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

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Aug 15, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Reporter's Diary

The chaos in Egmore

The police come in for criticism more often than not; so even a small gesture by a person in uniform goes a long way in improving the image of the department. The other day, a group of physically challenged women, were struggling to cross the road in front of the Egmore railway station. A woman constable waiting to catch a bus took pity on them, stopped the traffic and helped them reach the other side. It is indeed chaos in front of the railway station almost every day due to indiscriminate parking of autorickshaws. Despite drawing the attention of the authorities, they have not found a solution yet. It is a common sight to see railway passengers darting across the road with their luggage.

No rules for Govt. buses?

The other day a couple of two-wheeler riders were waiting at a signal near Kasi theatre on Jawaharlal Nehru Salai in KK. Nagar, when a State Express Corporation bus whizzed past them ignoring the red signal and the traffic policeman posted there, in broad daylight. The policeman's attempt to note down the bus number proved futile, with the number plate obscured by dirt. The feeling of other motorists: Do special rules apply to government buses and vehicles?

Fuel-saving practice?

It is a common sight on the city roads to see riders of slow moving vehicles tagging on to fast moving trucks, vans or buses. Now, as everyone knows, this can be really dangerous if the road curves or the vehicle suddenly speeds up or brakes. Auto rickshaw drivers often do this in the hope of saving fuel. Activists want the authorities to take stringent action against such practices.

Not for commuters

This is a big problem at the railway station in Guduvanchery, a southern suburb. The ticket counter at the station hardly provides any comfort for commuters as the shaded portion in front of the counter also serves as a parking lot for two wheelers (see picture). Apparently, many of the two wheelers belong to people who use the counter area as a parking lot. They park the vehicles here before taking a train to their destinations.

Contributions by

K.T. Sangameswaran,

T. Madhavan and P. Oppili

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