Registered with the Reg. No. TN/CH(C)/374/09-11 Registrar of Newspapers Licence to post without prepayment for India under R.N.I. 53640/91 Licence No. WPP 506/09-11 Rs. 5 per copy (Annual Subscription: Rs. 100/-) WE CARE FOR MADRAS THAT IS CHENNAI INSIDE • Short ‘N’ Snappy • The missing Madras Bulwark • Kaliya’s subjugation • Bharata Natyam’s name • Madras Week events Vol. XXI No. 8 MUSINGS August 1-15, 2011 What is happening at the Adyar Poonga? “I have no clue what I’m supposed to do, but let me at least try to look as tough and busy as him!” (By A Special Correspondent) When the he Adyar Poonga was a project that remained in the limelight ‘Twain Go Trysting ... Tfrom almost start to finish. Begun as a response to public inter- Big-Shot visitors from Bigger- est litigations demanding the protection of the Adyar Creek, the Shot nations choosing to put park was created at a cost of Rs. 19 crore, spent over three years. It Chennai on their must-visit was to have a high profile inauguration which became a subdued list. one for political reasons. Since then, despite an encouraging re- Nice. sponse with footfalls exceeding 4000 in two months, it would ap- That sense of playing in the Big pear that the Government, especially with a change in regime, has League – So gratifying! lost interest in the project. Which would indeed be a pity, if true. Even better – the delightful little To recap, the uncontrolled exploitation of the area had been through-the-looking-glass mo- challenged by the Citizen, consumer and civil Action Group ments that spring up at such A view of the Adyar Poonga with its plentiful signage. meetings when worlds collide. (CAG) in the court during the Like – on one hand, hard-jawed, building of the Ambedkar Me- tough-looking guys in black, morial and, in 2000, the High with spiral wires dangling from Court had directed the State Is the beat constable their ears, obsidian glasses Government to preserve the darting laser-like all over. wetlands. On December 22, On the other, our own ‘tough 2003 the State Government guys’, equally keen...okay, not handed over 58 acres of the area feasible any longer? all of them sport the lean- to the city’s Corporation to de- mean-machine look. And yes, velop it into an eco park mod- n the light of repeated terror- of Police, who made a success Secondly, most houses have they sometimes get distracted ist attacks in various metros out of the system in Trichy, now been replaced by highrise. by dignitaries...but hey, we elled on Tezozomac of Mexico. I The budget for creating the of the country, the importance hopes to repeat the same here Where one family lived there don’t need no lessons from no- of the beat constable, who as well. He has declared that the are several which means a cor- body. park, Rs.60 crore, was passed in But what’s with some of those 2005 and a special purpose ve- would know every little detail of scheme will take policing out of respondingly higher number of men-in-black and that peren- hicle (SPV), Adyar Creek Eco what is happening in his local- the stations and make it more individuals. This is in addition nial hand-tucked-in-coat ges- Park Limited, was set up to har- ity, is being realised. The Prime visible and interactive. to support staff and those who ture? ness and channel the funds for Minister made a statement to In the past, Chennai was call on errands such as delivery Napoleon complex? development. An Adyar Creek this effect in 2007 and ever known for the efficacy of its personnel. How are all these Little worrying – this hint of con- Trust was set up with the Chief since then the matter has been beat constables. The city was people to be tracked by a beat stant edginess. Secretary as the Chairman and in focus off and on. Recently, then small and had specifically constable? Our audiences are noisy; cell the Chennai police has decided designated residential and of- Lastly, shortage of police phones blare; sometimes, ban- Secretaries of Highways, For- ests, Fisheries, Municipal Ad- to revive the concept of assign- personnel in Chennai is a well- ners come unpinned and waft ing areas for beat coverage by known fact. In 2010, the short- to the ground ... and the ubiq- ministration & Water Supply, G By A Special police personnel up to the rank age was around 3000 and, this uitous mike checker will go: and Finance as members. Correspondent ‘ullo-‘ullo-‘ullo-(Squeeekkk)- Strangely enough, the CAG of sub-inspector. But the ques- year, an estimate has it that, at miketestingmiketesting...uh- was never made part of the tion remains as to whether the a ratio of one constable to every wontwothree...(Screeech)... body. concept is feasible any longer, fice areas. The former largely 413 residents, Chennai ranks The last thing you want is some Environmentalists subse- given the rapidly changing na- had independent houses and it very low in terms of police pro- clueless, jumpy ‘Them’ going quently suggested the handing ture of the city and its suburbs. was easy to know who lived tection. What is more, several all Gunfight at O.K. Corral. The new system being imple- where. But over a period of of these policemen are fre- They need lessons. over of the entire 350 acres of the Creek for protection and mented envisages placing 460 time, all that has changed. quently deployed for providing Like: On the sub-continent, al- “pockets” under the jurisdiction security to VIPs. Even in 2009 ways expect the unexpected... also questioned as to how only Mixed zoning has been in effect and make ‘simply adjust’ your 58 acres of it could be preserved of the 90 police stations within for over a decade and so offices it was announced that con- motto. without access to the waters of city limits. Each pocket would and residences co-exist. The stables would be put back on Know something? the estuary which was the life- be assigned to an SI and a few presence of commercial entities duty from VIP service, but this The Man was wrong – the ‘Twain line of the area and which policemen. They will patrol the means most areas of the city is yet to take place. As a conse- do meet these days. would be cut off with the pro- area and maintain a close link witness a large amount of float- quence, it is very unclear as to And perhaps the world’s a better posed development. with students, traders and resi- ing population by day and, in how beat patrolling can be place for it. dents. The patrols will work places where IT companies and Ranjitha Ashok (Continued on page 2) three shifts. The Commissioner call centres exist, by night also. (Continued on page 2) CMYK 2 MADRAS MUSINGS August 1-15, 2011 What’s on at the The Madam – Mutt muddle Adyar Poonga? he Man from Madras T Musings notices that the (Continued from page 1) doing the rounds of suppliers’ city’s civic body has suddenly bestirred itself. Street and road The State Government filed bills remaining unpaid (a names are now prominently a writ petition before the Court common enough Government displayed at junctions and in- requesting permission to practice). A change of Govern- tersections on well-designed proceed with the work. It stated ment has not helped and in May display boards. As to how long that the objective of the Poonga it was decided that only groups these signboards will remain Trust was to restore the wetland of students would be allowed unmolested by posters and in the Adyar Estuary area, com- into the park. While this is in handbills is anybody’s guess. prising 58 acres, and to create keeping with the original intent But MMM realises that the Corporation cannot be blamed an ecologically sensitive zone of creating an information faci- if the citizens of Madras that is nurturing the flora and fauna lity for students at the park, Chennai do not have civic peculiar to the locality with hu- what is surprising is that it sense and persist in defacing man interface. It also claimed should be out of bounds for signboards. Perhaps the civic that objections and suggestions everyone else. body can think of putting up a received from several stake- In the meantime, lack of signboard next to each of these what the Corporation follows. ugly tubelights (with the hold- holders including NGOs like maintenance is already showing name boards with a statement But are they and the establish- ers prominently declaring the Exnora International and the up. The wings of an eagle statu- to the effect that anyone de- ments themselves not aware names of the donors) were all CAG were considered. Interest- ette came crashing down facing the latter will be se- that a ‘mutt’ in English is a practically invisible. There following high speed winds one verely punished. But what if mongrel? Or in the colloquial, was no power (and so what’s ingly, the Government stuck to an idiot? Several years ago, the new in Chennai) and the only evening in May and are yet to that board (the warning its plan of restoring only 58 board) is also covered with Corporation opted for the word illumination was from oil acres and not the entire area, be put back. It is also not clear posters? ‘Madam’ in place of ‘Mutt’ and lamps.