The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Reporter's Diary

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 08, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Reporter's Diary

A new outlet selling hot and cold beverages on Gaudiya Math Road has even named itself `One Way.' But the traffic regulation on the stretch hardly seem to bother motorists, as they enter it from Royapettah High Road end to proceed towards Lloyds Road junction. This continues despite the presence of a police station at the corner with R.H. Road and barricades on the road. Adding to the woes of law-abiding motorists and posing safety hazards for them is the haphazard parking of vehicles and encroachments on the narrow road, especially in front of a popular restaurant. The pedestrians, including children and the aged, are at the mercy of the rashly driven vehicles.

* * *

Stars have their philanthropic ventures. And it need not be high-profile. Tamil movie actor Vijay has a unique way, though. Come summer, his `buttermilk for the thirsty' programme gets going in Saligramam, adjacent to Shoba Kalyana Mandapam, named after his mother.

Members of his fans' organisations take it upon themselves to serve buttermilk to thirsty passers-by. Everyday, the boys buy 25 litres of milk to make curd. The next morning, the curd is churned in five litres water to yield buttermilk. Those patronising it are mostly people who work in the nearby studios. Shopkeepers in the area too drop in regularly to have a gulp or two. The unit functions between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. or till the stocks last. All this happens under the strict supervision of his father and ace director S.A. Chandrasekar, who wants the buttermilk to be "pure and without any adulteration." When in town, Vijay himself overlooks the arrangement on way back home from shooting. When asked, he says he is doing his small bit for personal satisfaction.

* * *

Waiting long hours at the Padi junction on Inner Ring Road, notorious for its traffic congestion, may be an ordeal for road-users. But, it has its advantages for others.

Petty vendors have found a new avenue for selling their products, thanks to the traffic snarl in the area. They know how and when to make hay.

While they sell cool drinks and chilled water in the mornings to quench parched throats, evenings are filled with vendors walking in between vehicles luring the drivers with snacks. Many vendors choose the stretch from Red Hills as their selling point as motorists endure at least an hour's wait for the green signal unlike other roads.

On Monday, a motorist commented that the delay in construction of a flyover might result in sprout of roadside eateries very soon.

* * *

Restricted operational areas seem to be no restriction for some. Last Sunday, when the Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee flew down to Chennai by a special aircraft to attend a wedding, a number of `visitors' without a valid pass issued by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) gained entry to the sterile zone to receive the Minister.

These `visitors' accompanied two Ministers from the State. While accredited presspersons on duty were put through frisking, checks and other restrictions, those accompanying the political heavyweights had free access. Presspersons are asked to wait outside the canopy area and meet the VVIPs or VIPs either arriving or departing.

* * *

Public money can go waste in so many ways. Doing "patchwork" road repairs is one instance. The other day, hot mix was being spread on the Konnur High Road, Ayanavaram, to repair the worn out stretches. But the way the work was carried out could only invite criticism from the public, instead of appreciation.

The hot mix was put in the potholes and was spread manually.

However, the road-roller was not pressed into service immediately and the job was left to the passing vehicles. The light vehicle drivers skilfully avoided the patchwork so that there was no damage to the tyres. The mix got pressed unevenly when the buses ran over them.

* * *

K.T. Sangameswaran,

T.S. Shankar,

N. Ravi Kumar,

S.R. Ashok Kumar

and K. Lakshmi.)

(Contributed by K.T. Sangameswaran, T.S. Shankar, N. Ravi Kumar, S.R. Ashok Kumar and K. Lakshm

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

Tamil Nadu