Nashik diary

Naturally, such messiahs are from Opposition parties, with the first voice of concern being raised by local Congress MP Madhavrao Patil. Never mind that the encroachments had blocked the roads, Patil still blamed the NMC for putting so many people out of business.

Later, socialist leader and state Samajwadi Party President Hussain Dalwai visited Nashik and rued the demolition drive. And last week, Ramon Magsaysay award winner Medha Patkar leader of the Narmada Bachao Andolan jumped on to the bandwagon. Unlike persons displaced by government projects, encroachers by no stretch of the imagination can be considered oustees8217;.

Strange how logic takes a walk when some cheap publicity is there for theasking.

Name Of The Game

With party-hopping becoming the fashion, leaders can be excused for forgetting the names of their minions. While addressing a rally of party workers here, Samajwadi Party state President Hussain Dalwai couldn8217;t for the life of him remember the surname of the party8217;s Nashik district chief, Bhagwan Bhoge.

After being called Bhave8217; by his party chief, Bhoge was then referred to as Bhogale by another party functionary.

Bhoge was elected as a corporator from the Congress party in 1992 but later split the parent body and formed his own Congress B. He lost the civic polls last year but his wife was elected on a Congress ticket. About three months ago, he resigned from the Congress to join the Samajwadi Party and was made its district chief.

Too much party-hopping can make the bosses quite dizzy, it seems.

All Play And No Work

When the deputy general manager of the India Security Press, Gangaprakash paid a surprise visit to the postcard printing section he washorrified to find the employees, including two supervisors, playing cards while some of the others were sound asleep. Seven employees and two supervisors were suspended forthwith. Not surprisingly, the unions swung into action and demanded that the erring staff members be let off. Government employees, who turn any job into a sinecure, are notorious for taking shelter under labour laws and with union backing, they know they can get away with it. All play and no work makes government service a sure rip-off.

Motion8217; Broke

Who said things were different in the cooperative sector? Maharashtra has one of the largest networks of cooperatives, though most of them are the fiefdoms of politicians.

Chairperson of the Nashik District Central Cooperative Bank, Sitaram Holkar, narrates an most enlightening 8212; albeit depressing 8212; incident, which shows just how ignorant the bigwigs are.

A director of a cooperative bank was returning to Nashik in the bank8217;s car.

While climbing the ghats, the driver steppedon the brakes and changed gears to avoid an oncoming vehicle. As the car slowed, the director asked the driver to explain why he had done that. 8220;Motion tutla8217; the motion broke, the driver replied. Assuming that motion8217; was a car part, the director asked the driver to get it replaced as soon as they reached Nashik. The driver merely nodded. The next day, he presented a bill for Rs 5,000, which the director submitted before the board of directors, for approval. One director objected, saying the bill was too high. Snapped the director who had submitted the bill: 8220;Don8217;t be smart. I am eyewitness to the incident that the motion broke8217;. Pass the bill.8221; The bill was duly passed.

Sacred Word

A shrine is usually immune to the laws of lesser mortals. Hence, the authorities dare not touch them, irrespective of whether the structure creates chaos on the roads or is located on unauthorised land. But in Nashik, the priest of the Kailas Math in Panchavati has set a good example.

When the Nashik MunicipalCorporation NMC launched its demolition drive, the great leveller razed structures belonging to influential persons along with the others. However, the bulldozers stopped short at the math even though a portion of its wall stood on encroached land.

The civic officials consulted the priest who volunteered to pull down the wall after some rituals. However, word spread that the NMC had spared8217; the Kailas Math and several leaders protested. But, within a few days, the priest did as he had promised.

If good sense always prevailed in times of crisis, life would be a lot easier for motorists and pedestrians alike.