Delhi underground

The Congress campaign for the upcoming Assembly elections seems to have become mired in factionalism.

Divided we stand
The Congress campaign for the upcoming Assembly elections seems to have become mired in factionalism. Senior leaders like J P Aggarwal and Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit have been maintaining distance from old time 8220;outcasts8221; like Sajjan Kumar. On a day the BJP organised a 8220;mahasangh8221; on the issue of unauthorised colonies in Delhi, aiming to appease voters from the 40 lakh-strong and neglected section, Congress leaders stayed away from a similar rally organised at Jantar Mantar by MP Sajjan Kumar and MLA Mukesh Kumar. Result 8212; the rally was a stub. Similar response from J P Aggarwal resulted in a rally by Sajjan Kumar on benefits of the Sixth Pay Commission report coming out a cropper. While Kumar evaded questions as to why the leaders were staying away from his rallies, Aggarwal said: 8220;Every rally cannot be attended by senior leaders, there are many more issues to address.8221; When told about this, a source in the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee office said: 8220;Issues the senior leaders have been talking about, need to be sold to the voters. Everything has to be sold 8212; one wonders when will they realise that!8221;

The DUSU cut
Being the most glamorous candidate during the DU elections means much more than just a beautiful face. As is evident, with candidates having to replace their wardrobe with salwaar-kameez in order to appear 8220;demure8221;. Recently, ex-DUSU president Amrita Bahri shared her experiences at a press conference, for which she turned up dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, having ditched her usual churidhar-kurta. 8220;When I became president, I was told I should be only seen in salwaar-kameez. Now that my tenure is over, I can wear whatever I want,8221; she said.

Flush with toilets
With as many as 294 toilet complexes in the Capital being identified as non-functional and not required, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi MCD finds itself in a fix. At the same time, it finds itself burdened with the additional pressure of repairing the working toilet complexes. The toilet complexes not required have all been, incidentally, funded by the Japanese government and funds were channelled through the central government. 8220;We know that these toilet complexes have become the meeting points for anti-social elements but we are unable to pull them down. To tear down these complexes we need to present our case more convincingly before the Centre,8221; MCD officials said. To add to that, when the unsocial elements end up brawling, municipal councillors are made to pay bail. Caught in a tight spot, the MCD can only hope for the Centre to bail them out!

Short arm of the law
One of the most sensitive districts, when it comes to law and order, Ghaziabad has a new SSP. And within days of his posting, people have come to dread L Ravi Kumar, the newly appointed police chief. This fear, however, is not manifest among the criminals and anti-social elements of the district but among officers of the SSP office. The officers, who like many government officials want to finish work early and head home, are being made to work extra hours. Though the long working hours and extra workload is causing much resentment, no one wants to say it, just yet.

Cosmetic capers
The Economic Offences Wing EOW of the Delhi Police, which investigates credit card fraud, cases of cheating, bank fraud, fraud in private and public companies, is now distributing press releases related to a crackdown on fake cosmetic products. What has left officers of EOW fuming is that personnel specialising in cyber crime and having in depth knowledge in legal matters are wasting their time going after cosmetic companies. While keeping a track of fake cosmetic products is necessary, clearly, a lot is left to be desired as far as deciding where to first focus the efforts of the EOW is concerned.

Cop out
The top brass of the Delhi Police can often penalise stations that have managed to keep crime rates low 8212; this realisation has dawned upon the North District police with a bang. According to sources, in a recent meeting of senior Delhi Police officers, including Commissioner of Police Y S Dadwal, a decision was taken to not provide any extra manpower to the North District, considering the lower crime rate there. The district8217;s DCP was asked to manage policing with the existing number of personnel, even though the North District police are already understaffed!

Private companies8217; day
For private companies that are entering the education sector in a big way, Teachers8217; Day seemed to provide them with a great occasion to make themselves visible. Two private companies announced awards for teachers running into crores of rupees, in the run up to September 5. Both claimed to be the 8220;largest and most comprehensive awards, covering all kinds of schools and educators8221;. High profile educationists and bureaucrats form the jury panel for both awards. With a number of prestigious government awards for teachers already in place, these companies are banking on the huge bankroll they are offering as 8220;incentive for even higher performance8221;.

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More funds please
Delhi legislators have been an angry lot for the past few months. They have been claiming that the hike in the local area development fund has not been commensurate with the rising inflation. The MLAs8217; local area development fund hasn8217;t been increased since 2002 and has remained stagnant at Rs 2 crore each year. The MLAs, mostly BJP, have been demanding an increase in the amount, as an increase would mean they will be able to spend more on their constituencies and will not become dependent on local civic agencies. Congressmen are also not averse to an increase in this amount.