Tuesday, Oct 26, 2004
Tuesday, Oct 26, 2004 |
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Thiruvananthapuram
EVERY MONSOON brings a litany of woes for motorists in the city. Cratered with potholes and submerged by storm-waters, many roads become virtually unmotorable. This season, a new threat has been added to the list of perils. The network of telecommunication cables laid by a private service provider is the latest danger facing road users. At many places, the cracked road surface has exposed the cable and its protective steel band. The new cable-laying technology adopted by the company had been counted as a boon for the city roads since it obviated the need to dig trenches on the roads. The method involves cutting a shallow slit, just wide enough to accommodate the cable and its steel belt. The downside of this technique is that the steel band pokes through the slit as soon as a pothole develops on the road. With the rains picking up, the waterlogged roads have developed gaping holes, leaving the metal twisted awkwardly under the pressure of incessant traffic. While pedestrians complain about stubbing their toes and tripping on the bent steel, motorists fear that it would puncture tyres and even penetrate the metal body of vehicles.
BEGGARS have gone hi-tech and choosy these days. A homemaker residing in Nalanchira had a first-hand experience of the changing times when she attempted to mend the ways of an elderly woman who accosted the homemaker for alms. Looking at the able-bodied woman, the homemaker advised her to earn a living and offered her an odd job. Stumped for an answer, the beggar fished out a mobile phone tucked inside the folds of her sari and started jabbing at it. Quite dazed, the homemaker asked the woman what she was doing. Pat came the reply: "I want to check my son's reaction to your offer."
By T. Nandakumar and Sangeeth Kurian
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