Heavy rains every where headlines are screeching. Bangalore and Chennai Army called, this is the other headline I am seeing in 'Samachar' on the net.
Well this set me to think what next. Great Chennai will not have water problem this summer, and over head tanks can be filled twice a day in our apartment. But what about roads man? Is it not going to be a nightmare to commute on these roads if it is already not . I am already reading about the conditions of roads in Bangalore. Who is going to set right all these?
We are always used to blaming the politicians. We know they are third rated and we strongly feel so, justifying ourselves for not entering politics. The Devegowdas and the Lallus prove that our hunch or feeling is absolutely right.
Our only hope is the Bureaucrats. But the way in which they work is just unpardonable. They just lack the intiative and they just keep passing the buck and don't want to take any responsibility. There are many roads which are already redone only in papers every thing till the minute details being kept in record, but alas there are no actual roads. No wonder our people are so good in virtual reality fields.
I have seen many retired officers, boasting they did this and that. All they do while in office, is just stall the work, by raising some objections some querries, for some small detail, when actually they don't have the back bone to stand up to the political boss for their convictions. They Yes Sir their bosses and the political bosses and harass the people who work for them or with them. The so called Government auditors , will be scrutanizing for some small aberrations , but close their eyes while lakhs and crores of rupees are being swindled. This probably they do to calm their conciousness that they are adhereing to the rules and going by the books.
What we need is not only honest officers, but more than honesty it is people who can deliver and get things done is what is needed for us. I am not saying we don't need honest people. I am saying people who are honest enough but can bend the books, for the common good who can use their discretion in interpreteing the rules so that it works out for the common good is what is needed for todays scenario.
Our bureaucracy is half filled with corrupt officers. About these we know and we can curse them and hope one day they are caught and punished if not at least are shamed if they have what is called ' shame'.
But the other half are the ones to be blamed more, who just don't do any work (they are the one who will be in the office working late hours) but just go on finding objections to every proposal, and increase the correspondence keep on asking querries and get transferred or promoted and retire one fine day just to boast to all and sundry how they did (not do) this and that.
India is kept moving ahead (I suppose) because of some few officers who are actually good, like the collective will of bureacrats, in 'Melur' in Srirangam saved the town from the breech in the cauvery who took and organized the help of local youth also.
I hope at least this time they rise up to the occasion and with what ever money is allocated they get to spend half of them in actually repairing and laying the roads.
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5 comments:
The roads in chennai in central and south areas were motorable and servicable even on the day of massive rains. I should know as both me and sampath went for work.But then it appears that the north and western parts including anna nagar and the south extensions of velachery and madipakkam were really really unreachable even two days after rains have stopped.It appears that the silting of storm water drains has been done extensively in the former areas but has not been taken up in the other belts.
But then what was heartening was the government machinery was very apparent and visible.Fallen trees on the roads were quickly removed and policemen and good samaritans were stationed at road junctions to divert the traffic. No frayed tempers, nobody felt helpless and angry.24 cm rain in 6 hours did cause havoc, but then it was getting attended to.
No excuse for the unattended areas. If people build houses on lake beds, someone gave them sanction to do so.If near perambur they built houses along the canals and chocked the canal, the houses were not invisible,for appropriate action/relocation.Yes, this is a massive failure.
Regarding your strong views on bureaucrats, i have to add this. Yes, many of them want to spend time
without upsetting the status quo. there seems to be such a virtue in status quo!
But i hate status quo!
It is great to note that some roads have been really good even after rains and the prompt action being taken. The irony of the whole situation is the anna nagar area is where many of the elite IAS officers present and retired have settled down in Chennai.
Oh thats deep irony indeed. And whats more some sort of poetic justice?
There are scores of chennaites, who love chennai. I just wanted to share an intersting point made by an aquaintance long ago. He said chennai was never a city from the historical perspective.It did not have the water resources needed for a bigger city. It was just a small fishing village, and only Kanchipuram was the seat of power. Britishers made it into a city beginning from military garrison for their own selfish purpose as they wanted a port city for their commerical purposes. He said that is why we have so many problems when chennai expanded. But that does not excuse us for the condition of other cities which are worse than chennai.
Bluejagger says "It did not have the water resources needed for a bigger city. " We live in the 21st century. That's a lame excuse. There are flourishing cities without any water problems in the deserts of Kalahari(Gabarone) and Arabia(Dubai).
Indians have lived in chaos for far too long and sadly are getting used to it. Remembering the days when I had to cycle 8 kms thru 2 feet of dirty water to get to a high school system that was teaching bull crap to say the least.
But Chennai roads and the traffic system are far far better than Bangalore. And i was pleased to see cleaners in Chennai cleaning the roads at 12 in the night in the rain a few months ago. I felt pity for them.
Lack of infrastucture & city planning is no fault of the poor workers who tirelessly clean the roads which have no drainage or outlet system. It's like trying to empty an ocean with a teaspoon.
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