Srinagar, June 9: Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh left for New Delhi Tuesday but some anecdotes pertaining to his two-day Srinagar visit have started doing rounds to provide a laughing-stock for many including some top officials witness to the events.
 Well let’s start from what the City is presently more known for, and Srinagarites more scared of: the one lakh and growing stray dogs.
 On Tuesday one of the stray canines, a brown dog, prowling the plush Boulevard came in way of a VIP  cavalcade when the Prime Minister was yet to leave the SKICC complex on Dal banks.
 A senior police official said the Srinagar Municipal Corporation authorities were at once asked to remove the corpse. The SMC Commissioner, Sheikh Mushtaq is learnt to have directed the sanitation officials to get the corpse removed instantly.
 “But given the security restrictions in place it wasn’t feasible to sent a truck. So, instead a Safai Karamchari was immediately sent on a bicycle to remove the corpse,” said an official adding that the corpse was lifted on the cycle carrier and thrown outside the security cover on the Nishat road. 
 The country’s elite Special Protection Group (SPG) which provides security cover to the Prime Minister had taken charge of the SKICC, the main venue where Dr Singh met various delegations and chaired a varsity convocation.
 Given the selective entry of visitors to the SKICC, not all could make it to the venue.
 On the first day of the PM’s visit, sources said almost all the legislators reached the Dal banks looking ahead to make it to the SKICC.
 But only the Ministers were allowed to proceed while other MLAs were asked to stay back.
 This irked an MLA who remarked: “This is the difference between the Jhanda and Danda.”
 “By this he meant that even though all MLAs enjoy police escort(Danda), only Ministers have a flag car(Jhanda),” explained a police official to his colleagues near Oberoi Crossing making everybody break into laughter.
 While inside the SKICC, policing was SPG affair, the local police on guard outside caught hold of a visitor the moment he walked out of the venue. The visitor, a helicopter pilot in the state government was at fault. Witnesses said he was caught smoking.
 “The police wanted to fine him for smoking at public place but as he resisted and the matter could take an ugly turn some officials intervened to pacify and the accused was allowed to go,” said a witness, a senior official.
 Irked at the security restrictions on the Boulevard, an MLA asked a police official to let her go to SKICC or the cop would end-up in trouble.
 “Madam I have been thrown into armed police from regular force. What worst can you do then get me thrown into the Dal lake,” the cop replied.
 Senior police officials while confirming the incidents said: “Such incidents do take place during VVIP visits. But the best thing is that we relish sharing these anecdotes because everything went on peacefully.”
 “And this was only because the security restrictions were well in place!”

Lastupdate on : Wed, 9 Jun 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 9 Jun 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 10 Jun 2010 00:00:00 IST