The Hindu : New Delhi News : Inside Delhi

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 14, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

Inside Delhi

Mirror problem

A number of four-wheeler drivers in the Capital have reduced the side view mirrors of their cars to a vestigial accessory, which, if they had their way, could well become passé. Needless to say, not using a side view mirror causes immense problems to other road users.

One of the most prevalent arguments for not having a side view mirror or keeping it closed is that they invariably get damaged as other vehicles brush past them in crowded traffic.

But not only do such drivers have little idea of the traffic behind them, it becomes difficult for the ones driving behind them to register their presence and "communicate" with the ones driving ahead.

During the night, using dippers can be of help if one happens to be following a vehicle without side view mirrors. But in the daytime, no amount of honking is enough.

Moreover, a lot of these drivers are quite at ease driving at their own speed in the first lane and changing lanes almost at will. As a result, those following them are forced to take the wrong lane for overtaking them.

Perhaps such drivers need to be told that good driving is not only about keeping one's vehicle safe from scratches and damages to the side view mirror but also not causing inconvenience to other road users.

But then Delhiites are often not known to think beyond their immediate concern and not using the side view mirrors is another example of this.

-- Prashant Pandey

Dog's day out

It's a dog's world. While the privileged ones in the elite squad K9 -- always referred to as officers -- flown in with President George W. Bush brought out the truth in the statement with full force, Delhi's own squad seems to have settled any lingering debate on that issue.

Bringing in a sniffer dog to the Ritanjali Alternative Learning Centre at Kusumpur Pahari, a slum cluster near Vasant Vihar, to sanitise the tiny room before the visit of Queen Rania of Jordan this past week, the police didn't bargain for the dog needing guards to protect it. Threatened by the intruder encroaching in their field, the numerous dogs in the area went all out to get him.

From barking ferociously to chasing him, the "officer" in the Delhi police dog squad could not seem to pull his weight and had to be guarded by three plainclothes policemen who chased them away. Putting a whole new spin to the word guard dog, this docile sniffer dog walked mutely protected by his three escorts.

— Mandira Nayar

Highway mess

The law has it that national highways should remain free from marriage processions and similar activities that can lead to disruption in traffic flow. However, both in and around Delhi the rules are being blatantly violated by vested interests who make approaches to National Highways without even obtaining necessary permission.

Take the case of NH-24 that connects Ring Road to Uttar Pradesh and then travels to Lucknow and beyond. In Delhi people have made approach roads to this important highway from their colonies. One such approach has been made near the IBP and Indian Oil filling stations opposite Mayur Vihar Phase II by residents of a nearly unauthorised colony.

Similarly in Khoda a banquet hall has made an approach to this national highway and now whenever a marriage ceremony takes place there not only does the baraat travel in style on the highway even vehicles of the visitors are parked on the two-lane carriageway.

Not only do such activities and sudden ingress of vehicles from side approaches hamper traffic flow, they also pose a grave threat to the motorists.

But the authorities have so far turned a blind eye to this growing nuisance. Neither the Delhi Government nor the National Highway Authority of India has done anything of late to check such activities which may seem trivial but controlling which can have a major impact on smoothening traffic flow.

-- Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

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