Delhi Underground

Empty words

After several delays,the elusive fleet of new buses that are part of the Capital’s bus cluster scheme,now has a mid-March deadline. Transport Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely had earlier promised that the first batch of buses would arrive by the end of January,later postponing the date to mid-February. This is,however,hardly the minister’s only unkept promise. Lovely had also assured that the electronic ticketing machines on DTC buses would be in place by March. Officials in the Transport department now say that the minister has been promising way beyond what he could possibly deliver.

No one’s favourite

Engineers of the Public works Department (PWD) are all smiles after Dr A K Walia was divested of the Finance department. During Walia’s tenure,the PWD had a tough time getting their projects sanctioned and were under constant scrutiny. During the Commonwealth Games,Walia had even asked the project managers to sign an affidavit for the estimates for each project.

Red mark on resume

Employees of the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee are now finding it hard to switch jobs. An employee at the OC was recently asked by a prospective employer to submit a certificate from the CBI,saying he was not involved in any scam. There are about 430 employees still working at the OC.

Outlawed

Already struggling to handle the crowds of visitors — from relatives of the accused to witnesses — the Tis Hazari court complex now has more to contend with — visits by simians. While the primates are not afraid of being prosecuted for trespassing or snatching food from people,some of the court staff have been heard talking about getting a new law enacted prohibiting the entry of the ‘undesirable’ elements in the premises. When asked how feasible the move would be,and who would face penalty for breaking this law,one pointed out that the British had enacted a law prohibiting the entry of stray cattle on the roads of the Capital.

Having his way

Hearing a case highlighting the pitiable conditions of workers who had toiled tirelessly to prepare the Capital for the Commonwealth Games,Delhi High Court Chief Justice Dipak Misra had to put up with the reluctance of the civic bodies over paying the workers’ initial registration fee. Having passed repeated directives in the past for the registration of all such workers,Justice Misra was furious that the agencies like the MCD,NDMC,DDA,DMRC,DIAL,PWD,CPWD etc,were disinclined to pay a meagre Rs 50 for each worker’s registration. He,however,had a way out. “If you don’t want to pay on your own,we will pass an order to recover the money from your errant officials for their lackadaisical attitude,which has resulted in the non-registration of these workers. That might suit you more,” Justice Misra said. The final order sheet of Justice Misra read that all agencies had “agreed” to pay.

By the power of Maya

Ahead of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati’s visit,Ghaziabad residents witnessed a makeover of the district like never before. Civic bodies and the district administration renovate areas,roads and schemes that were part of her dream projects. Police stations were given a coat of whitewash and decorated with flower pots. Potholed roads that had been left unattended despite hundreds of complaints from residents,were mended. District residents now wish for more visits from the Chief minister to end their woes.

Last-ditch effort

Outgoing Lok Nayak Hospital medical superintendent Dr Amit Banerjee is finishing all last-minute work to make it a happy farewell. This week,he took up the cause of nursing students,who are banned from entering the hospital library. Dr Banerjee personally negotiated with his staff,saying the absurd rule should be done away with at the earliest. He even contacted the authorities of the attached Maulana Azad Medical College,requesting them to also open their library doors to these students. Upon being told that the library was not equipped with books on the nursing syllabus,Dr Banerjee said nursing students also needed to research on broader areas of healthcare,and not only their syllabus. While the students have lauded his efforts,they are still waiting for the ban to be lifted.