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

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Aug 02, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Reporter's Diary

Parking woes at expos

Organising an exhibition of the exquisite crafts of India is easier than ensuring that customers can shop without worrying about parking problems.

The Poompuhar exhibition has drawn several visitors to the C.P. Art Centre but no arrangements have been made for parking. While two-wheelers are parked on the pavement, smaller cars occupied a large part ofEldams Road's margins. Drivers of bigger cars demanded that they be allowed to park inside the Centre's vast grounds. On Monday afternoon, a driver of a luxury car blocked traffic when the watchman ignored his request.

The good shepherds

For air passengers travelling to and from Mumbai, last week was an ordeal as rain battered Maharashtra. And the Air Traffic Controllers not only in Mumbai but also in the neighbouring States — Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai — had to burn the midnight oil as there was large-scale diversion of flights. Air Traffic Controllers had to coordinate with the Aviation Meteorological Services Department and the cockpit crew to facilitate smooth landing and take-off in the alternative airports. While the Airports Authority of India has been criticised for not keeping pace with the development in the civil aviation sector, the Air Traffic Controllers were the cynosure of all eyes.

Chaotic traffic

Motorists using the Inner Ring Road near the Anna Nagar West Depot were relieved when the road laying work commenced last week. But their happiness was short lived as the work continued during the peak morning hours, hindering traffic. The stretch from the Padi junction to the Anna Nagar depot turned chaotic. The sound of screeching brakes rent the air as speeding vehicles from the Padi junction attempted to slow down. Even as residents of Anbu colony watched, a speeding lorry rammed into the barricades laid for the work. Vehicles were stranded for at least an hour with impatient motorists and heavy vehicles blocking the road in their attempt to escape the traffic. The commotion came to an end only by noon after the work was completed.

Treading with tyres

Life is full of rings, as this man on a two-wheeler knows fully well. The city has some real acrobats and special vehicles that pass off for two-wheelers (photo). This man finds new meaning to ferrying luggage on a small vehicle, as he carries over a dozen tyres on the busy Taramani Road.

(Contributions: R. Sujatha, T.S. Shankar and K. Lakshmi)

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