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Today's Paper | November 22, 2024

Published 29 Sep, 2013 07:16pm

The city of djinns

Hauz Khas in Old Delhi offers perfect spots for budding musicians as the acoustics are amazing. -Photo by Vaqar Ahmed
I land at the airport of a city in a foreign country. The airport is spotlessly clean, the lines for immigration are reasonably orderly, and the immigration process is smooth. I sail through the customs green channel. Taxis are waiting outside in an orderly manner. The road from the airport is wide and lined with trees. The city is very green. I encounter a traffic jam at one location but otherwise the ride is unhindered – It is a good start.

The city I am in is not somewhere in Europe or North America; actually, it is just a two hour flight from Karachi. I am in Delhi.

What stands out in the few hours in Delhi is that the city infrastructure works well. The bus system is excellent. There are both air-conditioned and regular public buses that ply the wide roads. The buses are comfortable, frequent and provide proper seating. No one hangs out from the doors or rides on the roof. There is no wild racing for grabbing more passengers as the buses are run by the public sector and thus the enterprise is not for profit. At some of the bus stops, there is an electronic information system that gives the arrival time of the next bus.