Dear friends Its true that we all love <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1:City w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Delhi</st1lace></st1:City>. As the Capital, dons a new dress ahead of the Commonwealth Games 2010, lets discuss all that we like and dislike about <st1lace w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Delhi</st1:City></st1lace>. I am not at fond of the new Green Low floor DTC buses that are now so common. It is not at all suited for a populous city like <st1:City w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Delhi</st1lace></st1:City>. There is very little aisle space to walk down to the front gate. The bus fills up in no time. In a crowded bus, you can hardly tell a male passenger leaning on you to push off. You have no choice but to bear it. Give me the old spacious Yellow and Green DTC buses any day. There is a lot more aisle space to walk and seating is quite comfortable too.
I have been using the low floor buses everyday to commute to work. The buses have very little space for movement. I suggest they should create space to stand by removing the right hand seats behind the driver’s seat in the lower portion of the bus. What is more some of these buses are catching fire every other day! If this is the condition of buses when a reputed group like TATA is in charge of maintenance, I shudder to think of the time when DTC itself will be maintaining the buses. I think the green low floor buses are a costly blunder by the Govt of Delhi.
Well, travel in those green DTC buses seems to be in the news all of a sudden, what with these buses catching fire/spewing smoke every day. Things are a bit better in the Red AC DTC buses. Since the fares are a bit higher, these buses are not too crowded. The buses proved to be a blessing in the sweltering summer heat of <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1:City w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Delhi</st1lace></st1:City>. It was a relief to get into these shiny new buses during summer. For just a little more, you could travel to your destination in air conditioned comfort. I must thank the Delhi Government for this. They have made life a bit easier for working ladies.:bowdown
I am really proud of the Delhi Metro. It has won numerous awards for its environment friendly practices from many esteemed organizations including RINA, United Nations and International Organization for Standardization. It has become the first metro in the world to be ISO 14001 certified for environment friendly construction. The Delhi Metro has large optimally designed catchment areas at many stations. Most of the Metro Stations on the Blue Line conduct rainwater harvesting as an environmental protection measure. The Delhi Metro has been promoted as an integral part of community infrastructure and community artwork depicting the local way of living has been put on display at the stations. Aren't you all proud of the Delhi Metro?
I liked your post Amrita. I too am proud of the Delhi Metro. As far as the display at the stations goes I particularly like the decorative murals designed by students of local art colleges. My niece had worked on these designs. In the year 2007, the Delhi Metro was proclaimed as one of the only five metro systems in the world that were operationally profit generating despite the lack of government subsidies. I believe, this became possible by keeping the maintenance costs to a minimun, harnessing added revenues from property development and advertisements, besides ticket sales. Did any of you watch the documentary “24 Hours with the Delhi Metro” that was telecast on Discovery Channel?
Well, I have come to Delhi only recently. Price rise is a big issue for house wives in Delhi. We have to watch the budget with an eagle eye. There are two things I find remarkable. First, I find the Mother Diary outlets very useful. All Mother Diary products whether its milk or ghee or cooking oil or ice cream are of uniformly good quality and one can get the same easily. My friends tell me that there is a Mother Diary outlet in almost every colony. Secondly, there is the Kendriya Bhandar outlets. Here one can get good quality household goods from Atta to Dal to school copies to incense sticks of good quality. What is more, they help to hold the price line. Presently, the Kendriya Bhandar sells Delhi Govt issued Atta (atleast Rs 50/- below major brands) and Yellow Peas Dal (about Rs 26/- per kg). I have used both the Dal and Atta and found them to be of good quality.
Shayoka Departmental Store in Dwarka is a good one. It is located near Sevak Park and it delas in all general items. It is the place from which my relatives in West Delhi buy their home utility items. The address of this store is A-5-6-7, Gali No. 4, Dwarka, New Delhi- 110045. I will enquire about the phone numbers and will let you know later. The Vinayak Departmental store is also quite popular. One of my colleagues frequents this place. It is located opposite the ICICI Bank in Sector 11. I gather it is a complete family departmental store. I learnt that it offers a wide range of fashion items as well. Items like cosmetics, bags and toys are available.
Kathana Jewellers is one of the good jewelry shops in west <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1:City><st1lace>Delhi</st1lace></st1:City>. It is located near Aashiyana Chowk. Its address is 165, Kapil Vihar, Pitampura, <st1:City><st1lace>Delhi</st1lace></st1:City> – 110034. The phone numbers are 9971616222, 9818055892, 011 27353489 and 011 27354284. Kathana Jewellers is famous for beautiful designs, exquisite craftsmanship and excellent services. This establishment is run by a group of accomplished professionals from the domains of gemology and marketing. Kathana Jewellers is trusted because of its unique money back program called “30 Day 100% Money Back”. They are abundantly stocked with original jewelry designs for all tastes, occasions and budgets. They also do repairs.
