The Time of India DATE: 22.12.2010
How 200 students BROUGHT THE CITY TO A HALT
COMPLAINING OF POOR FOOD, LIVING CONDITIONS, 200 ADI DRAVIDAR HOSTELITES BLOCK TRAFFIC ON ANNA SALAI
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Enraged by poor conditions in an overcrowded government hostel at Saidapet, some 200 students decided to send a message to the authorities on Tuesday, but Chennai commuters ended up paying for it.
Virtually everyone who tried to use the southern stretch of Anna Salai in the morning rush hour got a taste of the protest by MC Raja Adi Dravidar Hostel residents, which held up traffic for almost five hours. For most part of the drama, policemen stood watching helpless as higher-ups sought to avoid action that would “aggravate the situation.” Finally, it took a visit by minister for adi dravidar welfare Tamizharasi to pacify the protesters and bring the demonstration to an end.
The city was heading into the rush hour around 8.40 am when students emerged from the hostel raising slogans against poor food and living conditions and blocking traffic from Saidapet to Nandanam. The road was clogged in no time, with traffic jams extending to lateral roads.
After beat policemen failed to disperse the protesters, a team led by joint commissioner P Sakthivel arrived at the spot at 10.20 am to discuss the issue and get the students to move aside to clear traffic. But the protesters, now having swollen in number, would have none of it.
As the agitators remained stubborn, the traffic police began diverting vehicles, but this too resulted in pile-ups on Cenotaph Road, Kotturpuram, T Nagar, Adyar and Pondy Bazaar.
At one stage, a policeman lost his cool and swung a lathi, injuring an aggressive student. This angered the crowd further. In a conciliatory gesture, Sakthivel then hugged the student. Eventually, the minister and Chennai collector V Shobana arrived at the spot at 12.30 pm, held discussions for over an hour promising to look into the problems immediately, and got the protesters to disperse.
However, the damage was done. On a day when the 108 ambulance service received 103 calls from the public, an unspecified number of ambulances carrying patients in distress were stuck in the jam. A pregnant woman with her mother was stuck in an autorickshaw in Saidapet. Several others, like E Stephen who missed a flight to Hyderabad, missed flights and trains. M Nandagopal, who could not reach his office in Medavakkam, said, “Why can’t the students go to the chief minister and show their protest?’’ But, the students were unrepentant. “Come and see the food we eat, the filth we live in,’ said R Karthikeyan, a student. Another Syed Faisal said the hostel had a capacity for 400, but it was being used to accommodate over 1,000 students.
Asked why the police did not forcibly remove the students, a senior officer said: “We were told the minister and the collector will sort out the issue. And that we don’t want a Law College-like situation.”
PROTEST ROUTE
8.40am Trouble brews as students spill on to Anna Salai and block traffic on both sides of the road
10.20am Joint Commissioner P Sakthivel tries to buy peace with the students and urges them to allow smooth flow of traffic
12.30pm Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar Welfare Minister Thamizharasi and Chennai collector V Shobana arrive at the spot to pacify the striking students
1.20pm A group of students break away from Saidapet and move towards the Thevar statue on Anna Salai and try to stage a another protest but are mildly lathicharged and led away
1.40pm The situation eases after the minister assures the students action will be taken on a war footing
The Times of India Dated: 05.10.2010
DMK Councillor’s Son ‘Assaults’ MTC Bus Driver Triggering A Flash Strike In The City, 4 Arrested
TIMES NEWS NETWORK in second page
Chennai: Commuters had a harrowing time on Monday as drivers of Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses went on a flash strike demanding the arrest of those who assaulted three of their colleagues in Mogappair on Sunday night.
With over three-fourths of the 3,500 buses off the road, commuters had to depend on overpriced autorickshaws and overcrowded share autorickshaws to reach their destinations during peak hours. Those who chose to travel by train found it difficult to even get tickets as there were long queues at the counters at many stations in the city and the suburbs.
In many places like Guindy and Ambattur Industrial Estate, a large number of people, including women, were seen walking for several kilometres to reach their workplaces.
“I didn’t know why there were no buses on the roads. Today my school reopened after quarterly exams, but I returned home after waiting for a bus in vain,’’ said Prakash, a Class 10 student of a private school in Virugambakkam. Manju Priya, an office-goer in Ashok Nagar, said, “I had to walk upto Vadapalani to get to work. While share autorickshaws were running full, autorickshaws were demanding 150 to 200. Having no other go, I chose to walk all the way.’’
Initially, only drivers and conductors at Anna Nagar West, KK Nagar, Perambur, Ambattur and Avadi depots resorted to strike but by 10 in the morning, almost every depot had joined them. By then, every bus stop and terminus in the city was seen overflowing with crowds.
At noon, several transport employees’ trade unions announced that they had withdrawn the strike after the police arrested four persons who allegedly assaulted their colleagues.
“Services resumed only around 3pm. Drivers should think about people’s sufferings when they stage agitations. Police should have taken immediate action to avoid the strike,” said Meenakshi Sundaram, an MTC commuter in Thirumangalam.
MTC managing director V Babu said that by evening, the transport corporation had taken steps to reduce inconvenience to commuters. As many as 1,800 of the 3,500 buses were plying on Monday, he said.
Many MTC officials said the issue was difficult to handle because some unions had tried to politicise it in view of the elections scheduled for next month. A DMK councillor’s son was involved in the assault on the driver.
Thirumangalam police arrested Ambattur councillor Anbu’s son Senthil Suresh and his friends Stalin, Murugan and Udayakumar on charges of damaging public property, causing grievous hurt to public servants on duty and attempt to murder. The four were remanded in judicial custody and their car seized.
There are two versions of what triggered the quarrel. One is that Senthil Suresh and his friends, while returning home in their Scorpio, tried to overtake an MTC bus (61E, coming from Koyambedu to Keezhkondaiyar) near Avadi for more than half a km and when they finally managed to do so, they assaulted the driver, Dinakaran.
Another version is that Dinakaran was driving rashly and hit a two-wheeler. Angered, Senthil Suresh overtook the bus and confronted the driver, who allegedly spat in Suresh’s face.
Police said Suresh and his friends also damaged the windshields of a few other MTC buses in the vicinity. In the attack, Dinakaran and transport employees Kathirvel and Umapathy suffered injuries and were admitted to the government general hospital.
With over three-fourths of the 3,500 buses off the road, commuters had to depend on overpriced autorickshaws and overcrowded share autorickshaws to reach their destinations during peak hours. Those who chose to travel by train found it difficult to even get tickets as there were long queues at the counters at many stations in the city and the suburbs.
In many places like Guindy and Ambattur Industrial Estate, a large number of people, including women, were seen walking for several kilometres to reach their workplaces.
“I didn’t know why there were no buses on the roads. Today my school reopened after quarterly exams, but I returned home after waiting for a bus in vain,’’ said Prakash, a Class 10 student of a private school in Virugambakkam. Manju Priya, an office-goer in Ashok Nagar, said, “I had to walk upto Vadapalani to get to work. While share autorickshaws were running full, autorickshaws were demanding 150 to 200. Having no other go, I chose to walk all the way.’’
Initially, only drivers and conductors at Anna Nagar West, KK Nagar, Perambur, Ambattur and Avadi depots resorted to strike but by 10 in the morning, almost every depot had joined them. By then, every bus stop and terminus in the city was seen overflowing with crowds.
At noon, several transport employees’ trade unions announced that they had withdrawn the strike after the police arrested four persons who allegedly assaulted their colleagues.
“Services resumed only around 3pm. Drivers should think about people’s sufferings when they stage agitations. Police should have taken immediate action to avoid the strike,” said Meenakshi Sundaram, an MTC commuter in Thirumangalam.
MTC managing director V Babu said that by evening, the transport corporation had taken steps to reduce inconvenience to commuters. As many as 1,800 of the 3,500 buses were plying on Monday, he said.
Many MTC officials said the issue was difficult to handle because some unions had tried to politicise it in view of the elections scheduled for next month. A DMK councillor’s son was involved in the assault on the driver.
Thirumangalam police arrested Ambattur councillor Anbu’s son Senthil Suresh and his friends Stalin, Murugan and Udayakumar on charges of damaging public property, causing grievous hurt to public servants on duty and attempt to murder. The four were remanded in judicial custody and their car seized.
There are two versions of what triggered the quarrel. One is that Senthil Suresh and his friends, while returning home in their Scorpio, tried to overtake an MTC bus (61E, coming from Koyambedu to Keezhkondaiyar) near Avadi for more than half a km and when they finally managed to do so, they assaulted the driver, Dinakaran.
Another version is that Dinakaran was driving rashly and hit a two-wheeler. Angered, Senthil Suresh overtook the bus and confronted the driver, who allegedly spat in Suresh’s face.
Police said Suresh and his friends also damaged the windshields of a few other MTC buses in the vicinity. In the attack, Dinakaran and transport employees Kathirvel and Umapathy suffered injuries and were admitted to the government general hospital.
The Times of India DATED: 26.11.2010
after ‘TERRORISTS’ AT US CONSULATE
Commando Drill Brings Traffic To A Halt on Anna Salai
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Chennai: It was said to be Roemer’s day out; but it turned out to be a day of rumours—and a lot of inconvenience to the Chennaiite. On a day when US ambassador Timothy Roemer was in the city, the police conducted a security drill resulting in long hours of traffic pile-up and rumours that terrorists had sneaked into the US consulate near Gemini flyover.
It all started at 3.07pm when the police control room got a call informing that six terrorists had infiltrated the US Consulate on Cathedral Road and a blast was heard. Senior police officials insisted that only the top brass knew it was a drill and that the commandos were reacting as if to a real life situation.
Traffic was either halted or diverted on roads near the consulate, resulting in snarls along the arterial Anna Salai, Cathedral Road, Nungambakkam High Road and Kodambakkam High Road. Many side roads were also clogged as vehicles tried to avoid the main roads. Later, city police commissioner T Rajendran told reporters that commandoes acted fast, storming the consulate and nabbing the ‘terrorists’ in 45 minutes.
Things moved much slower outside, as motorists honked and cursed. “The traffic was moving smooth and then suddenly all hell broke loose,” said Gireesh Kumar who was caught in the bumper-to-bumper traffic near Thousand Lights.
The chaos on the roads continued till 6pm, well past the operation that ended at 4.40pm. “I took an hour and 20 minutes to cover the two-kilometre stretch between Anna Statue and Gemini flyover,” said a motorist on his way to Nandanam from the Madras high court.
For the commandos, however, it was a thrilling assignment. Under the command of additional commissioner Shakeel Akhter, 50 personnel from the Tamil Nadu commando force were used as a quick reaction team (QRT). A few officers from the local police acted as a quick reaction unit (QRU). “As per the plan, QRT had to go inside and nab the terrorists and detect bombs, while QRU sanitised and cordoned off the entire area around the consulate,”said Shakeel Akhter.
By 3.50pm the team had set up a command centre at the St George’s Cathedral next to the consulate. Eight commandos scaled the church wall to enter the consulate premises, while a few others took up positions on the Gemini flyover, with their sniper guns aimed at the consulate. “In a stealth operation, the commandos nabbed the ‘terrorists’,” Akhter said.
Police dogs, three-month-old Ruby and 15-month-old Kukki, sniffed around and detected a bag of explosives. “We used some materials with the smell of explosives and the dogs were supposed to detect it,” said Akhter.
The US consulate officials were happy with the drill, but the public were not. “I understand the security concerns, but they could have done this on an holiday. Ambulances were also stuck in the traffic jam. Will the police do the same thing when, say, the chief minister is moving on a road?” said L Muneeswaran, an autorickshaw driver.
Rajendran had a stern reply to this. “In a real life situation where there is a terrorist strike, the public may have to put up with traffic jams that can last over 20 hours. This one took only two hours. Without some hardship nothing can be achieved,” he said.
In the recent past, Chennai police had carried out drills like Operation Barricade and Operation Hamla. With every operation, senior police officers study the response time and make improvements, Rajendran said.
AN ATTACK THAT WASN’T
At 3.07pm, city police control room got a call informing that six ‘terrorists’ had infiltrated the US consulate
By 3.50pm, a QRT team set up a command centre at St George’s Cathedral next to the consulate
Eight commandos scale the church wall to enter the consulate premises, while a few others took position on the Gemini flyover
By 4.40pm, the ‘terrorists’ were nabbed
CAN WE EXPECT THE FOURTH PILLAR WOULD UPHOLD DEMOCRACY AND WOULD BE A WATCH DOG WITH THE BIASED MEDIA COVERAGE?????
It all started at 3.07pm when the police control room got a call informing that six terrorists had infiltrated the US Consulate on Cathedral Road and a blast was heard. Senior police officials insisted that only the top brass knew it was a drill and that the commandos were reacting as if to a real life situation.
Traffic was either halted or diverted on roads near the consulate, resulting in snarls along the arterial Anna Salai, Cathedral Road, Nungambakkam High Road and Kodambakkam High Road. Many side roads were also clogged as vehicles tried to avoid the main roads. Later, city police commissioner T Rajendran told reporters that commandoes acted fast, storming the consulate and nabbing the ‘terrorists’ in 45 minutes.
Things moved much slower outside, as motorists honked and cursed. “The traffic was moving smooth and then suddenly all hell broke loose,” said Gireesh Kumar who was caught in the bumper-to-bumper traffic near Thousand Lights.
The chaos on the roads continued till 6pm, well past the operation that ended at 4.40pm. “I took an hour and 20 minutes to cover the two-kilometre stretch between Anna Statue and Gemini flyover,” said a motorist on his way to Nandanam from the Madras high court.
For the commandos, however, it was a thrilling assignment. Under the command of additional commissioner Shakeel Akhter, 50 personnel from the Tamil Nadu commando force were used as a quick reaction team (QRT). A few officers from the local police acted as a quick reaction unit (QRU). “As per the plan, QRT had to go inside and nab the terrorists and detect bombs, while QRU sanitised and cordoned off the entire area around the consulate,”said Shakeel Akhter.
By 3.50pm the team had set up a command centre at the St George’s Cathedral next to the consulate. Eight commandos scaled the church wall to enter the consulate premises, while a few others took up positions on the Gemini flyover, with their sniper guns aimed at the consulate. “In a stealth operation, the commandos nabbed the ‘terrorists’,” Akhter said.
Police dogs, three-month-old Ruby and 15-month-old Kukki, sniffed around and detected a bag of explosives. “We used some materials with the smell of explosives and the dogs were supposed to detect it,” said Akhter.
The US consulate officials were happy with the drill, but the public were not. “I understand the security concerns, but they could have done this on an holiday. Ambulances were also stuck in the traffic jam. Will the police do the same thing when, say, the chief minister is moving on a road?” said L Muneeswaran, an autorickshaw driver.
Rajendran had a stern reply to this. “In a real life situation where there is a terrorist strike, the public may have to put up with traffic jams that can last over 20 hours. This one took only two hours. Without some hardship nothing can be achieved,” he said.
In the recent past, Chennai police had carried out drills like Operation Barricade and Operation Hamla. With every operation, senior police officers study the response time and make improvements, Rajendran said.
AN ATTACK THAT WASN’T
At 3.07pm, city police control room got a call informing that six ‘terrorists’ had infiltrated the US consulate
By 3.50pm, a QRT team set up a command centre at St George’s Cathedral next to the consulate
Eight commandos scale the church wall to enter the consulate premises, while a few others took position on the Gemini flyover
By 4.40pm, the ‘terrorists’ were nabbed
CAN WE EXPECT THE FOURTH PILLAR WOULD UPHOLD DEMOCRACY AND WOULD BE A WATCH DOG WITH THE BIASED MEDIA COVERAGE?????
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