National Security Adviser Ajit Doval does not confine himself to internal security matters; his imprint is seen in foreign policy as well. Ahead of next month’s BRICS Summit in Goa, Doval played host to national security advisers of the participating countries in Dilli. The meeting was to discuss agenda for the upcoming summit, which is expected to revolve around the terror threat emerging from Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The major agenda of the meeting was to assess and review security and strategic environment, especially in the light of an uptick in terror attacks the world over. But as in such events, there was much interest in what took place on the margins of the meeting, especially during Doval’s meeting with his Chinese counterpart, State Councillor Yang Jiechi and Russia’s Security Council Secretary, Nikolai Patrushev.
Doval and Yang have been meeting to work out the border dispute. Apparently China was keen to participate in the BRICS NSA meeting due to its own domestic terror problem. India would like to see China take a more independent line on jihadi terrorism, which would mean not to condone Pakistan’s actions. What transpired obviously will not for public consumption but it is believed that the two officials also set up a date for a future meeting on the boundary issue.
Equally of interest was Doval’s meeting with Patrushhev, in which the two NSAs discussed cooperation in defence, space and nuclear energy. Under the Modi Sarkar, India’s ties with China and Russia have been maintained mostly through Doval. With Pakistan drawing closer to Russia (a joint military exercise is being planned), the NSA probably would want to ensure that the historical bilateral ties with Russia stay on an even keel, even as India refashions its foreign policy according to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision.
Highway calling
Commuters in Delhi and Gurugram who have probably resigned themselves to suffering horrendous traffic jams may hope to get respite from their daily agony soon. And when that happens they can thank Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, who has fast-tracked a mammoth project to widen the Delhi-Jaipur national highway, which will reduce time for travel between the two cities from six hours to a mere two hours.
The project, which is slated to be completed by March next, was held up due to delays in land acquisition but it is apparently back on track now. Gurugram, which suffers the most, will get four flyovers and underpasses and six new pedestrian bridges for smooth movement of traffic between Old and New Gurugram and on the Delhi-Gurugram stretch of the expressway.
But that’s not all that is in store. Maybe it is the impending elections in Punjab, but Gadkari has announced a high-speed highway between Delhi and Amritsar which will reduce time to cover the 685-km distance to an incredible two-and-a-half hours. While it does sound far-fetched given the state of highways and roads in India, it would perhaps be more credible had the announcement not carried the whiff of a typical election promise. If it does indeed happen, weekend drives will never be the same for Dilliwallas.
A cruise fantasy or cruel fallacy
The Yamuna is dead. But it seems the Central government refuses to give up its romantic fantasy of turning it into the Thames or the Seine. Over the years, thousands of crores of rupees have been poured into various Yamuna revival plans but it remains the stinking, polluted sewer that Dilliwallas have learnt to live with.
Now the Inland Waterways Authority of India has come up with a plan to run boat taxis in sections of the river for recreation and transportation. The proposal entails an estimated expenditure of `28 crore for building ferry terminals, dredging and, of course, the ferries or “boat taxis”. The proposal has reportedly been submitted to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for approval.
The idea is deemed ridiculous in some circles since the Yamuna is no longer a river, by any definition. Its waters have turned opaque due to sewage and chemicals, the banks are strewn with waste and garbage and it is difficult to even breathe due to the toxic chemicals present in the air. Besides, oxygen levels are nil and it cannot yet support any aquatic life.
But clearly there are some who see the light and hope where others see merely a pipedream, and an expensive one at that. It all might make more sense if the Yamuna is back to being a normal river, if that’s even possible now. Or maybe it’s expected that the Art of Living will plunge into this venture too after restoring the Yamuna’s floodplain.
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