Delhi underground

Election frenzy
As the Capital was readying itself for the Assembly polls, everybody seemed to have been caught in the frenzy. With the police force put on election duty, the hearings of criminal cases listed in courts had to be deferred, as there were not enough police personnel to ensure security while the convicts were brought to the courts.

Admission blues
Now that parents will get extra points for being non-smokers, teetotallers and vegetarians, they have now drawn up lists of traits that can help them get ahead in the rat race for nursery admissions. On www.nurseryadmissions.com, a community portal for those applying for a seat, parents are now discussing if the child of a bald father will have less chances of making it to the list, or if schools will now say more points will be awarded to “virgin parents”. Internet is at least providing the stressed and desperate parents an outlet to express the frustration they are undergoing while trying to secure a nursery seat.

Minting money
The admission season seems to have given schools the perfect opportunity to rake in the moolah. They know how to get around the rule and make more money. At a Delhi school, a parent was asked to pay Rs 175 for a registration form. Shocked at being charged Rs 150 extra — registration forms are to be sold for only Rs 25, according to the government’s order — he insisted on seeing the principal. A threat to approach the media worked and he got the form for Rs 25. Wonder, if all parents manage to save themselves from being fleeced. Schools have found another means to earn bucks, by making it mandatory for the parents to buy prospectuses along with the registration forms. This is irrespective of the fact if the child will get admission in the school or not. The prospectuses sell for an average of Rs 300 to 400.

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