Delhi Underground: Not in public domain

The fate of the BRT corridor seemed to have been sealed a few weeks ago when the High Court ordered that all vehicles should be allowed to travel on lanes reserved for buses. That changed this week when the case was transferred to a different judge. He said the concept of BRT was good and that it only needed a few changes to continue. The judge also had some strong words about drivers in Delhi. He said most of them lacked the basic intelligence to understand traffic guidelines needed to regulate the corridor if it was opened to all vehicles. The court also told the petitioner in the case,an NGO,to make proper arguments. “If you want some time then that is understandable,but by the next hearing I want a written outline of your arguments that is organised logically,sequentially and in a pyramidical structure,” the judge said,making it clear that the simple argument of cars being able to travel faster without the BRT would not hold.

Camaraderie on show

The long-running Aarushi Talwar case has brought about a strange sense of camaraderie between the prosecution and the defence. A day after senior public prosecutor of the CBI,R K Saini,couldn’t turn up in court because he was unwell,Rajesh Talwar was seen advising him on medication. During a lunch break,Talwar met Saini outside,and told him to name his medicines. He told Saini,“Reduce the potency of the antibiotics. These are not good for your system. I will suggest some other capsules which are better.”

Tech-savvy cop

Tech-savvy policemen are using social media to keep in touch with complainants. In a recent incident,a man approached police to get an FIR registered about his stolen car. The constable registered a case of theft and noted down all his credentials including his Facebook profile. On the date of the hearing,when the man did not turn up,a policeman left a message on his Facebook wall. The policeman also tried to call him up,but his phone was out of coverage area. The policeman waited for over an hour,hoping that the man would turn up or return his call. He kept checking his phone to see if his Facebook post had been replied to.

Ads on helpline

Of late,many people have begun using Delhi Metro helplines to endorse their construction firms.

All of them wanted to supply construction material for Metro’s Phase III. “Each caller brags about their construction material. They ask how they can supply construction material to Delhi Metro for the ongoing Metro projects,” an official said.

A better look at girls

The 14th Dalai Lama delivered a lecture at Jamia Millia Islamia campus on Wednesday. He spoke to students about non-violence and ethical values. While inviting him to take the stage,Jamia Vice-Chancellor Najeeb Jung praised his sense of humour: “As we were coming to this hall,he was telling me that he recently underwent a cataract surgery. He said he can now get a better look at girls.”

The brunt of it

Ever since the Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar passed an order requiring station house officers to be on night duty,SHOs are naturally unhappy and so are their juniors. A sub-inspector was heard telling his colleague,“The SHO will anyway have to be at the police station from now. What about us? He will be angrier and in order to vent his anger,he will make us work more.”