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

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Reporter's Diary

Bad street lighting

One of the major causes of road accidents at night is bad street lighting. While the Chennai Corporation has improved lighting considerably, there are still roads which cry for attention by the civic authorities. The Konnur High Road and the Madras-Tiruvallur High Road at the ICF junction is an example. Cyclists and pedestrians are the most likely accident victims. The lights on the traffic island at the junction are inadequate.

Beach-lovers undaunted

The tsunami that hit Chennai put off beach-goers for some time, mostly the ones who go for swimming. But not so the daredevils of North Chennai's Ondikuppam and other fishing hamlets. Around each groyne constructed to prevent sea erosion, there is accretion of sand — a tiny beach — and picnickers from Tiruvottriyur and Royapuram and fishing villages are all there in the evenings rolling in the waters, diving and swimming, splashing on the foam of the lashing waves. Though, a few months ago, the waters engulfed several hutments and a number of people in its trail, this has not deterred the diehard beach lovers who cool off the summer heat, free of cost.

Medical service at a price

Free medical service in the Government General Hospital here seems to come at a price. On Thursday evening M. Nandagopal, an employee of a company in Ambattur industrial estate, was referred to the GH by Aynavaram ESI hospital. He waited for more than four hours for his X-ray result.

Nandagopal had a fall from his motorcycle when he took his three-year-old son for a ride. Doctors in the Aynavaram ESI hospital referred him to the GH after he complained of pain in the head. At the GH doctors in the casualty ward advised an X-ray.

After four visits to the X-ray unit, Nandagopal had not received his X-ray even at 11.45 p.m. "How will I go home now? There is no bus service to my place," lamented the young man. "Tomorrow is my son's birthday." He had come with his wife and son.

When he asked the employees at the unit, they asked him to pay Rs. 40 or wait for some time. "Why should I pay money? I am with the ESI. I complained to the duty doctor in the casualty ward. But it is of no use."

Mr. Nandagopal was upset that the doctors had not given him medicine for his aching arm.

Dwindling road space

A reader of these columns has come up with an interesting remark: road space in India is reducing by 40,000 sq.m every day. Every month, about 6.2 lakh two, three and four-wheelers are purchased in the country. Which means about 20,000 plus vehicles a day. Each vehicle takes away at least two sq. m of road space.

M. Sivaraman, who has come up with this interesting fact wonders how the government or any of its authorities is going to reclaim or increase space lost to the burgeoning vehicle population. A point to ponder...

(Contributions by K.T. Sangameswaran, Swahilya and R. Sujatha)

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Reporter's Diary