Civil society leaders are pushing for change in various aspects of life in Puducherry, ranging from traffic violations and truant autorickshaw drivers to solid waste management and fleecing at the government-run two-wheeler parking lot near the bus terminus.
People’s Pulse, a collective of former bureaucrats, government employees and entrepreneurs, and the Kurunji Nagar Welfare Association have drawn the attention of authorities to several issues that require redressal, starting with the slide in the law-and-order situation.
In petitions submitted to the Lieutenant-Governor, the Chief Minister, Chief Secretary and others, the civil society leaders pointed out that the law-and-order situation which had improved in recent times had begun to deteriorate again.
On the traffic scenario, the citizens group said violations of traffic signals was rampant and urged the police to take steps urgently.
“We are not able to regulate the traffic on even 15 streets within the Boulevard limit,” lamented R. Dhamodaran, secretary, People’s Pulse.
If the ban on banners can be achieved in Karaikal why not in this city, citizens wondered. They also expressed unhappiness over the lack of enforcement of the meter fare guidelines for autorickshaw drivers.
The citizens also pointed out that with several new commercial establishments, for which approvals had been sanctioned by the Puducherry Planning Authority, coming up within a half-km radius on Annai Salai, Nehru Street and Kamarajar Salai, the traffic situation could go haywire.
They wanted the authorities to stop issuing any more approvals in these congested areas.
The citizens’ collective also felt that the fees charged at the Government-administered two-wheeler parking lot near the bus terminus was exorbitant as the contractor was not providing shelter or toilet facilities.
It also sought resumption of the interface sessions that the government secretaries of various departments used to hold during vigilance awareness week, which had been stopped citing misbehaviour by some elements.
The session should be recommenced with a code of conduct in place for all attendees.
The other demands included formulation of a perspective plan for management of groundwater resources, an action plan for solid waste disposal and a proper underground drainage system for the city.
The citizens also felt that officers in the administration were not too keen on responding to grievances or obliging requests for an appointment from civil society representatives and urged the Chief Secretary to issue relevant instructions.
