State of affairs

Could not take in much of pessimistic news all at once. It's a drizzling Friday morning, sipping a hot coffee will only have your mood to read the most pleasant of the News. But reality strikes sooner and leaves you with a waht-could-I-do feeling.

Lauch Rediff.com. Navigate through the new design and try as much as possible for the old layout to not influence you in understanding the new one. Finally after some clicks land on the featured columsn of Business page. You read an article on the state of affairs in Indian Railways... phew. IR's net addition of tracks in the last 15-20 years has been a meagre 3000 Kms. Whereas, it's 6000 kms per year for China! IR moves Cargo at an average of 15-30 Kms per hour. But China does that at 200 Kms/hr. And still we will grow at 7-8%.

Open ToI and after a few clicks land in the Chennai City page. Central TN Ministers have made 4 trips a week (on an average) between Delhi - Chennai in 2008. That's about spending 84 lakhs for tickets alone. TN Govt.'s expenditure of boarding, lodging and private vehicle for them don't add in. Ok.. OK. Tht's it. Now no more such news.

Come to the New Indian Express. An Asst. Director is killed by an uprooted tree at Ashok Nagar in Chennai. Residents blame Corporation for planting such trees which grow quick but the roots of which do not penetrate deep enough to be stable. Corporation guys blame the Forest Dept. officials for making it next to impossible to feell trees who inturn blame the NGOs and Activists. Now these NGO's and Activists argue that it's not tree management that needs to be done rather traffic management.

Now.. wait, for heaven's sake, there is a loss of life and you still want to circum navigate your fingers? Is this the plight of an ordinary citizen.

What's happening in this country? My mind is still hanging in there with that thought.... not going any beyond.