By Sidharth Mishra

The inauguration of the first multi-modal terminal on the Ganga river in Varanasi last month was publicised by the Centre as a major breakthrough in search for cheap mode of transport. It also was feted as major feet for generating employment in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency of Varanasi. The cargo route is soon to be extended up to Allahabad aka Prayagraj.

However, down the stream, the move has not generated much appreciation, as the river closer to the delta especially as it flows east of Patna into Jharkhand and West Bengal before joining the Bay of Bengal. This stretch is home to the threatened Gangetic Dolphins, which ironically has been christened by the government as the National Aquatic Animal.

By Sidharth Mishra

Sometime back Punjab chief minister Captain Amrinder Singh has questioned his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal’s wisdom in claiming that stubble burning in Punjab was solely responsible for the high pollution levels in the national capital. He had wondered how Kejriwal, an IIT graduate, be talking in most unscientific manner. Singh and Kejriwal are political rivals in Punjab and thus the statement was passed off as another instance of political skirmish.

Captain’s dig at Delhi CM, on the hind side, was not without basis. Severe air pollution is a harsh reality that the Delhi government failed to do anything on despite making big claims. The city population has today grown to approximately 25 million with a huge floating population, from 1.7 million people in 1947.

By Sidharth Mishra

The Signature Bridge inaugurated by the Arvind Kejriwal government a day before ‘Dhanteras’ came with the fireworks generally reserved for Diwali. The bad air engulfing the city has had its ill effect on city’s political culture, known so for dialogue and mutual respect between political rivals. The Sunday evening incident sounded the last bugle to such engagements where a city level Congress leader could walk up to BJP’s tallest leader with a complaint against his party men.

The Signature Bridge inaugural, and the two inaugurations before that of the Rani Jhansi flyover and the ITO Skywalk, made news not for the engineering marvel being given to the city but for the political bitter talk. Both Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari, or for that matter Centre’s designated Minister for Delhi Hardeep Singh Puri, in his capacity as the in charge of Urban Development, have little to with the completion of these projects.

By Sidharth Mishra

It was a reflection of the changing times that when the carriage carrying the corpse of former Delhi chief minister Madan Lal Khurana arrived at the Delhi BJP office on Pandit Pant Marg, it went off as mostly a non-event. The sorrow on social media did not really converge on the streets of Delhi, where once Khurana ruled the roost.

In the heydays, Khurana was referred to as Dilli Ka Sher or the Lion of Delhi. He won Lok Sabha elections from south Delhi in 1989 and 1991, defeating Subhash Chopra and Romesh Bhandari, respectively, building the momentum for the assembly polls in the national capital in 1993 when it was provided the legislative body. During this period Khurana also played a substantial role in the success of the Rath Yatra that was led by LK Advani in 1992 during the Ramjanmabhoomi movement. The assembly of the huge sea of supporters in 1992 welcoming Advani when he reached Delhi was credited to Khurana.

By Sidharth Mishra

Mahatma’s name and quotes have been variously used in the nation he helped create, to perpetuate ideas, thoughts, schemes and scams, which would have never passed his scrutiny. The UPA government launched a most ambitious village rejuvenation programme and managed to win a second term on the basis of this scheme. When the programme came under cloud for financial irregularities, it was named after Mahatma lest a successor government decide to scrap it.

By Sidharth Mishra

Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) results were out last week. With dust having settled, the parties should be concerned at the voting pattern, which is not moving beyond caste and regional commitments and the rapid increase in the apolitical voters pressing the NOTA (none of the above) button.

The Gujjar students remained with the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS)-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the Jats with the Congress-backed National Students Union of India (NSUI). Where the NSUI lost out was the Jat votes cut by Indian National Students Organisation (INSO), the enterprise of the Chautala family of Haryana.

The ABVP candidate for Vice President Shakti Singh, by polling over 23000 votes, became the highest aggregator, illustrating once again the political ambitions of the migrant voters from the Hindi-speaking states in the city.

By Sidharth Mishra

In about a week’s time the keenly contested elections to the Delhi University Students Union of (DUSU) would take place. The direct elections to the students’ body started in the 1970s, sometime before the Emergency and has largely witnessed keen contest between the Congress-affiliated National Students Union of India (NSUI) and the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh-sponsored Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

There have been times when some other political forces have entered the fray and have had some impact but then those have been more or less cases of aberration than any trend. This time around too, the students’ arm of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Chatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS) has entered the fray after a gap, albeit in alliance with the All India Students Association (AISA), which is closely identified with the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist).

By Sidharth Mishra

August has become a feared month in the Millennium City of Gurgaon. The overnight shower brought the cyber hub, our showcase to the western world, to a grinding halt on morning of Tuesday last. Gurgaon is not alone. The whole of National Capital region (NCR), which has witnessed most rapid speed of urbanisation in the past 25 years is increasingly feeling the ‘wrath’ of the annual Monsoon rains.

Be it Gurgaon, Ghaziabad, Noida, Faridabad or even parts of the national Capital, all linked up by swanky roads and lined by spic and span apartment blocks are increasingly being visited by the fear of deluge years after year. Why is this happening? We stop asking this question as soon as the Monsoon season is over.

In mad rush, we forget that it’s the rivers which are having their revenge of the urban settlements. About decade ago, an enthusiastic green activist from Ghaziabad had taken me to the banks of Hindon river near Mohun Nagar.