Registered with the Reg. No. TN/CH(C)/374/12-14 Registrar of Newspapers Licenced to post without prepayment for India under R.N.I. 53640/91 Licence No. TN/PMG(CCR)/WPP-506/12-14 Rs. 5 per copy (Annual Subscription: Rs. 100/-) WE CARE FOR MADRAS THAT IS CHENNAI INSIDE • Short ‘N’ Snappy • When the promised power? • The Krithika-Chitti letters • Perambur Railway Hospital-3 • Economist & Shakespeare Scholar Vol. XXII No. 2 MUSINGS May 1-15, 2012 Government offers hope again for Heritage Act (By The Editor) I’ve found out that by exercising he State Government has announced that it is planning to your mouth, teeth, jaw, cheeks, throat, bring in two laws on the heritage protection front, one specifi- you can lose lots of calories... what I T Appa, you always don’t have to cally covering Mamallapuram, which is a recognised World Heri- mean is, to talk non-stop while eating! dress up in your 70’s clothes every time tage Site, and the other covering heritage and cultural properties you watchEat theyour ‘angry words? young man’ across the State. This is a good development as far as intent is movies! Food facts, nutrition nuggets, concerned. Much, of course, will depend on how this will translate and weight watching. into reality. This is not the first time that the State has raised hopes If you can’t claim any knowl- of legislation for protecting heritage, only to pass over to what it edge or direct experience felt are more pressing issues. Those promises were made as far back with regard to any of the as 1999 and, again, in 2002, and then even more recently when above – chances are that you Heritage Regulations/Acts were drafted or reviewed. The plight of pedestrians. (Courtesy: The Hindu.) spend most social gatherings The latest announcement in complete silence, possibly has it that a Heritage Commis- chomping away on fried sion Act is on the anvil which The least pedestrian-friendly food, submerged in a fog of masochistic defiance and will constitute a body that can gloom. advise the State Government Indian city: Chennai Seriously – the world may be on preparing a classification of burning up on several levels heritage buildings into various study put together by flyovers for the building of walking on a pedestrian cross- – but general conversation grades. It will also advise local A Clean Air Initiative, a which we have sacrificed pave- ing. This basically recognises centres primarily on weight authorities on the developmen- Delhi-based organisation, has ments. We also have a series of that the pedestrian’s rights are issues – Weight lost, Weight tal rights of such heritage show our city to be the least pe- one-ways, none of which has foremost on the road. In our regained, and an avalanche properties. What the Govern- destrian-friendly. Chennai has any zebra crossing. Those wish- city, motorists never stop for of food-centric facts thereof. ment appears to have over- scored even lower than Banga- ing to cross these roads on foot pedestrians to cross. If they do, And Commerce responds at looked are two aspects: lore and several tier II towns of do so at their own risk. The it is because of a traffic signal once. and even then, they choose to Take departmental stores. 1. That such a body already the country. The study’s con- statistics speak for themselves – Now, you kind of expect it of exists – namely the Heritage clusions appear almost to imply 38 per cent of fatal accidents on stop on, or even beyond, the those high-end, cater-to-the- Conservation Committee that the pedestrian has little or Chennai’s roads involve pedestrian crossing. The pedes- Page-3-variety-of-customers (HCC) constituted by the even zero chance of staying pedestrians. trians have to make their way types. CMDA in response to the High alive on Chennai’s roads. What Chennai needs is a between the vehicles. But when good old Shop- Court’s judgement in 2010 in The evaluation was done on complete makeover of its traffic Footpaths and routes for Around-the-Corner, the guy the case concerning the demo- the basis of nine parameters, system. This requires coordina- those with disabilities are a who used to once ply you lition of Bharat Insurance Build- some of which are: motorists’ must in any world-class city. with tons of homemade ing. That the Committee, com- behaviour, grade crossing avail- Chennai has been steadily re- vadam, now talks know- G prised largely by bureaucrats, ability, grade crossing safety, By A Special moving what little it had. ledgeably of ‘superfoods’, Correspondent ‘nutrient dense’, and nutra- became a handmaiden of the security from crime, availability Though a tough task, the Gov- ceuticals, you know civili- CMDA is another matter alto- of walking paths, and disability ernment has to bring back foot- sation as you knew it has gether. The State Government infrastructure. Chennai man- tion between many agencies paths wherever it has done changed forever. will do well not to repeat this aged to score the lowest or and it also requires communica- away with them. What is ironic Those who once thought mistake and when creating the second lowest on all counts. Is tion with, and training of, all is that even in greenfield devel- ‘Omega-3’ was a character in Heritage Commission it should this a record worthy of a city stakeholders in the city’s roads, opments and new colonies, a sci-fi movie, now lecture on make it like the Urban Arts that claims to be on the road to of whom the pedestrian is just these are not mandatory. All probiotics – (something Commission of Delhi, a body world-class infrastructure? one. Firstly, all road junctions the new, so-called posh South entire generations thrived on with independent powers. Of course, the results of the need zebra crossings, no matter Chennai areas have come up in this part of the world sans these facilities. And where without even realising it). 2. That the exercise of study ought not to be a surprise how minor they are. All world- Obviously, there are benefits to grading and listing heritage for those witnessing the devel- class cities have them and so we we have footpaths, these need healthy eating – but some- buildings has been done at least opments in Chennai. Ever since need to be no exception. And to be protected from encroach- times it feels like we’re a couple of times. The first time 1996, the city has seen a shrink- these have to be painted regu- ments. They cannot be granted missing the French Fries of was when draft Heritage ing, or complete removal, of larly so that they remain bright to have become spaces for park- Life for the Bitter Gourd of Regulations/Acts were drawn footpaths. And all road devel- and visible. This is no easy task, ing two-wheelers, or for hawk- Appearance. up by the Town and Country opments have been done keep- but, then, it has to be done. ers, wayside shrines and storage Well, as in most things, perhaps Planning Department teaming ing in mind the interests of the Second, it is mandatory areas for nearby construction the Middle Way...? motorists alone. As a conse- internationally for motorists to projects. Ranjitha Ashok stop when they see someone (Continued on page 6) quence, we have several (Continued on page 7) CMYK 2 MADRAS MUSINGS May 1-15, 2012 When will we MMM by any other name get all undays are lean days for on nighties which earned him may wonder. It is none other Stemples, especially in the everyone’s ire? Was he from than Pennycuick, the man mornings. There is hardly the University, deeply resent- about whom the Chief and anyone at them and it is usu- ful of MMM’s comments on several others have been writ- this power? ally on a Sunday morning that the photography exhibition? ing, the father of the Mullai- you will find The Man from Or was he … periyar dam. And considering hile Tamil Nadu has to get long-term coal linkage, Madras Musings at one or the But having come close, the that it was just about a couple W been steeped in a power which is essential to get envi- other of the many historic man’s mien changed. He of months ago that the crisis for long, the existing ronmental clearance from the shrines that Madras that is smiled ingratiatingly, though Government decided on a me- Chennai is blessed with. And projects in the State have Centre. With the Union Coal his eye seemed as powerful as morial, MMM must say it has so it was last Sunday. MMM ever. MMM took a deep all been mighty quick. compounded the issue. Adding Ministry not having passed prayed, begged forgiveness for fuel to the crisis, many of the orders on coal linkage, the breath. Perhaps this was a fan? But what a radio station did many sins of omission and Perhaps he would say how upcoming projects that would Government decided to use was even better. Those of you commission, and thanked much he enjoyed all that who read this column will ease the shortage of power are, imported coal for the project That Which Must Be Obeyed MMM wrote? know that MMM, when he ironically, yet to take shape. and seek the Environment for whatever blessings had does not have to finish a story come his way. “Sir, can I ask you a ques- The State is nearly 4,500 Ministry’s clearance.