It isn’t common for bureaucrats to enter the halls of the Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) to interact with its members. And over the years, many of these officials have adorned different hats – each affecting the manner of their interaction.
For instance, recently IAS officer Pradeep Singh Kharola, MD of the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) made his way to an interaction where he was expected to be peppered with questions on the delays in Metro work. Aware of this, Mr. Kharola said, “I had come before as Commissioner of Commercial Tax and I was received with warmth. Now, before this meet, I have been warned that the knives are out.” The quips didn’t end there. When asked if Phase II of the Namma Metro project would be expedited to “compensate” delays in Phase I, Mr. Kharola said, “Of course. And I can say this because I won’t be in this post by the time the deadlines come.”
Queue for ladies
Male passengers in BMTC buses are penalised for occupying what are marked as ‘ladies’ seats’. On the other hand, women who do not toe the line, literally, by sticking to the ‘ladies’ queue’ at certain places have to put up with angry stares and remarks. “What ladies’ queues?” one may ask.
A popular bakery in Rajajinagar, which always sees a large number of hungry people waiting to buy its products, believes in segregating its male and female consumers into two waiting lines.
When this reporter saw the same arrangement while she was inside a stuffy elevator in the MS Building, she couldn’t help but ask what the logic was. The only answer she got, however, was from the lift operator who asked her to “obey the rules and stand in the ladies side”.- Reporting by Mohit M Rao & Tanu Kulkarni
