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 Short ‘N’ Snappy A house of Music Water sustainable Chennai Memoirs of P. Sabanayagam Women Doctors of Chennai www.madrasmusings.com WE CARE FOR MADRAS THAT IS CHENNAI Vol. XXIX No. 18 January 1-15, 2020 Creating Urban Transport Chaos t was exactly a year ago that was yet another example, and involved in the running of the Ithe Chennai Unified Met- in TN there are many, of how transport systems. It was also to ropolitan Transport Authority the public suffers at the whims periodically revise and upgrade (CUMTA) was launched with of those in power. The CUMTA its plans. Headed by the Trans- much fanfare. The media had was an excellent scheme and port Minister, it was to have the at that time hailed it, claiming its non-implementation has Chief Urban Planner (Trans- that it was the solution to all the helped nobody. In January 2019 port) of the CMDA as its Mem- ills that city’s public transport it was relaunched with much ber-Secretary. Others on board As our leads concern public amenities, our OLD features private systems faced – each of them were the Chief Secretary and buses waiting outside Central Station in the 1920s. Our NEW is striking out in different direc- the Vice-Chairman, CMDA the famed ‘green’ bus launched recently. tions and with no connection (both ranking as Vice-Chair- to each other. What was then by The Editor persons), the Secretaries of forgotten was that even then the Departments of Finance, the concept was seven years Transport, Home, Housing & old. It had been approved by fanfare and what’s more noti- Urban Development, and the the Legislature in 2011 but fied as well, with no explanation General Manager of the South- for reasons best known to the for the intervening delays. But ern Railway. Under CUMTA it Government, the required no- then 12 months later, CUMTA was envisaged that all transport tifications were never issued. is as clueless as ever. systems – buses, the suburban The change in political regime The CUMTA as originally railway, the MRTS and the in 2011 is generally believed planned was to chiefly have a Metro being the main players to be the reason why CUMTA planning function and oversee – would all function in a fully was never notified. If so, this the work of several agencies (Continued on page 2) A New Year wish s another Year dawns, by A Special Correspondent Aseveral programmes in newspapers make us feel heady. Traffic rules will be enforced, announced in mid-2017 that Corporation has “finalised the ied”, it was said. Restoration frame ending 2022. It may be Pallikaranai will be retrieved, with an outlay of Rs. 1,442 proposal” at Rs. 1,250 crores. was expected to take three extended. Kodungaiyur and Perungudi crores for remediation of the The Chief secretary is “likely years. Meanwhile, flow of pol- Construction of the first waste dumps will be converted vast dump yards in Kodun- to review the proposal soon”. luted water into the estuary stretch of Chennai Metro began into energy by high-tech solu- gaiyur and Perungudi, which Once that is completed, offi- would negate efforts to revive in June 2009, spanning seven tion “to end the City’s waste are serious health hazards, cials “expect the work to start and maintain the creek at con- stations, Koyambedu to Aland- menace”, the Marina will be further dumping would be next year”. About 36 months siderable cost and effort. After ur, covering 10 kilometres (6.2 beautified and upper reaches of stopped. The conservancy have passed from conception three years the river work has miles) and began operation in Adyar will be dredged for free process would be revamped. to just to start of work. That started, and it may take up to June 2015, taking six years. flow of sewage free water and Two plants would convert is not an exceptional case but 2022 or longer as there are Now in 2019, the operational the estuary will bloom. waste to energy-absorbing seems to be the norm as other difficult hurdles. That is six network is 45 km. At full net- Should we rejoice or resign incoming waste and convert- examples would show. years or more from concept to work length of 163 km, with ourselves to accepting that ing the accumulated heap. It In early 2017, Chennai resi- completion. all interconnections in place, things will move painfully was then estimated that in a dents were told that the Adyar Launched in 2016, the the project may be completed slowly and would remain the period of 15 months the waste River would get a make-over Smart City Project came alive only by 2025 and not by 2022 same? That is our soliloquy. heaps would be fully degraded, with riverfront development, by mid-2018. There is no clear as originally envisaged. With Take, for example, an im- biologically and chemical- plugging of sewage outfalls, indication of the target comple- congestion rising every day to portant public health related ly. Not 15 but 30 months modular sewage plants, walk- tion dates for different projects, unbearable limits, the capacity necessity that has been in the have passed. The present aways and cycle tracks. The but it is known that the Smart as estimated by CMRL would, air for several years. It was announcement says that the project report “has been read- City Project has a five-year time (Continued on page 2) 2 MADRAS MUSINGS January 1-15, 2020 Urban transport chaos (Continued from page 1) the ground. Also in a limbo is Several New Years ago the Rs 500 crore Intelligent integrated fashion. Commuters et another year has drawn bend with the passage of time. Redialling will usually get would be expected to switch Transport System that aims to Yto a close and a new one Remember that variety? If you you the response that the seamlessly from one system to provide the city a smart way has begun. The Man from don’t, just go back and take a number you are trying does another without having to buy to commute using the latest Madras Musings peers into look at a circular mark around not exist. Trying again will tickets at all the intervening communication and computing the past and recalls at this any nail in old houses. Chances be met with the message that moment several items closely are that these were left be- the subscriber is busy, which stages. technologies, thereby making for safer and faster travel. This traditionally associated with hind by calendars long gone. is probably the truth, for the But of course, such a par- a new year calendar year and As the year progressed, these poor soul is clearly trying adise was not vouchsafed to was in collaboration with Ja- wonders as to where they calendars became thinner and your number. Connection is Chennai and for this we must pan International Cooperation have gone. Time has certainly thinner and so rotated freely established after a while, only thank the usual bureaucratic Agency and that body too had moved on for these articles. around the nail from which to drop a few minutes later. hurdles. One of the main issues made it a precondition that The first is the day calen- they were hung, each time the Matters have come to such CUMTA should be implement- dar – the one where each day wind blew or an electric fan a sorry pass that MMM is not plaguing our mandarins is the had a sheet and you ripped it was switched on. The circu- even getting those massage choice of the person to head ed. In fact, that was the chief impetus for the State Govern- off to reveal the next. MMM lar mark was the net result. parlour messages any longer. CUMTA. Initially it was pro- recalls that the last Viceroy of In a similar category as cal- He trusts that the girls who posed that the Chief Planner of ment to dust the old scheme India had one such placed on endars, and perhaps in even were supposedly sending them the CMDA would be the Mem- and relaunch it. But a year later, the table to indicate a count- greater demand, were diaries. are all well – you know how it ber Secretary or CEO of CUM- with little or no action, the city down to Independence for People made it a habit of call- is with pen pals- even if you TA. This was later changed, has to wait that much longer to which he (the Viceroy and not ing and asking for them. And have never met them a sort of MMM) took full credit (he, woe betide you if you said bond develops when you keep with a bureaucrat to head the get integrated transport systems in place. by which MMM means the that you did not have any to receiving communications. body. This has been questioned Viceroy and not MMM, was give. For some reason, those Anyway, that is beside the by the Planners who point out In the meanwhile, the Metro noticeably silent on Partition in Government service and point. What is certainly a fact that in other States it is one of is very keen to get going with and the horrors it generated).