Ritika | Write Stuff

Bandra Worli Sea Link - Will it work?

By Ritika at 30 June, 2009, 11:31 am

The Worli Sea Link is finally up and ready to go. Though its five years late than its original estimated time but as the old adage goes, ‘Better late than never’. The Link is meant for reducing the time taken for a 10 km distance from 50-90mins to around 8 mins. The bridge which is rightfully celebrated as an engineering marvel did not have an easy race to the finish line. It was bogged down by environmental issues by fishermen and residents, the litigations resulting thereafter, the great Indian bureaucracy and finally the recession that dried up funding resources. I must admit that I had my doubts if the link would ever be completed. I am happy to be proved wrong but I am still skeptical about recovery of the investment which stands at Rs 1,600 crore ($325 million), more than 3 times the estimated cost of Rs 450 crore.

The White Elephants of Uttar Pradesh

By Ritika at 29 June, 2009, 4:45 am

Wikipedia describes a white elephant as a valuable possession which its owner cannot dispose and whose cost (particularly cost of upkeep) is out of proportion to its usefulness. In financial terms, maintaining a white elephant is just a cost centre which will never incur any revenue. And in political terms, it means running the current government in Uttar Pradesh by Mayawati.

Tackling India’s own Taliban

By Ritika at 26 June, 2009, 9:18 am

I can’t help but draw parallels between Pakistan’s crusade against Taliban in Swat valley and Indian government’s crusade against Maoist in Lalgarh. As Pakistan army fights the Taliban to uproot their hold over the Swat valley, India too is fighting its own Taliban, the Maoists in Lalgarh and currently carrying out an operation to regain the land usurped by the Communist Party of India (Maoist) in the hinterlands of the West Bengal.

Did Anyone say - Weak PM?

By Ritika at 24 June, 2009, 8:27 pm

The last elections were mainly fought by BJP by projecting BJP Prime Ministerial candidate L.K. Advani as a strong leader unlike Manmohan Singh, the Congress Prime Ministerial candidate, who was often criticized for being a weak leader by the opposition BJP, the media and by many of his own party men. Though Manmohan Singh stood his ground on the nuclear treaty issue which forced Left to withdraw support, he was still regarded as a man who worked under the aegis of Sonia Gandhi and who did not have the courage to stand his own guard.

Chand Fiza – the never ending love story

By Ritika at 16 June, 2009, 11:05 pm

The day I read about Chand Fiza love story, I instantly thought to myself, Mahesh Bhatt camp has got another story to make. Looking at Vishesh films, penchant for real life drama, I won’t be surprised if soon there is an announcement of a movie replicating the real life love (!if you call it love) story of Chand Fiza with of course Emraan Hashmi in the lead role and some fresh saucy siren making up the other half. And after knowing that Mr Chand was a deputy CM of Haryana and is a sitting Congress MLA, I am wondering if Prakash Jha also might be interested. He can easily move the set up from Harayana to Bihar. Two out of work politicians in Bihar, Laloo and Paswan could probably even help him in his research.