Registered with the Reg. No. TN/CH(C)/374/18-20 Registrar of Newspapers Licenced to post without prepayment for India under R.N.I. 53640/91 Licence No. TN/PMG(CCR)/WPP-506/18-20 Publication: 1st & 16th of every month Rs. 5 per copy (Annual Subscription: Rs. 100/-) INSIDE Short ‘N’ Snappy Manohar Devadoss T.V. Antony Nani Palkhivala Bapu Nadkarni www.madrasmusings.com WE CARE FOR MADRAS THAT IS CHENNAI Vol. XXIX No. 20 February 1-15, 2020 Making a sham HERITAGE WATCH of heritage conservation hat makes for heritage option, just short of outright Savalai Ramaswami Mudaliar Wconservation if a struc- demolition, would be to leave Choultry that stands just op- ture is generally believed to the façade standing and paint posite the Central Station (see be of ‘aesthetic, architectural it regularly so that it looks HeritageWatch alongisde). and cultural merit’? The best well preserved. And yet this Constructed in 1888 by the would be for the edifice to be eponymous businessman and preserved in its entirety and philanthropist, the precinct put to adaptive reuse. The by The Editor was meant to provide tran- next best would be for it to sit accommodation for peo- be retained and turned into a ple who arrived in the city museum of some kind, though is precisely the kind of ‘plastic by train. The land was leased this is really not a viable option conservation’ that our State from the Government and the in India where countless badly appears to specialise in, and the facility, housed in a beautiful run museums proliferate with most recent example is what Indo Saracenic structure, was hardly any footfalls. The worst has happened to the Raja Sir (Continued on page 8) City traffic and ways Our OLD dating to 1928 is of the RSRM Choultry in all its glory, just 40 years after it was built. Our NOT SO NEW dates to 2008, when the building was run as a hotel, and was to keep it in control well‑maintained, all its wings in full use. Our NEW, dating to 2020 and taken by Rahul Jaywant Bhise, f God were to offer one gift by A Special Correspondent a student of the Asian College of Journalism, shows the façade Irelating to our city, to be in all its glory but now a hollow shell, with the rest of the building granted instantly upon asking, was given to the Police depart- of abandoned vehicles was having been done away with. there is a high probability that ment for improving road con- meant to remove this imped- many of us would want a noise- The E. Padmanabhan Committee Report classified this build‑ ditions and traffic discipline. iment to commencing re- ing (no 156, page 243) as belonging to category 2a – a structure free, pollution-free, smooth Such a drive is commendable construction work. There is movement of traffic and pedes- possessing aesthetic, cultural and architectural merit. Sadly only and should not remain a one- no mention of modernising the façade has been considered worthy of retention. trians on the roads. A sample of time activity as, by itself, it will pedestrian sidewalks as part of such peace on the roads can be not check continued dumping. the road reconstruction pro- experienced on the days of flash Preventive measures backed by gramme. It is now an opportune strikes by auto-rickshaws. That enforcement are necessary to time to construct walking paths is some indication of the role of stop such vandalism. Without and bicycle tracks and protect autos in traffic chaos. a centralised recycling hub – them from encroachment by It feels good to see the on-go- where old vehicles are shred- vehicles and road-side vendors. ing activity of the Chennai ded, their spare parts stripped The residual space should be Corporation and the Police and remaining shells cubed set aside for vehicular traffic authorities to clear the streets – people may not know how even if such order of priority to make them safer. Nearly to dispose of their unwanted calls for re-directing traffic flow 11,000 abandoned vehicles, vehicles. A recycling centre and identifying more one-way which were no longer in work- that charges a fee for its services stretches. ing condition but were occu- would remove that excuse. Fines have now been raised pying public space, have been The re-laying of 33,000 in- substantially to increase the cleared. The resultant sales terior roads and 471 bus routes proceeds of over Rs. 3 crores seems imminent as the clearing (Continued on page 2) 2 MADRAS MUSINGS February 1-15, 2020 Controlling city traffic (Continued from page 1) public transport services, there Lotus awards times is little hope of Chennai see- t seems as though it was only lotus awards has added insult namely I, J & K for which no cost of traffic violations. These ing peace on the roads. The Ithe other day that the Man to injury. For weeks on end, so permission had been taken now attract a fine of Rs. 500 Metro could be the answer. from Madras Musings wrote MMM understands, dancers from the CMDA (or is it the against the old penalty of Rs. The Metro’s moves to increase about the national awards, you have been scanning the horizon COC, MMM forgets which). 100. Disobeying orders given by daily ridership has seen some know the ones he is referring for the arrival of the beloved, Anyway, the appropriate au- the traffic police now attracts a response. Traffic did improve to to – India Jewel, Lotus Be- namely the intimation on the thority saw red over this flout- fine of Rs. 2,000; the old penal- a little over one lakh a day, but jewel, Lotus Jewel and Lotus award. And what they got was ing of rules and refused to ty was Rs. 500. Though this may this is nowhere near the daily Wealth. And here we are, a a lemon. The build up towards permit the opening of these initially have some effect, in the capacity of even the present year later, with yet another this anti-climax has been as three stands, namely I, J & K. longer run, chronic violators limited stretch. Surface traffic instalment of the awards, with, predictable as any dance perfor- For years it has been the as a fallout, even more materi- mance – the hopefuls queued practice for cricket match- will find out that the high fine of two and three-wheelers must al for MMM to ponder over. up in Delhi, sent messages es to happen without these is “real” only if it is enforced. be the target segment of focus Firstly, MMM is delighted (read voluminous curriculum three stands being opened up They will also understand that for the Metro. The Metro’s that his dear friend, Man of vitae) via companion, cloud, and there matters rested. Not higher fines will not eliminate pricing must aim at equating, if Drawings (MD), has been parrot, swan and peacock, that Chennai has really been bribes but raise the bribe rate possible, or, being slightly high- conferred with Lotus Wealth. pined away in anticipation and a hot favourite for the stag- correspondingly while retain- er, if unavoidable, to the cost MMM’s happiness would have were tormented by the moon’s ing of matches even though ing it as a cheaper alterna- of commuting for two-wheeler been double had MD’s good rays, the humming of the bees the CSK team is a popular tive to paying the fine. Higher users. This pricing strategy will lady, Milady Delightful had and the song of the nightingale. one in the IPL sweepstakes. fines and, therefore, higher rapidly increase ridership and been around to witness this They pushed away food and There have been controver- fill the bogies, increasing total but then one cannot have ev- milk untasted and wasted away sies over featuring players bribes are more attractive for erything in life. The two MDs, until their watch straps could from Sri Lanka and then, the dishonest ones among the revenue and improving Metro’s man and woman, were exem- be used as belts. Now, alas, all when that matter was rather policemen. They might look for bottom line. Besides matching plars of positive thinking, who of this has been to no avail. unsatisfactorily resolved, a more opportunities to “book” current commuting costs, there made a success of their lives de- MMM also understands that superstar now in some hot violators. Booking more viola- must be some form of certainty spite all the obstacles placed in rage and disappointment was water raked up the Cauvery tors may seem like fulfilling the to two-wheeler users that their their way, and yet had enough writ large on some celebrities water issue and ensured that objective of deterring violations Metro rates would continue cheer left over to spread joy who took to slavishly prais- matches were held elsewhere. – except that the revenue goes to be protected, consistent all around. To MMM, MD Now it appears that there to individuals of the police force with fuel costs. They need this & MD were India Jewels but SHORT ’N’ is a rethink. The Govt. of and not to the government. So assurance to take an investment the Lotus Wealth is still great. TN and its arm, namely the Now having sung of saint- SNAPPY CMDA or is it the COC, what, if the deterrent effect is decision – take back the capital ly humans, let MMM come has softened and offered that achieved? After all, proceeds by discarding the vehicle, or down to the prosaic.