Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit is asking people again to donate power in the name of Earth Hour. Just a few days back Delhi NCR was in the brink of collapse when there was hardly any power and the media highlighted that the reason for this was that distcoms were selling power in the market to higher bidders. I have a feeling that this is another scam, the power “saved” by people on so called earth hours is sold by distcoms in the open market as they already know the low power requirement for that particular hour and even if the power is off, people won’t complain. Seems like the government is hand in glove with the distcoms.

On a separate issue, MCD commissioner Mr. K.S Mehra must think people are stupid as well. In a column called “grill session” in HT, Mr. Mehra was asked:

“There is garbage everywhere – on the roadside and even at the gates of cooperative housing societies. Garbage collection centres are overflowing with flith that attract scavengers. Why cannot MCD keep track of its sweepers – whether they are carrying out the cleaning properly or not?”

His reply: “Municipal solid waste is collected and transported to sanitary landfill site on a daily basis. All the employees of MCD, including those working in the Rohini zone, mark their attendance through a biometric machine and it is being ensure that those who do not mark their attendance through the machine are not paid their salaries.

I find this quite funny… Sure the biometric machines can ensure the attendance but can it also insure the people who turned up for the job are actually doing their work? I would not expect such a stupid reply from the Commissioner but then again this is MCD… where anything can happen. Time and again we have seen so many debacles by MCD and I am surprised that the Commissioners never own up to the responsibility and Resign. Its like when they get the job they go out an buy a quick fix and stick themselves to the chair. No wonder the MCD has the worst reputation of all the other government departments.