Delhi Underground

May-or may not,that’s the question

And while on the plan for MCD division,it is learnt that wannabe mayors have a valid concern. The position of Delhi Mayor will slip drastically when the split happens,so whoever becomes the next mayor will have little to boast about. The move has also angered critics of present Mayor Rajni Abbi. “People remember the first and last Mayor. Who cares about those who came in between?” asked a disgruntled councillor.

Sans funds,Rlys make most of art donations

Inspired by Delhi Metro,which has sculptures and large works of art installed at its stations and corridors,the Railways have decided to deck its stations with similar installations. However,in the light of the fact that it has no sanctions or grants for the purchase of the paintings,the Railways asked famous painters and cartoonists to donate their work. The idea turned out to be a success. Two such art installations have already been come up at the New Delhi railway station,and more are likely to come up at Nizamuddin station. An official said,“Even if the Railways wants to buy paintings to decorate its own stations,it cannot. That’s because buying paintings would require the initiation of a tendering process,and an expenditure head would have to be constituted. We might as well request artists to give the paintings for free and be done with it.”

99 pc cut-off better than 100? Ask DU

With every seat getting snapped up by students in the first cut-off list itself,Shri Ram College of Commerce officials stand vindicated in fixing supposedly unrealistic cut-off marks. The college continued to defend the 100 per cent cut-off it had fixed for a certain category of candidates to its B Com (Hons) course,arguing that only a handful would apply in the category each year. However,top University officials are reportedly not amused by this,especially after the Union Minister for HRD himself made his displeasure public,in the presence of the Vice-Chancellor. “They should have known better than to use a mechanical rule and let the cut-off touch 100 per cent. A 99 per cent cut-off would have worked just as well,and we could have avoided this controversy,” said a top University administrator.

Aam aadmi’s Mamata sends cops in a tizzy

When West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee came to Delhi recently, policemen here went into a tizzy. Banerjee,who travelled through the city in a Maruti Zen,did not ask for any security cover. The policemen were caught unawares as she was a state guest,and providing security was the onus of the Delhi Police. There was no security entourage travelling with her,as is usually the case with several other VIPs who come to Delhi,and this flummoxed the cops. Even the car she was travelling in did not have any beacon,as she chose to move about like a commoner.

Cargo hub poses security problems

In the absence of a thorough security check mechanism,the cargo terminal is posing security related problems at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. And it does not end there. Though perishable cargo has to be loaded and sent within 24 hours of reaching the terminal,this is not always the case amid allegations of corruption. Taking all this into account,the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security has made it mandatory for every person passing through the perimeter of the cargo processing area to undergo a thorough frisking by the CISF.