Delhi Underground

Operational issues

There is apprehension in the Delhi Development Authority that one of their most ambitious plans — reviving infrastructure for the economically weaker sections in the city — may be derailed by a small setback. Amid reports that 15 months after launching the in-situ slum rehabilitation project,the authority has been unable to get it off the ground due to their inability to find suitable spots to relocate residents during the course of construction. Officials now worry that without concrete solutions to this roadblock,the project may never see the light of day. In an spirit of rarely witnessed cooperation,the agency has now put in a request with the Delhi government,who has offered to help.

False start

Last week,top Cabinet ministers rushed to pip each other regarding the announcement of a government recommendation that could yield rich electoral benefits. The drama unfolded on Thursday after a special Group of Ministers who were deciding on norms to regularise unauthorised colonies,agreed upon a development fee of Rs 200 per square metre,a charge they considered to be pro-people. Once out of the meeting,Revenue minister Rajkumar Chauhan immediately called television journalists to announce the recommendations that would be put up for Cabinet approval soon. Hearing this,Finance minister

A K Walia,who heads the Group of Ministers,began preparing a press release under his own name. Before the release could be issued,Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit,who had heard of the development by then,called up information officers and asked them to not send it out to media.

Domino effect

When the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) arms itself with bulldozers and police personnel to go on a demolition spree,there is more chance of it reaching the Civil Lines Zone than anywhere else in the Capital. According to MCD officials,the highest number of demolition drives occur in the Civil Lines Zone,while the City and Paharganj zones see minimum action on that front. The reason is,houses in Old Delhi and Paharganj are so closely packed that the demolition team can not reach most of them. Also,as the areas and buildings are very old,MCD officials are scared that demolition of one building may lead to a collapse of the houses flanking it. “These days,we are only sealing houses in these zones. We cannot risk breaking one house and have four other houses collapse,” said an MCD official.

No right route

It seems the Capital’s public transport system is out to prove that “rudderless” is the way to go. It all started with the new buses — DTC drivers losing their way,and conductors relying on passengers regular on the route to guide them as well as quote the right fares. Employees claim they were hired for the Commonwealth Games and inducted into the service without proper training. They are not alone: the Delhi Metro is fast catching up. Recently,a Metro driver took his passengers for a ride with a faulty public address system. So,Patel Chowk became Saket and Central Secretariat,Qutub Minar. The driver,however,realised the mistake and kept the doors open longer,with a sheepish announcement of the correct station.

Kudos about nothing

While crime against women has hardly taken a drop,the Delhi Police is busy patting its back for its anti-stalking cell. Police Commissioner B K Gupta says the department solves 99 per cent of harassment complaints without even registering a case. “It is a specialised department with specialised officers trained to deal with such cases,” he says.

Time for introspection

High-level sources at the AIIMS admitted to serious lapses in the internal inquiry into the alleged molestation case involving a resident doctor. The first fact-finding committee had ruled out a physical examination of the child as the complaint did not involve sodomy,a serious slip according to sources in the committee for sexual assault,which was later given the case. Many committee members are now questioning the administration’s insistence in keeping the report within the institute. Police said they have sent three requests to the AIIMS for a copy of the report. “Since it is a police case now,there is no reason why they should keep the report,” said a source.

Face-saver

Despite inordinate delays in the opening of the Airport Metro Express Line,the corridor is most likely set to get a grand inauguration. While the line is expected to open to the public by mid-February,the Reliance Infrastructure-led concessionaire wants a formal inauguration in March,when all stations and facilities are ready. Rumours doing the rounds suggest the Prime Minister may be called in for the formal opening. Running months behind its original CWG deadline,a grand opening may reinstate the line’s lost glory,the concessionaire thinks.

In waiting

With Finance Secretary J P Singh expected to leave service by February 11,several names of senior bureaucrats who may replace him are doing the rounds. Singh had applied for voluntary retirement and will soon be joining the DERC as a member. One of the prominent names in the race is of R K Verma,the Transport Commissioner for the last three years. His name earlier was suggested for the post of Principal Secretary to the CM,if P K Tripathi was to become the Chief Secretary. But with the present Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta still around for a more few months,the assignment has been ruled out for now.