He is grey and grizzled, but there’s no change in the straight back and stiff police gait as the former top cop walks into his office on CP Ramaswamy Road.
It’s noon and he has finished his rounds, attended a function at a constituent’s house.
R. Nataraj, Mylapore MLA, takes his work seriously, to the point of viewing issues in his constituency as he once did the offenders in his beat.
The composition of Mylapore is a challenge, he says. Old areas around Kapaleeswarar temple, wealthy localities like RA Puram and MRC Nagar, the leafy Greenways Road with its sprawling government bungalows and the 42 urban slums of one lakh people along the Buckingham Canal make for mixed population. Poor, rich and middle-class residents spread across the 7 wards and 11 political vattams.
He needed a system in place and he knew it.
“I formed groups for various issues,” he said.
“Outside my office was a board designating a particular hour for meeting the MLA. That is the first thing I changed — I removed the board and now my office is open 24/7.”
He meets the groups every day for discussion and feedback, but a constituent can reach him directly through a call-button, a mobile app (mylaiapphttps://www.mylapore.co.in, a grievance-registering portal to enable continuous analysis and follow-up which will be popularised soon), a mail ID and/or a Facebook page. Each ward and vattam is a WhatsApp group, handy to connect with those in slum board tenements and are active on social media. Complaints are about uncleared garbage, erratic water supply, clogged drains, encroachment and lack of power connections in some slums. He has a wish-list. Mylapore needs an independent sub-station, which in turn needs government/OSR land to stand in. Playgrounds and community halls are in poor condition, Appu Street marundagam has to be re-opened. Being an ex-police-officer, he is expected to bring order to the maddening traffic, “and I’m liaising with the traffic police officers.”
Beautification/restoration of B-Canal, meandering through the constituency from Hamilton Bridge to Kotturpuram, means funds, but “I can give suggestions for only Rs. 90 lakh of the constituency fund, the rest is tied up.”
What he has been lucky to get is manpower. Each ward has a group assigned to monitor local problems.
“They are my foot-soldiers who update me on various civic issues.”
A core group of smart youngsters helps him keep constant touch with officials of the Corporation, Metrowater/Sewarage, Slum Clearance Board, Police, Revenue, PWD and EB.
“All are very cooperative and attend to our calls at once.” His mantra is MBWA — Management by Wandering About. Programme for the day is planned a week ahead.
“After my morning workout, I go round my constituency, reach my office around 10 a.m. and meet people who come with their grievances.” He holds meetings, monitors implementation of civic projects, frames questions to be raised in the Assembly, prepares notes for discussion.
“My appeal for a sub-station was received favourably by the Minister for Electricity.”
Correspondence with various departments for identifying projects that can be implemented with constituency fund is filed neatly. He makes time to attend social functions to interact with people, and is sure to be present to console a family in bereavement.
“I have visited all the wards with teams of officials enabling people to directly ventilate their grievances. This has given confidence to people that their complaints will be attended to.”
He has seen glimmers of success. Garbage removal is streamlined to a great extent, but solid-waste management needs time, he says.
The road repairs in Sivasamy Salai, Devanathan Street, Tiruvengadam Street, Justice Sundaram Road have been completed. Massive desilting of SWDs has been implemented. After resolving the long-pending issue of administrative clearance, Nageswara Rao Park is now jointly managed by Sundaram Finance and Corporation.
Post-Vardah, “the green space of the park wears a war-torn look, we’re taking up park cleaning on a priority with help from volunteers and civic officials.”
He sees the proliferation of good schools — private and government-run — as another opportunity. He visits, interacts with them and sorts out their problems.
“We have taken up skill development and help youngsters find jobs.”
He has a free coaching centre for civil service and TNPSC Group IV aspirants up and running.
A major curve ball Mylapore throws is the preservation of its historicity and “holiness”.
“Chennai’s age is traced to 400 years, but Mylapore is over 2000 years old,” says the legislator. “Thiruvalluvar was born here. Kapaleeswarar and Kesava Perumal temples are two of the oldest in the state. Christianity came to Mylapore first with the visit of St Thomas.”
All this puts Mylapore prominently in the tourist map of India, so there can be no let-up in keeping places of worship clean, securing temple lands in coordination with Hindu Religious Endowment officials, maintaining the Kapali, Kesava Perumal and Madhava Perumal tanks. “Proper rainwater harvesting will keep the tanks perennially full. To make the ambiance better for the constant influx of tourists, I have initiated a tree-planting drive.”
Clean-Green-Pristine Mylapore maybe his motto, making Mylapore a model constituency “that Chennaites will be proud of” maybe his dream, but you can still see your MLA “meditating music” with talented artists in the Margazhi season.
“Can’t miss this great stress-buster.”
Call/message your MLA at 9840484411.
Send mail at mylaimlanataraj@gmail.com , log on to his FaceBook page.
