Delhi underground

Watch over water
Even as the Delhi Jal Board has often been reprimanded for poor quality of services offered,the water utility insists it has been doing a lot to put a check on violation of practices. In fact,DJB vice-chairperson Ramakant Goswami visited the Kailash emergency (a critical point identified by the agency) last month,to find out that Jal Board officials were assisting the water mafia sell water to people. “The tanker drivers were challaned and suspended,” a senior official said.

Protest by proxy
As harried parents ran around to ensure that their children get a seat in the nursery school of their choice,the Capital’s political leaders saw an opportunity there. BJP leader Vijendra Gupta has been vouching to take the ‘erring’ schools to task. Last week,he organised a protest at Jantar Mantar against the ‘highhandedness of private and unaided schools’. But,when the media reached the spot looking for troubled parents,it found only BJP workers sitting as protesters. Many even said they were paid Rs 200 to be a part of the protest.

Going gets tougher
Vacation time at district courts is usually seen as an opportunity by the accused ,who fail to get bail from regular courts,to make another attempt when a different judge hears the plea. On the first day of the vacation at Tis Hazari court,however,a judge imposed a severe condition on an accused,asking him to deposit Rs 3.5 lakh in a fund meant for rehabilitating bonded child labourers. As expected by the court staff,the number of bail pleas went down sharply after this order. “As soon as this stringent order was passed,we knew not many would be trying their luck and the decline in number of applications proved us right,” a court staffer said.

Left unnoticed
Following a High Court notice to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI),the heritage body issued showcause notices to as many as 92 properties in the city for illegal construction. It was,however,the ASI who had given permission for relaxation of norms and construction within 100 metres of protected heritage structures. Several complainants on the illegal constructions now allege the notices were dispatched to wrong addresses. A complainant produced documents obtained through an RTI query that showed the ASI sent one such notice to a wrong address. A mistake,may be.

Domino effect
With the proposal of a biometric attendance system at the Delhi University going into deep freeze after it got a thumbs down from faculty members,the Vice-Chancellor also has had to shelve the much-criticised Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC). The biometric system was supposed to be the first IQAC initiative,which has suddenly found itself with little to do.

‘Power-full’ New Year wish
Perhaps no one was waiting for the New Year,and the proverbial clean slate that it promises,more than power distribution company (discom) BSES. After a year full of accusations of failing to procure enough power,inflating bills and unethical conduct,the discom has “resolved” to turn over a new leaf in 2010. A statement issued by the discom on the eve of the New Year promises uninterrupted power supply during the next year. Will BSES keep its promise?