Delhi has now got the official sanction to degenerate into the grandest slum of the world. At a press conference held in the capital, presided over by the Lt Governor and BC Khanduri, the urban development minister, they unveiled the new masterplan, one that will create more confusion and open avenues for more and more destruction. All because the central government is running scared of possibly losing the forthcoming election, once again, to the Congress. They seem to desperately want to harness the votes in this city by legalising the illegal, an easy solution for the short term. Madan Lal Khurana has proclaimed that after this decision, the Bharatiya Janata Party will win Delhi. If that is correct, all I can say is that the Dilli wallahs deserve to live the life of slum dwellers.
If only Delhi could be deemed a world heritage site that would override these rather insensitive minds that are bent upon bringing their limited agendas into play. I suppose the builders? lobbies are also required to participate in the elections! An essential component. Hopefully, the curse of this great and historic city will one day take its revenge on those who killed it off for all time.
Wouldn?t it be charming if an industrial venture came up on Racecourse Road, a few yards from the residence of the Prime Minister? Maybe a shopping mall at Vijay Chowk, and a glass making factory on Prithviraj Road! Land use could be made rational by taking over acres of the Rashtrapati Bhavan estate. A variety of cottage industry manufacturers could be allocated plots there. Immigrant labour could be housed on Rajpath…the fantasy could go on and on. And, to top it all, they are now talking of statehood for Delhi. Another gimmick prior to the elections.
The greening of the hills around Dehra Dun and Mussourie is heartening. Almost all those dreadful billboards have gone except for those advertising the Hindustan Times. So unthinking and so very environment unfriendly. Does the paper believe it will build its subscription base by planting unwieldy hoardings across the Doon hills? Neither the owner nor the editor could be aware of their marketing department?s rather archaic mindset vis-a-vis building the readership. Pull the hoardings down and try something else.
The Star controversy. Why do Indian players get so uptight when they see the possibility of having to deal with international players? Why is that the only time they come together? Why is their lobbying so inferior to that of the overseas player? Why all this nervousness? To an outsider it looks like Star will do a deal with an Indian media house, will negotiate with the government and succeed, will remain free to air with their clutch of diverse channels and their bouquet will attract the bulk of TV advertising. They seem to have strategised rather well and it looks like they will pull it off. One thing is for sure, all the news channels leave much to be desired. There is not one channel that stands head and shoulders above the others, a channel that is a must. Therefore, the advertiser will probably find it easier and more beneficial to place their ads on a bouquet that transmits a variety of content than on the many clones. Not long to wait!
Mayawati, dear Mayawati. Everyone sneers at her as she punches on racing ahead to dominate the constituencies she has made up her mind to capture. She is queen of a large constituency. She is imperious. Her behaviour is not gracious, she has no finesse, no intrinsic manners but she has the gumption of a go-getter. Her demands are ridiculous and unacceptable and she needs to be dealt with exactly as she deals with others. Bully for bully. To use kid gloves on her would be a disaster for her allies. She is capable of dropping them like a bag of scalding potatoes when they least need it. That is her great skill! Unpredictable. It is the only way to survive in India.