The Hindu : Reporter's Diary

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 22, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Pondicherry

Reporter's Diary

New bus stands have been constructed in almost all major district headquarter towns in the state such as Madurai, Salem and Erode consequent to the congestion in the existing bus stands, not to speak of the traffic congestion caused in the main roads in front of the bus stands on account of the buses getting in and coming out of them.

But the attempts by the Vellore municipality to construct a new bus stand for Vellore has proved futile because of several complications including legal, in the selection of the site for a new bus stand. The government even issued an order in October 1999, permitting the municipality to construct a new bus stand in the land owned by the erstwhile North Arcot District Fruit Processing Society. This land was purchased by the society in 1967 for running a fruit processing unit which was later handed over to NAFED, New Delhi and later became defunct owing to administrative problems.

But a stay on the G.O. was granted by the Madras High Court on a petition from a few employees of the Vellore District Consumers Cooperative Wholesale Stores Ltd., the present owner of the land on the grounds that the land could not be taken over by the municipality without payment of due compensation to the shareholders of the erstwhile Cooperative Fruit Processing Society. Though the stay was subsequently vacated, the municipality could not take over the land since it did not have the resources to pay the huge compensation demanded by the cooperative department for being disbursed to the members.

In view of the legal complications in obtaining the above land, the district administration sent proposals to the Commissioner of Municipal Administration for selecting an alternative site in Guruthope in Shenbakkam. But the municipality was firm on the original site. There the matter stands. But, the Fort Round Road continues to be blocked by buses bound for places south of Vellore such as Arni and Tiruvannamalai following the arrangement arrived at about four years ago for the setting up of a temporary bus stand in this road till the construction of a new bus stand. So, the `official encroachment' on Fort Round Road continues.

The Ministers in the AIADMK cabinet, especially juniors, seem to have a tendency to be pundits of their respective portfolios particularly due to the fact that they have attained ``a vertical elevation'' in their status. The State Minister for Backward Classes Welfare, K. Sudarasanam, for instance, who assumed charges ``24 days ago'', was able to reel out statistics and explain facts about his Department, without any assistance by District officials while addressing a press conference here last week. All through the course of the conference, he ensured that he did not hurt any sector. Admitting that there was not much headway in the sanctioning of bank loans under the schemes implemented by his Department, he instantly added that the absence of collateral security stood in the way of sanctioning of loans. ``Bank officials have to be assured of recovery aspect too'', he said justifying the banks' stand in this regard. The Department will work out a strategy to improve the performance of students of Backward Class Schools, in case if there is a fall in the pass percentage in the public examinations. He exhibited humility all through the press conference.

He said that he would be able to do wonders in his Department within a year, if the experienced he had gained in the last three weeks was any indicator.

The cabinet room in the Pondicherry Assembly campus situated close to the chamber of the Chief Minister is not inaccessible. Currently the budget session of the Assembly is on. After question time is the tea break. One can see an unending flow of people into the cabinet room to take snacks, tea or soup offered by the kind hearted Chief Minister..

The cabinet room will be littered with used tea cups, plates and spoons. There can be hardly a parallel in any other State where cabinet rooms are virtually becoming visitors` chambers.

The Department of Information and Publicity also goes ahead with its own arrangement to provide snacks, soft drinks, juice or tea to the mediapersons in the press room housed in the top floor in the new building.But most of the time the takers are only a few as the hospitality of the Chief Minister`s office outdoes the department`s efforts.

Senior reporters would recall that in the past not even drinking water need to be available during any Assembly session for the mediapersons. But things have changed fast for the better.

The fact that the number of two wheelers in Pondicherry has increased manifold can easily be ascertained from the large number of the vehicles in the precincts of the Assembly. The parking slot has limited space. This forces those coming to meet the Ministers park their vehicles in the hot sun.

The Assembly building was in the distant past accomodating a court and subsequently the Medical College was also functioning in this campus . The college called Ecole Medicin started during French regime automatically got upgraded with the institution of a Centrally sponsored medical College-Jipmer in the sixties.

Although the authorities put in necessary efforts to ensure proper parking of vehicles at times one can come across virtually chaotic scene and movement of vehicles becomes a problem in the precincts of the Assembly.

When almost all the government buildings, schools, Chief Secretariat are having spacious campuses there is an urgent need for Assembly to have a separate campus . The staff in the Assembly secretariat are functioning in a premises with the asbestos sheet above in the ceiling. The radiation of heat particularly during the summer inflicts much suffering on the staff.

The press room is housed on the last floor in the multi storeyed building and one has to climb several steps to reach the room.

(Contributions from P.V.V. Murthi in Vellore, M.Balaganessin in Cuddalore and S. Nadarajan in Pondi

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