The Hindu : New Delhi News : No cameras, no Councillors

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 30, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

No cameras, no Councillors

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, DEC. 29. The entire top leadership of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi today cancelled their programme to flag off six trucks carrying relief material for the tsunami-hit coastal areas of the country after the officials informed them that none of the major media organisations -- news channels and newspapers -- were coming to cover the event.

The Delhi Mayor, A. R. Verma, the Leader of House, Satbir Singh, and the Standing Committee Chairman, Mukesh Goel, were scheduled to jointly flag off the trucks from the MCD's West Zone office in Rajouri Garden at 4 p.m. With the Leader of Opposition, Subhash Arya, away in Pakistan, his Deputy, Onkar Singh Thapar, was asked to be present on his behalf on the occasion.

Insiders in the Congress office in the MCD revealed that it was about 3-30 p.m., when its leaders were informed that none of the major media organisations were coming to cover the event. "Our leaders were very disappointed and they promptly cancelled their visit to Rajouri Garden," said a Congress Councillor from West Zone. Mr. Thapar, who reached the venue some 30 minutes before the flagging off ceremony, said he personally called up the Delhi Mayor. "He told me that he was not coming and was instead going to the office of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee to attend a meeting," Mr. Thapar said. "As I was informed that flagging off has been cancelled because electronic media was not coming, I did not feel the need to call up Mr. Singh and Mr. Goel. This only shows how insensitive these people are and what their priorities are," he added.

Finally it was left to Mr. Thapar and the Deputy Commissioner, S. C. Kohli, and the West Zone Chairman, Rakesh Joshi, to flag off the trucks. "The trucks have been sent to the Ludlo Castle School from where the relief material would be sent to Delhi airport to be airlifted to Chennai for distribution among the needy," a senior official said.

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