Sunday

May 5, 2024

THE 3 HINDU
Adyar » Kanathur » Kelambakkam » Navalur » Semmencherry » Thoraipakkam » Velachery » IIT Madras » Kandanchavadi » Kottivakkam

Neelankarai » Sholinganallur » Thiruvanmiyur » Vijaya Nagar » Indira Nagar » Karapakkam » Kotturpuram » Padur » Thalambur » Pallikaranai

‘PIRATES’ ON THE CHENNAI COAST APARTMENTS FEEL THE HEAT

While the countdown for the return of the brown-headed and FROM AC INSTALLATIONS
black-headed gulls to their breeding grounds has begun, here With households installing multiple
is a late-season display of kleptoparasitism by a air-conditioners, apartment
brown-headed gull at the Muttukadu-Covelong backwaters. associations are saddled with the
And this “event” took place on May Day, dedicated to those job of regulating the placement of
earning their livelihood by the sweat of their brow. P4 outdoor units. P3

‘Improve’ the surface Changes in parking patterns at Metro stations

of these U-turns on T
he Chennai Metro Rail Limited
(CMRL) has made changes to its
parking preferences based on
non-commuters has been increased at
18 stations. This includes Thiruvotriyur,
Thiruvotiyur Theradi, Kaladipet, High

Perumbakkam Main Road space availability and occupancy at

stations, with effect from May 1.
The monthly pass provision has been
extended only for metro commuters
(who have undertaken 15 rides in the
last 30 days) at parking lots of six
stations: Wimco Nagar Depot, Sri
Thiyagaraya College, Nehru Park,
Koyambedu, Ashok Nagar and Alandur.
The pass provision has been
suspended at four metro stations: New
Washermenpet, Nandanam, Egmore,
and Shenoy Nagar due to a lack of
parking spaces, said a release.
Due to increase in non–commuters
demand, the hourly parking tariff for
Court, Washermenpet, Government
Estate, LIC, Guindy, Nanganallur Road,
Meenambakkam, Thirumangalam,
Chennai International Airport,
Mannadi, New Washermenpet,
Nandanam, Egmore, Ashok Nagar and
Alandur.
The monthly pass tariff for
non-commuters (no metro travel or less
than 15 rides in the last 30 days) has
been increased at Arumbakkm and
Saint Thomas Mount metro stations.
The parking tariff has not been changed
at the remaining stations.
For details, visit
chennaimetrorail.org /parking-tariff/

A U-turn that needs to be bitumen-topped. PHOTOS: PRINCE FREDERICK

he pillars are hold- cism marking some of more dust. Dust and sear-

T ing up the deck.

Under the deck,
motorists trace a U-turn.
It is one of the U-turns
on Perumbakkam Main
Road that have been
firmed up. These U-turns
are not going to be re-
voked: the likelihood of
that event is slim, slimmer
than a graphene sheet.
In that light, the ad-ho-
these U-turn is glaring. The
surface is often only partly
bitumen-topped.
During rush hour, mo-
torists scuff these U-turns
hard while making a dash
to the offices at the IT SEZ,
letting fly clouds of dust
and opening up the sandy
surface further.
The opened-up surface
can be trusted to raise
ing heat make an unplea-
sant combination.
Chennai Metro Metro
Rail has to take an audit of
the U-turns that are not
likely to be disturbed in a
major way in the future,
and have them bitumen-
topped in their entirety.
CMRL has in fact done that
with at least a couple of U-
turns on this road.

2 Sunday, May 5, 2024
Preserving the past, only
eff
ffeecting a minor tweak
BY A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
lmost everything is suscepti-
A ble to the recency effect. The
effect assumes the virulence
of a black-mamba bite when the most
recent manifestation is one of a per-
formance slump. Is not the hand with
the censuring fangs always out faster
than the one with a congratulatory
pat?
The Indian ash tree is currently
witnessing the inability of the human
mind to reach back in time and find
reasons for gratitude.
The Indian ash tree is now in
bloom, displaying splendid racemes
of yellowish-green flowers. But the In-
dian ash tree eschews multi-tasking to
an extreme degree. It blooms come at
the expense of its leaves. It divests it-
self of its foliage to gain the resource
to cloth itself in floral glory.
In peri-urban areas and even in ur-
ban areas, such as the streets of Be-
sant Nagar, including the high-profile
Besant Avenue Road, Indian ash trees
stand in a row, presenting a sap-filled
living reminder of the times when
they formed natural compound
walls, serving as hedge trees. During
summer, in those streets lined with
Indian ash trees (planted long ago as
CONSERVATION
hedge trees), roadside hawkers
would find themselves suddenly ex-
posed to the fury of the sun. Now
shorn of its foliage, the Indian ash
tree would “leak” sun rays. You find
this situation playing out on the end
of Besant Avenue Road where it
meets Second Avenue.
In these times, it is easy to turn
shortsighted and censure the tree,
forgetting the days when it held up an
umbrella of dense foliage over one’s
head. “Chennai being hot through
the year, the Indian ash tree serves us
Tree survey today
izhal has chalked up plans to
N carry out a tree survey in sec-
tions of Chennai Metropoli-
tan Area, taking the initiative neigh-
bourhood by neighborhood. For May 5,
it has inked in a survey in parts that
come under Tambaram Municipal Cor-
poration, namely Chromepet and Chit-
lapakkam. According to a press release
from Nizhal, the thrust of these surveys
is to understand tree diversity , identify
greening possibilities and take stock of
avenue trees in a neighbourhood.
Shobha Menon, founder-trustee,
DOWNTOWN
THE HINDU ● Chennai
An effective
shelter through
most part of
the year, the
Indian ash tree
takes a
‘sabbatical’ at
the height of
summer.
A suitable ally
to this native
tree can
salvage the
situation
Indian ash trees on Besant Avenue Road in Adyar and (below) at Bhakthi
well as a shelter through most part of Vedantaswamy Salai in Injambakkam,
the year. It plays its part very well,” on May 3, 2024. PHOTOS: PRINCE FREDERICK
says Shobha Menon, founder-trustee,
Nizhal.
The solution could be to plant bet-
ween every two Indian ash trees (pro-
vided they are separated by sufficient
space), those native trees that tena-
ciously latch on to their leaves
through the year.
Is the neem tree one of the trees
qualified to stand in the gaps and
keep the Indian ash tree company
and supplement its good work?
Nizhal, says volunteers would map the
green landscape of a neighbourhood in
terms of what exists and what could ex-
ist. In the map of the neighbourhood,
they will mark spots where trees can be
planted. While marking the trees that al-
ready exist, they would spotlight those
trees that might require special atten-
tion.
The meeting point for the May 5 tree
survey is Nallappa Street Entrance
(Landmark: Casual Moves, Chromepet).
The survey is scheduled for the
evening, between 5.00 p.m. and 6.30
p.m.
For details call 9840882940.
 DOWNTOWN
Sunday, May 5, 2024 3
THE HINDU ● Chennai
STATUS REPORT

Unauthorised parking eats

into mini bridge in R.A. Puram
RAJALAKSHMI V sordid and the unacceptable. ous parked vehicles, is deeply con-
From two-wheelers to trucks, veh- cerning. I earnestly urge the GCC
t times, the mini bridge icles of all stripes have been occu- to designate this area as a ‘No Park-

A on 3rd Cross Street in

R.A.Puram seems to be
serving parked vehicles
more than those on the move. And
what is worse, these parked vehi-
cles are not meant to be parked
there. It is a case of unauthorised
parking and residents are exasper-
ated with it, particularly during
rush hour when these parked veh-
icles are noticeably underfoot, hin-
dering traffic movement.
Besides, behind these parked
vehicles serve as a screen for the
pying the bridge, providing cover
for illicit activities. Empty liquor
bottles illustrate the misuse of the
space.
Additionally, the area has be-
come notorious for littering and
open defecation. “Indeed, the
bridge on 3rd Cross Street linking
R.A.Puram with Kamarajar Salai
has transformed into a squalid
patch, reeking of litter and open
defecation. Its frequent use as a
hiding spot for such activities, wor-
sened by the presence of numer-
ing’ zone and take measures to en-
sure its proper maintenance as ma-
ny residents complain,” stated Dr.
Chandrasekharan, president of
RAPRA.
“This is not a recent issue; it has
been going on for years. Many
complaints have been made to
GCC, but no action has been taken.
Now, with MTC buses being divert-
ed through this section, traffic has
gotten worse. GCC needs to act on
this immediately,” says another re-
sident.

Every May Day, these 70-year-olds turn 17 A life skills camp at Uthandi
BY A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT classmates. “Of the 39 who took
part, 14 came with their families,”
says Murthy. Classmates who had
ive decades would have settled down in Erode, Bengaluru

F elapsed since they

graduated from
Ramakrishna Mission
Vivekananda College in BA
(Economics), but this 1968-71 batch
managed to roll back the years in
no time.
They became school students
once again, instantly. Some of them
had brought their spouses along,
but that was not going to stop them
from being childlike once again.
The reunion happened on May 1 at
The Mylapore Club. Thirty-nine
alumni were in attendance, some
with their spouses.
It was the third reunion of the
Alumni Association Vivekananda
College BA (Economics).
“During a social gathering, one
involving a wedding in a classmate's
family, we decided to form an
alumni association exclusively for
our batch. A small group of us have
been meeting unofficially for the
last six years. In 2022, we
formalised May 1 as reunion day.
Only the venue changes,” says P.T.
Murthy, who along with S.
Veeramani, initiated an exercise to
bring the classmates together.
The batch had 80 students and
“We are in our 70s now and it is not
easy to gather all our friends
together, so we insisted that each of
us bring one new person to the
meet-up,” says Murthy, a chartered
accountant turned developer.
Wednesday’s gathering lived up
to the expectations of the
organisers as they could attract new
and Coimbatore made it to the
meet.
“One classmate came in a
wheelchair, helped by a nurse,”
says Murthy, a resident of
Saligramam and a member of Lions
Club. Classmates that had passed
away were remembered.
K.C. Jawahar, a bulbul tarang
artiste, entertained the guests along
with R. Sekharan of Humour Club
International - Triplicane chapter.
The group cut a cake to celebrate
the birthday of M.V. Shankar.
K.R. Jambunathan, a resident of
Mylapore, remarks the batch was
notorious for being vocal about
various issues. Jamunathan settles
on one event: “Once when the
exam fee was hiked, we went on a 쑽
A camp on life skills for children was conducted at Suddhananda Ashram in
strike and ensured it was rolled
Uthandi recently. PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
back.”

4 Sunday, May 5, 2024
‘Pirates’ on the Chennai coast
While the countdown for the return of the brown-headed and black-headed gulls to their breeding grounds has begun,
here is a late-season display of kleptoparasitism by a brown-headed gull at the Muttukadu-Covelong backwaters. And this
“event” took place on May Day, dedicated to those earning their livelihood by the sweat of their brow
At the Muttukadu-Covelong backwaters on May 1, a brown-headed gull hovering over a little egret that has a fish in its
beak; and the three other pictures show the same brown-headed gull steal a fish from a cormorant.
PHOTOS: PRINCE FREDERICK
PRINCE FREDERICK
he day was cradled in the
T crook of two united
arms, one a late after-
noon and the other an
early evening. Encouraged by the
improving weather, an “audience”
had gathered on the bridge over the
Muttukadu-Covelong backwaters.
Those with eyes to see could wit-
ness a quirk of nature.
A brown-headed gull entered
the scene. The only gull in sight, it
left its intentions unclouded. It was
set to go after any cormorant that
CONSERVATION
got lucky. For that matter, any bird
with a catch. This intention was as
transparent as Muttukadu-Cove-
long backwaters made pellucid by a
still fiercely-probing sun. A clutch of
little egrets were out fishing in the
backwaters, and the brown-headed
gull would not discriminate against
them. It would take their food too,
by force, if it could. Here is an expo-
sition of kleptoparasitism, ironical-
ly on a day dedicated to those earn-
ing their livelihood by the sweat of
their brow, May Day.
A corner of the Muttukadu-Cove-
long backwaters was in a state of tiz-
zy, boats having stirred up the wa-
DOWNTOWN
Wednesday.
Cormorants are known to wade
into “disturbed” waters. Usually,
they are uninvited partners in a
rafting exercise by spot-billed peli-
cans. They dip their webbed feet in-
to disturbed shoals of fish, “beaking
up” some of them. This evening,
there were a couple of spot-billed
pelicans and cormorants were bob-
bing around them. But the cormo-
rants were actually concentrated in
the wasters “disturbed” by the
boats. In characteristic style, little
egrets were fishing in the edges of
the waterway. A few little egrets
were more enterprising: they were
in flight, skimming the surface of
the waters trying to take their food
from the centre of the “cistern”.
The brown-headed gull was ho-
vering over cormorants that held
up their trophy, a fish clutched in
their beaks. A couple of little egrets
also felt the hot breath of the
brown-headed gull on their tails.
On a couple of occasions, this wri-
ter could see a transfer (a forced
transfer) of the fish from one beak
to another. Of course, the receiving
ters. The boats moving east
resolutely towards a groyne as if to
touch it in a game of kho-kho, were
orchestrating a mid-week revelry 2
for May Day holidayers. This sight is
common on weekends but not on a
A brown-headed gull
entered the scene. The only
gull in sight, it left its
intentions unclouded. It was
set to go after any
cormorant that got lucky.
For that matter, any bird
with a catch
1 3
THE HINDU ● Chennai
beak every time was the brown-
headed gull’s.
Kleptoparasitim (in plain terms,
stealing food from another that has
foraged successfully for it) is a phe-
nomenon pronounced in certain
species across the animal kingdom.
A species is known as a kleptopara-
site by the deliberation with which
it goes after another’s food. Gulls
exhibit this deliberation much like
the enthusiasm with which pirates
go after resourceful ships. On the
Chennai coast, during the migrato-
ry season, the brown-headed and
black-headed gulls are representa-
tives that sell this skill through a
door-to-door demonstration of it.
In Pulicat, just off the fish house, as
fishermen bring in their catch and
leave them unguarded for a mo-
ment on the platform, these gulls
would dip their beaks into the kitty.
That sight is not so common at
Muttukadu-Covelong. However,
when avian fishers turn up in plen-
tiful numbers in these parts, these
gulls would try their trick on these
birds, and often with an impressive
strike rate.

Sunday, May 5, 2024
THE HINDU ● Chennai
Apartments feel the heat from AC installations
With households
installing multiple
air-conditioners,
apartment
associations are
saddled with the job
of regulating the
placement of outdoor
units
LIFFY THOMAS
O
ver a year ago, when
the Sundarams
returned to their
gated community in
Padur from the United States,
they were greeted by a
“monstrosity”. An outdoor unit
of an air-conditioner was sitting
just a stretched-hand’s length
away from their main door. By
no stretch of imagination is an
AC outdoor unit a monstrosity,
but in their eyes it was. It was
intruding into their space. They
wasted no time in letting the
managers of the gated
community know of their
displeasure.
“The office team carried out
an inspection and got the
outdoor unit relocated,” says
Lalitha Sundaram, a resident of
Mantri Synergy.
Also a member of the
managing committee of the
Association at the gated
community, Lalitha notes the
Association has spelt out the
rules of installing AC outdoor
units. The rules include sharing
details of the AC vendor with
the office as well as getting a
no-objection certificate from
neighbours.
With households investing in
additional air-conditioners, the
placement of outdoor units
often makes a contentious issue
in apartments. The older the
community, the greater the
challenge.
At the 384-flat Ceebros
Gardens in Virugambakkam, no
provision had been made for
the placement of outdoor units
of split ACs. “As this project
came up more than two
decades ago, the developer did
not foresee the demand for
split ACs,” says Deepa Makesh,
a committee member.
“The Association has said
that no outdoor unit must be
fixed on the OTS (Open to Sky)
because in our apartment it
opens to the living room or
bedroom of another flat,” says
Deepa. Servicing the external
units is also a challenge.
She says those living on the
sixth and seventh floor are
permitted to leave the outdoor
ENVIRONMENT
A tall order.
unit on the terrace. “Most of
the time, we ask a resident to
solve this issue through a
conversation with their
immediate neighbours,” she
DOWNTOWN
outdoor unit on the sunshade
without any “angle/stand” as it
might affect the building
stability.
Increasing transformer load
In high-end gated communities,
on an average, a household has
more than three AC units and
during summer, there is the
additional challenge of the grids
being burdened with additional
load.
BBC City Paark Apartments
in Porur has
“Most of the time,
we ask a resident
to solve this issue
through a
conversation with
their immediate
neighbours
It is seldom an easy exercise
When an apartment builder
has not created a provision for
the placement of AC outdoor
units, the challenge of installing
one is in proportion to the
height of the floor it has to in-
stalled on.
“Fixing an AC outdoor unit
in a multi-storey apartment
complex often throws up logis-
tical problems. A tall ladder
would be required. In some
cases, we try scaffolding but
that is expensive. The other op-
tion is the “belt and rope” sys-
tem, which is risky,” says Ash-
win Kumar, director, Techno
Power Aircons, a 40-year-old
company in the AC segment.
With window ACs fading
away, technicians say conver-
sion to a split AC is a humon-
gous task as not all old apart-
ment complexes are
favourable, in design terms, to
the installation of outdoor un-
its.
“Although split ACs were
launched in the early 1990s,
they were then a luxury pro-
duct. Big manufacturers came
to the market with split ACs on-
ly from 2000s,” says Ashwin.
Ashwin says they work with
developers to create a “cat-
walk” system at the side of the
building. Here a number of AC
units can be kept in a common
says. area and the design allows
Anand Flats, a 40-year-old technicians to work on the out-
apartment at Dr. Ranga Road in door units without any difficul-
Mylapore, discourages ty.
tenants/owners to keep the
CH-AD _ A
5
had to approach Tangedco to
have its transformer upgraded
to meet the increased demands
of summer. The residents
association also sends out
reminders asking people to see
if they can avoid running the
ACs through the day to ease
the burden on the transformer.
“We cannot restrict people
from installing ACs or its usage,
so we got Tangedco to upgrade
our transformer post-COVID as
the old one had also suffered
damages,” says Subramanian
Murali, president of Sangath
Apartments in Velachery.
“Going by the load felt by
the transformer, there is
probably a need for
another upgrade,” says
Subramanian.
He says they insist that
outdoor units are installed
at specific points, some
marked by the residents
association’s office, to ensure
it does not affect the building.
Fixing an AC outdoor
unit in an apartment
complex often throws
up logistical problems.
A tall ladder would be
required. In some cases,
we try scaffolding but
that is expensive. The
other option is the “belt
and rope” system, which
is risky
It is not always easy to get a
buy-in for this idea, he adds.
“Recently, in an upcoming
project in Mandaveli, which
has five floors, two flats in
each, clients that were willing
to purchase ACs from us want-
ed a common space where the
outdoor unit could be placed.
The builder, however, was not
keen on the idea. Later, the
builder agreed to keep the out-
door unit of 1st and 2nd floor in
the parking area and third to
fifth floor on the terrace,” says
Ashwin. Where outdoor units
are installed on the terrace of
apartments, lengthy copper
pipes are required. “There is
no guarantee that the wiring
will last a long time, so this can
turn out to be expensive for a
flat owner,” says Ashwin, and
on a positive note, adds that
VRF system which can support
multiple indoor AC units, is
emerging.

6 Sunday, May 5, 2024
The humble park as the grand studio
A group of young artists at Semmozhi Poonga. PHOTOS: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Gen Z would want Greater Chennai
Corporation to design parks as spaces that
foster creativity
SAHANA MIRA S
here is no telling where
T creativity can have an un-
fettered run. The eureka
moment can show up at
the unlikeliest of places. And it often
does. But speed being the shibbo-
leth of modern living, creativity of-
ten has to be hurried. It has to be
“put together” on the assembly line,
much like an automobile. One
should even settle on a space that
would foster creativity and keep fre-
quenting it.
This writer embarked on a pro-
ject to discover the one category
among public spaces that creatively-
minded youngsters (largely Gen Z)
in Chennai — artists, poets, copywri-
ters and authors, to be specific —
found to be most helpful to their me-
tier or hobby. Here is the result:
parks. The verdict comes with a
qualification — not just any parks.
Monic, a freelance artist and de-
signer from Chennai, shares, “I do
live-painting with my watercolour
paints near the pebble area of Sem-
mozhi Poonga on Dr. Radhakrish-
nan Salai and sometimes at Anna
Nagar Tower Park.” Monic notes that
members of the Chennai chapter of
Urban Sketchers gravitate towards
Semmozhi Poonga and similarly ex-
pansive green spaces, as they offer a
CH-AD _ A
plethora of subjects to paint on.”
Some paint the vibrant activities
DOWNTOWN
HANGOUTS THE HINDU ● Chennai
of the park, sketching the people,
while the others capture the flowers
and the trees with oil pastels. Ho-
wever, coping with the scorching
heat is not easy, which makes them
frequent the park less in the month
of May, but Monic is hopeful to res-
ume visiting the parks, past the
height of summer.
Poet and artist Aaliyah frequents
the Senganthal Poonga (on Avvai
Shanmugham Salai), just a sniffing
distance from Semmozhi Poonga.
She remarks, “It is such a well-
maintained park, and so I go there
to read and write. This park was not
widely known seven months ago.
Recently, it garnered much attention
due to many visitors coming for writing in the park near my place in She sets foot in parks in Indira
photoshoots, both family and office Members of the Chennai Saligramam. My time there is just to Nagar, Santhome and Besant Nagar
picnics, which is lovely. Currently, chapter of Urban Sketchers observe the surroundings and take hoping for that moment of serendip-
renovation of the park is under way. gravitate towards inspiration from the people. I have ity. And she is only rarely disap-
But I have my favourite spots there made unexpected friendships too. pointed. “It gives me the chance to
Semmozhi Poonga and
for my creative leisure. It has an And seeing the children play makes think through my thoughts. And
open-air theatre to sit and read, and similarly expansive green me feel like I am watching my own there is something privately public
I particularly love the spot dominat- spaces, as they offer a childhood. Everything I see in the about parks from old people making
ed by banyan trees. Just looking at plethora of subjects to paint park is literally an inspiration, which important memories with their
the trees makes me want to write. on I rarely find in other places because grandchildren to an artist trying to
But one thing I urge visitors who are twenties who patronise a park in of the many distractions.” find inspiration. I loved how I could
not regulars is not to litter the place, Chennai, often for the unique man- In response to whether he uses hear the wind, the playing children,
as we truly treasure this park.” ner in which it impacts their creative parks for his me-time, he answers, and the occasional barking of a dog.
When asked how it helps foster her pursuit. And the subjective element “Well, in the office I am obligated to There is a vulnerability to it and a
creativity, Aaliyah grins, “Being in a often overrides the fact that the park do something. At home, I expect sense of serendipity like I may
space that feels inclusive itself fos- does not tick the boxes the way a myself to do the chores, but that in- chance upon something that could
ters creativity. I do not feel pres- Semmozhi Poonga or a Senganthal between time in the park is for inspire me.” She further shares that
sured, which is not the same in cafes Poonga does. myself.” she learnt nature’s most valuable
where there is a rush.” Here is one of those voices — Bala- For artist Roshni, it is not just one lesson — which is to pause — by fre-
There are other people in their chandar, a copywriter. “I have done park, but multiples of them. quenting the parks of Chennai.
 DOWNTOWN

CH-AD _ A
Sunday, May 5, 2024 7
THE HINDU ● Chennai
PANORAMA
Workshop on
vermicomposting
Safety in Guindy
compromised amil Nadu Agricultural

T University Information &

Training Centre is con-
ducting a culinary workshop on
May 9. According to a press re-
lease, the session will demon-
strate preparation of flavour
powders made from spices. This
includes sambar powder, rasam
powder, idli podi, garam masala,
curry leaf powder and a few more
meant for non-vegetarian curries.
Another workshop on vermicom-
posting will be held on May 10.
Both the sessions will be held
at the centre’s premises at Agro
Tech Green Park, First Floor, Thi-
ru. Vi. Ka. Industrial Estate, Guin-
dy For details, call 044 -
29530048

쑽
Work on laying electricity cable is under way along the Medavakkam stretch of Tamabaram Velachery Main Road. As part of the project, trenches have Photo used for representational
been dug up. But an adequate number of barricades have not been places along the work site. The image was taken on May 2. PHOTO: R. RAVINDRAN purpose only.

Velachery residents distribute buttermilk

group of residents in Velachery are distribut-

A ing buttermilk at Seshadripuram First Main

Road from April 14.
“The initiative is led by T. Annapurani, a retired
BSNL employee. The service is supported by a resi-
dents’ association and non-governmental organisa-
tions. Fiflteen litres of Aavin curd is bought every day
and is converted into 45 litres of buttermilk garnished
with curry leaves and ginger. It is distributed to around
150 people every day. This includes conservancy work-
ers. We are planning to continue this service till the
end of May. This service was carried out last summer
too,” says S. Kumararaja, a resident of Velachery who is
part of this initiative.
 DOWNTOWN
8 Sunday, May 5, 2024

STATUS REPORT THE HINDU ● Chennai

READERS WRITE ‘Power cable

쑽
work should
be completed
at the earliest’
amil Nadu Transmission

T Corporation
(TANTRANSCO) is
carrying out a massive
underground electricity cable
work along Link Road which
connects the followings MRTS
railway stations: Taramani,
Perungudi, and Velachery. Called
“Inner Circle Ring Cable,” the
project aims to connect the
sub-stations at Guindy,
Ottiyampakam, Pallikaranai,
Velachery and Taramani. As a
result of this inter-connection,
uninterrupted power supply can
be ensured.
Hence, we welcome this
project but we request that the
work be completed at the
earliest.
Because the entire road
(where traffic is towards
Velachery railway station) has
been dug up. In some points,
both side of the road have been
taken over by the work. This is
quite inconvenient. The work
could have been carried out,
stretch by stretch.
Ever since the work began in
February, there has been a few
minor accidents. Besides, solid
waste is strewn in some spots of
the road adding to the trouble.
Measures should be taken to
prevent dumping of waste on
You can be our volunteer-writer this road.
Dear readers, you can be our volunteer-writer by writing to us S. Kumararaja,
about issues and events in your neighbourhood. Velachery
You should send the write-ups to downtownfeedback@ the- The cable work which is under
hindu.co.in. Letters must carry the contact number. progress in Velachery. PHOTO:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
CH-AD _ A