The Hindu : Reader's Mail

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 22, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Reader's Mail

Lot of North Chennai

Sir, — Irrespective of who comes to power in Tamil Nadu, North Chennai continues to be neglected. Though all residents pay property tax, there is no development activity. The residents of Villivakkam are demanding construction of a railway overbridge or subway either on the eastern or western side of the level-crossing, which is being used by over 20,000 residents, including schoolchildren, daily. During peak hours, one has to wait for nearly half an hour to cross the gate.

G. Maharaja Kumar,

Kolathur

* * *

An eyesore

Sir, — Residents of Kodungaiyur suffer in many ways. The Kodungaiyur dumping yard is an eyesore with heaps of garbage strewn all over. The stench pervades even the neighbouring Rajarathinam, Krishnamoorthy and Kannadasan Nagars. Most of the conservancy lorries which carry garbage do not have the rear door and the mandatory net cover.

A.V. Kesava Krishnan,

Kodungaiyur

* * *

Make it thrice a week

Sir, — Trains 6125/26 Chennai-Jodhpur-Chennai express are run once a week. As a number of people cannot avail themselves of the facility for want of room, we request the Railways to make the service tri-weekly. As the journey time is 45 hours, spanning 2,400 km, a pantry car is an absolute necessity.

Ashok Kumar Raj Purohit,

T.N. Rajasthani Pravasi

Ekta Sangh,

Sowcarpet

* * *

Train to Kumbakonam

Sir, — As a senior citizen frequently travelling to Kumbakonam and Thanjavur, may I request Southern Railway to run a daily train to Kumbakonam from Chennai Egmore via Tiruchi and Thanjavur. This service will be a boon to thousands of passengers as they now have to depend on buses alone.

If this is not possible, the existing trains to Tiruchi may be extended to Kumbakonam.

V. Arunachala Subramanian,

Nandanam

* * *

Unethical

Sir, — The commercial staff of the Electricity Board in the Pulianthope area at Perambur Barracks demand Rs. 5,000 for giving an electricity connection. They demand such a huge amount on the ground even if the applicant has no proper document, the connection will be provided. Those who possess proper documents suffer needlessly as they also have to meet the demand.

T. Sambath,

Perambur

* * *

EB meters

Sir, — I wonder whether TNEB meters installed in residential apartments are ISI-approved. For, more often than not they are either running at an abnormal speed even when the main is switched off or not running at all. This makes them faulty and they cease working. This puts consumers to hardship as power consumption is calculated on the average for the past three-four months, which will invariably be on the higher side.

T. V. Hariharan,

Raja Annamalaipuram

* * *

Is life so cheap?

Sir, — This is with reference to the news item "Where danger is unlimited" (The Hindu, March 13), which highlights the dangers lurking in the city's 3,000-km-long sewers maintained and managed by the CMWSSB.

Will the CMWSSB come out with the figures for casualties of the poor, unprotected last grade workers, who come to the rescue of the residents when sewers are blocked or when they overflow?

Even though equipment and protective garments are available, due to supervisory failures, the hapless social worker loses life and his family suffers. This despite the presence of officials, instruction manual, etc.

V. Sam Mathews,

Tiruvanmiyur

* * *

Use machinery

Sir, — The news item that `Man dies in sewer' (The Hindu, March 11) makes sad reading. A few years ago such deaths due to asphyxiation in the sewers were on the increase. Metrowater bought machinery to obviate the need for men entering the sewer. It is not clear how a man was now made to enter the sewer for cleaning it. Such carelessness and callousness call for stringent action. The machinery should be used without fail.

T. M. Sundararaman,

Mylapore

* * *

Appeal to MTC

Sir, — None of the LSS services A18, B18, PP18 that run from Tambaram to Parrys/Broadway halts at P.Orr & Sons.

This causes inconvenience to those working in P.Orr & Sons, The Hindu and Simpson & Co. as they have to get down at the LIC stop and walk the distance or take another bus.

With the possibility of suburban train services becoming more unreliable in view of impending gauge conversion, a bus halt for these services at P.Orr & Sons will be a boon to many.

A. Sambandan,

Chromepet

* * *

Civic body unmoved

Sir, — In a portion of the road between plots 46 and 22 at Gayathri Nagar of the Pallavapuram municipality, a building (an encroachment) was raised by an individual, who was a former councillor. This was objected to by the Gayathri Nagar Residents Welfare Association, a member of our federation. The CMDA advised the municipality to remove the encroachment. But the former councillor obtained an interim injunction. Now that he is no more, the injunction order also lapsed. The municipality, in spite of several reminders from the association, is yet to remove the illegal construction.

V. Santhanam,

president,

Federation of Civic & Welfare Assn.

of Pallavaram

* * *

Mistaken identity

Sir, — I have undergone surgery recently and am convalescing. I applied for a BSNL landline phone and was allotted a number, 24453661, on November 6, 2003. This number was of the telephone that was in the possession of one Mr. Rajaram Swaminathan and was surrendered. He appears to have taken a loan from the ICCI bank and, has not repaid it. So from the day of installation of this phone, I used to get threatening calls from loan collecting agents of ICICI bank, asking me to repay the loan. I apprised bank authorities of the fact, but without relief. The same is the fate of my complaint to the police. I requested the BSNL to change my phone number, which it did on March 11 but did not activate it till March 18.

N. Ganapathy,

Tiruvanmiyur

* * *

Erect speedbreakers

Sir, — Kaliamman Koil Street, connecting 100 Ft. Road with Arcot Road, has become an extremely busy road with the establishment of the Koyambedu market and a mofussil bus terminus. At Chinmaya Nagar and Ayyappa Nagar, the roads intersect Kaliamman Koil Street. The emergence of the roads is not clearly visible to speeding motorists on either side and quite a few fatal accidents, particularly involving pedestrians, have taken place at this point.

The erection of two speedbreakers on Kaliamman Koil Street on either side of the Chinmaya Nagar bus stop will prevent motorists from zooming past.

A. Ernest Lazarus,

Chinmaya Nagar

* * *

Regulate roadcrossing

Sir, — The vicinity of the Chinnamalai bus stand, where a UCO bank branch, Millenium motors and AG Church are situated, gets congested during peak hours. The public, school children and the aged find it difficult to cross the road. I request that a police constable be posted at this point, during peak hours, to regulate traffic.

M. R. Ramachandran,

Saidapet

* * *

Why this decision?

Sir, — The Indian Institute of Technology has been issuing free passes for walkers, mostly senior citizens, to walk during specific hours in mornings and evenings. Now, all of a sudden, security personnel have informed all walkers that their passes, originally given for the period up to the end of the calendar year, will no longer be valid unless a fee is paid and renewal applications are submitted.

K.C.A. Narayanan,

Adyar

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