On Oct 25, 2007, ESG ran into trouble on the BMIC PRR at the Somapura Junction. From the pictures taken by the ESG members it is clear that Ashok Kheny was there and so was the police. So that was how serious this was. Now there are four versions to this episode, the NICE version, the ESG version, the police version, and the media version.
Even though Ashok Kheny is known for his talks and is known to bowl over listeners, NICE is not exactly known for their openness and this case is no different either. Nothing on their website when I last checked it. There is no direct way of knowning their side of the story. Only media reports. But ESG is quite net savvy and carries a copy of the FIR that Leo Saldhana (co-ordinator, ESG) as filed with the police along with photographs on their website. In addition Arun forwarded me an email from Leo Saldhana(coordinator ESG) that he received.
The 'Maze' made good reading. It reminded me of an article abt the auto-rickshaw that appeared sometime back in TOI, which was something like this :
Roads in India defy order & logic of any kind. The Indian road is mostly a dirt track & provides an avenue for hawking, parking, garbage dumping, etc. & struggles to attempt to provide a corridor for transportation amidst the chaos & anarchy.
And at its heart, playing a key role is the Auto-Rickshaw, a three-wheeler commonly referred to as “Auto”, the only such being of its kind, perhaps in the universe. The “Auto” does indeed seem so naturally & effortlessly Indian on all counts – by appearance, by its noise, lack of road manners, pollution & its undisciplined & unpredictable movements.