two new insensitive initiatives...
Thank god, there is no Gandhi statue in the chennai corporation building, Mayor Subramanian and Commissioner Lakhani would have otherwise been embarrassed (if they could).
This morning news
1) Mayor inaugurates parking meters in North Mada Street, Mylapore
2) Corp. Commissioner distributes new plastic broom sticks to conservancy workers
The Mayor comes with a jewel of a reason for the parking meters, 'people at times are unhappy that the attendant in the parking areas don't issue receipt and now (what he didn't say: they will walk the required 200 mts to the machine, fish out the Rs. 5 coin from their wallets and promise not to park beyond an hour) they will get their receipts printed by the meter machine!'. Of course, we assume that those people want to actually pay the amount and if they over stay the duration, will renew it again!
The Mayor has to just peek around the corner to find the number of large cars that park on the narrow stretch on the main road near Luz signal out side the Mylapore railway station. These Honda Civics' and Toyoto Qualis' park there to pick up executives from the railway station to their homes or offices, but, don't want to take the trouble of paying the required amount at the station parking lot and prefer to hit the road as soon as possible. They are a menace to the vehicles just coming out of the Luz signal onto the narrow stretch. They want to replace the poor man with a machine.
Lokhani went a step further, he is replacing the traditional long handle broom (made of natural bamboo and coconut stalk material that is made in all probability by women in suburban villages) used by the conservancy staff, that costs Rs. 40/- with a plastic one that costs Rs.150/- (or equivalent of almost 4 traditional brooms) as he believes that it lasts longer. Ofcourse, the plastic one is manufactured by a industry. Lokhani says that the traditional 'mallaram' (long handle broom) lasts for just 15-20 days whereas the new one lasts longer (carefully omitting the detail of how much longer it lasts). That makes the traditional Mallaram charge Rs.2 per day of cleaning and assuming a conservancy staff cleans just 2 streets, that is Rs. 1 per day per street cleaning towards the material alone (a natural decomposable material that does not become a garbage problem eventually). A regular replacement will obviously provide more employment for those who make them (and invariably it is those who cannot leave their homes for various reasons who end up making these in the suburban villages), instead just one industry stands to gain.
Meanwhile, the other unconnected news in the city included a Gandhian talking about 'Mahatma Gandhi ideals for students' and an actor talking about the upholding tradition.
This morning news
1) Mayor inaugurates parking meters in North Mada Street, Mylapore
2) Corp. Commissioner distributes new plastic broom sticks to conservancy workers
The Mayor comes with a jewel of a reason for the parking meters, 'people at times are unhappy that the attendant in the parking areas don't issue receipt and now (what he didn't say: they will walk the required 200 mts to the machine, fish out the Rs. 5 coin from their wallets and promise not to park beyond an hour) they will get their receipts printed by the meter machine!'. Of course, we assume that those people want to actually pay the amount and if they over stay the duration, will renew it again!
The Mayor has to just peek around the corner to find the number of large cars that park on the narrow stretch on the main road near Luz signal out side the Mylapore railway station. These Honda Civics' and Toyoto Qualis' park there to pick up executives from the railway station to their homes or offices, but, don't want to take the trouble of paying the required amount at the station parking lot and prefer to hit the road as soon as possible. They are a menace to the vehicles just coming out of the Luz signal onto the narrow stretch. They want to replace the poor man with a machine.
Lokhani went a step further, he is replacing the traditional long handle broom (made of natural bamboo and coconut stalk material that is made in all probability by women in suburban villages) used by the conservancy staff, that costs Rs. 40/- with a plastic one that costs Rs.150/- (or equivalent of almost 4 traditional brooms) as he believes that it lasts longer. Ofcourse, the plastic one is manufactured by a industry. Lokhani says that the traditional 'mallaram' (long handle broom) lasts for just 15-20 days whereas the new one lasts longer (carefully omitting the detail of how much longer it lasts). That makes the traditional Mallaram charge Rs.2 per day of cleaning and assuming a conservancy staff cleans just 2 streets, that is Rs. 1 per day per street cleaning towards the material alone (a natural decomposable material that does not become a garbage problem eventually). A regular replacement will obviously provide more employment for those who make them (and invariably it is those who cannot leave their homes for various reasons who end up making these in the suburban villages), instead just one industry stands to gain.
Meanwhile, the other unconnected news in the city included a Gandhian talking about 'Mahatma Gandhi ideals for students' and an actor talking about the upholding tradition.
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