Delhi Underground

A picture substitute

President Barack Obama may be long gone,but at the Rashtrapati Bhavan,his visit is still the prime topic of conversation. At a function on Sunday,a top aide of President Pratibha Patil recounted an interesting Obama tale. When gifted a portrait of himself by President Patil,Obama remarked that he will ensure that his wife,First Lady Michelle Obama,hangs the portrait in their private suite at the White House to make up for his absence when he travels without her.

The Cabinet mole

As Lieutenent-Governor Tejendra Khanna flexes muscles in his stand-off with the Delhi government over circle rates,Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit is both upset and worried that discussions among the Cabinet members are finding their way in to the Press. Worried about the leaks,Dikshit called an informal Cabinet meeting on Friday,it is learnt. “A good part of the meeting was spent discussing who is leaking the information,” said one of those who attended the meeting.

Framing support

With a political battle set to ensue over the matter of circle rates,Revenue Minister Rajkumar Chauhan is making sure the senior Congress names are with him. Even if they are not present in person,their presence is felt in his room. His wall is lined up with photos of Sonia Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi,along with that of his boss Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. The latest addition is Rahul Gandhi,striking a smart pose.

On the wrong track

Commuters continue to get misled at the New Delhi Metro station — the interchange point for the Airport Metro Express Line — as the pre-recorded announcements ask commuters wishing to take the Airport Line to deboard at the station. Curious commuters,trying to check if the line has actually started,deboard the train only to return disappointed when they find out that the high-speed line is yet to become operational.

Packed trouble

The National Courier Terminal at the Indira Gandhi International Airport just got bigger,with the earlier Haj Terminal also becoming a part of it. But the Customs department finds itself in a spot as a new rule says goods upto 100 kg can now arrive by courier — ten times the former limit. Customs is not so sure about this — they fear it will lead to large-scale smuggling of contraband. An official said the department is now trying to equip itself better by procuring X-Ray machines from the old international terminal T2.

Bunking excuses

THE first-semester examinations are nearing and the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) has promptly said that its members will not cooperate with the examination officials in any way. Not one to let a shot at glory go abegging,the students’ union too joined issue last week,saying they will boycott the exams as well. A press release was issued with details of a meeting held with the Vice-Chancellor on the matter. However,the Vice-Chancellor’s office later clarified that no such meeting had taken place.