It seems that the inmates are running the asylum. How else can you explain the chaos in the Capital?
Our roads lie decimated by the occasional shower, and we’re told to believe that, in fact, a certain imminent sports event is to blame! Unfortunately, the state of unpreparedness that we find ourselves in for the Commonwealth Games is symptomatic of a much larger problem – one that’s so deep rooted in the system that it’s actually hard to locate. And it manifests itself in many ways, not least of which is in plain sight – on our roads.
You’ve got the MCD, the NDMC, the PWD, the DJB, and a couple of other acronyms that I can’t presently think of, and they each seem to work independently of one another as rulers of their very own cosmos. You’ve also got the DMRC constructing the metro, and two dozen other contractors working in different parts of the city – on anything ranging from different stretches of road to various Games sites. And not one is accountable to the other.
The end result is complete apathy, carnage and anarchy on our roads – it’s so extreme that it appears almost orchestrated. What we need is a single entity to authorise, oversee, and be held accountable for the work of these individual agencies. Oh wait, isn’t that supposed to be the (ineffectual) Delhi Government?
As a country, we may have a socialist past, but you’d be hard pressed to find any traces of that in the attitude of our public servants. After all, it couldn’t be more capitalistic than this – each one is out to see how deeply they can fill their own pockets. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating socialism – perhaps a mild conscience and a meek sense of accountability at best. |
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