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

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 29, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Reporter's Diary

What senior doctors at Apollo Hospitals could not do for their chairman, P.C. Reddy, a non-allopathic cure did. He said he was suffering from severe spondylitis and chiropractors at the hospital couldn't offer him relief.

``What cured me was pranic healing,'' he said at the recent launch of a Medical Music Therapy course at the hospital.

It was an occasion when Dr. Reddy went all gung-ho about alternative systems of medicine.

His new prescription is an integrated approach to medical treatment, which will offer the patient the best of all systems.

Are the patients ready, Dr. Reddy?

* * *

It is a tough job for teachers to inspire students to take up causes they espouse. At the inauguration of the Siddha herbs exhibition in Chennai recently, C.N. Deivanayagam saw cakes and other eatables being served to the guests and said in his speech that whether at the Siddha College and Hospital or in government functions convened by the department of Indian Medicine, efforts should be taken to serve Siddha herbal beverages and eatables like `Kadalai Urundai' — balls made of groundnut.

The students broke into laughter on hearing this. The professor did not miss it. Watching them laugh, he said, ``if you laugh over what I said, then how can you espouse the cause of the medicine you are practising,'' he asked them. It was a question that brooked no answer.

* * *

The Airports Authority of India declared open a newly-constructed wide canopy (see photo) in front of the arrival hall of the Kamaraj Domestic Terminal on Monday to provide shelter for passengers and visitors from the vagaries of weather.

According to R.J. Treasuryvala, Chennai Airport Director, the project was completed in six months.

The highlight of the six-metre illuminated canopy is that it has reinforced cement concrete roofing with luxalon ceiling. The canopy cost Rs. 3 crores.

* * *

The 20-km stretch on the Old Mamallapuram Road (from Madhya Kailash to Siruseri) is declared the Information Technology corridor by the government. But it has hardly helped in keeping traffic in order.

The situation during peak hours is chaotic at the Madhya Kailash junction as the traffic is very high.

The government has constituted a task force to convert the stretch to a six-lane carriageway at a cost of Rs. 80 crores.

The condition is no better in many parts of Lattice Bridge Road and Sardar Patel Road and demands immediate action, say commuters.

A majority of these road users either travel to the TIDEL Park or to schools in and around Adyar.

* * *

Last week, the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission organised a public hearing in the city to hear consumers' views on the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board's proposal to hike miscellaneous charges. Compared to the previous hearings, this meeting was a thinly-attended affair. The reason is not far to seek. The Commission did not publicise the hearing properly. An official says, "We gave an advertisement in English and Tamil dailies.'' But power consumers point out that the issue is not whether the Commission gave an advertisement or not.

Why did it not issue a press release so that the information about the hearing reached wider sections of the public through the media, consumers wondered. In the past, the Commission had issued press releases on the hearings. But, what was noticeable was that even in its web site, the Commission did not mention details of the hearing.

* * *

On June 16, trains movement was affected by a tree fall across the track near Nungambakkam railway station, which was reported in these columns.

A Southern Railway spokesman says that the tree fell indeed but the overhead equipment in fact did not snap.

Rather it protected the tree from falling on to the track and possibly causing greater damage.

The tree fall led to tripping of the power supply.

Power was switched off as a standard precaution till services were restored by removing the tree, which was done in one and a half hours, said the spokesman.

* * *

(Contributed by

Dhanya Parthasarathy,

Swahilya,

T.S. Shankar and

T. Ramakrishnan)

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