The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Readers's Mail

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Nov 15, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Readers's Mail

Lasting solution,

a must

Sir, — The recent hike in the price of petrol causes problems to senior citizens such as I who depend on autorickshaws even for short distance travel. Previously, the fare demanded was Rs. 10 for a short distance. Beyond that it was a tug of war between the passenger and auto drivers, won invariably by the latter. Since November 5 auto drivers demand Rs. 15 as minimum, citing fuel price hike.

In reality the increase works out only to 15 paise a kilometre.

It is time the fares were revised once and for all, to prevent fleecing of passengers. I have spoken with many auto drivers who are agreeable for Rs. 10 for two kilometres and Rs. 5 for a kilometre beyond.

This is reasonable, provided all autos are fitted with electronic meters duly calibrated. Newly bought autos do have this meter, but these do not work.

Brig. (Dr.) G. V. Ramani,

Adyar

Provide electronic meter

Sir, — The authorities concerned must act immediately to solve the autorickshaw problem. Electronic meters are a necessity. Owner-driven autos and individuals driving autos owned by others should be clearly identified.

Auto stands should display estimated fare charts indicating the distances to major destination.

As a precautionary measure passengers should make a note of the registration number when taking an auto. This will help them to identify deviant automen.

B. N. Narasimha Murthy,

Virugambakkam

Left in the lurch

Sir, — The announcement of alternate days supply of piped water was made with fanfare. But as far as Nallappan Street in Mylapore is concerned there has neither been piped supply nor tanker supply.

In this context I would like to refer to the reply of the PRO of Metrowater in The Hindu, dated September 27 in response to my letter in the Reader's mail on September 6. No official of the Metrowater had cared to verify whether water was coming through taps in Nallappan Street. But the Board has abruptly stopped tanker supply.

According to its PRO, sintex tank no. 12033 is intended for supply of water to Nallappan Street. But the tank has not been filled for the past fortnight.

S. Vaidyanathan,

Mylapore

Remission in

water tax

Sir, — The year 2004 will be long remembered by the residents of city as the worst ever in scarcity of water.

As the timely monsoon rain has boosted the water level in reservoirs the government will do well to increase the frequency of water supply through lorries.

Those households which pay water tax should be granted remission of tax for at least six months (from April to September 2004) when they did not get water through taps.

M. Rangaswamy,

Korattur

Nip it in the bud

Sir, — The High Court has stayed the order to demolish an eight-storeyed building, whose construction had violated CMDA rules.

Similar instances of contravention of rules and unauthorized construction are going on elsewhere in the city and its suburbs. On Ponnambalam salai, K.K.Nagar, unauthorized additional construction of TNHB flats is going on without the approval of the CMDA/ Corporation. Why cannot the CMDA and Corporation prevent violation/unauthorised construction? Why do not the Corporation authorities verify the approval of the CMDA at the initial stage of construction to avoid litigation and demolition?

P. Shankar Narayane,

Secy., civic awareness forum,

K.K. Nagar

Unenviable plight

Sir, — Senior citizens who had served in public sector get a meagre pension. Their suffering is compounded by the fall in interest on fixed deposit. My pension is a measly Rs. 300.

The woe of pensioners is aggravated if an individual is a bachelor or handicapped. If she/he has to go out it can be done only by hiring an auto or a call taxi.

Will the Central Government raise the pension to those who are lonely or disabled to Rs. 2000?

S. Aravamudhan,

Alwarthirunagar

Burdensome

Sir, — The nationalised banks are charging Rs. 20 to issue a cheque book with 10 leaves, for savings bank account. In addition they collect a service charge of Rs. 2. This is too heavy a burden on senior citizens.

This must be re-considered by the Union Finance Minister.

Any concession on this levy or waiver will be helpful to those who struggle to make both ends meet.

The Government must note that we cannot maintain a bank account without a chequebook as the only credit in our account is pension which is more than Rs. 500 a month.

T. T. Varada Rajan,

Thillaiganga Nagar

Act according

to demand

Sir, — With the shifting of the mofussil bus stand and vegetable market to Koyambedu, the demand for bus services to Parrys has come down drastically, especially between 6-00 a.m. and 9-30 a.m. However, the demand for bus services from Chennai Central to various places is increasing during morning hours as most of the trains arrive before 9-30 a.m.

Also the capacity utilisation between Central and Parrys is much less.

The bus shelters on the Poonamallee High Road opposite Chennai Central are just adequate to serve the normal crowd.

However, during peak hours both the subway near the General hospital and the bus shelters are inadequate to accommodate passengers of whom many are forced to stand on the road.

Hence, I suggest that every alternate bus towards Parrys be converted into cut services like 1, 11G, 18K etc. so that passengers can board the buses at Central Station itself and avoid crowding the General hospital entrance.

The buses reaching Central need not be parked there for a long time.

N. Ramesan,

Chennai-109

Spare them

the stench

Sir, — The garbage cleared in south T. area is brought from there by tricycles to Burkit Road near the gate of Saradha Vidhyalaya Girls' School. It is sifted and transhipped into lorries. The area stinks with garbage spilled all over. I request the authorities to allot some other location for the purpose.

T.M. Rajagopalan,

T.Nagar

Road narrowed

Sir, — The road from Lakshmi Street off Thirunagar road extending to Avadi Road has become narrower with excavated soil lying by the pits that remain unfilled for well over a month.

S. B. Raghavan,

Villivakkam

Object of neglect

Sir, — Jyotsna is a building project promoted by Alacrity housing limited. It is neglected both by the builder and the civic authorities.

The Corporation has promised residents on many occasions that it would provide good roads and streetlights. Members of our association have met various authorities besides providing them with necessary documents to show where roads can be laid and streetlights installed.

As of now, we have no idea when this will be done.

V.C.K. Raman,

president,

Jyotsna flat owners' and residents' welfare assn.

Velachery

Time to pay bill

curtailed

Sir, — Electricity meter reading in Valasarawakkam was taken on October 6. We were asked to pay the consumption charges only from October 8. All along we had the right to pay from the first to the fifteenth day of a month. This was reduced to seven days a month.

Moreover the increase in units during the intervening six days may affect the rate and thereby deprive the consumer of the benefit of the recently revised reduced rate per unit.

T. Manoharan,

Valasarawakkam

Make it compulsory

Sir, — This has reference to the write-up `Road discipline' in your issue of October 16.

To make the two-wheeler riders wear helmets compulsorily I suggest all police personnel whether on duty or not, be made to wear helmets for a trial period of three months. Impose the above measure on all Government employees in the next three months.

After this period the Government can issue a G.O. making wearing of helmet mandatory for two-wheeler drivers.

R. Narayanan,

K.K. Nagar (West)

Burgeoning slum

Sir, — I would like to bring to the notice of the Corporation the slums that are slowly coming up along Ethiraj salai, just below Shivalaya buildings.

As the embankment is high and the Egmore bridge is higher, the growing number of huts alongside the Cooum, cannot be noticed by passersby. Come dusk the children in the slums and cattle owned by hut-dwellers, come right on the embankment, opposite the Standard Chartered bank house, and the Ethiraj salai post office.

Gonsalvez,

Nungambakkam

Will CM help?

Sir, — Our Chief Minister should get rid of corruption in taluk offices.

For the past 18 months, our association has been struggling with the taluk office, Perambur to get pattas for which we had applied in January 2003 to the then Chennai Collector, Abdul Salam.

Receipt of our applications was acknowledged by the Collectorate. But now the personnel of the taluk office tell us that the file has been closed as it had become old and the applications did not have court fee stamp affixed. The applications are numbered and sealed individually by the Collector's office and then officially forwarded to the Tahsildar, Perambur taluk office.

As such the question of affixing a stamp for a document which has already been officially numbered and entered in taluk office records does not arise.

We hope that the Chief Minister intervenes and enables the residents of Senthilnagar get pattas.

G. Abyvarghese,

president,

Senthil nagar residents' assn., Kolathur

Street shrinks

Sir, — According to the Master Plan and DTP approval by Ambattur Municipal Authority, the Agathiar/ Nehru Street in TMP Nagar, Padi, is 30 feet wide and it remains so up to plot No.56. But from plot No. 55, to the Church (approach) road, the street has shrunk to 20 feet. There is no DTP approval for the plots carved out here. and the individuals who have bought the land are encroachers. They have raised structures as they wished.

We request the Ambattur Municipality to take note of this irregularity and remove encroachments and restore Nehru street to its original width. As big iron and steel godowns and industrial units are located in the street, many heavy vehicles ply frequently. Accidents are caused by the encroachments.

I. Rajona,

convenor,

TMP nagar, civic amenities assn., Padi

Bus shelter

needed

Sir, — Long distance buses, which start from Koyambedu bus stand pass through the 100 feet road near Vadapazhani police station.

Quite a number of people take buses for different destinations from the bus stop here. But they have to endure the inclement weather as there is no bus shelter.

K. Ravi,

Alwarthirunagar

(Letters for this column can also be sent by e-mail to letters@thehindu.co.in with full postal address. They should be marked `Readers' Mail')

Adyar

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