The Hindu : Reporter's Diary

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 23, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Madurai

Reporter's Diary

Speed breakers are, of course, meant to prevent over-speeding.

But on many occasions, they break off from their base, posing a threat to the two-wheeler riders.

Road-users wonder whether they are speed breakers or back-breakers.

This is because of their irregular specifications.

Then stepped in the authorities to bring out the rubberised speed-breakers that followed standard specifications. However, these too gave up within days of installation. Hence, they were immediately removed.

A rubberised speed breaker laid in front of the Thiagarajar College gave way, and its protruding iron rods were posing a threat to the passers-by.

* * *

It is no child's play. Yet, the children effectively enacted a street play on Saturday at Thideer Nagar in the city, conveying the message of polio eradication in an interesting manner.

The street children impressed upon the mothers the need for immunising their children against polio. Their message was also meant for children, for who could better espouse the cause of a child other than another child.

Children from various slums were trained to take part in cultural events and street plays on the polio immunisation. About 60 children took part in the events. And the result was good with a large turnout at the booths in the locality on Sunday.

The Rotary Club of Madurai Midtown arranged for the show, as the enthusiastic children emerged the best volunteers in the campaign. For this street play helped to spread the message to every street in the area. The gifts to the children were colourful caps, whistles and balloons. Small gifts for the large role they played. Worthy of recognition.

* * *

The Government and its departments introduce several programmes for common weal. But most often, such programmes failed to evoke satisfactory results owing to lack of public support. To know this, one has to visit the area around the Kattabomman statue near the Periyar bus stand. The traffic police have put up barricades near the statue to prevent vehicles from crossing the road to the opposite lane leading to the shopping complex bus stand, which causes traffic snarls. But, pedestrians, two-wheelers and tricycles sneak through the gaps in between the barricades, unmindful of the hardship they cause to the passers-by. The police department should take steps to ensure people adhered to the arrangements they make.

* * *

(Contributions from

T. Saravanan,

Shastry V. Mallady

and M.R. Aravindan.)

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu

News Update

Stories in this Section

Over three lakh children administered vaccine

Varsity web site to help old students get certificates

`DMK meet a foundation for secular Govt.'

MKU College to be reopened on Feb.25