Traffic Jammed Delhi

Delhi is such a beautiful city minus the traffic scenery. The social culture of the national capital of India has undergone a dramatic change in the last 10 years. One of the foremost reasons is the skyrocketing real estate prices. Due to the heavy income for rentals and land sales, most of the long settled Delhites are splurging their wealth on the streets. From buying the day's arrival in the car market whether it is BMW or Audi 7 the real estate rich Delhites are going hammer and tongs. Apart from owning multiple vehicles they also indulge in vulgar display of wealth on the streets. Result of this is rising crime rate and law and order problem.

Megha Suri Singh writes in The Times of India (15 October 2009)

Traffic jams in the city cost Delhiites Rs 10 crore and the government exchequer Rs 1.5 crore per day, reveals a survey by Centre for Transforming India (CTI). With nearly 1,000 new vehicles being added to Delhi roads every day and the capacity of roads already stretched, experts feel the only way to bring down congestion levels is to develop a sound public transport system that commuters can shift to.

The traffic assessment study reveals that on any given day, one-third of the 60 lakh vehicles registered in the city are on the roads. Each of these, on average, wastes 1.6 litres (2.5 litres for cars and 0.75 litres for two-wheelers), which works out to a total wastage of 30 lakh litres of fuel.

‘‘Our surveys have revealed that traffic jams consume a massive 90 minutes of commuter time on an average every day and about Rs 10 crore worth of fuel. As there is a 15% government subsidy on petrol and diesel, the waste results in a subsidy loss of about Rs 1.5 crore for the state exchequer daily,’’ said Pankaj Sharma, chief trustee, CTI.

Four-wheelers lose 2.5L fuel every day in snarls

A survey by Centre for Transforming India (CTI) identified 15 stretches across the city, including Khanpur to Defence Colony, MB Road, Moolchand to Nehru Place, Vikas Marg, NH-24, Keshavpuram to Ashok Vihar, Rohtak Road to Punjabi Bagh via Zakhira and Idgah to Sabzi Mandi, as major snarl points. The teams drove through the stretches at different times of the day and calculated the average fuel lost due to congestion.

‘‘The difference in fuel consumption was measured by driving on the stretch during peak congestion time and again when the road was empty. Then, based on different experiences from our team and interviews of regular commuters on the stretches, an average daily fuel loss figure was derived. This works out to about 2.5 litres for four wheelers daily and 0.75 litres for two wheelers,’’ Sharma explained.

The total amount of loss to commuters was derived by multiplying the number of vehicles on the road (10 lakh four-wheelers and 10 lakh two-wheelers assuming a 1:1 ratio) by the amount of fuel loss and then multiplying this by the average price of fuel.

Sharma maintained that the figure, though startling, is just a conservative estimate. The survey had not taken into consideration vehicles registered in NCR which ply on Delhi roads. Also, the assumption of only one-third vehicles on the roads is somewhat conservative. It doesn’t even include the cost of man-hours lost on the road, he said.

The survey findings again lend urgency to the need for creating an efficient and reliable network of public transport which commuters, especially those using private vehicles, can switch to. ‘‘This displays a clear lack of integration as even today there is no integrated model of traffic management and public transportation in the city. The government needs to think why, despite there being seven types of public transport in Delhi - the highest in any Indian city - people still prefer private modes,’’ Sharma said.

Costly Justice in Delhi

Indian courts are notorious for prolonging the legal battles. People who filled petitions in their young age of 30 are not alive today to hear the final pronouncement. It takes decades for the courts to arrive at a conclusion. By the time court decides the petitioner is not alive. Due to this inordinate delay few people have faith in the judiciary. Rape, murder, property misappropriation or arson not many people would like to lodge a police complaint and seek judicial recourse. They know very well the petitioner will be harassed endlessly without any justice coming in his or her life time. The immediate help for any justice to the crime committed is underworld and criminal gangs. The instant revenge and justice are vented by these gangsters who are fully time involved in killing. If the situation is allowed to continue the judicial and police systems will lose its relevance permanently.

According to The Times of India report (11.2.2009, p.1 & 7), 3,32,141 cases came up before the Delhi High Court in 2007-08. Each of these cases received five minutes of hearing (4 minutes, 55 seconds to be precise) and each minute of the court’s time cost a staggering Rs.6,327 to the state exchequer. Even adjournements without hearing don’t come cheap. All listed cases cost the court Rs.1,300 (on average), even if many got adjourned. The report released by Chief Justice A.P. Shah, claims HC disposed of 56,612 cases, including 47,017 filled in that year alone.

While clearing 56,612 cases, Delhi High Court worked with 32 judges, much below its sanctioned strength of 48, Chief Justice A.P. Shah said. While pointing to the “Crushing load” on the courts, the Chief Justice said at present rate of disposal, it would take 466 years for the high court to clear its backlog of cases entirely. He, however said “we have been able to reduce the cases of arrears from 79,818 in 2007 to 74,599 in 2008”.

The report adds that the rate of disposal of criminal cases in the year worked out to be 0.5 case per day. While such “working ours” analyses are done every year for bodies like Parliament and state legislatures, this is perhaps the first time a judicial body has come up with its figure.

Case study
No of cases listed before HC 332,141
Total expenditure incurred Rs. 42,45,47,490
No of cases dealt on a single day 64
Total number of working days 213
Time available for one hearing 4 min 55 sec
Cost incurred for one minute of a hearing 6,327
Average number of benches during ’07-08 24(8 division & 16 single)

The time and money spent have been worked out excluding “matters handled during summer vacation (June) and on three working Saturdays during 2007-08”. In order to calculate the time judges gave for each hearing. HC factored in the total number of cases dealt by judges. Sitting as a single bench or division bench, in a day (64 cases on average) with the total time available for them to hold court (315 minutes).

The total expenditure incurred by the court last year was Rs.42.45 crore for 213 working days. “the average cost of listing each case before a judge worked out to Rs.1,297 and the average court expenditure per minute by the court was Rs.6,327 or Rs.19,93,180 for each working days.

The judiciary must ensure justice is dispensed atleast during the life time of the petitioner if not immediately. With multiple options available for reformation, courts should not delay further. Immediately it should implement all the suggested reforms. Decentralising and expanding the judiciary are two crucial steps. Above all the top leadership should have the requisite will to cleanse the system and make it functional.

No Nursery Vacancy in Delhi

Nearly 1.75 lakh children couldn’t get admission into nursery schools this year. It is due to the over population and shortage of schools. The mismatch between population and the availability of infrastructure creates a massive problem. Taking advantage of this gap, government officials, politicians and private players milk enormous money from the admission-seeking parents. Although Delhi is well established in the quality and quantity of education the future looks dim due to the heavy shortfall in the availability of seats. From nursery schools to universities there is a heavy shortage. Apart from the 14 million Delhi population there is a massive migration of students from Northern and Northern eastern states. This is bound to increase multifold with the better transport facilities available now. It can be controlled only by providing good social facilities like education and other infrastructure in the big migration states.

According to S.K. Bhattacharaya, chairman of School Action Committee: “government recognized private schools received over four lakh applications this year and approximately 1.75 lakh children were left out. The demand is far more than supply and thus those left out generally opt for playschools.”

Parents blame autonomous points system for the mess up in the nursery school admissions. Few brand names like DPS, Apeejay, Vasant Valley, Amity there is a big push and pull for the nursery school seats. Priyanshi Kapoor of New Friends Colony shuttled between her home and 15 different schools in south Delhi for her child’s admission She says “The admission procedure in schools is hardly transparent. My daughter couldn’t get through in the school where my husband and I scored alumni points. The entire nursery admission procedure has been a nightmare for us”

Schools give their own reasons for rejecting certain children. One of the hidden agenda of the school management during admission process is nepotism and highhanded corruption. Those in the high level of the school management are much sought after people in the capital. They use their clout to make substantial money in this time period. Transparency International should look into the amount of money changing hands in this huge corruption area.

One of the west Delhi principal says, “We look for a particular set of parents. For instance, children of businessmen don’t get enough points. In the admission process as many schools often prefer parents from the service class. It is seen that businessmen do not value education much ad it affects our results,”. This may sound reasonable but bribery can take the genuine sheen out of Delhi school admissions.

How many students can be accommodated in 1,976 private schools? The meager number of private schools create stampede. Even poor families want to send their children to private schools as they think that the government schools are not good for the children’s overall development. Those who cannot afford three square meals only opt for government schools.

The Delhi government has been constantly striving to develop the education in the capital. An extreme level of politics played by the public representatives and bureaucrats has been destroying the education. Now the challenge is to increase the number of schools in partnership with private and civil society organizations. Reducing the migration is another Himalayan challenge. All the neighborhood areas should have schools and the children must be encouraged to attend only their neighborhood schools. The biggest challenge for the government is to divert the public craze from private schools to sarkari ones. Before doing that it must give high quality education and better facilities. This is the most urgent work for Delhi government for now and in the future.

Delhi killsfor a drop of the hat

Do a Delhite need a reason to kill someone? The answer seems to be in the negative. The year report of the Delhi police points out to the highly intolerant culture in the city. Generally this is the trend prevails in most parts of the world but Delhi takes the lead. In Brazil last year 4500 people were killed in the drug related violence which is 35% more than the 9/11 killings in the World Trade Center attacks. India’s capital region ranks 21 among the 35 mega cities in the murder cases. Why Delhi gets branded as the crime capital when other capital cities are more crime prone? The open society nature and a vigilant media are the two reasons for the regular updating about Delhi’s crimes which earns a bad name for the city.

Crime is a crime. I am not suggesting to ignore Delhi’s crime and celebrate it. My interest is to highlight the increasing intolerance around the globe. Although we do not have adequate data and reasons for the crimes happened in the other popular cities, Delhi data needs to be used to talk about the worldwide crimes. The high racing consumer economy is the root cause of the intolerant society.

Law Catches Up

Offences 2007 2008 %age increase

Red light jumping 2,85,429 5,29,026 85

Minor driving 2,997 4,263 42

Improper parking 1,88,400 3,39,739 80

Overspeeding 1,59,361 1,83,544 15

Dangerous driving 73,131 1 ,32,467 81

Drunken driving 3,748 7,579 102

Jaywalking - 20,900 -

Total 7,13,066 12,17,515 68

Number of Accidents Number of Persons

Year Non-Injury Injury Fatal Total Killed Injured

2007 517 5,748 2005 8,270 2,064 7,388

2008 367 5,200 1,918 7,485 1,989 6,356

According to the Delhi police commissioner Y.S.Dadwal “the past year witnessed a 13% fall in rape, robbery, riot and dacoity cases, though the number of murders went up from 467 in 2007 to 518 om 2008, an 11% rise. Crime against women also declined. In 98% of the women culprit is known to the victim. The reasons given for murders in Delhi are highly flimsy. Take a look at these

Failure to give bus route directions

Not serving papad in a restaurant

Choice of music during pre-marriage bash

Refusal to sell milk

Asking borrower to return Rs.250

Not washing a shirt

Objecting to dismissal in cricket

According to the Times of India (3.1.2009 P.1) 90 out of the 518 murders (17%) were committed for silly reasons. “Many murders took place in a fit of rage without any planning. Most of those who committed the crime neither had a criminal motive nor were criminals. They happened due to absolutely ridiculous reasons” said the Delhi police commissioner.

Time has come to rein in the intolerance in the society. It can be done through constant engagement of people in constructive activities. There should be enough listeners to receive the affect persons grievances. Without a window to vent their anger, problems and frustrations they can kill in a fit of anger. To avoid the anger and its impact on the society adequate broadminded people should get into the field for counseling and right direction giving.

Schools as Malls

Everyone is bothered about the short term capital gains than the long term social dividends. This careless attitude of the government and people is playing havoc with the future of India. Almost all the projects are short-sighted. Whether unveiling education policy or environmental safety or rural development, all the proposals are hastily taken decisions. There are not enough of deliberations over the crucial decisions. Imagine the passing of 8 important bills in just seventeen minutes in the Lok Sabha. Following this ‘blind ayes have it syndrome’, the Delhi government has got a mad proposal from vested interests in its backyard to convert fifteen of its schools into shopping malls.

This silly proposal from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is to show its financial position in a better light. Prithviraj Shani, Chairman of the MCD education committee says TOI (2.1.2008, p.6) “We have identified 60 schools that have been lying vacant. A proposal to auction 15 schools has been forwarded to commissioner K.S.Mehra”.

60 of the MCD school campuses are up for sale to see swanky malls and hotels. Out of these sixty school sites, fifteen are already identified and sent for clearance from the government. In Delhi 65% of the primary schools are operated by the MCD with 9 lakh students availing education. Poor and very poor families sent their children to these schools. Another 4 lakh children are not going to school due to extreme poverty and other reasons.

The logic given to the sale proposal of MCD is that the existing sites are lying vacant for a long time. According to the Municipal officials, Delhi population is not keen to avail government education and they have reached upper economic level to send their children to rich private schools. Why the government is not enthusiastic in bringing 4 lakh not school going children? Ashok Nagar school which is 1.5 acres is for sale. But there are 1200 not schooling children in the same area. There are 30,000 children without adequate play fields in and around Ashok Nagar. School campuses in Karanpur 3,158 sqm, 2350sqm Moti Nagar East are declared as spots for sale. These areas too have many not school going children. How can the poor children avail schooling when there is no school? Mere site is not enough. There needs to be a building, teachers, incentives, sanitation and other basic necessities for learning.

This decision of the Delhi government is not surprising. Whoever comes to power they will work for rich and mighty. Poor goes poorer without any care from the government. All the common properties like schools, crematoriums, hospitals, parks are up for the sale. The ministry of railways sold lakhs of its land and projected its budget very good and earned the efficiently working administration. Similarly other ministries are following the trick of selling solid properties to show big liquid cash positions. In the interest to fool the public, the ministries are digging a long grave for the social collapse.

If the existing school lands are unused then convert them into playing grounds or make them old age homes or vocational education training centres but not as shopping malls. It is selling the family silver to buy a fancy toy. The Government of Delhi should learn from the past mistakes and others collapse. More investment in the social capital and increasing the availability of common property will strengthen the society in the long run. Just increasing the revenue without adequate social development is of no use. The early the government understands this truth it is better for the nation’s capital.

Beggars are choosers

The old saying goes “beggars are not choosers”. But in today’s reality the opposite is true. In every traffic red light stop in the cities of India, I notice often strategic begging. Experiences of the beggars over the years have equipped them with the expertise of systematic targeting of potential donors. In the few seconds of the red light to give way to the green one, the beggars have to reach out to the right people. Initially they may be running towards every person on the road. Cars, bike riders, auto rickshaw travelers, bus passengers, cyclists and lastly to the pedestrians in this massive list of road travelers.
The well experienced beggars first target cars. Even among the cars they choose the expensive and new ones. In that foreigners and ladies are the prime targets. They pester the foreigners continuously. Out of concern some may throw dollars and few hundred rupee notes. This especially happens when the foreign tourists are on their way to airport to catch the flight back home. The remaining currencies and coins of India after hectic touring is less use for them. To offload it they throw to the beggars. Now the foreign tourists get adequate orientation about Indian system before putting their foot on the Indian soil for the first time. Lonely Planet and other travel guides advise them not to succumb to beggar’s pressure. Often the Chinese proverb “Teach them how to catch fish than gifting a fish” makes most of the tourists’ cold towards the beggars. Despite all the instructions and practical experiences some tourists are generous to donate to the beggars.
The second category in the potential target list of Indian beggars is women in the expensive cars. Generally women are considered to be soft hearted and donors. The beggars are aware of this psychological aspect not through any research but everyday experiences on the streets. Once they see women in the expensive cars they flock towards them. Almost all the expensive cars don’t let the windows down. This makes extremely difficult for the beggars to put their plea. Despite this technical disability for them to reach out to the potential donors some beggars have their way by pleading continuously. They keep knocking on the windows, pleading with folded hands, communicate symbolically, crying etc. Moved by the human misery some women travelers pull out few coins from their wallets to donate.
Most of the donors throw coins. They follow the famous proverb “even if you want to dump it in the river measure it before”. Few coins by many will make the beggars rich by the day end. But due to the massive decline in the number of donors the beggars find it less beneficial profession. Now they don’t accept less than two rupee coin. By mistake if someone gives a coin less than two rupee the beggars throw it back to the donor with outrageous anger on the face. Often there are heated arguments between the travelers inside the car about the nuisance of the beggars. Firstly, for supporting the poor people. Secondly this encourages poverty. This battle of argument never ends. Most of the times due to beggars, ’ good friends and family members strain their relationships.
I was travelling with a high and mighty man in a car in south Delhi. At a traffic light cross a beggar approached the rich man in the front seat. He abused him and signaled not to come again. Without losing hope he approached the next seat where I was sitting. I lowered the window and gave him ten rupees. The beggar’s face lighted up million mega watts and heart poured blessings on me. Nearly fifty people in other vehicles watched this scene. It was embarrassing for the rich friend of mine. After the green light the vehicle moved and he gave me a non stop lecture about the bad consequences of begging. Intellectually I agreed with him and practically differed. I told him that those beggars are not from Tata or Birla or Ambani families with millions. They come to the streets for food and essentials to lead everyday life. Till we ensure the basics for every India it is the responsibility of the better off citizens to help them. Surely my logic infuriated him. I did not bother.
Although begging is not desirable there is no alternative for the beggars. The common statement is “work hard to earn your bread not come to streets for begging”. A 45 year old beggar answered. I tried for a decent employment after my B.A. No use despite registering in the employment office. My family deserted me and forced me into begging.
Nobody chooses begging. Every beggar is forced into the dirty profession. The state, civil society and individuals should put adequate efforts to alleviate poverty and remove begging. It is not only a social evil but a misnomer for the globalization. Beggars are a big nuisance to the traffic and vehicles. They run across the busy roads and put the driving people into big risks. Sadly there are many children below ten years on the streets for begging and endangering the lives of road travelers. For human sake the begging on the busy roads should be eliminated at the earliest. After this first step any form of begging should be uprooted by providing adequate life essentials for the beggars. Poverty elimination cannot be an endless goal for the Indian nation.