Delhi underground

Sheila talks tough to BSES
As the furore over the change of guard at BSES was raging last week,it emerged that Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit is livid with the discom over its failure to meet core responsibilities. A reliable source in the Chief Minister’s Office revealed that on two occasions,Dikshit had refused to even meet representatives of the discom. The message sent out to the discom was loud and clear: “Put your house in order.”

Foreign trip first,work later
The promise of functioning streetlights,wide roads,safe drinking water and proper sanitation might have to wait a little longer for Gurgaon residents as the top municipal bosses are on their way to Copenhagen to represent the Millennium City at COP 15.
Apparently,the Municipal Commissioner has not been able to improve basic infrastructure in the city as “powers” to do so have not yet been “transferred” from other government departments like HUDA,HSIIDC and PWD (B&R),among others. The inability to do his work,however,has not stopped him from going to Copenhagen as a part of the South Asia delegation to “share experiences”.

Festive spirit in High Court
The Diwali fervour hit the Delhi High Court a day too soon. Supposed to be working through the week till Friday (October 16),the High Court decided to stop work on Thursday itself. A High Court circular directed district courts across the Capital to follow suit. The list of cases for Friday,however,was already drawn up by then. It seems the words of Chief Justice A P Shah — he recently said it would take the Court another 400 years to finish all pending cases — just got drowned in the festive spirit. A day here or there hardly matters… or does it?

Delhi buses out of reach
The condition of public buses in the Capital and their unpredictable stops (and starts) figured in a rather unusual court hearing recently. As a man demanded compensation from an insurance company after allegedly suffering 25 per cent disability in an accident,the company’s lawyer challenged his certificate of handicap with an intriguing argument. After the counsel asked the man about his mode of transport,the man replied that he travelled by public buses. Referring to this,the counsel told the judge that there was no way the court should rely on his certificate,for it was known to all that a disabled man could not catch buses in Delhi. “Your honour would also accept that it is extremely difficult to board and get off buses in Delhi as nobody knows when they will stop and then start,” he said. The judge found favour with his argument.

Poetic justice
This could be considered a classic case of disrespecting the chain of command: the Ghaziabad Superintendent of Police recently turned down a request of the city’s Senior Superintendent of Police at a Diwali gathering. The SSP wanted the SP to recite a poem,and went ahead and announced the SP-City’s name in the microphone,asking him to come on stage. The SP,though,was not to be seen on stage — a few others who volunteered to do the recitation saved the day.

Greens for good luck
After Vaastu,Feng Shui and Turkish evil eyes,it’s now the turn of saplings. With the greens touted to bring good luck and prosperity,the Department of Environment recently concluded a plant mela in Dilli Haat. As part of the Green Delhi campaign,and the state’s action plan to tackle climate change,the stall gave out several free saplings. But foregoing the freebies and the ever-popular ornamental bonsais,most made a beeline for the Kalpvriksh plants,priced Rs 250. These African-origin plants are rare in Delhi but are considered a good luck and prosperity charm.

No clock ticking
It seems the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation officials themselves are not sure when they would be able to open the Yamuna Bank-Noida Metro line. Till the last delay announced in August,a manually operated watch-cum-calendar with the countdown to the tentative date for the opening of the line could be seen in several Metro offices. But the calendar is no longer updated.

NDMC energy drive
NDMC has grand plans to make areas under its jurisdiction,especially Connaught Place,a centrally air-conditioned zone to conserve power. But a disgruntled CP shop-owner recently pointed out an irony: NDMC’s own building is not centrally air-conditioned. Certain rooms are centrally air-conditioned but each babu’s office has a window AC that is switched on in full blast in peak summer. Considering that the civic body will shift to its new,modern building in just a year,that’s saying a lot about its endeavor to conserve energy.

Mockery of a drill
Before Diwali,the Delhi Police carried out mock drills in various markets and crowded places to check security arrangements and response time.
On Monday,while mock drills were being carried out at various spots,including the Greater Kailash market,a duty officer at a Delhi Police office received a call about a “possible bomb strike”.
Within seconds,commandos were seen dressing up and rushing out. On their way,they confidently told the duty officer,“Madam,mock drill chal raha hai”.