The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : BSNL payment date

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 18, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

BSNL payment date

In response to the representation from pensioners Association BSNL Chennai Telephones was kind enough to effect changes in the pay-by-date for payments and make it first week of every month as reported (The Hindu, June 11). This is a change welcomed by all. The MTNL (Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Telephone) at Mumbai telephone statement contains amount payable on pay by date in addition to another figure with a date say about 10 days later with indications for payment with penalties. This is convenient for customers as they are able to effect payments with penalties already computed in the event of default for payments on the pay by date.

Q.S. Krishnamurthy,

Nanganallur

New complex

The recent decision of the TamilNadu Government to move the present Legislative Assembly and Secretariat to new premises is a historic one. The Government probably considered more suitable sites than the one they have chosen now, viz. the Government Estate on Anna Salai. This will only add to the congestion and traffic on Anna Salai, especially near the of Chintadripet, Triplicane and Kilpauk.

Mr. Muthiah, in his column “Madras Miscellany” has given vent to his feelings on the need to preserve the heritage buildings in the Estate. He has traced the historic evolution of the Estate and its gardens and how the English Governors of the day had nurtured the Estate putting up large gardens with a variety of species of trees and ponds in the late 19th Century. Such a garden space is a treasure which we have to preserve for the posterity. With the city becoming a concrete jungle, we should at least leave a few such open lung spaces for the benefit of the people living in the city.

Now the I.T. corridor is being developed along Old Mahabalipuram Road with a huge outlay on roads, power supply, green cover etc. It may not be inappropriate if the Legislature & Secretariat complex are also planned in such locations availing the new facilities, not far from the city proper.

G. Shanmuganathan,

Anna Nagar West Extn.

Passengers fleeced

Auto-rickshaws at Kolathur, Jawahar Nagar, Periyar Nagar and Perambur areas in North Chennai are refusing to accept even Rs. 15/- to travel one kilometre.

They demand Rs. 20/- for one km; when asked about the publicly announced tariffs and point out that the distance is only just one km, they turn round and ask, “Have you measured the distance?”

They refuse to flag the meters, many of which have not been recalibrated.

Police in plain clothes should deal with all these recalcitrant autorickshaw drivers in the public interest.

N. Samsundar,

Kolathur

Clarification

The deadline fixed by the Government for re-calibration of auto fare meters expired on 25-4-2007. However, further extension of time allowed the owners/drivers of autorickshaws to recalibrate their fare meters before 21-05-2007. After 21-05-2007 intensive checking of autos with non-recalibrated fare meters are being made continuously, with a large number of fare meters re-calibrated and sealed at Regional Transport Offices. As on 7-6-2007, 82% of total autorickshaws plying in Chennai city have been re-calibrated. In order to check autorickshaws plying without engaging fare metres, and plying without re-calibrating their fare meters, the officials of Transport Department have been regularly checking autos from 26-01-2007 onwards and up to 8-6-2007, 5441 check reports have been issued, and 1769 autorickshaws have been impounded for plying without re-calibrating their fare metres and plying without valid records. Further, 3601 cases were booked for the irregularities of plying without engaging their fare meters, and for demanding excess fare. Necessary disciplinary action has taken against the owners and drivers of the autorickshaws concerned.

The Transport Department is also arranging for a joint check along with police to check all the autorickshaws plying in Chennai city to crack down on irregularities such as non-engagement of fare meters, non-recalibration of fare meters, and demanding excess fare.

On the suggestion that the name and licence number of the drivers should also be furnished in the fare meter, the Transport Department is making arrangements to issue a Driver’s Display Card, furnishing details like name and address, driving licence number and validity etc., to be displayed behind the driver seat. Soon all the autorickshaws will ply with this Driver’s Display Card, so that the passengers travelling in the vehicle can make complaints without any difficulty.

K. Yogarajan,

Joint Transport Commissioner,

Chennai Zone

Extend it

The concession of fixing the pay-by-date as falling in the first week of the following month extended by Chennai Telephones needs to be extended to all places throughout the State and also the country. The same difficulties are experienced by the salaried class and the pensioners. It is not known why the Circle Telephones have not taken the cue from Chennai Telephones.

N. R. Sathyamurty

Cuddalore

Suburban traffic

The decision of the Southern Railway to bid adieu to the metre gauge services between Tambaram and Villupuram to facilitate gauge conversion is a matter for celebration.

The 31-km Tambaram-Chengalpattu section should be taken up in right earnest and completed in six months, latest by 31st March 2008 with electrification. Since there is a phenomenal increase in Tambaram-Chengalpattu-Kanchipuram section, a dedicated third line traffic between Tambaram and Chengalpattu is a necessity. The 14-km Thirumalpur-Arakkonam line, pending for a decade, can be accelerated to facilitate the running of long cherished circular railway between Arakkonam and Chennai Beach. This will also help to run all upcountry trains to Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkatta, Secunderabad, Bangalore and Cochin. The promises made by three Ministers of State for Railways, past and present, that the works would be completed are yet to become a reality.

The arduous travel of three hours to Arakkonam by residents of Chengalpattu, Maraimalai Nagar and Tambaram should be taken note of by the railways.

S. Gopalan

Maraimalai Nagar

Bad condition of road

The road opposite Ambattur Telephone exchange is in deplorable condition for more than six months. Traffic jams are common occurrence at this junction. Moreover, this stretch of road belongs to National Highway 206 (Chennai – Thiruvallur). Will the authorities take note?

C.S. Jayaraman

Ambattur

BSNL clarification

On the CellOne coverage problem at Avadi TNHB site (June 11), during the peak summer in the middle of May, both air conditioners at Avadi TNHB site become faulty due to high input EB fluctuation in this area.

After speaking with EB authorities and M/s Nortel, the site was restored on May 15 and since then it is working fine. Even during the above failure, it was only the in-building coverage was affected; the outdoor coverage was alright.

Vijaya. A, Manager (PR),

BSNL Chennai Telephones

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