Delhi Underground

Divided we stand

While commuters had a harrowing time on Friday when a majority of autos went off the roads,the Capital’s auto unions were a divided lot. The Congress-backed auto unions,following a meeting with Transport Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely on Thursday evening,withdrew the strike,but the BJP-backed unions decided to go ahead with it. Despite no change in the government’s stance except yet another meeting with the Minister on Friday — where he repeated the same promises — the BJP-backed unions called off the strike claiming their demands had been accepted. To this,the Congress-backed unions alleged that the strike was entirely unnecessary and the unions that went ahead with it just wanted to flex their muscles. “This strike was of no use. Instead,auto drivers lost a full day’s earnings,and the commuters were the biggest victims,” said an auto union leader.

Poll priority

Although the elections for the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) got over recently,the agency is yet to identify the roles which the elected councillors and three posts,including the Mayor,are supposed to execute. The candidates do not have a clue regarding their powers and roles,neither do the MCG top officials. Although a study of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi had been conducted earlier,top officials say their priority is to ensure that the elections of the Mayor and the other posts take place first. Others can be dealt with later.

Virtual policing

He is the most active ‘virtual’ cop in the entire Delhi Police force. From prosecuting politicians,policemen and even journalists with the help of Facebook,Joint Commissioner of Police Satyendra Garg also spends a considerable amount of time uploading scenic pictures on his profile. With a friend list of more than 2,000 with 50 added every day,he is sure to surpass the popularity chart of any Bollywood celebrity.

For art’s sake

The Delhi Urban Art Commission (DUAC) and the Delhi government have always been at loggerheads. This time around,it’s the CBI which is at the receiving end of the art body. The DUAC has refused to issue a No-objection Certificate for the CBI’s new building,the reason being the CBI hasn’t yet been able to pinpoint the artwork executed in the building. According to rules,one percent of the total construction cost has to be spent on art work.

Unclogging backlog

The Delhi High Court recently came to the rescue of the city’s special CBI courts,which are weighed down by the sheer number of the cases pertaining to the illegal revival of group housing societies,allegedly with the help of then Registrar of Societies N Diwakar. While hearing miscellaneous petitions relating to the scam,the High Court was informed by the prosecutor that there were as many as 200 cases registered by the CBI with respect to different societies. Astonished by the high number of cases,the High Court decided to ease the backlog. It directed that these cases would now be taken up only on Thursday,so that the courts can adjudicate other cases during the rest of the week.

Damp squib

With the farmers’ agitation in Bhatta-Parsaul becoming a national issue,several leaders are making a beeline for the place. Lok Sabha MP Deepender Hooda,son of Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda,was among the several politicians who visited the area to get first-hand information on the incident. The Congress MP was in for a rude shock when his visits to the District Magistrate and the SSP’s office proved futile — both officials being conspicuously absent from their offices even as Hooda arrived there with a band of Youth Congress leaders in tow. The MP is understood to have made his displeasure clear,later asking that RTI queries be filed to elicit information.

In pursuit of truth

Two weeks into the Shobhit Modi murder case,the Delhi Police are a harrowed lot. As if questioning South Delhi minors wasn’t work enough,all 15 teams investigating the case have been instructed to determinedly plough on. Result — personnel at all South Delhi police stations have been instructed to work 24×7 on the case,and have been informed that till the case is cracked,no one will be allowed to take leaves.

No-show of support

The repeated adjournment of Municipal Corporation of Delhi meetings left a few dozen people poorer this week. The MCD had a swearing-in ceremony of 10 nominated Congress members,or aldermen,at the Town Hall,which fell flat after BJP councillors created a ruckus and got the meeting adjourned. The aldermen had rented about two dozen people to pose as supporters for a few thousand rupees per person. They had also roped in a man for the sole purpose of bursting crackers. After the meeting got adjourned,the so-called supporters got into a fight with the leaders when the latter refused to pay. A big argument followed,after which everyone finally got half the promised pay.

All is in a name

The new academic session at Delhi University will see a handful of new projects being implemented. A 1,500-capacity hostel complex at Dhaka,West Delhi,and a call centre for DU-related inquiries are among them. While both are at different stages of completion — the hostels being closer to reality than the call centre,one hears — coming up with names for the facilities is what is keeping officials busy. In the case of the call centre,they have gone out of the way to be creative — ‘DU Care’ was reportedly the front-runner till someone proposed ‘DU-Call-Us’. It’s been modified again,and last heard,the call centre would be called ‘Do-Call-Us’. If it kicks off,that is. With the hostel,DU has taken the bureaucratic route. They have decided to name the postgraduate hostel for women after Rajiv Gandhi. The name of the UG hostel is still undecided.