Delhi underground

What’s in a name?
Is a name a moment’s inspiration or a much-thought after affair? Well, the Delhi High Court recommends the second course of action. Hearing the case of a missing 13-year-old girl, a senior judge on the Bench was “shocked” on hearing the girl’s name—“Nirasha” (disappointment). The judge went on to express his reservations about her parents’ choice and was keen to know the reason behind it. As expected, the lawyer for the parents had an answer ready: “My Lord, she was their fifth daughter.”

Bending the rules
No powder-strewn corridors or faces streaked with colours at DPS, RK Puram this Holi. So students decided to make-do-and-mend: when the bell rang on Thursday afternoon, water bombs were replaced with water bottles, swiftly emptied down unsuspecting backs. And those who thought they could leave the school compound unscathed were ambushed at the paan shop outside. Showering their classmates with concoctions of coke and colours, students set the pace for the festive day ahead.

‘Blacked out’ promises
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati’s home district of Gautam Budh Nagar went without power for close to 20 hours and has been reeling under a shortage ever since. Interestingly, the announcement to make Noida and Greater Noida “power-cut free” came around the same time. The state power minister later visited the power station that had caught fire and ordered the transformer and other equipment to be replaced. But, with the target for restoring a 24-hour power supply to the district set as April 10, officials are beginning to panic. Sources say that even after the supply lines were restored, the district would be falling short of 45 megawatts per day, making it difficult to go without 3-4 hour power cuts on a daily basis. Worse, the adjoining district of Ghaziabad, whose supply was diverted to Noida to ease the crunch through the week, has been reeling under a severe shortage too.