Registered with the Reg. No. TN/PMG (CCR) /814/06-08 Registrar of Newspapers Licence to post without prepayment for India under R.N.I. 53640/91 Licence No. WPP 506/06-08 Rs. 5 per copy (Annual Subscription: Rs. 100/-) WE CARE FOR MADRAS THAT IS CHENNAI INSIDE Short N Snappy Woman of words & action MADRAS Narasiah a winner again Keep smiling MUSINGS A curates egg of a season Vol. XVII No. 19 January 16-31, 2008 Is VPH to get a new Isnt it a brilliant idea to let us park our cars on the unfinished fly-over just outside our house? Loop-the-Loop lyovers todays buzz-word, Fselling the dream that traf- fic problems will soon end. This spectacular painting, Sunflower & Space-I, is part of Ravi Gossains exhibition Celebrating Space that is on at the Lalit Kala Akademi. And SPACE Thats nice, although hopefully, is what our two stories on this page are about. theyll keep them user- friendly. These guys can be seriously confusing, with octopus-like Are authorities serious arms looping, bending and twisting over themselves. You can get lost on them, you hances are that most has to be compulsorily allotted Ccitizens of Madras that is for OSR purposes. Building as- know. A little like battling an about OSR? unfriendly maze. Chennai had never heard of the sociations can maintain this Pretty impressive, the sight of term OSR, unless they were in land as a park. one under construction. You the building trade, until the (By A Special Correspondent) Laudable though such rules gaze with awe upon the huge other day. That was when a are on paper, in reality most de- arms slowly inching towards high profile attempt by the munity and recreational pur- OSR provisions. However, velopers violate these norms one another, and hope Chennai Corporation to take poses. The OSR norms help these roads are to be transferred with impunity. OSR has re- theyve got their calculations over what it felt was OSR land maintain a healthy ratio be- to the local body free of cost (by cently come into focus in the right. A bit disconcerting if the arms didnt meet, and from a five-star hotel made tween the built-up area and a gift deed) in order to qualify Chennai Corporation debates surprised construction crews news and thousands caught open spaces in a city and are for the exemptions. when the Councillors alleged found themselves sailing past up with the fact that OSR worked out based on the prop- The article goes on to state that private institutions had one another. stands for Open Space Reserva- erty extent. that wherever a developer can- taken over OSR lands and were But just one point the primary tion. As per Development Con- not provide OSR due to various violating norms. The specific reasons for traffic woes are An article written by Suresh trol Rules (DCR) of the constraints, he has to make a instance of a private hospital the users themselves. So, un- Kuppuswamy in The Hindu CMDA, the OSR is applicable payment equivalent to the maintaining a parking lot for less road-usage lessons are dated February 17, 2007 defines only for plots exceeding 3000 space to be reserved to the Cor- which it was charging parking taught literally flyovers the OSR specifications in m2 (13.5 grounds) in extent. In poration. This is applicable only fees was cited. The Mayor, in may come and go, but the clueless driver will mow on Chennai as follows: The Open large plots, where developers for plots ranging from 3000 sq. his response on December 30, forever. Space Reservation (OSR) propose public roads, the area m to 10,000 sq. m. In plots ex- 2007, ordered the Land and For example, speed junkies norms are mandatory for large covered by public roads is ex- ceeding 10,000 sq.m, land Estates Department of the must learn to differentiate plots and are intended for com- cluded from the calculation of amounting to 10% of the area (Continued on page 7) between a flyover and a race track, or theyll find them- selves dropping like the Court-ordered committee to gentle rain from heaven upon some unfortunate beneath. Given the numbers planned, monitor ecopark the city might soon begin to resemble a fairground filled (By A Staff Reporter) with roller coasters. he Madras High Court ten days ago ordered the formation of a the State Government to preserve the wetlands. On December 22, Ordinary roads will seem dull, unexciting. Tcommittee to oversee the Adyar Poonga Restoration Plan. 2003, the State Government handed over 58 acres of the area to Incidentally, words out that This committee will comprise the following members: advocate the citys Corporation to develop it into an ecopark modelled on there is a nice stretch of road T.K. Ram Kumar to represent Exnora International; Bharath Jairaj Tezozomac of Mexico. The budget for creating the park, Rs. 60 in a certain locality clean, of the Citizen, consumer and civic Action Group (CAG); Sudha crore, was passed in 2005 and a special purpose vehicle (SPV), straight, no potholes. Ravi of the Environment Society of Madras; and Ranjith Daniels Adyar Creek Eco Park Limited, was set up to harness and channel Something wrong with that im- of CARE Earth. This is the latest step in a long battle over the the funds for development. An Adyar Creek Trust was set up with age? Adyar Creek between environmentalists on the one side and the Chief Secretary as the Chairman and the Secretaries of the Dont worry. Government departments on the other. Highways, Forests, Fisheries, Municipal Administration, Sewarage Plans are afoot, and theyll To recap, the uncontrolled exploitation of the area had been & Water Supply, and Finance Departments as members. Ironically, come a-digging real soon. challenged by the CAG in the court during the building of the Ranjitha Ashok Ambedkar Memorial, and in 2000 the High Court had directed (Continued on page 2) CMYK 2 MADRAS MUSINGS January 16-31, 2008 Court-ordered New Year greetings on SMS committee he Man from Madras Wishes tically all the landmarks are T Musings has no mobile You languishing! phone and feels blessed. There Everything Even Senate House which are others who have felt differ- Automatic was so splendidly renovated is for ecopark ently, in particular MMMs Results in Success now out of bounds to visitors. good lady. But MMM only felt As for Bharat Insurance Build- reassured on New Years Eve, And there was one of ing, it is without a roof for over (Continued from page 1) when he noticed several among MMMs friends who received three years now. his friends and acquaintances an SMS that went: MMM was recently at the being plagued by New Year Peace, Love n Joy in the New Teachers College premises in many of the members of the Trust were those who had appeared greetings, all relayed through Yr. A Wonderful New Year to U. Saidapet and was shocked at for the Government when the CAG had challenged its actions in SMS. Being a magpie collector Hugs, Love and Kisses, Smita. the way the buildings were be- court while, curiously, the CAG was not made part of the Trust. of sorts (though others have in- ing maintained. If the authori- This came in at the witch- terpreted this as the height of ties are working on a case for Environmentalists subsequently suggested the handing over of the ing hour of midnight and unemployment) MMM asked demolition, they are going entire 350 acres of the Creek for protection and also questioned MMMs friends wife picked up about some of the messages and about it the right way. how only 58 acres of it could be preserved without access to the the phone. He, when ques- reproduces them below for the And Victoria Public Hall waters of the estuary which was the lifeline of the area and which tioned closely, denied know- benefit of MMs readers. has crossed one more year would be cut off with the proposed development. ledge of any Smita, but wife as without any attention being not willing to believe such stout Here is one that combines busi- paid to it. In 2007/08, for the second year running, money was allocated denial. New Year was not so ness with pleasure: The scribe departed much for the development of the Creek, Rs. 100 crore this time. The happy. The rift within the lute Wish you a very happy and satisfied with the info. At least Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Financial Services Limited could have carried on well into prosperous 2008. We are playing a someone has benefited from all (TNUIFL) was appointed the coordinating agency, and consult- 2008, had it not finally tran- concert tomorrow at 9.00 am at this. ants from Auroville were brought in to advise on developing the XYZ location. We would be happy spired that it was a casual busi- Park. The Government requested the court in July 2007 to if you can make it convinient (sic) ness acquaintance who sent a A fond farewell recognise the TNUIFL as the agency for the development of the to attend. bulk sms to everyone. God Park and that it be allowed to select the consultants responsible for knows how many more house- oarding a night train to Another of the same variety: BBangalore, The Man from the work. It also requested that the TNUIFL be allowed to recon- holds are cursing the unfortu- Happy New Year. My daughter nate Smita! Madras Musings was witness to struct any building within the Adyar Creek and Estuary.