Indias Capital Under Siege?

With US President Bill Clinton expected in the Capital, virtually all major roads in several parts of the City will be choked on account of traffic restrictions imposed by the Delhi Traffic Police to enable the visiting dignitary and his entourage unrestricted passage.

In other words, all normal activity in Delhi on Tuesday will be affected on account of major restrictions which for instance may prevent residents of the trans-Yamuna area, where one-third of the city's population is concentrated, to cross the river during the forenoon.

The police have already declared that the stretch of Ring Road from Nizamuddin Bridge till the Chandgi Ram Akhara would be sealed before the US President visits the Rajghat to pay homage to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. Similar restrictions around Connaught Place and India Gate have been also imposed and the picture at Dhaula Kuan and Sardar Patel Marg is going to be no different.

As a matter of fact, in effective terms, problems are going to crop up for officer-goers, schoolchildren and others to travel to their respective destinations. Past experience has shown that closure of any stretch of Ring Road leads to massive traffic jams all over the city since there is a snowballing effect which extends to every other area.

The US security personnel have already ensured that the only way the people of the world in general and Indians in particular can view President Clinton's brief visit to India is through the electronic media. But his visit may get deeply etched in the minds of the Delhiites as a day when they witnessed the worst traffic jams in the city.

There are a large number of Indians living in Delhi, who still recall the civic receptions accorded to President Dwight Eisenhower, President Jimmy Carter, Prime Minister Nikita Khurshev, President Leonid Brezhnev, Queen Elizabeth and host of other world dignitaries. These people had seen these world leaders as they went past them. However, but for a select few, not many Delhiites would be able to see Clinton from close quarters.

Even the Indian media has been denied access to Mr Clinton and would therefore be not having any interaction on the Indian soil with the strongest man of the world's leading democracy. Even in Parliament, where the US President will address a joint meeting of the two Houses, very few journalists have been permitted to cover the event.

Coming back to the traffic jams, Delhiites, who wish to avoid any kind of inconvenience should remain at home. One is a little surprised why the government has so far not declared a public holiday on Tuesday when travelling is going to become virtually impossible for a major part of the day.

The annual exams of many schools are in progress, the government offices would be opening after a long week-end and business activity disrupted on account of Holi festivities would resume on Tuesday. How then would the people make it to their destinations when the city is going to be under a virtual seige?

The US President's visit to India, Bangladesh and Pakistan is going to focus world attention on South Asia. It will also simultaneously focus on the inability of the host countries in providing foolproof security and hospitality to the visiting dignitary. There have already been news items appearing in various publications that the US marines have already landed in the Capital to beef up the security arrangements. They will look after the second corridor of the security ring, while men from the secret service will be providing proximity cover.

The Americans are leaving nothing to chance and therefore have totally eliminated the involvement of Indians, Bangladeshis and Pakistanis in providing close security to their President. In the process, they, one is sure, with prior permission, have brought their marines into sovereign countries to augment and provide security and other facilities to Bill Clinton.

Mr Clinton is going to be the honoured guest of this country and its people. There has been a lot of media hype on what he would be doing and what he would be eating during his brief visit. Details of how a five-star hotel in the Capital has been sanitised to receive the President have appeared in various publications and on electronic media. It is another thing that the President may choose to stay at the Roosevelt House in the US Embassy premises or somewhere else out of security considerations.

However, certain actions of our civic agencies do reflect poorly on our colonial past. For instance, reports about lampposts being cleaned, flyovers being painted from underneath, red mud being sprinkled on the side pavements of the Rajpath and fresh plants being put to fill up gaps in the hedges around the Hyderabad House also reflect on the state of affairs of our civic agencies.

The media projection of the cleanliness drives by the civic agencies and the work being done on a war-footing to spruce up the city on the eve of Clinton's visit also indicate the callous and casual approach of these agencies during normal times. If one visit by the US President can help in cleaning up the city, the Indian Government must somehow ensure that the US President visits Delhi every year. At least the city would look bright and clean and Delhiites would know whom to thank.

The MCD, the NDMC and the Delhi Government have at different times announced how cleanliness drives were being launched to give a facelift to the city. Normally, these drives in the past coincided with Deepawali festivities. But since this did not happen last year, the Delhiites are grateful that the Delhi Government and its allied agencies are attempting to achieve these objectives by Holi festivities even though it is Bill Clinton we should thank.

The traffic jams on Tuesday will also highlight the need for Delhi to have an underground mass rapid transit system which, at least, would ensure that the normal activity of the Delhiites does not get affected on account of rallies and the VVIPs' movements.

Although a lot of publicity has been given to the MRTS project, the authorities concerned have yet to make up their mind on whether to use broad gauge or meter guage tracks. One section of officials has also expressed preference for standard tracks, which in other words may imply that the carriages for MRTS may have to be manufactured abroad. In other words, some more foreign trips of bureaucrats could be on the anvil.

Another factor which needs attention while planning the MRTS is that the government has also not been able to come out with pragmatic policy on acquiring land in congested areas where the land prices are colossal and unthinkable. Any attempt to forcibly acquire land could lead to agitation by affected people and the Congress and the BJP - the two principle parties of the city may end up taking stands similar to the ones they have adopted on the Delhi Rent Act which is awaiting notification.

The VVIP arrangements for President Clinton's India Yatra are unprecedented. The Indian Government and the authorities here have been totally overawed by the visit and have virtually conceded to every demand of their US counterparts. Thankfully, the Ministry of External Affairs has not been taken over by the Americans. Otherwise, we would have ended up signing the CTBT.

For the Delhiites, the advice for Tuesday remains. It is a good day to stay at home. Unless one wishes to remember the Clinton visit as a day of jams.

Between us.