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

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 13, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Reader's Mail

Raising of the

road level

It is ridiculous that many streets are being raised in height, consequently lowering the level of the houses. The reason for this is that raising the level of the road is easier than re-laying it to the previous level.

Stormwater drains should be laid on each and every street, which are connected to a major storm water channel. The blacktopping of roads has also blocked drains in several areas. The authorities concerned should strive to maintain the level of the road when re-laying or blacktopping it.

G. S. Rajan,

Velachery

Inadequate train services

Commuters on the Tambaram-Beach Junction line are put to a lot of hardship because of the overcrowding of trains, particularly between 8-45 and 10-15 in the morning on weekdays. The reason for this is that some trains from Beach to Tambaram go back to the shed in Tambaram, and some others come from Chingleput. Will the authorities set right this either by augmenting the services during the above said hours and/or plying 12-Car EMUs?

N. Hariharan,

Chromepet

Streetlights that don't work

The streetlights at the junction of Seventh Cross Street and Eleventh Cross Street, near `Ram Lok Apartments' have not been burning for several days. There is a heavy flow of traffic even late at night at this junction and women find it unsafe to walk in this neighbourhood after dark.

The authorities should restore the lights without delay.

P. V. Srinivasan,

Sastri Nagar

Delay in delivering letters

The distance from Maraimalai Nagar to Chennai is just 43 km, but letters posted in Chennai are delivered at Maraimalai Nagar only on the third day. Similarly letters posted in post boxes in Maraimalai Nagar are delivered on the third day to places in Chennai. When I complained to the postal department, Karuna Pillai, Postmaster General-Mail Management, visited me on 22 September, 2004 and assured me of better services. For some time after this, mail from Chennai was delivered the next day. But now the letters are getting delayed again. For instance, on February 2, 2006, I received a letter from Southern Railway, Chennai-600003, which was posted from Chennai on January 31, 2006.

Letters handed over to a courier at 7 p.m. in Maraimalai Nagar are delivered the next day by 12 noon even to a remote village in Kanyakumari district.

The postal department should pull up its socks and ensure that letters from Maraimalai Nagar to Chennai and vice versa are delivered the next day.

G. Durairaj,

Maraimalai Nagar

Clogged drain in East Tambaram

A drainage canal built behind our residential complex (Coromandel Park, East Tambaram) five/six years ago is clogged now. Further, because of a shortage of garbage bins, garbage is strewn along the canal.

Will the Tambaram Municipal Corporation act on this?

Ariyur V. Ramamurthy

East Tambaram

Alternative train link to Tirupati

The importance of Tirupati-Tirumala hardly needs emphasising, with thousands of devotees arriving daily to have a darshan at the Venkateswara temple. This leads to crowding on the Arakkonam-Renigunta stretch of the railway.

There is a direct link from Chennai Central to Tirupathi, but it is already saturated.

Therefore, the railways should operate trains on the alternative route Chingleput- Kanchipuram-Arakkonam-Tirupathi, which would be of immense help to people in Tambaram and Chingleput.

At the moment, they have little choice but to catch a train from Chennai Central.

The provision of such a train would not only offer a convenient travel facility, but also augment the revenue. If the ongoing Tirumalpur-Arakkonam alignment and electrification works are expedited, it will help run a circular route Arakkonam-Chennai Beach-Chingleput and vice versa saving devotees both time and money.

S. Gopalan

Maraimalai Nagar

EB engineer's prompt response

This is to thank the Executive Engineer, K.K. Nagar, Mr. Viswanathan, TNEB, and other officials of the board for their prompt response in attending to a problem in the three-phase power supply to my house. When I draw the attention of the authorities to the problem, they sent their staff immediately and set it right in no time.

G. Kumar

K.K. Nagar

Extend 18C

bus service

There is a bus service, 18C, between Nanganallur and Koyambedu Market, available only twice for the convenience of vegetable and flower vendors at Nanganallur and enroute. The MTC management may consider extending the service on a regular basis for the convenience of the general public as Vadapalani temple and CMBT fall on this route and a regular bus service would connect Anjaneya Temple at Nanganallur with the Subhrahmanya temple at Vadapalani, besides connecting CMBT with Nanganallur directly.

Q.S. Krishnamurthy

Nanganallur

Relief not collected by resident

I am a resident of Canal Bank Road, Kasturba Nagar, Adyar. Rainwater entered my house three times during the torrential rains in October and November last year. Following the devastation, the authorities distributed flood relief to green and white ration cardholders on November 19 and 20 at the Kasturba Nagar TUCS ration shop. I was away on the two days and could not collect the relief offered.

Since I am a senior citizen who was also affected by rain, I request the authorities to announce fresh dates for those who have failed to collect the relief.

The Corporation plans to construct a stormwater drain on Canal Bank Road. With encroachments and the MRTS blocking the Canal, the natural outlet for the rainwater from Dhanalakshmi Avenue, Rukmani Nagar, Kasturba Nagar Main Roads, (1 to 8) low lying areas of Canal Bank Road are flooded whenever it rains.

I request the authorities to take up the proposed storm water drainage scheme as early as possible.

T.R. Ranganathan,

Adyar

`No Entry' signs

not obeyed

There are `No Entry' signs at the entrance of Linghi Chetty Street, opposite High Court on NSC Bose Road & other junctions of Linghi Chetty Street, Errabalu Chetty Street and Mukernallamuthu Street. But nobody obeys them; one can see vehicles passing through Linghi Chetty Street from Mannady Side towards NSC Bose Road at all times of the day without any fear as there is no traffic constable anywhere.

Vehicles are also parked on both sides of Linghi Chetty Street, and lorries and vans load and unload their cargos here.

Consequently, it is very difficult to even walk through Linghi Chetty Street.

Fish carts with metal bars and pipes move at high speeds both ways.

I have requested the B-1 Traffic police station to post somebody to regulate the traffic, without any result.

I request the authority concerned (RTO) to ensure that Linghi Chetty Street is a one way with entry from NSC Bose Road only and entry barred from the opposite side for all vehicles. The police should also arrange to have traffic regulated during peak hours.

Parking should be allowed only on one side — whichever is suitable for the free flow of traffic and safety of the public.

J.K. Shah,

Chennai-600001

Bus stop ignored

by crew

After being approached several times, the General Manager of the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) was kind enough to issue an order that all buses should stop at Tambaram Sanatorium bus stop. But unfortunately, most of the buses are not doing so. Will the authorities take the necessary action to get the buses to stop at the stand?

S. Chandrasekaran,

Chitlapakkam

Reopen the ticket counter

The additional ticket counter opened on the south side of Tiruvallur Railway Station has abruptly been closed owing to poor public response. Now, the commuters have to climb the foot over bridge to get the tickets at the main counter and back again to catch the train. I request the railway authorities to open the additional ticket counter in the interest of aged.

S. Manian,

Tiruvallur

Simplify procedures

On February 8. I went to the Sub-Registrar's Office, Kodambakkm to register an old flat purchased by my sister. The document writers were demanding anything between Rs. 4,000/- to Rs. 6,000/- as service charges. Finally, I settled for Rs. 750/- and directly approached the Sub-Registrar. I requested him to help me. He obliged and the entire registration process was over within 30 minutes. We did not pay anything extra to anyone there and the employees were courteous and co-operative.

On an earlier occasion, after a theft in my house in Tambaram, when the police handed over the property recovered from the burglars, friends and relatives asked me only one question, "How much did you pay?" I told them the truth: "Not a Rupee". But, not one was prepared to believe me.

There are many honest officials and it is our duty to highlight their service instead of lamenting that everyone is corrupt.

I would only like to suggest that the Registration Department standardize the registration document with a scope to write special conditions if any, provide it at a nominal price and simplify the registration procedure.

V.R. Sundaram,

Saidapet

Need to widen

the road

The State highway that connects Avadi and Madras-Tiruvallur Road is utilised by heavy vehicles, including buses, containers, trailers, and sand lorries. The result is that the sides of the road are now piled up with sand, narrowing the road from kovil pathagai. Two-wheeler riders find it extremely hard during the peak hours as they are forced to take the extreme left.

I request the highway authorities to remove the sand on either side and make the road safe for travelling.

K. Padmavathy,

Avadi

Increase rail travel concession

Senior citizens are given special concessions all over the world. In India we celebrate "Elder's Day" on October 1 every year and pay tribute to them at the meetings held in their honour. Our Government assures that all facilities and help will be provided to the senior citizens.

At present 30 per cent travel concession in railways is in force for senior citizens, and in air travel a 50 per cent travel concession is being offered for senior citizens. The Indian Railways can also introduce the same 50 per cent travel concession now offered in air travel for senior citizens for rail journeys. We request our Honourable Minister of Railways to consider implementing 50 per cent travel concession in the railways and introduce it in the forthcoming Railway budget to be announced in the Parliament.

D. Dasaratharaman,

Chennai-94

Roaming cattle, a menace

Atleast half-a-dozen cattle can be seen roaming around at the Valasaravakkam, Kesavardhini bus stop during peak hours causing great inconvenience to the public in general and the aged and physically handicapped in particular.

The district authorities should act before any untoward incident takes place.

A.P.Mathivanan,

Valasarawakkam

Shortage of tax forms

There is a shortage of C' forms at the Commercial Tax office in Chennai Circle. This has affected the business community. Recently under Central Sales Tax (CST) Act, a notification was issued relating to the issue of Forms C', Forms EI, EII which shall be furnished within 3 months to the prescribed authority after end of period, that is the various quarters of a financial year.

When VAT was introduced, the present Finance Minister said that CST Act would be phased out within a few years. Based on this many state governments reduced the printing of C' forms. However, the recent notification makes life difficult for the traders.

Moreover for getting forms from Commercial Taxes department one has to bribe one and all. Considering the practical difficulties on behalf of the business community, I request the Ministry of the Finance (Department of Revenue), New Delhi to withdraw the notification and permit the traders to follow the old method of issuing single C' form during the financial year.

T. Gunaseelan,

Ambattur

Potential death

trap here

The culvert connecting Sabarinagar and Sabarinagar (Extension) Mugalivakkam, Chennai-116 is in bad shape. The deep pit created by the recent floods on the Sabarinagar (Extension) side is a potential death trap for unwary motorists/passers by, particularly at night.

The absence of proper lighting also adds to the woes of the public.

Neither the local body (Village Panchayat, Mugalivakkam) nor the local Welfare Association has taken any follow-up action, even if it is only to fill up the pit with sand.

I request the authorities concerned to act immediately and do the needful.

A. Rathinam,

Mugalivakkam

Mosquitoes

make life hell

We, the residents of fourth street, Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai, are having sleepless nights because of the mosquito menace. Use of repellents and other remedial measures have dismally failed to quell the swarming mosquitoes.

Will the Chennai Corporation's Health section do something to rid us of this problem?

K. N. Narayana Pillai,

Chennai-4.

The problem of blinding headlights

Earlier, the top portion of the headlights of cars and two-wheelers used to be painted black.

This made sure that the drivers of vehicles coming in the opposite direction were not dazzled by the headlights and have fairly clear visibility at night.

The practice also helped in cutting down on road accidents considerably.

Somehow, this practice had been given the go-bye.

Now, in the city, at night even though the roads are well-lit, cars/ motorcycles drive with their headlights on full beam. This is a huge problem for the drivers of vehicles coming from the opposite direction.

The drivers are supposed to dip the headlights while driving at nights and to use only the side lights wherever the roads are well-lit.

But in practice this is not being followed.

I therefore urge the traffic and law enforcing authorities to take suitable action in this regard.

S. Jayabalan,

West Mambalam

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