Devotees rush to pay homage to Sai Baba

New Delhi: Lakhs of devotees continue to pour in the ashram of Sri Sathya Sai Baba at Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh to pay homage to the spiritual leader who passed away on Sunday even as police tightened security for crowd control.
With grief writ large on their faces, the devotees, both young and old, made their way to the Sai Kulwant Hall at Prashanti Nilayam Ashram to have a darshan of the 85-year-old Sai Baba's mortal remains. Union ministers Vilasrao Deshmukh and Praful Patel and cricket maestro Sachin Tendulkar along with wife Anjali were among those who paid their last respects to the Sai Baba.

Sai Baba's body has been wrapped in a saffron-coloured cloth and kept in a glass casket in the ashram's central hall.

The body will lie in state at the hall till Tuesday to enable devotees pay their last respects. Sai Baba will be buried at the Sai Kulwant Hall on Wednesday in line with the practice adopted for spiritual leaders in India, contrary to the Hindu custom of cremating bodies.

Police have set up barricades all over the town to control the surge of devotees flocking the area.

DIG (Rayalaseema range) Charu Sinha said, "We have put up the barricades for the convenience of devotees. We have been told to ensure that devotees manage to have last darshan of Sai Baba. Traffic restrictions have also been imposed for the convenience of the devotees".

Anantpur District Collector Janardhan Reddy said food and water have been made available to the devotees who have arrived from near and far.

Foreign devotees also flocked the Ashram to pay their last respect to Baba. "I feel sad as Baba is no more with us.

However, he is in my heart and he is everywhere...," a foreigner said.

A devotee from Karnataka said, "Baba has not gone anywhere. He will soon come back in a new avatar".

An elderly couple from Orissa said despite his sudden death, they are sure that the Baba will again appear before them soon.

Expecting a large number of devotees to converge here, police have made elaborate arrangements at the Puttaparthi airstrip and railway station. Two temporary helipads have been constructed to allow VIP landings.

Top politicians including the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, Karnataka Chief Minister B Yeddyurappa, BJP President Nitin Gadkari, TDP president Chandrababu Naidu and Prajarajyam chief Chiranjeevi visited Puttaparthi on Sunday. Former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar was there to pay his respects as well.

Stampede outside ashram

While VIPs, trustees and relatives got to pay their respects from up close, lakhs of devotees who are coming from all across India and the world were allowed to have a glimpse, but from a distance - with many waiting for hours without food and water. A stampede broke out outside the ashram late on Sunday night. No injuries were reported and police raised barricades to keep the crowds at bay.

Politicians mourn Sai Baba's death

"Sri Sathya Sai Baba was a personification of human values and service to mankind. He was indeed a phenomenon which occurred very rarely. He lived with us for a long time and contributed immensely for strengthening spirituality," said Yeddyurappa.

Sai Baba was a spiritual saint of the highest order. He was devoted to service throughout his life. Be it water, education, health or be it the spirit of service, he has done an invaluable service in all these aspects," said Narendra Modi.

 

"It is a great loss of humanity. Though he may not be there physically among us, but his spiritual message will continue. He will guide us forever. Purity of love, universal love, service to humanity, and his divine message will continue to guide the society," said Chandrababu Naidu, TDP leader.

"We all know that he is going to live in our hearts permanently. He will continue to guide and inspire us despite the fact that he has left his physical form," said Sunil Gavaskar.

Preparations on for last rites

Preparations are on for Sai Baba's last rites. A pitcher of holy water and soil from the Saraswati Teertha is being sent to Prashanti Nilayam today. Saraswati Teertha is a pilgrimage spot in Kurukshetra from where the ancient Saraswati river is said to have emerged.

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Police officer's charge against Narendra Modi also raises questions about SIT

Senior police officer Sanjiv Bhatt's affidavit accusing Narendra Modi of instructing the state police brass to allow rioters to “teach a lesson” to the Muslims is the first incriminating eyewitness account of that controversial February 27, 2002 meeting to reach the courts. Haren Pandya, a Minister in the Modi government at that time, gave a similar account of the Chief Minister's remarks to a citizen's tribunal soon after the riots but was assassinated – allegedly by “jihadi” terrorists – before he could make a proper legal deposition.

Going by his affidavit, Mr. Bhatt, too, appears worried about the consequences of knowing too much. In his plea to the Supreme Court, he chronicles the lack of interest displayed by the court-appointed SIT in what he has to say, its systematic attempts to undermine his testimony by intimidating witnesses who have testified to his presence at the meeting, and the State government's refusal to provide him security despite his plea that the “deliberate leaking” of his testimony to the SIT had made him a marked man.

Mr. Bhatt's affidavit, filed in the Supreme Court following the SIT's probe into Zakia Jaffrey's complaint that the anti-Muslim riots were officially orchestrated, states that as Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence he had attended many meetings convened by the Chief Minister and other “high constitutional functionaries” before and after the February 27 meeting and therefore was privy to secret and classified information. He, however, was in no position to disclose the information unless required to do so under a “binding legal obligation.” It was because of this reason that he remained silent on the issue till he was asked to depose by the Supreme Court-appointed SIT probing the massacres.

Mr. Bhatt, however, expressed strong resentment over the functioning of the SIT and its “attempt to cover the issue of large conspiracy and the administrative complicity.”

He said that during his March 25 deposition, when he tried to bring up the issue of the “larger conspiracy and official orchestration” and the attempts to cover up the issues behind the riots, he faced “unconcealed hostility” from the members of the SIT.

He said he had given the names of some witnesses who could corroborate his presence in the meeting with the Chief Minister. “I was hopeful that this information would be gone into thoroughly by the SIT to unravel the true nature of events that transpired. However, the SIT has chosen to intimidate some of the witnesses and coerce them into refraining from stating the true facts” giving an impression that the SIT itself had become a party to the cover-up operations.

He said he had named K.D. Panth, an Assistant Intelligence Officer with the State Intelligence Bureau in 2002, who would substantiate his claim of being present at the February 27 meeting. But Mr. Panth later told him that he was summoned by the SIT on April 5, but was “virtually treated like an accused and was threatened with arrest and other dire consequences.” He believed that other witnesses named by him were also similarly coerced and threatened by the SIT. Mr. Bhatt said he had written to SIT chairman R.K. Raghavan about these matters on April 6.

Mr. Bhatt's affidavit states that the first time he was summoned by the SIT was in November, 2009, when he had provided it certain relevant information and documents including original floppy discs of phone call records of Godhra town and print outs of phone call records of some high ranking State functionaries from February 26 to 28.

He said he had also provided the SIT “verifiable details” regarding the “on-going cover-up operations” including the “contemporaneous efforts” made by the high officials of the State administration to undermine the proceedings before the court. He said he had “time and again” tried to bring these facts to the notice of the SIT but “they seem to be disinclined to follow up these important leads in the course of the investigation.”

The affidavit said, “given the overall demeanour of the SIT officials while dealing with the crucial aspects of the on-going investigation, I believe it is to be my painful duty to bring to the notice of this Hon'ble court that the SIT does not appear to be living up to the enormous trust reposed in it by the Supreme Court to conduct an impartial and thorough probe into the allegations of larger conspiracy and administrative complicity behind the Gujarat riots of 2002.”

He said he was again summoned by the SIT in March, this year, for deposition in connection with the Gulberg Society massacre as part of Ms. Jaffrey's petition before the Supreme Court. He said despite insisting that the subsequent course of the communal violence could be fully appreciated only in the light of the “directions” given by the Chief Minister on the night of February 27 meeting, he was told by the SIT that all these aspects could not be gone into as his statement was being recorded only in the context of the Gulberg Society case. He said it was only after he told investigators that the procedural constraints on their part defeated the very purpose of “ascertaining the existence of any large conspiracy or official orchestration” behind the 2002 riots, that the SIT agreed to record his statement on the controversial February 27 meeting with the Chief Ministe

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Darshan of Sai Baba to stop at 6 p.m. on Tuesday

Devotees of Sri Sathya Sai Baba can have darshan of the mortal remains of the spiritual guru and pay their respects at the Sai Kulwant Hall in Prasanthi Nilayam only till 6 p.m., on Tuesday.

The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi will arrive at Puttaparthi at 4.45 p.m. on Tuesday to pay their last respects to the departed soul and return to New Delhi an hour later.

The funeral will be held between 9 a.m. and 9.30 a.m., on Wednesday and the Baba will be laid to rest in the imposing confines of the Sai Kulwant Hall itself.

Addressing a press conference at Puttaparthi on Monday afternoon, Revenue Minister N. Raghuveera Reddy said the decision to stop the darshan on Tuesday evening was taken to facilitate the Trust authorities to make arrangements for the funeral on the following day.

Mr. Raghuveera Reddy and Major Industries Minister J. Geeta Reddy appreciated the restraint shown by devotees and the disciplined manner in which about a lakh of people walked past the coffin in a single file to have their last darshan of Sri Sai Baba on Monday.

Anantapur District Collector B. Janardhan Reddy said the entire main approach road was being barricaded to ensure smooth flow of devotees into the Sai Kulwant Hall on Tuesday when the numbers of devotees was expected to reach its peak. VIP vehicles from the airport to Prasanthi Nilayam were being allowed on the road leading to the Western gate, opposite side of the entrance used by the regular devotees.

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INTERMEDIATE RESULTS

INTER RESULTS

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Bodyguard: Salman weighs in

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First Look: Ragini MMS

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Deano picks Deccan as favourites against Delhi

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Summer sizzle at South Beach

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Singur and Nandigram were our biggest mistakes: Buddhadeb

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Speeding Porsche hits delivery boy in Mumbai

Mumbai:  In Mumbai, a young driver in a speeding Porsche has hit a motorcyclist, Ainul Haq, near the police Gymkhana on Marine Drive, who is now in critical condition.object classid='clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000' codebase='http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0' width='418' height='385' id='player' align='middle'>

Twenty four-year-old Ankesh Shahra was arrested and released on bail for rash and negligent driving. His father, Dinesh, is the Managing Director of Ruchi Soya, a company with a turnover of more than 13,000 crores.

The man who Ankesh hit is 22 years old; he works for a restaurant named Zaffran.

It took a nine-hour surgery to fix his dislocated elbow. He is likely to spend at least the next 12 days in hospital.
His employer at the restaurant, Chetan Sethi, is looking after him because his family - a wife and child - are in Jharkhand.  "Basically his right leg - they said it will take 8-10 days to know whether there will be any movement," Mr Sethi explained. "They're not very clear whether the movement will come back or not. The left leg also has a lot of damage. And apparently his hand which has lost some movement - where he will not be able to do any fine work like writing."

An eyewitness named Goldie explains, "I was basically out for a nice bike ride with my friend and I saw a couple of people gathered near Marine Drive... and I saw this guy who was literally bleeding out there. Now even if I'm thinking of that moment,  I am getting goose bumps because that guy's entire hand was almost cut, like his entire arm was about to get dislocated."
 

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550 people file complaints at Grievance Cell

KAKINADA: Over 550 people from various parts of the district submitted their complaints and grievances to Collector M. Ravi Chandra and other officials during the weekly ‘Grievance Cell' programme held at Collectorate here on Monday.
The complaints and grievances were segregated department-wise and were forwarded to the departments concerned. Grievances pertaining to pensions, ration cards and family problems topped the list. As many as 56 grievances were computerised and acknowledgements were given to the applicants.
Mr. Ravi Chandra asked the officials to do the necessary follow up to address the grievances at the earliest.
Later, Pausami Basu, who took over as Municipal Commissioner of Rajahmundry, met Mr. Ravi Chandra in his chamber.

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Srisailam project oustees protest

MAHABUBNAGAR: A group of Srisailam project oustees created flutter at the Collectorate here on Monday threatening to jump to death from the terrace of the building. The police acted tactfully, overpowered and brought them down. Later, they were arrested.
According to reports, the oustees hailing from various villages submerged in the back waters of Srisailam project gathered at the Collectorate demanding jobs as promised under G.O. No 98. The protesters identified as Md. Shamsher, L. Sekhar Reddy, A. Srinivasa Reddy, D. Timma Reddy, Md. Jahir, Sheik Ali and others said out of the list of 105 members, only 30 were given jobs while the rest were rejected on various flimsy grounds. They said the trauma of displacement by the project was suffered by everybody but the government gave jobs to only a few as an eye wash.
The protesters reached the terrace of the Collectorate building and threatened to jump to death if no assurance was given by officials. The police reached the place and overpowered them. Later, they were arrested by the police.

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Army recruitment rally gets under way

VIZIANAGARAM: Army recruitment rally for solider technical/nursing/general duty/tradesmen/clerk has begun at Sir Vizzi Stadium here. It will be continued till April 25.
On the opening day, preliminary selection for soldier (technical) candidates from Srikakulam, East and West Godavari and Krishna districts, and Yanam (Puducherry) was conducted.
According to convenor of the rally and SETVIZ CEO R. Tyagaraju, out of some 3,600 candidates appeared for the preliminary test, 1,681 aspirants have been selected after verification of height and affidavits for the 1600-meter run that will begin at 5 a.m. on Tuesday. On the second day, candidates from Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam will appear for the preliminary test for the same post.
Transport facility
Additional Joint Collector M. Rama Rao has monitored the recruitment process along with Director (Army Recruitment) Col. B.K. Singh. Some 100 police personnel have been deployed for peaceful conduct of the rally. Majority of the candidates appeared for the rally are from Srikakulam district. The district administration has arranged transport from RTC Complex and railway station for the aspirants.

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Collector seeks reports on field assistants

SANGAREDDY: Collector S. Suresh Kumar directed the officials to submit reports on the field assistants who did not join the duties even after the government met with their demand of increasing the salaries.
Presiding over a meeting held here on Monday, Mr. Suresh Kumar said that action would be initiated against those who fail to join duties. Referring to the ongoing housing construction, he also suggested the officials to complete the toilets also with in one week. The mandal officers were directed to submit reports on the housing demand from the public during ‘Rachabanda'. Stating that a loss of Rs. 16 crore was incurred by the farmers due to the impact of recent hailstorm, he suggested the officers to assure farmers that they need not be panicky as the government would take all steps to extend assistance to them. The officials were asked to submit reports on child labour in different parts of the district and prepare plans to admit them during May by holding counselling to the parents. Sarva Siksha Abhiyan and UNICEF would be roped in this programme. Stating that voter's lists were published for local body elections, he directed the officials to exhibit them in the panchayats. The officials at mandal level were asked to create awareness about the army recruitment rally that would be held at Medak on April 29.

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Boy's death in hospital leads to tension

SANGAREDDY: Tension prevailed for few hours at the district headquarters on Monday as a boy admitted for treatment at the government hospital died while being treated. Irate over the incident the relatives of the boy held dharna and rasta roko at the hospital demanding the suspension of the doctor immediately.
According to Circle Inspector M. Muttaiah, N. Abhinav (18 months) was admitted in the government hospital at 11.30 a.m. with high fever and epilepsy. While being treated in the hospital by children's specialist Dr. Rahim the child died.
Traffic jam
The relatives of Abhinav started agitating before the hospital demanding the suspension of Dr. Rahim alleging that the improper treatment by the doctor led to the death of the child.
They have stopped the traffic that enters the town via government hospital and the police station.
The police and revenue officials reached the spot and tried to pacify the agitating relatives. As the agitators did not pacify, the issue was taken to the notice of Collector S. Suresh Kumar. Finally after a series of discussions, the doctor was asked not to attend duties till the incident was inquired upon and report was submitted. Meanwhile, the agitators also reportedly decided not to lodge a compliant with the police as the Collector promised to look into the issue. 

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Power generation hit by drop in gas from KG Basin

RAJAHMUNDRY: Decline in gas production in the Krishna-Godavari (KG) basin during the last two months has hit power generation in gas-based plants and the situation is going to continue in the next few months.
Things are likely to improve only when end-users get their full share of gas from their contractor.
According to the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) sources, gas production through their pipelines to the end-users has declined by 20 to 30 per cent in the last two months due to non-availability of gas from Reliance gas production units in Gadimoga of East Godavari district in the KG basin.
Reliance has admitted in a recent report to Director General of Hydrocarbons that their present production is around 47.5 Million Metric Standard Cubic Meters (MMSCM) per day.
It had promised to produce 80 MMSCM when it launched its production in April 2009. \But when production began three months later, it was 60 MMSCM .
Subsequently the production fell to 45 MMSCM but no explanation was given.
As far as end users are concerned, Konaseema Gas Power Limited which entered into an agreement with Reliance for 2.16 MMSCM is getting only 1.59 MMSCM, GVK Goutami Power Limited is getting 1.81 MMSCM against 2.25 MMSCM, LANCO Vijayawada is getting 1.27 MMSCM against 1.75 MMSCM, Spectrum Power Generation Limited getting 0.86 MMSCM as against 1.05 MMSCM.
In effect, only six out of 14 power generation units are running.
Keeping the situation in mind, the State government intervened and entered into a “swapping arrangement” with Reliance. According to it, Reliance will get LNG for its Dahej plant in Gujarat from overseas and increase the supply of gas to power units in the State. But this arrangement has not made much of a difference.

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Farmers shift to organic brinjal

ADILABAD: The re-emergence of ‘green practices' in agriculture appears consistent and trustworthy, especially when it comes from an environmentally vibrant district like Adilabad.
The effort of a handful of brinjal farmers here, who have begun shifting to organic cultivation of this pestilence-prone vegetable, holds much promise as it also envisages keeping intact the high profitability in the venture.
With a view to discontinue the use of chemicals and keeping the fertility of the soil intact, farmers like B. Srikanth Reddy of Mavala village near Adilabad have adopted eco-friendly methods in cultivation.
“This layer of the enriched silt from the local tank negates soil degradation caused by unchecked use of chemicals,” says the farmer as he introduces the first step towards shifting to organic cultivation of brinjal.
“Penning with sheep and use of vermicompost are the other methods through which the soil is being enriched on my 16 acres of land. This will ensure enlisting of the piece of land as a valuable asset,” he adds.
Since last year, farmers have reduced by half the quantity of chemical pesticides, insecticides, and fungicides needed for proper growth of brinjal. Now, they spend less by using the eco-friendly bio-chemicals though the number of sprays remains the same at one every four or five days.
Gradual shift
“The shift towards organic pesticides and fertilisers has to be gradual to control the imbalance in yields. Once this happens, cultivation of Bt brinjal will also be ruled out,” says farmer B. Ramakant of Tosham in Gudihatnoor mandal. Ramakanth says the experiment is likely to be adopted by farmers at Kagaznagar, Utnoor, Ichoda, Indervelli and Jainad mandals in the coming seasons.

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State to develop Kuchipudi as ‘international dance hub'

KUCHIPUDI (Krishna Dt): The Sata Mayuri Nrityotsav 2011 has dispelled some of the common notions that the patronage to classical dances is dwindling, and youth are not interested in learning the native dance forms. It was an observation of audience and VIPs like Minister for Tourism and Culture Vatti Vasanth Kumar. To strengthen and promote the classical dance further, the government intends to develop the village as “international dance hub”.
“There was a general feeling that it might not be possible to hand over this culture, tradition and art to the posterity. The Sata Mayuri programme dispelled that notion, and the patronage to dance was glaringly evident here,” the Minister said.
About 100 dancers, mostly from SiddhendraYogi Kuchipudi Kalapeetham, across the district performed dance, at a time, at an open air stage, was awesome and captivating.
Equally the village, Mr. Vasanth Kumar said, earned a repute of its own in the international arena. Likewise, the faculty at Kalapeetham here need to be strengthened. The strength of teachers here also needs to be augmented to suit the growing demand and patronage to the dance.
Some of the aged artistes were not receiving pensions. At present, 10,000 artistes were receiving a pension of Rs. 500 per month. The government plans to bring all the eligible artistes under pension scheme coverage and extend to it to 4,000 to 5,000 more artistes.
The officials concerned need to identify them so that the government could extend pensions to them, the Minister said.
Many students, who were learning dance here, shuttle from nearby towns and cities as there was no proper hostel and mess, he added. “The government would take necessary action if estimates were prepared,” he announced.
Pamarru MLA D.Y. Das, Machilipatnam MLA Perni Venkatramaiah (Nani), Vijayawada (Central) MLA Malladi Vishnu, Principal Secretary (Culture) S. Chellappa, Potti Sriramulu Telugu University Vice-Chancellor A. Bhumaiah, Krishna district Collector S.A.M. Rizvi, Director Department of Culture Sunita M Bhagwat, Kuchipudi Sarpanch M. Nagabhushana Rao, MPTC member V. Vishnuvardhan Rao, Mandal Parishad president S. Minakumari and others were present

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Congress, officials exploiting weaker sections: CPI(M)

VIZIANAGARAM: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has alleged that district officials and ruling party men are working hand in glove and exploiting the innocent. Even the police machinery was acting indifferently and denying justice to weaker sections and tribals in the district.
At a press conference on Monday, party district secretary M. Krishna Murty said that the governing body of the District Cooperative Marketing Society had recently passed a resolution favouring sale of 1.92acres of DCMS land along with structures, opposite RTC Complex junction, to an educational society owned by a Minister.
The society had taken the premises on lease in 1997 and established a degree college. The society had tried in vain to own the premises through bidding in 2006. When it was exposed in the media and opposition parties protested, the single bid received was cancelled.
Now, the resolution copy was pending before the Collector for onward dispatch to the government, he said.
Mr. Krishna Murty said at D. Kanapaka in Gurla mandal, 30 acres of konda poramboke land that some tribals had been cultivating for many decades was occupied by a ruling party member and revenue officials approved it, though, in fact, tribals were having rights over poramboke lands. Alleging that Congress was ignoring tribals' welfare, the CPI (M) leader quoted the demand of tribals pending for the last six decades for a bridge across the river Nagavali which bifurcates Komarada mandal. After relentless fight the government had sanctioned Rs. 3.65crores four years ago. Owing to underestimation of the work no contractor was ready to execute the work. But, the government had sanctioned Rs. 3crore for laying a road from RTC Complex via Thotapalem in the fort town for the benefit of the Minister's nephew in Pradeep Nagar and it was inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Human Resource D. Purandeswari on Monday.
In Cheepurupalli, though dhobis at P.K. Palavalasa were attacked recently when they stopped washing clothes of ruling party men demanding increased wages, the police, instead of registering a case and arresting the culprits, were pressuring dhobis to compromise, Mr. Krishna Murty alleged. His party would launch an agitation if no action was taken on ruling party men, he added.

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Mayor ‘humbled'

Mayor B. Kartika Reddy probably wanted to give the impression that all is well in GHMC following last week's clash between the officials and corporators. She called for a press conference few days ago to announce the completed, ongoing, and pending works taken up under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).
After keeping the newsmen waiting for a while, she called them in and began to read out the details. Within two minutes, the hacks pounced on her – “Why are you just parroting what the engineering officials told you? Have you checked the works? How can you claim credit for completed flyovers?”
The Mayor could only mumble that she was giving details of works taken up from the inception of JNNURM. “I will personally check each project and give the latest information,” she promised in a vain bid to buy peace. It sure was a surreal experience for newshounds the other day when a U.S. government official held a meet at one of the popular eat-outs. After the briefing where she called for more tie-ups among firms of both countries, she cheerfully told them to “buy a sandwich” gesturing towards the lip-smacking range of eats displayed. Even as she herself was digging into a fresh enticing sandwich just delivered to her, newshounds realised to their shock that they would have to really pay for whatever item they choose. “That's typical American hospitality and you cannot expect freebies,” sighed a newshound after eating a humble pie.
Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy is not known to be a man who can crack jokes or make someone laugh, especially in programmes. But the other day, he came up with some repartee that the audience was surprised.
At the inaugural of the Jain International Trade Organisation's trade fair, Mr. Reddy was the chief guest and Industries Minister J. Geetha Reddy was also present. As the event was connected to commerce and industry, other speakers waxed eloquent about Dr. Reddy's ability to handle the Industries portfolio successfully twice. When the Chief Minister rose to speak, he came out with a good one. “Whenever Geetha Reddy won the Assembly elections, she became a Minister. I have never been a Minister, but became a Chief Minister directly,” he said, leaving the audience in splits.
It is always at the receiving end. Not a day passes without people airing their angst at the ‘baldiya'. Be it a bad road, drainage overflow or traffic congestion, the GHMC becomes the scapegoat. But the civic body deserves a pat in executing the Charminar Pedestrianisation Project. Those who visit the area now would curse the authorities for the congestion right from Gulzar Houz to the monument. Half of the road is dug up and the rest uneven and impassable. But the maddening traffic keeps pushing through leaving the pedestrians little place to walk. Yet, amidst all this mess, the pedestrainiation work goes on. The civic body is to be appreciated for executing a complex plan in a complex area.
Come summer, the Chali Vendram outlets start making their appearance at all the major thoroughfares in the Capital. Over the years, however, Chali Vendram outlets have evolved. Earlier, to set up such an outlet was a simple affair. A clay matka, a stand to hold it and a steel tumbler was all it was needed to set up a Chali Vendram outlet beside a bus stand.
These days, much fanfare is generated around Chali Vendram outlets. A Minister or a local MLA is invited for its inauguration. A big shamiyana is erected. Posters of top politicians, local leaders and corporators are put up. Instead of the age old matka, water coolers are being used to serve chilled water. The steel tumblers were replaced by disposable glasses long ago. Times indeed have changed!
Great deal of excitement prevailed on Monday on account of Hanuman jayanti, an occasion that used to go largely unnoticed till a few years ago. Limelight came to rest on the festival last year when communal clashes erupted over removal of flags at a particular location. This time round, no such clashes were needed, as commotion began much ahead of the festival. On Monday, roads were blocked at quite a few locations. More than celebrations, the festival is being seen as another occasion for communal provocation. The writing is clear on the wall.

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