13493 MM Vol. XXIII No. 15.Pmd

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 Publication: 15th & 28th of every month Rs. 5 per copy (Annual Subscription: Rs. 100/-) WE CARE FOR MADRAS THAT IS CHENNAI INSIDE • Short ‘N’ Snappy • Maverick of TN cricket • The master builder • Another Madras first • Funding musical heritage Vol. XXIII No. 15 MUSINGS November 16-30, 2013 When fire strikes twice... ...Heritage is the victim (By A Special Correspondent) hey say lightning never strikes twice. But in our city, fires certainly do. The Government Press, Twhich is housed in the buildings of the erstwhile Mint on the eponymous street, had a fire within six months of two earlier ones. The most recent and most serious blaze of them all destroyed what the first two had not. The buildings had to be demolished. Thanks to poor maintenance, shoddy electrical wiring and an appalling sense of housekeeping, another one of the heritage structures of the city fell victim to what was very much an avoidable tragedy. The Government Press on the site of the old Mint, where one more of the But that is not the view of officialdom which moved ahead with unseemly speed to flatten what City’s heritage buildings came down. was left, speed that could have been shown in restoration which, if done, could have obviated the causes for the fire accident. Even now it is reliably The hawkers may leave, but understood that the fire is seen as a blessing in disguise, for it has ensured that an inconve- will our pavements return? nient heritage structure that nobody wanted is out of the way and plans can go ahead for a couple of weeks ago we The solution currently licensed hawker retire or pass observed that none of his obser- modern structure. Asaw the normally busy and implemented in T’Nagar has, away. The civic body was then vations had been taken What is not being looked congested Sir Theayagaraya however, shown a greater sensi- asked to build/identify specific seriously by the administrative into is the background to the Road in T’Nagar emptying it- tivity to the requirements of the areas to which these hawkers machinery. That was when the fire. The earlier incidents, both self. With the expiry of a dead- hawkers. Unlike earlier could be moved and from where Court set a deadline and every- of which occurred within a line set by the Courts, the road- attempts where eviction and they could continue plying their one had to comply. week of each other, were caused side shop owners and hawkers not rehabilitation was the sole trade. To ensure that this was Which brings us to the origi- by electric short circuits. The had no choice but to move into aim, leading to the hawkers done quickly, a Hawking nal issue. If hawkers and vested fire services chief made a state- a new shopping complex built returning to the same spaces Committee was ordered to be interests could continue merrily ment that the building that was for them by the Corporation in after a brief while, the authori- set up. The scheme was to apply despite court orders, what price burnt had faulty wiring. The the vicinity. There has been ties have recognised that the to ten zones identified as having that the now emptied spaces Press staff claimed that the wir- much euphoria over the unclut- hawkers are also stakeholders. problems of congestion owing will not be encroached upon ing was old because the build- tered street and its wide but un- And as is usual, all this has to indiscriminate hawking. again? Will the Courts need to ing was old! Now where does it kempt footpaths. But the be approached to ensure that state that an old building should question remains: Will this what is rightfully ours remains not upgrade its electrical ca- open space be allowed to G by A Special Correspondent in our possession? If so, will it bling to prevent short circuits? remain that way? mean another prolonged legal This time round, the fire was Past experience shows that battle lasting several years? To caused by newly installed elec- this is highly unlikely. Chen- what purpose then the law en- trical equipment, which only nai’s so-called pedestrian walk- come to pass thanks to the Matters moved slowly there- forcement agencies and a civic goes to show what quality can ways are meant for everyone intervention of the High Court after and it was only after a body? be expected in our State-run in- else but those on foot. The of Madras. Public Interest Litigation was stitutions. As luck would have TANGEDCO (formerly It was in 2006 that Justices filed a couple of years ago that The T’Nagar scheme needs it, the recent fire, unlike the TNEB) finds these a conve- A.P. Shah and Prabha Sridevan the issue was once again to be extended to all locations earlier ones, broke out at night nient space for erecting trans- had, as part of their judgement brought to the notice of the quickly. A single implementa- and was not detected quickly. formers and junction boxes. covering several petitions High Court. The Hawking tion seven years after the judge- By the time the fire services Property owners convert them concerning the hawking Committee in its report ment is not a track record to were called, it was too late. into vehicle parking lots. Shops problem, formulated a new lamented that the lack of speed be proud of. In 2006, there With reportedly heavy stock of extend their showroom space by scheme. This involved the in implementation was mainly were an estimated 35,000 paper in the premises, the fire putting up outdoor displays. enumeration of hawkers and due to official lethargy and apa- hawkers in the city. Today the spread quickly and burnt the And, above all, political parties the issuing of licences to them thy. The report also hinted at number is one lakh. The longer supporting columns, most of erect banners, hoardings and by the Corporation. These official connivance in allowing we delay, the greater the prob- them being wooden. With the cut-outs, blocking access com- licences were to be renewed the hawkers to stay where they lem is going to be. And in all building listing to one side, pletely. Political will and official each year and could be passed were despite alternative accom- such areas, the space retrieved discipline are both needed to on to those who wished to carry modation being ready. The should not be allowed to en- (Continued on page 6) curb such tendencies. on the business should a Chairman of the Committee croached again. CMYK 2 MADRAS MUSINGS November 16-30, 2013 Chess and corporate The pump that stays put ill it? Or won’t it? That ship), a quick decision had to visions of men going up in the Wis the question that is be taken. The elders aban- air and causing clouds to form. uppermost in the minds of doned all orthodoxy and wel- It was said that they would strategy those who live in Chennai and comed with open arms the spray a chemical which would need to worry about it. The hand pump. Water came to it make the clouds come crowd- Man from Madras Musings only once a day and that too for ing in and pour forth like t the Sanmar Group’s An- ing is cast in stone in a chang- alludes to the rain. And an hour at an ungodly 3.00 nobody’s business. Nothing of Anual Day held some time ing situation and the penchant currently, going by the vague a.m. But you should have seen the sort happened. The men ago, Viswanathan Anand, the for learning takes precedence. pronouncements of the Astro- the enthusiasm with which ev- came, they went up in the air World Chess champion, spoke He emphasised the need for logical, sorry, Meteorological eryone worked the pump. Its and then muttered what to with refreshing candour while emotional connect, the need to Department, it appears to be well-being and its treatment MMM appeared rather flimsy drawing subtle parallels be- believe in yourself, and keep anybody’s guess as to whether during times of sickness (which excuses – wind speed was tween his chess career and the your spirits up in bad times, the it will. To MMM, who being was often) was the topic of either too much or too little challenges of corporate life. need to visualise and reinforce married is naturally inclined to discussion at all times. Some and that there was an already Speaking with wit, he re- the mind with stories of past pessimism, it does not look like family members became ex- existing cloud cover. The fact called that for a chess player, victories acting as catalysts to it will rain. There is a nip in the perts in detecting the early sig- remained that no water came air, which is usually felt once nals of failure and their exper- down, though the men did, known for planning many pull yourself together in weaker the monsoons are over. Which tise was much sought after. and lots of money went up in moves ahead on the board, he moments. means the monsoons are er... smoke. was left embarrassed on one oc- Later, he anwered queries in over, only we did not notice Everyone learnt to live with casion when he forgot to greet an interview: them come or go.

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