Delhi Underground

Cops burn midnight oil over Ramlila issue

Days before the Delhi Police had to file an affidavit in the Supreme Court to defend their action against the crackdown at Ramlila Maidan on June 5,all its senior officers went into a brainstorming session. All of them,including Special Commissioner of Police Dharmendra Kumar and Joint Commissioner of Police Sudhir Yadav would sit at the police headquarters till 12.30-1 am every night to draft the affidavit. To make sure that they are not pulled up by the apex court in any way,they decided to put their collective effort into drafting the affidavit.

How did management pull off Maruti trick?

Even though the main issue that sparked off the 13-day strike at the Maruti Suzuki plant — the recognition of a new union — remains in limbo,one wonders how the management managed to woo the workers. In any case,it must be noted that everything was done to ensure the workers’ comfort during the umpteen number of meetings that took place between the striking workers,company management and the government. Whether it was for providing lunch packets or fruits,plant officials were kept on their toes throughout. “I have not eaten anything myself. All I have been doing for the last four days is feeding others,” an official said.

Mayawati puts DMRC officials in a tizzy

While Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has announced that she will inaugurate the Vaishali Metro corridor on July 9,Delhi Metro officials still have not been able to figure out how she had decided on the date. Though the line is close to completion,the DMRC is yet to invite the Commissioner for Metro Rail Safety for inspection. The line will be ready for commissioning only after the trial runs of the trains are done,and the CMRS approval is received. The last time the Metro had chugged into Uttar Pradesh through the Noida line,Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and then Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy had flagged off the first train from the Capital. However,the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister — not wanting to be left out — had insisted on holding a separate ceremony from Noida. And now,looks like she’s ready to do some flagging off again.

CM’s gift to schoolgirl: Flowers with a smile

At a function held recently in the city to launch an integrated convergence scheme for children on the streets,Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit was welcomed by school children with bouquets. One of the children walked all the way to the dias to offer her flowers. A smiling Dikshit asked the child to keep the flowers as a gift from her. The child walked back with a grin on her face,even as the audience clapped in recognition of the Chief Minister’s gesture of kindness.

After fiasco,college plans to gag faculty

Taking a page from AIIMS, the Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) has decided to enforce a gag order on its faculty members. The move reportedly occurred after doctors complained to the media about students with low attendance being allowed to sit for exams. With a Delhi court taking cognisance of the matter and asking the institute to file a reply,the MAMC has decided to gag its doctors and — therefore — avoid such problems in the future.

Winds of change whoosh through Delhi

Delhi is in the throes of bureaucratic changes,starting with the transfer of Parimal Rai from his post as New Delhi Municipal Council chairperson. Shortly after that,Rai could be seen trying to land a lucrative posting in various places,including the MCD and the Ministry of Commerce. But now that he has secured for himself the post of joint secretary in the Ministry of Urban Development,heading Delhi zone in his new capacity,a ripple effect is likely to happen. Meanwhile,Environment Secretary J K Dadoo is also moving to the Ministry of Commerce.

UP does its bit to help farmers,snub Centre

The Gautam Budh Nagar administration is racing against time to ensure that all data on farmer compensation in the Bhatta Parsaul is collated. State officials have been visiting Noida regularly to make it known that the Mayawati government is doing all it can for the farmers,and not all the credit should go to the Central Government. The government has awarded nearly Rs 55 lakh as compensation,as compared to Rs 42 lakh given by the Central government. According to records with the district administration,175 farmers have been helped by the Centre and 13 by the

State government. Without appearing to be complaining about the pressure,a senior official said even the Income Tax department couldn’t have possibly created the financial records so thoroughly.