Hum Chaar, Hamari Ek.

All eyes, groggy from the revellery of the night before, will be on Delhi on January 1. Because only vehicles carrying the odd number will be seen on the streets. I do not believe this scheme will work in the current scenario in India (read my previous post), but one thing is certain: A whole new revenue stream will open up for the local traffic cops, they are likely to be shaking to the Achhe Din jingle on 31^st night, unlike the rest of us.

Lots of debates have begun on the subject, as alarmed Dilliwallahs have been trying to put Plan B in place (which in most cases is the acquisition of the second car). And not just them, citizens in other large cities have been breathing uneasily, and not because of pollution; a copycat local neta might thrust this measure on his/her constituency. I was criticized (as usual) on my last post for being much too cynical (as usual) about Kejriwal’s idea to save Delhi’s children from death, and a few readers asked me to come up with a solution.

So here’s what I think: Even as we suss what happens when half the cars (allegedly) disappear from Delhi’s roads, governments in Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata must immediately begin working on another policy: One Family, One Car. Or as Sanjay Gandhi might have put it, Hum Chaar, Hamari Ek.

And so this is the best option in my view. No family can own multiple vehicles. The authorities will have to figure out a way to enforce this, and if they do manage to, three things will happen: One, people can drive out whenever they wish, without being at odds and ends. Two, it will dramatically reduce the number of private cars on the roads. And three, it will free up parking spots in public places as well as inside residential areas. Bachcha bachcha knows that parking wars in housing colonies were unheard of in the past, and the mess only began after each member of the family started boasting of a personal vehicle.  

What Sanjay baba could not achieve with human beings, let’s make it happen with machines. His disturbed soul will rest in peace.

(Image courtesy: Shutterstock.)

No one killed Noor Ullah

I am not sure if the judge gave this a thought: Complete acquittal of bhai in the hit, kill and run case would shock the nation’s conscience, and many would lose faith in the judiciary. And that it would reaffirm public’s belief, that if you have the big bucks, you can manipulate the ‘system’. It’s possible the judge took the principle of ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ to its extreme, and ignored an age-old legal maxim. That justice must be SEEN to have been done. Either way, bhai has been let off the hook, and this development should make those like Ms Janhavi Gadkar smile a bit wider. In fact, she should launch a charity initiative ASAP, and hire a kickass PR agency to push it.

But all is not lost; if the state appeals for a review in the Supreme Court, bhai can face jail time all over again. My own hunch: With the ditto same evidence placed on the bench, the SC is likely to take a harsher view. Therefore bhai’s fans must keep their pastries and garlands on hold for some time.

However, what interests me is this: If the SC upholds the acquittal, will the television media do what it so wonderfully did in the Jessica Lal case? Which is to compel the judiciary to order a re-trial. I hope that happens. Noor Ullah may have been a poor man, but his life wasn’t any less precious than Ms Lal’s. All of us need to stand up for him when the time comes.