Cn & Heard

If pigs could fly,there would be no swine flu in India. But alas,the last week or so,we had our fair share of infections.

Scare in the air
If pigs could fly,there would be no swine flu in India. But alas,the last week or so,we had our fair share of infections. More contagious than the disease are the rumours and fear psychosis. The citys doctors and health professionals are having a tough time in allaying the concerns of the residents. Some of them are getting calls at the most unearthly hours. A senior doctor at PGI laments,Last night,somebody called me at 1. I didnt even know the person. But he sounded harried and wanted to enquire that a family member of his had a sore throat and could it be swine flu? Apart from frenetic calls,all the NRIs visiting the hospital these days want to get admitted to the isolation ward,till the scare subsidises.

Curious mayor
Mayor Kamlesh could easily take credit for being the most inquisitive Mayor. The list of questions for which she wants answers from the officials runs long. From wanting details about the money spent on the repair of MC vehicles to knowing about her powers,she has officially sought answers to more than two dozen questions. An official quipped that going by the pace of questions,it doesnt seem likely that she will get all answers in this tenure. Another peeved official suggested that she should be made the Chief Information Commissioner.

Poles apart
The Chandigarh railway station is a picture of contrasts. It has two sides one looks the privileged entry to a world-class town,while the other offers a sordid welcome. We are talking about the two entry points to the station,viz from Chandigarh and Panchkula sides respectively. On the Chandigarh side,there is a paraphernalia of impressive billboards,Nek Chands mannequins and a well-maintained entry. The other side,of course,has an ill-kept parking area with giant potholes. The road leading to Panchkula is in a terrible shape,at least till Mauli Jagran. It wouldnt be a bad idea if one of the VVIPs takes a detour to Panchkula,and reach the station on their next train journey.

(Un)welcome entry
The VIP entrance to the Punjab Secretariat just got a bit snazzier. Italian flooring,an impressive artificial ceiling and refurbished wooden cabins of security personnel greet the visitors. We dont understand much utility of this expenditure,but will surely hope the entry of non-VIPs is made a bit less onerous. After parking the vehicle a good half a kilometre away,the enervated visitor is accosted by the over-officious staff who would insist on having an official slip to get you an entry. While such security measures were understandable in the days of terrorism,today,they appear superficial. A normal frisking and checking of the visitors belongings should suffice. Why make him go through a series of checks and then still insist on an official slip? Apart from causing harassment to the common man,they dont achieve much purpose. Even the Pentagon wouldnt have such elaborate and intimidating security.

Right to withhold information
Our officialdom has a remarkable ability to obfuscate issues. Even the noble RTI can fail in front of their doggedness to hide things. Recently,an RTI request was filed by this newspaper to get information pertaining to a resort in Haryana. About 45 days after the RTI was filed,the Information Officer concerned replied that in view of the elections,the department would require time to reply. After another 45 days,we finally got a reply. It was a terse one liner,The information sought pertains to a private firm,hence outside the the purview of the RTI Act.

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