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 G Short ‘N’ Snappy G One Woman’s India G Eardley Norton – Lawyer outstanding G Madras Week Programmes G Ageing CSK becomes champion WE CARE FOR MADRAS THAT IS CHENNAI Vol. XXVIII No. 8 August 1-15, 2018 Phoenix-like in T’Nagar Ground + 4, becomes 7, heads for 9 after fire (by The Editor) id violations ever go away? tor, wrote long posts in social DNo, they did not. But what media on how such business- is sad is that despite a conflagra- men thrive. tion of mammoth proportions Everyone was agreed that that happened just a year back, the retailer, if he did construct INTACH, Chennai’s 36th Heritage Club inaugurated none, ranging from builder to a new building, would put up a G Young INTACH, Chennai Chapter, inaugurated its 36th Heritage Club in schools at the Vocational Training Centre the authorities, has learnt a model structure in full compli- of the Anjuman Himayath-e-Islam School for girls recently. single lesson. It is left to the citi- ance of all regulations. They INTACH Chennai’s Sujatha Shankar and Sushila Nataraj walked into a large courtyard full of 300 young girls zens to bear all the risks and also little knew what a builder- seated in neat rows. Most of them were there to cheer 40 of their peers who have chosen to form a Heritage Club. to protest, very much in vain. bureaucrat nexus can achieve. This group of 40 stood out, as the girls were dressed in all-white, making a striking picture, they ranged from classes When in 2017, the fire swept All of a sudden, a nine-floor 9 to 12 – all of whom have chosen to be inducted into the Club because of their love and affinity for History. The girls through the seven floors of a structure, inclusive of base- were inducted formally into the VTC Heritage Club with a badge and a ‘Passport’, wherein they would record personal popular retailer dealing in silk, ment, has come up in the same heritage knowledge and experiences. a Minister went on record to say place. And, what is more, work The Club members plan to meet every Wednesday after school hours and are keen to invite resource persons who will that the building had been in began on the construction even open their areas of knowledge into different forms of heritage – both tangible and intangible. gross violation of all permits before the builder filed for The INTACH representatives then addressed the students and teachers and said that to create awareness, initiate heritage-related activities and bring out the importance of built, natural, and intangible heritage should be the aim of the even since it was built in 2000. approvals, so sure was the re- Club. The original sanction had been tailer that everything would fall INTACH plans to establish more heritage clubs this year. Interested schools may contact for ground plus four floors, what (Continued on page 2) [email protected]. came up in reality was a struc- ture of seven floors. This was constructed in full public view t present, the Chennai Met- relationships? Has an expert and yet the authorities Will Metro offer CityAropolitan decongestion?Area is 1,189 study been done to assess what remained oblivious of the viola- sq.km after its notification in needs to be done to result in a tions. Thereafter, there ensued hennai Metro is in the ranged from 17 to 29 months,1975.Phase CMDA 1 corridor intends to togain expand access positiveContinued impact ondelay decongestion, of Phase 2 the usual process of going to Cnews again. More new except one with a 9-monthit toto other8,878 areas sq.km in theengulfing proposed reducedwould causepollution substantial and improved project court over the extra floors. Here underground metro rail stations delay, all against the target ofTiruvallurPhase 2 andwould Kancheepuram not use Phase 1 qualitycost over-run. of life? The original esti- again, despite orders for demo- are open. A single train can December 2015. The remainingDistrictsfacility andtill Phase Arakkonam 2 is completed. and mateWhen was the Rs. area 85,000 was expanded crore. lition of the additional and un- now take commuters to all segment is already delayed by 30NemiliOn Taluks Phase in 2,Vellore the Ministry District, of toConsequential 1,189 sq.km, Government increase in rea-the approved levels, the builder major transport hubs in the months and is yet to beChengalpattuHousing & becomingUrban Affairs part ofhas sonedfare might that make a large it unaffordable. area was obtained a stay and carried on City. From Central, you can commissioned which is thethe raisedregion. important The objective issues isto to be neededEven atto fullfind capacity, the best thepossible two business merrily for a decade reach the Airport in 50 anticipate the needs of the popu- locationphases canfor employment,meet only about afford- 20 and more. That was until the minutes. About 75 per cent of lation by 2026. ableper centhousing of present and relocation demand and of fire came along. Phase 1 is now functional. G by A Special CorrespondentEnlargement of the City slumsa much and lessdeveloping proportion connecti- of the There was a wave of self- Average daily usership has risen region, and that too, by over vity.demand This thatwas wouldprimarily have to en-be righteousness in the immediate to 45,000 from 27,000. To a seven times seems highly complex achievedlarged by bythe creatingtime the Phasesatellite 2 is aftermath. Bureaucrats decried cursory observer, these are Washermenpet – AG-DMSandclarified over ambitious. by the StateReservations govern- townscompleted. and peripheral ring roads. the way buildings had violated cheerful developments. Admit- section. Estimated duration foron somement. issues Why iscannot ridership be helped. very low OfThe five State proposed government towns, mustonly norms in T’ Nagar and else- tedly, these are good but not all, Phase 2 was 10 years from 2015.Havefor similarPhase 1objectives, compared toas expec-were twotake – upManali Phase and2 on Maraimalaihighest pri- where. The Fire Department nor enough. A closer study of This Phase is still in an embry-spelttation out, andbeen how achieved does it affectfor the the Nagarority –and were resolve accomplished. the differences This bemoaned the fact that such the present status does not onic stage. Phase 1 is 45 km offirstviability expansion of Phaseto 1189 2? sq.km?The DPR If haswith not the been Centre adequate to be to able arrest to structures cut off all access in afford room to hope that Metro which 35 are operational. Phasethe (Detailedanswer is inProject the negative, Report) how sub- thestart rising construction overcrowding without thein the event of any major disaster. would complete its promise by 2 would cover 108 km whenis anmitted enlarged by areathe Statea substitute was found for Chennaislightest city.delay. The If project object offi- of It was a wonder that no life was 2025. completed. Because 45 out ofsoundunacceptable conception andby implemen-the Centre makingcials can housing keep their in suburbs promise anof lost in the fire, they said. The In Phase 1, against the tar- 153 km is likely to be completedtation?without If the this answer and other is in aspects the attractivesix years’ completion,option has insteadnot been of store owner said he had violated get of July 2014 for two seg- shortly we cannot expect to de-affirmative,being addressed would it notproperly. be realis- This realised.the original Reports construction from residents time norms and so would bring down ments of the project, comple- rive proportionate benefit of 30tic tohas break been the going proposed on for some massive time inof outlying ten years, areas they indicate will have that re- the structure (there was not tion was only by June 2015 and per cent. The truncated projectexpansionnow. It is disappointinginto manageable that the localtrieved roads the have situation. not been Going put byin much of it left standing any- September 2016 – late by 11 will not yield proportionatemodules,State Governmentof the same hassize been as for de- placethe track nor recordhas the on supplydeadlines, of way). The public, many of them and 26 months respectively. For benefits as commuters whothelaying first itsexpansion, response to without the Cen- serviced land for middle and regular customers of this viola- five other segments the delay must necessarily pass throughweakeningtral Ministry. their organic inter- (Continued on page 2) CMYK 2 MADRAS MUSINGS August 1-15, 2018 Phoenix-like Madras Week here again in T’Nagar Chief, you just do not celebration of what the followers have celebrated, the Oknow what you have un- metropolis stands for, period. newspapers and media have (Continued from page 1) given the manner in which the leashed- you, and the other And yet, this is the time when reported on it, and so let us people who first came up with articles, never to be seen at any move on. Until the next pro- fire raged and consumed many this idea, to be precise, of Ma- other time of the year, keep nouncement, that is. into place. The papers were kilolitres of water for being dras Week. The Man from getting published to the effect Now just imagine today is submitted in May and the au- extinguished, how is it Madras Musings was privileged that the town is 2000 years plus February 24, 2019. You have thorities, with an alacrity that that approvals were so readily to attend the curtain raiser (good for it, says MMM) and set out to do your shopping, all they do not display when more given? The Commissioner of press conference this year and that a group of self styled histo- filled with joy at the thought humble citizens apply for per- the Corporation has himself came away with some fairly rians are insisting on creating a that you will soon be home missions, immediately gave the lamented about the way illegal firm conclusions: new history by declaring that with your purchases in those go-ahead.