The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Reporter's Diary

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Oct 31, 2006
ePaper

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Reporter's Diary

Poor presspersons

Mediapersons had a difficult experience on Monday at a function held at the Government ophthalmic hospital in Egmore.

In the tiny auditorium where over 200 people had gathered for the 25th year celebration of a non-government organisation, a dozen chairs in the first two rows were reserved for the "Press".

But only those who came early managed to find a seat. When photographers trailed the Governor as he visited the cornea block and entered the auditorium they had no place to sit.

When the organisers appealed the occupants to vacate the chairs, one of them said: "They are photographers. They can go to the back of the room and come to the front to take photos."

The result: photographers and video cameramen stood for the entire duration of the programme, which lasted an hour.

Rs. 20 for a seat

Lawless elements flouting rules brazenly is common in Chennai, but commuters travelling by the unreserved compartment from Chennai to Jolarpet by the Kovai Express on the morning of Deepavali had a harrowing time with `towel spreaders.'

They gained their entry into the train even as it left at 5 a.m. and when passengers got in to find their seats, there were several persons who had spread long sheets of cloth across the seats. Passengers thought that they were just using the train for their night's sleep.

But as it turned out, they were demanding Rs. 20 for a seat that they had "caught and preserved," for passengers.

And in one sweep a person earned Rs. 100 for providing seats for five persons, charging Rs. 20 even for a child.

But passengers who managed to get a place to sit, even if they had to shell out money, took consolation from the plight of those who had to climb up the berths and stay there throughout the journey to Jolarpet.

Policemen flout election rules

The other day when a journalist entered the Sembakkam Town Panchayat office to cover the election of the president, he was stopped by a policeman on duty.

Only elected members and officials would be allowed in the hall, the policeman insisted. But after the elections ended, the journalist found that there were a lot of supporters inside the hall. An opposition party volunteer who was denied entry was heard saying: Is there a separate law for supporters of the ruling party and another for media-persons?

Contributions by R. Sujatha, Swahilya and T. Madhavan

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu