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The optimum use of a small bridge over the Ghazipur drain near Patparganj can provide a major relief to lakhs of motorists who pass by the Ghazipur crossing each day. The bridge is about 500 metres north of the crossing but remains grossly underutilised for most of the day. On the other hand, at the Ghazipur intersection huge traffic jams can be seen all day as the place is witnessing the construction of a grade separator comprising a flyover, an underpass and a rotary at the middle level.

Motorists who use this crossing are often left wondering what prevents the authorities from promoting the use of this other bridge across the drain. From National Highway-24 the approach to the drain can be simplified by just providing a cut in the median on the road that leads to Patparganj bus depot barely 100 metres from NH-24.

The vehicles coming from Noida Mor side can then take a right on this median and a left on reaching the drain for approaching the small bridge. This would take the pressure off the Ghazipur crossing as all the left-turning traffic coming from the Akshardham temple side and going towards Anand Vihar would then be able to use this bridge with ease and not clog the main crossing.

This in turn would provide the traffic authorities the liberty of giving more time to vehicles approaching the crossing from the other sides to pass by.

However, while the expensive solutions often appeal to the authorities, it seems they prefer remaining oblivious to the small changes that can make life more comfortable for the people.

Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

‘Million Mums’

To mark National Safe Motherhood Day, the White Ribbon for Safe Motherhood, India, organised a function at PHD House over the weekend where it launched its “Million Mums” campaign.

Shedding light on the campaign, White Ribbon national coordinator Aparajita Gogoi said Million Mums was a web campaign across the country aimed at creating awareness about women dying during pregnancy and childbirth.

“The campaign brings together an active group of people to campaign for health care for pregnant women worldwide and speaks out against needless maternal mortality. Every seven minutes one woman in the country dies from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. To address this grave challenge, the Government, on our appeal, has declared April 11 as National Safe Motherhood Day,” she added.

On the occasion, White Ribbon for Safe Motherhood announced an award to recognise the best contributions of print journalists for investigative articles on the Campaign 2009 theme of “Quality Maternal Health Care – Every Woman’s Right.”

This award will be given to two journalists on April 11, 2011, for writing news reports and articles -- published from the period April to December 2009 -- in newspapers and magazines. This year marked the tenth anniversary of White Ribbon work in the country.

Madhur Tankha

Poll plank

Is it as vital to the city as are amenities like water and electricity? Is it as central to electioneering as are promises of better roads and affordable housing? If one were to scrutinise the election speeches of the candidates in the race for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Delhi, the metro railway appears to be a poll plank just as important as the traditional paani-bijli.

In the list of election promises most of which have been carried forward from previous elections, the Delhi Metro railway has emerged as a powerful bait to attract voters. Contestants cutting across party lines have been using the mass rapid transit system as a weapon for hitting out at the Opposition or as a means of glorifying their own, depending on which side of the fence they happen to be.

The Congress and BJP leaders are quick to promise the metro rail to their respective electorate, but who is responsible for bringing the metro to the city is a perennial bone of contention between the two.

So when a BJP leader expostulates the Congress for “limiting the expansion of the metro” and in the same breath reminds them that the project was started when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the country’s Prime Minister, his Congress counterpart includes the transport system under the party’s list of achievements with a footnote -- the promise of more.

Smriti Kak Ramachandran

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