Political and Administrative Apathy

On a Sunday Morning , a couple of months back , I wrote to the local MLA, copying the MP regarding laws being broken right behind my house. The only response I received was that of the MLA copying the Police Commissioner of Delhi and the Municipal Commissioner and asking them to take some action. There hasn't been any development thereafter. 

I'd believed, we always had ourselves to blame for being bad citizens; why? First, for being irresponsible about anything that doesn't affect us directly and not informing authorities of violations. Second, for choosing such lazy politicians to represent us. Turns out we only need to blamed for the latter. Because even if you did complain, they can, at best, mask ignorance. 

I'm posting this online, just so that this can be cited if the situation gets worse in the future. At least the politicos can excuse themselves from the 'lack of knowledge' banter.

Perhaps I should write them another mail, apologizing to have even bothered.

Let me remind them : Elections 2014. Ring a bell?

The letter I wrote, enclosed below.

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To, 

Mr. Naseeb Singh 

Member of Legislative Assembly, 

Vishwas Nagar Constituency, 

Delhi. 

Copy to : 

Mr Sandeep Dikshit 

MP , East Delhi.

Subject: Bringing to your attention the demise and depreciation of public space and infrastructure due illegal encroachments in Vardhman Plaza Market (I.P. Extension).

Dated: 8th June 2013

Respected Sir, 

I am a resident of Paradise Apartments, Plot No. 40, I.P. Extension, which forms a part of your constituency. Adjoining my apartment, is a multistory shopping complex, commonly known as Vardhman Plaza, which happens to be one of the larger public market places in the I.P. Extension area.

In the last one year, there's been severe deterioration to not only the ambiance but also the public infrastructure in and around this market place. This has happened majorly due to the illegal encroachments that have unearthed in recent years, but also, partly, due to the irresponsible behavior of shop keepers towards the maintenance of this market place. As a consequence, the place in itself has become extremely shabby, ill-maintained and unhygienic. 

 

I want to bring to your attention the encroachments made by a few taxi service providers, which keep their entire fleet of vehicles (and their drivers) permanently parked in the space available to general public visiting the market for maneuvering or parking. This can be construed as a private business being run on public premises, which is of course illegal. Most of the these vehicles are washed everyday with water pipes in the very public space they are parked in, and all the water is spilled directly on the road, as if it were a sewer. It is the same road that is used by residents to maneuver from one side of the market to the other. Not to mention the severe wastage of water.

There are also small shacks that have mushroomed as tea stalls in the public space of the market to cater to these taxi stands. I've attached some pictures as evidence to validate my claims. The drivers of these taxi stands are constant bystanders. Any resident, male or female, stands at risk of their lewd remarks.

Apart from the illegal encroachments, the market is itself in a very poor state of maintenance. There is a big garbage collection room right in the middle of market, the surroundings of which are extremely filthy and unclean. Many shop keepers dump their garbage around this place in the open. And this is again, right in the middle of the same road which people use to move from one side of the market to the other. Any person walking on that road is at a health risk due to the unhygienic surroundings.

As a result, the market in itself has become an extremely inhospitable and dirty place. If conditions like this persist, we're not far from the day when the same situation balloons into a security issue. Please find attached with this email photographic evidence to the aforementioned claims.

I strongly urge you to visit to area and assess the situation yourself, and accordingly ask the accountable authority to look into this matter.

Also, I would appreciate if your office can send me a confirmation to have received this email. I'm using the email address very kindly communicated to me by Mr. Abhilek Bhardwaj, when I called up your office.

Best Regards, 

Engineering Love : Chapter 1 : Part VII

Rest of the hundred meters to the metro station went about in silence. Perhaps she'd realized that I was uncomfortable seeing her smoke. Quite honestly, I wasn't uncomfortable seeing her smoke. I was uncomfortable seeing so many people staring at us, who perhaps saw a girl smoking as a criminal offence. You can't expect any better from a Najafgarh village, I said to myself. I could have acted all saintly and apprised her of my reservations but stayed shut for two reasons. 

First, she was probably self aware. And if she didn't give a damn about it herself, I wasn't going to play Mr. daddy - even if I fitted the persona. 

Second is a rather painful memory from school days. This memory was of an era in which I last remember thinking of myself as slightly cool. This was also the era of accomplishing puberty. It was also the era of discovering the importance of porn in one's life. The era of having serious (c)rushes.The era of sixties in maths and eighties in English. The era of hiding report cards; the era before the tryst to become an engineer even began. 

It was a friend's birthday party. And since I was perceived slightly cool then, I was invited to all the cool birthday parties. So were all the cool girls. The plan was to reach the venue directly from school, change into something more birthday like, and get on with the proceedings. There was a particularly hot girl in the group, who changed into something that took her hotness to infinite levels. It was black top with a net that tucked the bosom together. And my god wasn't she looking amazing. So much so, that if she had the carnal desires just for me in this world, and if at the same time, we were also locked up in a room indefinitely, I would faint out of sheer breathlessness. You would look at her and imagine a sex goddess kicking your balls to ignite the furnace of testosterone production. And then think of all male reproductive organs salivating together as a consequence. 

What she wore wasn't particularly revealing at the outset. But if one was hard working and had the right (wrong) intent, one could get the view. I had it a couple of times myself. Most of us guys had had. But then when the sight had lost its novelty, my intrepid brain sought a plan to make her an accomplice. I knew she was way out of my league, but if you got closer to the queen bee, you're definitely more acquainted with bee hive. 

With a saint like demeanor I approached her. When I thought I had the space, I whispered to her in a hush voice : ' I think your dress is a little too revealing. You should change you know.'  She looked at me in disbelief. And then she looked at her breasts. I looked at her breasts too and then she looked at me again, this time a little enraged. She obviously hadn't taken it in the right spirit, but didn't say anything then. I realised a girl who'd just about entered her teens, felt as accomplished of her breasts, as a guy felt of being able to masturbate. Perhaps she'd bought the dress a while back, when there was hardly any seismic activity on her body. I didn't have the guts to make eye contact with her again. The next day when I went to school, the word was out : 'He's such a pervert, he was looking at my boobs all the time.' 

So much for getting all pally with the queen bee. Never give a hot girl an honest advice, I thought to myself.

As much as wanted to tell Saswati that she shouldn't smoke so blatantly in public, I restrained myself. I couldn't risk her not taking it in the right spirit. Because if she didn't , I didn't know whom I would talk to tomorrow.