'Presidential Palace' faces Water Shortage

Water scarcity in summers in New Delhi, capital of India is not uncommon but this could figure in Ripley’s believe it or not! Summer sizzle has not spared even India's first citizen from getting exposed to harsh urban realities.

Presidential Palace or Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, one of the most imposing symbols overlooking the Republic’s corridors of power, is facing water shortage. You may even get to see tankers supplying water to the president’s estate — just like a shoddy lane tucked away in a corner of any metro.

"Rashtrapati Bhavan" which is the official residence of the President of India is a posh 133-hectare estate which faced acute water shortage on Friday & the Delhi Jal Board (Delhi Water Body) received a letter to this effect from the Rastrapati Bhavan.

“The letter said the "Rastrapati Bhavan" is reeling under acute water shortage for the last few days and if need be they would require additional water tankers,” a senior DJB official said. “We have enough tankers and we are fully prepared,” the official said.

According to sources, 2 million litres of water is required for the Rashtrapati Bhavan every day; the annual water requirement is 730 million litres.

Perched on Raisina Hill, the Rashtrapati Bhavan is a township within itself: besides 340 rooms in the main building, there are 7,000 residents at any given time, and approximately 3,000 people visit the presidential premises daily.

It has a school, post office, bank for the staff and family besides tennis courts, swimming pool, ornamental canals, garden pools (Mughal Garden) and fountains, theatre, club for the First Family and their guests. There are also acres of rolling gardens and forests, which need a lot of water.

Link

Get Weird India Updates by e-mail

World War-I bomber found in Elephant stable

A termite-ridden World War-I bomber was recovered from one elephant stable of a palace in India. This bomber is at present on display in Britain's Imperial War Museum. The plane is a de Havilland DH 9, made of wood and canvas.

About 2,000 of them were built in Britain during World War I for long-distance raids, but the one at the museum in Duxford, near Cambridge, is the only one Britain currently has, thanks to its discovery by a backpacker in the elephant house at the former Bikaner Maharaja's palace in India's desert state of Rajasthan, reports the Daily Telegraph.

It took two years and about $1 million to restore the plane so it could be shown at the museum.

As per Guy Black, director of a restoration company who helped return the plane back to Britain, told the Telegraph that he went discreetly to the palace in India to ask about the wreckage.

"They showed me to an elephant stable which was like a dog's kennel but 100 times bigger," he said. "There among the saddles and other paraphernalia were piles of WWI wings and tails and other things. I could not believe my eyes."

Get Weird India Updates by e-mail