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Journalism of Courage
Keeping up with traders
The war between traders and the Delhi government over plastic bags has come at its own cost. After banning plastic bags in the city,the government launched an awareness campaign against plastic by advertising at bus stops,in newspapers and on FM radio. The trader lobby retaliated with its own FM jingle praising plastic. The government responded by increasing its budgetary allocations for ads. Amid all this,a look at the figures shows that last year,the Environment department spent Rs 3 crore on advertisements against plastic,and by the end of this financial year,the ad budget added up to Rs 4 crore. Competition,after all,does not come cheap.
Dressed for the occasion
Recently,an old gentleman dressed as a well-heeled lawyer got up to present his case before Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court A P Shah. His opening argument was: Sir,Im not a lawyer. Im a retired major. If I make a mistake in what I say,please excuse me as a novice. The Chief Justice asked him that if not a licensed practitioner,then why he was wearing a lawyers outfit,complete with a neck band and black gown. But sir… I thought this dress was compulsory (for one) to come to court, he said with widened eyes. The Bench promptly asked him to come back in a more appropriate dress.
An awareness camp on juvenile justice recently saw the enthusiastic participation of several children from a Kalyanpuri school. That the enthusiasm was slightly misdirected was probably not known to the Delhi Legal Services Authority (DLSA),the organiser of the first-time camp. Incidentally,many among the Class X students did not know that the camp was about juvenile justice. But they all knew (for sure) that good food awaited them at the end of the workshop. The teacher,the children said,had coaxed them to attend the camp,promising a good meal.
Wrong number
The day it became clear that the CBI had given a clean chit to Congress leader Jagdish Tytler,reporters hurriedly called him on his mobile for a reaction. However,the man at the other end was somebody else,who was soon perceptibly bothered by the hundreds of calls on his mobile. Reporters did not know that Tytlers official number had changed. Meanwhile,the man being troubled by the continuous calls noted down Tytlers new number for the eager reporters.
Out of touch
The recent controversy over the school fee hike seems to have confused many about the policies that regulate schools in this case even those who implement them. When asked about the recent uproar by parents in Gurgaon over fee hike,Haryana Education Minister Mange Ram Gupta was candid. Please ask the Education department officials. I know nothing about the matter and the policy decisions, the minister said,adding that he could not be expected to know everything.
Do it yourself
Self-service seems to be an essential trait if you live in Gautam Budh Nagar. However,this came as a shock for the newly appointed district magistrate of the area. Recently,a young man approached him with a land document,which he should not have had access to in the first place. While the applicant wanted the district magistrate to register it,he wanted to know how he got hold of a confidential government file. The district magistrate said the file should have reached him through official channels through the Lekhpal and Tehsildar. The man instantly informed the magistrate that he had already got the file verified by them and since he was in a hurry to get the property registered,he brought the document himself.
Munnabhai head constable?
Scoring 108 out of 110 in an exam is nothing but excellent. The score,however,raises suspicion if 200 examinees get it. During a recent exam for the post of head constable with the Delhi Police,200 candidates did a Munnabhai. A preliminary inquiry into the results showed that a number of candidates downloaded comprehensive study material onto their cell phones and made good use of it in the examination hall. While Munnabhai succeeded in becoming a doctor in reel life,it remains to be seen how many candidates become head constables after the inquiry throws up conclusive results.
In the line of ire
Recently,a Delhi Police sub-inspector came in the line of fire of angry parents protesting against a school holding back their wards report cards over nonpayment of fee arrears. Sent by the SHO to calm the parents down and keep the situation under control,the officer had to bear the brunt of the parents ire,who said instead of policing the school,he was asking them to maintain peace. He was soon bundled back by the parents and the SHO himself had to come to mollify them.
Getting around the minister
After a surprise visit to the Lok Nayak Hospital recently,Delhi Health Minister Kiran Walia shocked everyone by ordering the removal of Medical Superintendent Dr Swaraj Batra. The directive came despite the knowledge that Dr Batras term will end on April 30 this year. But the MS smartly got around the ministers order by convincing her seniors to sit on it for a month. And they agreed. It is embarrassing to be removed merely a month before one could officially and gracefully step down, a senior doctor in the hospital said.
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