Delhi Underground; At your service!

Threat perception

During arguments in a civil court concerning a suit in which 22 websites were summoned and asked to remove objectionable content,a lawyer briefly startled the court and all present with his “threatening” statement. The judge had asked the lawyer for the plaintiff what case was made out against Microsoft and Yahoo,two of the companies that had been impleaded in the suit. To the surprise of the court,the lawyer said both companies were “threatening”. “Microsoft is threatening and Yahoo is also threatening,” he told the court. Confused,the judge asked: “What exactly is this threat that you are talking about. Have you received any threats?” The reply,however,cleared all doubts. “They are threatening the values of the society,” the lawyer said. As the mediapersons listened attentively,the judge voiced the concern of the courtroom: “Oh,you’re going in that direction,I thought you were saying they were threatening you.”

Lost & found

Recoveries in cases of theft are usually tough for the police. However,police did manage to trace a cellphone,which was stolen allegedly during the Ramdev yoga camp at the Ramlila Maidan last year. After a participant complained to the police that she had lost her phone at the Maidan,police tracked it to Hapur in Uttar Pradesh. The alleged receivers of stolen goods were also arrested in the process. The police action came after the Supreme Court pulled up the Delhi Police for its role in the crackdown on Ramdev followers. So,was the court reprimand this effective?

Z+ security?

The presidential debate ahead of the students’ union polls in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) was provided high-level security. While usually entry to the campus is never tough,on the day of the debate visitors were asked to call the person they wished to meet to the university gates. Only then were they allowed to enter. The authorities said this was in view of the security concerns for the presidential debate.

Poll call

State Election Commission officials are hard at work to find ways to encourage young voters to cast their ballot during the municipal elections next year. A few days ago,after a presentation by a private consultant on campaign proposal, elections officials were heard discussing the language barrier. One of the proposed slogans was a popular song from the film Rockstar — Sadda haq,aithe rakh. While the officials agreed that the slogan would appeal to youngsters,they were apprehensive that the Punjabi slogan might not go down well with migrants from states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. After much discussion,it was proposed that the Commission could have more than one slogan. Brainstorming on slogans continues.

What strike?

As the several trade unions went on strike on Tuesday pulling most of autos and taxis off city roads,commuters found that DTC buses and Metro trains were ready to fill in the gap. While the auto and taxi unions claimed that the strike was a “resounding success”,14.19 lakh commuters hopped onto the Metro for a smoother and cheaper ride. Despite a large number of non-regular Metro commuters using the facility,the network remained congestion free. Reason: Noida corridor registered a lower ridership due to UP elections on the same day. From Metro stations,DTC buses — with an addition of 200 to the existing fleet of 5,000 vehicles — ferried the commuters to their destinations

Treating hospitals

Three of the largest hospitals of Delhi government are witnessing “never seen before” discipline. The new medical superintendent of DDU Hospital,Dr Promila Gupta,has achieved what was considered impossible — doctors walking in at 9 am sharp. This,Dr Gupta has achieved within a month of taking over as the MS. At LN Hospital,meanwhile,medical superintendent Dr Richa Dewan has been lauded for expediting many development projects,including the construction of new private ward and OPD buildings that had been stalled for years. GB Pant Hospital,is already rated as one of the best managed hospitals with director Dr Veena Chaudhary maintaining an eagle eye over all administrative matters — the latest being purchase rates of cardiac stents,after complaints of overcharging by patients. “In all the three hospitals,the administrative heads and their deputies are women. And they truly have emerged as examples of excellence among our hospitals,” a senior Health official said.

Unkept promises

On the last day of campaigning for the sixth phase of the Uttar Pradesh elections on Friday,the JD(U) held a rally at the Noida Stadium,where Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and party president Sharad Yadav were expected to address the gathering. But,at the last minute the organisers were informed that Kumar would not be able to make it. The local party workers,till then,had been concentrating on how Kumar had turned around the fortunes in Bihar,and the same would happen if they were voted to power here. Fearing that most would leave if they are told that Kumar was giving the event a miss,the organisers chose not to inform the crowd. Later,when a helicopter was seen touching down at the venue,the spectators broke into chants of “Nitish,Nitish”,only to see Yadav step out. One member of the audience was heard saying,“These people are breaking promises even before the elections,what will happen once they win?”

Being Indian

On the opening day of DU’s first cultural fest,it was all about being Indian. Vice-Chancellor Dinesh Singh ditched his western formals for Fabindia dress and the emcee spoke chaste Hindi. The V-C also proved good to the challenge and spoke in eloquent Hindi,peppering his speech with references to the freedom struggle. The one who failed the test,it seems,was the chief guest at the function and Miranda House alumnus — Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. Though she tried her best to deliver her speech in Hindi,she gave up as nostalgia of college life kicked in for her.