Delhi in foreign media

A peek into what the international press is saying about the Capital and its preparations for next year’s Commonwealth Games

The newyork times
Plastic Roads Offer Greener Way to Travel
Mridu Khullar, November 13
In the 1990s, Ahmed Khan’s company in Bangalore churned out hundreds of thousands of plastic bags each month that eventually ended up as garbage. Mr Khan, 60, is trying to solve two of the biggest problems in India: battered roads and overflowing landfills. His solution: streets made with recycled plastic. With a ban on plastic bags being enforced in the Indian capital and the High Court asking the government to explore new ways of using plastics, the New Delhi municipal government is showing interest as well... Despite interest from Sheila Dikshit, chief minister of Delhi, only two km of such pavement have been laid in the capital, and that was five years ago.

The guardian
Delhi’s new B&Bs a real home away from home
Randeep Ramesh, November 10
There’s much to be said for the creature comforts of an Indian home. So much so that, in 2006, the Indian government allowed homeowners to register their abodes as bed-and-breakfasts. Prospective guesthouses were first vetted by the government and then given a rank depending on the size and number of rooms offered. Delhi Tourism Authorities also make surprise inspections twice a year to make sure the homes are up to scratch. Helping the trade is the fact that Delhi is woefully short of decent, affordable hotel rooms - a situation that will become more acute when thousands of tourists arrive for next year’s Commonwealth Games.

AFP
Indian police in search of the ‘perfect’ beggar
Beatrice Le Bohec, November 25
More than two months after the Delhi authorities launched mobile courts to convict and remove beggars from the capital’s streets, the controversial initiative has made a faltering start. On a recent trip with police officers, the difficulties for the anti-begging teams...were plain to see. The idea is that police nab the beggars and bring them before a judge on a bus which accompanies the officers. The team tried their luck at a nearby Sikh temple — religious sites being a favoured spot for beggars. An elderly, bearded man with bare feet sat at the entrance. “He hasn’t got his hand out, so we can’t stop him,” said Usha Rani, the only woman in the team.

BBC
Delhi gets tough on drink drivers
November 26
A court in the Indian capital, Delhi, has ruled that those driving under the influence of alcohol could lose their driving licence. The order will empower the police to confiscate the licence of a driver who is found to have consumed alcohol beyond the permissible limit...Activists say tens of thousands of Indians die in road accidents every year because of drink driving...According to the new guidelines, Delhi police will have the authority to take away the licence of a driver driving under the influence of alcohol. The offender would then have to appear before the transport department which would decide whether his licence should be suspended or cancelled.

DAWN
India to launch cleanliness campaign
December 2
In an effort to improve New Delhi’s image before the Commonwealth Games next year, the Indian capital is to launch a publicity campaign to stop people urinating in the street. ‘Don’t be su su kumar’ (‘Don’t be Mister Pee’) goes one of the catchy slogans for billboards that will be displayed at city intersections. “We have prepared 600 signboards with messages related to cleanliness. These will be displayed to educate people,” Delhi Mayor Kanwar Sain said. The mayor said the drive would also target the habit of spitting in public and the city’s many litterbugs. Lessons in etiquette are already being imparted to the city’s auto-rickshaw drivers.