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Journalism of Courage
War of egos
The ceremonies department of the Games Organising Committee is having a tough time handling the king-size egos of the dance gurus taking part in the opening ceremony segment Trees of Knowledge. While the gurus turned down A R Rahmans composition and got their own tunes,a tussle ensued on who got to record his/her song first. Kuchipudi exponent Raja Reddy and Kathak maestro Sonal Mansingh ran into each other at the recording studio. Mansingh insisted she should be allowed to record first as many of her students were Muslims and were observing the Ramzan fast. The Reddys,however,countered that they had another performance coming up and needed to prepare for it. An exasperated Shovana Narayan,special director general of the ceremonies department,finally asked member of the core creative committee Pratibha Prahlad to step in.
A matter of spite
Kicked out of Air India for using a forged Scheduled Tribe certificate to get his job,a man decided to vent his ire by taking others down with him. He moved the Delhi High Court and filed a writ petition,requesting that an inquiry be ordered into verifying the authenticity of as many as 200 ST certificates submitted by other employees of the state-run airline. The former employee contended that a probe would reveal others continued to benefit from the fraudulent practice. His contention,however,failed to cut ice with the court,which noted that the litigant took the step only after he was dismissed. The court concluded it was not satisfied with his bonafide and threw out his plea.
After admitting recently that the recent rains had damaged over 300 city road stretches,some of which had been upgraded only about a month earlier,the Municipal Corporation of Delhi hit upon the ambitious plan of upgrading all such stretches within 48 hours straight once the rain stopped. Hence,when the Capital received a day-long break from showers recently,one got curious about whether the civic agency had embarked on its plan yet. The MCDs deliberative wing,however,was completely clueless about any such plan. Yes,it has not rained at all throughout the day so the work must have begun, offered the Mayor. He was quick to reschedule the deadline though. We will complete work in seven days if it does not rain.
An eye on the sky
With many going into a frenzy over the possibilty of rains during the Games,Minister of Earth Sciences Prithviraj Chavan tried to take control of the situation this week by assuring mediapersons at a function this week that it was highly unlikely Delhi would be drenched as had been the case in the last few weeks. Weathermen,meanwhile,shifted uneasily in their seats. There is a chance it might rain. The minister is just saying this to avoid people from panicking, whispered a Met scientist. The fact is,the Met department has even issued a weather advisory for October,saying it could rain on at least one day during the Games.
Me too
After the Jama Masjid firing by two alleged militants last week,in which two Taiwanese tourists were injured,many in the area felt they would be able to recognise the attackers even though the police have officially acknowledged only three eyewitnesses rickshawpuller Saleem,constable Pramod and owner of a vehicle parts shop Asif Imran in the incident. A fourth one,however,cropped up recently the driver of the Jama Masjid Imam Mohammed Wasi. I can recognise the terrorists if I see them, he said. Its just that the police are busy and have not been able to record my statement, he added.
Will it,wont it?
With barely a week left for the opening of the Airport Metro Express Line,Reliance Infra officials,who have kept work on the line a hush-hush affair,continue to keep away from queries. While rumours abound that certain stations may not be opened when the corridor is inaugurated,officials maintain a no comments stance. With the clock ticking away,the opening of the line seems up against several hurdles,with decisions on the fare structure,operational hours and check-in facilities yet to be taken. Officials say all such decisions would be announced when the line opens.
No friends in war
The fight between the Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA) and the University Vice-Chancellor has taken some intriguing turns,with both sides trying to outsmart the other by quoting a never-heard-before statute in the University Act,apart from other embarrassing accusations. It now turns out that the V-C had pulled a fast one late August this year after the dissociation (not a boycott,insisted DUTA) of teachers from the DU admission process threatened to cripple administration. The DUTA had gone a step ahead and asked teachers to prepare timetables according to the annual calendar. The V-C responded by asking college principals to prepare their own timetables,and to make sure they were not siding with their teachers,asked for photographic proof of the prepared timetables. Talk of insecure relationships.
Testing the waters
This year,the Capital saw the worst flooding of the Yamuna in recent history. It was,however,some consolation for the Flood Control department. Chief Engineer Ish Kumar said being in charge of the department entails battling an identity crisis. Chief Engineers from Chandigarh or Bihar laugh when we tell them we are representatives of the Flood Control Department,saying Delhi never floods, said V P S Tomar,the other Chief Engineer. All our preparations to tackle floods post-1978 were put to practical test this year, said Kumar.
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