VIP culture: Hooters replace beacons
Prime Minister Narendra Modi might have done away with the culture of flashing red beacons atop government vehicles, but a new breed of VVIPs zoom past blaring hooters. The roads in Shimla these days are choked due to heavy traffic with tourists making a beeline to the hills to escape the scorching heat of the plains. While the locals as well as tourists suffer from these traffic jams covering five km in two hours, these VIP, sans the read beacon, jump the queue using the hooters. It is because of such VIPs, including ministers, senior bureaucrats and of course senior police officers, that the traffic situation becomes worse. Policemen, of course, are the ones to make the most blatant use with even DSP rank officers behaving like VVIPs, using hooters. Wonder whether this VIP culture will ever end!
Shock and humiliation for Congress
Even after a fortnight, Congressmen have yet to come to terms with the “shock and humiliation” they were pushed into by the recent debacle in the Lok Sabha elections. Veteran BJP leader Shanta Kumar had termed Congress party being a “circus”, a remark he made during elections considering what Congress veteran Virbhadra Singh said about his own partymen like Sukhwinder Sukhu, Pt Sukh Ram and Shimla candidate Dhani Ram Shandil from the stage. Though Kumar took back his remark after Virbhadra raised objection, the party continues to live in “shock and humiliation”, says a party worker. The party appeared to be “bankrupt on all fronts”, say party workers. Infighting, ego hassles and politics of one-upmanship have become its dominant character, asking “who will revive and unite the party”. This is the big question that still has no immediate answer, say party analysts.
WhatsApp groups or complaint boxes
The district administration has created WhatsApp groups for disseminating information among the media and officials in Kangra. However, some such groups have become headache for officials. These groups, meant for sharing information, have become platforms for heated debates among the members which at times are a source of embarrassment for the group administrator. For some the groups have become a source of filing complaints rather than following routine procedures. At times, officials are at the receiving end from non entities but the problem was that by forming social media groups the officials find themselves trapped between devil and the deep sea.
Privileged vehicles
While the policemen are ruthless in challaning local residents for driving on sealed and restricted roads without valid permits, the vehicles registered outside the state entering the prohibited area seem to be enjoying immunity. A vehicle with Chandigarh number parked in the DC office parking last Friday without any permit was not even asked to
move from the place, let alone being issued a challan. Policemen were mute spectators as the owner of the vehicle waved at the policemen and moved towards the Mall road. The road from Winterfield to the CTO is restricted and people wondered that how this vehicle was allowed to reach CTO without being intercepted.
Contributed by Pratibha Chauhan, Kuldeep Chauhan, Lalit Mohan and Bhanu Lohumi
