excuses recently encountered:

* A government official was called up a few days ago. But the moment the reporter introduced to be from the newspaper,the official (who is at least 55 years old) suddenly toned down the age in his voice and said … ‘pappa bhar gaya che’ (father has gone out)! The reporter promptly caught the deceiving voice and the official had to subdue and answer the questions.

* Another official used the emotional tactic and said,”Maro dikro bimaar che ane hu atyare hospital ma chu.’ (My son’s ill and right now,I am in hospital). Now,even before he could complete the sentence,his wife in the backdrop called out saying,’havee TV band karine jamva aavo ne’!

* An official,every time he gets a call from reporters,instantly raises his voice (as if caught in a traffic) and says,”I am driving … can you call me later.” Understanding the tactic,the reporter on the third call started with,”Sir,I don’t think you are driving this time,and I don’t hear any traffic around you either. So,can you please answer the question.”

Aiming high

THE Government of Gujarat is not sure about the success of Van Mahotsav,but that isn’t stopping it from aiming yet another drive,that for non-violence. The Jain community,like other communities throughout the world,celebrates Paryushan Parva. During this Paryushan week,Chief Minister Narendra Modi has proposed to construct a temporary cemented podium for the birds to perch and also to organise several essay writing programmes,supporting the cause of non-violence.

— Contributed by Anupam Chakravartty,Debarati Basu,Parimal Dabhi,Shubhlakshmi Shukla,Tanvir A Siddiqui and Vikram Rautela