Auditorium for Anna Nagar soon: Mayor

Accepting one of the main demands of the residents of Anna Nagar, Chennai Corporation Mayor M Subramanian has ordered speeding up the process of identifying a location for a multipurpose auditorium at Anna Nagar.
He was speaking at a face-to-face meet with the residents of Anna Nagar, organised by the Exnora Club of Anna Nagar

last week at Jaigopal Garodia Vivekananda Vidyalaya.
More than 150 representatives of block associations and residents welfare associations attended the meet. It may be

noted that the area did not have such a hall: the CMDA had not provided for it when it planned this part of the city four

decades ago.
The Mayor said, 'Most of the representatives have asked for an auditorium. And we also feel that an auditorium is very

much needed here to conduct various public programmes, as Anna Nagar holds numerous programmes either by the

residents associations or clubs throughout a month'.
A few residents have suggested places for the proposed hall; One was a place near L Block which houses a public library

would be a right choice, while another proposed a spot at W Block. The Mayor has consented both of them and said

suitable place would be selected.
Exnora Cub secretary I V Sashikumar, said around 55 petitions have been collected from the residents and handed over

to the Mayor for future course of action.
Outlining some of the complaints to the Mayor, Sashikumar said most of the residents have highlighted three major

problems in the area: An auditorium for public programmes, public convenience on Second Avenue (shopping nerve

centre), as the whole stretch of nearly two kilometres does not have even a single public convenience, and the third one is

about the arrest of mosquito menace in the area by timely desliting Cooum river and Otteri Nullah'.
Besides residents' complaints, the Club wanted revival of the bi-monthly meeting with Corporation officials, which was

abruptly stopped, and trimming of avenue trees at Anna Nagar, as it blocked beams of street lights. The Mayor assured

them that decision would be taken after consulting with officials on these issues soon.
Councillors P K Sekar, Ward 64, Pushpalatha Jayashankar, Ward 66, R Elumalai, Ward 67 and Vasantha Paramasivam, Ward 68, and Exnora International founder M B Nirmal, attended the meet.
Purpose behind more visits
During the meet, the Mayor jokingly said, 'Many in the city are wondering why the Mayor accepts more and more appointments per day even after knowing that he cannot make it to all programmes on time. My answer for those critics is, whenever I make a visit ( though very late) to a part of the city, the area and its adjacent streets would be spruced. On a single day, I attend morethan five programmes and more that 50 streets get a facelift.

"A MAN SETS ABLAZE AN ABORIGINAL TRIBAL WOMAN"
Aspect
(REPRO)

Port Blair, July, 2


IN an incident that took place on Saturday at Port Blair, an woman of Great Andamnese tribal community was set ablaze after pouring petrol by a local man named Dayanand, S/O. Bharat, who is a group "C" employee in APWD. This incident took place at the "Basera" Nivas , which is the stay home for Great Andamanese tribal people here.
The woman named Nu, W/o. Pege has sustained 60% burn all over the body and is admitted in the G.B. Pant Hospital;.
The police has arrested the culprit behind the incident.
A vigilant citizen, who saw the tribal lady at the hospital, as questioned whether the Administration is really serious in extending security & care t the aboriginal tribal people here. The said incident has exposed the level of care , the Administration is giving towards the poor aboriginal tribal people, particularly women of the community.
This incident and the past incidents involving tribal people have defeated the tall claim of Admnistration that tribal are in the safe hands of AAJVS. If the factor safety was something really existing, how, could a person enter into the "Basera" home and pour petrol and set ablaze the poor women.
It is a matter of shame that the facilities and monetary assistance which are sanctioned by GOI and which are supposed to be distributed among these tribal people are being looted away by the Administration authorities. And these poor tribe people are not even provide even the basic need of security and care.

Samir Acharya adds,


The tragic incident that took place in Adi Basera on Saturday last once again calls our attention to the following:
a) That the Administration is not too concerned about visits of non-tribals to the members of PTGs, unless the visitor happens to be a journalist.
b) Adi Basera was a Guest House for PTGs since long. It was declared a protected tribal reserve only after a lady correspondent of NDTV interviewed Lichu and Nu at Adi Basera and NDTVs broadcast of the damaging interview.
C) Adi Basera is guarded throughout the day but not at night, presumably because the journalists do not normally try to interact with PTGs at night.
d) There was no guard at Adi Basera that night, although Nu's son was sleeping in another room. The main building was under repair and as such other tribals were not present. Reportedly the miscreant regularly visited Nu in Adi Basera at night.


Even for the Jarawas the Administration's Efforts stop with religiously publishing to cease and desist from taking tourists into the tribal reserves and allowing interactions


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Society for Andaman & Nicobar Ecology
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Port Blair-744101
A & N Islands

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