Fishing in troubled waters!

Ameet Desai, director of a private power generation company thought his passing remarks about displacement of villagers in Mundra for industrialisation would go unnoticed. While speaking to the reporters at the power plant site in Mundra last Friday, Desai proudly claimed, "What you see here is being created in the last three years. In 2006, when we came here for the first time, there were only villages all around. Even to reach this project site, we had to cross several villages. There was absolutely no infrastructure here". But he was caught offguard by a savvy reporter who interrupted him to tell him that the displacement was due to the power plant and that it destroyed livelihood of nearly 10,000 families solely dependent on fishing, Desai retracted. But then he claimed: "Those villages and villagers are all there. If you want I can show you around." He even ignored several protests by the affected local community "All these are frivolous allegations with no substantive basis," he added. Such are the pronouncements of the 'power'ful.

‘Meat’ing points

Gujaratis are claiming to be all vegetarians, so much to the extent that a Pizza Hut in Ahemedabad serves only Veg Pizzas. Strange as that is, the Bhatiar Gali in the walled city everyday witnesses more than 70 per cent of Amdavadis binging madly on non-veg stuff. During one of my visit to the place, one strange man stood out from the rest. He preferred having a chicken to mutton kebabs. When a curious bystander asked him why, he replied, "I prefer chicken (in fact most of Gujaratis when out for non-veg food) as it doesn't have meat like mutton." Astonished by the knowledge of non-vegetarian food in the locals, the curious neighbour considered keeping quiet than explain what 'meat' really means.

... contd.