Bloom in the time of gloom

By C Shivakumar/ Shiba Prasad Sahu

Chennai:

Business may not be usual in Koyambedu flower market during this week
but the city’s obsession with People’s president Abdul Kalam have
brought some cheer among the people selling flowers.



“The Tamil month of Aadi is usually dull for flower sellers as people
don’t celebrate any auspicious events. But, since last night the sales
of loose flowers have gone up in the market due to city’s obsession
with People’s President Abdul Kalam,” said Mookaiyan, secretary of
Koyambedu Flower Wholesale Market Association,



Interestingly, while the fruit and vegetable markets have remained
closed, the flower market is bustling with activity with women
assembling the flowers and traders bargaining with customers.



Although business is usual, the flower merchants are not oblivious to
the fact that the nation is mourning the death of Kalam. A huge
photograph of Kalam, with his hand on his chin, is seen greeting
customers and is adorned with flowers.



Mookaiyan says that flower merchants were able to sell their
merchandise as there was huge demand of flowers from the president’s
fans across the city who wanted to pay final tributes to him.



“There has been a good sale of loose flowers. The sale has not been
that significant enough but flower merchants were able to sell their
flowers at the same rate,” said Mookaiyan.



Dhanasekhar, a flower seller said that during this month we are avle
to sell 100 to 150 kg of loose flowers, which include jungle rose,
rose and other flowers. But last night, I managed to sell 300 to 350
kg of flowers, he said.



He said people brought flowers from nearby areas of the city and sales
was good till Thurday noon.



He said that usually a total of 10 to 12 garlands were sold. But on
Wednesday and Thursday there has been brisk sale of garlands. “I
managed to sell nearly 25 garlands,” he said.



Interestingly, the popularity of former President Kalam is such that
most streets in Chennai were adorbned with his posters, photographs or
portraits. In Aminjikarai, traders downed shutters as mark of respect.
There was also a Shamiana on the roadside that had Dr Kalam’s photo on
a table. It was decorated by flowers.



Interestingly, the busy market place in Aminjikarai wore a desolate
look. Even in Koyambedu market, there were huge posters of Kalam but
the market lacked the cacophony.



Similarly, in Natesan Nagar park near Chinmaya Nagar, which lies
behind the Koyambedu market, people from different walks of life paid
tributes to People’s President. “It was there since Wednesday night.
Men women, senior citizens as well as children offered floral tributes
to the former president,” said a resident

writingonblog uncensored: Philatelists want set of four stamps released to m...

writingonblog uncensored: Philatelists want set of four stamps released to m...: C Shivakumar Chennai: In a bid to pay tribute to People’s President APJ Abdul Kalam, philatelists have urged the government ...

Philatelists want set of four stamps released to mark Kalam’s birth anniversary

C Shivakumar

Chennai:

In a bid to pay tribute to People’s President APJ Abdul Kalam,

philatelists have urged the government to release a set of four stamps

on Abdul Kalam during his birth anniversary which falls on October

2015.

Post Master General of Chennai region Merwin Alexander told Express on

Thursday that South India Philatelists’ Association has submitted a

request to release a set of four stamps on APJ Abdul Kalam on October

15, his birth anniversary.

He said the matter is being taken up with the postal directorate in New Delhi.

Alexander said the proposal to have four set of stamps was due to the

fact that Kalam was a multi-dimensional personality. He was a

scientist, a teacher, a president and was loved by children.

“The artist will decide on the proposal on which pictures to select,

said Alexander.

“Usually a proposal like this takes six months but we hope that the

government would give its nod in the next three months just before the

birth anniversary,” the post master general said.

“The proposal is likely to be sent to Delhi on Friday and a decision

to this effect would be taken up by Union Communication Minister. It

would also be easier to select the kind of pictures required for the

stamp from the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi as well as various

other information,” said Alexander.

C G Bhaskar, the treasurer of the Philatelists’ Association, said that

the idea was mooted as philatelists wanted to pay tribute to the

People’s President.

“He is so popular that the whole city of Chennai was shut during his

funeral as a mark of respect. He is a non-political man to have such a

following. He is a common man with humble beginning and rose to such

level,” said the philatelist.

“We wanted a set of four stamps similar to the ones released on the

anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s Dandi March. This would interest the

stamp collectors besides also generate interest among the common

people. Even lot of students will buy it,” said Bhaskar

DRI seizes 25kg of psychotropic drug worth Rs 2.5crore

Chennai:

Directorate of Revenue Intelligence have busted a gang in North
Chennai for smuggling Amphetamine, a psychotropic drug, to South East
Asian countries after seizure of 25 kg of drug worth Rs 2.5 crore in
the international market.



DRI sources said that based on intelligence, the officials of DRI
swooped on a residential premises in Kannadasan Nagar in North Chennai
on Tuesday and found Ajeem Kasali and Mohammed Ismail concealing the
drug, which affects the central nervous system and is misused for
recreational purpose as an aphrodisaic and euphoriant, at their
premises.



“They were concealing the white psychotropic substance in yellow
colour wiring cables cut to specific length so as to hold five grams
each of such narcotic drug before sealing both the ends of the tube by
use of equipment and sealing machie,” DRI stated.



It was also revealed that cables filled with amphetamine were
concealed in travel bags to enable it to be taken out of the country
through international airport without suspicion by customs officers.



Both Kasali and Ismail have arrested and remanded to judicial custody
for offences committed by them under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic
Substances (NDPS)n Act, 1985.



DRI revealed that residential premises at the outskirts of North
Chennai is being used to hide narcotic substances before smuggled to
East Asian countries.

writingonblog uncensored: Kalam advocated for PURA in Pakistan

writingonblog uncensored: Kalam advocated for PURA in Pakistan: Chennai: Former president Abdul Kalam’s rockets may have won India the 1971 War but the ‘Missile Man’ was more keen on ensuring peace an...

Kalam advocated for PURA in Pakistan

Chennai:

Former president Abdul Kalam’s rockets may have won India the 1971 War
but the ‘Missile Man’ was more keen on ensuring peace and prosperity
in the neighbouring strife-torn nation by advocating the concept of
Providing Urban Amenities to Rural Areas (PURA).



M S Swaminathan, the architect of Green Revolution who shares an
association of nearly 30 years with Kalam, said that when Pakistan
President General Musharraf met Kalam in 2005, he advocated the
concept of PURA as he wanted to bridge the rural-urban divide in that
country too.



Interestingly, the scientist is also working towards realising the
dream of PURA by spending most of the Rs 18 crore funds under Member
of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme in creating basic
infrastructure like drinking water, schools, electricity etc.



The vision of Kalam was that if the villages developed the country
will also develop and he wanted both India and Pakistan to implement
PURA, said Swaminathan. He also said the concept was PURA was sown by
Mahatma Gandhi.



Paying tributes to the former president, he gave out the account of
and said most of them were spent in creating basic amenities in rural
areas.

“We remember Kalam for his concept to bridge the rural-urban divide.
The projects taken under the MPLADS is mostly spent on rural areas to
help provide the backward area with basic infrastructure,” Swaminathan
said.

He also highlighted that north-east was a special area of interest for
Kalam as he wanted the need for more attention to be paid to the
region.

Earlier, hailing India for bringing in the food security legislation,
Swaminathan said that that it makes access to food a legal right not a
political patronage but at the same time expressed concern over the
rise in farmers suicides.

The agriculture scientist also highlighted how accountability is going
out of dictionary under the MPLADS scheme.

Talking about the 74 projects implemented under MPLADS, Swaminathan
said that most of the fund was spent on education sector, building
community centres in rural areas, village development and libraries.

He also stressed that through these funds, much can be done, as it is
flexible funding rather than waiting for allocation under 11th or 12th
plan. The idea is to fill an important gap in the need of the people,
he said.

Earlier, Dr C Rangarajan, former governor, Reserve Bank of India said
the schemes and initiatives like these, with small sums of money, can
be an “instrument for changing the rural scenario.”

He also stressed on the need to increase agricultural production. He
said the average size of land holding has come down and there is a
need to make smaller land holdings more efficient

writingonblog uncensored: DRI seizes smuggled goods worth Rs 5.20 crore

writingonblog uncensored: DRI seizes smuggled goods worth Rs 5.20 crore: Chennai: Goods worth Rs 5.20 crore which were smuggled through containers brought through Chennai Port were seized and a man was arreste...

DRI seizes smuggled goods worth Rs 5.20 crore

Chennai:

Goods worth Rs 5.20 crore which were smuggled through containers
brought through Chennai Port were seized and a man was arrested by the
Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).



Based on intelligence inputs, DRI officials tracked two 40 feet import
laden containers shipped from Malaysia to Chennai Port by an importer.



These containers were used to smuggle items bearing high customs duty
such as cigarettes, high profit margin goods such as consumer
electronics, air conditioners cosmetics food supplements for muscle or
body building.



These items were concealed behind the declared goods in order to evade
customs duty. “They were stacked in such a way that they cannot be
easily detected during the normal course of verification by customs,”
said DRI.



The items include 19,50,000 sticks of Indonesian Clove cigarettes of
Djarum Black brand, LED TV sets of Sony, LG brand, home theatre
system, air conditioners of Panasonic brand, DVD home theatre systems,
dove soaps, French perfumes, food supplements and protien and muscle
building food supplements.  DRI has arrested one Mathivanan and
remanded to judicial custody for the offence inolved in smuggling of
contraband under the provisions of the Customs act, 1962. Further
investigations are on.

writingonblog uncensored: Kalam’s rockets brought Pakistan to its knees in 1...

writingonblog uncensored: Kalam’s rockets brought Pakistan to its knees in 1...: Chennai: India’s victory in 1971 war could be attributed to the ‘Missile Man’ of India as it was the rocket designed by his team of Ind...

Kalam’s rockets brought Pakistan to its knees in 1971 War

Chennai:

India’s victory in 1971 war could be attributed to the ‘Missile
Man’ of India as it was the rocket designed by his team of Indian
Space Research Organisation scientists that brought Pakistan to its
knees.



Interestingly, the prototype of a rocket pod and twin-barrelled auto
canon used in the MiG-21 combat fighter aircraft that bombed the
Governor's House in Dhaka, a decisive turning point in the war is now
a part of a museum in Army Headquarters in Eastern command in Kolkata.



Recalling his association with Kalam in developing the rockets, that
were indigenously produced, N Sivasubramanian, chief general manager
(retired), Liquid Propulsion System Centre, Indian Space Research
Organisation, said that the rocket which had the capability to travel
100 kilometre had a payload of 3kg.



“The idea was given by Kalam and I produced the instruments
(Gyroscope) needed for the rocket that would provide the direction,
speed and angle,” said Sivasubramnian.



“This was the turning point in the career of abdul Kalam, who was made
a project director for satellite Launch Vehicle.



Sivasubramanian also recalled how the St Mary Magadelene's Church in
Thumba served as the main office for the scientists. The bishop's
house was converted into a workshop. A cattle shed became the
laboratory in which the young Indian scientists worked on the first
sounding rocket.



He said that the building was the place where the idea of India Space
Research orginated and the Missile Man worked on the sounding rockets
from here.



Sivasubramanian said that India was dependent on French technology for
making rockets. “We were building rockets of three inch or 4 inch
using the French technology. It was in 1965-67, we started focussing
on developing our own rockets,” he said.



The veteran scientist said that his career spanning 40 years in Indian
Space Research Organisation, he spent nearly 20 years with Kalam.
Interestingly, the instruments provided by Sivasubramanian for rockets
was also used in developing stents for All India Institute of Medical
Sciences in New Delhi, courtesy Kalam.



His uniqueness is that he tapped the best minds and integrated them to
deliver the goods for the nation. We can’t get such a unique scientist
in future. It is a great loss to the nation, said Sivasubramanian

writingonblog uncensored: Farmers selling wetlands as they are not remunerat...

writingonblog uncensored: Farmers selling wetlands as they are not remunerat...: C Shivakumar Chennai: The farmlands were once considered to be the livelihood of many in the state. But not anymore now. The fai...

Farmers selling wetlands as they are not remunerative

C Shivakumar

Chennai:

The farmlands were once considered to be the livelihood of many in the
state. But not anymore now.



The failure of monsoons and lack of adequate remuneration is forcing
the farmers to sell their agriculture land at a better price and move
to the cities.



“I have 25 acres of land. But I am not making any profit from
agriculture. The government gives Rs 12,000 as loan for per acre of
land. How far is it remunerative. I would rather give the land to the
government and get rs 12,000 per month,” says K Kumchithapatham, a
member of Cauvery Delta Farmers association



“Agriculture doesn’t pay and the government is not keen to help the
farmers. So the farmer to make his end meet has to sell wetland for a
good price,” said the farmer from Tiruvarur



The farmer says that there not enough water for single crop in the
Cauvery delta.



Cheran, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagai Farmers Federation chairman
said that the major issue before farmers is that they are unable to
carry out agriculture as they don’t get enough farm hands.



“Since the conversion of the agriculture land into residential plots
along the state highways fetches them remunerative price, they sell
it,” he says.



While some farmers may be selling the land as it is not remunerative,
there are others who sell it as the water sources are getting
depleted. In Madurai, the granite mining being carried out even on
Ooranis has affected the agriculture.



Similarly, there are also instances where the land has been forcibly
taken from farmers to convert it into industrial estate.



Ramalingam, a farmer turned RTI activist, says that the then DMK
government lied stating that the agriculture land in Sivarakotai is a
barren one and gave consent for its acquisition. “Even the land
records were burnt,” he said. “Even now the land is fertile and crops
are sown. They have to withdraw the land acquistion order,” says the
farmer who has been unearthing the truth behind the lies by the then
government by filing RTIs.



President of United Farmers Association of Tamil Nadu C Vayapuri said
that wetlands once lost can’t be retrieved. “There is a need to
protect the wetlands and the government should bring in a clause to
stop sale of wetlands for the purpose of industries or real estate. It
should be put into use only for agriculture,” he said.



Interestingly, Madras Institute of Development Studies assistant
professor Vijayabaskar has suggested that the wetlands should be sold
only to farmers or put into use by farmers. However, Chordia says that
if such a clause comes into being it would affect the right of the
land holding individual. “If there are four brothers and the land is
being divided, one would want to sell it and make money. By stopping
him to sell the land would infringe on his right,” says Chordia

Safety compromised again at Chennai Metro worksite

C Shivakumar

Chennai:

Safety at Chennai Metro Rail worksite was compromised again as a crane
operator was electrocuted and two Metro rail workers had narrow escape
when the boom of a crane came in contact with 25KV AC electric wire
near St Thomas Mount Metro station.

The metro rail stretch between Alandhur to Airport has been prone to
accidents due to Chennai Metro Rail’s failure to ensure safety at
worksite. And Saturday’s accident was nothing new.

Recounting the incident, Manoj, a metro rail worker, said that he
along with his colleague Munna got into the boom of the crane to plug
the gaps on the elevated stretch near St Thomas Mount station.

“It was around 10.30 am and crane operator Umapathy moved the boom
after we had finished the work to another place. As he was moving the
boom, it came in contact with a live electrical wire. There were
sparks. We found ourselves being lifted one metre above and then we
blacked out,” recalled a shocked Manoj, who hails from Aurangabad in
Bihar.

Interestingly, it was the plywood that saved the lives of Manoj and
Munna, who also hails from Bihar. But Umapathy, who hails from Uttar
Padesh and has three years of experience as crane operator, was not
that lucky enough. The impact of the boom coming in contact with 25kv
AC live wire was such that not only the crane got electrocuted but
also the road below. Umapathy suffered 50 per cent burn injuries on
both his legs. He is currently recuperating at Balaji hospital.

“Thank God, we were standing on the plywood but we were electrocuted
but not that level as Umapathy,” said Manoj.

Manoj said that he and Munna were lying unconscious in the boom for
nearly 20 minutes after which the fire fighters came in and rescued
us. “While coming down, we were shocked to see the extensive damage. I
would have never gone up if I had known that there was a live wire
above,” he said.

The contractor at the site was Larsen and Toubro. The L&T officials
refused to talk about the incident. A senior Chennai Metro Rail
official said that the incident was due to a safety lapse. “We will be
conducting an enquiry as well as safety audit of the worksite. It
would have been due to failure on the part of one individual,” the
official said.

But sources reveal it was a lapse on the part of L&T. While one could
not dispute on the electrification of the stretch between Alandhur to
OTA, as the stretch is likely to be opened for trains soon, the
failure lies failing to ensure power block or shutdown while the work
was being carried out.

“It was like putting the lives of the labourers at risk. They should
have ensured that it was safe to carry out the work,” said an engineer
at the site.

However, the stretch has been prone to several accidents due to safety
lapses on the part of Chennai Metro Rail. Recently, a road caved in
near GST when Chennai Metro was carrying work on the 500 metre
underground stretch between OTA and Meenambakkam. Similarly, a
commuter lost his life when 10 feet long blue colour railing weighing
approximately 30 kg fell on him between Alandhur to St Thomas Mount
stretch. In 2013, a worker was killed and three others were injured
when a girder collapsed near St Thomas Mount station.

Factfile:

Unsafe corridor:

1.  A worker was killed and three others injured when a girder
collapsed in St Thomas Mount

2.   A commuter lost his life when 10 feet long blue colour railing
weighing approximately 30 kg fell on him between Alandhur to St Thomas
Mount stretch last month.

3.  Traffic was hit on busy GST road when a portion of road caved in
whileChennai Metro Rail was undertaking excavation works in the 500
metre underground stretch between OTA an Meenambakkam on July 17

4.  A large metal fastener from the Chennai Airport’s Metro Rail
Station fell to the ground and smashed into the bonnet of a car
entering the domestic terminal on July 20

Rains expose flaws in town planning

C Shivakumar



Chennai:

The rains have once again exposed that the extended areas of the city lack basic services as well as proper planning.



Residents in several areas like Velachery, Nerkundram, Ambattur, Villivakkam, Nazarethpet and several other places have to wade through water during the rains and in some places have to be dependent on private water tankers for

water.



The issue could be the failure to prepare detailed development plans for the extended areas by Chennai Metropolitan Development Area, a basic pre-requisite for implementing the Second Master Plan, resulting

in haphazard growth with realtors converting any available land into residential premises.



Surprisingly, Chennai Urban Agglomeration accounts for 25 per cent of state’s urban population but access to basic services is poor in several parts of the newly added areas of Chennai Corporation due to lack of proper planning.



Interestingly, seven years after the Second Master Plan came into being, CMDA has yet to review it. Even the detailed development plans of extended areas like Velachery, Ambattur, Nazarethpet and Perumbakam have yet to be prepared. The DDP was to be prepared with the objective of providing land uses as well as improvement of infrastructure in these areas.



While it is learnt that the DDP for Villivakkam is prepared, it is yet to get the official sanction. Surprisingly, some experts question the need to prepare the DDP for Viillivakkam now.



“The area has been already developed then why should there be a need to prepare a DDP,” says K P Subramaniam, a former professor of Urban engineering in Anna University.



However, the fault lies in the laziness on the part f CMDA

officials who have been focussing their energy on building approvals rather than on planning. This has delayed the detailed development plans.



It is learnt that the access to basic services is poor in several

parts of the newly added areas that constitute nearly 50 per cent of the population of the Chennai urban area.



According to figures available with Express, while the population of Chennai city grew by 11 per cent from 2001 to 2011, the urban areas of the city grew by 32.4 per cent while the extended areas in and around Chennai grew by 71 per cent.



A state planning commission report has stated that many of the urban areas including Chennai, extended areas beyond the core city are exhibiting faster growth and there is a need to prioritize planning, infrastructure provisioning, investments and capacity building efforts in keeping with this emerging urbanization pattern.



However, CMDA has yet to take any effort in this regard. Even the proposal to create Chennai Mega Region to regulate the developments for orderly growth has yet to get the official sanction. A blueprint was already prepared to extend Chennai Metropolitan Area to 8,878 square kilometer and this included the whole of Chennai, Thiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts and the Arakkonam Taluk of Vellore

district.



“We have already written to the government in this regard and are awaiting their permission,” said a CMDA source.



While the expansion of CMA may be pending, CMDA has yet to review the second master plan. Association of Professional Town Planners (APTP) president K M Sadanandh questions the failure of review and monitoring committees of CMDA to meet every three months. The second master plan has six committees. They include Committee on Economy & Employment, Committee on Shelter, Committee on Infrastructure, Committee on Investment, Committee on Land Use and Environment and Committee on Traffic and Transport.



“The failure of preparing DDPs as well as failure to review Second Master Plan has put the entire planning process for Chennai under stake and on top of it we have Authority meeting, which is held without the representation of people’s representatives and tinkers with the land use plan of Second Master Plan,” says Sadanandh.



He says the officials are reclassifying the land without putting any thought on what will be the consequences. “Residential zones are converted into institutional areas, catchment areas are converted into residential areas. The whole planning process is in a flux. It is time either the High Court or the government intervenes to make it relevant,” said Sadanandh

writingonblog uncensored: Missile Man inspired Moon, Mars mission

writingonblog uncensored: Missile Man inspired Moon, Mars mission: Chennai: Former President A P J Abdul Kalam, popularly known as ‘Missile Man’, was also one of the core member of the team that was ins...

Missile Man inspired Moon, Mars mission

Chennai:

Former President A P J Abdul Kalam, popularly known as ‘Missile Man’,
was also one of the core member of the team that was instrumental in
1998 Pokharan II tests, according to Former chairman of Atomic Energy
Commission M R Srinivasan.



One of the brain behind Indian nuclear Programme, Srinivasan, who has
known Dr Kalam for the last 50 years, while mourning the death of his
‘good friend’ said that Kalam was the coordinator for Pokaharan II
tests as DRDO wanted to test the launch vehicles. He was with DRDO
then, said Srinivasan.



He also recounted the memories he shared with the former president as
a scientist and said Kalam was two years his junior when he joined
Department of Atomic Energy in Mumbai.



“He later went on to do great things in space department and was
intrumental in the development of the satellite launch vehicle
although his initial experiment was a failure. This failure was turned
into success and now we have the Agni missiles developed by him,” said
Srinivasan.



Interestingly, it was sound rockets which were used in India then.
Kalam played a major role in satellite launch vehicle.



Srinivasan said that Kalam was a man who never lost his temper and was
a man of vision. He was a vegetarian and and his favourite meal was
Idli, curd rise and sambar. He invited me and my wife to Rashtrapati
Bhavan and showed us the garden.



Director Indian Space Research Organisation Dr Mayilsami Annadurai
paying tributes to the great scientist said that it was Kalam who
inspired him during the Moon and Mars mission.



“My first interaction with his was during an international conference
where we discussed Chandrayaan. Dr Kalam then said find a way on how
can you go to Moon,” said Mayilsami.



“Although he could not make it to Sriharikota during the Moon mission,
I invited him again on November 14, the day the satellite reached the
moon. And he was there,” he said.



“Interestingly, rather than celebrating the success, he just asked,
what next and that resulted in the Mars Mission. He was at
sriharikota, a day before the launch,” recounted the space scientist.



However, Mayilsamy rues that Kalam, who promised to visit him in
Bangalore after he assumed office, will now no more be visiting him.



Former director of Bhavini Prabhat Kumar said that Kalam showed great
interest in development of 500 Mega Watt Prototype Fast Breeder
Reactor (PFBR) in Kalpakkam, which is an important milestone for
India's three-stage nuclear power programme.



“He had visited the PFBR complex twice. Once when he was a president
and once after he laid down his office,” recounted Kumar

writingonblog uncensored: Govt Buildings in the state to get aesthetic look

writingonblog uncensored: Govt Buildings in the state to get aesthetic look: Chennai: Does the new buildings built in the state recently lack aesthetic look and design? It is learnt that officials in various departme...

Govt Buildings in the state to get aesthetic look

Chennai:

Does the new buildings built in the state recently lack aesthetic look
and design?


It is learnt that officials in various department have been asked to
come up with new designs so that the new buildings get a better look
and architects and builders have welcomed the move as a positive step.


Sources told Express that a directive has come from the top officials
that the new buildings should have a standard elevation which look
good with architectural inputs.


Now, the new buildings built in the state could soon get a aesthetic
look, sources added.


This comes after it was observed that some of the new buildings
constructed recently lack the aesthetic look.


It is learnt that school education department, housing department,
public works department (PWD) and home department has been asked to
prepare good looking elevations for each type of standard design
buildings.

“Many other departments have also been intimated,” sources added.

It is learnt that the department heads have been directed to submit
the designs soon. Sujatha Shankar, convenor, INTACH Chennai Chapter,
said that the move by the state government is a positive sign for the
city. She said the government buildings in the city, which is on the
proposal stage, could be given an aesthetic touch.


“They can be worked from the conceptualisation stage itself when the
structure is visualised,” she said.

However, for existing buildings, they can be upgraded on a case to
case basis. “There is no standard formula as some of the buildings
could be stone buildings or belonging to different period. There is a
need to review it on case by case basis. This is possible and it is a
positive sign for the city,” she said.


Pramod Balakrishnan, member of Indian Institute of Architects, Chennai
Centre, also welcomed the move. “It is a good idea that the state
government is having such idea. But it is difficult to change the face
of the building. However, they can change colour, texture, change
graphics or the environment,” he said.

“It is a great idea but it requires the need for professionals also to
 get involved,” he said while also lamenting the lack of sensibility
for heritage value in Chennai. “There is no respect for heritage of
any kind,” he said.

A Public Works Contractor Gunamani said that the builders can give
aesthetic look to buildings provided there is transparency in the
tender system. “There is so much of corruption in the tender system
that the contractor’s focus is just on completing the work rather than
on aesthetics. If the funds are properly utilised, the buildings could
be given aesthetic touch,” said Gunamani.

writingonblog uncensored: Centre vows to break deadlock over NLC-workers wag...

writingonblog uncensored: Centre vows to break deadlock over NLC-workers wag...: Chennai: After the tripartite talks between the representatives of trade unions and the NLC management over the wage revision settlement...

writingonblog uncensored: Only 10 per cent of TN coastline is stable, says s...

writingonblog uncensored: Only 10 per cent of TN coastline is stable, says s...: Chennai: Tamil Nadu’s coastal land mass may have increased by 25.45km but the state has less to cheer about and more to be concerned a...

Centre vows to break deadlock over NLC-workers wage revision issue

Chennai:

After the tripartite talks between the representatives of trade unions
and the NLC management over the wage revision settlement ended in
failure, the Union government has assured that it will intervene to
break the deadlock.



Union minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya
said on Thursday that he has met one of the trade union leaders M
Shanmugham and he has apprised him of the situation.



The minister told reporters on the sidelines of Employees Federation
of Southern India (EFSI)'s annual conference here that the trade union
leader told him that 23 round of discussions had taken place between
the management and the representatives of trade unions and the
management has not come forward to revise the wage settlement.



“Last time the wage revision was more and this time they are not
increasing at all. After my discussion with Shanmugham, I  informed my
Central chief labour commissioner to take stock of the situation and
speed up the consultation process and see that some settlement is
reached,” said Dattatreya.



The minister said that if the settlement is not reached then he will
hold discussion with Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy
Sources Piyush Goyal to resolve the issue.



“Since NLC is a public sector company, We will ensure that the workers
get their right,” said Dattatreya.



His statement comes in the wake of Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa
seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention to end the stir at
the earliest in the interest of industrial climate of the state and
also in ensuring uninterrupted power supply.



To a query over 11 Central Trade Unions (CTUs) planning to go on
nationwide strike on September 2, the minister said that he has not
yet received the notice though he is aware of their charter of demands
through media.



“Already a tripartite consultation is on. On July 19, Union Minister
of Finance Arun Jaitley, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural
Gas Dharmendra Pradhan and Piyush goel were in discussion. They are
sorting out some of the issues,” he said.



The minister also defended the move to invest 5 per cent of its
incremental income in the equity market in a phased manner. “This will
get us more interest rates. World over all the employee provident fund
investments are in the equity form,” the minister said.



He said that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was instrumental in guiding
his ministry to either go for five or 15 per cent investment in the
equity markets. “By end of 2016 March we will go in a phased manner
starting with one per cent and will invest upto 6,000 crore through
our portfolio managers,” the minister said.



“By the end of 2016, based upon the results of the equity decision, we
may continue with a good decision,” the minister added

Only 10 per cent of TN coastline is stable, says study

Chennai:

Tamil Nadu’s coastal land mass may have increased by 25.45km but the
state has less to cheer about and more to be concerned as only 10 per
cent of the entire state’s coastal area is a stable one.



The shoreline of Tamil Nadu coast is undergoing change and it has
increased by about 25.45 km due to accretion, according to a study
conducted by Indian Space Research Organisation and Central Water
Commission of Ministry of Water Resources.



The study states that the percentage of accretion coastline is highest
for Tamil Nadu which is around 62.3 per cent of the total shoreline
when compared to other coastal states. The study states that the cause
of high accretion is due to the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004.



Due to it, the Andaman Coast suffered huge erosion, while there was
accretion along the Tamil Nadu coast, the study stated.



Interestingly, the state should be more alarmed about the increased
landmass across the coastline as the study also points out that the
state has less than 10 per cent of stable coastline.



R Ramesh, director of Chennai-based National Center for Sustainable
Coastal Management, an autonomous body of Ministry of Environment and
Forest, told Express that the lack of stable coastline is a matter of
concern.



He said there is need to prepare a strategy to strike a right balance
before coming up with structures along the coast. “The hydrodynamics
need to be studied besides we have to analyse which all projects is
compatible along the coast,” he said.



He said the gaining of land mass due to accretion need to be studied.
“We have to find out which parts of the coast, the accretion is
happening and which part erosion is happening,” he said.



Interestingly, the satellite data for detection of violation of land
use along the Coastal Regulation Zone and Impact of Port Structures on
Shoreline changes by Indian National Centre for Ocean Information
Services (INCOIS) and Ministry of Earth Sciences which has been
submitted to Union Ministry of Environment and Forest states the three
ports--- Chennai Port, Ennore and Katpuli has affected the shoreline.



While the North Chennai shoreline recessed by about 1,000 metres in
the last 125 years, the south Chennai gained more land mass.



Ramesh agrees with it. He says that this is due to the construction of
breakwaters in Ennore and Katpulli, which has arrested the movement of
longshore sediment transport resulting accretion in south Chennai and
erosion in north Chennai.



Interestingly, the study by Space Applications Centre of ISRO and CWC
also highlights that the state along with Puducherry has lost 281.56
km due to erosion.



The study is also quite alarming as only 1,580km of the total 8,414km
of coastline (excluding the mouths of estuary, rivers and creeks) is a
stable coastline.

The study states that the Indian coast has lost a landmass of 73
square km during the period from 1989-91 to 2004-06 timeframe.



Factfile:

Tamil Nadu:

Total length: 824.93 km (excludes moth of rivers, streams, creeks and
their inner parts)

Coastal erosion: 281.56

Accretion length: 514.11km

Stable length: 29.25km

writingonblog uncensored: Realty Bites: TN lacks quality checks on buildings...

writingonblog uncensored: Realty Bites: TN lacks quality checks on buildings...: C Shivakumar Chennai: After the Moulivakkam building collapse last year, questions have been raised over whether the state has quali...

Realty Bites: TN lacks quality checks on buildings

C Shivakumar

Chennai:

After the Moulivakkam building collapse last year, questions have been
raised over whether the state has quality checks over constructions
that is taking place.



Surprisingly, the state lacks a proper mechanism to ensure the
buildings are being built as per the required parameters. This has put
the buyers or flat owners or tenants at the mercy of developers.



Interestingly, while there is much hue and cry over the rise in the
number of unauthorised constructions that violate the development
regulations, the state has never given much thought to monitor the
quality of construction stage by stage.



A former chief planner of Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority N
V Raghunath states that there was a recommendation by the Public Works
Department Committee headed by a chief engineer to have regular
certification of the work being carried out at construction sites.



But this report was never implemented, says Raghunath. He states that
there was a recommendation for stage continuous certification of a
building while under construction. “This include basement level
certification (profile of building as per plan column size), ground
floor certification, terrce leel certification and interior
certification,” said Raghunath.



Surprisingly, while the focus is now more on ensuring stringent
quality checks on the buildings already constructed, there has been no
checks on the constructions that exist. The issue of unsafe structures
in Georgetown has already been highlighted by George Town All
Merchants Welfare Association, who have demanded that all the
dilapidated buildings that are unsafe and on the verge of collapse
should be razed.



But there has been no action on this aspect by either CMDA or Chennai
Corporation officials. Even the government buildings are unsafe. A
technical committee has identified 34,000 tenements built by Tamil
Nadu Slum Clearance Board as unsafe for dwelling.



Interestingly, the lifespan of these buildings are estimated to be 70
years but many of them have become weak before its lifespan.

Sources said the tenements have also become structurally weak and the
rods in the slabs are corroded due to saline action posing danger to
the lives and properties of the inmates of the tenements.



Surprisingly, TNSCB does not have resources of its own to meet the
capital cost of reconstruction of dilapidated tenements. Independent
researcher Vanessa Peter says that the fault lies with state failing
to come out with its own housing policy. “We have only policy note
where as many states have their own housing policy. We also lack
quality control mechanism on how a housing project should be for
economically weaker sections,” she said while highlighting a need for
strong guideline and a lifespan for the structures built for poor.



Even the state housing board buildings have a shorter lifespan. There
are plans to demolish more than 2,000 dilapidated flats of Tamil nadu
Government Rental Housing Flats in 17 places of the city and construct
new ones.



But the biggest issue comes when a building collapses. There is no one
to take responsibility, says a former engineer on condition of
anonymity. Take the case of apartment complex in Manali New Town where
a woman died and two children were injured.



This building was constructed in the 80s but continues to be in such a
poor state. The building was constructed by Tamil Nadu Housing Board
and handed over to Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority but both
the agencies have refused to take the blame. A senior CMDA official
then has blamed the owner. “The building was constructed in the 80s
and since the last

30 years no repair work has been undertaken,” he stated.



While there is lack of regulatory mechanism, private developers are
suggesting certification by an independent vetting consultant. The
guideline were evolved by the city developers to ensure safety of
buildings following the Moulivakkam tragedy.



However, it is too early to say whether the third party vetting
consultant, to validate the structural design and soil test done for
multi-storied buildings as well as commercial buildings over one lakh
square feet, could be accommodated by CMDA in its development
regulations. However, if the self-regulation fails then who is to take
the blame. Already, buyers who have invested in Moulivakkam buildings
have burnt their fingers and there is no compensation mechanism and
they don’t know whom to approach or who will bail them out of such
crisis.

It is time for the state to pull up its socks to evolve guidelines to
solve such issues or else realty will bite!

writingonblog uncensored: TN faces contempt of court for failure to evict en...

writingonblog uncensored: TN faces contempt of court for failure to evict en...: C Shivakumar Chennai: The delay in removal of encroachments put up at Elango Street and Raja Annamalaipuram abutting Buckingham Cana...

TN faces contempt of court for failure to evict encroachments on the bank of Buckingham Canal

C Shivakumar

Chennai:

The delay in removal of encroachments put up at Elango Street and Raja
Annamalaipuram abutting Buckingham Canal has put the state housing
department in a legal dilemma.



It is learnt that the housing secretary of state housing board has
been forced to file a counter affidavit in Supreme Court as ‘Contempt
of Court’ charges were levelled against the housing department for
failing to remove the encroachments.



The case had come up for hearing on July 10 and the Supreme court has
granted two weeks time to file the counter, sources said.



Sources in Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board said that the the
encroachments are on the Public Works Department land and a legal
tussle started from 2006 onwards where in a private party wanted the
encroachments to be removed.



After Madras High Court directed the district collector in Chennai to
evict the encroachers within three months and give a compliance
report, the residents of Elango Nagar represented by Selvam filed a
petition challenging the order.



It was on 2011, Supreme Court stated that the 625 families which has
encroached on the embankments of the canal should be rehabilitated to
alternate housing, once the houses are constructed in Okkium
Thoraipakkam by Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance board..



Interestingly, the 625 tenements at Okiyum Thoraipakkam have been
completed and allotment orders have been handed over to the PWD, said
the slum clearance board source.

However, PWD accepted 366 allotment orders and returned 259 allotment
orders stating that there has been heavy resistance from the
encroachers in taking their thumb impression.



The issue is that the people will lose their present livelihood and
their children will have to be admitted to a new school at a new place
and it may be difficult to obtain admission in a suitable school the
PWD, Chennai Corporation and district collector are finding it
difficult to evict them slum clearance board sources said.



It is learnt that a meeting was held on July 2 with PWD officials,
Chennai Corporation and district collector where in it was decided to
issue notices to encroachers and seek services of local people’s
representatives and NGOs to persuade the people to shift to the
tenements to Okiyum Thoraipakkam, sources said.

writingonblog uncensored: Chennai Metro has the right to take over equipment...

writingonblog uncensored: Chennai Metro has the right to take over equipment...: Chennai: Chennai Metro Rail on Thursday dismissed the claims of Russian contractor Mosmetrostroy that it walked out of the project due to t...

Chennai Metro has the right to take over equipment, bank guarantee of Mosmetrostroy as it abandoned project, says CMRL official

Chennai:

Chennai Metro Rail on Thursday dismissed the claims of Russian
contractor Mosmetrostroy that it walked out of the project due to
tussle over the payment and said the contract has all the provisions,
including adjudication or arbitration.



“They just walked out of the project and now they are making
statements like a lunatic person,” said a senior metro rail official.



The statement from the official comes after Chennai Metro terminated
the contract with both Mosmetrostroy and Gammon. They were jointly
awarded the contract to construct stations at Govt Estate, LIC
building, Thousand light, Gemini, Teynampet, Chamiers road and
Saidapet along with twin bored tunnels covering a total length of over
6.4km.



"Just for Rs 50 to Rs 60 crore, they walked out of the project leaving
behind Rs 100 crore bank guarantee as well as Rs 100 crore of
equipment. They had all the provisions in the contract to go in for
adjudication or arbitration,” the official said.



But a Mosmetro India official said that Mosmetrostroy abandoned the
project due to pressure being put by the sub vendors to whom
Mosmetrostroy owned money. “They changed the alignment and we had to
dig further three metres deep. The soil below 13 metres was rocky one
and it affected our equipment and this resulted in cost escalation.
Chennai Metro did not incorporate the fluctuation in prices despite
changing the alignment,” said the official.



“Since the sub-vendors were threatening and putting lot of pressure
Mosmetrostroy walked out of project,” he said.



Interestingly, there was no news from Mosmetrostroy since it walked
out of the project. The issue came into prominence when Chennai Metro
Rail started taking control of the warehouse, owned by the
sub-contractor Mosmetro India. “This warehouse doesn’t belong to
Russian based company Mosmetrostroy. It belongs to Mosmetro India, to
whom it has sub-contracted the work,” the official said.



But Metro rail officials said since the company walked out of the
contract suddenly, it is their right to get hold of the equipment as
well as the bank guarantee.



“Equipment of whom. It does not belong to Mosmetrostroy Russia. It
belongs to the sub contractor Mosmetro India,” retorted the official
of Mosmetro India.



However, Metro Rail officials dismissed the claims. “Our concern is to
finish the work at the earliest,” said a Chennai Metro Rail official.



“Fresh tenders would be called in by the end of this month. The
project in the Anna Salai stretch could be finished by 2017,” he said.



He also said that the elevated stretch would be completed by the end
of this financial year and the underground stretch from Chennai Egmore
to Thirumangalam would be over by June next year.

writingonblog uncensored: Remains of ICG Dornier crew members handed over to...

writingonblog uncensored: Remains of ICG Dornier crew members handed over to...: C Shivakumar Chennai: It was a painful moment for the parents and the relatives of three crew members of the Dornier aircraft, that went un...

Remains of ICG Dornier crew members handed over to forensics department

C Shivakumar
Chennai:

It was a painful moment for the parents and the relatives of three
crew members of the Dornier aircraft, that went under the sea on June
8, as they waited patiently to give their blood samples for the DNA
test conducted by state forensic department to ascertain the identity
of the crew.



Some had tears in the eyes and some were fighting to control their
emotions and some had resigned to the fate as they gloomily awaited
for further orders to proceed for the DNA test at Rajiv Gandhi General
Hospital.



R S Soni, the grieving father of Navigator Deputy Commandant MK Soni,
looked composed. “The watch found below 950 metres belongs to my son,”
said the father. “We are satisfied by the search operation. They have
recovered 85 per cent of the wreckage,” he said.



“What God wills, it has to happen,” he said. “I had come along with my
daughter,” he said, adding that they have been provided with
accommodation at Officers Training Academy.



In a corner, Deputy Commandant Vidyasagar’s frail looking father sat
trying to come to terms with the incident. “I don’t know, I don’t
know” he muttered as he waved away journalists feebly who put forth
some queries.



Teary eyed grieving mother of Subash Suresh tried to control her
emotions and was in conversation with other family members while the
father of Subash was restless.



It was around 7.30pm that the families of the three crew members were
ushered into the casualty section. “We want some privacy. Kindly leave
us alone,” said a relative of the family. ”The DNA tests on the
parents as well as offspring would be conducted by a medical officer
after the permission from the court,” the forensics department source
said.

Meanwhile, the remains of three crew members of Dornier aircraft has
been handed over to the state forensics department on Thursday.

“The forensics department collected the bones of crew member to
ascertain the identity of Deputy Commandant Vidyasagar, Co-pilot
Deputy Commandant Subash Suresh and Navigator Deputy Commandant MK
Soni,” said Inspector General SP Sharma, Commander, Coast Guard
(East).

“It has been fast-tracked thanks to the director general of police,”
said Sharma.

DNA tests could only be conducted once it is ordered by the court or
even the district magistrate following which the samples would be
extracted from the bones of the deceased recovered from the sea by the
deputy director DNA.

A forensics department source said that the bones are still moist and
it has to dry first before the DNA would be extracted. “It can’t be
done overnight,” the source said.

Shop at your own peril in T Nagar multi-storied buildings!

C Shivakumar

Chennai:

The government is planning to set up street hydrant system in busy
commercial hub of T Nagar to help minimise the damage during the fire
accident, according to State Fire and Rescue Services Department.



Fire and Rescue Services department submitted before Madras High court
that the state government is studying the feasibility of establishing
hydrant systems in Ranganathan street and North and South Usman Road
since 2011.



This comes after the director of State Fire and Rescue Service
department after conducting a safety audit of 150 buildings in 2011
highlighted the need to set up a hydrant system with pillar hydrants
at every street corner with water sump of sufficient quality and fire
fighting pump of required quality.



“This could go a long way in giving some degree of fire protection,”
the report stated. However, the fire hydrant system alone is not
enough. Shoppers in many multi-storied buildings in T Nagar may have
slim chance of survival during a fire accident as most of them lack
fire escape staircase.



As per the two-day survey of T Nagar multi-storeyed buildings carried
out by the State Fire and Rescue Services Department, it was found
that the buildings failed to adhere to the norms stipulated by
National Building Code which stipulates that for every 500 square
metres two exits of sufficient width should be provided and at least
one of them should be a fire escape staircase which should be
connected to the ground.



The code states that lifts and escalators should not be considered as
exits. The irony is that some of the buildings hardly have any fire
escape staircase.



“In some buildings only one fire escape staircase is provided and in
most cases the fire escape staircases are obstructed with heavy goods
storage and blocked for movement and is made ineffective for
evacuation during emergency, the state fire and rescue services
department stated.



The report also states that while some of the buildings have Very
Early Warning Smoke Detection Apparatus (VESDA), the sounding alarm is
made inoperative and not connected with integrated Building Management
Systems that is combined with CCTV security systems for continuous
monitoring and for speedy evacuation at times of emergency.



The report also states that in most buildings, water storage and
provision of fire pump facilities and hydrant systems are not as per
the requirements of National Building Code. Most buildings also don't
have automatic sprinkler system.



The State Fire and Rescue Services Department also stated that fire
and life safety requirements of National Building Code insists upon
compliance with minimum standard for fire safety in public places and
it is a guideline to be followed in normal buildings without any
development regulation violation.



Surprisingly, these buildings have no access for emergency vehicles
during normal working hours. They lack setback area, open space around
buildings and lesser evacuation facilities.